Santino & Shelley Nature's Miracle Orphans

The first years of a young animal's life are the most crucial.

So, if they grow up without their mothers,

these animals are going to need help.

Good morning, hello, darling.

We're going to meet baby animals whose only hope of survival

lies with some very dedicated people...

What a clever girl.

..and find out what it takes to get them back into the wild.

This is about salvation for some little guys

who've been through hell, who've been through trauma,

who deserve a second chance.

Hey, dude. Ahh.

'I'm biologist Patrick Aryee and I'm in Central America,'

home to exotic and rare wildlife.

'Here, I'll be visiting centres where the wildlife

'gets incredible specialist care.'

That is remarkable.

'And I'm zoologist Lucy Cooke'

and I'm in Southern Africa,

home to some of the most iconic animals in the world.

'I'll be helping out at rescue centres

'devoted to rehabilitation and release.'

You're going to become a wild cheetah one day, aren't you,

if you carry on being this good?

MONKEY COOS

'In this programme, I'm meeting Santino,

'an orphaned howler monkey...'

-You going to jump off?

-Muy bien.

'..who must find his place in a troop...'

I've got myself a little friend already.

'..to stand a chance of making it back to his jungle home.'

Oh, she's up straightaway.

'And I'll be helping Shelley the cheetah

'learn to hunt at high speed...'

She's like an athlete scoping the course before the big race

'..so she can be released into the wild.'

Join us as we follow these miracle orphans...

..through their most crucial moments.

..on their long journeys back to the wild.

Costa Rica in Central America lies between the Pacific Ocean

and the Caribbean Sea.

The interior is covered in rich jungles,

bustling with exotic species of wildlife.

I've come to the Caribbean coast,

where rainforest meets white sand beaches.

It attracts surfers and holiday-makers

from across the globe, but even here in paradise,

some of Costa Rica's

most iconic animals still need help.

This is Santino, an orphaned baby howler monkey.

They get their name from having one of the loudest calls

in the animal kingdom...

SANTINO COOS SOFTLY ..when they're fully grown that is.

Santino is being cared for at the Jaguar Rescue Center

Named after the rare big cat, this wildlife project

cares for around 180 injured mammals, reptiles and birds.

In charge of Santino's rehabilitation,

is dedicated Costa Rican Dexter Miller.

He spent the last five years providing specialist care

to orphaned monkeys.

'The feeling is that we help them to have'

that chance to go back out into the wild

and live as wildlife.

-Hey, Dexter.

-Hey, man, how are you, Patrick?

How you doing, you all right? I'm good.

Where was Santino found before he came to the centre?

He came here to the Jaguar Rescue Center last December.

Santino was found with some kids, they had him as a pet.

When he was about a week old,

maybe a couple days old... Yeah, he was really...

-So, he must have been tiny.

-Tiny little guy, yeah.

Just with the eyes, a tiny bit open.

It's not known what happened to Santino's mum.

It was a very big challenge because normally whenever they come in

as such a small baby, a very small percentage of them would survive.

They get sick very quickly, you know, their immune system

is not that strong.

'But after seven months of intensive care,

'Santino is now ready to begin his journey back to the wild.'

What's the next step for him?

The next step for Santino is to start to learn

to become an independent little boy.

Start growing up and climbing on trees

and moving around with other monkeys,

learning to be in the jungle.

So, it's like he's kind of graduating to high school...

-Right, exactly.

-..and you're going to help him, you know,

in his first couple of days or weeks to be a monkey.

-Exactly.

-SANTINO COOS

'The most important skill for any monkey to master is climbing.'

Now, just watch Santino...jumping and balancing.

Now, just in the same way that human babies need to learn

how to walk, Santino here needs to learn how to climb.

Now, you wouldn't really think that of monkeys,

you would've thought they'd be able to do this naturally,

but they have to learn, they have to learn their limits,

test out their bodies and find out what they can do.

You going to jump off?

Muy bien.

If you watch him carefully, everything that he does,

every move he makes, look at that tail,

it's always wrapped around something,

either around Dexter's hand or around one of the branches

and that is really important for howler monkeys.

It acts as a fifth limb, it allows him to hang from the branches

and either play or search for fruit.

Hello, hello, you going to jump on me? Hey-hey-hey. Watch him jump.

Look at his tail wrapped round my neck, whilst he's stretching out,

he's testing his limits. And that tail, look, perfect example.

It acts as a balancing aid, but also acts like a safety rope.

Santino, corre.

And it's really incredible to think that Santino's just at the start

of his journey and with any luck,

he's going to be released into the wild...

