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00:00Do you trust me?
00:01Do you trust me?
00:02And we're off.
00:04Imagine starting your life all over again.
00:06Where is Ben?
00:08I'm needed.
00:08Ben, you're needed.
00:10Leaving behind everything you know.
00:12Just a bicycle suitcase, no money.
00:15That's all I had.
00:16For something completely different.
00:18Number nine, let me take this off.
00:20Number nine, number nine, number nine.
00:22I'm Ben Fogel, and over the next few weeks,
00:25I'm going to live with the incredible people
00:27who've done just that.
00:29I'm a born fighter,
00:30and that's what I do get a kick out of.
00:33For a long time, I thought I was stupid.
00:36But I'm a good salesperson,
00:38and I'm selling this mountain hard.
00:40In some of the most remote places on Earth.
00:43There is no restaurants.
00:45There is no bars.
00:46There is no nothing.
00:47You know, we didn't think that we were going to come up here
00:49and not see humans for three to four months at a time.
00:52And see what it takes to live a new life in the wild.
01:00That is a quick way to take down a tree.
01:09This week, I'm on the island of Tenerife
01:11with a young couple whose ambition to rescue a few horses
01:14has created a very different wild sanctuary.
01:20The way we dress is from the bin.
01:22The way we eat is from the bin.
01:23Everything we do is to try and save money.
01:27We are the human cockroaches.
01:28We clean around.
01:30Their dream quickly grew into a haven
01:32for more than just animals.
01:34Before, I was living my life blind.
01:37I felt like a weight lifted off my shoulder
01:40and now I'm living life to the most.
01:43Forging something greater than themselves.
01:46Second life for animals.
01:48Human, plants, and building material.
01:51And it's beautiful.
01:54I'm traveling nearly 2,000 miles to Tenerife,
01:58the largest of the volcanic Canary Islands,
02:01a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa.
02:04I haven't been here since I was a young boy,
02:07but it's a very popular destination.
02:09People flock from all over the world for the beaches,
02:14for the year-round spring-like temperatures.
02:17But I'm heading away from the tourist hotspots
02:20to the least populated part of the island.
02:23Now, I know that my hosts have an animal sanctuary,
02:28but I'm really curious to see what kind of wildlife
02:32they've carved out here.
02:34on Holiday Isle.
02:36It's incredibly dry and arid here.
02:39Almost desert-like.
02:40Not much food for any animals.
02:42But lots of wind.
02:44Wind turbines everywhere.
02:47I see animals.
02:48Horses, donkeys, sheep.
02:51I think this must be it.
02:59Wow.
03:01Quite a place.
03:02Sprawling.
03:04Oh, a map.
03:06New kitchen, horsey haven.
03:08I think I'm going to head to horsey haven.
03:13I do see quite a few people.
03:14Donkeys.
03:15Hola.
03:16Morning.
03:17Morning.
03:17Oh, you sound English.
03:18I am English.
03:19Oh, you are English.
03:19I wasn't expecting that.
03:20I'm looking for Emma and Edo.
03:22Oh, yes.
03:23They're down there somewhere.
03:25See you.
03:26Rabbits.
03:28Chickens.
03:28Hello, doggies.
03:29Oh, my gosh.
03:30Lots of people.
03:30Morning.
03:31Hola.
03:32I'm looking for Emma and Edo.
03:34Oh, I think they're down there.
03:35Down there somewhere.
03:38There seem to be as many people as animals.
03:40I wonder if these people live here too.
03:44Emma.
03:45Hey.
03:46I found you.
03:47Hello.
03:48I mean, I wipe my hands a little bit.
03:50Don't, don't, how are you?
03:51I'm good.
03:51Welcome.
03:52Hello.
03:53Iggy.
03:53Hello, Iggy.
03:54Say, hola.
03:55What language does Iggy speak?
03:58His own.
03:59His own.
03:59At the moment.
04:00His own.
04:01So many guinea pigs.
04:02Do you know how much I love guinea pigs?
04:03How many have you got here?
04:04In here, we've got about 20.
04:06I think we've got another 10 in the girls,
04:08and there's another girls over there.
04:09And separated so that you don't suddenly have 100.
04:11Yeah, we don't want too many guinea pigs.
04:13You seem to be missing another half.
04:14We're about to go find him.
04:15You can come if you want.
04:16We can go.
04:16Absolutely.
04:17Where do we find him?
04:17He's dealing with some emergency somewhere.
04:19You want to come and see Daddy?
04:21Are we going to manage to drag Iggy away?
04:22I wouldn't want to leave.
04:24Okay, you tip it in.
04:25Iggy.
04:26Okay, good job.
04:27Let's go find Daddy.
04:29Daddy, where is he?
04:3132-year-old Emma grew up on Mersey Island in Essex,
04:35an idyllic childhood often spent bringing home injured critters.
04:40Her love of animals never faded,
04:42but a variety of health issues led to challenges finding direction
04:46as she got older.
04:47In her 20s, she found the strength to move to the Canary Islands,
04:51where she met 34-year-old Edo, an Italian hotel entertainer.
04:56She soon shared her dream to run an animal sanctuary,
05:00and despite Edo never owning a pet before,
05:03less than two years later, in 2018,
05:06for just 23,000 euros,
05:07they bought over one and a half acres
05:10of empty, dusty, off-grid land.
05:15Oh, there he is.
05:17Edo, can I come up?
05:18Of course.
05:19Hey, so nice to meet you.
05:20So nice to meet you. Welcome.
05:21And you look busy.
05:22Yes, just a bit.
05:24A little water problem.
05:25A little water problem.
05:25Do you want a hand while I'm up here?
05:26Please, why not?
