Born to Be Wild (2025) s01e02 Episode Script

1
- [birds chirping]
- [animal coos]
[narrator] The birth of a baby animal
is always special.
- [birds tweeting]
- [purring]
But for those on the brink of extinction,
every new life…
- [exhales]
- …brings hope.
[chirping]
Six endangered youngsters
raised in our world…
[meowing]
…are on the journey of a lifetime…
[man] Follow me.
[narrator] …back to theirs.
Are you inquisitive? Yeah.
[narrator]
But they can't do it on their own.
He lost his mother.
- [elephant snorts]
- [hisses]
[narrator] With human foster parents
helping them on their way…
[man] You don't need to be scared,
I'm here with you.
[bear whines]
[narrator] …can these little ones
help save their species…
[woman] If you love something,
you have to let it go.
[narrator] …and return to the wild?
[orchestral swell]
[woman vocalizing, music climaxes]
[dramatic drumroll]
- [soothing music playing]
- [insects chirping]
[phone beeps, vibrates]
[beeping continues, stops]
[narrator] In Zambia, Southern Africa,
there's a very special nursery…
[keeper] Wam.
Wam.
[narrator] …for orphaned baby elephants.
[keeper] Good morning, Wam.
[music continues]
[narrator] The latest arrival is Wam.
Short for Wamwayi.
How was your night, boy?
Did you sleep well?
Good boy.
[narrator] Just a few months old,
he was found trapped in a water hole.
No one knows what happened to his family.
[music continues]
Underweight and scared,
he was rescued and brought here…
to the Lusaka Elephant Nursery.
[exhales through trunk]
Enjoying your milk?
[narrator] Without his mum,
Wam now relies on his keeper,
Aaron Gumbo, to take care of him.
Feeding him every three hours.
- [Aaron] Good boy.
- [snuffing]
[narrator] The hope is Wam will,
one day, be returned to the wild.
A big journey for this little calf.
[music fades]
Over the last 50 years, Africa's lost
more than 60% of its elephants,
mainly due to poaching.
[elephant rumbling]
[narrator] The world's largest land animal
is now endangered.
So, every calf counts.
- [whines]
- [Aaron] Easy boy, be calm.
[grunts]
[narrator]
If he's to make it back to the wild…
[chuckles]
[narrator] …this little calf will spend
two years in elephant nursery.
- [Aaron] Wam!
- [rumbles]
[narrator] With six other youngsters,
all orphans.
[keeper laughs, exclaims]
[narrator] Wam's the smallest
and youngest.
[squeaks]
[narrator] He needs to learn
what to eat,
how to stay safe…
[larger calf grumbles]
…and most importantly,
how to make friends.
It's going to be a crash course…
- [crunch]
- [snorts]
- …in elephant education.
- [whimpers]
[animal chittering]
[narrator] Each morning…
- Come on, guys.
- Let's go.
- Come on, let's move.
- Let's go. Let's go.
[narrator] …Wam
and all the other little elephants
are led to a meadow
where lessons can begin.
First up…
[Aaron] Come and get your milk, Wam.
[narrator] How to use your trunk.
They need to use this trunk
because the trunk is the hand.
Uh, also they use the trunk
to drink water,
and also if they are unable to use it,
then they can suffer.
[narrator] When it comes to trunk control,
the bigger elephants are experts.
[large elephant rumbles]
[narrator] But Wam
is just getting started.
[Aaron] Watching them learning
how to use their trunk,
it's just like watching
a baby learn how to use
a knife and a fork to eat.
[narrator] A human hand
has around 30 muscles.
- [squeaks]
- An elephant's trunk
has tens of thousands.
So there's lots to get to grips with.
- [volunteer] Hold, good boy.
- [rumbles]
[narrator] It can take up to a year
for Aaron and the team
to help each orphan master their trunk.
[volunteer] Wam, hold the bottle
and watch Olimba.
Be strong, be strong, be strong.
- [Aaron] He almost got it.
- [chuckles]
[Aaron] Yeah, you can do it, Wam.
Keep trying.
[keeper] Hold the bottle. Hold the bottle.