MONKEYS HOWL LOUDLY

..doing exactly what those wild howler monkeys are doing.

HOWLER MONKEY HOWLS

'This wild troop lives in the jungle around the centre

'and their calls keep rival troops off their patch.'

I can see one over there.

HOWLER MONKEYS HOWL LOUDLY

It's really funny that really loud noise

comes from such a small monkey,

but the key to the way they make that sound...

HOWLER MONKEYS HOWL LOUDLY

..comes from a very special bone in their voice box

and that allows them to make a really deep sounding howl,

but also one that resonates at really low frequency,

so it travels really long distances, up to three miles.

HOWLER MONKEY HOWLS

'If Santino is going to survive when he's released,

'he must become part of a troop like this one.

'These tight-knit families offer knowledge and protection.

'But first, orphan and hand-raised,

'Santino needs to learn how to interact with other monkeys.'

Check out Maky.

Hola, Maky?

Dexter hopes this pair of rescued adults

could be a gentle introduction.

The reason why they're so good with babies is Maky's totally blind.

He's very gentle.

His attitude or behaviour or personality

mainly is being very gentle with the babies.

And Leggings, she's really good with babies because she was a mum.

She's a completely wild monkey that came here to the centre

about almost a year ago.

And then one of the trees that they jump on, a branch,

it break down and she fall down.

Leggings had her leg broken in three pieces.

We managed to be able to do a surgery for her,

but it got infected, so we had to amputate her leg.

At the moment that she fall, she had a baby with her,

the baby got all the impact when it fall and the baby died.

The pair can't survive on their own, but they play an important role

helping babies like Santino on their journey back to the wild.

This is the first time Santino will have met fully-grown howler monkeys.

Adults are territorial and there is a risk they may not accept him.

MONKEYS COO

See, that little noise right there, that was interaction noise.

That was talking to each other, saying hello.

Maky.

If Maky would be more territorial or didn't like Santino,

he would be pushing him away or attacking him,

which mean he would be biting him most of the times.

But Santino has to learn that in a troop,

he needs to know his place and wait his turn,

especially when it comes to food.

SANTINO COOS

You see that little move right there?

Maky is the alpha male right now inside here.

So, the little baby has to know how to approach his food as well.

He has to know when to approach him and when he finished eating,

they can go and eat.

Santino doesn't want to get on the wrong side of alpha male Maky.

HE CALLS OUT TO MONKEY

Aqui. Subete.

Primates have complex relationships and like us,

they make bitter enemies...

MONKEYS COO

..but also form friendships.

-It's a happy noise.

-MONKEYS COO

Maky is welcoming Santino.

This is the first time that they've been together,

first time that they have had so much contact with each other.

Santino, he needs to learn how to interact with other monkeys

to learn different little noises,

to get accepted by other monkeys in the wild,

and just start a wild life in the best and safest way.

Santino's first contact with adult howlers has been a success.

Look at him, hanging around, looking happy today.

They've given Santino the confidence to move to the next challenge.

Santini.

Dexter's going to introduce him to the centre's big troop.

They're an unconventional mix of different species,

all rescued, but they're much wilder than Maky and Leggings.

They're very big and powerful, they're teenagers,

so they play very rough.

These monkeys will teach Santino how to be a part

of a fully functioning troop,

but as the youngest and smallest,

Dexter's not sure if Santino will be able to hold his own.

Over 7,500 miles to the east, I'm in Africa.

The southern tip

of this vast continent

is home to dramatic scenery,

populated by the planet's most recognisable beasts.

But as humans encroach into these wild spaces,

some of these animals are being pushed to the edge of existence.

Now I'm in South Africa to meet the world's fastest land animal

and the people that are working hard

to ensure its future is filled with hope.

'Cheetahs are the most endangered big cat in all of Africa.

'I've come to Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre or HESC'

'to meet Christo Schreiber.'

He's passionate about saving cheetahs

and runs a project breeding them for reintroduction to the wild.

Cheetahs, in general, are quite a fragile species.

If cheetahs were one day to be wiped off the face of the earth,

that would be the greatest shame it could ever be.

And that's why it's our goal to make sure it doesn't happen.

Wow.

Look at that, getting chased by cheetahs.

Come on, keep up.

'In this 40 hectare park,

'Christo cares for 78 cheetahs.'

Kom, Mick, kom.

'Many of the older cheetahs were hand-raised,

'so they're used to human contact, but now the experts here believe

'it's better to leave the babies with their mums.'

The cubs are just a bit hesitant, because they're not too used

to people, because they're parent-raised,

-so it's going to take them some while just to get comfortable.

-OK.

