Crocodile in a Crisis This Wild Life

In the heart of Africa,

a young family is heading for an epic adventure.

They are moving with their three children

to a remote Kenyan wilderness.

Mum Saba is here to run a safari camp.

Welcome!

While dad Frank is helping to protect elephants.

Collar's almost on. Now the scary bit.

ELEPHANT BELLOWS

But raising a family and running a business in the bush

is going to be a massive challenge.

MONKEY SHRIEKS

There are monkeys in the kitchen...

Oh, you monkeys, I'm going to kill you!

..floods threatening the camp...

It's looking like it's going to be a mega storm.

..medical emergencies...

It's bad and it needs urgent action.

..and wildlife in need of help.

My heart really is in my mouth.

It's going to be a huge gamble.

Will the business survive Saba's first season in charge?

Oh, my God.

This time, the tourist season has started and camp is full.

But Saba is pulled away to try to help an injured crocodile...

Can you pull it out? Pull it out, Ronno?

IN AFRICAN LANGUAGE:

..and the camp team races to find a four-year-old child

missing in the bush.

Lions are all over the place. It's a very, very serious situation.

It's the second week of the season at Elephant Watch,

and guests are on their way.

Saba has only just taken over managing the camp,

but she's never run a business before.

Just rushing around a bit like a chicken with my head cut off

in the, sort of, last five minutes before everybody arrives...

IN AFRICAN LANGUAGE:

..and then I have to wipe the sweat off my face and put on a smile

and say, "Hello, everybody, welcome to Elephant Watch."

Today, Saba has two groups of guests arriving.

The camp's 12 beds will be full for the first time.

It's their biggest test yet.

People come here from all over the world and have high expectations.

The business relies on word of mouth, so Saba and the team must

make sure every guest has the experience of a lifetime.

So welcome, everybody.

Come into the mess tent. We'll bring all your bags in.

This is a new adventure for the whole family.

Good morning.

Husband Frank is taking over operations at Save The Elephants,

the family's conservation charity.

But this morning, he's on breakfast duty.

Selkie is five, and twins Mayian and Luna are nearly three.

We try and always have breakfast outside

and that means they can make more of a mess,

like this one's very good at. A real pro mess-maker.

This is life how it should be, I think.

Saba grew up exactly like this.

Definitely very different from how I grew up.

Moving here is a big gamble.

The camp doubles as a home and a business.

They can only stay in Samburu if Saba can make the camp pay its way.

And the local Samburu community is depending on her, too.

30 staff and their families rely on Elephant Watch for their livelihood.

Behind the scenes, there's a lot of work to do to keep

the business running smoothly,

but this morning there's a hitch.

We're absolutely full of people, and they've all just arrived,

but, erm...sod's law, we've got a plumbing problem.

The kitchen drain is blocked.

I think what's happened over the years is that the pipe got

completely clogged up with old teabags and bones

and, I mean, I don't know what was going down that sink.

And, of course, it has to happen on the day that we're absolutely

packed with guests.

Guests pay a lot of money to come here.

Saba and the team must get it fixed before the smell

drifts to the breakfast table.

Peter's come up with a rather ingenious solution -

just get a whole lot of big rocks, which will help with

the drainage, and then we'll cover it with plastic and wood and sand,

so I think this is going to be a quick solution for now.

The camp's reputation depends on happy guests,

so every aspect of their stay must be perfect.

Wildlife guide Litus is preparing the picnic for today's game drive.

It's his job to give these guests a memorable experience.

-Hope you guys had a good breakfast.

-We had a delicious breakfast.

But this is what the guests really come to see.

These elephants are unusually trusting of humans.

Litus grew up here and knows them well.

The Samburu people have lived in Northern Kenya for centuries.

This vast wilderness is their home.

Samburu warriors still live

and dress as they have for hundreds of years.

They are nomadic herdsmen

and rely on their livestock for their food and income.

HE WHISTLES AND CALLS

But survival in this harsh landscape depends on close-knit communities.

Tourism now provides a secondary income for the Samburu people,

and many warriors work at Saba's safari camp.

Today, they've brought some alarming news.

A four-year-old Samburu girl is lost in the bush.

