Episode 6 Safari 8

This is Kruger National Park in South Africa,

home to some of the biggest, fastest and deadliest animals

on the planet.

CBBC have brought four British and four South African children

to spend a month here, training to be rookie game rangers.

Leading them on this adventure will be their mentors, ranger Rudi...

It's taken me years to learn to be a ranger. They've got one month.

-..and guide Frankie.

-In the bush, danger can be around any corner.

So the Safari 8 needs to be alert and ready at any time.

Eight kids, two mentors and one massive challenge -

to lead two celebrity guests on the safari experience of a lifetime.

Last time, the Safari 8 went camouflaged and undercover

-in pursuit of poachers.

-Different make-up than I'd usually wear.

-Feel like the SAS.

-I want everybody to follow me.

And the team had a heart-stopping encounter with a rhino.

Oh, my God!

Today, the Safari 8 take on their most roarsome mission so far...

I'm dead scared very easily.

..learn the lie of the land to find their way from A to B...

I don't think we're going the right way.

..and discover how to deal with a medical emergency.

You've been bitten by a black mamba, Tomas, don't move.

It's another day in the Kruger National Park

where our rookie rangers are honing their skills.

-Good morning, kids.

-Morning!

-Good morning.

With the Safari 8 now spending all of their time in the bush,

Rudi and Frankie are keen to give them some first-aid training.

First aid is probably one

of your most important skills

in the bush, because that could really mean between life and death

for a person, especially if it's a snake bite or a broken leg.

Remember, when you are in the bush, help is not around every corner.

As a first-aider or as a guide,

you need to be able to stabilise that person

to such an extent that help can arrive.

We're going to do broken bones, we're going to do snake bites

and we're going to do hypothermia.

Hypothermia happens when your body gets too hot and can't cool itself.

In the bush where summer temperatures can reach 40 degrees,

overheating is a very real risk. But with Rudi's South African accent,

Tomas mishears this symptom as something entirely different.

It's very sunny and very hot outside when you're walking in the bush

and people can overheat quite quickly, OK?

So how do you think we treat it? Tomas?

If they start choking, you've to go like that on the stomach

-to get the...

-Why would they choke?

-Cos they're overeating.

-Not over-eating - over-HEATING!

Oh, I thought you said overeating!

Overheating. So basically you get too hot.

The most important thing is keep the person calm at all times.

Easiest way to do it is to lie them on their side,

put a cold water cloth here on the neck,

pour water over the head. And keep them in the shade.

South Africa is home to some of the world's most deadly snakes,

including the puff adder, black mamba and spitting cobra.

So the Safari 8 must know what to do if someone is bitten.

You tie it really tight, towards the heart, OK?

You must bandage it tight, but not too tight.

You just want to slow down the circulation.

You must remember a snake bite is actually a protein, OK?

So your body can fight it.

Don't ever suck out the venom. It's not working.

Let it slowly go through the body but get help as soon as possible.

Lots of reassurance is also important

in slowing down a patient's blood flow.

-Help is on its way, Tomas, don't worry.

-Thank you.

-How are you doing?

-Feeling a lot better.

You guys must remember, if a person is bitten by a snake,

he's not going to be this cool.

Which is exactly how

casualties Kushal and Tomas decide to play their parts.

-I'm dying!

-Quickly!

Wait, Tomas, wait.

Killing me!

Don't move, Tomas. You'll be OK.

I thought Noma

understood everything she had to do,

she was very calm and knew exactly what to do.

And I think that a lot of people would put their lives in her hands.

-Can you see, Tomas?

-No.

It's good that he did do that

and then you know how to control when

a person starts being dramatic about something like that.

-Ow!

-Sit down...

-And staying composed seems to be a problem

when it comes to the next lesson - broken bones.

Kushal and his first aid was useless.

He was overdramatic about the whole thing.

-Oh!

-Oh, Kushal!

-Hold it there!

-She can't move! >

She needs to lie down. >

Aspiring actress Ashleigh is putting in quite a performance

-and that's putting Kushal off his bedside manner.

-Such a bad patient!

-I know, but she's in shock.

-Put your arm there.

She was screaming a lot, wouldn't listen, and I got panicked.

That's not very good for a first-aider!

-Relax!