- Oh! Wam!
- [Aaron laughs]
You can do it, boy. Come on.
- [keeper] Come on, boy.
- [Aaron] Yes, that's my boy.
Strong, strong, strong.
[Aaron] Keep going! [groans]
[narrator]
Wam's still got a long way to go.
- [volunteer] Next time.
- [rumbling]
[narrator] A week later,
the little calf's growing well.
[Aaron] Let's go, my boy.
[narrator]
But he's missing something important.
- [elephant grunts]
- Friends.
The other orphans
have already formed a tight-knit gang.
And, like any gang, they have a leader.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Olimba.
- [Aaron] Olimba, come on.
- [rumbles]
[narrator] If she accepts Wam,
the others will too.
[grumbles]
But right now…
- [growls]
- [trumpets]
…they're not the most welcoming bunch.
- [growls]
- [trumpets]
[growls]
[snorts]
[growls]
[snorts]
[Aaron] My worry about Wam is,
I have observed
that some of the elephants from this herd,
they've been, like, bullying Wam.
[narrator] Young elephants learn
by copying each other.
On his own, Wam will miss out
on vital life skills.
He really needs to make elephant friends.
[narrator] And Aaron knows
that loneliness
can lead to something far more serious.
[Aaron] The fact that
they lost their parents,
and they still have that heart breaking.
If they stay alone for more time,
you find that they stop eating.
Yeah, some of them,
they end up, like, dying.
[narrator] For now, Wam's foster parent
is his only companion.
[Aaron] They have no one left
to check on them.
So I'm here to act as an elephant mummy.
Because Wam is just like my… uh, my son.
[narrator] Aaron offers one-to-one care.
Even letting Wam suck his finger
to soothe him.
[Aaron] Whenever he sees me,
he always comes to me and have a hug,
give me five, and always come to me,
you know, for love.
And give him my finger to suck,
and I also give him some comfort.
Good boy.
It's my dream to see him
released back into the wild.
[sighs]
- [Aaron] Come on!
- [elephant trumpets]
[narrator] From six months old,
baby elephants start eating solids.
[Aaron] We normally provide the elephants
with these branches and leaves at night.
Because the elephants,
they like, uh, eating always.
So Wam's favorite
is, uh, the rubber tree. This one.
Sometimes, we find that
he even eats all the bark.
[narrator] Growing youngsters can eat
over a hundred pounds
of leaves and branches a day.
[Aaron] So, these branches,
they are enough for the night.
Because Wamwayi is my favorite,
so I will give him rubber, his favorite.
[chuckles] So, this one is for Wam.
[narrator] After a day in the meadow,
Wam and the others
are led home for the night.
[Aaron] Come on, get your leaves.
Wam! Wam!
[narrator] The calves all sleep
in a giant elephant dormitory.
[Aaron] Here's your blanket.
[Wam rumbles]
[narrator] Because he's so small,
Wam has his own pajamas.
[Aaron] Yeah, actually,
we do it, uh, every night.
We put the blanket on.
[narrator] But putting PJs
on a quarter-ton toddler…
[Aaron] Easy, Wam.
[vet] Be calm, Wam.
Be calm, be calm, be calm.
[narrator] …is no simple task.
[vet] This is very important.
[Aaron] In the wild,
you always find that the mothers,
they always put the babies
in the middle of them,
so that they can keep them warm.
Now, finish your bottle and go and sleep.
[Wam snorts]
[narrator]
Just like bedtimes everywhere,
settle one down…
and another makes trouble.
[vet] Chip, stop stealing!
[playful music playing]
Where's yours? Where's yours?
This is not yours. It's for the baby. Eh?
Neighbors. Bad manners.
[music continues]
Good night. Good boy.
[music fades]
[narrator] Finally, the calves calm down.
[sighs]
Just like us, elephants dream.
[snores]
But after everything he's been through,
Wam's sleep is restless.
[snoring]
[Aaron] He's so scared.
He has nightmares.
[narrator] This little elephant
has a long way to go…
if he's to make it back to the wild.
[insects chirping]
Three weeks on,
the timid youngster
is still not part of the gang.
