Original subtitles

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'When it comes to true friendship,

shape, size, or even species is irrelevant.

Respect, trust and understanding

can be found in the most surprising places,

creating incredible connections

that change our lives.

From daily catch-ups...' (MAN CHUCKLING)

They do make me laugh, jumping around.

NARRATOR: '..To unlikely kinships.'

(TIANA)So cute!

NARRATOR: 'And acts of kindness

that grow into lasting commitment.

(SHEREE) Hello, sweetie.

NARRATOR: 'The bond of friendship is universal.'

(GENTLE MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'In Florida, USA, on the Gulf of Mexico,

lies a small waterside community.

Home to Dave Cox and his rather unusual housemate and companion.'

I was born in Denver, Colorado,

and pretty much lived there my whole life.

Grew up with goats, um, dogs, cats,

the typical pets, then throughout our life,

my brother and I, we had... Oh, my goodness,

ferrets and hamsters, um,

mice, a couple mice.

When my dog passed, that was really hard.

When I would look into his eyes,

he was like: "I'm here for you, Dave."

He was such an amazing friend.

I never imagined I could replace that connection.

NARRATOR: 'In 2015, soon after moving to Florida...

..another creature would change his mind

in ways he never thought possible.

(DAVE) I was still mourning the loss of my dog,

and it just struck me, I was like: "You know what?

"I need a sweet little companion."

But, never imagined considering even

bringing a farm animal into the house.

Bit of a spur of the moment type.

The name just came to me.

Good morning!

"You're Sammy...

"Sammy Chicken."

(SAMMY CLUCKING)

Hi, Sammy.

Are you hungry?

(SAMMY CLUCKS) Oh, yum-yum.

NARRATOR: 'Sammy is a Rhode Island Red chicken.

She's five-and-a-half years old.'

Come on, girl. Let's go outside.

We always share a banana. Every morning together,

it is our morning routine.

Yum-yum?

You are definitely a messy eater, aren't you.

Can I have a piece?

Look at the forecast whether we're going to out on the water,

um, kayaking, paddle-boarding.

Or sometimes, we do have to go to work,

and, um, make money, to pay the bills.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC, SAMMY CLUCKING)

NARRATOR: 'Dave works in residential construction,

always accompanied by his feathered assistant.'

All right, girl.

We will, kind of, pack our lunch,

uh, get in the pick-up and head off to the job site.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

You're so soft, Sammy.

She's definitely my best friend. She just stays with me.

She hangs out with me, um, on the job site.

You gotta help me put the board up.

Who's gonna hold the other end?

Inside, outside, she just very well adjusts.

Sammy, am I in the right spot?

(SAMMY CLUCKS)

(HAMMERING)

We talk during the day.

I'll call out to her, and she'll just, kind of, cluck back.

Like: "Here I am. Everything is good."

(SAMMY CLUCKS)

Yeah. Oh, you're right.

You're right, it's another 12 inches.

NARRATOR: 'Since Sammy came into Dave's life,

the pair have taken to exploring

as much of the US as possible.'

(DAVE) Every weekend, I thought: "You know what?

"Let's go somewhere different."

I'm a twin, um, identical twin.

He passed away, uh, a few years ago.

He was... He was my best friend.

He had a tremendous dream to travel.

He wanted to see the world, but

didn't have that opportunity.

And so, um...

I'm really sorry. (SNIFFLES)

(VOICE WAVERS) Um...

As I started taking my road trips,

it is almost like Sammy is...

..Derek.

Um, like my twin, and...

through Sammy's eyes...

(STAMMERS)

I get to take my twin brother with me,

and to see the things that he...

TEARFULLY: ..was never able to see.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Today, Dave and Sammy are heading out

for some midweek entertainment.'

Are you excited, Sammy?

We're almost there.

NARRATOR: 'A trip to see some friends

play at the Crystal River little league.'

We're, here, Sammy...

(CROWD CHEERING)

WOMAN: Woo!

(WOMAN) Softball, ready!

(DAVE) Shall we?

When we attend these events,

definitely we are a bit of an attraction.

(CHILDREN CALLING OUT)

I have never seen a chicken at a baseball game.

Really?Yeah. I would imagine

she's excited for the refreshments.

(CROWD CHEERING)

Oh, my goodness. Popcorn?

That would be amazing. Thank you!

Want some popcorn? What's your chicken's name?

Her name is Sammy.- Sammy?Yeah.

