Original subtitles

We were in Costa Rica filming an episode

that featured our new wildlife show host, Christina Wilson,

taking on the bullet ant challenge.

In the process of filming this, a dog

literally came out of the middle of nowhere

in the Costa Rican jungle.

It was emaciated.

It was clearly looking for attention,

and it was pretty adorable.

Immediately, this dog warmed up to us.

Must have known that we were animal people.

And we said, oh, we've got to rescue this dog.

But how in the world do you rescue

a dog in a foreign country?

Say hi to everybody out there in Brave Wilderness.

That's Roufus.

He's our little, lost rainforest dog.

All right, lead the way.

Go find us some animals.

Our goal is to talk to some people in the town of Siquirres

and find out where do you take really friendly dogs that

need to be rescued.

He is skinny, probably about a year of age.

There are so many stray, homeless animals here

in Costa Rica.

At the previous reserve we were at, as we were driving there,

we must have seen two dozen--

easily-- two dozen dogs just living on the street.

And the fact that this dog came out of the middle of nowhere

in the jungle, we couldn't just leave him there.

So Roufus is now a part of the Brave Wilderness team--

at least until we find him a home

and we leave and go back to the United States.

Look how cute he is.

Look at that face.

That's a face that says, somebody please adopt me.

I'll do anything.

I can be your best friend.

Wait for me, guys.

Wait for me.

Now, I got a mixture of adult dog food and puppy food.

We don't want to feed him too, too much

right away because he's going to scarf it down,

and we don't want him to puke.

So I'm going to mix the two together and get

a little bit of water here.

This is what I do for my dog at home

because she eats really, really fast,

and the water allows it to slide down a bit better.

This is going to be the first meal this dog

has had in who knows how long.

Roufus, over here, buddy.

Come here, bud.

Look at this.

Look at how excited he is.

Oh, my god, he is leaping for joy.

I know.

I know.

My gosh.

These humans got me some food.

OK.

Wait.

OK, there you go.

Look at that.

OK, take your time.

Good boy.

Yeah, good boy.

I know. That's so good.

Oh, my gosh.

You just inhaled it.

Thank you guys so much.

I love dog food.

Is there more?

Is there more?

Poor little guy.

OK, so it's been a little over 24 hours

since we came across Roufus.

Hi, buddy.

How are you?

And Mario, you've got some updates.

Yes, I'm currently texting with a woman named Krista,

so thank you, Krista for reaching out.

She is trying to set it up for a person to meet us here

in Siquirres at a vet clinic.

First we have to get the dog checked out,

get him some shots, probably some deworming.

We'll cover the cost on that.

And then she'll have someone pick him up

and basically try and find him a forever

home, so this is working out.

So a lot of people I'm sure were wondering

upon our original social media posts

whether or not we were going to be able to bring the dog back

to the states with us.

While we would love to take Roufus back,

there is not enough of a time window

for us to get the right papers and veterinary checks for him

to be certified to come through customs and all of that

because we are leaving in less than 12 hours at this point.

The power of the internet is possibly

going to find this very special, very smart, very adorable

dog a home.

What do you say?

Everybody's trying to find you home.

What do you think?

What do you think?

Are you going to find a home?

Oh, my gosh, Coyote, I would love any kind of home.

I might have to give you a bath before we take you to the vet

because you're a very, very stinky pooch.

You're extra stinky.

Yeah, OK.

Thank you for the kiss.

I know.

We're best friends now.

I got a voice message from our contact.

We got to go. - We got to go.

Yeah, all right.

We're going right into Siquirres right now.

It sounds like-- fingers crossed-- we

might have found a rescue for--

Trent, we got to go.

Are you ready?

Are you ready?

Seems like we may have found you a home.

Who's this? Is this Rouf?

Is this Rouf?

OK, stay.

All right, we are on our way to Siquirres

to try and make it there.

In about 30 minutes we are going to meet up with the vet.

