All language subtitles for B.W.S04E03.Holding.a.Lions.Paw.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Do you know what this
adorable little creature is?

If not, stay tuned, because
I'm about to tell ya.

I think it's safe to say that
we all love baby animals.

Look at that!

That is a baby toucan.

And when the Brave Wilderness
team and I recently

visited the Alturas Wildlife
Sanctuary in Dominical, Costa

Rica, it didn't
matter if they were

soft and fuzzy or
feathered and squawking.

We simply couldn't get enough.

This incredible sanctuary
and its dedicated staff

are helping animals almost
every hour of the day,

seven days a week, and no
matter what the species.

One of their permanent
residents, Gonzo the Tamandua,

was absolutely fascinated
by our cameras.

And while we could have
filmed an episode with him,

we also had the unique
opportunity to film

with Peru, the smallest
Tamandua you have ever seen.

Get ready for your
heart to melt.

This might be the cutest
animal we have ever

featured on "Breaking Trail."

It is Baru, my little friend.

This little bizarre creature,
that has me on the run,

It's a lesser anteater, better
known here in Costa Rica

as the Tamandua.

And Baru was brought
here to the sanctuary

after his mother was sadly
killed by a stray dog.

And right now, he's in the
process of rehabilitation,

being nourished, and fed
well every single day,

so when he builds
up his strength,

then he'll eventually be
released back into the wild.

They do walk kind of awkward.

This is an arboreal species.

And they're usually
found up in trees.

But when they come
down on the ground,

you can see that they
kind of just waddle along,

and that's because
they have to tuck

their claws underneath their
hands so that they can walk.

Very curious about this camera.

And he's only a few weeks old.

And look at how well he climbs.

Watch that.

Look at him get up
the side of that log.

He's got me on the run.

And like all baby animals,
Baru here is extremely curious.

Everything is new,
including GoPro cameras.

This is some serious exercise.

I'm sweating bullets in here.

He's got me running
around in circles.

So is this
a large or a small tamandua?

Well, this is a
small one right here,

but they do get to be about
30 pounds in weight when

full-grown, and about
three feet in length,

and two-thirds of that length
is usually in the tail.

And you see how
long that tail is.

Oh, look at that.

That's a good natural instinct
right there, exploring

little holes in the logs.

And what they feed on is
primarily termites and ants,

but at this age, he's enjoying
goat's milk and fruit.

And you'll notice this
real distinct pattern.

Watch as he walks up here.

You see that?

It almost looks like this
animal is wearing a vest.

You have the real
dark coarse fur there.

And as he grows older,
this lighter fur

will turn a yellowish tan.

They're very, very
gorgeous animals.

And the tail only ever
has real sparse fur on it.

It almost looks like
the tail of an opossum.

Hey, Baru.

Come here, buddy.

Look at those claws.

Now, they look menacing on
an animal just this size.

Imagine him being three feet in
length and weighing 30 pounds.

Now, they use these claws to
tear apart termite mounds,

but they're also used to
defend them against predators.

Now, you see how he can stand
up on his back legs like that?

In the event that a
predator is to approach,

he'll do this, right there.

Rear up and show
you those claws,

and then they will swing.

And like razor-sharp
sickles, if you

try to attack this
creature, you're going

to be in some serious trouble.

You see that?

Look at that nose.

Just slightly curved.

And their mouth is very tiny.

Just enough space
for them to stick

out this very long tongue.

His tongue is about
four inches long.

And they use that
to lap up termites.

They can sink it down into
little holes, and it's sticky.

And the termites will
stick right to the tongue.

And then he sucks his food
right back into his mouth.

And look at how cute he is.

Look, he's getting a
little scratch right there,

a little butt scratch.

Here, I'll help you out.

Oh, gosh.

That's the spot.

My goodness.

Nothing's better than a good
butt scratch, huh, Baru?

There you go, buddy.

All right.

And we're off to the races.

Where are
you going, Baru?

Uh oh.

He found Mario.

There you go.

I got no
ants in my pants.

Oh, how
adorable is that face?

It's my turn.

Come on, Baru.

This direction.

Come on.

Let's go this way.

And what we ultimately
want to happen

is for Baru to be released
back out into the wild.

And as soon as he gets a little
older and a little healthier,

he will be released.

Look at that.

Look at that balance.

Let's see.

Come here.

Let me look at you.

Goodness.

Oh, he likes the microphone.

He sees that and he
thinks, hmm, is it possible

that that is a termite mound?

Baru is only a few weeks old.