Look, she really likes that popcorn.

(DAVE) Thank you very much.

I think something that is really sweet

is the children come up to pet her,

to say hi to her.

You wanna pet her?

Why don't you guys come up here?

It is truly, um, just exciting to see the...

Their reaction, asking questions about her.

So, go ahead and put it up there for her.

Do you want some?

(CHILD 1)Wow! (CHILD 2) Ow! (GIGGLES)

Wasn't too bad. More startling.

I couldn't tell you how many hundreds of thousands of times

kids, adults, have said: "Her feathers are so soft."

Or: "Wow, look at her orange eyes.

"I never looked at a chicken's face

up close like this before."

So, this is her comb.

If she'll let you feel it, it kinda feels like a gummy worm.

If she'll let you feel it. And then, this is her wattle.

To me, it feels like a Fruit Roll-Up.

You ever had a Fruit Roll-Up? Yeah.

Yeah. (CHILD LAUGHS)

Good game, guys! So, why don't we get a photo,

then you guys can pet her? (KIDS GASP)

Would that work? Yeah!

Can I kneel down next to you guys? Of course.Yeah.

Wow!

(LAUGHTER)

(MAN) OK, smile!

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

(MAJESTIC MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'But it's the time spent one-on-one

which Dave treasures the most.'

(DAVE) When we're in the kayak and she's looking around...

There's a turtle in the water. Do you see it poking its head up?

She gives me pause to appreciate

the beauty that is surrounding us.

Do you see something?

They understand love.

She doesn't come up and lick my face like my dog did.

Oh, I love you, girl.

She has her way of showing it.

Almost every night, um, I lie down on my bed,

she jumps up on the bed, and she climbs up onto my chest,

and she puts her head up close to my neck,

and she just sits there with her head there.

When you see something like that, I was like:

TEARFULLY: "You've come into my life right when I needed you."

Um... Sorry.

She means the world to me.

OK, I guess we'll go back.

This was fun, wasn't it?

NARRATOR: 'Our animal friends come in many shapes and sizes.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

'In the miniature village of Bramble, England...

..the residents are just starting their day

when they're paid a visit by the village giant.'

(DULL THUDS)

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

(JEZ) My name's Jez Robinson, I live in Rotherham, Yorkshire,

and we share the garden with two mice families.

I think they're amazing. I really do.

(CHEERFUL MUSIC)

It's like a little wildlife sanctuary, to be honest, the garden.

We get birds, hedgehogs, foxes, frogs.

There's all the wildflowers that run along the front of the garden.

They're all designed for the bees, insects, butterflies.

And then, obviously, we get two mice families that live up there.

I can see one. Good afternoon, mouse.

It's only me, don't worry.

NARRATOR: 'For the last three years,

Jez has been sharing his garden with a group of mice.'

Good afternoon, little mouse. How are you?

NARRATOR: 'And they've come to mean a lot to him.

He's even named them the Honeysuckles

and the Bramble family.'

I think I've gained trust of them because they understand my voice.

They know when I talk, they don't shoot off and disappear.

They are very much wild, but it's nice.

It's a nice feeling, it really is.

(LIGHT MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'It was by chance that Jez discovered the mice.

A keen wildlife photographer,

he used to spend his time in nearby national park,

the Peak District.'

I'll get up around half four, quarter to five,

make a flask of coffee, jump in the car

and just park up and walk up by the river,

get to the spot and start photographing them.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

I've been going there for a long time.

Watch the deers rut on the big moor, photographing them.

NARRATOR: 'Covid lockdown in 2020

meant that Jez wasn't able to leave his house and visit the moors.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

But he refused to put his camera down.

(JEZ) When we were told we couldn't go out,

I thought I'd get some nice photos of goldfinch, greenfinch and other birds that visit.

While I were up here, I literally were pointing my camera,

and spotted a mouse on t'decking.

Took a photo, and I've been photographing and filming 'em ever since.

It never occurred in my wildest dreams

that they'd come, and I'd be stood next to them

in't hedge, waiting for me to feed 'em.

NARRATOR: 'Jez was immediately smitten with his rodent friends,

and began spending every afternoon in his garden with them.'

Around three o'clock, when I finish work,

the mice never fail to come out. They come out every single time.

There's one at the moment, he's got a kink in his tail,

and we've called him Twiglet.

Um, there's another one, called Poppet.

That's Poppet.