05:28We have a leak here.
05:29I just keep it, and you tidy it up.
05:31So I'll come over here.
05:32You're going to hold it in place.
05:35Okay.
05:36Okay, we'll close it all.
05:38We think that's good?
05:38Have I passed my volunteer test?
05:40Is that the test you do for all the volunteers that come here?
05:43Well, luckily, not everybody arrives right on emergency.
05:47But yeah, this is quite often.
05:48The water that we have is just for irrigation.
05:52So for plants, animals, plates, ourselves, our clothes.
05:56And as you can see that we are in a desertic side of the island,
06:00the water here is practically gold.
06:03Because we are on an account, so we have a quantity for a month.
06:07And if we pass that, they are going to just close our valve.
06:13They turn it off.
06:14They literally turn it off for me.
06:15I mean, that would be disaster for you guys with all the animals.
06:18It's happened many times.
06:19Wast water, there is no wastewater.
06:20No wastewater.
06:22No.
06:22The wastewater, we use it, we clean it first,
06:25and then we use it for the plants.
06:26Hello, Alex.
06:27Alex, Amma and Pop Pop's here.
06:30Oh, more people.
06:31Hello.
06:31Oh, hello.
06:32Percy.
06:33Who's there?
06:34That's all right, but it's a different level.
06:35Very nice to meet you.
06:36You are Sue, Emma's mom.
06:38Emma's mom.
06:39And I'm Steve the daddy.
06:40Oh, my goodness.
06:41So three generations here.
06:43He certainly is.
06:44Time to go to kindergarten.
06:45Yeah.
06:46See, yeah.
06:46I'm going to go to Pop Pop.
06:48Emma.
06:48Okay.
06:49Everyone needs this in their lives.
06:52A grandma and grandpa who can help with childcare.
06:55That is amazing.
06:56Well, we're only up the road.
06:57That is so nice.
06:58Can I catch up with you later?
06:59We'll catch you later, yeah.
07:00So nice to see you.
07:01Bye, Iggy.
07:02Bye-bye.
07:03Bye-bye.
07:04See you later.
07:04See you later.
07:05Do you like having your in-laws here?
07:07Of course.
07:07You have to say that.
07:10No, actually, also my father lives here with us.
07:12How amazing is that for Iggy?
07:14Absolutely.
07:15This is fascinating.
07:16And a new one for me.
07:19Multi-generational wild lives.
07:21I'll be curious to see how it works.
07:23So many different buildings and things.
07:25This is, we call it the old kitchen area because this was the first bit of the land.
07:29It was the original bit before we exploded with volunteers, basically.
07:32I think when we're here, there was about 20 of us.
07:35And then we just kept getting bigger and bigger.
07:37So we're just getting more and more, squeezing them in wherever we can.
07:40Is this all accommodation?
07:41The caravan, the green van?
07:42Basically, anything that can be made into accommodation to put a person in, we make.
07:47So if this area was when you had 20 volunteers but you've expanded, how many have you got now?
07:52About 60.
07:54Wow, that's a lot of people.
07:56We had so much more work that needed to be done.
07:58So we just kept needing more volunteers and then we needed more places to put the volunteers.
08:02We have two different programs, a short-term program and a long-term.
08:05And the long-term is for the people that sort of live here, that do the work.
08:09And then the short-term are the ones that come for volunteer experiences.
08:13But they actually donate to be here.
08:16This maze of improvised recycled buildings and rooms feels both practical and creative.
08:23So volunteer accommodation, but everywhere else seems to be dedicated to animals.
08:28Squeeze them in any way we can.
08:29These are all different birds that you've rescued.
08:31Yeah, we've got budgies and cockatiels.
08:33We've got a bit of everything everywhere.
08:34We've got the rabbits, more guinea pigs, ferrets, dogs, cats.
08:38Do you have any idea how many animals in total you have here?
08:40I think around 400 to 500 if you include all the little animals.
08:44Wowzers, that is a lot of mouths to feed.
08:47And with so many animals, every precious drop of water from the showers, sinks and even the
08:53toilets, after it's been separated, is recycled through Edo's ingenious natural filter system.
08:59We are literally walking on top of the pipe that is bringing the water from the poo farm where
09:04we were standing.
09:05I love the way you call it a poo farm.
09:07It is where all the bacteria from the poo have to grow.
09:10So it's a farm.
09:11The first pond that, as you see, is just stone and gravel.
09:13This is like in the nature when the rocks filter the water and keep all the heavy metal in the
09:20second pond.
09:20Kind of plants like papyrum, the roots are doing a really good job as filtering.
09:26How on earth did you learn all of this?
09:28I didn't have any experience of that when we started and I did the Saturday as a school.
09:32Nothing else than just coping and taking knowledge from other people and put it in practice.
09:40Drinking water for volunteers is brought in and power comes from solar panels.
09:46And that leads you to your room.
09:49The Cupcake House.
09:50Cubely named the Cupcake House, yeah.
09:53So.
09:54This is amazing.
09:56It's cool, right?
09:57I love what you've done in here.
09:58So clever.
09:59We made it early on before we really knew what we were doing.
10:02We were like learning how to do it with materials from the bin and from the ground.
10:06This was after a party night.
10:08Probably, probably from the volunteers, I reckon.
10:10The wall is just made out of rocks from this land.
10:13But the secret ingredient to make it at the end so smooth is donkey poo.
10:18Donkey poo specifically.
10:20Very specific.
10:21The fibre is more thinner and little than horse poo.
10:25What I'm really proud of this is that the cost of this room is less than 200 euros.
10:30Most of the money probably went off screw.
10:32I love it.
10:33Thank you so much.
10:33This is a very comfortable room to be staying in.
