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00:02South Africa has some of the world's biggest national parks and game reserves,
00:06home to an incredibly diverse range of animals.
00:10This is very, very lucky. I can't believe you've seen leopards.
00:13Some of which are critically endangered.
00:162030 is the year that the African penguin will go extinct if we don't act now.
00:20We're following vets and volunteers.
00:22Trying to steal your hat.
00:23What do you want with my hat?
00:25It's just so special to be able to see them like this.
00:27All trying to save some of the animals that live here.
00:31Come on.
00:32We've watched the highs.
00:34You come out and you see this and you know what can be achieved.
00:37And the lows.
00:38Hold on, guys. Hold on. Jump.
00:41With the people who are trying to save our planet.
00:44See animals that didn't used to play and they come out in the morning to play.
00:47It's the most amazing feeling ever because you know they're healthy.
00:50You know they're happy.
00:52And you can't top that.
01:01And you can't get you away from the time.
01:03And crawling down my head.
01:17Move on with me.
01:22Let's go!
01:23Fire right now with this!
01:24It's not where they are...
01:25In the morning text, you can't get to know your thoughts.
01:26It's not where they're alive.
01:28For vet Emily, an emergency call-out can come at any time.
01:35It's always very high pressure, you know, you're so focused on keeping this thing alive,
01:40even if it's a healthy, normal procedure.
01:42That sort of burden is on you.
01:46But we're part of an amazing team.
01:49What we get to do is incredible.
01:50That team includes fellow vets Annie and Lisa.
01:53When we get to do something that actually makes a difference,
01:55it's something that brings the whole team together as well.
01:57You can all rejoice together in something you've achieved as a group,
02:00which is quite special.
02:17Today, Emily, Annie and Lisa are joined by head vet Will
02:21as they attempt to move two cheaters at the Lali Bella game reserve.
02:24And is it two males?
02:26Male and female.
02:28OK.
02:28The siblings recently arrived here from another reserve
02:31and have been acclimatising to their surroundings in a smaller enclosure.
02:36We're here today to move two young cheaters just to a bigger enclosure
02:40with the aim that they're going to get a bit more settled, a bit more exercise,
02:43so that they're going to be fit for release a little bit sooner.
02:46They're moving quite close towards us.
02:48So for that reason, we want to use a softer gun.
02:50So Will's got a gas-powered gun.
02:53It's just going to hit a bit softer than my one would.
02:55So he's going to dart for me just because it's going to be a bit safer for them,
02:58less likely to break a bone.
03:07Today is also a first for the team.
03:11We had a really awesome opportunity this week where the owner of these two cheaters
03:16was willing to try a different anaesthetic to something he had done before.
03:20They'll sleep on around three to four minutes, but we must not go near them for ten,
03:24because it's like once they get excited, we'll never get them to sleep again.
03:29So we have to be patient.
03:31We are trying out a combination that vets elsewhere use all the time, but we haven't.
03:35We want to see if it gives us a better anaesthetic.
03:38The risk is, if that is what happens, that the cats either just don't go down at all,
03:43they have really shaky wake-ups.
03:47With a new method being trialled, the stakes are high, especially for Emily.
03:51Not very long ago, a similar procedure went badly wrong.
03:58We lost a cheetah quite recently.
04:02I guess part of being a vet, no matter what world you're working in,
04:06is there's always going to be things that go wrong.
04:13Come on.
04:15Sometimes you're just not emotionally prepared to lose an animal.
04:20As a profession, we're very hard on ourselves,
04:22so if something goes wrong, you really beat yourself up,
04:24or at least I do, and you're constantly thinking,
04:26what did I do wrong?
04:27How could I have stopped that from happening?
04:30So as the team set off to anaesthetise these two cheetahs,
04:33the knowledge of what's at stake weighs heavily on Emily's mind.
04:49As well as looking after the current 550 monkeys,
04:53Josie is always looking for ways to reach out to the local community
04:57to teach people about the not-always-loved vervettes.
05:06Good job!
05:08Even just speaking to one person can make a difference.
05:11Trying to get the word out there, trying to spread awareness.