NARRATOR: 'Poppet has a remarkable rescue story.

Being cared for first by Jez,

and now by the Bramble mouse family.

One of my neighbours fetched it, found it on the path near t'road,

I looked after it for a week, and released it to the mouse family.

They've adopted four mice, now, in three years,

and they look after 'em, and I think that's absolutely amazing.

NARRATOR: 'Mice can live in groups of up to two dozen,

and are known to raise each other's babies.

No surprise, then, that they've accepted Poppet -

and even Jez - as their own.

The ones you recognise are quite individual,

and they have got their own unique personalities.

NARRATOR: 'But with birds of prey in the area,

Jez became worried about his mouse family's safety.'

(JEZ) We do get sparrowhawks in the garden,

so I thought: "I'll build 'em a little wall."

So, I built 'em a stone wall.

Then, what I also did, we made them some little houses.

So, just a bit more safety, bit more protection.

I've got quite a few little houses. There's Bramble Cottage,

that's one I made from wood and tree bark.

And they've got a pub. I made them a church.

NARRATOR: 'Bramble village is a constant work in progress.

I've made a little house. I've just finished painting it,

so I've got to add chimneys on.

So, what I'm gonna do is, I'm just gonna get some glue,

and these are gonna be fitted onto the house.

You can't have a house without a chimney. (CHUCKLES)

So, this will be installed into...

We'll actually make it in a permanent place,

but where it'll be going is in the corner,

uh, so the mice can have their own pub.

And that'll be called the Frog and Mouse.

It's got disco lights, flash.

No, seriously.

At the touch of a button.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Building houses is not Jez's only hobby

that has come about thanks to the mice.

I've been sending photos each week,

uh, to my grandkids, Noah and Minnie.

I posted a few on my Facebook page, and Noah and Minnie said:

"Grandad, "why don't you start a Facebook page?

These photos are beautiful."

By December, I'd got nearly 5,000 followers.

Crazy.

Good afternoon, guys. Welcome to our garden on this, uh,

Thursday afternoon.

We're live on Facebook

with a mouse family that live by the brambles.

(LAUGHS)

Yeah, little Poppet's in the hedgerow, now.

Earlier on this morning, he were down below.

I go live every day. I have been doing for over a year, now.

And look at Twiglet. I don't know if you can see Twiglet,

with t'tail. You can see the kink in its tail.

(LAUGHS) Still going strong.

Fast forwarding to three years,

and I've 193,000 followers on Facebook,

and with the other social media platforms,

I think it totals around 300,000 followers.

How crazy's that?

Absolutely magical. Oh! (CHUCKLES)

Hello, you!

They give people a smile, a big smile,

and that's what it's all about.

Well, they certainly put on a show for us, today.

(LAUGHS)

Thanks for joining us, and thanks for that, mice.

Absolutely brilliant. Superstars, yet again.

(ETHEREAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Jez shows his appreciation

by offering the mice a homemade treat.

(JEZ) Call it Yorkshire tea. We're in Yorkshire.

And I make that from crushed peanuts,

hazelnut paste and, um,

rose hips what I collect from the meadows just over the hill.

And I mash it all up, put it in the blender,

mix it all up, and it... into a paste. The mice absolutely love it.

Just putting a bit of this Yorkshire tea mix on. They do love it.

Can see how much they like it. Uh, excuse me, mouse.

Taking it off my stick.

I feel blessed that they trust me.

It's quite a unique friendship with these little creatures.

Like a bit of a human friendship.

Look how much they enjoy that.

Close their eyes: "Mm, yum, yum, yum, Yorkshire tea."

(LAUGHS)

I do love the mice. You get attached to them, you really do.

They're the cutest little creatures you'll ever see,

with their little pink noses and their big ears.

Yeah, absolutely amazing.

Just gives me a big smile.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: 'Whilst some friendships are carefree,

others come with great importance and responsibility.

(SOFT MUSIC)

'In the shadow of Mount Kenya

is the 140 square mile Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy.

A protected wonderland where East Africa's animals

can roam safe from human harm.

And there's two creatures here that need extra special protection.

Fatu and Najin are the last two northern white rhinos on the planet.

(PENSIVE MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'One man has a unique bond

with this pair of beautiful and precious animals.

Fatu!

(CHEERFUL MUSIC)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: 'Najin is mother to Fatu,

who is distinguishable by her broken horn.

They came to the conservancy from a zoo in Europe.