10:36Well, we'll leave you to settling.
10:38And doggies, are you coming with us?
10:40It's amazing what they've created here.
10:42In just seven or eight years, they have turned some barren land into what they call a finca,
10:48which means farm in Spanish, but it's so much more than a farm.
10:52They obviously love animals.
10:53I love animals as well.
10:54But there's a difference between loving animals and taking in 200 homeless animals or rescue animals.
11:01I've got so many questions.
11:02What brought them here?
11:04How did they meet?
11:05How much does it cost to run?
11:07How do they make money?
11:16It's my first evening on Tenerife.
11:19Who's this little one here?
11:20Who's this one, Iggy?
11:21Diddy.
11:21Diddy.
11:22Diddy.
11:22That's his dog.
11:23Where my hosts opened an animal sanctuary from scratch just seven years ago.
11:28So I'm keen to know how an Italian and a Brit met and ended up with hundreds of animals
11:33on this wild and rocky patch of the Canary Islands.
11:37I was living in Fort Aventure at first.
11:39And I had some friends there.
11:41And one of those had just gone for a horrible divorce.
11:43And they were making a special girls' night out.
11:45And then it became a part of the topic that Emma doesn't go out on nights like that and meet
11:49guys.
11:50And now they took it like a comedy thing to try and get me.
11:55Yeah, exactly. Don't listen.
11:57And then in came you.
12:00I was in the island working in the south.
12:03I was working as an entertainer.
12:04So in a hotel, dancing or acting like a cabaret, sketch.
12:08For me it was quite a normal night out.
12:12Me not, not at all.
12:13But yeah, I was a pole dance teacher at the time and I didn't live where we met.
12:17And I had the keys to my pole studio.
12:19So we slept there for the night.
12:19So you slept in a pole dance studio.
12:21But we didn't really play.
12:22Very professional.
12:25Don't kiss it again.
12:26This really is the full story.
12:28I hoped I would never see him again because I was so embarrassed.
12:31At what point did you start kind of discussing your dreams and hopes and what you might like to
12:36do in the future?
12:36In that first week, I remember sitting outside on those sun beds talking.
12:40I said that I wanted to do something like this.
12:43And you said, I wanted to retire with a farm.
12:46And I said, why do you want to retire with a farm?
12:48Let's just do it now.
12:49And you know that conversation you have when you get to know people.
12:52Ours just got very heavy very quickly.
12:53I always liked the nature, but I never had any animals in my life.
12:57I always lived in a city.
13:00And then in that experience that I was living there, it made my eyes open.
13:04Where the animals need real help.
13:08They don't have a voice.
13:09So they need someone to be there for them.
13:11And were there a lot of animals that you recognized needed help?
13:16Yeah, so many.
13:16And we saw that there was even more in Tenerife than there was in Fuerteventura.
13:20Did you have a budget?
13:21Yeah, we had 10,000 euros.
13:23It wasn't nothing.
13:24And the first bit of the land was 23,000.
13:28We were so lucky that the man said we could have a year to pay it all off.
13:32So we just jumped in the deep end.
13:33We're like, right, let's see what happens.
13:34We were just floating about from Airbnb to anywhere and dragging with us all of our belongings from Fuerteventura.
13:41And I think we had, we had a rabbit.
13:43We had some guinea pigs.
13:44How many dogs?
13:45A couple of cats, two dogs.
13:46We had my old Iggy, who was...
13:47Iggy?
13:48Iggy.
13:48You see, your son is named after the original dog.
13:53I rescued him when I was 18, and he like paved my entire life onto rescuing animals.
13:58None of us would be here if it wasn't for Iggy, and he was the most amazing dog.
14:03Edo wanted to, at some stage in his life, have a farm.
14:07But I doubt he anticipated anything on this scale.
14:11So I wonder what it's like for him building and creating such a massive place
14:18to sort of realise Emma's hopes and dreams and ambitions.
14:32I can already tell there's so much to do.
14:36So I'm braced for a busy morning.
14:42Morning, Emma.
14:43Morning.
14:43Can I give you a hand?
14:44Oh, please do.
14:45Grab a scoop and come in.
14:47So where's Iggy this morning?
14:48He's at kindergarten.
14:50We have a little kindergarten here with him and some of his friends.
14:53Actually here on site, on your Finco, on your farm.
14:55That is amazing.
14:56Yeah, it's perfect.
14:57So where's all this going to?
14:59To the compost heap?
15:00Normally, yes.
15:01But today, no.
15:01We've got a different task.
15:02We need to refill our shower poo heater.
15:05Your shower poo heater.
15:06Yes.
15:07Your showers are going to be heated with this.
15:08Yeah, that's really a thing.
15:10Just go around here, right next to the showers.
15:12Yes.
15:13So how does this work then?
15:15These are the pipes and it's in like a coil.
15:17Yep.
15:18And the natural reaction of the poop, if you keep it wet, it stays hot.
15:22And if you put your hands in like compost piles, you know how hot they stay.
15:25Genius.
15:28Right, shall I go and get another one?
15:30Absolutely.
15:30We need a few more.
15:31Okay, I'll go and get another barrow.
15:39Next one.
15:40Okay.
15:40Thank you for your help with this.
15:42It's my pleasure.
15:43I'm a volunteer here.
15:44Presumably, you rely on everyone getting stuck in.
15:48Yeah, although we've got so many volunteers, there's, as you see, so much work.
15:52So everyone helps.
15:53Yeah.
15:55There we go.
15:57Seeing Emma so at home in this environment,
16:00I'm wondering if this was a natural step on from her childhood.
16:04I used to just go out and I'd find a snail that was a crushed shell or a rabbit that
16:10was poorly
16:10and I used to bring it home.