-Ah!

-Stop screaming!

I'm going to have to move your arm a bit, OK?

Kushal was the worst cos he really started panicking.

'He was calming himself down'

and meantime Ashleigh was in a panic because her arm was broken.

I'm the one with the broken arm!

Think of what I showed you.

In the bush I would probably place my trust in Noma

because I know she will look after me until help arrives.

I can see!

Lots of laughter but not much first aid.

Good job Frankie's team are applying themselves

when it comes to applying bandages.

Everyone in my group did quite well.

Most had a good idea what to do.

Make it tight, but not too tight.

Putting on bandages was quite fun.

We all enjoyed it. It was nice. Frankie explained it so well.

So I think we all did really well.

A bit tighter than this, but otherwise it's fine.

I don't think the man with the snake bite's going to die!

The Safari 8 need to know these bush basics for good reason.

All the training is building to one final test, to lead a two-day safari

in search of South Africa's Big Five.

In less than two weeks, our rookie rangers will take charge

and try to track rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard,

a challenge which will stretch their stamina, skills and animal instincts

to their limits.

The Safari 8 are starting to find their feet in Kruger.

But if they don't know how to get from A to B,

they'll be completely lost. So next up is navigation.

The most important thing is to know your area.

So where's the camp?

There. Southeast.

No, where's the camp?

-There.

-No.

The camp is next to a river.

Our land marker.

Yes. Can you see the sun?

-No.

-Exactly, so you don't know where east or west is.

Where's the wind coming from?

-It's going that way.

-No, it's going this way.

-It's coming from the south.

-Southeast.

Keep that in mind when you're walking. All right, let's go.

It's very important to navigate in the bush,

especially on days like this where it's cloudy, you can't see the sun,

um, so it's very difficult to keep our direction and it's,

obviously walking in a certain direction,

you need to know how to get your way back to where you want to be.

Rudi and Frankie are leading the Safari 8 away from camp

into unfamiliar territory.

The team will have to find their own way back,

but there's more to this walk than that.

You're not just navigating,

you need to be aware of dangerous animals and of spoor.

You need to be aware of the wind direction, not just navigation.

Our rookie rangers have all been given a compass

to help them plot a route,

but for some of the team, this is only confusing matters.

-Say if camp was over there.

-Yeah.

Put it in that direction and that would be northeast.

-No, it's be west, wouldn't it?

-No.

I've never used a compass before, and if I have,

It's always those simple ones with north, west, east and south

and even if you do use it

it's either on a map that's drawn to scale,

it's never where you have to actually point somewhere.

The Safari 8 are struggling, so to try and get the team back on track,

Rudi reminds them how to work out which way to go.

-Wind direction? Where's the wind coming from?

-That way.

-Where's the sun?

-Can't see it.

-Behind the clouds.

-Where's the camp?

-Find southeast.

-The camp's that way.

-No. No, no.

OK.

Caroline isn't happy, and as the team move off,

she's not convinced they're heading in the right direction.

I'm not sure, but I don't think we're going the right way,

because I figured out how to do it

and the thing is we're supposed to be heading southeast.

And this is not the right way to go back to camp

cos you could even tell the camp was that way.

I think the most confused was Caroline,

she didn't really know how to use the compass yet.

None of us did, but she was just really a bit confused.

I think she got a bit lost when we were coming round,

she thought we were going in a straight line

but we were coming round in a big circle.

OK, Manya, stop.

Come back. There's some team members

feeling that you've got the wrong direction there.

So, where do you think we are going?

-I think we're going...

-Where should we go?

That way. Through to the river, not away from it.

The camp was southeast.

If you turn it southeast, it was in the direction that we came.

'Caroline did quite well, she had it right from the beginning.'

She would have got to camp by herself,

there wouldn't be a problem.

OK, Kushal was the first talk. Kushal, in front.

Thanks, Manya.

It's team work, eh, you guys? Talk to each other.

They can't argue amongst themselves, they have to work as a team,

otherwise they're going to confuse the guests they take out as well.

So, it's Kushal's turn to take charge.

He doesn't think they're on the right course,

but he doesn't have a clue where to go either.

-Please help me quickly.

-No.

-I'm going to kill you all.

-Go for it.