The child disappeared at ten o'clock yesterday morning.

It's a little girl. She's the same age as Selkie, a bit younger,

and, er, she was heading back to her manyatta to go and get water,

left another group of children, and she hasn't been seen since.

It's on the other side of the river, unfortunately,

so I can't get a car across, but I think they need to track

her on foot, so the sooner we get everyone out there, the better.

OK, everybody, listen. Good luck.

Please, good luck.

The camp team know the area intimately.

They started herding livestock here at an early age.

You know, if anyone's going to find her, it's these guys.

Bernard's there, Mporian's there.

I know her entire village is out looking for her.

Everybody in camp has gone

and they've probably called in some other villages as well,

so they'll just be, you know, going back and forth

until they find her tracks and then they can home in.

These guys, these nomads, are some of the best trackers in the business.

Camp guide Bernard knows how dangerous it can be in the bush.

Everybody is worried, because there are a lot of animals.

Lions are all over the place, elephants as well,

and you can imagine a tiny, little baby

doesn't even know how to protect itself or hide,

so it's a very, very serious situation.

Samburu children are taught how to survive outdoors

from the moment they are born, but they never stay out after dark.

This is when nocturnal predators hunt.

Even elephants can be dangerous.

They can only hope that the little girl has found a safe place

to hide overnight.

Out in the reserve, camp guide Litus is unaware of the situation.

He's showing guests wildlife from the safety of their vehicle.

Just incredible.

That is amazing.

It is a lifetime...

Once in a lifetime experience.

One I'd like to do a lot more of.

I didn't expect that we'd be this close.

I thought they'd be off across the river.

Oh, they're beautiful.

They seem calm, but you can never take wild animals for granted.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

This young bull is letting them know not to come any closer.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

That's how they what?

He wanted to kill us?

This adolescent male is just flexing his muscles, but if he encountered

people this close on foot, it would be a different matter.

The lost girl has now been missing for 24 hours.

There's no sign of her, but one of the warriors spots a possible clue.

You look at every inch of the ground where you think the tracks are.

It may be, you know, the baby was playing along, and maybe

picked up the rock or maybe knocked the rock off the ground.

It's highly possible that it's the baby who knocked that rock off.

They're on the right trail,

but the search party is stopped in its tracks.

An adult bull elephant is blocking the way.

Very dangerous. Very, very dangerous,

but as long as you're behind a big tree, you're safe.

That is why these guys are right behind this big branch.

That way, the elephant cannot pick you out.

Fortunately, the trackers are downwind of the elephant.

He hasn't noticed them, so they sneak by undetected.

With dangerous animals in the area, the worst-case scenarios

are running through Bernard's mind.

Some of these predators, they rely on what they can find.

Carcasses or human beings, and they can easily attack.

Even adults, not just a baby.

To make matters worse,

this landscape provides perfect cover for predators.

These are a very good hideout for a lot of animals.

If a leopard kills a goat or a lion, they will tuck it inside these

thick, thick bushes and there is no way you can see it.

So, for a baby, that's like nothing.

To cover more area and increase their chances of finding

the four-year-old girl, the search party splits in two.

I'm so anxious about this little child.

If it was Selkie and I was the parents, I'd be absolutely beside

myself because a four, five-year-old out there on its own, just...

You know, it's exceedingly dangerous.

You know, it's very dry, she probably hasn't had

anything to drink for a long time, and God knows where she is.

They're fearing the worst.

Bernard's team gets a call from the other search party.

Ah, it's been found! Whoo!

LAUGHTER AND CHEERING

The baby slept out in the bush and luckily

she survived whatever is out there, and they're taking the baby home.

So that is incredible.

For a four-year-old to sleep out in the bush in the wild,

and to be alive in the morning, that is

the most amazing news I've heard in a long time.

According to Samburu tradition,

the finder of the baby will get a cow from the baby's family,

and they will slaughter a few goats today as a sign of celebration.

So it will be a very, very happy party time this evening

in that specific village.

But the homecoming celebration won't begin

until much later this evening.

Bernard and the team return to give Saba the good news.

We are so happy.

-Oh, my God.

-The baby was found by the other search party.

Oh, well done.

