Original subtitles

(BIRDS TWEET)

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 sharing life's biggest moments...

Look, George! ALL: George!

..and everyday delights...

Good morning, Digit. (CHUCKLES)

..to love and affection. My little baby.

The bond of friendship is universal.

It's morning on the east coast of Australia.

SUSIE: Are they gonna come down?

They're on their morning mission.

G'day! (CHUCKLES) Oh, there's one here.

Susie Rasell is waiting for her regular morning visitors.

G'day, mate.

Good morning. How are you? You gonna hop on?

I haven't always been fond of birds.

I've always loved animals, but the sharp claws

and beaks of birds always put me off a little bit.

Hello, cute boy.

And before long...

it's an open invitation for a cockatoo party.

(WINGS RUSTLE) Hello.(SQUAWKS)

This is Honky.

That's Birdie. And this is Gonzo.

This is Hopscotch. And who are you?

It probably sounds strange to other people I'm friends with cockatoos.

But... I really feel that I am. (BIRDS TWEET)

Hello, Olive.

That's Kora, she's got reddish-brown eyes.

I know their likes and their dislikes,

and I'm very protective of them.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos are native to Australia.

I've now named around about 70, or maybe 80.

I use a range of different ways to do that -

um, size and shape, colouring.

This is Colonel Mustard.

(CHUCKLES) Colonel Mustard's one of my long-time visitors.

He must sleep somewhere that's got orange dirt,

cos he gets progressively more and more orange as the year continues.

This one down the end, here, is Bigfoot.

He's got a really short little crest but fat feet. (CHUCKLES)

They have a personality - they've got very strong tastes.

You know, some are very interactive, some are not, some are shy.

This one is, um...

pretending that it wants to bite me. but it's just playing a little game.

See, this one's much more shy.

(CHUCKLES) And this one...

This one's not scared of me. (CHUCKLES) Hello. Oi!

They're really friendly. (GIGGLES)

And they're really cute. (SQUAWKS)

And they're very loud. (LAUGHS) Aren't you?(SQUAWKS)

You gonna come?

Susie's love affair with cockatoos all began with the Fluffingtons.

They're all sweethearts, but I feel like Mr Fluffington

was sort of like my gateway bird. (CHUCKLES)

He was sort of my introduction to the cockatoo world.

He was the first one I got up close to and really had a good look at.

Come on, Mr Fluffy. What are you doing?(SQUAWKS)

I noticed that he had a claw that stuck out to the side,

which the other cockatoos didn't have.

This little, like, whale claw, here.

This one.

I think he's, sort of, like, lost control of it,

so it's sticking out to the side.

It just makes him very, very distinguishable from all of them.

So, because I could recognise Mr Fluffington,

I could start to observe behaviours that were uniquely his.

It became pretty obvious he was

one of the boss boys and I've seen quite a few arguments by now,

and he tends to come out on top.

(SQUAWKS) Excuse me!

That wasn't very nice.(SQUAWKS) No.

He's, like, stomping around, he's getting things done.

They'll all just hop out the way - no-one's putting up much of a fight.

Susie is not the only special someone in Mr Fluffington's life.

This is Mrs Fluffington.

Mrs Fluffington's been visiting me for probably five years or more.

Haven't you, sweetheart? And you are...

Mr Fluffington's girlfriend, obviously.

With Mrs Fluffington, she's very different.

She tends to be quite reserved.

She sits in spots where she's out of the traffic.

Hey, my special girl. You're in your special spot, aren't you?

You like sitting on my shoulder?

Away from everybody else. (BIRDS TWEET)

He is kind of protective of her.

She always hangs back and lets him do all the fighting.

She's a bit of a princess and he's sort of her boisterous protector.

I definitely bonded with him first.

And I'm pretty sure I did footsies with him first.

Hey, mate.

Footsie's a cute little name that I've given to, um,

when they grab onto my finger.

It's a huge part of the process, because it's...

it's kind of like an acknowledgement and a greeting.

(SQUAWKS) Hello.

Sticky, again. Hello. (SQUAWKS)

Sticky, come here. Good boy.