And if he was still living
in the wild with his mother,

he would spend the
first year of his life

relying on her for survival.

With his mother
gone, Baru's future

is now in the hands of humans.

He is fed several times a
day, gets plenty of exercise,

and the staff at Alturas
is confident that he will

one day return to the wild.

Well, how excellent was this,
spending the morning palling

around with a baby Tamandua?

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

I know you guys are
thinking right now, uh,

can we see the lion's teeth?

Yeah, we can see
the lion's teeth.

You guys ready?

Yeah.

Sharp
rays of sunlight crept up

from the horizon,
casting a golden radiance

across the Savannah.

Morning has arrived
in South Africa,

and with it, the beginning
of a journey that was soon

to become one of
the greatest animal

encounters I have ever had.

Today, we are venturing out into
the world-renowned Kariega Game

Reserve.

This wild place spans
over 10,000 hectares.

And the landscape is a
splendor unlike anything you

have ever seen.

Endless rolling grasslands,
the perfect habitat

to safely house and keep
hidden one of our planet's

most iconic predators--

- the African lion.

All right, Coyote.

About ready to hop in the jeep?

Yeah.

Well, the plan today is to
track down a pride of lions,

but trust me, it's much
easier said than done.

We've got a lot of
ground to cover.

You guys ready to
track down the pride?

Let's find those big cats.

Here we go.

Tracking lions on foot could
take days, if not weeks,

so the crew and I teamed up
with a secondary team composed

of field veterinarians
that have been

deployed through support of
the Reserve Protection Agency.

Led by Dr. Waldo Dreyer,
their collective goal

from a scientific perspective
was to safely tranquilize

one of the larger resident
males in an attempt

to collect biometric data.

This important research
would help ensure the health

and well-being of the pride.

So with the plan in
place, we parted ways

and headed toward opposite
ends of the reserve

to begin our search
for the pride.

I feel like luck is
on our side today.

A lot of ground to explore,
but we've got two teams out.

It's just a matter of
tracking down the pride.

Since 2004, Kariega
has been home

to a very healthy
population of lions,

yet finding and
getting these big cats

in front of the cameras
would be no easy feat,

as they are
constantly on the move

and in search of
their next meal.

Yeah, come on down.

Check this out.

You know what that is?

Bones.

Bones, skin, fur.

That's a zebra's
leg right there.

And zebras legs don't just
fall off on their own.

That is absolute crystal
clear evidence of a lion kill.

It's old, though.

This is not fresh.

So we do know that the
pride has been through here,

but not recently.

All right.

Well, like I said, it
can be tough to find

this pride of lions.

Stronger evidence of the
pride and their whereabouts

was necessary if we hope
to have an encounter.

So we loaded back
into the Land Cruiser

and continued our search
deeper into the interior

of the reserve.

Finding tracks is the most
reliable sign of one's quest

for locating an animal, and you
are always guaranteed to find

the freshest tracks near water.

Check this out, guys.

Completely fresh lion
track right there.

Like most cats, they try to
avoid walking in the water.

And the cat definitely moved
up the side of the road here.

That means we are hot
on the pride's trail.

So, Jill, what'd you hear?

There's literally lions
on top of this hill.

So the other team's
got eyes on the lions?

Yeah, yeah.
And they're on a kill.

Really?
- Yeah.

Coyote!
Coyote!

Yeah?

The other team's got
the lions over the hill.

What?

Yeah, the lions
are just over the hill

and they're on a kill too.

On a kill?

Yep.

No way!
OK!

Yeah, climb up in the Jeep!

Oh, man.

This is going to be crazy.

They're on a kill?

Yeah.

All right, guys.

Well, I'm out there picking
up pieces of old kills,

and apparently, the
Lions have a kill.

The other team has spotted them.

We're going to make
our way over there now.

Here comes the lion episode.

Awesome!

With lions located
on a fresh kill,

we quickly moved
across the reserve

to meet up with the vet team.

Doctor Waldo joined
our vehicle, which

would give us a clear view of
the tranquilization process.

So with the darts locked
and loaded, it was go-time.

This is exciting.

I have never seen a
lion in the wild before.

I know you guys are amped.

Oh, man.

This is going to
be one epic day.

Tranquilizing a lion is
considered a routine checkup.

Once asleep, the biometric
data would be collected,

and then a reversal serum
will be administered

for the animal to wake up.

OK, they just radioed
from up ahead.

The lions are just up over the
top of this next hill here.

We have found them.

All right, guys, we are rolling
up on the lions right now.

I can actually see
one of the big males

right here, off the
side of the vehicle.