So, how old are these guys?

These ones are about two months old now.

They're quite nervous, aren't they? They're nervous of us.

So, that's that natural instinct, once again,

anything that's strange is a threat at this young age.

'Cubs are vulnerable to predators like lions and hyenas,

'From the moment they're born, it's a fight for survival.'

Even when they call their mother, it sounds like a bird chirping

and it's just to avoid any attention drawn to them by bigger predators.

So that it doesn't sound like a baby cub, yeah.

'It's not just the way they communicate that keeps them safe.'

CUBS TWEET

So, that silver hair they've got on their back,

that will fall off eventually.

Now, the theory behind that is to mimic a honey badger.

Oh, really?!

Because most predators and animals are afraid of honey badgers

just because they're so tough, so if they run in the grass,

you'll just see that white patch on their back

and in theory that would mimic a honey badger.

Honey badgers are no bigger than a small dog

but make it into the record books as the world's most fearless animal.

Even lions have been known to give them a wide berth.

I love the fact that that adaptation

that makes them look so cute to us, actually makes them look really hard

and dangerous to other animals.

-And everything's got a purpose.

-Yeah.

But no adaptation can save cheetahs from their biggest threat...

..humans.

At the end of the last century, there were 100,000 cheetahs.

They thrived on the African plains,

but as wild grassland has been turned into farmland,

all of Africa's predators have been squeezed into smaller spaces

and become easy targets for poachers.

Cheetahs also can't compete with larger hunters like lions and hyenas

for food, so their numbers have crashed by 90%.

Most cubs never make it to their second birthday.

It's why this breeding project is so important.

-SHE WHISPERS:

-Oh, there she is. Wow!

I've come to meet Shelley, Christo's biggest hope for the future -

a female cheetah who could soon be released back to the wild.

So, this is Shelley.

Wow! She's so beautiful!

-How old is she?

-She's now three years old.

Three years old? So, in cheetah years that's what?

Well, she's on the borderline of fully mature and still teenager.

-OK, she's a sort of young adolescent.

-Young adolescent, yeah.

SHE PURRS

'Shelley was hand-raised after being rejected by her mum.

'Her bond with Christo is very strong.'

She's a lot more placid than I thought she'd be.

I didn't think I'd be able to get this close to her.

At the end of the day, it's still a wild animal

and even though you can take them from the wild,

you'll never be able to take the wild from them.

I think people sometimes forget

that you still need to respect that wildness in them.

-And what are your hopes for Shelley?

-Well, for Shelley,

my hopes would be that she returns back to the wild where she belongs.

'But before Shelley can be released,

'she has one very important skill to master...

'hunting.'

Seeing Shelley so relaxed like this around me,

it's easy to forget that she's got wild instincts.

But Christo assures me she definitely has

and he's got quite a fun way to demonstrate that behaviour.

So, what have you got in there?

A few footballs for Shelley.

A-ha.

-She likes a game of football, does she?

-She does.

I'm guessing that it's not a very long game.

-No, the ball doesn't last that long.

-SHE LAUGHS

As soon as she sees us fiddling around here,

she'll come and investigate.

She looks like she couldn't be more relaxed, so let's see whether...

..she fancies a game of football.

Oh, she's up, straightaway. Oh, my word!

'Play in predators is an important way to develop hunting skills.'

She's definitely interested in it.

Trying to figure out why it's not moving.

She sort of whacked it, got it down as if it was her prey

-and now she's trying to work out how to suffocate it.

-Yeah.

Can't seem to find a neck.

Looks like fun, doesn't it, throwing a football to a cheetah,

but why is this important?

Well, you can see as the ball was running down,

she immediately started swiping at it.

Cheetahs have a unique hunting strategy.

To avoid competition with the other big cats that stalk at night,

they hunt almost exclusively during the day.

Their prey can see them coming, so it's a flat-out race,

only the fastest will survive.

She instinctively knows if she wants to grab it,

-she needs to use her dewclaw to...

-Right.

-..get hold of it.

The dewclaw is a cheetahs secret weapon.

They don't have brute strength,

so they snag running prey to execute a perfectly-timed trip.

So, that's her tool, tool of the trade.

And then she goes in, locks them down and goes for the jugular.

Goes for the jugular, yeah.

Ooh!

'In the wild, it takes a young cheetah over a year

'watching their mum to master the timing and precision

'of a high-speed hunt.'

So, you can see that Shelley's got all the right instincts,

but she's going to need to hunt more than just footballs

if she's going to survive in the wild.

To hone Shelley's hunting skills,

Christo is designing a challenge to test her speed and acceleration.