They now live in the semi-wild,

amongst a group of southern white rhinos.'

No, stay!

Fatu!

NARRATOR: 'There is one more sound that Zach recognises

from this thick-skinned duo.'

(LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: 'Zach's love for rhinos began over 20 years ago.'

(ETHEREAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Zach has dedicated his life to Najin and Fatu.

NARRATOR: But extinction is inevitable.

When Najin and Fatu die, their species will be gone.

In a peaceful area of the conservancy,

Zach likes to pay his respects to an old friend.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Sudan was the father of Najin.

He lived until he was 45,

and died of natural causes.

But other rhinos were not so fortunate.

NARRATOR: 'Without the protection from the conservancy

and the care of Zach,

Najin and Fatu would also be hunted

and killed for their horns.

Stop!

NARRATOR: 'Zach is determined to ensure

that Najin and Fatu live out the rest of their days

in the best possible way.'

(DISTANT SIRENS)

NARRATOR: 'Some creatures are harder to love than others.

Los Angeles, California.'

(LIGHT MUSIC)

Good morning, guys!

What are you doing, sweetie?

Did you guys sleep well?

You're all waking up!

NARRATOR: 'These close companions

are not for the faint-hearted.

(TENSE DRAMATIC MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Tiana Gayton is friends with 20 spiders.'

(CHUCKLES) So cute!

(SOFT MUSIC)

I call them "web puppies." (CHUCKLES)

They're so cute!

NARRATOR: 'But none come as close in Tiana's affections

as one special arachnid.'

Here we go.

My best friend is Rose,

and she is a regal jumping spider.

Hi, sweetie!

I look forward to spending time with her every day.

I absolutely love Rose.

I've had Rose the longest, and she's literally

changed my whole perspective of spiders.

NARRATOR: 'It hasn't always been a web of love.'

I used to actually be afraid of spiders.

I would, you know, be terrified if I saw one on the wall,

or if I saw one running across, I would panic, literally.

NARRATOR: 'Tiana decided that something needed to change.

I realized that I wanted to intentionally conquer my fear,

and that's when it all started.

NARRATOR: 'She jumped in at the deep end,

inviting some new friends into her home.'

(TIANA) They're all in their individual little habitats

that I made by hand, including the tree houses

and, you know, I put the little trees

and little stumps in there.

NARRATOR: 'Tiana's companions are regal jumping spiders,

native to the US and Caribbean.'

So, this is Toby.

Um, I made that tree house,

and I wrap it in moss.

Um, this is actually the base of the moss

that I put on the bottom.

Um, he gets a bench, a couple pine cones.

Um, the ladders, I actually put two ladders together,

because his was a little higher up.

Um, and he's actually in his tree house, right now.

(CHEERFUL MUSIC)

With the tree houses, I actually, um,

bought pieces of wood and designed them.

They're all unique according to, um...

You know, just different unique styles that I created.

They actually really love their spaces,

and they, you know, roam about,

and, you know, sit on their benches to relax.

They'll make tiny little, I call them hammocks.

They'll put one in their house, even put one down by a tree,

so they have options on where to sleep at night.

It's just really adorable to watch them actually

make their tree house, uh, habitats their own.

Here we go.

There you go!

That's Rose.

Here she is.

You looking at everybody?

Say hi!

Rose is so unique. She's very curious,

um, very excited, a tiny little adventurer when she comes out.

Where are you going?

She's so fun. She's just so warm and welcoming,

and just that curiosity makes me immediately

connect with her when I got her.

It really opened my eyes to how big of a personality

something so tiny can have.

All right, go on.

When she turns her body and looks at me, and puts her arms up,

I know that means she wants uppies, you know,

I'll put my hand out and pick her up.

She'll climb up to my shoulder and then turn around

and cuddle up with me.

NARRATOR: 'Tiana has come a long way since her bug-fearing days.

(TIANA CHUCKLES)

A long time ago, I would've never even

gotten close to a jumping spider,

or a spider in general.

A lot of people don't really understand how special

a spider can actually be, that you can actually

create a friendship with them, so I wanna continue that, you know,

and show other people how friendly they actually are.

'Tiana and Rose are about to embark on a mission.'

Guess what we're gonna do today.

We're gonna go talk to some kids,

and tell them to stop being afraid of spiders!

NARRATOR: 'Tiana is always keen to share

her love for the spiders with others.'

We have five spiders that you're gonna meet!

Isn't that cool? Yeah.