I was just thinking of what it would be like

if Selkie or the twins were out there, as a mother.

-I'm so happy.

-Just marvellous news. I'm so pleased. I was so worried.

-Yeah.

-Good. That's really good news. That's made my day.

With the lost child safe,

the camp team can prepare for the guests' lunch.

Maintenance man Peter is putting the finishing touches to the drain,

much to the relief of the kitchen staff.

The guests return from their morning safari none the wiser.

Normally, Saba would be there to greet them,

but there's been another emergency.

This time it's an animal in trouble, and she's on her way to help.

I just got a radio call at the research camp, there's been a...

There's a crocodile that's appeared in front of one of the lodges

with a, looks like a spear shaft going through its back and stomach.

There are eight different lodges

along the banks of the river in the reserve.

It's a small community

and everyone relies on each other when there's a problem.

When I woke up this morning, the last

thing in the world I thought I'd be doing would be assisting

in the treatment of a crocodile, but anything can happen in Samburu.

Anything at all. You just never know what's round the corner.

Here we are, Samburu Lodge.

The crocodile was speared by a herder

protecting his livestock two days ago.

If they leave it any longer, the wound will become infected

and the crocodile could die.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has been called.

Saba's colleague, David Daballen, is also helping.

He has a net to try to catch the injured crocodile.

Last few days, there's been, either the vet has gone for some

work or the crocodile has been hiding, but right now

we just have everything on site, so this is our mission right now.

15 feet long and weighing over 900lbs,

the Nile crocodile has one of the most powerful bites on the planet.

But as the mission begins, the wounded croc heads for the river.

Typical. We've just arrived.

The croc has just disappeared into the water or into the river, so...

It's so frustrating. I mean, like, how does

he know that he has to get in now, just as we came in?

But, anyway, we'll wait. We'll be patient.

You know, this crocodile's very frightened of people, so...

Obviously cos it's badly wounded,

so the difficulty is how they juggle between keeping the other crocodiles

away and luring it up here and then getting it caught in the net.

Cos if they tranquilize it, they can't let it go into the river,

because then it'll drown.

The injured crocodile is not playing ball.

All Saba and the rescue team can do is wait.

THEY TALK IN OWN LANGUAGE

Keeping the camp running smoothly is one thing,

but the reason guests come here is for the safaris.

They are the lifeblood of Saba's business.

It's up to wildlife guide Bernard to try to find animals for the guests.

You can never plan anything out here.

You just go out and things happen and sometimes things don't

happen, and that is what makes it even interesting,

but every day when I go out, I'm hoping to find lovely elephants.

Not just because I want to show the elephants to the guests,

but also because I want to see them myself

and that makes it even more special.

Simon, Lolo. Let's go.

Bernard grew up in the bush.

His survival depended on being able to spot wildlife.

Oh, leopard! Leopard, oh, my God.

We've got leopards here.

-Right there, right there.

-Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Oh, my goodness. So beautiful.

Leopards are mostly nocturnal.

To see one in the middle of the day is rare.

But people come to Samburu for one animal in particular.

Oh, elephant!

-Elephant!

-Oh, my God! Elephant!

(She's so human-like.)

(It looks like Dumbo from the movie.)

(It's coming towards us.)

Wild elephants don't get any closer than this.

(He's not too sure about it.)

(That's why he puts his trunk back, he's not sure about it.)

You're OK, don't move. She's fine, she's not going to do anything.

(You can talk to her, slowly.)

(Yeah, you can talk to her.)

-Can I touch her?

-(No, don't touch her.)

So beautiful.

That was so special.

For her to trust you like that, you know, that, erm...

intimacy is amazing.

How did you like that?

That was incredible!

Three miles upriver,

Saba and the rescue team have a plan to catch the injured crocodile.

Once they've got this net properly set up,

we're going to hold it up from this side.

They're going to lure the crocodile up with some meat.

I don't quite know how they're going to prevent other crocodiles

coming up for it as well, but that remains to be seen.

Anyway, as soon as it's within this area here,

we'll let the net go and then they're going to jump down on

either side and, sort of, surround it with the net, and it'll be captured.

Sounds a bit dodgy to me.

With the net in place, the trap is set.

But the crocodile is still in the river.