05:13What do your communities think of monkeys?
05:17Witchcraft.
05:18Really?
05:18Yeah, okay.
05:19Witchcraft.
05:20Because it's believed that witch doctors use them.
05:22Do you think your community might be interested in learning more about monkeys
05:26so that there isn't this, perhaps, fear around them?
05:29I think knowledge about anything is super.
05:32You know, than not having any knowledge about anything.
05:35We're trying to, over years,
05:37there's lots of things that were kind of in your culture
05:39or in tradition or in society that are now changing.
05:42So that's what we want to do,
05:44is try and educate people about the monkeys.
05:46Just by talking to one person,
05:48you may have helped change, you know, 20 others,
05:50or they want to now help.
05:51So it's all a knock-on effect.
05:56Back at the rehab centre, it's business as usual.
06:00Hey, boy.
06:03So Theo's one of our orphans that arrived three years ago.
06:07We don't know why he was orphaned,
06:08but he was found alongside of the road.
06:09And basically, he hasn't had the best of health.
06:12So he's been inside our sickbay area now for a few weeks
06:16with some chronic diarrhoea and he lost some weight.
06:18So we gave him some extra food, extra nutrition and supplements
06:22and some deworming medicine to get him right.
06:25And now, finally, he's ready to reunite
06:27back with his foster mum, Jessie.
06:28Jessie absolutely adores Theo
06:30and they've had a bond right from the beginning.
06:33So that's why we introduced the foster mum programme.
06:35It means that, you know, at six weeks old,
06:37we can be totally hands-off
06:38and the troop, they'll accept him as if it was their baby.
06:43It's important for the foster mum to be around
06:45when we put him back
06:47because he's been out of the troop for a good few weeks now.
06:50So we just want to make sure that he has the protection
06:52of his mum as well
06:53to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
06:56Are you ready to go, boy?
06:58OK.
06:59Josie is hoping foster mum Jessie
07:01will see or hear Theo
07:02when he's released into the introduction enclosure.
07:05It's a small fenced area
07:06where Theo will get used to the sights
07:08and smells of other monkeys again.
07:10And the bigger troop can get used to him again too.
07:12He's been away three weeks
07:13and then all of a sudden there's this monkey just appeared.
07:15So we don't want him to get attacked.
07:17So I'm just going to uncover him
07:19so that Jessie can see him.
07:23So that his mum can see him coming.
07:26Just looking out for...
07:28to see where Jessie is
07:29and I don't think she's heard him yet, so...
07:33Hello.
07:34That's Boo Boo, your friend.
07:35Eh?
07:36That's your friend Boo Boo.
07:38So I'll go around the other side
07:39and see if she's over there.
07:44Yeah, he's following you, isn't he?
07:47Theo's arrival is causing much excitement,
07:50but so far there's no sign of Jessie.
07:52Excited by the door.
07:54Come on, then.
08:02So I'm going to go ahead and let him out
08:04and then hopefully Jessie will come in.
08:06and if he calls enough
08:07then she'll probably realise that he's here.
08:09Right, little man.
08:11Here you go.
08:22It's now a waiting game
08:23as Theo waits for his foster mum to appear.
08:44Anna has always had two passions
08:47and working at Rhino Revolution
08:49means she can enjoy both.
08:52One, easy to guess.
08:54Rhino conservation.
08:58Rhino Revolution is a non-profit
09:00that was started in 2012.
09:06We've done all five.
09:08All five are done.
09:09Definitely there are days
09:10where you wake up
09:11and you just can't quite believe your luck,
09:13especially with the work that we're doing.
09:16Goes up.
09:17Going that way.
09:22I wouldn't know what my life
09:23would be like now back home.
09:26Anna's other passion is horses.
09:29I was working in horse racing in the UK
09:31and I actually had a car accident
09:33which put me out of work.
09:36They said that it would be more or less
09:38nine months of reconstruction surgeries
09:40and that it would be one every couple of months.
09:42So I decided to plan a gap year
09:45and fly home for each of those surgeries
09:47and Hood Spray was the first place that I landed in,
09:50in South Africa and I've been here ever since.
