Born to Be Wild (2025) s01e05 Episode Script

1
- [birds chirping]
- [animal coos]
[narrator] The birth of a baby animal
is always special.
- [birds chirping]
- [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]
[birds tweeting]
[narrator]
In a wildlife center in South Africa…
a cheetah mum has given birth…
[purring]
…to some very special cubs.
- [birds tweeting]
- [cubs chirping]
[sprightly music playing]
[cubs squeaking and chittering]
[narrator] Not just one or two.
But six.
[purring]
[chirps]
[chirps]
Cheetahs are Africa's
most endangered big cats.
[purring]
That's why these little ones
are so precious.
Especially for Petro Van Eden
who runs the center.
[Petro] It's a huge moment
when they are born.
And it's always
a very exciting time for us.
It's quite amazing to see these guys.
They've got these brown, soulful eyes.
You can see the warmth in their eyes.
[narrator] Petro hopes one day
these cubs will be released into the wild.
[Petro] Are you coming to say hello?
Are you inquisitive?
[narrator] Part of an amazing project
to return cheetahs
to parts of Africa they've been lost from.
Over the last century,
numbers have dropped
from around 100,000 to just 7,000.
One reason?
As farms replaced
their old hunting grounds,
cheetahs were seen
as a threat to livestock and killed.
[dramatic music playing]
Today, the world's fastest land animal
is running out of time.
[music slows and fades]
So every cub counts.
But getting a baby cheetah
ready for the wild
can take up to two years.
[meows]
First, there's cheetah nursery with Petro.
Here, they must build their strength.
And learn how to climb and chase.
What are you going to do? [chuckles]
[narrator] If they can crack that,
they'll be off to big cat college…
- [cheetah hisses]
- Hey, guys.
[narrator]
…where cheetah expert, Marna Smit…
[hisses]
…will teach them
the most important skill of all.
How to hunt.
Only when they can do this,
will they be released into the wild.
With the six newborns,
Petro's got her work cut out.
Every day is an adventure to be honest,
because you really don't know
what you're going to get.
[chatter]
[narrator] She leads a team of 19 people.
[speaking Afrikaans]
[chattering in Afrikaans]
[Petro] Have everybody heard we have cubs?
- [chatter]
- [Petro] Yes!
It looks like they're all healthy.
So we'll just keep an eye on them,
make sure they get enough food,
that Mum is okay.
But, um, really happy that we've got cubs.
[scattered chuckles]
All right, good. Have a good day
and then we'll chat again later.
- [all chattering]
- Thank you, guys.
[cheetahs hissing]
[narrator] Together, they look after
rescued cheetahs…
- It's fine.
- Yeah, it's fine.
[narrator] …and some resident cats
that were born here.
Those adults are really important
to the survival of the species.
[narrator] Carefully bred, these are
the perfect cheetah mums and dads.
We do a bit of matchmaking
by selecting parents
that we know have healthy offspring.
[narrator] Without these pedigree parents,
it would be impossible
to breed the next generation
of young cubs for the wild.
[bird hoots]
It's been four days since the youngsters
first stepped out of their den.
And they're growing fast…
[purring]
…each drinking half a pint
of their mother's milk a day.
You can hear her say,
"Okay, guys. There's enough for everyone."
Our aim is to keep them with Mum
for as long as possible.
Because Mum installs that wild instinct.
[narrator] Like all newborn cheetahs,
they have silvery baby fur,
which will grow out after three months.
[birds chirping]
Right from the start,
Petro's looking out for any little ones
that are particularly bold.
Whilst most snooze,
two brothers the team have named
Kabo and Khumo…
- [squeaks]
- …are on the move.
- [chirping]
- [Petro chuckles]
The adventurous ones.
We can see their little
different personalities developing.
[narrator] Kabo is braver.
And Khumo, slightly more skittish.
[meows]
But they go everywhere together.
[Petro] You want them
to make a close bond with a sibling
that they can continue with.
[narrator] In the wild, brothers that
stick together are more likely to survive.
[chirping]
Right now, these two
just seem intent on playing up.
[tiny growl]
Naughty boy. [chuckles]
[growls]
[narrator] Mischief over.
Time for their first life lesson.
- Climbing.
- [meows]
Adventurous Kabo takes the lead.
When they get to this point,
they think that they are little leopards.
[narrator] In the wild, climbing trees
helps cheetahs search for prey.
But their claws are meant for running,
so aren't as sharp as other cats.
Which makes getting down…
- …tricky.
- [meows]
[cub chirps]
[small meows]
Not a bad first attempt.
But this is one of the skills
they'll need to master
before they can move on
from cheetah nursery.
[purrs]
[chittering]
Petro can't get too close to the cubs.
Because cheetahs
that become used to people
lose their wild instincts.
Hello… [speaks Afrikaans]
[narrator]
And must spend their lives in captivity.