That's part of the way that I identify different birds

because...

they all have their own unique way of doing it.

Sometimes, they just hold on. Some of them squeeze and let go.

Mrs Fluffington has a little motion of sort of tapping it.

I've been learning to trust them, they've been learning to trust me.

And, in some ways, I think...

Mr Fluffington trusted me more than I trusted him at the start.

(SQUAWKS) Hey there, little one.

I feel the biggest endorsement you can get

is if they bring their young to your house.

(SQUAWKS) You feel entrusted by them.

(SQUAWKS) Such gentle little baby bites.

Last year, I was lucky enough to meet two.(SQUAWKS)

Are you Fluffington babies?

It was the two chicks here.

And Mr Fluffington would make a little... (SQUAWKS) ..sound.

And one of the babies kept imitating him but in a cute little baby voice.

It was just the sweetest thing. (SQUAWKS)

(HIGH-PITCHED SQUAWK)

Susie's bond with the cockatoos

has led to her involvement in an important project.

A bird came to my balcony and it had a tag on it with a number.

And I was like, 'What is this? 'Who's done this to the bird?'

Looked it up and worked out it's called Wing Tags. And it's...

a research project, so I talked to one of the scientists involved.

He told me about the study

and how they're looking into cockatoo behaviour and urban birds.

And they really rely on people collecting data for them, basically.

So, you know, if I see Jasmine, I'll take a photo,

and then I'll upload it to an app called Big City Birds.

And I'll say, 'Jasmine 119 was at my house. And I fed Jasmine a nut'.

Hello, Googie. Hello, Nippy.

Yummy.(SQUAWKS) I've became a citizen scientist.

It's really rewarding for me to be able to contribute

to gaining that greater understanding.

And potentially helping them in the future.

(BIRDS TWEET)

Susie's balcony is not the only place she meets with her feathered friends.

Having got to know the birds at my house... my curiosity continued.

And, um, I wanted to go and see where they live.

We're at North Head Sanctuary.

There's a lot of beautiful native flowers and birds and cliffs.

It's stunning here. There's a range of wild birds.

And when I'm really lucky, there's my cockatoo friends.

Hey, Tilda.

That one's for you.

I've seen one of my friends, Penny. I've seen Kora quite a few times.

Hey, beauties.

And just like on her balcony, they come over to say hello.

(SQUAWKS) I've seen Kora on the North Head.

She'll be eating some wattle. I'll hang around until she leaves.

Then continue my walk and see what else I can find.

Look at this cutie.

It's classic baby face.

I love seeing their home, and particularly,

I just love to see them eating native things,

and knowing there's plenty of food around, you know?

They don't need us, they choose to visit when they feel like it.

And otherwise, they're just enjoying the landscape, just like I do.

I'm spoiled here

cos the cockatoos are just sitting on my balcony a metre away from me.

I'm quite besotted with cockatoos.

Birds make everything a little bit better.

There's really no downside to being friends with them, so.

I hope it's a very long-term friendship.

I definitely love the Fluffingtons. I love them all a little bit.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

Traumatic events can bond the most unlikely of companions.

In Umani Springs, Kenya,

Phillip Okode is up before dawn.

One of Phillip's babies

is a very special elephant.

(ELEPHANT GRUMBLES)

13-year-old female, Murera,

who is getting a bottle of milk as a treat.

Phillip cares for Murera and other injured and orphaned elephants

at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Here, they are protected at night from poachers and their traps.

(GRUNTING)

Murera is joined by other elephants from the herd

for a spot of breakfast.

And just as he would for his human kids,

Phillip has to tidy their bedroom.

Phillip has cared for elephants for 23 years.

Aged 17, a traumatic event changed his life.

Phillip's near-death experience

led him to a job helping others survive misfortune.

But, landing a job as an elephant carer

required making a good impression all round.

And Murera feels like it's time for a walk.

Each elephant has their own story

of how they came to the sanctuary,

but it was Phillip and Murera's shared past trauma

that cemented their connection.

Murera was rescued from a national park in 2012,

after a safari guide saw she was lame and on her own.