09:55Anna's now back working closely with her beloved horses
09:58as part of the anti-poaching unit.
10:01Rhino Revolution trains up X-race horses for mounted fence patrols.
10:05So some of our race horses had success
10:08even when they were racing in Zimbabwe
10:10and one of them Winter's Night actually won the derby in 2010.
10:14So they were incredibly successful before they became anti-poaching horses.
10:20They can be quite highly strung sometimes
10:22but then they're great on patrol and they're so level-headed.
10:25Usually after racing horses are rehomed and retrained.
10:29I don't know many places that are using thoroughbreds for anti-poaching
10:35but I just think they've adapted so well to the bush
10:37and living life out in a herd
10:40and I think this is the second best career for them.
10:46These horses help us conduct fence patrols
10:48which is looking for broken fences, incursions, snares
10:52and basically anything out of the usual.
10:54And the benefit is they're silent.
10:56They can go places that vehicles can't go.
10:59And also, it's just a more natural way of anti-poaching
11:04and it's in keeping with the conservation side of it.
11:07It took a little bit of time and training for these horses
11:11to then settle into life as anti-poaching horses.
11:15When you're out in the bush it's a different story
11:17so you have to just slowly introduce them into the bush
11:22and into all of the animals that they can encounter here.
11:25Say lion or rhino.
11:28And you also have to just be very confident in your own riding ability as well
11:32to be able to react to situations where they might spook.
11:39It was definitely a thought that crossed my mind after the accident
11:42that I'd never be able to ride again.
11:45It actually took me a very long time to be able to ride properly.
11:49It was all one-handed and walking.
11:51I think definitely getting back into the saddle in South Africa
11:54it was one of the best things that I ever did.
12:00I think life works in mysterious ways and there's a reason for everything
12:04and I wouldn't be where I would be where I was today if the accident hadn't have happened.
12:09Today is an important patrol
12:11as Anna searches for a growing killer of many animals here.
12:15The snare.
12:33Vett Emily and the team are about to dart two cheetahs with anaesthetic
12:37who are being moved from an introduction enclosure to a release zone in the Lalibela game reserve.
12:45Do you want me to range?
12:47Yeah.
12:49So the one on the left is ten metres.
12:51Twits, chest.
12:54Yes, well done.
12:56OK, first dart's in.
13:00Nice.
13:01Second dart's in.
13:03It's about bang on three minutes, so that's good.
13:08As the team wait for the drugs to take effect,
13:10some residents of the reserve pay them a visit.
13:17There's another lion.
13:19Nice little pride.
13:23Mark, what do you think about taking a needle off a dart
13:26and just squatting this one on the bottom to give it a fright,
13:29might at least move off the edge?
13:32We're really worried about the lions on the outside.
13:35They're going to be stressing these cheetahs out.
13:37They're really uncomfortable with them there, obviously.
13:39A major threat, lions kill cheetahs, if there wasn't a fence in between them.
13:44So we just want to get them to go away.
13:45We're going to try and give them a bit of a fright with the car,
13:47but I suspect these particular lions won't really care about that.
13:51So we're just going to give them a complete, like,
13:54a completely smooth, needleless dart on the bottom,
13:57just give it a bit of a fright and chase it away.
13:59Let's see what happens.
14:03Nothing.
14:03Copy.
14:05That angry cat, Dale.
14:10Stuff you very much.
14:12He's just laid down and staring at you now.
14:14Yeah.
14:16Seemingly not bothered at all by the truck, them or the blank dart,
14:19but the team are out of options.
14:21So we're just going to leave it.
14:26Copy.
14:29Time is ticking with the new anaesthetic,
14:31so Emily needs to carry on.
14:33They've just fallen asleep with their nose in the dust,
14:35so we just want to be able to open it up
14:37and they can breathe easier.
14:40It's not ideal stimulating them so early,
14:42but Nora's letting them suffocate.
14:45Emily's shoulder?
14:46That's right.
14:47Can we come in the boat, are you?
14:49Yeah, you can come.
14:50We're going to load.
14:50And then we can do everything on the back of the bucket.