But he is slowly growing in confidence.
[Aaron] Easy, boy. Easy.
[narrator] And seems to have taken a shine
to one elephant in particular.
[Aaron] Wam! Olimba!
Let's go. Let's go, guys.
[narrator] The leader, Olimba.
[Aaron] Olimba. Come on.
He's following her everywhere.
[narrator] And his perseverance
is starting to win her over.
[Aaron] At first, Olimba was trying
to push Wam a little bit.
But, uh, this time, everything is okay.
Which is great.
[narrator] She even gives him
his first hug in months.
[rumbles]
But the rest of the elephants…
are still picking on him.
- [grumbles]
- [snorts]
[growls]
And it's starting to get nasty.
- [growls]
- [trumpets]
But now,
Olimba's keeping an eye on things.
[growls]
[whimpers]
She knows Wam's just too small
to stick up for himself.
[snorts]
And no one messes with the boss.
[adventurous music playing]
[Olimba trumpets]
With Olimba by his side,
Wam's made his first friend.
[Wam huffs]
[music continues]
She evens lets him do
something very special.
Suckle her ear.
[music slows and fades]
The elephant equivalent of holding hands.
[Aaron] It's really a good thing to see.
It makes me warm inside
to see him, like, interacting with Olimba.
It's a big step forward.
Yeah, and I'm happy about that.
[narrator] Over the coming months,
Wam goes from strength to strength.
His trunk control's…
Yeah, there you go!
[narrator] …getting better.
And with Olimba close by,
he starts to learn from her.
What to eat…
and how to push down trees
to get to the freshest leaves.
- Well…
- [Wam groans]
…he's working on that.
[keepers laugh]
[insects chirping]
[narrator] Most importantly,
Wam's stopped having nightmares…
and now sleeps soundly.
[snores]
[birds twittering]
[chirps]
[elephant rumbles]
[narrator] Finally settled into life
at the nursery…
Hello, Wam. Hey.
- [rumbling]
- Good morning, boy.
[narrator] …once again, his world
is about to be turned upside-down.
Olimba is now three years old…
Hey, cutie, Olimba.
How are you today?
[narrator] …and it's time for her to
leave the nursery and return to the wild.
[Aaron] She's been good to Wam,
so wherever Wam is, Olimba is also there.
These guys, they are always together.
[narrator] Wam's much too young
to go with her.
[trumpets]
He still needs feeding eight times a day.
[rumbles]
Oliver.
Come on. [mumbles]
Good boy.
Take it easy, Wam.
[narrator] To move her safely,
Olimba has to be sedated.
- [gun fires]
- [Olimba grunts]
[keeper clicking tongue] Come on.
[quiet trumpet]
Come on.
[keepers murmuring]
[narrator] The team works quickly
to move her into a waiting lorry.
[overlapping chatter]
[keeper] Up! Up! Up!
[overlapping chatter]
- [narrator] Securely loaded…
- [door slams]
…she's off to begin her new life.
Leaving Wam behind.
[trumpeting]
[melancholy music playing]
[narrator]
Elephants are highly emotional animals.
[trumpets softly]
It's believed
they experience loss and grief.
[huffs, trumpets]
[music continues]
[Aaron] You can see,
he's wondering where Olimba has gone.
[Wam trumpets]
It is heartbreaking.
Wam has been through
a lot of suffering in his life.
So it is very hard
to see him in more pain.
[melancholy music continues]
[huffs]
[birds chirping]
[narrator] Over the next few weeks…
- [Aaron] Wam! Wam!
- [Wam trumpets]
Let's go. Let's go, guys.
[narrator] …Aaron tries to keep
the daily routine on track.
[Aaron] Let's go.
Come on.
[narrator]
But the youngsters are unsettled.
[Aaron] When Olimba was leading them,
they were moving, moving a lot,
because Olimba was the leader.
But now, Olimba's not with them,
now, they're just close with us keepers.
[narrator] Wam's been hardest hit,
and has gone back
to sucking Aaron's finger for comfort.
[Aaron] Come on. Let's go, guys.
[narrator] But his foster father…
[Aaron] Wam! Wam! Wam!