We've never made an episode quite like this before,

and it's because of everyone out there

watching that has helped us find a way

to get a home for this dog.

Uh-oh. What?

Did he have an accident?

He just farted.

He just farted.

A little stinky in the car.

Who knows when this dog ever had a car ride?

Yeah, it looks like he maybe farted or maybe had an accident.

I don't know.

I'm just driving.

How you doing back there, stinker?

I know.

You've probably never been in a car before.

Guys, it's really bumpy back here,

and, well, I got a little bubble in my tummy

because I just ate my dinner.

So, Christina, your first international trip with Brave

Wilderness, and you found a dog out in the rainforest.

Tell us about that experience.

Well, it's always a wild time with the Brave crew,

and like them, I cannot stand watching an animal suffer.

It is absolutely one of the sweetest dogs,

and it's so well-mannered.

And it was hard to not take care of it,

so I'm really happy about social media coming to the rescue.

And hopefully we're going to find this precious, little puppy

at home.

Trent, how do you feel?

I'm a little sad, actually.

I kind of bonded to him, too.

He went with us the other night on our excursion,

and it was pretty cool to have a dog with us.

He seems like some sort of hunting dog.

He was running ahead, jumping in the forest, the rainforest.

And then he even chased down probably a frog or something.

So I'm a little sad.

He's become part of our team.

He's become part of the crew.

But we can't take him with us.

There's a big process to get him to the US.

And it's best that he stays here, and he finds a good owner.

And we're doing exactly that.

We have made it to the veterinarian.

This is an important first step.

All right, want to jump down?

Come on.

Good boy.

Good boy.

What's this?

Where are we?

Where are we, huh?

Back here. Come on.

We're going to do a little check-up.

Hi, I'm Coyote.

Nice to meet you.

Get up.

OK.

Perfect.

Very, very, very sweet.

Yeah.

He can be a little skittish, but, yeah, he's been--

he had some ticks in his ears and on his lip.

I got one off the lip and a couple out of the ears,

but there's still one more tick on his lip.

Very smart dog, very well-behaved.

Teeth look like they're in really good shape.

Kind of looked in his mouth and stuff like that.

So I'll let you guys do your thing,

and we'll just stand back and watch.

OK, perfect.

OK, great.

Take a little blood test, OK?

A little blood test.

It's like dropping your kid off at the doctor.

It's a little nerve-racking.

It does make me nervous to hear that when

they see ticks on dogs that they may have this blood disease.

The ticks were only on the lip and a couple on the ear,

so it's not like there's ticks covering the dog.

So fingers crossed, the blood test checks out.

Now this is not a rare occurrence here in Costa Rica.

We see lots of stray dogs everywhere, all around.

It's very important to spay and neuter your pets in case

they get out so they don't reproduce.

And this is an issue we also have in the US

and in many countries where you have stray animals,

whether it's cats and dogs.

And then they get diseases.

They affect local wildlife and just not good all around.

We'll hopefully see that this dog makes it

to a loving home that will take care of it

for the rest of its life.

Brave Wilderness is going to support

financially anything medically that Roufus

needs including this test.

Of course, he needs to be neutered

eventually so we're covering all of these expenses

for this pooch.

All right, let's hope for the best, and we'll keep you posted.

CHRISTINA WILSON [IN Hi.

Yeah.

Oh, my gosh, you're never going to believe this.

Roufus.

Rufus gave birth.

Oh, my gosh, they're dachshunds.

I have two baby dachshunds at home.

This is awesome.

Oh, my gosh, this is like a dream right here.

Hi.

Hi.

Oh, my gosh, your have puppy smell.

He has puppy smell.

Hi.

All right, Christina's taking a dog from Costa Rica,

Hey, look at that guy.

He's going. - Oh, no, where are you doing?

OK.

This is our update, and this result,

that dot compared to those dots, this is telling

us that he's got healthy blood.

Yeah.

Oh, that's so great.

Yeah.

Amazing.

