All language subtitles for Baby Animals Series 1 08of13 Surrogate Families 1080p

NARRATOR: All mammals need care

and attention
when they're babies.

But what happens when mom
isn't around

to provide that care?

Sometimes, a surrogate family
plays that supporting role,

and can help take a baby animal
to the next stage of life.

(♪♪♪)

(Birds chirping)

This is Tina.

She's a 10-month-old wombat.

Since she was 3 months old,

she's been at the Bonorong
Wildlife Sanctuary

in Tasmania, Australia.

GRAHAM: Her mother was hit
and killed by a car

and someone pulled over

and checked the pouch
of the mother

and found Tina
when she was quite small

and came into our care
after that.

NARRATOR: Wombats are distant
relatives

of the better known marsupials,
kangaroos.

Their evolution diverged
more than 40 million years ago.

When Tina arrived
at the sanctuary

without a mother
to provide a pouch,

her caregivers
had to be creative.

GRAHAM: We provide
a makeshift pouch,

especially for
the younger wombats

for the first year or so.

Until they start to
live underground

at about a year and a half
of age.

That's done by a inside-out
pillowcase

into a blanket
or a large beanie,

something that'll insulate
their body heat,

and once they get in there
and it smells like them

and it's nice and dark
and quiet and warm,

they think they're back
in mom's pouch.

NARRATOR: In the wild,

the wombats would normally nurse
until they're about a year old.

Here, Tina is bottle-fed
with a special formula

designed to suit
her stage of life.

(♪♪♪)

At the Sanctuary,
these young wombats

start to prepare
for the real world.

Grass, roots
and shrubs of all kinds

become a much bigger part
of Tina's diet,

just like they are
for wild wombats.

(♪♪♪)

Like all wombats,

Tina's equipped with some
very handy physical traits

to help cope
with eating tough plants.

GRAHAM: They have teeth
that are hollow

and grow back
throughout their lives.

They're the largest burrowing
marsupial

and largest burrowing mammal
on the planet.

They're just a unique animal.

NARRATOR: Wombat burrows
are architectural feats

that can be up to 65 feet long.

They're often a series
of interconnected tunnels

that have multiple entrances
and exits.

GRAHAM: Tina's dug herself
a few really cool burrows

with really nice
strong ceilings,

rocks and other logs and objects
at the roof of the entrance,

which is a great instinct
that she's showing.

She's not digging them
straight down

where the rain's going to go,

they go into the side
of a mound of dirt,

which is fantastic.

NARRATOR: Wombats are
built for digging.

They have powerful front legs
and strong claws

that help them dig through
almost anything.

And they have a rather
unusual way of keeping

unwanted visitors
out of their burrows.

GRAHAM: Tina and all wombats
have a cartilage plate

on their rear end.

It usually is about
half an inch thick

and can be quite large.

So they use this
as a doorstop.

So if they're threatened
by a predator,

they can run back
to the entrance of their burrow,

not run inside and hide

'cause they could be
followed inside,

they'll block it off.

And it's not many nerves
in this part of the body

so if they're bitten
by a predator,

it doesn't really cause them
any harm.

NARRATOR: What comes
out of a wombat's rear end

is also a bit unusual.

GRAHAM: They have
unique poos or scats,

it's not circular
like with most marsupials,

it is square.

That's important
because they are territorial

and solitary,

so they do this as a square
so it'll stay in place.

Other wombats will see it,
and being a square,

they can even stack it up
like a little pyramid

and that makes it more obvious
to other wombats as well.

Researchers know
bits and pieces.

No one's been able to explain
100% why it's square.

NARRATOR: Tina just keeps
going about her business,

whatever that might be!

As cute and cuddly
as she is now,

Tina will be considered an adult
by the time she's 2 years old.

She could be up to 3 feet long,
and weigh as much as 60 pounds.

Her personality will also
undergo a dramatic change.

In the wild they turn and get
very aggressive and solitary

and they don't like to hang out
with their mother anymore.

Tina's biological urge
to be alone

makes her a perfect animal
to release back into the wild.