Wow!

So impressive.

I'm trying to be
really quiet right now.

We don't want to startle them.

Believe it or not, we don't
want to scare the lions.

I'm the one that should
be scared right now.

Oh, there it is, there it is!

As our Land Cruiser
approached through the flowing

Savannah grasses, my heart began
to race at an incredible speed.

This was an unprecedented
level of danger, which

meant everything had to
go right because if it

didn't, that meant everything
had gone horribly wrong.

Never before had I seen a
pride of lions in the wild.

And as they came into view,
their primal strength and

beauty was a wonder to behold.

In total, four lions had been
spotted on the fallen carcass.

Our primary target was
the male, but the team

decided that they
also wanted to check

the health of the females,
so if the opportunity

presented itself, they
would be darted as well.

And in that split second, that
seemed to slow down in time,

we all clung to the
edge of our seats

with focused anticipation.

Oh!

Got one, got one!

Nice shot!

Wow!

Did you see him spring
into action like that?

OK.

We thought that
maybe the lions would

move off if we darted one.

We've got four lions, three
females, and a young male.

It's a young male, right?
- Yeah.

Wow.

Still an enormous cat.

All right, getting ready
for the second dart.

Here we go.

We got the male coming up
around the backside here.

Tag the upper-- the
forefront of her chest.

Go, go, go, go, go.

No, not yet, not yet.

OK.

The male is coming around
front of the females.

Almost have a clear shot.

It's super windy, though.

It could throw off the dart.

We do not want to hit
the animal in the face.

Here comes the shot.

Got him!

All right, the male
has been darted.

One lion left.

Wow.

OK, we have three of the lions
darted at this point, male

and two females.

One female still does not
have a dart in her, though,

so we're trying to
move the vehicle

to get in a better position.

This is intense.

Hold on, guys.

Be aware you got a lion.

Here we go.
Look at this.

Get a shot.

Zoom in, zoom in.

Got it!

Nice.

All the lions
have been darted.

And they are all staring
at us now saying, OK, uh,

what are you guys
doing out here?

Wow.

That's intimidating.

With all four cats
successfully darted,

we watched from a safe
distance as, one-by-one,

they succumb to the effects
of the tranquilizer serum.

All right, now it's just
going to take a few minutes

for the tranquilizer to set in.

When they tell us to
get out of the vehicles,

we'll move in, get
that biometric data.

Wow.

My heart's racing right now.

How about you?

This is crazy.

Time was of the
essence, so the vet

team needed to move quickly.

This meant that,
as a camera team,

we would have a very
limited window of time

to capture an
up-close presentation

with these sleeping carnivores.

Given his iconic
stature, I was beyond

excited to showcase the male.

While in the background,
the veterinarians

would be collecting the
sought after biometric data

from the females.

In human terms, this procedure
is comparable to a checkup

at the doctor.

When it comes to lions, this
includes pulling a small hair

sample from the tail,
checking body length,

paw length, overall
health, and, lastly,

microchip identification.

That is a big cat right here.

Look at that.

We've got this other
female down right here.

Yeah, just lions
laying around everywhere.

Lions everywhere.

Keep in mind, guys, these
lions are just asleep.

None of these animals
are actually hurt.

Here it is.

Here's the male.

That is unbelievable
right there.

This is the closest I have
ever been to a wild apex

predator of this size.

You can feel it breathing.

Ah, beautiful animal.

Now, this creature is enormous.

And it is still a
sub-adult male lion.

I want to come on this side
just to show you this paw.

You've got the mane.

You can see his face
is covered up there.

It is asleep.

Look at the size of
this animal's paws!

It's bigger than my hand.

That is crazy.

And so heavy.

So much weight and so much
muscle in the front section

of this cat.

You guys want to see
those claws, don't you?

Oh, yeah.

Ready for this?

Hold on.

Let me kind of sit down here.

Get ready.

That is impressive right there.

And these claws are constantly
growing throughout the course

of the animal's life.

Now, like all cats, they
have four toes up front,

but also a dewclaw on the side.

You see that?

Wow.

That is the key piece of
power right there because when

they lunge toward a water
buffalo or a wildebeest

and they latch on, it's this
claw that hooks in place

and makes sure that that
prey does not get away.

And that's what they do, latch
on and then go for the neck.

Now, the lion,
believe it or not,

does not have that
powerful of a bite

force as compared
to other big cats.

Only somewhere between 600 and
900 pounds per square inch.

But what they want to do
is go for the trachea.

You get the trachea, you're
cutting off the windpipe

and that animal is
going to suffocate.