14:55What I didn't tell you beforehand
14:56is we should have given you some gloves,
14:58so just once you've touched them,
14:59let's wash our hands, touching phones or anything,
15:01because they carry parasites
15:03that form tapeworm cysts in human brains.
15:06OK, let's load this one on the structure.
15:11Perfect.
15:12Ready?
15:12One, two, three.
15:20Nice.
15:21Are you all right here if I go down there?
15:23The team used the opportunity to give the cheetah
15:25shots of essential vitamins,
15:27as well as making him as comfortable
15:28and as safe as possible,
15:30moving his tongue and blindfolding him.
15:32And if no blindfold is on hand...
15:40Cheetahs are a really risky anaesthetic.
15:42Anything over 2% death rate on a large mammal anaesthetic
15:46is unacceptable.
15:48And a cheetah's 20% die under anaesthetic.
15:51Which is why monitoring the performance
15:53of the new anaesthetic is so important.
15:56One of the fabulous things that we were able to do
15:59was using those machines,
16:00monitor the cat's blood oxygen levels
16:02and a few other things,
16:03which meant that we could say,
16:04yes, the anaesthetic looks good,
16:06but we could actually prove on paper
16:08that it was a good anaesthetic
16:10and that's a really great thing to be able to do.
16:12It's not something you get to do all the time.
16:14And certainly a few years ago,
16:15without those machines,
16:16we never would have been able to.
16:18It's good.
16:25It's going to take half an hour
16:26to get the cheetahs to their destination,
16:28and with a new anaesthetic on trial,
16:30they could wake up at any time.
16:41After weeks in the centre's sick bay,
16:44orphan for vet monkey Theo is ready for life
16:46back with his new adopted family.
16:48So we've put Theo in the introduction cage first of all,
16:51just to make sure that the troop don't get a shot.
16:53We want the troop to realise that he is back.
16:55We want to check that he's comfortable with the troop,
16:57the troop are comfortable with him.
16:59He's also giving lots of calls as well.
17:01So hopefully Jesse will hear from afar.
17:07Josie was hoping Jesse, his foster mum,
17:10would quickly make an appearance,
17:11but with an enclosure of nearly five acres,
17:13it can take time.
17:17But the others seem very happy to see him in fact,
17:19so I think I'm just going to go ahead and let him out,
17:23and then Jesse will pick him up later.
17:29Are you ready, boy?
17:39Theo ran straight out into the troop.
17:40He seemed happy enough and was very happy to be out in the space again,
17:45and off he went.
17:46We didn't see much more of him,
17:47so he'll probably go find his mum, Jesse, just now as well.
17:51As keen as Theo was to get back to the large enclosure,
17:54some of the troop want to have a nosy at what's next door.
17:59I've got a whole bunch of monkeys just decided that they would love to come and see a new area,
18:04even though it's a small space.
18:07They might just take some time,
18:08so I'll probably have to go and get some seeds to get these guys out.
18:13Come on.
18:14Come on.
18:21Over six months later,
18:23and Theo's not only being kept in line by foster mum Jessie,
18:25but also stepsister Bisou.
18:28Vervets have a social complex hierarchy system.
18:33Although mum does take the primary care,
18:36there's others involved as well,
18:37so there'll be the aunts, there'll be the sisters and so on.
18:41Vervets make really good foster mums
18:44because they have this natural instinct to care for babies.
18:49It's possible that this baby's going to have a life
18:53that he wouldn't have had because he's an orphan.
18:55He's got that second chance of being within a whole family environment again,
19:00getting that love, getting that bond that he really needs from his mum,
19:04but also from a whole bigger picture,
19:06a whole big family with a natural troop size
19:09that you would find in the wild as well.
19:11That's just the amazing part.
19:31After suffering a life-threatening accident,
19:33horse lover Anna is able to ride again.
19:36She's utilising her skills by undertaking mounted horse patrols
19:39for the anti-poaching unit at Rhino Revolution.
19:43There are five white rhino sub-adults here on the reserve
19:46that were all victims of poaching.
19:49They've all been orphaned and were rescued, rehabilitated and released.
19:53They have formed a crash, which is a collective noun for rhino.