16:11I didn't have many human friends as much.
16:13I was such an awkward, awkward kid.
16:16I actually had a lot of mental health issues.
16:18You wouldn't believe it now because you've met me and seen me while I'm surrounded by animals and
16:22animal poop, but I used to have a really, really severe fear of vomiting.
16:26It was called a metaphobia.
16:27A metaphobia.
16:28It sort of affected everything.
16:30You know, I was scared of what I ate.
16:32I was scared of who I socialize.
16:33I was scared of going out.
16:34I was scared of getting dirty.
16:36For about 15 years, I'd say, it controlled almost every aspect of my life.
16:39And that's the way I struggled with friends.
16:42People laughed at you.
16:43They didn't understand it.
16:44Even your friends sort of made jokes about it.
16:46It was really tough for my parents as well because they didn't know how to,
16:50how to help me and they saw their kid was sort of shutting down and they,
16:53I couldn't get involved in normal kid activities really through fear of getting sick.
16:59And presumably, the impact was more than just your social life.
17:03What about jobs?
17:04I couldn't, I couldn't hold down a job because if someone felt they were ill,
17:08you know, I had to make an excuse to leave.
17:09And I became so unreliable that nobody wanted to employ me.
17:12Understandably so.
17:13Presumably, travel was something that you couldn't do in the thick of it.
17:16Definitely not, no.
17:17I never went abroad before my 20s.
17:20I really almost never did anything.
17:22You have to, I mean, you're a mother.
17:24I mean, your vomit is part of motherhood really.
17:27So how on earth, how have you got from that to this to here today?
17:33It was a long process.
17:36I never thought I was going to be a mum.
17:38I didn't think I could do it.
17:39I was convinced because I was so scared of it.
17:42I went through like a, like a training program.
17:45Instead of therapy as such, it was more about teaching me
17:48why my brain did what it was and why I thought what I did.
17:52And it was a long process, but it did work.
17:55And then step by step, it brought me to where I am now.
17:58You cannot compare me.
17:59I'm not the same person.
17:59I don't know.
18:00I felt like a weight lifted off my, off my shoulder.
18:03And now I live life to the, to the most.
18:08How incredible that she has been able to work through that herself
18:13and then pursue the things she really wanted in life.
18:15To travel, to become a mother and to rescue animals.
18:19I'm no psychologist, but I'm sure she's trying to make up for all those lost years by living the
18:27complete opposite life with as many people, being as social as she possibly can.
18:33That is in such wild contrast to living a life of complete fear.
18:40But when this all started, it was just my hosts and a few others.
18:45This operation is now something else altogether, as is the process of feeding everyone.
18:52Welcome to the food sorting.
18:53This is amazing.
18:54Where is all this from?
18:55This is actually from a supermarket.
18:58The daily we go with our van, we collect the waste, and instead of dump it in the bin,
19:03they dump it in our van.
19:04Okay, let me, let me actually help like everyone else is doing.
19:07This section is for human, this section is for animals.
19:11Well, these look pretty good, all these apples.
19:12There are many things that are like perfect.
19:14It's just that this is because it fell off in the supermarket from the shelf to the floor.
19:19And then it's considered not human eatable.
19:21Yeah.
19:22This so-called waste feeds the whole community and 90% of the animals,
19:27with just hay and straw brought in.
19:30Every day, this food that we select, we have qualified people in the kitchen team
19:35that they prepare the food every day for all of us.
19:39We propose all this food to every volunteers.
19:42They have to choose yes or no.
19:46We don't obligate anybody.
19:47And they give the best they can to the animals.
19:51The mushrooms, is that going to pass?
19:53No.
19:54Okay, so that goes into the compost.
19:55I've only been here a short time, so I don't know what is, uh,
19:59Elena, I'm wondering how long you've been here for.
20:01I came once last year, like for a week, and then I came for two weeks,
20:05and then I came for three weeks, and then like I quit my job and I came to, to, to
20:10leave here.
20:10There must be something, uh, something about this place.
20:13The animals are going to have quite a feast with all of this.
20:16Oh, they have, they have really good food.
20:17Like that's, that's one of the things that brought me back, you know, for the second time
20:22and the third time, how this place feeds us, feeds the animal, how everything is sustainable,
20:28and like how circular we are in, in everything, you know, from compost to, to gardening.
20:35Where does this go?
20:36Compost.
20:37Compost.
20:37I'm taking this to the, to the, to the bin.
20:40The sorting is done.
20:41That was pretty efficient.
20:43Now, the cars that we have in front, we have a compost car.
20:46Yeah.
20:46Small animal car.
20:47Is that the compost car?
20:48That's brilliant.
20:48Yes.
20:49Open back for aeration.
20:50Should I take this over?
20:52Where's the compost go now?
20:54You have practically do the turn.
20:56Me, I'm taking it, am I?
20:57Why not?
20:58Yeah, okay.
20:59It's a new adventure.
21:00That is quite a car.
21:01How do I start her?
21:02There is a sophisticated butter.
21:04So, then the heat, and then this.
21:08Good luck.
21:19After I've served the residents,
21:23I get to enjoy a late breakfast.
21:26So, this is all the food I helped sort out.
21:30Shall I take some tomato salad, I think?
21:34A little bit of bread.
21:35Look at that.
21:36Delicious.
21:38And it's my chance to find out more about my host's ethos,
21:41and what draws other volunteers here.
21:43We call our diet like a freegan.
21:46Yeah, someone told us that, yeah.
21:48That's brilliant.
21:48This really is our secret weapon.
21:50Without the possibility to have free food every day, three times a day,
21:57probably we couldn't really keep up with the center, with the 60 people,
22:02because they are needed.