GRAHAM: So while a lot of
other species are released

and they still have that
instinct

of humans provide food
and comfort,

wombats lose that
and don't like us.

And because they lose that

and they have all their
right burrowing

and defense instincts,
they do very well,

and some research has found that

they have a 96% chance
of survival on release,

which is very, very good
for us to know

that when we're
sending them out there.

NARRATOR: It's a potential
happy ending for this friendly--

well, friendly for now at least,
wombat.

(♪♪♪)

Clouded leopards
have a reputation

for being elusive and shy.

And yet these two cubs
seem anything but.

That might be
because 5-month-old sisters

Faith and Hope,

born at the Nashville Zoo
in Tennessee,

are in a new habitat.

Their instinct to explore
has taken hold.

Their long tails,
their pretty camouflage,

and their non-stop movement

make these rare cubs
a mesmerizing pair to watch.

RICE: One of the things that
makes clouded leopards so unique

is that, first off,

a lot of people
have never heard of them.

But they are one of the most
beautiful cats.

And they're very charismatic.

NARRATOR: At their tender age,

most cubs would still be
with their mother.

Although their mom
lives at the zoo,

clouded leopards can sometimes
be aggressive

towards their offspring.

So, these two have
a foster family instead.

RICE: We hand raise most of
our clouded leopard cubs

here at the zoo

because we lose about half
of the cubs that are born

if they're left
with their mothers naturally.

So we hand raise them

and the mortality drops down
to near nothing.

NARRATOR: Clouded leopards
are endangered in the wild.

But estimates
of their population vary

because these cats
can be so hard to find.

One thing is indisputable,
they're natural born climbers.

Whether it's in their
native Southeast Asia

or here in Nashville.

RICE: As soon as they can,
they start to climb.

It's not very graceful
at first,

but it doesn't take them long

till they're very adept
climbers.

NARRATOR: It makes sense,

since clouded leopards
are an arboreal species,

meaning they live
in the treetops.

As a result,

the animals have adapted
over time in important ways.

First is that super long tail.

RICE: Clouded leopards
have one of the most

magnificent tails of any cat.

They use these tails
for balance mostly,

kind of like a tightrope walker
would do when they carry a pole.

NARRATOR: Those short, stubby
little legs play a role too.

RICE: Those give them
a low center of gravity

which makes climbing
a lot easier.

In addition to that,
they have really large feet

with very sharp claws which,
again, help with the climbing.

NARRATOR: And there's one
other secret tool they possess.

RICE: Clouded Leopards
have a special joint

in their back feet,

which enables them to climb
head first down a tree.

It enables their feet
to turn and hold on backwards.

NARRATOR: These flexible
ankle joints make them
arboreal acrobats...

...sometimes.

Faith and Hope are trying

everything on for size
in their new home.

Splashing at their
watering hole.

Jumping and pouncing.

And then pouncing some more.

It's all play now,

but that behavior mimics
how they would hunt in the wild.

They're well equipped to do so.

RICE: Clouded leopards
have the largest canine teeth

in proportion to their
body size.

Meaning that their teeth
are bigger in their skull

than a tiger's are
in their skull.

A clouded leopard male
could have

a canine tooth that is anywhere

from 2-1/2 to
maybe 3 inches long,

which is a very,
very long canine tooth.

NARRATOR: When they were born,

Faith and Hope
were 3 inches long,

the same size as that tooth.

Now several months older,

they're filling out
quite nicely.

Those spots of theirs
will change over time, too.

RICE: As the cats grow,

it's almost
as if their bodies elongate

and then those spots elongate
along with 'em

giving them that clouded effect.

NARRATOR: When they're
fully mature,

these girls will weigh
as much as 30 or 35 pounds each.

And by the age of two,

Faith and Hope will be ready
to have cubs of their own.

For this endangered species,
that's promising news.

RICE: We don't know
a whole lot about

clouded leopard behavior
in the wild.

There've been so few of them
studied.

They're very elusive,
they're extremely hard to find.