19:57Because of the lower numbers due to poaching, they're reproducing less.
20:03And so although the statistics are saying that rhino poaching has decreased,
20:07actually the percentage of the population of rhino that has been poached per year
20:12is still higher than the previous year.
20:14So actually, from a conservation point of view,
20:18poaching is the biggest threat to rhinos in South Africa.
20:22One of the deadliest poaching tools is also one of the easiest to make and conceal.
20:28These are just some examples of the pieces of wire
20:30and the snares that have been collected from this reserve.
20:33So this is exactly what we're looking for when we're conducting our mounted patrols.
20:46We ride out every single day.
20:48The reserve is 5,800 hectares.
20:51On a normal patrol, it takes about five hours to do a complete reserve perimeter check.
20:57My skills working with racehorses and my confidence in the saddle
21:01help me conduct patrols efficiently and safely.
21:05Being thoroughbreds, they are quite sensitive to sound and smells
21:10and they often sense things in the bush before we notice them.
21:16They are able to follow tracks very quickly through dense bush
21:20and easily to navigate bush paths compared to vehicles.
21:25We have seen plenty of fresh, fresh tracks of lion
21:28and I'm sure the horses would have smelt them if they were in the area
21:32but we haven't physically walked into lion yet on patrol.
21:39Usually snares are set by sustenance poachers in the bush and along the fence line.
21:44They are looking to trap animals to eat.
21:47So the most common are warthogs, porcupine and wild dogs
21:50and so that's why it's so important for us to conduct daily fence patrols
21:54and then fill these holes up if we see that they've been dug.
21:58Along the fences you start seeing those little tunnels that the animals have made.
22:02You start to recognise branches have been broken, pathways have been cleared.
22:07The animals would then come through this natural opening in the bush
22:10where the snare has been set.
22:12They would either get caught either around their chest, their leg or their neck.
22:18The snare would then tighten and as they are caught
22:23it gets tighter and tighter and tighter until they can't move away
22:27and then unfortunately the animal will be stuck.
22:30So they'll either starve or dehydrate to death.
22:34They could be killed by another animal, by a predator
22:36or the poacher will come back to check his snares the following day
22:40and then kill the animal for whatever it was he was poaching for.
22:47We have seen cases of elephant and rhino and wild dogs that have had snares caught around their legs
22:53or their trunk in the case of the elephant.
22:56So it is non-specific.
22:58They're setting these snares but unfortunately you can't specify which animal is going to get caught.
23:04Such a simple design and way of catching an animal.
23:07There's no gunshots and these things are virtually unseeable, undetectable in the bush.
23:14The horse mounted patrols are crucial and they also have their benefits for the riders.
23:20It's incredible seeing the lucky five, the five white rhinos out in the field when we're on patrol.
23:27It's always special coming across them in the bush and seeing how they interact.
23:34For us just to be able to monitor them and play a role in their protection is so important,
23:41especially with the poaching crisis that's going on.
23:44So every little bit helps.
24:00When Debbie gave up her secretarial job two years ago to volunteer in South Africa,
24:05she had no idea the effect it would have on her.
24:08Just everywhere you go, it's just beautiful.
24:10It doesn't matter which way you look, it's just absolutely stunning and I just love the whole place.
24:14And it makes it even better when you look and you see the baboons here as well.
24:17And the monkeys and the verbeats. I've definitely fallen in love with Africa.
24:21It is beautiful.
24:24As well as monkeys, the Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre will take in any animal.
24:30We were sent two jackals. The mother was shot by a farmer and then the farmer then found the two
24:38cubs.
24:43Because they came in at Halloween, they called one pumpkin and then the other one was spiced.
24:48And they're really cuties and they've grown quite a lot. They've got lovely, lovely soft fur.
24:54Debbie and the team don't have space to take them on full time.
24:57So a health check is carried out and plans are made to find these sisters a more suitable rehabilitation centre.
25:07When they came to us, they were very small, they were very young.
25:10So we had volunteers looking after them, waking up every hour or every three hours to actually keep an eye
25:17on these jackals,
25:17make sure they were having the hydration that they needed, whether it was milk or water.