22:04We take everything that they gave us.
22:0580% is fruit and veggie.
22:07So, remember that we have animals that are carnivore, like cats, dogs, ferrets.
22:11Ferrets, mainly.
22:12Because we're all good.
22:13The fresh meat.
22:14The fresh meat, yeah.
22:15So, we really rely on that because they can't eat anything else.
22:18I've just spotted the stethoscope around.
22:20Are you about to take my vitals?
22:23Presumably, you're working with the animals.
22:24Yes, yes.
22:25So, I'm the veterinary nurse on site here,
22:27which can be quite a lot with 500 animals.
22:29That is a lot of work on your hands.
22:31How long have you been helping out here?
22:32Nine months now.
22:34I just fell in love with the place.
22:35You see, I have a little daughter as well.
22:36So, the community and the people and Emma and Iggy and things,
22:39and how everyone lives here, and the same sort of goals and mindsets.
22:43But, of course, like, for me with the animals,
22:46I'm for giving the land back to them and natural behaviors.
22:49And this year is the only place I've found, really,
22:51that really focuses on that.
22:53Is your daughter able to use the little nursery here?
22:56She does, yeah.
22:56Is she one of Iggy's friends?
22:58Iggy's best friend.
22:59She's like Iggy's sister, really,
23:00running around the finger holding hands together.
23:02They're so cute.
23:04It's a testament to what Emma and Edo have done here.
23:09They've really created an environment that keeps drawing people back time and time again,
23:13really dedicated volunteers.
23:15Here, not just for the animals, but for the bigger picture.
23:19They've obviously created something truly unique.
23:22But I'm interested to know more about how they balance this with being new parents.
23:27Looking good, guys.
23:28There you go.
23:28The boss is here.
23:29You've got Iggy's drill.
23:31He says, move over, I'll show you how it's done.
23:35This is kind of great, isn't it?
23:36You've got an enclosure for Iggy here.
23:38I actually come here when I need a bit of a break,
23:40so I can just sit down and he's, like, contained and just, he loves her keys.
23:43And what about the volunteers? Because presumably, you're going to vet everyone that comes here.
23:48I think, actually, it hasn't necessarily changed since being a mum,
23:52because we always had to vet everyone to come here,
23:55and we send them a video of what it's like,
23:57because we like to be very clear, because this is not for everyone, clearly.
24:00As you can imagine, putting 60 people in one place,
24:02they share a few bathrooms, they share the kitchen.
24:05Lots of love and lots of conflict as well,
24:07so sometimes that is a full-time job on its own.
24:09Do you feel like more than just a mum to Iggy?
24:12Yes. Yeah, we tell people before they come, we're like,
24:13we do not include a mum, you have to clean up after yourself.
24:18What an idyllic place to be bringing up your child.
24:21You know, surrounded by animals, lots of interesting people from all around the world,
24:25and you get to be hands-on. But that comes at a cost.
24:29Effectively, Emma and Edo are parents to 60 other volunteers who come through here.
24:37They're constantly busy, always on call, and basically in charge of a small village.
24:43Responsible for hundreds of animals, it makes me wonder what other kind of pressures they're under.
24:49Testing, testing, testing, testing.
24:52Pretend to be a turkey.
24:54Yeah, yeah, it works.
24:56My sanction is better than me.
24:57He gets it. He's taught you everything he knows.
25:08I'm on Tenerife, where my hosts built their animal sanctuary from the ground up.
25:13And it's obvious their success relies on their strong partnership.
25:17While Emma handles the animal care and office, Edo ensures their anti-consumer values extend to
25:24everything they create. Just like the food, their building materials are saved from the bin too.
25:30This looks like a potential shop.
25:32Yes, it is. Time for action.
25:37A bit of everything.
25:38Edo, you're looking quite excited now. Does this get you pretty motivated?
25:41This is where I train my brain. For everything, you can always find an alternative use.
25:51We can make some dog really comfortable and really happy.
25:55Dog bed, I love that.
25:56What about some pallet wood?
25:57Pallet wood is always useful.
25:58Most of all of our building made by wood is out of pallet wood.
26:02Does this depress you in any way when you see how much waste there is?
26:08Before, I was dumping so much rubbish, there was no rubbish. It's just that with the Finca,
26:12that in the last eight years, we did a different path of life. We see how much is wrong to
26:20always
26:20go for new material, new wood, when you can refurbish and use old without any problem.
26:26What's interesting for me is when I look at the foods that you reclaim, the materials you reclaim,
26:32you're still relying on society using those products.
26:36Because we are trying to be out of the society, but at the same time, we depend on the rubbish
26:43of the society. And from the society point of view, we are a natural cleaner of the society.
26:50We are kind of here, we have a lot of cucarachas.
26:54Cockroaches.
26:54Cockroaches. And we are the same human cockroaches.
26:58We clean around what anybody consider it shit.
27:05That's a luxury dog bed there.
27:08Without this recycle, probably we couldn't be where we are at the moment with the centre.
27:14Second life for animals, human, plants and building material.
27:22Edo is clearly now passionate about recycling. But I want to know more about his second life here,
27:28and how an entertainer made this lifestyle leap.
27:32I had quite a normal-ish life.
27:38Normal-ish because at 17 I already moved out and...
27:41At 17?
27:42Yes. I've been lucky because I was already playing football for money.
27:46You were playing... Whoa, whoa, whoa. So you were really good at football then?
27:50I had a possible football life. But then I had some accident when I was 16 that brought me to
28:00a wheelchair.
28:02Hang on. So what actually happened?