So even though he had ticks on him,

no diseases were transferred.

Clean bill of health for Roufus.

That is a huge win.

This is all good news, guys.

Roufus, you skinny, little pooch, you

are healthier than you look.

That is so exciting.

So Amanda just got here.

Amanda is one of the people who has jumped into action

per our social media post.

Let's go outside, talk to her, find out

how she heard about this story.

She's going to be the one that's bringing

Roufus into her organization to ultimately help find him a home.

Hi, I'm Amanda.

Hi, I'm Coyote.

Nice to meet you.

Oh, my gosh, nice to meet you, too.

OK, come up here for just a second.

Amanda, we don't know you.

The audience doesn't know you, but you

are a huge step in saving Roufus, the dog that we

found in the rainforest.

How did you come to hear about this.

I saw on social media--

Facebook.

I'm in a lot of animal rescue, animal lover groups

here in Costa Rica.

This dog here in Siquirres needs help right away.

We live so close, which is unusual.

We're used to rescuing dogs very far away.

So I was like, if a dog is in our town, we're there.

We're coming.

So I've got some good news.

We just got back Roufus's blood tests.

He has no issues whatsoever.

That's fantastic.

Clean Bill of health thus far.

So what does that mean for bringing

him into your organization?

We can go ahead right away with getting him healthy,

getting him vaccinated, getting him neutered,

and that can actually make him available for adoption

in the states, all over Costa Rica.

OK.

So with everybody out there watching-- keep in mind

our audience is massive--

- and it's this audience that has helped us save this dog--

there may be somebody out there right now

that does want to adopt Roufus.

So you're saying Roufus could essentially be

shipped to the United States-- Absolutely.

- if somebody wanted to adopt him.

Absolutely.

OK, well, that's

certainly an important step.

We will talk to the audience about that,

but do you want to go inside and meet the pooch?

- Yes. - Come on.

Let's go check him out.

So this is him.

This is Roufus.

I made him a makeshift collar. - Hi.

How you doing?

Who's this cutie?

Look at the little tail wag.

A little stinky, but very--

- very adorable.

What you doing?

Good boy.

Good boy.

Mario, are you feeling pretty good?

I do.

Yeah, this is a full circle.

I actually have a little bit of tears in my eyes.

Aw. Aw.

Yeah.

I'll send you photos, videos, updates.

Yeah.

Add me on Facebook-- Mario.

What?

You're going to make me cry.

Roufus is going to a good home,

and they'll put him up for adoption there.

He'll be cleaned up.

We're getting food for him and send him on his way.

All right, buddy, that's it,

end of the road. - Thank you, Amanda.

The beginning of the road.

Oh, I mean end of the road for--

- us.

Beginning of the road.

I like that.

Amanda, thank you so much for coming to Roufus's rescue.

Thank you for helping him out.

We look forward to staying in touch--

Absolutely.

- and getting updates on his story.

- He's gonna get fat. - Yeah.

All right.

Congratulations. - Thank you.

You now have a Roufus.

I always wanted a Roufus.

You always wanted a farm, too, didn't you?

And two square meals a day?

And all the treats you could desire.

We did it.

We saved Roufus.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

I'm Mark Vins, and right now we

are in the outback of Western Australia,

looking for a truly bizarre creature.

And it's covered in razor-sharp spines.

Let's just say catching this one is going to hurt a little.

This creature is just as shy as it is sharp,

so first we have to track one down in this huge forest which

also happens to be home to another one

of the rarest and most endangered

animals on the planet.

But in order to catch this giant spike ball,

we're going to need to look for clues.

Oh, yeah, right there.

Check that out.

This is a termite nest.

This would be a perfect feast for the creature

that we're after today.

That tells me we are on the right track.

Let's keep searching.

Our second clue is that these creatures love

to hide near trees and stumps, so that's where we're

spending the most time looking.

The problem is this forest is full of hiding places.

This is like looking for a needle or a big pile

of needles in a giant haystack.