[cooing] Oh, hi there.
[purring]
[Petro] They can be fierce
when they need to be,
but they have such gentle souls,
and I think that is what gets me
about cheetah always.
[purring loudly]
[narrator] This male had a very different
start in life to the cubs.
[purring continues]
[Petro] This cheetah was hand raised,
so he doesn't have that natural fear
for humans
like what Mum would install in her cubs.
- [purring]
- [Petro] He finds us to be his friends
and therefore you cannot release him
because he will always
revert back to humans.
And that can
be a very dangerous situation.
[narrator]
Cheetahs that aren't scared of people
can be seen as a threat
and could be killed.
[Petro] That is why it is important
for Khumo and Kabo
not to have any interaction
so that they can run free in the wild.
[birds twitter in distance]
[narrator] One week later,
and the two brothers
are still proving to be…
- a bit of a handful.
- [growls, squeaks]
[chuckles]
[narrator] Now Petro's keen to see
if these little fluff balls
have got a killer instinct.
We want them to be mimicking
what they would be practicing eventually
when they are hunting.
In the wild, when they hunt,
they would be tripping the prey
with that little back paw.
[narrator] As the others hang out
with Mum,
Kabo's sizing something up.
His brother,
Khumo.
They're learning to trip their prey.
But, you know, in a playful way.
[meows]
[narrator] This technique
is known as a paw slap.
And it takes practice.
[chirps]
[narrator] Gotcha.
You can't watch that
without having a smile on your face.
It's, uh…
It's something nice to see, yeah.
[cubs squeak]
[narrator] It's playful for now.
[tiny growls]
But to be released,
they'll need to perfect the paw slap
at high speed.
[hisses]
[birds chirping]
[in Afrikaans] Yes. Okay, good.
[narrator] When Petro's not
checking up on the cheetahs…
- [chain rattling]
- …she's on dinner duty.
[in Afrikaans] We just want the meat,
leave the bones.
[narrator]
Feeding all the cats at the center
is meal prep on a major scale.
[saw buzzing]
[in English] An average eats about
between 1.8 and 2 kilos a day.
So you can do the maths.
There's no such thing as,
"You are the manager,"
or, "You are the this,"
or, "You are the that."
The job is the job, and we do it.
[light chatter]
[narrator] It's now eight weeks
since the young cheetahs
emerged from their den.
And today, keeper Georgie
has something new for them
to get their teeth stuck into.
Cub, cub, cub, cub.
Cub, cub, cub, cub.
[narrator] It's a big meal…
- for a small cub.
- [hisses]
Until now, they've only had milk.
They've never seen
anything like this before.
[cubs hissing]
- [narrator] Most look wary.
- [mewing]
[hissing]
[hissing]
[growls]
But not Kabo.
[meows]
Khumo's more cautious.
[low growl]
[hisses]
[hisses]
[mews]
[chitters]
Cheetah brothers
often feed together in the wild.
Helping them protect their kills
from other hunters, like lions.
[chirping]
If the bond between these two
continues to grow,
they could be released together,
which would increase
their chances of survival.
[man] Hey.
[monkeys chattering]
[narrator] Over the coming months…
[chattering]
…the boys fine-tune their chase skills.
Perfecting that paw slap.
[growls]
And become confident climbers.
[playful music playing]
Both up…
[cubs chirping]
…and down.
Cub, cub, cub, cub.
[narrator] Every meal is now meat.
And the brothers always feed together.
[Petro] They are really close bonded.
And I think
that is what makes them very special.
[narrator] Cheetah cubs grow up faster
than any other African big cats.
By six months old,
these once tiny toddlers
have lost their silvery baby fur
and look like gangly teenagers.
[birds squawking]
Kabo and Khumo seem to be
on track for release.
But to move to the next stage,
they need to pass a medical.
[Petro] We do have health checks.
Then we will have a better understanding
of exactly what their conditions are.
They look good, so we hope for the best.
[narrator]
Petro's called in vet, Peter Caldwell.
[Peter] All right. So, I'm just gonna load
some syringes here.
[narrator] To take blood samples,
the cheetahs must be sedated.
- [vet 2] Perfect.
- [Peter] Got it?
[Peter] They're at the age
where they're starting
to get dangerous and aggressive.
[hisses]
[growling]
[snarls]
[Peter] Okay.
We have to work very carefully with them.
We have to move them in a special way.
We have to keep them cool
and in the shade.
[narrator] Blindfolds keep them calm.
They get hot very quickly.
So we just gotta watch their heart rate
and watch their breathing.
[narrator] The team get samples
and all the vital stats
to check the brothers are growing well.
We wait. We literally hold our breath.
[Peter] All good? Okay.
They're at optimal weight.
And they're eating well.
They haven't got any external parasites.
So they're really, really healthy,
and I'm very happy with their condition.