Now, the males, while
they can't hunt,

aren't the ones that
are actually hunting.

So while when we came
up on this pride,

you see that they've
taken down an impala,

it's likely the females
that killed the impala,

but then the males will come
in and they will feast first.

Wow.

This cat is just
the coolest creature

I have ever been around.

Let's take a look at
its head real quick.

Look at the size of the ears.

Massive ears.

They're capable of moving
these individually.

They have incredible
sense of hearing.

Look at the mane of this animal.

It's so dense.

And, oh, it smells
like South Africa.

It smells like the Savannah,
a little bit of grass

and a little bit of sand.

Now, you look at this
mane and you think, well,

what is the purpose of a mane
on a lion other than to have

an epic hairdo?

And the purpose is
actually to protect them

when they're fighting
to protect territory.

All this dense fur, when
another male is rearing up,

using its claws and its teeth,
protects this lion's throat

and his face.

All right, you guys
ready for the reveal?

Let's see it.

OK, I'm going
to pull this back very slowly.

Let's see the lions face.

There you are, buddy.

Oh, my gosh.

That is incredible.

What a handsome
animal right there.

Look at its whiskers.

Incredibly dense.

I know you guys are
thinking right now, uh,

can we see lion's teeth?

Yeah, we can see lion's teeth.

You guys ready?
Yep.

I'm going to slowly
just kind of pull

the lip back here a little bit.

Wow.

Whoa.

Look at those canines.

Holy smokes.

Unbelievable.

Now, lions have
three types of teeth.

Up front here, you
have these incisors

which are used to carry things.

The females will carry
their cubs around.

They're also used to pull
meat away from the bones.

Of course, the canines are
used to inflict a kill.

And then in the back here--
go ahead and zoom in.

You see that?

All these premolars are
used like serrated shears

to saw through the meat.

And I can see the
lion's tongue in there.

It's incredibly
grippy, like sandpaper.

They can actually
use that tongue

to lick meat away from bones.

They can lick fur off.

And, believe it or not, if a
lion were to lick your skin,

it would take the
skin right off.

Not exactly like your house cat.

Wow.

Hi, buddy.
Let's see.

I'm just going to take
a look at his eye there.

See if you can zoom in there.

See, the pupils are
slightly dilated.

It's completely out right now.

See that?

Get a tight shot there.

Lions have incredible eyesight,
not only during the day

but also at night.

Look how big its
head is compared to you.

It's massive.
It's as big as your body.

Can you imagine
what it would be

like to get an
appendage of your body

or your head stuck in the
mouth of an animal like this?

And keep in mind, guys,
this is still a sub-adult.

They get bigger than this.

I'm guessing this lion
is probably somewhere

between 250 and 300 pounds.

They can tip the
scales well over 500.

OK, I'm going to just flip
this back up over its head

so that the sun stays
out of his eyes.

Oh, man.

Is your adrenaline rushing
as fast as mine is?

I'm just trying
to stay calm, actually.

OK, are we ready to
collect the biometric data?

All right, let's do it.

Got to get the
measurements on this lion.

OK, I'm going to go all the
way to the back side here.

OK.

So I've got 123 and a half.

OK.

Uh, 54.

All right.

Paw measurements.

Six.

And this is
important data for us to know--

Eight.

- exactly the size
of this lion's paws

so if they're out there--
- And five.

- looking for
tracks, you'd know

exactly which lion this is.

And you see all these kind
of markings on the face?

So over time, it will help
you identify the individuals.

It's quite a striking
one right there.

Yeah.

Close this up.

I think he's already too--

All right, guys.

What's really cool is that
this lion doesn't actually

have a microchip in
it, so we are going

to get to insert one today.

And that will allow us to keep
a tight record of this animal

any time that they
then tranquilize

in the future to be able to
collect its biometric data.

Wow.

Cool.

All right, so where do
you insert the microchip?

OK.

See the microchip--
a nice, thick needle.

It's about the size of a--

Ooh.

- like a grain of rice.

I don't like needles.

I don't do very
well with needles.

So we insert it right in
the middle between the soles

of shoulder blades.
- OK.

So we just make a
little dent on the skin.

- OK.
- We put it underneath the skin.

Oh, just a little
prick, right?

Just like that.

Wow.

All right, guys.

Well, it's time to
apply the reversal

drug so that this male
wakes up and heads

back off into the wild.

But this certainly was epic
getting to explore here

at the Kariega Game Reserve,
tranquilizing four lions,

and getting up close to
collect biometric data.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

All right, time to wake up.