All language subtitles for B.W.S10E06.Baby.Rhino.Feeding.Time.Murder.in.Texas.A.Big.Fish.Crime.Story.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

Over the years,
I have had the chance

to work with many adorable
baby animals, but none of them

were built like a tank.

Today, I'm visiting the
Zululand Conservation

Trust's rhino orphanage.

And for the past
year, they have been

tending to the needs of a
little orphan rhino named Leko.

Leko arrived at the orphanage
several days after being born.

Malnourished and
grossly underweight,

he was extracted from the
wild because his mother had

an infected abscess on her
udder, which made it impossible

for him to properly feed.

The milk distributed from a
cow to her calf is crucial.

It contains a fluid known as
colostrum, which has rich levels

of antibodies necessary
to promote growth

and health in newborn mammals.

So in the wild, without it,
Leko would have certainly died.

Oh, it smells good.

This is not baby
rhino milk powder.

It is horse.

Millions of years
ago, rhinos and horses

shared a common ancestor.

And today, they are both
classified under the order

Perissodactyla.

That goes on top.

And now, it's time to feed Leko.

Yeah.

That is some serious
chugging power right there.

Now, at any point
do I want to give

Leko a little bit of a
break, or is it just-- uh-oh.

Dorothy.

That's Dorothy, Leko's friend.

I know, I didn't make
any milk for you.

I'm sorry.

Almost there.

Almost there.

And that's it.

You drank it all.

Coyote's special blend consumed
in just a matter of seconds.

And now we go to pellets.
Yes.

Hand feeding?
Yes.

So do I just kind of put it
flat like I was feeding a horse?

Oh.

Yeah, just
those big, squishy lips.

Yeah.
- OK.

All right.

Here we go.

We're going hand
into a rhino lip.

There we go.

Let me get my hand all
the way up in here.

OK.

Oh, their lips are so
squishy and very slobbery.

I'll be sure to use my hand
sanitizer after this, OK?

Nom, nom, nom,
nom, nom, nom, nom.

Ugh.

That is a handful
of baby rhino slime.

At the orphanage, Leko was
placed under the constant care

of Simoné, where he
was fed milk every two

hours, while plasma drip helped
strengthen his immune system.

Eventually, this
skinny little rhino

began to show signs
of improvement,

as his weight
increased and he gained

noticeable strength
to add to his

very rambunctious personality.

He's been in my
care at the at the facility

since he was day one.

Wow.

One-day-old. yeah.

So, we have a very strong bond.

That's really special for me.

I didn't actually
realize how a rhino could

bond with a human so closely.

And yeah, it's incredible.

White rhinos
are quite gregarious.

So once he was
healthy enough, Leko

was provided a
companion, an athletic,

all-attitude, "take no
funny business from anyone"

goat named Dorothy.

They were besties
at first sight.

And since that day, they
have been inseparable.

After a nutritious breakfast,
it was time for some exercise.

And you never know what's
going to happen when you enter

the paddock of an
800-pound baby who has

no concept of his own strength.

This is part of daily
enrichment right here,

being out in the exercise boma.

He's got little tail wag going.

Careful, careful.

Don't let him put his
head up in the air.

I see you, buddy.

I see you.

How many
months old is Leko?

10 months old.

At even 10 months, you can see
he is an absolute powerhouse.

Solid muscle.

Watch out for that horn.

Little treats.

He is rather
intimidating even at this size.

All he needs to do
is swing his head

once in the wrong direction.

If he catches your
knee, leg broken.

So he just doesn't know his
own strength at this size.

He's a very, very
powerful animal,

so we got to be extra careful.

Uh-oh.

Mario's stuck in the corner,
or is it electric fence?

I didn't know if it
was electric or not.

I was freaking out.

The outside horn in.

The outside horn in.

Got cornered by a rhino,
you know, just every morning

routine, you know?

Come on, Leko.

Let's see.

I'm going to come right here.

Yeah.

Good morning.

It's on the whole thing here.

I'll get some out.

There we go.

So cute.

Watch your hand.

Watch your camera.

Here.

Oh, boy, do you feel just
like an old baseball mitt.

I know.

Chin scratch?

OK.

Yeah, chin scratch.
That's it.

That's good.

You can see all the hoof
marks on him from Dorothy.

I didn't know what those
scrapes were initially

until I saw her jump up on him.

That it's so funny.

What's up, goaty?

Ooh.

Oh, look at that.
Oh.

The Zululand
Rhino Orphanage

takes in young animals
whose parents have either

become victims of poaching
or, like in Leko's case,

were unable to
properly care for them.

Leko will not be the last animal
to thrive under the supervision

of this orphanage.

And like those before him, he
will eventually be released back

into the wild to carry
on the future of rhinos

as another survivor
success story.

150 million years ago, a
torpedo-shaped armor-covered

predatory fish swam
virtually unchallenged

in the presence of dinosaurs.

Fast forward to the present
day and relatives of this beast

still swim, nearly
unchanged in design,

reigning as
freshwater megafauna.