I can see the crocs are right down there.

Some of them were in the middle of the river.

Let's see what happens.

They only have one chance to get this right.

We're going to do a practice run, and I'm going to be the crocodile.

See how it goes.

THEY CONVERSE IN AFRICAN LANGUAGE

LAUGHTER

Well, the net's in place. Everything's ready.

It's just a matter of getting the crocodile out of the water.

That may not happen until this evening, it depends on how

nervous it is around people and this new arrangement.

There's a lot of people who've come out, I mean this is a little bit

more exciting than working in the kitchen at the back

for most of the staff in the lodge.

Crocodiles can't resist fresh meat, and it's soon lured up the bank.

We've only got once chance at this, so it has to work.

Let's just hope it's successful.

The plan's working, but there's a problem.

They've got more crocodiles than they bargained for.

Back in camp, the guests are settling in for the evening.

That was amazing.

Bernard's given them a safari experience they'll never forget.

His work is done, but the day isn't over yet.

Bernard and the other warriors from this morning's search party

are going to meet the lost girl and share the family's celebrations.

SINGING

The little girl was found and everybody is very jovial.

We're actually getting into the manyatta where her family lives.

The elders are dancing and the warriors,

so it's going to be a very emotional moment, especially for the parents.

The family is putting on a feast

to celebrate the little girl's safe return.

But first, the village elders perform an ancient cleansing ritual

with herbs and water.

Everybody here must be tough.

If you're not tough, you're not going to survive.

And it starts from a tiny age.

When they become a bit older, like ten years,

they're fully capable of taking care of themselves

and their livestock, because they go out in the field.

They've learnt all the skills that are needed to be able to

survive in this kind of environment.

The ceremony is over. The child has been welcomed home.

Now the party can begin.

THEY SING AND CHANT

Back with the wounded crocodile,

Saba and the team can't celebrate yet.

There's a toothy complication.

The injured crocodile is on the bank,

but it's surrounded by other crocs drawn in by the meat.

The nine crocodiles that have been here this afternoon,

we have to lure them, somehow, off to the left

and at the same time lure the wounded crocodile far over to the right,

so that we can separate them and drop the net.

Yeah, that's definitely him, that's the one.

I can see the spear shaft.

Oh, man.

He's looking very lethargic and not really all that interested

in the meat, unlike the other crocodiles.

I would imagine that he's suffering a lot.

You know, these poor, old crocodiles, no-one really has much love

for a crocodile, but they're an incredibly important part

of this ecosystem, and keeping it all whole and diverse and healthy.

The rescue team is running out of time.

This is the last desperate attempt to get this finished tonight.

OK, we're very close now.

A few more like that. Further away.

Wait. Wait.

Yep, yep.

The net's down, but the crocodile is only partially snared.

Can you get it under its feet? Under that foot?

COMMOTION

Yeah, I mean, it's not a good position right now.

It's actually wiggling its way out and going backwards

and it's hanging right over the bank.

If the crocodile falls into the river wrapped in the net,

it will drown.

The men are being dragged towards the water.

You just don't understand how strong these creatures are.

They started with four men trying to close the net around it,

and ended up with about 30,

all of whom were being pulled down towards the river by the crocodile.

They need to act quickly to remove the spear.

Can you pull it out? Pull it out.

So, this is what was inside of him.

I mean, it's... Look how he's bent that metal,

and that was deep inside his gut.

But there's no sign of infection to my unpractised eye, and now he's

had a big dose of antibiotics, so let's just hope this does the trick.

With the spearhead removed, the crocodile can be released.

But there's a snag.

He says it's almost completely out of the net.

It's just there's one rope that's kind of stuck around the tail.

With one final tug on the rope, the crocodile is free.

Today, Saba and the camp team have been put to the test.

With help from their friends, they've saved a crocodile,

rescued a child, and kept the family business on track.

Just another day in Samburu!

Next time...

the rainy season arrives in Samburu.

Looking like it's going to be a megastorm.

The camp is under threat.

Both people and animals are struggling.

Poor Cheri. I've known her for such a long time,

and she has something terribly, terribly wrong.

The only thing we can do, and it's a very difficult decision,

is maybe try to rescue the calf.