28:04Uh, in the night I was driving my motorbike without light. And a car just crossed my path
28:11because it didn't show me. And I've been lucky to be alive. Then I was laying on the floor with
28:17the
28:17metal coming out. And I was literally crying, but not of pain because I had like the back,
28:24I had a hole in my foot, I had the shoulder dislocated behind. So, but I was crying because
28:31I destroyed the motor and because I was going to football and training.
28:37And football was everything to you, presumably?
28:39It was my life, my dream. Since I was five that I was playing football with my father,
28:43I always thought that my life was just playing football.
28:46I understood that my dream had to change. It was no, my life was not anymore a football life.
28:52And, uh, my best friend actually came back from a holiday and he, uh, asked me if I never thought
29:00to be a hotel entertainer. Luckily I had the abilities of, uh, dancing to be on a stage.
29:06And that, uh, uh, was literally, uh, a bomb of, uh, emotion was just happiness.
29:13Really? You, you, you found something you love doing?
29:16To be an entertainer, your job, you are paid to enjoy the life with the person that come on holiday.
29:21I just had the, the, the willing of enjoy my life. I didn't have any responsibility of my life.
29:28Hmm. I honestly lived for nine years in a bubble.
29:32Until Emma came along?
29:34Until me and Emma start this life. Before I was living my life blind.
29:39Yeah. I'm a person that I would say, if I could, I will live my life again without any change.
29:45Because I honestly enjoy my life and I learned my mistake. And now I'm trying to create a better place
29:53for my son.
29:55I, I, I really love people who are deeply philosophical like he is about the chronology of life. And he
30:02had all those years of being a hedonistic holiday entertainer, but he wasn't leaving anything behind. He was just taking.
30:10And then through animals, here he is trying to kind of change the world.
30:18We're giving our salvaged pallets a second life ready for the next enclosure. Because sadly, I'm seeing just how many
30:25animals are in need here.
30:27Hello. Hello. What have you got? New rescue. No way. Two little cats.
30:32They've literally just arrived now. We're on the way to the vet clinic to assess them. See if you want
30:36to come and see.
30:37I'd love to. Do you want me to, do you want me to give you a hand here?
30:39I'll put you to work. Is that okay, hello, to abandon you with the wood? No problem at all. Quick
30:42escape.
30:44So where are we actually heading now? To this little clinical looking box hidden in the chaos.
30:49This is actually our little vet clinic. Is it? Yeah. I mean, it's new. We're in the process of building
30:54it now.
30:54We have, we just struggle on the island. There's basically no, no horse vets on the island. There's only three.
30:59And we managed to find a horse vet, but she didn't have a clinic or anywhere to do anything.
31:03And obviously because we have Tash as well, we thought, right, let's campaign and fundraise to get our own clinic.
31:09It's been here like a week and now we have to campaign to get some equipment.
31:12Black and a white cat. That's as far as I can help you really.
31:16That's what we know so far. Well, actually, no, we do know a little bit more, which is quite sad.
31:19We know that they've got leukemia. Oh, right.
31:21Extremely common on the island, isn't it? Is it?
31:23One in three. It is a death sentence for cats that are out in the wild.
31:27And it's a long, painful one as well.
31:29Could I get you just to pop this? I can take a heart rate and we can have a little
31:31look.
31:32Emma, these guys you said were dropped off.
31:35I think as we got bigger, people just know about us and we get calls all the time to take
31:42animals so often.
31:43Now, honestly, we don't have finances to take them all.
31:46That is probably the very, very worst thing about the job is you have to make a decision and look
31:54at an animal and be like,
31:55but you're not quite bad enough that we can rescue you, which is the worst thing because they all need
31:59our help.
32:00OK, so he's got a small infection in the eye. We can give him some non-prescripted drugs today
32:05and then we will speak to our vets to come out and prescribe medication for the eyes.
32:10But his face, apart from that, is pretty good. His lung sounds and heart are great.
32:14If you need further veterinary help, for example, and you need to call a vet in or for the horses,
32:19how does that impact you?
32:21You have to pay the bills. Badly. Very expensive.
32:24It's resources. We've had horses that needed to be put to sleep, but there was no vets to do it.
32:29So we've had to just sit there with them, suffering, because there's days and days where you can't get hold
32:33of a vet.
32:34You know, you feel the weight of the world on you when there's this horse in front of you.
32:37Why do you do it, Tash? Because I care.
32:39Maybe it's because I'm crazy, I don't know. I've just always had a soft spot for animals.
32:44And what Emma and Edu do here is amazing.
32:47It's a relentless, heartbreaking job. Also the best, because we'll see him in a week or so.
32:52He'll be coming out of his shell and happy and cuddling with the volunteers and stuff.
32:56And we just wish we could help more of them.
32:58Obviously the black cat's a little bit more...
33:00Feisty.
33:01So this young girl is very healthy and very ready to go back in her carrier. Cutie pies.
33:07The weight of the world, you know, kind of on the shoulders of the Tash's and the Emma's of this
33:12world,
33:12and Emma in particular, because not only does she have the burden of responsibility when it comes to the animals,
33:18but she also has the burden of responsibility for the Tash's and all the other volunteers here.
33:23Not to forget the financial implication that it has.
33:27Emma and Edo clearly poured their heart and soul into this place.
33:31So I'm keen to hear what Emma's parents think about the scale of responsibility and just how big it's all
33:37become.
33:38Hello. Ah. Hello.
33:40You're in here. Emma told me that you'd both be in here. How are you?
33:43I'm very well, thanks. So nice to see you both.
33:45I'm here to help. What can I do?
33:47Point all that lot out.
33:49Emma and I had charity shops in the UK as well.
33:53And once we started this, we thought, well, let's go back to what we know.