It will be the most important indication yet

of whether she's on course to be released.

Costa Rica is in the tropics and the wet season is just starting.

But rain or shine, work at the centre must continue.

With all this rain, Santino has started feeling under the weather.

We think he have a cold.

In some ways, it's really good for him to start exploring

and getting a little bit wet.

In the jungle, it's going to rain on him all the time.

They don't really like the rain, known of the howler monkeys,

they don't like the rain, they just try to hide as much as they can.

SANTINO MURMURS

Even a common cold in a monkey as young as Santino,

who may have a weak immune system, could turn serious.

Dexter is taking Santino for a checkup with the centre's vet,

Fernando Alegre.

SANTINO SNEEZES

-I will try to listen to his lungs.

-OK.

I hope he will be calm with you and he will not notice.

Santini.

Like most youngsters, Santino doesn't like visiting the doctor.

SANTINO CHATTERS SOFTLY

SANTINO CHATTERS ANIMATEDLY

Right now a little bit scared, a little bit nervous.

So just trying to calm him down a bit now.

Me, in particular, that I always go with injections,

so they all hate me, the babies!

In nature, it's different, but...

It's important Santino takes his medicine.

That's it. You know he hates us, he hates that.

-HE CHATTERS ANXIOUSLY

-I know that you don't like it.

IN SPANISH:

This medicine was like a syrup for the lungs

and the coughing, to improve it.

It's OK. He's not even in pain or anything,

he's just complaining about whatever we do.

In addition to cough medicine...

HE CHATTERS ..Fernando has prescribed rest.

While Santino takes some quiet time to recover,

'I'm taking the opportunity to meet the troop

'that could soon be his new family.'

I've heard, however, that things can get a little bit hectic

inside this enclosure, so I'm going in with some treats

to try and keep them happy and occupied.

'Dexter's been preparing some natural snacks,

'not only to feed the monkeys but also to develop

'problem-solving skills for their return to the wild.'

Now, we're going to tie this up.

So, what we're going to try to do is make this big box

of a lot of candy, pretty much.

So, it will make their imagination go further.

'We've sealed the treats in a box,

'so the monkeys first challenge will be breaking in.'

Let's go meet the monkeys.

Welcome to the monkey home.

This is where all the craziness happens, right here.

Hello! I've got myself a little friend already.

'All of the rescued monkeys in this troop

'are recovering from a traumatic start in life.

'In the wild, different species wouldn't normally mix

'but here they pull together to form a troop similar to any other.

'They're so inquisitive...

'and really social.

'And they're soon working together to get the treats.'

It's exactly what you might expect to see, you know, out in the wild.

They've got to forage for food,

they've got to know their place with the other monkeys.

Again, like learning different social dynamics.

'Santino's biggest challenge will be finding his place

'in the complicated hierarchy.'

Now, one of the spider monkeys has found one of our stuffed bananas.

This is Nerea.

Nerea is the biggest spider monkey we have here in the centre.

Pretty much full grown right now, as you can see

and a really, really clever monkey and very smart as well.

'Nerea is the troop's alpha monkey.

'In the wild, an alpha protects and rules over the others.

'In many species, it's the strongest male

'but in this unusual troop, female Nerea has taken on the role.'

There's no other big monkeys, no alpha males around here

that control her, so she's the one that makes sure

she gets the first share.

'Next in the hierarchy are the white-faced capuchins.

'They have one of the largest brains relative to their size

'of any monkey.

'In the wild, they use their intelligence to hunt insects

'and even small mammals.'

Hey!

Ah! Don't put your fingers in my mouth! No!

'At the bottom of the pecking order are the howler monkeys,

'like Santino.

'These gentle leaf-eaters have a low-energy diet

'and live life at a slower pace.

'But they could be Santino's greatest allies.

'Whatever the species, it's important to keep them stimulated

'and we have a special treat in store.'

You know, it's this curiosity that makes monkeys so intelligent.

They always want to find out what's going on

and that allows them to learn.

Aww! Look at that!

They're so curious, just like children.

There you go.

HE LAUGHS

This is a really inquisitive and boisterous troop

and they are going to be Santino's new family.

And just like any family, they're going to have their ups,

they're going to have their downs

but ultimately, they look out for each other

and that's exactly what they're going to do for Santino.

Little Santino will need to be feeling 100%

before he can hold his own in the troop.

But thankfully, he's in the right place

being given incredible specialist care.

In a few days, he should be strong again.

Almost every day, animals in need of help arrive at the centre.

This morning, a very unexpected patient has been brought in

by the coastguard.

This is a green sea turtle, a male, that just came in -

harpooned by some hunters.

