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00:16These young cheetahs are stepping into a new life.
00:23Orphaned and raised in captivity, Lily and Iris have a chance to live wild.
00:30They face enormous challenges.
00:36But cheetahs are survivors, like this mother, raising three cubs in a harsh desert.
00:46They already know more than Lily and Iris, who have been training for their shot at freedom.
00:57These sisters must learn what it takes to live wild, or return to captivity.
01:07Will they make it?
01:14Yes!
01:31It wasn't long ago that this beautiful South African mountain desert was just a patchwork
01:39of livestock and farms. No rhinos, no elephants, no lions, no cheetahs. Just cattle and sheep.
01:52Today, after years of rewilding, San Bona Wildlife Reserve is a transformed ecosystem,
01:59with the cheetah in a pivotal role as a top predator.
02:06South Africa is a cheetah success story, and I'm here to understand how and why they became the
02:13forefront of cheetah conservation. Somewhere out here in the vast wilderness, there is a mother
02:21cheetah and her three cubs, and I'm hoping to meet them.
02:34This cat is known as Cheetah 82.
02:42Here, in this harsh landscape, she's teaching her three cubs all she knows.
02:51If they pay attention.
02:58She wears a satellite collar, so reserve staff can check up on her.
03:05Here, every cheetah is precious.
03:13San Bona isn't her original home.
03:17She was rescued from a drought and brought here by an organization dedicated to saving the cheetah.
03:29This is the headquarters of Ashia Cheetah Conservation, located in Cape Town's famous winelands.
03:38Look beyond the grapevines, and here you'll see something amazing.
03:48These excited cheetahs are in a remarkable, wilding program.
03:57Most of these cats were born in captivity, or orphaned at a young age.
04:05These two sisters, Lily and Iris, and their brother, came here after their mother was killed by lions.
04:14Only three months old at the time, they were too young to fend for themselves.
04:26They hadn't yet learned how to hunt.
04:32Ashia's goal has been to transform them into wild-living, independent hunters.
04:44If successful, they'll add much-needed genetic diversity to the wild cheetah population.
04:57Every new release to the wild is priceless.
05:08At the start, these cheetahs know nothing of the wild.
05:13Fortunately, Ashia has a careful wilding protocol.
05:21Step one, minimize human contact.
05:25Step two, get these cats physically fit, in Ashia's training yard.
05:34It has a 400-meter track with a motorized lure.
05:41Marna Smit is the center's director.
05:47Cheetahs come in here, and then they have this entire yard to practice their running skills to get fit and
05:53to get ready for release.
05:56The cats will race down the track all the way around.
05:59We can change direction as well, so we can almost mimic our hunt in the wild in the way that
06:03a prey suddenly stops and turns.
06:06Our fastest cat once ran 89 kilometers per hour that we could see along this one track.
06:12Obviously, they can definitely run faster, but because we only have the space, they had to slow down for the
06:18corner.
06:24So, we need to put it onto the rope so that when the pulley moves the rope through the whole
06:29enclosure,
06:30the lure goes on it, and the cat will chase it as they go through.
06:33Okay, so, I guess we're tying it on.
06:36We're tying it on, and when they do catch it, which happens quite often,
06:40they can just bite on it a few times, they realize it's nothing edible, and they leave it, and they
06:44move on.
06:44So, if he can hold this for a second.
06:46All right.
06:47It looks like it's moving quickly, actually.
06:52I'm pretty excited to see this.
06:54This is going to be like a life highlight.
06:57She's getting ready to pound.
07:00Yep.
07:01There she goes.
07:01Oh, wow.
07:02Look there go.
07:06You're going to have her run right past her.
07:08Oh, wow.
07:09Like, her body turns into just a spring.
07:13It's amazing.
07:14It's the banking.
07:14Like, on a dime.
07:16Have you seen them in the wild, Ren?
07:18I don't think I've ever been lucky enough to see a successful hunt, but I've seen them attempt,
07:22and it's just absolutely stunning to watch.
07:24I think they get an extra gear when they're out there as well.
07:34In San Bona, Cheetah 82 is searching for prey.
07:43She spends much of her time up here, scouting.
07:48She has excellent eyesight.
07:51It's so good, she can spot prey from five kilometers away.
08:01There's her quarry, Springbok Antelope.
08:12Oh, man.
08:45Her attack is so fast, the springbok didn't stand a chance.
09:02The family will feed well today.
09:23The cubs are four months old, strong enough now to follow and watch mom hunt.
09:33In a few months, they'll begin to participate.