Look, this is Ruby!

(GIRL) Ruby. Ruby!

(BOY) He's my favourite. Toby.

That's my boy, he's really big.

We have Rose.

(GIRL)Yay! Rose!

(TIANA) Here's Ruby.

(CHILD EXCLAIMS) Here's Ruby.

(GIRL) Oh, my God. (BOY) He's a giant!

He's so big!

When you conquer a fear, you're growing.

Anybody want to try holding a spider?

Me!Me! Yeah, everyone?

(TIANA) Being able to expose them to conquering those fears,

I feel like it's just such a beautiful opportunity.

(CHILD GIGGLES) Yeah. Are you ready?

You have to be brave.

(CHILD EXCLAIMS)

They have eight eyes. Two in the front,

they help them to focus and see colour,

and the other six actually help them to see movement.

And you used to be afraid of spiders? Yeah?

A lot. A lot?

I thought they were gonna bite me. But did they? No.

(LAUGHS)

(SOFT MUSIC)

If you do really try to understand,

um, a jumping spider better, you'll see that they really

are something that you can connect with.

There's true connection there.

I'm so surprised that I was ever afraid of spiders, because...

at this point in my life, I...

appreciate all the things that I used to be afraid of.

Watching how their tiny little legs move, and how they

reach for things and when they tilt their head to look up.

It's just so adorable. Their characteristics are so cute to me.

When I look at Rose, and I can see that,

in her own way, she communicates

with head tilts, you know, when I talk to her.

And she'll, you know, walk in a certain direction

and turn her body, look at me and put her arms up.

You can see that they are their own tiny beings,

and that they actually like connection.

They don't often get the opportunity

to even experience that, because of misunderstandings.

Rose, all of my spiders,

they have changed so many people's perspectives,

helped people conquer their fears who were arachnophobic.

And that's the goal. That's the goal,

is to really show the truth about these spiders,

so that people can say: "Wow, I've been afraid for no reason."

And you can actually become best friends with something so tiny.

NARRATOR: 'In the jungle of Liberia, West Africa...

(CHEERFUL MUSIC)

..is the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary,

where everyone is eager for breakfast.'

NARRATOR: 'Bayan cares for many animals here.

But there's one he's especially fond of,

an orphan pangolin, named Wolah.

(ETHEREAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'But Wolah does need protection from humans.

The pangolin is the most trafficked animal in the world,

coveted for its meat and leathery scales.

A long history of war and political instability

means that animal conservation has not been a priority

for many Liberians.

NARRATOR: 'Preparing Wolah for release

means helping him learn vital life skills,

like finding food.'

NARRATOR: 'Pangolins are raised by their parents

for the first two years of their lives.

The crucial job of teaching him the skills to survive

has now fallen to Bayan.'

(ENGINE RUMBLING)

NARRATOR: 'Bayan's role as Wolah's carer

is coming to an end.

The time has come for him to return to the wild.'

(ETHEREAL MUSIC)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: 'Some friendships span generations.

On the south-east coast of Australia,

marine biologist Sheree Marris, is on a rescue mission.'

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

So, someone has given me a call, and they've found a pipe washed up

with an octopus in it.

Here is a beautiful...

..little girl.

That's her saying: "I'm really not happy."

NARRATOR: 'Sheree dedicates her spare time

to rescuing stranded octopuses washed up on the beach.'

So the quicker we get her out in the water,

and out in the deeper water,

the happier that she'll be, and that I'll be.

NARRATOR: 'Sheree's love for these tentacled sea creatures

began in 2020... when an amazing encounter changed her life.

(SHEREE) I would walk every morning along the beach.

And it was winter, so, you know,

lots of winds and waves, and it would be tossing up

all these incredible treasures from the ocean.

(LIGHT MUSIC)

One morning we found a pipe, and I had a look,

and I just saw this ruby colour,

and I saw that it was an octopus.

And not only was it an octopus, it was a mother octopus,

because I could see these beautiful, delicate little eggs.

Oh, they're little babies!

I thought: "Well, if I leave her here,

"she's gonna perish and die."

I then witnessed one of the most incredible behaviours.

Oh, my Lord, look!

She started pushing the pipe back into the water.

It's incredible.

As a mother, her instinct kicked in,

and she was trying to do everything that she could

to protect her babies.

Isn't that just phenomenal?

You're a wonderful mum!