This is the first time a green turtle has ever arrived

at the centre.

But by chance, Fernando's an expert in caring for them.

For many years before coming here, it was my former job.

I've been working with sea turtles many years.

Green turtles are hunted for their meat

and this one was tied up in the boot of a poacher's car.

They did these knots on the flippers not to allow the movement.

They want them alive for a while until they kill them.

Fortunately, the police and the coastguards got them in time

and brought here.

But it's suffered a potentially fatal injury from a harpoon.

The wound is pretty deep in this direction

and the lungs, they are over the animal.

Now, I am waiting a minute for him to breathe

and see if there could be perforation through the lungs.

Feel him very, very weak...

very weak.

For now, the turtle must stay at the centre in a makeshift pool.

Harpoon wounds need to be sealed to keep out dirt and water

that could cause infection.

We have to do what we can with the materials we have here.

It's not possible to get anything you wish

and this product is perfect for it.

A temporary solution is bathroom sealant.

Basically, we are improvising.

Once we've finished sealing that, you see how he floats,

try to guess if the lungs are more or less affected

and we will see if maybe we are able to release him in the sea or not.

We have to keep him until he will be much more healthy inside.

Fernando will keep this turtle under close observation.

It's an experimental procedure but if the seal holds,

there's a good chance the turtle can be released.

The next few days will be critical.

'In South Africa, I'm en route to see Shelley.

'Today, Christo is going to put her through her paces.'

Of all of the cheetahs here at HESC,

Christo tells me that Shelley is actually the fastest,

but if she's going to be a wild cheetah one day,

she needs to still hone those hunting skills

and that's what we're off to do this morning.

So, what is this strange contraption, Christo?

This is the lure that we use for the cheetahs just to get some exercise

and just to help them develop their natural hunting skills, basically.

-This is like a portable cheetah gym?

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

Make sure this thing is bolted down...

..cos if she catches it, the whole thing might fly away.

Good?

'This electric lure will test Shelley's speed and acceleration.'

And what kind of a speed is she going to reach?

She goes up to about 60, 70kph.

Whoa! That's pretty fast.

So, this is a really important part of her learning

how to be a wild cheetah then?

In this way, she exercises reaching full speed

sticking close to the prey.

So, this is the best way that we can teach her

how to be as wild as possible.

'Cheetahs are hard-wired to react to movement.

'As soon as the lure goes, Shelley will give chase.'

Right, and then this... Do you want me to test it?

You can test it if you want to.

-Ooh!

-MOTOR WHIRS

-She's never going to go that fast, is she?

-Slow down. Slow down.

In a way, this is just a very elaborate version

-of when you play with your kitten at home...

-Yes.

..and you drag along something and it goes along like that.

-This is just a sort of...

-A faster...

-..a faster version.

This is the most enrichment that she would be able to get

-in this environment.

-Yeah.

It's taken Christo three years of unwavering dedication

to get Shelley to this point.

Not every cheetah here develops good enough wild skills to be released,

but Christo has high hopes for her.

She's the best runner that we've got here at the facility.

Even though she was hand-raised,

she's still got so much wildness left in her

that you can especially see when it comes to the lure,

when she just immediately focuses in on that

and goes into hunting mode almost.

To see that excitement...

She can't wait for that to happen

and you don't see that with all the cheetahs.

A lot rides on how she performs.

-SHE PURRS

-That purr that she's making

right now, is that pleasure? Is that anticipation?

Yeah, it's the same as your house cat, that contentment.

So, we can know that she's relaxed and content and happy.

Cos she knows she's about to play her favourite game and get a treat.

Yeah, she's ready to rock and roll, isn't she?

-OK.

-Good.

'Cheetahs can accelerate from zero to 60mph

'in less than three seconds...'

She's so fast!

'..rivalling the fastest sports car.

'Propelling Shelley forward are fast-twitch muscle fibres,

'generating four times more explosive power than a human's.

'A flexible spine and long, spindly legs produce a stride

'of up to 8m, half of which is spent in the air.'

Amazing. It is just incredible that they can reach that speed so fast.

If you would like to give her a reward afterwards,

-you can just put it down right...

-And this is to simulate

what would happen in the wild cos if she was chasing an animal

-in the wild, she'd get to eat afterwards?

-Precisely, yes.

There you go. You deserve that, madam.

'But this incredible physical feat takes its toll.'

-SHELLEY PANTS HEAVILY

-You can hear

from that heavy breathing that she's tired.

'Shelley's breathing and heart rate has more than doubled

'as she tries to recover.'

Cheetahs are in danger of overheating,

that's the big problem for them.