Murera was flown to the sanctuary, where vets assessed her.

They thought her injuries were too severe,

and recommended she should be euthanised.

But Phillip and his colleagues were determined not to give up on her.

Despite the odds against her, Murera recovered.

But she will always be lame.

Further evidence of Murera's miraculous recovery

came 11 years later.

Meet eight-week-old baby, Mwana.

And she's already taken a shine to Phillip, just like her mum.

And Mwana likes nothing more than a cooling mud bath

with her mum and her friends.

Every mud bath is followed by a dust shower.

Phillip gives Murera a little extra help.

After their spa session...

it's time for Mwana, Murera and the rest of the herd to head home.

PHILLIP: Mwana! Hello, Mwana.

(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

In the wintry forests of northern Sweden...

Dani Connor is calmly waiting.

Being a wildlife photographer for 13 years,

I've just learnt to take my time.

I try to become a part of the forest.

Really be aware of the different sounds.(BIRDS CHIRPING)

I always become a bit of a statue.

And if you wait long enough... (BIRDS TWEET)

Red squirrels are adorable.

They have so many weird behaviours, like tail flicking...

and chattering.

And that's really why I fell in love with them.

Dani first came to this forest three years ago.

I actually came here to photograph golden eagles.

In the morning of our last day,

there were red squirrels in front of the hide,

and I ended up spending the whole of spring and summer here,

photographing red squirrels.

But, from her years of experience,

Dani knows that getting a good shot takes dedication.

Dani now lives in the remote forest,

alongside all the squirrels she's met over the years.

(FIRE CRACKLES) When I first arrived to Sweden,

I became friends with one squirrel called Remy.

She was a great squirrel to photograph.

She just was beautiful.

Thick winter coat, ginger.

She was great. And one day, I found her body next to the road.

And unfortunately, she'd been hit by a car.

I was quite upset when I found her.

Dani realised Remy had recently given birth.

She knew the babies couldn't survive alone.

I'm watching some of the footage of the baby squirrels.

I forget how tiny they were.

I'd spent every day, that summer, with them,

providing them with food, making sure they were OK.

I definitely think they saw me as...

maybe not a mother but a protector.

It gave me a lot of importance.

Because, at the time, I wasn't sure what I was doing in life.

And it gave me determination.

Hello, baby Pear.

Dani has a special bond with all the squirrels she's met in the forest.

And tomorrow, at first light,

she's planning on visiting another old friend.

I really want to see Digit.

I'm not sure where he's been, or what he's been up to.

I always get a bit worried, because he is that bit older,

and he's a bit slower.

And I haven't actually seen him for a while.

This morning, it's minus 17,

so I've got double thermals on.

We'll see how long I last.

80 miles from the nearest city,

Dani's Swedish home is a world away from London where she grew up.

The best thing I love about living here,

is definitely how quiet it is.

I'm not really a people person.

Big crowds is not my thing.

This is one of my favourite places.

I love walking on the frozen lake.

It's just so open and vast.

And you can see so much around you.

It's just quiet and so still.

I definitely have the squirrels to thank for this.

This is the squirrel forest.

This very location is my favourite place to photograph the squirrels.

And, today, we're hoping to see Digit.

Digit is the squirrel I've known the longest.

I met him three years ago.

When I looked back at images, I noticed something.

Digit has a broken finger.

And, throughout the seasons, his fur colour changes,

he goes through a spring coat, a winter coat.

But the only thing that stays the same is the broken finger.

Eventually...

..someone turns up.

Oh, we've got our first squirrel! (CHIRPING)

It looks like... I think it's Digit.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

Yeah, there's the broken finger.

Yeah, it's Digit.

Good morning, Digit. (CHUCKLES)

I always feel relieved when I see him,

because he's probably around five years old,

which is quite old for a wild squirrel.

He's always got this finger out, and he's got quite a long nail.

And it looks like he's always swearing. (CHUCKLES)

My relationship with Digit is different to the other squirrels.

It's quite unique that he doesn't like to visit

when other squirrels are around.

He's usually on his own.

Oh, come on. Really?