Gar are masters of evolution.

They have survived beyond the
dinosaurs and everything that

came after, until
their existence ran up

against an inescapable fate--

humans.

I'm about to rock the
boat, and this episode

is about to make some waves.

On this wild fish chase, I will
be working alongside the Gar

Guys, Hayden, Max, and Florian.

Hayden is a graduate
student from Texas

A&M, who is
researching alligator

gar for his master's project.

While Max and Florian, two wild
Dutchmen and experienced gar

wranglers from the Netherlands,
are working in tandem

with Hayden's research as part
of their graduation internship

and the completion of
their master's degree.

These guys love fish more than
you can possibly comprehend.

So for me and
Mario, it's an honor

to document their
process and share

in their fight for the
conservation of this species.

So right now, what
we're doing is

using a scanner, the
Humminbird system,

to determine if there
are fish in this area.

And we are seeing little marks
show up on the scanner that

definitely look as if
they could be very large

fish, which is a good sign.

Max, do you like this spot?

We definitely like the spot.

It has some slack water,
and that's basically

what we need to
catch these fish,

because they really like
to be out of the current.

And we can actually
efficiently set our nets.

Otherwise, the current
would take them

and the fish won't swim in or
they would just bounce off.

So this seems to be a really
good spot to catch them.

OK.

So, this sounds like
this may be a spot for us

to cast the next gillnet.

Let's see if this is the lucky
location to catch a monster gar.

This simple-looking
yet high-tech device

reveals many of the
water's secrets,

including hidden obstacles
like trees, water depth

and, if we are lucky,
the distinct body

signatures of fish.

Rod and reel is a very
sporty way to fish for gar,

but setting a hook in their bony
mouths can be nearly impossible,

and places an incredible
amount of stress on the fish.

So to lessen the impact,
we will fish with gillnets,

200 feet wide by 10 feet tall.

We carefully stretch
these super-sized nets

across the river, one upstream
and another downstream.

Bright yellow buoys help
to keep the net afloat

while also working as
a signal to the team.

If a fish swims into and
becomes entangled in the net,

these bright indicators will
bob up and down, alerting

that a fish has been caught.

OK.

We officially have the first
two nets set in the water.

The next part of looking
for gar is called waiting.

We're going to spend about an
hour just watching the nets,

hoping that eventually the
buoys go beneath the surface.

Now, if one goes
all the way down,

Florian and Max said that
that pretty much means

you've got a monster fish.

So we're going to keep
our fingers crossed.

We like the spots
where the nets are set.

Now we sit and wait
and see what happens.

The term "river monster" is an
all too familiar description

of a seemingly
malicious animal that

lurks beneath the
surface of our planet's

flowing freshwater systems.

In fairness, it's also
the title of my all-time

favorite television series.

However, it's important to
redefine what the gar truly is.

Because the term "monster"
carries with it an unfairly

assigned notorious reputation.

Worldwide, there
are seven species

of these toothy
fish, three of which

we may encounter in this area.

The spotted gar,
which is beautifully

speckled in an uncoordinated
array of spots.

The longnose gar named for
its definitively slender

and noticeably elongated snout.

And the alligator
gar, which hails

as the largest and seemingly
most menacing of the gar gang.

Yes, they are big,
fast, armor-scaled,

and equipped with rows
of needle-like teeth,

but don't let their appearance
snap your initial assumptions

into false accusations.

Gar do not attack humans.

And honestly, the only
well-documented bites

derive from anglers that are
accidentally bitten while trying

to remove fishing hooks.

Yet it was uneducated
fearmongering dating back

nearly 100 years that
put the alligator

gar on a hit list of North
America's dangerous animals.

Sadly, populations have been
extirpated in many areas

of their natural range.

And if things
couldn't get worse,

now these fish
face a new threat--

bow hunting.

But before we kick the door
open on that sensitive topic,

first, we better check the nets.

OK.

Right now, we're
motoring up river

on our way to check one
of the nets that's been

sitting for about 40 minutes.

What?

We got some
movement in the buoy.

There may be a fish
up in this net.

OK.

We might have something.

All right, let's do it.

Right now we're just keep
an eyes on those buoys.

If there's a fish in there,
we don't want to startle it

because, while they may
get tangled up in the nets,

it's also rather
easy for them to get

out unless we get the net
actually curled around the fish.

So, fingers crossed.

We really like the way that
we have this set originally.

Oh, got a fish, fish.

Oh, for real?

Oh, no, no.

That's cool.

Oh, nice.

Wow!

Yes!
- All right, that's a good fish.

Look at that!

Oh, wow!

Is that good?

Yep.

Yes, please.

OK.

So right now, what Max is
doing is gently getting

the net out of the gar's teeth.

Very dangerous little
procedure here.

You got to use what
are called net hooks.

This is something he does not
lose a finger in the process.

Pretty one.

Take all the time.

This is
my first encounter

ever with a longnose gar.

Never seen one of these before.

It's beautiful.