'I think Kushal was most confused.'

He was really adamant he knew where the camp was

and as soon as I gave him the lead, he fell apart.

He started asking me all the time, "Am I going right?"

-Will I have to keep on the path?

-You don't have to.

Eventually, our rookie rangers do reach the top of the riverbank

across from their camp,

but it's more by luck than any navigation skills.

This was a very short walk, OK?

Final challenge is not going to be such a short walk.

We might be much further from the river,

and then your people's going to get dehydrated,

they're going to get hypothermia,

one will break his leg, other one will get a snake bite.

And it might be a different river.

What do you think about that?

'We really did a very small circle,'

but because of the overcast weather, they were really mixed up.

Honestly, no lies, who knew the camp was down there?

-Not me. I thought the river bed was down there.

-Yeah.

Honestly, I thought I knew the way, but I actually didn't,

so it was quite embarrassing.

I saw the river bed, but I thought we were miles off it.

-I thought we had to go around, actually.

-Yeah.

Not only did the team completely lose their bearings,

they've also lost some of Rudi's respect.

The Safari 8 really did badly today.

I was a little bit disappointed, there's a bit of practice needed.

The Kruger National Park is the size of six million football pitches,

and home to 147 species of mammal.

As rookie rangers, the Safari 8 must learn all they can

about this rich environment.

So, it's time to test their knowledge in Biodiversity Challenge!

The all-natural, eco-friendly brain-busting animal quiz.

Five rounds, two teams, one winner.

Ashleigh and Manya are the captains.

Rudi and Frankie, the question masters.

Victory will win back the respect of the mentors,

defeat will incur a punishment, washing down the game viewer.

Right, starter questions.

I roam the bush in herds made up of hundreds of animals.

Team Ashleigh:

Buffalo.

That is the correct answer.

OK, your bonus question, just to this team.

When an old male buffalo leaves the herd, what nickname is he given?

Ashleigh, have you got an answer?

A Dagga Boy.

That is the correct answer.

Round two,

starter question.

I can carry twice my own body weight.

Team Ashleigh.

Is it a dung beetle?

I'll carry on. I hunt mostly at night.

Team Manya.

Hyena.

OK, I'll carry on.

I am the smallest of the big cats.

Team Manya.

Leopard.

Well done.

Well done, man. Well done.

Bonus question,

what kind of trees do leopards prefer to hang out in?

Manya, do you have an answer?

Baobab.

Leopards prefer to hang out in soft trees,

like Marulas and Baobabs and fig trees.

-Yes!

-I'll give you those points.

Round three, starter question.

I can run much faster than a human.

Team Ashleigh.

Cheetah.

No. Next part of the clue,

reaching speeds of 50kms per hour.

Team Manya.

An elephant.

I'll continue. I'm a herbivore.

Tomas!

Team Ashleigh.

Rhino.

That is the correct answer.

How did you get that?! Oh, well!

Bonus questions,

what is the main substance that rhino horns are made off?

Ashleigh, have you got an answer?

Uh, compacted hair.

It is actually made out of keratin,

the same stuff that all hair and nails are made of.

So that's the wrong answer.

Round four.

Your starter question is as follows,

I am the only animal with four knees.

Team Manya.

An elephant.

That is...correct.

Yes!

Well done, Manya.

Bonus questions,

how do you work out an elephant's height from only its footprint?

You ready with your answer, Manya?

You x the circumference of the foot by 3 to get the shoulder height.

Which foot, though?

The front foot.

That is correct.

Well done, Manya!

So it's all to play for in round five.

Starter question, I can hear a distress call of a young buf...

Team Ashleigh.

Is it a lion?

That is the correct answer.

I gathered you worked out we're doing the big five?

Bonus question, on average, how many hours does a lion sleep every day?

Ashleigh, have you got an answer?

Sssssix?

Can we have two?

16 hours?

A lion will sleep up to 22 hours a day.

Oh, well.

After five rounds, it's neck and neck,

with both teams on 40 points, it's tie-breaker time.

And because a ranger's job is about more than just the Big Five animals,

Rudi and Frankie's decider is about a less exciting,

but very important Kruger resident.

I've got glands on the back of my feet.

Males fight over territories.

It's the animal that mostly get fed on by predators.