25:22And then eventually we put them in an enclosure, we fed them meat.
25:27Obviously they're scavengers, so we've given them meat which they seem to really enjoy.
25:33Can we get you some food? You're looking better.
25:37They're doing really, really well.
25:38We've now just arranged to transfer them to another site where they've got probably more specialised facilities for them.
25:46We might go to a new home. Go and find some fellow jackals to play with.
25:53Hopefully they'll be safe and kept well now until they actually can rehabilitate them.
25:59Right, let's just pop this in a minute.
26:06Owner and founder Bob has thought of a perfect person to take them, a former volunteer at Riverside.
26:12A colleague of mine, she used to work with me and then she started the rehab centre.
26:23It's a familiar face, Emma, who now runs her own rehabilitation centre in Moya Kalula.
26:32Hello Emma speaking.
26:34Hello Emma, how are you?
26:35Very good, thank you. Very hot.
26:37Listen sweetie, I've got two jackals that came in.
26:42This guy shot the mother jackal and then two days later he discovered that she had babies.
26:47Okay.
26:48Two of them were alive and then we had to send the driver to go fetch them and they're here.
26:53I know that you specialised in these so I want you to come pick them up please.
26:58Okay, no, not a problem. I've got a nice space for them here so I'll come by and get them.
27:02Okay, that's fine. Thank you so much and so much for your help and support, Emma. God bless.
27:05Okay, great. I'll see you then. Thank you. Bye.
27:16She's got the most amazing release site where animals can go free and wild again.
27:21So, cross fingers, most of us she'll leave here any minute and then we can go and animals over to
27:27her.
27:36Having now successfully anaesthetised two cheetahs, the Medivet team are transporting them to a release zone on the reserve.
27:46They're so beautiful, aren't they?
27:48The team have been using a new anaesthetic so everything is a little more uncertain than usual.
27:55Okay, so have you got a backup plan for when he does wake up, what are you going to do?
27:59Scrap it. Yeah, I'll let you.
28:01Scrap it enough to get everyone off the vehicle.
28:03Yeah.
28:03Obviously the vehicle's got to stop first.
28:05Okay.
28:06Scruffing is vet speak for immobilising an animal by holding it by the scruff of its neck.
28:12Okay, so if we're going to wake up, first thing you do is hold onto the vehicle because the car's
28:16going to come to an abrupt halt.
28:18Then we can scruff until everyone's off and then we can let go.
28:23I have had an intern fully refuse to let go of a scruffed cheetah that was being dragged around the
28:28ground by my health and safety brain was going to let go of the cheetah.
28:31She's going, no, we've been trying to catch this for months, I can't let go.
28:42After a 30-minute drive, the cheetahs reach their new home, makeshift blindfold still intact.
28:48Okay, 66 here and respirators 20.
28:55So we've just been taking arterial samples because, like we said, these are new anaesthetics and we're trying to work
28:59out if they're better for the animal in terms of how it oxygenates and how it's metabolising.
29:06So, first time we've used this protocol, we'd like to try and compare it to some of our results from
29:11our old protocol, see if it is better.
29:14We don't know is the answer yet.
29:18As reversal drugs are given, for Emily, now comes the dreaded wait.
29:27Okay, now everyone on vehicles.
29:41Now we wait.
29:49I think you get flashbacks to a cat that doesn't wake up, so you're always watching them, trying to see
29:55as close as possible.
29:56Can you see it breathing, which actually isn't as easy as it sounds.
30:09You see those ear twitches?
30:12Just lay there and twitch their ears.
30:14They're gonna move something.
30:20Yes!
30:22Okay, it's a gin and tonic for me.
30:27In comparison to the option that we usually use, it actually was a very quick wake up.
30:37I mean, the one that died, maybe because he was sick, was part of it, but he really rolled all
30:41over the place.
30:44These things, they woke up quite smoothly.
30:48It doesn't feel real that this is what we do every day.
30:51They are gorgeous.
30:52They are just stunning, stunning animals.
30:54We just get to work with the most amazing people and the most amazing animals.
30:59You hear him talking?