They can't run at that massive speed for very long distances.

Most of the hunts last less than a minute.

'To get the hunt right when it counts,

'Shelley needs to master more than a straight drag race.'

To catch a zigzagging antelope, she will have to corner at high speed.

And tomorrow, that's exactly what Christo has in store.

OK.

At the Jaguar Rescue Center,

Santino hasn't quite got over his cold.

And he's not up to hanging out with the big troop.

To build his immune system,

Dexter is making sure he's getting a perfectly-balanced diet...

..which needs to include wild food.

So, whereabouts are we going, Dexter?

-We'll go straight up front.

-Up that way?

-Yeah.

-OK.

'Leaves make up over half a howler monkey's diet,

'so I've joined Dexter to forage in the forest just outside the centre.'

I'm going to see if I can help you out.

-There we go then.

-This is a gancho.

-Gancho?

Gancho, yeah.

'Dexter has a special tool for collecting leaves

'only monkeys could normally reach.'

So, kind of, either...

Hit it or either hook it and pull it down.

-Hit it or hook it? OK. Gosh, wow.

-Then pull it down.

'This isn't quite as easy as it looks.'

How often do you have to come out looking for...

-..for leaves for the monkeys?

-Every day.

Every day, my friend.

That's totally easy.

Every morning just go out, have a little walk,

go and find some leaves, no problem.

What we're doing here is really important for Santino

because howler monkeys will eat over 50 types of leaves out in the wild.

They also supplement that with fruit, as well.

But... HE LAUGHS

..I think the hook's stuck.

Dexter!

You've got to push up hard again.

'To get all the vitamins and minerals a growing monkey needs,

'it's important Santino gets a varied selection.'

-There you go.

-Perfect.

-Right.

-That's quite a job right there, huh?

PATRICK LAUGHS

-Yeah, man.

-Perfect!

-Nice.

-Very good! Very good!

-Well, I'll take these.

-And I'll take this.

-You can take the hook, I'm done with that.

'Back at the centre,

'Santino is waiting for his lunch in the nursery

'but convincing a baby monkey to eat his greens

'takes all of Dexter's experience.'

Dexter, other than giving Santino the right kind of leaves,

how else can you encourage him to eat the right type of food?

One of the ways is that we pretend to be eating the same thing.

-Pretend to eat leaves?

-Exactly.

It's a kind of fun way to do it.

Santino tries to do the same.

Santino, mmmm!

-There you go, you see.

-There we go.

-Monkey see, monkey do.

-Exactly.

'With his new superfood diet, Santino should be back on schedule

'to spend time with the big troop in just a day or two.

They're also eating their lunch.

Howler monkeys can sleep up to 15 hours a day.

And all the troop are trying to take a siesta with Encar,

the centre's owner.

TELEPHONE RINGS

Hello?

IN SPANISH:

We got a call.

A woman say that on the beach...in front of the beach in Playa Grande

there is a monkey that is not able to climb in the tree

because one leg looks broken.

With a monkey in trouble, a rescue team heads out,

-led by Fernando the vet and Dexter.

-OK, let's go.

The monkey's been spotted by locals on the edge of the beach.

It's an adult howler, but it's too high up in the canopy to reach.

Fernando decides to use a tranquillising dart,

so it will fall asleep and drop out of the tree.

We see that the monkey has a broken leg and he cannot move very fast,

so hopefully it will not be very difficult.

But Fernando's confidence doesn't last long.

He may be a monkey expert, but he's not an expert climber.

IN SPANISH:

That's better for him.

Dexter, on the other hand, grew up playing and climbing trees,

so he's confident he can get within a few metres,

close enough to take a shot.

Sure enough, Dexter shins up the 6m climb with ease.

In spite of its injury, the monkey's climbed even higher.

Dexter needs to take his shot quickly.

HE BLOWS DART

He managed to put the dart in.

We're going to wait until he will fall down and be ready for that.

It's now a waiting game.

When the monkey falls,

Fernando needs to catch it in a blanket or the fall could be fatal.

The monkey is falling asleep...

..but one hand is locked tight around a branch.

Wow!

I cannot see exactly the problem yet,

we have to examine further at the centre,

but for sure this leg has a problem, probably in the hip.

Fernando heads back to the clinic.

If this howler monkey will ever climb again,

he needs to fix her leg.

He's just starting to wake up.

It doesn't have anything broken, fortunately,

but it has probably muscle damage

and maybe something else going on in the right leg.

'Now she's used to her surroundings,

'Fernando has allowed me to see how the patient is recovering.'

How are you going to help her leg get better?