33:56Again, it was for a horse rescue, believe it or not, in the UK.
33:59Was it? Yeah.
34:00That came on from Emma not really being well enough to work for other people.
34:03So we created our own business.
34:05She's told me a little bit about this.
34:07Yeah.
34:07The emetophobia.
34:09Emetophobia.
34:09Yeah, she really was poorly for a long time.
34:12I mean, that has to be heartbreaking as a parent.
34:13So did you ever in your wildest dreams think that your daughter Emma could ever live this lifestyle?
34:19Never. Never, never, never.
34:20Are you proud of where she's come?
34:21Oh, incredibly.
34:22Sue and I really thought I'd probably have a couple of horses and just have weekends up here.
34:26It was only us four to start with.
34:28Yeah.
34:28We were building places for chickens and bits and pieces.
34:32So you must have really got to know the volunteers.
34:33They've all come from different walks of life.
34:36And we've had some really sad, depressed, lonely people that have really grown through being part of a team
34:43and the animals have helped them better.
34:44So many people come and say, oh, I never want to leave.
34:46It's not just an animal sanctuary.
34:48It's a human being sanctuary too.
34:49Human sanctuary as well.
34:50Which is wonderful to help so many people.
34:52Yeah, we have helped a lot of people.
34:54The scale's obviously changed a lot now.
34:56There's 60 volunteers.
34:57Do you ever worry now that maybe the scale's gone too big?
35:01Steve does more than I do.
35:03I put, yeah.
35:03Because I'm sort of in the office and sort of there trying to help.
35:06What worries you, Steve?
35:07It's the stress on Emma and Edu.
35:10Every day is a constant battle for money.
35:13The stress that they have as a family, it is exhausting.
35:18So, yeah, we do worry about that sometimes.
35:20They love it though.
35:21They wouldn't change it.
35:23I really get a sense of where Emma has come from, what they have endured.
35:27And they obviously have their worries, you know, about the size and scale of this.
35:32But they're still being supportive parents.
35:36Getting stuck in.
35:37And helping with childcare, which is the dream, isn't it?
35:41Spending time in nature with my grandparents is one of my fondest memories.
35:45And something I now do with my children.
35:48So, Edo and Emma have created something very special here.
35:54But despite the help, there are still things my hosts must spend money on.
35:59Like horse feed and vet bills.
36:02Even with their commitment to recycling and using waste.
36:05So, I'm keen to know how they afford it with no apparent income.
36:10We, at the moment, are around 20,000 euros every month.
36:15And even with the freegan living and recycling water and the solar.
36:21Mainly the horses are obviously the most expensive.
36:24But legalities, paperwork, insurances, you know, building.
36:29And it adds up really, really a lot.
36:32So, how on earth do you make ends meet?
36:35We rely on hope and donations.
36:37We built it up over social media, mainly.
36:40As we got bigger and bigger, obviously, we needed more and more money.
36:43And we couldn't rely on social media alone.
36:45Obviously, we're the community as volunteers.
36:46We brought in a short-term program, which is where they actually donate to come and stay.
36:51And it's more like a learning experience.
36:52And that brings in a lot of our donations, fortunately.
36:56How worried do you get by the finances and ensuring that you always have enough?
37:02Oh, yeah.
37:03I mean, that comes with being a charity.
37:05It's the constant fear of making enough money.
37:07Because when you're relying on the public and donations, it's hard.
37:10You also feel guilty.
37:11I'm constantly begging people to help us.
37:13But it's probably not our biggest worry, actually, is legalities.
37:18The paperwork, the red tape is unbelievable.
37:21And it just gets harder and harder and harder.
37:23And that's honestly the point where we've questioned whether we can keep doing it.
37:27Because sometimes we don't even fit in categories that don't exist.
37:31You know, there isn't...
37:33Paperwork for Sanctuary doesn't exist.
37:34That's a lot of worries.
37:36You've got finances.
37:37You've got bureaucracy.
37:39Does it ever get too much?
37:40The simple answer is yes.
37:42There has been times where we thought we just can't do it.
37:44I mean, every aspect of what we do in our life, like the way we live.
37:49I mean, even the way we dress is from the bin.
37:51The way we eat is from the bin.
37:53Everything we do is to try and save money so we can help them.
38:00I've cried myself to sleep so many times thinking I just can't do this anymore.
38:03But then you sort of see what you're doing and how much they need us.
38:09Because imagine we weren't here, you know?
38:10All of these 400 animals would have nothing.
38:13So that makes us continue.
38:17The fact that Emma has cried herself to sleep, she's thought about giving up,
38:21is testament to the toll that those pressures take on both of them.
38:27They're prisoners to these guys.
38:29How can you abandon beautiful horses and dogs and every other animal that they have here?
38:44It's my last day in Tenerife, and there's one final task for the youngest generation
38:49and a glimpse into the future taking shape here.
38:52As we're getting more kids, we need a bit more space, especially as they're getting a bit older.
38:56Looks like you've started something over here.
38:57An amazing donation.
38:59This is a proper slide.
39:01Wowzers.
39:02Do you want me to hold the bottom bit?
39:02Should me a new swap?
39:03Maybe I'm very short.
39:04Shall I do this?
39:06Go this way, to my right.
39:07Spin to the right.
39:08Spin this around a little bit.
39:09Half an inch, look.
39:10Like that?
39:11Maybe too far again.
39:12I can't see what we're looking at.
39:14It's relatively heavy.
39:15Let me hold.
39:17Yeah, look.
39:17I've got that.
39:18So what's the general vision then for the kindergarten?
39:21I mean, we always wanted to have our kids in sort of more Montessori, free, outside, you know, like a
39:28forest school type thing.
39:30Yeah.