31:00It's like a bird, yeah.
31:01They do?
31:02I tell you something, when they don't like you in their personal space, they do make a slightly scarier sound.
31:07To watch them walk away nicely has just uplifted everybody, and you don't get that very often, so it really
31:15makes a big difference.
31:33Emma is on the way to pick up two rescued baby jackals from Debbie and Bob at Riverside.
31:38They'll join Emma and a whole host of animals at her own rehabilitation centre.
31:47I'm surprised he hasn't peed yet.
31:49He's like, let me sleep.
31:51When I was 18, gosh, I was animal crazy mad, and South Africa really called to me in the sense
31:58of the animals that they have here.
32:01I just absolutely fell in love.
32:02There was something about South Africa for me that I really felt at home, and I felt I could really
32:08make a difference in this country.
32:10Feel better now, huh?
32:11So that's why I stayed in and opened the centre.
32:15What do you want me to eat?
32:16It's full time, you know, we work long shifts, day and night.
32:20Some of the animals are nocturnal.
32:22Not for you.
32:23So that means we have to become nocturnal also, either walking or feeding or things like this.
32:28Yeah, that's something we're really passionate about, so we don't mind the long hours.
32:33There's a real need in South Africa.
32:35You know, everyone loves the big five, and everyone sees the problems that are going on with the big five,
32:40but they don't see the smaller mammals that need help also.
32:45And really, we need everything in this world for it to work.
32:52Hello, how are you?
32:55Hi, can I get the two of the papaya?
33:00Yeah, but the ripe ones, please.
33:02Mm-hmm.
33:03How much are the avos?
33:0540 rand.
33:0640 rand.
33:07So I take one avos, one banana, and two papaya.
33:11Okay.
33:13So we have a lot of herbivores at the centre that eat the fruit and the veg.
33:17So we come to the local stores, just next to the centre, to stock up.
33:22So today I'm getting some bananas and papaya for the bush babies.
33:26The warthogs love them.
33:28And I'm treating us to some avocados as well, because they are the best in South Africa.
33:34And that's one thing you cannot get back in the UK, the good avocados that we get here.
34:01Hello.
34:02Hello, I'm Maggie.
34:03Hello.
34:04How are you?
34:05Welcome and thank you very much.
34:08Okay, let's go see these jackals.
34:10Yeah.
34:12Debbie!
34:14Emma's here for the jackal.
34:17Hello.
34:23Okay guys, we're going to take them out.
34:26And they've been medically treated and everything.
34:30Okay.
34:30So they are all stabilized.
34:32So they come to Bora.
34:35Sorry you jackal.
34:40Okay, okay, okay.
34:42You see, they're still quite wild, Emma.
34:44Good.
34:45No, it's not beating like this.
34:47Go to Emma.
34:48She's going to be your mummy now.
34:50She can look after you, hey.
34:51You beautiful jackal.
34:54Yeah, I think you have to hold this for Emma.
34:58They still get a bit of milk every day.
35:01Okay.
35:01They don't drink much, but they are on solid foods now.
35:04Okay.
35:04On chicken, gizzards and...
35:06You give them some necks.
35:07Necks and whatever it is for the bones, for the calcium.
35:10Perfect.
35:11But in good condition, look at them.
35:12Yeah.
35:16Jackals are considered vermin by many local landowners, as they can kill livestock, so are often killed themselves.
35:22But they are vital to the ecosystem.
35:28They are highly endangered.
35:31And we shot the mother, you know, for no reason, just because it's a jackal.
35:36This is totally ridiculous, you know, and I don't know what is wrong with the country.
35:41And you'll find it now with your volunteer programme as well.
35:44You know, the majority of volunteers that we attract are British.
35:49You know, I assume you people have got a real big feeling towards wildlife, whatever it is.
35:53We do.
35:54And you know, at your centre, without the volunteers, we cannot...
35:57No, no, definitely.
35:59The affection and the sympathy and everything towards this animal's responsibility, we cannot live without.
36:04Okay?
36:05So I'm sure they will enjoy these ones.
36:07Your job starts from here.
36:08It does.
36:14Safe.