09:40Raising three cubs requires a successful hunt every few days.
09:46So a cheetah needs to be in top form.
09:53Same goes for Lily and Iris and their brother.
10:00They run in the training yard every other day.
10:05They can't develop like wild cheetahs, so this is crucial to build up strength.
10:28Cheetahs are animal olympians designed inside and out for speed.
10:41Their shoulder bones are not connected to a collarbone, so their front legs have a longer
10:47reach, giving them more time to pull their body forward and go faster.
10:57A hyperflexible spine bends like a spring to store energy, releasing it with each stride.
11:07They can sprint like this for 500 meters.
11:14They can also turn at high speed.
11:26A heavy long tail provides balance.
11:40Lily and Iris will need to master the chase.
11:57By the end, she's drained of energy.
12:01Her body temperature is over two degrees warmer.
12:06She needs 50 minutes to cool down.
12:14What am I holding the remnants of?
12:16You are holding a spring book, so we feed natural gamia, what they would naturally eat
12:21in the wild.
12:22This slaughter came in very fresh today, so they're getting very good nutrition out of the carcasses.
12:29Ashiya cheetahs don't associate food with people.
12:34That's because staff place food in the cheetah's pens when they're training.
12:38Perfect.
12:40All right.
12:50Oh, wow.
12:51Look at that.
12:52Takes it and immediately runs off.
12:54Yep.
13:03Now, aged 22 months, Lily and Iris have completed Ashiya's basic training.
13:14Next, they'll be sent to a wildlife reserve where they must learn to hunt.
13:20Their brother to another.
13:24With no experience to rely on, will their hunter instincts kick in?
13:41This will be Lily and Iris' home for the next few months, a fenced-off part of a larger wildlife
13:48reserve.
13:50It's called a wilding camp and is Ashiya's breakthrough idea.
14:00The cheetahs will be released today.
14:06Wildlife monitor Alex Landman will check on them daily.
14:11So this is a slow introduction to what they're going to be experiencing.
14:16It's very, very important that they have exposure to what they're going to be encountering when
14:21they're actually in a natural environment.
14:26What role does instinct play in a cheetah's life?
14:29Once they are released, the instinct is the thing that's going to drive them to try and
14:34hunt in the first place and not just wait around for food.
14:36Okay.
14:37If they get hungry, they're going to try and start hunting.
14:39Even if they're not hungry, that instinct will kind of drive them to start practicing.
14:45Each cheetah wears a solar-powered radio collar, so Alex can track them and see if they fed.
14:50They're going to try and start hunting.
15:02Now, Lily and Iris are taking their first steps back into the wild.
15:30Each cheetah release is unique.
15:33Each cheetah release is unique.
15:41Now, anything can happen.
15:55This is the first day of a new wildlife for sisters Lily and Iris.
16:08The wilding camp is full of animals that they'll meet for the first time, including fast, powerful,
16:16horned prey.
16:20They don't yet know which animals are prey to chase and which are dangers to avoid.
16:33You want to kind of have them do their own thing and learn at their own speed.
16:38Chasing animals, trying to figure out what should be food, what shouldn't.
16:46If we see the cats aren't getting any food, they're struggling with hunting, we'll assist them a little bit.
16:51Okay.
16:54If the cats go for five days without a successful hunt, they'll receive a supplemental meal.
17:03When they can hunt here for three months without help, a Shia will find them a permanent wild home.
17:16Within an hour, the cheetahs reach a plane with Impala, the right prey.
17:30There are also larger animals.
17:36Definitely not prey.
17:44Here and now, the cheetah's bottled up instincts are let loose.
18:07The two-ton rhino isn't threatened by the 40-kilo cheetah.
18:15She just doesn't want it anywhere near her calf.
18:23These cats will learn one encounter at a time.
18:30Adult zebra are also not prey.
18:36One kick from a stallion will crush a cheetah's skull.
18:43The cheetahs are in full view.
18:47Another mistake.
18:54They're too far from the Impala.
19:03Still, cheetahs are predators.
19:07Every chase throws up the possibility of a meal.
19:23The stampeding zebra alert the Impala.
19:35The cats have no focus.
19:39Iris on the left goes from hunter to hunting.
19:50But Lily finally goes for the Impala.
19:57It's an easy escape for the Impala.
20:00And a hard first lesson for the cats.
20:19The zebra were a big enough danger.
20:24But there are larger, deadlier animals here.
20:36Hate buffalo hate predators.
20:40The herd will protect its own.