39:30We want to get more families involved in the community because, well, it's amazing not just for us and Iggy,
39:36but we also believe that kids are the future and it's lovely watching them learn how to interact with animals.
39:41So in this case, build the slide and they will come.
39:44Absolutely.
39:45I mean, who wouldn't?
39:45This is amazing.
39:46Next bit.
39:47Okay.
39:47Inside we are.
39:48Okay.
39:49Everyone needs pushing up though again.
39:50There we go.
39:50Now, now if you come.
39:54Two done, two to go.
39:55Do you guys find yourselves torn a little bit between wanting to grow this place, but with your own need
40:02to kind of have a bit more time for yourselves as a family?
40:05My opinion, I think we're past the point of no return on that.
40:08When we started, it was just me and you, couple of people, few animals, and that's what we expected.
40:13And let's be honest, that was so much easier for us, so much less stressful.
40:17So for selfish reasons, we should have stopped there.
40:19But we created some system that works so well and the demand of animals that needed rescuing, it just unethical
40:26for us not to grow, you know?
40:28Now we just keep rolling, keep growing because there's an endless waiting list of animals and that's what we're here
40:33for.
40:33I mean, I never turn off for the animals when they've got a problem in the middle of the night
40:36or whatever, we're there.
40:37But I know to turn off my head for the legalities, the paperwork, the computer work.
40:41I'm a little bit more worried about you.
40:43Do you know how to switch off?
40:45My moral is if there is a need, if it's not me, we created this place, this place is bigger
40:50than Edo and Emma.
40:52Exactly, so you can't break, they need you.
40:55They need us.
40:59Okay, so we get the final green one.
41:01Yeah, got it.
41:03Okay.
41:03Okay, there's that one.
41:04Well, thank you guys.
41:05I had no idea it was quite this big.
41:07But that's cool, it's even better, that means we can go in it.
41:09I think we need some sort of ramp to get up to it.
41:11Perfect, we can prepare some climbing wall.
41:13Yeah, you guys can do that, I've actually got to go get Iggy because kindergarten's finishing.
41:16So have fun with that.
41:17We will.
41:18It's incredible what my hosts have built here.
41:21The sanctuary has grown and so have they.
41:24And the same is true for their extended family, more than I initially thought.
41:29From Iggy's grandparents to Emma's sister and brother-in-law.
41:33How many have we got?
41:37Woo!
41:41Well done!
41:42High five!
41:43Amazing to have your dad here as well.
41:45What does he make of your life out here?
42:11Yeah.
42:12We are quite dead and father similar.
42:14You have similar sentiments.
42:16Most people who I visit who have gone to live a new life and have settled in a faraway place,
42:22the thing they miss is family.
42:24But the beautiful thing for me is you kind of came with this vision to help animals,
42:30you're helping volunteers and you've also kind of reunited your family.
42:34Unplanned but yeah, very happy about that.
42:36I'll do that.
42:37Good job!
42:39Let me hang it over there.
42:42The things that try us and test us and challenge us can sometimes be the making of us.
42:47And if you take Edo and Emma and the challenges that they've faced throughout their lives,
42:53look at where it's led them both.
42:55They've been able to create their own little utopia.
42:58And they're such a selfless couple that I don't doubt they'll continue to grow.
43:02And those challenges will continue to grow.
43:05But they have decided to embrace those for the principles by which they want to live.
43:11And there aren't very many of us that do that.
43:14We've got a surprise with Dadu!
43:17Iggy, look!
43:18Wow!
43:20Wow, Iggy!
43:20Look at this, Iggy!
43:21There's ropes to climb up, there's a little climbing wall.
43:24Oh, he's straight in!
43:26Oh, he's straight in!
43:26Go for it, Iggy!
43:27Wow!
43:28Boop!
43:29Straight in!
43:33Wow!
43:35Wow!
43:36Wow, Iggy!
43:37Isn't that so nice?
43:38Hey, Iggy!
43:38Can we stand here as well?
43:40Hey, Iggy!
43:40Hey, Iggy!
43:42Hey, Iggy!
43:43Dad?
43:44A success?
43:45You can see?
43:46There is a cue there already.
43:47Guys, thank you for the most amazing week.
43:49What you have done here, what you were doing here is so inspiring.
43:54Thank you, thank you.
43:55Thank you so much, really.
43:57It's been amazing.
43:58You're welcome back any time.
44:00Thank you so much.
44:00Listen, thank you.
44:01Iggy!
44:02Bye, Iggy!
44:03Bye!
44:03Gracias!
44:05Gracias, Iggy!
44:06I'll be back here when he's the jefe.
44:08Yeah, when he's the boss here.
44:10Yeah, it'll be one day.
44:10Won't be that long, I think.
44:1115, 20 years.
44:13Bye, everyone.
44:13Bye, Iggy!
44:14Bye, Emma!
44:15Bye!
44:16Bye, Adam!
44:17Bye!
44:21Next time, I'm in the USA, living with a nomad...
44:26A modern-day pioneer, I'd say.
44:29...whose unique way of life is both inspiring...
44:32This is how I've given myself freedom away from debt and the crazy world that everybody's
44:38living in.
44:39...and terrifying.
44:40My heart is racing, but this is what Rangelin does.
44:47He made headlines last week, confessing to a killing 27 years ago, murder trial, the
44:53Suffolk Strangler is brand new next Thursday at 9, and brand new Saturday at 9, the fact
44:58she was a royal dresser made her case all the more shocking in Crime of Passion, the
45:02trial of Jane Andrews.
45:03And this true crime next in a killer makes a call.
45:07...
45:07...
45:09...
45:10...
45:12...
45:13...
45:14...
45:14...
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