[panting]
[narrator] Medical passed.
[Petro] Well done, guys.
Really nicely done.
[playful music playing]
[narrator]
And thanks to their adventurous spirit…
and close bond…
Kabo and Khumo are the first of the litter
ready to move to big cat college,
Ashia Cheetah Center.
[music fades]
Hopefully, the rest of the siblings
won't be far behind.
[panting]
- Hello.
- [hisses]
Oh, is he a good cat?
- [hisses]
- Hello, how are you this morning? Hmm?
[narrator] For Petro, it's almost time
to say goodbye.
They will always
have a special place in our hearts.
But it's time for them to grow.
And I hope it's going
to be a really amazing journey.
[light hiss]
You don't know
what's going to happen in future.
You can just wish them the best
and just pray for them to be happy
and to have a really good life.
And hopefully one day to father some cubs
and to carry the legacy forward.
[narrator] It's the day of the move.
- [Petro] Good morning.
- Morning.
[narrator] From here on,
Marna will take over parenting duties.
[chuckles]
[Marna mutters]
Careful.
[narrator] For the team,
this is the hardest part.
[wood scrapes]
Okay. Push.
There we go.
It's definitely mixed emotions.
Sad because we have to let them go.
[panting, purring]
But the thing is,
if you love something enough…
- [Marna] You let it go.
- …you have to let it go.
[vehicle rumbles]
[narrator] Farewells over,
it's time to hit the road.
[Marna] Tonight's journey is gonna
be about 1,400 kilometers.
It'll most likely end up
being between 15 and 16 hours.
[narrator] For the brothers,
this is the most dangerous day
of their lives so far.
[Marna] It's through the night
on a very hot day.
And stress
is one of the main killers of cheetahs.
We'll do quite a few stops along the way.
We'll make sure their breathing pattern
is nice and slow and normal.
They are nice and relaxed.
Not stressed at all,
which is a very good sign.
They're all just alert, which is great.
[hisses]
- [man murmurs]
- Can I get a slip, please?
[narrator] Finally,
they make it to their new home.
Ashia Cheetah Center.
[adventurous music playing]
With more space
and a special running track,
it's the perfect place
to learn to hunt at high speed.
[music fades]
But settling into a new place
can be daunting.
[footsteps patter]
Kabo took a bit of a while
to come out of the crate.
Khumo is doing exactly the same thing.
It's a completely new environment.
There's been a lot of other cheetah
in these camps,
so the smell must be very intimidating.
[hisses]
[hisses, small growl]
[hisses]
[huffs]
[narrator] Thankfully, the brothers
have got each other.
[purring]
Cheetahs are
the only African big cats to purr.
- A sign of reassurance.
- [purring]
Tomorrow, the hard work begins.
[soft growling]
Young cheetahs usually learn to hunt
by watching their mums.
So, it's up to Marna
to show the brothers the ropes.
A high-speed pulley
moves a target around a 300-meter track.
So the machine can go
80 kilometers per hour.
The cats' average speed
is about 70 to 80.
[whirring]
[narrator]
It can change direction in an instant.
[whizzing]
Mimicking the movement of prey
in the wild.
You want to ensure
that they can anticipate that as well,
and their body is used
to that sudden change
and sudden jerk action
that they might go through.
[narrator] It's the first time
the brothers have had the chance
to properly stretch their legs.
[Marna] They're just like house cat,
so they like to chase things.
[narrator] Cheetahs can go from nought
to 50 miles per hour
in just three seconds.
[whirring]
[Marna] The cats love it.
It's lovely to see.
Khumo is standing right in the middle
of the line. [chuckles]
The first run of Kabo and Khumo
was the first time
that they actually
had the space to run like that.
It was amazing to see
how quickly they picked it up.
But it's a bit chaotic. [chuckles]
[narrator]
They've clearly got the instinct,
but they'll need the accuracy too.
[whirring]
Over the coming weeks,
serious training begins.
[line whirring]
[Marna] Kabo, stop! [laughs]
Kabo, that would've been beautiful.
They are definitely
up for getting on to the next phase.
[narrator]
Cheetah brothers often hunt in pairs.
So now, Marna wants
to see the boys chase together.
If Kabo and Khumo can crack that,
Marna's found the perfect home for them…
a wild reserve called Maloba.
This all used to be farmland…
but has recently been returned
to a 50,000-acre wild expanse.
Cheetahs haven't been seen here
for more than 50 years.
[springbok grunting]
So the brothers could be pioneers
for a new generation.
Morning, guys.
[hissing]
It's fine. You'll feed soon.
- [small growl]
- [laughs]
[Marna] I love the fact that
they hiss at me and growl at me.
[hisses]
- It's exactly what we want to see.
- [door slides]
We actually
have quite a bit of separation.