And most of what
we know about them

we're learning from zoos.

NARRATOR: For example,

researchers have determined
that clouded leopards

are not leopards at all,

but instead belong
to the same group of big cats

that includes lions and jaguars.

Hope and Faith
might help researchers unlock

other secrets about
their species in the future.

(♪♪♪)

But for now,
they're just having fun!

(♪♪♪)

They're not tiny, helpless
newborns.

But by polar bear standards,

brothers Eli and York
are still infants.

They were born in the Arctic,
but were facing a grim future.

That is,
until the Assiniboine Zoo

in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
stepped in to save them.

ENRIGHT: What happened is their
mom was accidentally injured

and ultimately died
of her injuries.

These two cubs were around

11 months of age
at the time,

so they were not old enough
to survive on their own,

so we went up north
and we brought the bears down.

NARRATOR: Eli and York
will never have a mother
to guide them.

But, after only a month
of being at the zoo,

they seem to be
finding their way.

ENRIGHT: They rely on
one another quite a bit.

We've always had twins
or two that came together

and they lean on one another,

they get comfort
from one another.

While they wouldn't be able
to survive

without mom in the wild,

they are able to do quite well
on their own here in the zoo.

NARRATOR: There are other signs
that the cubs are doing well.

They're gaining weight

at a healthy rate
of 1 pound a day.

And while the zoo is home
to several rescued polar bears,

these are the first males
in their care.

It will give staff a window
into male development.

While female adult bears
might weigh around 600 pounds

the males are on a whole
different scale.

ENRIGHT: What really
sets the males apart is

these little bears
that are born this tiny

eventually get to be 1,200,
1,300 pound bears,

which is absolutely huge.

So we watch these
male bears grow

and it's just phenomenal.

NARRATOR: In the wild,

Eli and York would become
fully-grown adults

at around 7 years of age.

In captivity,

they'll reach this size
by the time they're 4 or 5.

That's because in the wild,
they'd have to hunt

and might go without eating
for a while,

but here the cubs
will never go without food.

Their diet is rich
with the vitamins,

minerals, fats and proteins
they need to thrive.

With snacks stuffed
in their toys,

getting to the "chow"
provides a bit of a challenge,

but also gives the cubs
a chance to play.

(♪♪♪)

But it's much harder work
to find food in the Arctic.

Polar bears will swim
in the open ocean

in search of prey.

Big paddle-like front paws

and partially webbed toes
make them great swimmers.

A layer of fat
and their thick, oily skin

protects them in cold,
Arctic waters.

Polar bears occasionally hunt
young walrus and small whales,

but their diet is almost
exclusively seals.

ENRIGHT: Polar bears are
highly evolved to eat seals.

At the zoo, our polar bears
get ground meat sort of diet

and whole fish.

NARRATOR: In the wild,

Eli and York's exceptional
sense of smell

would help them hunt.

Scientists believe polar bears
can smell a seal

from several miles away.

Polar bears also have
amazing patience.

In the winter months,

wild bears stake out
breathing holes in the sea ice,

waiting until seals
poke their heads out.

ENRIGHT: That's the time of year

that they're really geared up
to eat a lot of seals

and put on a lot of weight

to get them through
the summer months

when they're not eating
and not able to find any food.

So during that summer time
bears--

polar bears in particular
they slow down.

They rest, they relax,
they conserve their energy.

(♪♪♪)

NARRATOR: Eli and York's
laid-back style might be because

their bodies are getting used to
the local temperatures.

ENRIGHT: These bears came
from much further north

and while Winnipeg
is certainly a cold area,

right now we're well below
zero already,

these bears were
in an environment

that's sub-Arctic.

So those polar bears
are just chilling out,

trying to get rid of
a little bit of extra heat

because it's a little bit warmer
than they're used to.

NARRATOR: Eli and York
are getting comfortable

in their new environment,

and once they're bigger
they will meet other bears.

ENRIGHT: Polar bears in the wild
are solitary

but they do spend time
interacting with one another.