I almost see myself in him because he doesn't like busyness or crowds,

and he doesn't like to be around the other squirrels.

It's nice to share the forest with just him.

I definitely feel, like, over the past few years,

the squirrels have accepted me as...

..another creature of this forest.

They actually look at me, to my face, almost to say:

'Oh, I know you. You're that human that comes here and sits with us'.

If it wasn't for the squirrels, I'm honestly not sure where I would be.

It is always lovely to know that...

when I come back to the forest and they start coming to me,

that that relationship is shared again and...

ignited again.

They're wild animals. But, yeah, I do love them.

(STREAM RUSTLES) In Queensland, Australia...

..the Obi Creek runs through the small community of Maleny,

home to retired aerial platform operator Neil Anderson.

My office was generally 130 feet up in the sky.

Loved it.

Any job I've done, I like to give it 100% of what I am.

If I'm not gonna give it that, I shouldn't be there.

Then, I suffered a medical condition.

So, this was quite devastating for me.

I was 62 years of age.

I'd basically become medically redundant,

and I didn't know what to do.

Neil needed a new direction.

That came one weekend in 2012.

We're walking back across the main bridge in Maleny,

when I just happened to glance down at the Obi Creek.

I saw something coming towards me.

And, when I turned properly and looked, I realised what it was.

Swimming towards me and looking me straight in the eye

was my first ever wild platypus.

That split second changed Neil's whole outlook.

I was literally awestruck, because I'd never seen one.

I honestly believe I looked into its eyes as it looked into mine.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was life-changing.

I went down to the creek and, within a matter of four or five minutes,

another platypus appeared.

And that, to me, was just heaven on a stick.

And here it was, sitting three metres away from me.

It wasn't scared of me. And it was looking at me.

I've been called crazy, but I saw it.

I felt it and it's with me forever.

It opened that natural world to me and I hadn't thought of it before.

I'd been too busy working... and not spending enough time

communing with nature, I suppose.

Platypus are notoriously shy creatures.

Many Australians will go a whole lifetime without seeing one.

It was a sign Neil couldn't ignore.

Very few people ever said they saw a platypus.

Most people won't understand they've seen a platypus first time around.

From a distance, it looks like a wet stick floating.

And it's not until the platypus dives...

..you see its bum, that's the first indication.

Before long, Neil was spending every spare moment down at the creek,

photographing this unusual and elusive creature.

I nearly always wore the same clothes... same hat.

And what I was trying to do was build a familiarity.

I'd gradually move forward. They knew I wasn't going to harm them.

And therefore, they were prepared to come and have a look at me.

Wow. What a blast.

It's just awesome.

Through his photos, Neil has built up an extensive collection

of platypus activity in Maleny.

Since retirement three years ago,

I've been able to photograph virtually every morning.

And I'll spend four or five hours out.

I get as excited today, every time I see a platypus,

as I did that first time.

I realised I could identify the platypus

by their bill markings and the shape.

One of the early ones that I was able to identify...

was Patch.

In the centre of the bill, it's about 35ml long,

10ml wide lack of melanin, lack of pigment.

So, that was Patch.

She is probably the first I was able to identify and confidently say,

I can actually identify, and have named 16 of those animals.

So, we were looking at, potentially, 24 platypus

in a two kilometre stretch of creek.

One day, Neil came across one

that would become particularly important to him.

I'd heard reports of a platypus that may have been in distress.

It reportedly had a rubber band around its neck.

Bands around their necks can be fatal to a platypus.

Well, I went for a walk down, thought I'd see if I can find it.

We set up some traps to try and remove this rubber band.

It was unsuccessful.

The band couldn't be removed.

But, Neil did manage to take a photo.

And named her Bandit.

You can probably note the red band,

just under the fur, there.

You can see the band is compressing the fur,

it's just heartbreaking.

Neil shared the photo online.

It attracted a lot of attention in Maleny.

She was the catalyst that was sufficient to change

a community's perception of what we had at our doorstep.

Start making people aware of what was actually there,

I know I'd been unaware.

It's not a myth. They're in our midst.