We make sure
we're only down here for feeding,
and there's no unnecessary interaction.
The next phase will ensure
that they realize
that they can completely survive
without human care,
and that's when they start hunting
for themselves.
- [chewing, lips smacking]
- [flies buzzing]
[squawk]
[narrator]
The brothers are now almost fully grown.
And after hundreds of hours of training…
[Marna] Go. Yes.
[narrator]
…they're starting to look like pros.
Kabo and Khumo tag team,
so one will do the straight line
and then another one
will wait on the opposite side
of the running enclosure
and keep the chase going.
They run together.
It's a beautiful vision
to see the two cats
keeping pace with one another
as they chase it.
Yes.
[narrator] Working together,
they now regularly catch the target.
[Marna] They seem to actually
have all the skills that they need.
The natural next step
would now be for them
to give them the bigger space.
[purring]
[narrator] The brothers have passed
their hunting tests.
Okay. One, two, three. Lift.
[narrator] So it's time for them
to leave cheetah college,
and put all their skills into action
in the wild.
It's another massive drive…
through the night to avoid the heat.
After 11 hours, they make it.
- Good?
- Yeah.
[narrator]
Now fitted with tracking collars,
the brothers will soon be
released into their wild home.
They'll need to use everything
they've been taught to survive.
Any cat born in captivity
is completely reliant
on the people that take care of them.
We might be surrogate mothers
in some people's eyes.
[hissing]
We are the only things they know.
So letting them out there is pretty much
sending your first kid off to school.
It gives me goosebumps,
because you know
that you've actually
changed their entire future.
So it's butterflies
and excitement and joy.
All right, guys. Let's do this.
[narrator] Nearly two years
since they were born in captivity…
the brothers are finally free.
[majestic music playing]
[Marna] And there they go.
Opening this gate is pretty much
the last thing I'm going to do for them.
Everything else now
is completely up to them.
I think they're gonna be happy.
They've got each other.
[narrator]
This will be their biggest challenge yet.
Cheetahs need to hunt every five days.
[music fades]
But they've never had to catch
their own dinner before.
[animals chittering]
[chittering]
They're sprinters,
not long-distance runners.
Ideally, they need to get within 150 feet.
[bird tweeting]
Without being spotted.
[springbok grunts]
Springbok are fast and flighty.
Timing will be everything.
[snorts]
They've blown it.
A warthog should be easier.
[warthog squeals]
But even he spots them
and gets away.
Days pass.
The brothers are getting hungry.
[animals hooting]
Unless they can learn the art of stealth…
[thunder cracks]
…they won't survive out here.
[thunder rumbles]
The brothers try a different approach.
[snarling]
Rather than chasing out in the open…
they go undercover.
Using the bushes, Kabo sneaks closer…
whilst Khumo is ready to pounce.
[yipping]
- [hooves clatter]
- [rustling]
- [birds squawking]
- [light growl]
After days without food,
the brothers have finally made a kill.
Proof they have what it takes
to survive in the wild.
[panting]
[animals chirping]
300 miles from where they were born,
today an old friend is hoping
to catch up with the brothers
in their vast new home.
With the help of field guide,
Craig Mushet.
So last I saw them,
they were little youngsters.
- Mm?
- Yeah.
It's breathtaking to have access
to all of this.
If you know the places
where they were born.
[Craig] Yeah.
Really looking forward
to seeing those boys again.
[narrator] Using their collars,
they're able to track them down.
Are they here somewhere out?
[Craig] They should be
just off our one o'clock.
Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There we go.
[chirping]
Hello, doll.
[cooing] Hello.
Oh, look at this boy,
and he still has a little bit
of blood on his face.
- [Craig] Mm.
- [Petro] Look at that.
I'm so proud of these boys.
I can't tell you
the feeling inside my chest.
- It's like my chest want to burst open.
- [Craig chuckles]
[Petro]
Can we just move out a little bit?
- Is it okay?
- [Craig] Yeah. With pleasure.
So, we will just keep the door between us
- and the cheetah for obvious reasons.
- Of course.
- Yeah.
- But yes, no. You're welcome.
Well, at least, I'm not scared of them.
[giggles]
[Craig] You know them very well by now.
Yeah, well, the question
is not if I know them.
The question is if,
if they would recognize me, yeah.
Hello, bubba.
Nah, I think they are completely
proper wild cheetahs now.
No more, no more listening to
weird old women whispering things to them.
They are just, they are the dudes now.
They've arrived.
[narrator] The brothers are
the first cheetahs here for 50 years.
The world's fastest land animals
are slowly making a comeback
in South Africa.
Next time…
- [yelps]
- …some of the world's rarest kittens
born in a high-tech breeding center…
[person chuckles]
[chuckles]
…must prove they are wild enough…
- [man murmuring]
- [chuckling]
- …to survive in the mountains of Spain.
- [birds squawk]