After hours of searching, we got lucky with the discovery

of a final clue.

That is a good sign right there.

That's some poop from the creature we're after.

You can see all the ants and termites in here.

That means we're getting close.

Oh. Right there.

That's an echidna.

Look at that.

Oh.

Yes.

That is what we have been looking for all morning long.

That is Australia's spikiest creature, the echidna.

And it is-- yeah, wow, that is sharp.

OK, the echidna from the top is a tank

riddled with spikes and a super tough skin,

but underneath the echidna is a soft belly.

And I'm going to try to work my hand underneath this animal,

so I can present it to you.

This is probably going to be a challenge.

Let's see if I can get my hand underneath.

Come here, buddy.

It's OK.

And he's just wriggling in there.

His spike--

he's getting me.

Now, unlike a porcupine, their spines can't release,

but they are super sharp nonetheless.

Ow.

OK.

OK, he's really wedged in there, guys.

This is going to be tough.

Yeah, getting nailed.

All right, I'm going to have to use some gloves here.

There's no way I'm going to be able to pry out this echidna.

It is basically puffing up its body,

using its spikes to wedge itself into this stump of the tree.

All right, here we go.

Luckily I always carry a good pair of gloves with me

on every adventure.

Here we go.

I want to get to the underside of the echidna that

is much softer, and that should allow

me to hold it for the scene.

But I'm going to have to do this really carefully.

I'm trying to work under all of the different spines.

There we go.

Uh-huh.

OK.

Now, these spines are nothing more than modified hair,

so this isn't hurting the echidna at all.

It's only hurting me.

Oh, you're sharp.

Ow, poked right through the glove.

OK, I've got the underside.

I've got the underside.

This is good.

OK, I think I feel this foot.

Ow.

Oh, my gosh, you are really.

Argh.

I'm getting spined so bad.

OK.

All right, I'm underneath him.

I'm underneath him.

This is good.

The underbelly is so much easier to contend with.

All right, right, got him.

Got him.

I've got the echidna.

We got one, guys.

That is the echidna.

Hello.

All right, let's go this way.

I see an opening over here.

This is perfect.

So I think for the echidna to be most

comfortable, it's going to mean a little discomfort for me.

I'm going to attempt to take my gloves off to do this scene not

only in hopes that the echidna will be more comfortable

and will show us that beak but also

as to show everyone why you should never pick up an echidna.

Oh, boy.

Hello.

This animal likes to hide by wedging

against the nearest object.

In this case, it's my foot.

Got to get to the soft belly part.

Ah.

Ow.

They're so sharp.

Ah, come here.

Come here.

Every time I try and pick him up,

his spikes break under the skin of my fingernails.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on, Knuckles.

Anybody who is a fan of the Sonic

the Hedgehog video game definitely knows

Knuckles the Echidna.

And you are tough as nails, Knuckles.

Yeah.

Hey, buddy, I'm going to put you on my knee if that's OK.

It's going through my pants.

Aargh.

Aargh.

Knuckles.

Oh, my gosh, it's so sharp.

OK.

Hi.

You are the spikiest creature I have

ever held with my bare hands.

Oh, my goodness.

OK, this animal from the topside is almost

bulletproof from any predator.

Not only does it have these sharp spines,

but the top hide is very tough.

Now, on the underside of the echidna--

on the underside of the echidna,

there's very soft underbelly along with its face.

Hopefully this echidna will get comfortable enough with me

today to show its little face because it is super adorable.

I'm trying to make it as comfortable as I can.

As discomforting as it is for me,

I want to show you that adorable, little beak,

the face of the echidna.

Come on, buddy.

I'm just going to hold it here and try to be silent.

Try to be silent.

Oh, my gosh.

He's poking his nose at me.

Come on. Come out.

Say hi.

Aargh.

Oh.

I think we're going to have an appearance of the echidna beak.

Hi.

Hello.

Come say Hi.

Oh, I can see the eyeball.