Are you going to do any physiotherapy on her?

Basically, stabilise the animal

to make sure that she has everything that the body needs.

And later, if we see that it's not totally recovered,

then we can think in some other treatments like physiotherapy

and so on.

With baby monkeys that are rescued,

they need a lot of time, care and dedication

to gain all the skills they need to survive in the wild,

whereas with adults, they already have this.

So, the main thing is to get them fed and strong and healthy again

and back out into the wild as quickly as possible.

'With a good prognosis for her leg,

'Fernando will hopefully release this female

'to a safe patch of forest in about two months.'

At the endangered species centre in Africa,

Christo is putting the finishing touches to the lure

that will test Shelley's true hunting skills.

So, what's special about today's course?

Today, we're going to change the course

so that she'll have to make four sharp corners...

-A-ha.

-..instead of just running up and down in a straight line.

And also there's some obstacles that will be in her way

and she'll have to adjust herself to keep on track with...

..of the prey, basically.

Because, obviously, an antelope's not going to be running

in a nice, neat, straight line, it's going to be dodging and weaving

trying to get away from her.

Then she'll have to be able to adapt to every situation.

Is there a time that we need her to make in order to...?

Well, I'm hoping for between ten and 15 seconds.

So, if she makes it then it means that she's keeping up

and overtaking an antelope?

-Hopefully, yeah.

-Yeah, OK. All right, then.

Well, that's a bit of a challenge for Shelley, isn't it? OK.

Are we measuring out a specific length for this course?

-Well, the course length would be about 180m...

-Yeah.

..and the average hunt is about 190m.

OK. Gosh, it's quick, isn't it?

'180m in 15 seconds and Shelley will be navigating 90-degree turns,

'uneven ground and keeping the lure locked in her sights.

'Getting this right will be the difference

'between survival and starvation in the wild.'

She's so focused the moment she comes out,

she's like an athlete scoping the course before the big race.

Cheetahs favour hunting during the cool morning hours

when visibility is at its best.

The black teardrops beneath their eyes

may help absorb glare from the sun,

whilst the back of their eye is packed with nerve cells

that allow super sharp wide-angle vision.

No pressure, Shelley, but we're expecting this in ten to 15 seconds.

Three, two, one...

'Shelley's claws are like the spikes on a running shoe,

'digging into the ground to give traction.'

I like the way she's using that tail.

Second corner perfect.

In a hot pursuit in the wild,

their long muscular tail acts as a counterbalance

so cheetahs don't spin out when making sharp turns at high speed.

'Shelley's cornering brilliantly...'

Yeah, she's totally on it.

'..but has she kept up with an antelope?'

That's amazing! 15.5 and that's the first time she's done this course

and she's managed to do it in such a fast time.

That is a really good sign.

-Star pupil.

-She is.

'Shelley can still go faster, but she's on course.'

We need to build that stamina up as well,

so the more she does it the more stamina she's got and the more...

the longer she can go out on a hunt.

-In terms of her path to the wild...

-One step closer to rehabilitation.

-Yeah.

-I will keep doing this until she's the correct age

to be released.

Before that, obviously, we'll minimise human contact,

put her in a big enclosure where there would be live prey available

and then take it from there.

And minimising human contact,

that means less of you interacting with her.

How do you feel about that?

Well, I feel good about it and to see them in a natural habitat

-as they should be is more fulfilling at the end of the day.

-Yeah.

'She may have started life as a hand-raised cheetah,

'but with Christo's help she is destined for much more.'

You're going to become a wild cheetah one day, aren't you,

if you carry on being this good.

'She could be the latest of over

'40 cheetahs HESC have raised

'and successfully released back on to the African plains.'

It's so fantastic that Shelley performed so well today

because each one of these hurdles brings her one step closer

to a life in the wild.

And that is not just good news for her,

but for the future of her entire species.

In Costa Rica, it's a big day for little Santino.

Santino! Corre! Corre!

His cold has gone and he'll be spending time with the big troop.

I do get worried because sometimes he can either be really good...

..or really bad.

Some of the monkeys, the bigger ones,

they would bully the little one for a very long time and very strong,

so something that can be a worry.

Dexter's decided that Santino will join them on their daily excursion

out into the forest.

Here he can gradually get to know them in their natural habitat.

HOWLER MONKEYS CALL OUT

Another patient is also making an important journey.

The harpooned green turtle is heading to the sea

where Fernando will find out how it swims with its newly-sealed shell.

The seal worked very good.

It's totally waterproof and, yeah, this part is very good.

But there's a problem.

The turtle is too buoyant and is stuck bobbing on the surface.