Team Manya.

Impala.

Well done.

-Yeah!

-Well done, guys.

So, it's success and high standing for Team Manya,

defeat and car washing forfeit for Team Ashleigh.

Right!

A lot of litter in here.

I'm not happy, but we lost so we have to, like, live with it.

This is not part of a ranger's job.

I'm not sure that, to protect animals,

they have to learn how to clean cars!

With true ranger's spirit,

Tomas, Ashleigh, Sifiso and Caroline take defeat on the chin

and make sure that washing the viewer isn't a wash out.

Are you ready, kids?

Aye, aye, Captain!

-I can't hear you!

-Aye, aye, Captain!

It's late afternoon and the Safari 8 are travelling across Kruger.

They don't know it, but they're on a surprise mission

to meet South Africa's largest carnivore

and take part in a very special study.

-We've got a bit of surprise for you tonight.

-ALL: Oooh!

You're going to be really hands on with lions.

All: Yay!

Now that you all scream, now the lions are gone and that's the first rule of lion capture, is...

WHISPERS: No talking.

The safari kids are in a privileged position,

they're going to assist in a darting of lions

and get a bit of a hands-on experience.

Something that you don't get to do everyday.

For me, it's also a new experience,

it's something I haven't done before,

so I'm also looking forward to it.

We've got bait for them,

and we're going to start calling them with buffalo sounds.

BUFFALO CALL

So, as soon as they come in, it needs to be silent, OK?

-Do you understand the meaning of silence?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

Studying lions up close is important to help combat disease,

it can also be a dangerous business, so before the team get started,

Kruger vet, Dr Skolk has some serious safety advice.

At any time, when you hear somebody shout, "Get into a vehicle,"

you get into a vehicle. Doesn't matter whether it's this vehicle

or any other vehicle, just get into a safety spot as quickly as possible.

Vehicles are a safe refuge

because most predators only see them as big rocks or trees,

this means lions can't tell the difference

between an empty game viewer

and one full of potentially tasty rookie rangers.

Will we be sitting in here watching, or will we be in an enclosed area?

Who shot the best with the dart gun?

In our rookie's first week of ranger training,

it was Tomas who had his eye on the target.

Tomas is actually going to sit in the vehicle

where they're going to dart the lion,

-and the rest of you are going to sit in the vehicle.

-Look at his eyes!

I know, I'm happy.

'I can't put into words, I am speechless

'because it's such a great experience

'and I was happy with just seeing them from a distance,'

but now I actually get to go in the car and actually watch them assist,

dart the animal, which is absolutely amazing.

With the kudu carcass set out as bait,

all our rookie rangers need to do is sit tight and wait.

But it's some unexpected and very welcome visitors who arrive first.

They are magnificent!

So many. Look at the babies.

Look at all the bubbas! How cute is that?

Kruger is home to 12,000 elephants, so large herds aren't uncommon.

As well as breathing, lifting and trumpeting,

elephants use their trunks for smelling

which helps them to keep track of each other and sense humans.

While the team are distracted by the elephant herd,

Rudi's ranger sense are working overtime.

Sssh, this side.

The lions are coming.

As the lion's approach, Rudi makes sure the team are out of harm's way,

while Tomas is in a safe darting enclosure.

There's a male lion right over there

and he's a got a really big mane

and he's just looking and now he's crawling forward.

Oh, my...

I'm just speechless. It just looks so amazing.

It's coming a bit close now.

That is amazing.

Drawn in by the buffalo distress calls,

which lions can hear from 8 kilometres away,

it's not long before three hungry brothers

are fighting over the kudu carcass.

We try and dart animals all together,

because you can see how aggressive they are at a carcass,

so if one lion goes down,

sleeping, the other ones will actually kill him.

Dr Skolk is darting the lions with a sedative

to put them into a deep sleep.

It takes the lion by surprise, but the sting is quickly over.

GUN FIRES

Stand really still just next to me.

There's one. OK. See the dart's in?

That was quite a shock.

When Skolk shot the first dart, I kind of jumped,

because they were just staring at me and Skolk,

and I thought, "Oh-oh."

That's what you want. You want all of them asleep at once.

We can work on all of them.

He's going to go to sleep now.

They're getting more relaxed.