Come say hi.

Ah. Nope.

Nope. Nope.

Nope. That's a Nope.

Door was slammed.

There we go.

Give it a shot.

Show us your cute, little mug.

Oh.

Ah.

Trying to be quiet, fight through the pain,

'cause I want you to see the face of the echidna.

Come out.

Come out and show us.

Show us the face.

Here he comes.

Here he comes.

Here he comes.

Can you see him?

This is hell.

Guys, get the shot.

Get the shot.

Hi.

How are you?

I'm not doing good.

I hope you're doing well, though.

All right, guys, that is the beak of the echidna,

and that is very painful to get on camera.

Aargh, you little-- you little--

you little spikeball.

Argh.

Aaargh.

OK, OK, so you can see the boogery nose there.

These animals just recently were discovered

to be able to regulate their body heat by blowing

snot bubbles on their nose.

Oh, man.

OK.

Just got to work through the pain a little bit.

So an echidna feasts on a diet made up completely

of ants and termites.

In fact, this animal also has some of the best hearing

of any animal in Australia.

And it's so sophisticated, they can actually hear the termites

and the ants crawling underground which

is why we have to be so quiet.

Ah, this is so sharp.

It is so sharp.

And now compared to the hedgehog, an echidna

weighs a lot more.

I would say this echidna is in excess of 10 pounds.

Just the way it alone--

makes it super sharp, and its spines--

aargh-- its spines are so sharp, guys.

OK.

Now, if you get a shot of that foot,

you'll notice that it's actually backwards.

That is a very unusual trait.

A lot of times when people are tracking echidnas,

they will actually follow them the opposite direction because

of the fact that those hind feet are flipped

in the opposite direction.

These animals have long claws on the back of their feet

that are primed for digging, and the echidna

has the ability to dig in.

And a lot of times when you see these in the environment,

they are literally just a ball of spikes.

In fact, the only predator that really

targets the echidna here in Australia

is the feral, invasive fox.

They'll actually pee on the back of these animals

and get them to flip over to expose that soft underbelly.

From the top, the echidna is almost bulletproof.

From underneath, they're a little teddy bear.

And that's why it curls up into a ball just like this.

All right.

Look at that face.

Ow.

You hurt me.

You hurt me so.

OK, OK, put him down.

Put him down.

Definitely drew some blood.

That is like wildlife acupuncture.

I do not recommend it.

It's time to put our echidna back where we found it,

and honestly, I'm not sure who's happier about this--

me or the echidna.

My hands are on fire right now.

Ouch.

With the echidna safely back in its tree, and my hands

throbbing in pain--

- it's now time to track down one of the rarest

animals on the planet--

the numbat, one of the last living

relatives of the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger.

Most of the remaining numbats in the world

live in Dryandra National Park, but Dryandra

is completely surrounded by farmland,

trapping the numbats inside.

This forest is really the last place we can find them.

Spotting one is going to be really

challenging because they blend into the landscape perfectly.

Luckily, just like the echidna, numbats feed on termites, so we

know we're on the right trail.

We searched the forest really hard for over six hours

without a sign of anything.

It was a ghost town.

But just when I was thinking about giving up for the day,

I noticed something furry running through the bushes.

Oh, my gosh.

That's him.

Oh, my god.

There he is.

Found one.

I got him, I'm filming a numbat.

It's looking right at me.

I can't believe it.

Wow.

This is one of the last numbats on the planet.

Numbats are a critically endangered species with less

than 1,000 left in the wild.

Places like Dryandra National Park in Australia

are so important in protecting species like this

from going extinct, and that's why

it's important that this forest remains standing.

This has to be one of the rarest animals I've ever filmed.

What's he doing now?

What's he doing?

No.

Is he trying to crawl inside?

No way.

Never gonna fit.

Huh.

Look at his little legs go.

He can barely fit.

Is he gonna make it?

Oh.

Oh.

There he goes.

Gosh, that was awesome.