20:50Iris hangs back, but Lily uses the roadside to hide.
20:57That's good technique.
20:59She's gotten close.
21:04But that's only because buffalo aren't afraid of cheetahs.
21:08These are not cheetah prey.
21:14But the sisters don't know that.
21:25The tables are turned.
21:32Lily is in trouble.
21:59Lily has just used up most of her nine lives.
22:07For their first day, these two cats did almost everything wrong.
22:12Will they get it right tomorrow?
22:20The girls from Arshia are just learning to stalk prey, but they didn't have the benefit
22:25of watching their mom learn how to hunt, so they've got nothing to go on but their
22:30guts.
22:41Wild cheetah cubs, on the other hand, have a teacher.
22:53By four months, they're following and watching mom.
23:06At this age, they're more attentive.
23:10They see which animals catch mom's attention.
23:17These cubs already know much more about prey than Lily and Iris.
23:28On kills, they're already practicing their chokehold.
23:33It's a vital skill, which they'll learn to master.
23:38They'll also practice on their mother.
23:50Without this wild education, Lily and Iris will have to learn the hard way.
24:03Waterbuck are far too big for the sisters.
24:33These cheetahs just can't help themselves.
24:35Let's go.
24:37Let's go.
24:42Let's go.
24:53Let's go.
24:56Let's go.
25:09Attempts at wilding captive-raised cheetahs go back to the 1970s.
25:14Most failed.
25:16But Ashia has a 100% success rate.
25:20Over 70 cheetahs so far.
25:23The wilding camp is the key.
25:27It's a stepping stone between captivity and the true wild.
25:32No one had tried this before.
25:36Here cheetahs can live wild.
25:41But with many dangers kept out.
25:48This lion will kill them if he could.
25:57The sisters might remember, lions kill their mother.
26:11The sisters are learning.
26:14Living wild means new encounters every day.
26:18And there are plenty more in store.
26:31The cheetah's closest relative is the North American cougar.
26:36And like cougars, you may find them in hostile mountain habitats.
26:43Hunting in a completely unexpected way.
26:54This is cheetah 83, the three-year-old daughter of 82.
27:04From up here, she can spot Springbok across the valley.
27:20By late afternoon, she's within striking distance.
27:28She lets the herd pass by.
27:31This way, she can use the rock wall as a barrier.
27:42This terrain is no cheetah grassland.
27:46It's an ankle-breaking obstacle course.
27:51Rocks everywhere.
28:03Now, the wall.
28:17The Springbok takes a wrong step.
28:26But it's not over yet.
28:45Sometimes it pays for a cheetah to hunt
28:48like a cougar.
28:53Cheetah 83 raced 500 meters
28:56through difficult terrain
28:57to make that kill in 56 seconds.
29:03I want a closer look,
29:05so I'll run it myself.
29:12There are bushes to run around
29:15or leap over.
29:21Drainage lines to cross.
29:28And the biggest obstacle of them all,
29:31the wall.
29:33Which the cheetah handled spectacularly.
29:41This is just the halfway point.
29:44Now, it's downhill.
29:48She gained an advantage
29:50when the Springbok took a tumble.
29:54It looked over.
29:57But Springboks are resilient.
30:02Another drainage line near the end.
30:05Both the Springbok and I are slowing down.
30:19That was exhausting.
30:22So, apparently, a cheetah can do that
30:26in about 56 seconds.
30:33That took me five minutes?
30:35Seriously?
30:37Oh, my God.
30:49Lily and Iris have now been in the wilding camp
30:51for two months.
30:54Their sibling bond is still strong.
31:01They're at the age when female cheetahs
31:03go their own way.
31:14For now, staying together will help them catch prey.
31:27They're now familiar with the other animals here.
31:31Especially prey.
31:37The sisters have tracked down
31:39a mixed herd of antelope.
31:44Most are far too large.
31:50But nearby, a rumpala.
31:55Lily shows good technique,
31:58staying low.
32:04So far, so good.
32:06But are they stalking the right prey?
32:12Yes.
32:18Lily takes this chase.
32:33500 meters is about a cheetah's limit for sprinting.
32:38No luck for Lily.
32:42But the other, black impala, ran towards Iris.
32:47She'll take this chase.
33:02It's a large adult male.
33:04An impressive catch.
33:07Iris has it in a chokehold.
33:12She now knows how to kill swiftly.
33:19If these two cats can survive another month with no assistance,
33:23they'll be ready to spend the rest of their lives in the wild.
33:35It's been about four months since we started following Cheetah 82 and her cubs.