I knew that the winds were gonna be picking up,

so I thought: "I need to fasten that pipe to a structure,

to make sure that she doesn't roll back up on the beach.

Look at that - how extraordinary.

I just grabbed what I could, which was, you know,

I found a brick, I had some rope.

And we put her back out into deeper water.

NARRATOR: 'Sheree named the octopus Kacy, meaning "warrior mother."'

Once I put her back out there, I was then determined

to go and check on her every day.

I just wanted to make sure that she was OK.

(MAJESTIC MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Sheree and Kacy's friendship began to grow.'

Every time I went out there, I felt as though

she would get more comfortable with me.

She would start fully coming out.

I knew that she was starting to recognise me.

She would reach out for the camera.

And then I could also see the babies developing,

to the point where I could actually see their eyes developing in the eggs.

So we started developing this really incredible bond.

NARRATOR: 'Octopuses are normally loners, and highly territorial,

but Kacy allowed Sheree into her life.'

(SHEREE) I'd heard a lot about octopus

being incredibly intelligent, but until I was immersed

and I had that experience myself,

it just really blew my mind.

(MELANCHOLY MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'But then, disaster struck.'

(SHEREE) One day I went out, and she wasn't there.

I was absolutely heartbroken.

NARRATOR: 'Kacy's pipe had detached from the brick and washed away.'

I was so sad! And I'm just thinking:

"I hope she's OK. I hope her babies are OK."

'Sheree wasted no time in looking for her.'

We were out there at six o'clock in the morning,

every morning, without fail, with our torches.

And we would walk along the beach.

As the sun was coming up,

potentially Kacy could've dried out and died,

or, more than likely,

she would've been a nice little meal for all the birds

that were, kind of, starting to wake up.

And then...

It was just so extraordinary.

About 2km from where we put her...

I saw this plastic tube pipe on the beach,

and I looked in, and I could see the eggs,

but there was no Kacy.

And then, probably about 100 metres,

basically marooned on a sea grass bed,

because it was low tide, was Kacy.

And I thought: "Wow, she's dead."

And I went over and I looked at her.

She started moving and changing colour.

And my heart just, like, just skipped,

and I thought: "Oh, my goodness, you're alive."

To find her at that point in time,

and for us to find her, was extraordinary.

And so I thought: "OK, we've got a second chance." And...

who gets a second chance at things like that?

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'As soon as dawn broke, Sheree got to work.'

(SHEREE) I realised I needed something a little bit more secure.

So I used some stainless steel plumber's clamps

to make sure that I could then tie those clamps to the brick,

and then to the pipe.

And then I swam her out further into the depths,

and then again, the journey started again.

I then went and visited her every day.

NARRATOR: 'But Sheree knew that the friendship couldn't last forever.'

They live for about one-and-a-half years,

so they've only got a really short lifespan, which is traditional of most octopus.

And it's actually quite sad, the life cycle.

So, when the females lay the eggs, they stop eating,

their body starts to deteriorate,

and when the eggs hatch, they then die.

I knew I didn't have a lot more time with her.

I just got so connected to her,

and every time, I'd be going out,

and I'd be crossing my fingers, thinking:

"I hope she's still here. "I hope she's still here."

In all reality, I knew that it was coming to the end.

And one day, I went out there, and yeah, she wasn't there.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'But Kacy's death was not the end of the story.'

The great thing was, I could see the eggs,

and I could see that they'd hatched.

(LIGHT MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Kacy's eggs had survived,

thanks to Sheree's rescue mission.'

So, really, I'm a pseudo octo-mum,

which is very, very cool.

So, they're out there, jetting around, probably.

At this time, they'd be breeding and having their own babies,

which is really cool.

NARRATOR: 'Sheree remains optimistic

that one day she will see the babies again.

If this was one of Kacy's babies...

..that'd be pretty incredible. She's small!

So, maybe it is.

I think I'll call her Piper.

Hello, sweetie.

Hi!

All right, we're gonna get her back in the water.

There you go, beautiful. There you go, yeah.

NARRATOR: 'Kacy may be gone, but her legacy continues.'

(SHEREE) OK, Piper, let's go home,

to your fancy-pants new high-rise apartment.

(ETHEREAL MUSIC)

I'm surprised by how emotionally connected

and invested you can be with something that is underwater.

So, I've got another little friend, now,

that I can visit, another octopus friend.

Ah, my cup is full.

I'm so fortunate to

have such a magical experience with a wild animal.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

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