It's a case of trapped wind

caused by an infection or blockage in its gut.

We're trying to...

I'm pushing him down, so the air he has in the back of the body

moves a little bit.

Fortunately, there seems to be a simple solution.

Yeah, he just needs to fart.

This obstruction should clear with time

and once the shell is given a permanent seal,

the turtle can return to the deep ocean

where it could live to over 80 years old.

It's very important to save every one of these individuals

because unfortunately, they are very in danger.

There are just a few left in the world

and we're very lucky to be in one of the places

where they naturally nest.

'I've joined Dexter and Santino in the forest

'a kilometre from the centre.'

This is a really important time for Santino,

it could be a really major step on his journey into the wild

because with any luck, he is going to be accepted into the big troop.

'Every day, this wild patch of forest becomes

the troop's playground.

'There are no fences or cages here,

'they can learn and socialise freely

'under the watchful eye of their baby-sitters.'

We're completely surrounded.

It takes a while to notice where they all are.

We've got one over there. One, two, three...four.

Hello!

You know what, it's really nice seeing this troop

out in the wild just like normal monkeys.

'Dexter finds a quiet spot for Santino to explore.'

So, Dexter, this is Santino's big moment,

he's finally away from the centre, in the forest.

How do you think he's going to get along with the rest of the troop?

Well, my friend, right now for Santino...

..I think he's going to be pretty well, you know.

They've seen him around a little bit.

'It's not long before Nerea, the troop's alpha monkey,

'comes to check out Santino.'

Here we go, the first one coming around.

This is Nerea.

-Nerea?

-Yeah. Nerea the spider monkey,

they're the most biggest monkey we have in the country.

She's the bully one, she's watching Santino right now

to try to go and pull him by the tail, try to pick him up

and do all kinds of crazy things with him.

'For these initial meetings, Dexter needs to protect Santino

'just like his mum would have

'and make sure he doesn't become totally overwhelmed by the troop.'

He needs to be close to them and he needs to learn from them

and be very safe into the jungle with them,

so I try to let them know, "Don't bother him."

But for now he still needs me to protect him

from these bully monkeys that we have here.

'And with the confidence Dexter has instilled in him,

'Santino is taking everything in his stride.'

Look at him going higher and higher.

How do you feel when you see him acting like this?

It's an amazing feeling, I can't really explain,

there's no words to explain this.

Later, we're going to start spending more time into the jungle

and then eventually and hopefully, he will be going back out

into the forest on his own.

One day, he will just decide to take off and, you know what,

I need to start my family and that's when he will decide to go

and that will be the point of being ready to go back into the forest.

'But for Santino to succeed out here,

'he needs to find an ally in the troop -

'one of his own kind to learn from.'

This is amazing, the howler monkeys are coming to say hello.

You can see that the troop are taking it really nice and slow.

They're just kind of getting to know each other.

And the more time that Santino spends with the troop,

the more confident he's going to be and the more relaxed he'll be

and the more likely he's going to be able to bond with the troop.

Dexter, how important is this type of interaction for Santino?

He never had it before and the only way for him to socialise

with these monkeys is to have this kind of interaction with them.

So, it's a very important step for him to learn to be a monkey.

There you go, you can see him getting closer to the little baby

as well, right here.

So, he's going to make them friends.

Acting like a real howler monkey.

It's a very happy feeling, my friend.

It's a really, really good feeling, a very joyous feeling

because you know he's doing what a monkey is supposed to do.

MONKEYS CHATTER LOUDLY

Hello! HE LAUGHS

-Hello.

-We humans cannot teach them.

We try to do it the best way we can, but then it's up to Santino.

'When Santino has learned everything he needs,

'he'll remain in this forest

'and could one day lead his own wild troop.'

And we can see right here Santino beginning to be more independent,

trying out trees and leaves and he wants to go further.

So, the work...

well done, I think.

'Until Santino decides to leave,

'he can take comfort knowing Dexter will be there to keep him safe.'

It's an incredible story that's only possible

because of all the people here that give up their lives

to give Santino back his.

Since I last saw Santino, he now goes into the forest every day

and has been accepted as part of the troop.

Shelley is getting faster

and working at improving her personal best.

And the turtle's embarrassing problem worked itself out

and he's back swimming in the ocean.

'Next time, I'll be with Mangee, the baby rhino,

'who after a traumatic start to life has to master the skills

'he will need to return to the African savanna.'

Look at these guys!

They are ready to be wild rhinos.

'And I'll be helping Mandy, the orphaned tapir,

'to rediscover her wild side,

'so she can be introduced to her own kind.'