Now he's sleeping, that one closest to us.

Lying with his head in the carcass!

Only when the vets are sure that the lions are fast asleep

does Rudi edge the team in for a closer look.

OK, stay in the vehicle, eh?

Tomas has the best seat in the house.

It's amazing. It's actually right in front of me.

A proper lion!

A predator at the top of the food chain is right in front of me.

The lions are being moved from the carcass

in case other animals come in to feed.

The tallest of the big cats, these males each weigh the same as

Kushal, Noma, Sifiso and Caroline all put together.

It's so much better to see them live than to see in a picture.

We are about a metre and half away from a lion.

This is too good.

This is the first time ever

that children have helped out on a lion study in Kruger,

and the Safari 8 are keen to get hands-on.

Feel how rough the tongue is.

Whoa! It's got, like, hairs on it!

So they can lick themselves clean. It's almost like a comb.

It's time for the team to collect some scientific data.

-OK.

-920.

Right, thank you, guys.

Disease is the biggest threat to the wellbeing of lions,

so bloods are being taken for a health check.

It is absolutely phenomenal how warm the blood is,

because it's straight out of the lion and it's red, it's royal red.

It's unbelievable.

This is the one they catch animals with.

Big dewclaw.

It's really, really sharp.

-Really sharp, yeah.

-Really sharp.

Inspecting the lions' teeth and nose can show the age of the animals.

The noses are all black by the age of five years old,

so this one is under five.

It's best and greatest and fantastic-est experience ever.

I'm really feeling happy today

that I can touch and then get to see all of these things.

I'm really happy.

Although the lions are fast asleep from the sedative,

their eyes stay open.

But even a sleeping Leo can give a fright.

Oh, my God!

It's all right. Don't worry.

I'm a ranger. I don't get sacred very easily.

LION GRUNTS

It's OK, it's OK.

It was really, really soft and the mane was much rougher

and the claws were so sharp and the teeth were so big.

It was really awesome.

Right now the thermometer is up the lion's bum,

because we are measuring its temperature.

There we go, what's the number?

38.4 centigrade.

It feels very exciting being this close.

It's an opportunity of a lifetime.

It's like I'm dreaming.

It's like I'm just going to wake up right now.

The lions are also being fitted with microchips,

so that vets will be able to track them.

So that chip will be active in the lion for as long as it lives.

This research will help the vets

protect lion numbers in Kruger for the future,

but Rudi has a more immediate concern.

Ss-ss! Hey! Guys!

A lioness from the same pride as the sedated males

has been spotted by the other rangers on patrol.

She's also hungry and that means she could be dangerous.

Don't touch me with your gloves!

The arrival of the lioness is a reminder

of just how unpredictable the bush can be,

so Rudi is suitably cautious.

Right, all the Safari 8 kids, in the vehicle, please.

See this, she's getting aggressive now.

Lions are far less fearful of people after dark,

and our rookies are learning that a ranger must always be on guard.

She's really hungry. That's why she's getting closer.

She knows the males are not here. She can't hear any growling,

so she knows it's going to be safe to come in.

She's not really scared.

To make sure the Safari 8 are totally safe,

Rudi calls an early end to their research.

The rangers will keep a watch on the lioness

until her male companions are safely awake.

Wow! The lion capture was absolutely amazing.

We never, ever get to touch lions. They're so cool!

This is like something you do in a million years.

The lion capture was AMAZING!

It was so incredible. It was awesome.

Its teeth are like the size of my little finger.

That big! That is really big for a tooth.

And they were still young males.

They were still under five. I learnt so much.

It's hard to believe how far we've actually come

and how little there is to go and that after this,

we're going to have so many memories of this whole experience.

It's really going to be hard,

but we have to be strong as a Safari 8 team.

We have to learn every single day and try our best.

Done! That's a wrap.

Next time, the Safari 8 hit the road and the beach

as they take a well-earned break at the coast.

Our rookie rangers are all at sea on a whale-spotting mission.

Oh, there's a fin!

I think I'm going to be sick.

And the team have to face up to some hard truths

in their mid-way reports.

I'm going to reprimand you a bit now.

How do you think it's gone for you?

Is that a trick question?

Tomorrow, it's going to get tough.

I'm not going to like this.