36:15Are we going to go?
36:16We're ready to go.
36:17Okay, well, goodbye.
36:18And don't forget to let us know when you release them.
36:20I will do. No, I would love for you to come and have a look and see them nice and
36:24wild again.
36:25I'm not sure what age they'll go, but that'd be nice.
36:28It'd be nice for us to be able to see them being released into the world.
36:31You're more than welcome.
36:32Next animal, bring it to me and then you can come my side.
36:36Okay.
36:36Have a safe journey and all the best.
36:37Will too.
36:39Bye.
36:44Exchange complete.
36:45But before they can be released, Emma must make sure these two sisters are ready for life in the wild.
37:09Emma, Pumpkin and Spice have made the journey back to Emma's rehabilitation centre.
37:16Their mother was shot.
37:18We hear this story absolutely all the time.
37:21Farmers do not like jackals whatsoever because they do take the livestock.
37:25In this case, the farmer shot the mother, didn't realise she had pups.
37:29And then a few days later heard them crying and found out that she did have several pups.
37:34A few of them already had died unfortunately, but these two were obviously the strongest of the bunch.
37:40And were still alive, but in quite critical condition.
37:43Then they went down to Riverside where they stabilized them.
37:47And now they've come to us for their rehabilitation process.
37:51There we go.
37:53So what we've done here in the corner is we've made them a makeshift little den that they would have
37:59in the wild.
38:00Obviously they don't have the opportunity in here to make one themselves.
38:03So we try and do one as natural as possible for them.
38:06But it's a nice hidey hole.
38:08It's somewhere where they'll feel safe and it's shaded and it's a lot cooler.
38:11So my lovely volunteers made this one for me.
38:16And hopefully they'll feel very comfortable and just a bit more secure in this little den.
38:32So what we want to have a little look at is the colour of the gums, the teeth, looking very
38:38nice.
38:40And we're just going to have a feel for the legs.
38:46We just have to see by ourselves that the animals, you know, have no deformities.
38:52If they have any injuries, something that we're just looking at, just feeling for any lumps and bumps.
38:57They did have mango worms, so they have been treated for that at Riverside.
39:02It's a small little maggot that wiggles its way in, the egg goes in and then the maggots kind of
39:09eat their way out,
39:10which is quite disgusting, but it happens to animals quite a lot here.
39:12So they have had these little mango worms, but they've been treated.
39:16You can see little holes here, but they look absolutely fine and they're not infected or anything.
39:21So that's great.
39:22And they're just a little scared.
39:26When they're this young, it's actually quite hard to tell what type of jackal they are.
39:31So they get two in South Africa, the blackback jackal and the sidestripe jackal.
39:36So it is a little bit tricky to see which one because the coat's still forming the colour.
39:42So we'll see in a couple more weeks and then we'll know exactly what they are.
39:54Oh, there we go.
39:56Now's the start of their rehab process.
40:00So they'll be in the enclosure here for a few days so we can just monitor them.
40:04And then the next step is a bigger outdoors enclosure.
40:07And they are still very young, so they're going to be with us for a good couple of months until
40:11they're old enough to fend for themselves.
40:13But definitely we'll be able to get back out into the wild.
40:22Absolutely beautiful.
40:25Okay.
40:27Let's see what you think of this.
40:34So this is very normal behaviour.
40:36They are scared.
40:36They're very timid animals.
40:38So they've just kind of gone to the back.
40:41And what we're going to do now is we are going to leave them.
40:44We'll monitor them from the outside, but let them be.
40:47They need to explore and they need to kind of get used to their surroundings.
40:51And we don't want to stress them out any more than they already are.
40:54So we're just going to stand back.
41:06Four months later and the jackals aren't pups anymore.
41:10They came in to us.
41:12They were still very young and still needed milk.
41:14But we managed to get them through and now they're in the pre-release enclosure.
41:22They're both doing really, really well and two little sisters.
41:26They're really scared of humans, which is perfect for us.
41:29We check them daily to make sure that they're happy and healthy.
41:32But apart from that, we're really hands off with them.
41:34So it won't be very long at all until they get released back out into the wild.
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