[narrator] …has got a plan.
[elephants snorting]
[Aaron] They are just like kids, you know.
Sometimes they do
some things just for fun.
Swimming is one
of, uh, their favorite activities.
[narrator] A coating of muddy water
stops them getting sunburned.
Like elephant sunscreen.
[trumpets]
[narrator] The herd seems to be loving it.
[elephant snorts]
All except one.
Wam has barely got his toes wet.
Look, it's-- it's too hot today.
Go and have fun with your friends.
[trumpeting]
Yeah, there he goes.
[narrator] It's a chance for Wam
to start making new friends.
But that's going to take some time.
- [thunder rumbles]
- Over the coming months,
Wam sees a lot more water.
[thunder rumbles]
In the wet season,
three feet of rain
can fall in just a few weeks.
Transforming the little elephant's world.
More than a year
since he arrived at the nursery,
he now weighs half a ton.
[Aaron clicks tongue] Come.
[narrator] And there's another
telltale sign he's growing up fast.
[Aaron murmuring]
[narrator] His tusks are coming through.
[Aaron, in Nyanga]
Look, you can see this one.
And this one is on the verge
of coming through too.
[volunteer responds]
[Wam rumbles]
[in Nyanga] Very fast now.
[narrator] Adult tusks
can reach eight feet long.
So, Wam's got some catching up to do.
Tiny tusks or not…
[Wam grumbles]
…his confidence is growing.
And he's got a new playmate, Daliso.
- [grumbles]
- [huffs]
Another young male
with slightly bigger tusks.
[grumbling]
[narrator] At this age,
elephants start to wrestle,
testing their strength.
[in English] Daliso, his tusks,
they're also coming out,
so he feels like he's also a man.
So, he might fight back sometimes.
[both growling]
- [narrator] With Olimba gone…
- [rumbling]
…Daliso is becoming
Wam's new best friend.
[growling]
And together, they're a bit of a handful.
[trumpets]
[Aaron] He's so big and strong now.
- [grumbles]
- [grunts]
I have to be really careful.
[narrator] He doesn't know it yet,
but Wam's almost outgrown the nursery.
Soon he'll be heading here,
to Kafue National Park.
Eight thousand square miles of wilderness.
An elephant paradise.
Where Wam will have to use
everything he's learned
to become part of a new family.
[orchestral swell]
[birds twittering]
He'll be the youngest once again.
And will need to make new friends.
[chirping, hooting]
[Aaron] Easy, boy. Come.
Yeah, easy boy.
Today's a big day, you know? You ready?
Huh?
You're all grown up now, Wam.
[rumbles]
[narrator] The time has come
for Wam to leave the nursery.
[Aaron, in Nyanga] This way, boy.
[narrator] Just like Olimba,
he needs to be sedated
so the team can move him safely.
[in Nyanga]
Hey, you need to do it quickly.
- [Wam growls]
- [Aaron, in English] Easy. Come on.
[growling]
[Aaron] Easy. Easy. [speaks in Nyanga]
[Wam huffs]
[Aaron murmurs]
[clicks tongue]
[in Nyanga] This way.
[Wam panting]
[in English] Easy, easy.
Easy, boy.
[whispers] Easy, easy.
[narrator] Aaron makes sure he can breathe
by keeping his trunk open with a stick.
[man] One, two, three, up!
- [overlapping chatter]
- [man] Up!
[overlapping chatter]
[Aaron] Out, out, out.
[Aaron] Yeah. Good. Great.
[narrator] But Wam's not going alone.
- [man] Ready?
- [all] Yeah.
[narrator] His new best friend Daliso
is going too.
[overlapping chatter]
[narrator] Precious cargo loaded…
time to hit the road.
Moving the world's largest land animals
is always risky.
[brakes hiss]
[Aaron grunts]
I'm worried because
if it gets too hot, the elephant can die.
[elephant breathing heavily]
[Aaron] So close to getting back
into the wild,
and I don't want to lose him now.
[elephant huffs]
[animals squawking]
[narrator] After all day on the road,
they finally make it to Kafue.