Look how bluish in
coloration it is.

It's a decent
size longnose, too.

There it is.

There it is.

Amazing!

OK.

Look at that.

That is a longnose gar.

Now, longnose gar gets its name
because of that elongated snout.

If you take a good look
there, that mouth is filled

full of needle-sharp teeth.

They specialize in eating fish.

And you can see that
if you were a fish

and you got stuck in those jaws,
it would be a very bad day.

And look at the blue
iridescence in coloration.

This is an absolutely
beautiful fish.

And just like the alligator
gar, they are covered

in these armored scales.

Big eyes, bulbous, right
on the side of the head.

They have incredible vision.

And that streamlined
body basically makes

them a long, muscular missile.

Underwater, these fish
have incredible speed.

Now, these fish can stay out of
water for a significant amount

of time.

And right now the fish is
secreting this very thick

slippery mucus from its scales.

That's helping to
keep it hydrated.

We don't want to keep it out
of the water for too long.

What a beautiful fish.

I just can't get
over how incredible

and how prehistoric-looking
these animals are.

Now, I would say this is about
average size for a longnose gar.

They get quite a bit bigger
than this in some instances,

but for seeing a longnose
gar for the first time,

I don't think it can get
much better than this.

And the river always
makes you work for it.

You're not going to
get the alligator

gar on the first catch.

But seeing this species
is definitely something

that we hoped would
happen while out here

working with the Gar Guys.

Let's see here.

All right.

There we go.

All right.

Let's keep checking the net.

This is a good spot.

Yeah.

Right there.

Wait, is that--

Oh, that's a huge--
that's a big fin, man.

Oh, boy.

I got it.

Perfect.

That's perfect.

Look at that.

Our first alligator gar.

All right.

Whoa.

Woo!

All right.

Definitely have to watch out
for that snout and that skull

full of needle-sharp teeth.

All right.

So what we're doing
right now is safely

getting the gar out of the net.

The calmer we can keep the fish,
the less stress we put on it,

the better for its
health and safety.

That is a very good
size alligator gar.

Right now, we slide
it down a little bit.

OK.

You can see it's just
caught with its teeth.

Yup.

And that's what
usually happens

with the really big fish.

They get caught only
with their teeth.

Got the small tooth.

OK, fish is free.

Hold on.

Wow!

It's a big slimer, this one.

Look at my hands just covered--

Do you smell it?

- in gar slime.

Yeah, the smell--

Oh, that was a gulp.

Oh, yeah.

Very distinct smell as
compared to other fish.

Eyes covered
with the towel.

Yup.

So it experiences
less stress.

Yep, just
like alligators.

OK, I'll keep a towel over it.

OK, cool.

Let's get into the shade
and collect some biometrics.

Alligator gar!

There it is.

The Gar Guys collect meaningful
biometrics on any alligator

gar they catch, including
the fish's head length.

22.5.

Its full body length.

146 centimeters.

Wow.

And the girth circumference.

58.

The base
of its dorsal fin

is tagged with a unique
identification flag.

And a micro pit tag
is quickly inserted

so that if the fish is
caught in the future,

they can quickly scan and ID it.

Are you guys ready for this?

Meet the alligator gar.

Look at the size of that fish.

A true river monster and one of
the most ancient fish species

that still swims on this planet.

Remember, the
relatives of this fish

date back 100
million years, which

means that this
fish's cousins were

swimming amongst the dinosaurs.

Obviously, the head is
incredibly interesting.

And when I turn it like
this right toward you

and you look down
on top of the snout,

they get the name alligator gar
from that wide, broad snout.

It looks just like the
snout of an alligator.

And one other cool
aspect about the skull

is the fact that these
bones are interlocking

with this fleshy cartilage that
allows the skull to expand.

So if this fish catches a
prey larger than it can fit

in its mouth, its skull actually
stretches almost like a snake,

and then it's able
to position its prey

and swallow it down whole.

And when you look down the
length of this fish's body,

it is incredibly streamlined.

If we lift it up
just a little bit,

like a large muscular missile.

Oh, come here, buddy.

When you get down to the
tail, the dorsal fin is

way down near the caudal fin.

And that tail
works like a rudder

to help propel this fish forward
through its watery environment.

This fish is about as slippery
as it gets in this direction.

But if you run your
hand backwards,

it almost feels like sandpaper.

When you see the fish coming
up to the surface like that

and biting, it's not
because it's aggressive,

it's actually taking
a breath of air.

Remember, this
species is very unique

and that it has
bimodal respiration.

It is able to breathe
either at the surface

or through its gills.

And it can take 30 to
40 years for a fish

to reach just this size.

So getting protections
in place to make sure

that the future of this
species is preserved

is incredibly important.

And the work that the
Gar Guys are doing,

and our ability to
feature this fish species,

will hopefully help to
get protections in place

so that these fish are on
the planet for 100 million

more years.

What an incredible giant.

I've gone my entire
life wanting to see

an alligator gar in the wild.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

All right, here it goes.