Even if it's simply smelling

that another polar bear
has been in the area

or at times
playing with one another.

Here in the zoo we find
that they really do

enjoy each other's company.

They play, they interact

and they don't have to compete
over anything.

They really tend to get along
quite well.

NARRATOR: This is Gemma,

a tiny eastern quoll
in a polka-dot coat.

She arrived at
the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

in Tasmania, Australia,

after being orphaned
at just 2 months of age.

Eastern quolls used to live
throughout Australia.

But these marsupials became
extinct on the mainland

in the early 1960s.

Now they're only found
on Tasmania.

Despite Gemma's youth,

she's already been given
an important mission in life.

Gemma will help reintroduce

eastern quolls
to mainland Australia

for the first time
in more than 50 years.

But all that lies in the future.

Right now,
she's still a baby.

And she needs plenty
of attention from her keepers

at the Sanctuary.

IRONS: Gemma, so she's
one that came into us

after being injured
in the wild.

One of the most astonishing
things about all marsupials

is how small they are
when they're born

and eastern quolls really
take this to a whole new level.

So if we're looking
at their size,

you're looking at sort of
1.5 grains of rice

potentially in size,

so you're looking at this
tiny thing

literally about this big.

NARRATOR: Now that Gemma
is 4 months old, she's
bigger and stronger,

and she's taking her first steps
towards independence.

She's being weaned off
baby formula

and she's starting to eat
like a wild adult quoll.

IRONS: Our quolls get
a real variety of food

ranging from different
sorts of meats,

from chicken to fish
to even some wallaby

and things that they'd find
in the wild.

NARRATOR: Full-grown
eastern quolls are
fierce nocturnal predators

with strong jaws and excellent
night vision.

Although at 2-feet long
they're still tiny and cute.

Adult eastern quolls

are about the size
of a small cat

and eat anything
from fruit and eggs,

to insects and reptiles.

Those prominent polka dots

are actually night-time
camouflage

that help them blend in
with their background.

These mini marsupials
are one of the top predators

in their native habitat.

The only one bigger
is the Tasmanian Devil.

Quolls are in the same family
as Tasmanian Devils,

and are more distantly related

to the now-extinct
Tasmanian Tiger.

Like Tasmanian tigers,

competition
from invasive species

led to the Eastern Quoll's
extinction on the mainland

in the 1960s.

The main culprits
were feral cats.

IRONS: Feral cats ate
all the same things

that a quoll does and they're
much more efficient at hunting,

much more efficient
at finding the food

and will quite happily take out
a quoll

if they feel that they need to.

NARRATOR: But now that feral cat
populations are under control,

eastern quolls
have a chance to thrive.

Their return should help
control insect, reptile

and rabbit populations.

The Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

is headquarters
for the breeding program

where 40 eastern quolls
are being bred

for eventual release.

The plan is to limit
their interaction with humans

so that they're as wild
as possible.

They will soon be reintroduced
to the mainland

at Booderee National Park.

Little Gemma is already
too used to people

to be released into the wild,

but she's still vital
to the program's success.

IRONS: Her genetics,
being from a wild background,

could be really important
to that breeding program,

and being hand raised
from such a young age,

she hasn't got as good
a chance of survival

as what she could give back
to her species

going into this program.

NARRATOR: Many invasive animals
have had a negative effect

on species endemic to Australia.

But eastern quolls are ready
to make a potential comeback.

Gemma could play a major role
in returning her species

to its historical range.

IRONS: An animal left only on
an island is always at threat

of plummeting in number
very quickly

so we must try and keep
their numbers high now

before it becomes a situation
of trying to fix it

when they're too low.

NARRATOR: If everything goes
according to plan,

there will soon be a healthy
eastern quoll population

on the Australian mainland.

And Gemma will be the matriarch
of the pioneers.

These baby animals
faced a future without a mom.

But, luckily,

they had others who stepped in
to nurture and support them.

Human caregivers
can do wonders.

And sometimes,
a sibling goes a long way

in providing a little bit
of love.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)