[brakes hiss]
[Aaron clicks tongue]
Come on. Come on. [murmurs]
[narrator] Wam's first night
will be spent in a stable.
- [huffs]
- [Aaron] Sleep well. Okay?
Now you're a big boy, Wam.
We've come a long way together.
You know that?
[narrator] Tomorrow,
he'll meet his new family.
Don't worry.
I'll be there with you, okay?
[rumbles]
[bird hoots]
[insects chirping]
[elephant grumbling]
[narrator] The following morning,
Wam gets a first look at the Kafue herd.
[grumbles]
[huffs]
[trumpets softly]
[narrator] A group of orphan elephants
who all live together
in the national park.
[trumpets]
Bigger teenagers with larger tusks.
[rumbles]
Today, they've been coaxed into a paddock,
so they can be introduced,
with Aaron and the rangers
keeping an eye on things.
The hope is Wam will be accepted.
[optimistic music playing]
[music pauses]
[narrator]
He needs to play this just right.
[tentative music playing]
Elephant playground politics
are just like our own.
If he's too shy,
he could be bullied again.
[Wam grumbles]
Too confident, and it could be seen
as a sign of aggression.
- [Aaron] Okay, my boy.
- [huffs]
[narrator] He approaches
one of the younger females.
[huffs]
[music stops]
It's not the warmest of welcomes.
[roars]
[grumbles, hisses]
[narrator] But, like the first day
at a new school…
[exhales]
…it's always good to have a friend.
[soft trumpet]
Daliso joins him.
Together, they start to mingle.
[low rumbling]
When Aaron feels
the new boys are settled and safe,
the gates are opened.
[cheerful music playing]
[elephants rumbling]
And Wam takes his first steps
back to the wild.
[music continues]
[Aaron, in Nyanga] Be free. Be strong.
This world has called you back, Wam.
[music continues]
[narrator] The moment has come
to say goodbye.
[huffs]
[music slows]
[music fades]
[insects chirping]
[thunder rumbles]
[bird shrieks]
[narrator] Aaron's back
in Kafue National Park
to see if Wam's settling in.
Wamwayi. Wam.
Aaron wants to see you, Wam.
Yeah. And I can't wait to see him.
Yeah.
[narrator] Head Ranger Lasick
has been keeping an eye
on the youngster's progress.
Oh, Wam is doing well. He has grown up.
He's a good boy, Wam, now.
He knows everything.
- Yeah?
- [chuckles]
[narrator] The herd can wander
for miles every day.
[in Nyanga]
Has anyone seen where Wam is today?
[narrator] With a bit of help,
Aaron finally finds what he's looking for.
[gentle music playing]
[murmurs]
[in English] That is Wam
in the middle there.
[Aaron] That's my boy!
[music swells]
[Lasick] See how he has grown?
[Aaron] Yeah, he has grown bigger,
and he looks nice and fat.
He's even more stronger.
Wam, Wam, Wam, Wam, my boy.
[chuckles]
[music continues softly]
Has he made more elephant friends yet?
[Lasick] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Daliso is still his best friend,
but Wam is friendly to everyone.
[Aaron] Oh, wow!
[chuckles]
He has come a long way.
[Lasick] Mmm. It's true.
They know that Wam
is now part of our family.
They've accepted him.
My boy has finally learned
how to make friends.
[narrator] Three years after his rescue,
this once timid little orphan
has found his place in a new family.
[music swells]
In the future,
it's hoped he'll have young of his own,
giving a much-needed boost
to this amazing species.
Now he looks like a real wild elephant.
Be safe, my boy.
[music fades to a single violin]
[music fades]
[narrator] Next time, a penguin chick
faces a fight for survival.
[cheeps]
I'm gonna cry. [chuckles]
[narrator]
This plucky little one must overcome…
You can call it the runt of the litter.
[narrator] …a difficult start.
[chirps]
[narrator] It's sink…
Um, he is quite below the water level.
[narrator] …or swim.
But if he can make it back to the wild,
he could help save the world's
most endangered penguin species.
[braying]
[cheerful theme music playing]
[orchestral swell, music fades]