33:42And so we're here to check in and see how she's doing.
33:47Okay, so I see tracks.
33:50Yes.
33:51So this is the tracks with the cheetah, 82.
33:56Yeah.
33:57Right here, you can see the impact.
34:00So you can see the spacing is growing, which means she's picking up speed.
34:04Picking up speed.
34:05So three meters.
34:06Yeah, here's the next one.
34:07And there's the next one.
34:08And then, where do you think she went from here?
34:11I mean, it's seven meters away from here.
34:13Yeah, so one, two, three, four, five, six.
34:20That's unbelievable.
34:25Here she is.
34:33Wow.
34:38We don't have to be afraid of her because she doesn't perceive us as a threat.
34:42So she wouldn't just come towards us.
34:44But she also wouldn't look at us as food either.
34:47Right.
34:47Yes.
34:52What's happening?
34:54Yeah, just relax.
34:56You see the bag over here?
34:59It's a strange foreign object.
35:05You see, that is the intimidation tactic of a cheetah, exposing those sharp teeth and making
35:13that typical cat sound.
35:29Not a threat.
35:30Curiosity.
35:31Crisis averted.
35:31Yeah.
35:34You see, the mom didn't have any interest in us at all.
35:37I noticed that.
35:37She's just like, kids, you go and explore what you need to explore.
35:43This has been amazing.
35:47We'll leave them now.
35:50It's been two days since they last ate.
35:54Sean expects they'll hunt today.
36:15The three wild Sambona cubs are now nine months old, a critical age when they begin to learn
36:22to hunt.
36:26By now, they recognize prey.
36:37They watch how their mother stalks.
36:48How she attacks.
36:51How she attacks.
37:19When the
37:29This time, she doesn't kill the spring dog straight away.
37:34Instead, she does something extraordinary.
37:41She releases it.
37:46Now, it's the cub's turn.
38:01The cubs are now practicing what they learned through play, tripping the springbok with their dewclaw.
38:15Their mother stays back.
38:18It's all up to the cubs.
38:27They're still so small, the springbok could still escape.
38:32But the three cubs are working together.
38:40For youngsters just nine months old, this epic hunt is a triumph.
38:47Not just for their developing skills, but also for their teacher.
39:02When the Ashia sisters got here three months ago, the challenge was simple.
39:06Hunt on your own.
39:13Tomorrow, they will reach Ashia's three-month milestone without a supplemental meal.
39:20But for the past week, they've struggled.
39:28This is their fifth day without a kill.
39:32If they don't succeed today, they'll need to be fed tomorrow.
39:37And the three-month's wilding clock will be reset to day one.
39:45They found their target.
39:51Now, everything they've learned must work.
39:55co-founder and co-founder and co-founder and co-founder and co-writer.
40:24Things that take care of their kids all over the world, SARS собир Processment,
40:25a blow to the cheetahs. Every prey animal now knows they're here.
40:36The sisters have not reunited after the chase. With nightfall approaching, each is alone and hungry.
40:55The sisters remained apart through the night. Lily is located on a high hill, and she's
41:05made a kill, an adult female impala. This is a big takedown, and what's more, Lily must
41:16have hunted in the dark of night. One kilometer away, Iris is in this section of thick bush.
41:30She too has made a night kill. A larger one. An adult male impala.
41:39If we can, there's a little spot we can possibly walk through here.
41:45Are they going to be disappointed that you're not a cheetah?
41:47So if you look over my shoulder here, you'll see that.
41:49I think I see a dead animal there.
41:51You see the carcass is right through here, and then we've got one of our girls staring at us.
41:56She's staring directly at us.
41:58That is right.
42:02Lily and Iris have passed the three-month test.
42:08These girls have not had any issues. They've not had any trouble with hunting.
42:13We've not had any supplementary feedings, so the girls are doing extremely well.
42:20They're ready for a new life. Living completely wild.
42:32I'm looking at the girls' behavior and how it's changed over the past three months.
42:37It's quite incredible, and I've grown very confident in these girls.
42:41They are effectively hunting at this point.
42:46If all goes well, Lily and Iris will meet the resident male cheetahs in their new homes.
42:51And soon after, give birth to a new generation, which they can raise wild.
43:02Cheetah 82's cubs will also find new homes once they are fully grown.
43:19These cheetahs have come such a long way.
43:23They've learned so much and honed their skills.
43:25And with the help of some dedicated people, their future and the future of all cheetahs looks brighter than ever.
43:33Oh my God.
43:59Here we go.
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