And we have to look after them.

Without a doubt. Sorry, I'm... (CHUCKLES)

Inspired by Bandit,

Neil found a new calling.

He started a movement to clean up the platypuses' local habitat.

If you find rubber bands,

either break them, or put them in your pocket,

so we can get rid of them properly.

We don't want them in the water.

Oh, look. There's another one, just there.

Thank you.

It is really inspiring to see the community come together

in their own time, volunteering to help us clean up

and keep the creek pristine.

Now, the platypus actually started to grow in numbers.

In this area, we're fortunate to have

about five times the national average in our waterway.

As the community rallied round to clean up the town,

Neil's thoughts were never too far from his friend, Bandit.

One day, it just popped up. I noticed something different.

Just as meeting Bandit had changed Neil's life,

something had changed for her, too.

The red band had gone. And I could have cried, literally.

We're pretty sure it had deteriorated

to the extent where, either it did get caught on a stick,

and it's torn off, or it's just degraded itself.

Bandit was swimming normally.

She was foraging the way she normally would.

She didn't appear to have suffered more than scarring around her neck.

She was alive and I've been photographing her, now,

for the last two-and-a-half odd years, so she's still there.

And Neil has found another way to share his love for Australia's

most unusual water mammal.

I've realised, what I've wanted to do,

is to educate people about the platypus.

I give tours and the walking tours encompass two kilometres of creek.

Platypus can't breathe under water,

and the bubbles you see are caused by the foraging.

I re-invented my life.

I went from heavy vehicle operator to guided walking tours.

And I've never done a better thing.

Look, there it is.

Four metres away. MAN: Yeah.

See, just there? Wow.

I am very proud of what I've done. I'm very proud of...

..who I've become because of that.

A true friend will bring joy into your life

through the dark times and through the bright times.

The platypus definitely do that for me.

Yeah, definitely.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Looks are no barrier to friendship.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA.

Headquarters of the American Eagle Foundation.

JENNA: Most of our birds have come to us with some sort of injury.

Most of the time, they're physical injuries,

so they've been hit by a car - we have many gunshot victims.

Good job. (EAGLE SQUAWKS)

We have birds that were found as young birds and hand-raised.

They're not able to survive in the wild,

because they don't understand they have to find food themselves.

When it comes to popularity,

one resident soars above the rest.

I work with bald eagles and they're really cool, but they're not George.

My name is Jenna Penland,

and my very best friend is a turkey vulture named George.

The more that I worked with George,

the more in love with him that I got.

Good morning, Hayley. Morning.

Morning, Kendall. I had pictures of him printed, hanging in my dorm.

Like, I was really obsessed with him.

Jenna started at the foundation as an intern when she was a student.

Good morning, handsome. How are ya?

Did you sleep good last night?

I'd never held a bird before and I thought he was super heavy and big,

and so I just kind of, like, had him up my arm

Super awkward.

Let's go for a walk. I was a little bit scared of him. (CHUCKLES)

Good job. But it didn't take long for us to warm up to each other.

I kind of kept gravitating towards George and hanging out with him.

We've spent so much time together. There you go, there's some sunshine.

There you are.

Get those wings out. (LAUGHS)

George is non-flighted.

There is nothing physically wrong with him,

but he just never flew.

And we don't know if it's because he didn't fly right off as a chick,

and so he never figured it out, or never was confident.

Or he's just never felt the need to. You're very handsome.

Over the years, it's blossomed into me being able

to do a lot of things with him, that other people can't do,

because he does trust me to be able to do those things.

George was found as a chick, walking around the ground with his sister.

Um, they were presumed to be abandoned.

Gonna hop down?

Good job.

He is 37 years old.

It is quite old for a turkey vulture.

In the wild, 10 to 15 years is their average lifespan.

After some fresh air, it's back inside for breakfast.

During our morning routine, when doing food prep,

there's not a tonne of activity, I like to let George out,

and to let him roam around.

And he's notorious for visiting the food prep station,

and sneaking up behind us, and trying to nip at our ankles.

He's right behind you. (CHUCKLES)

(LAUGHS)

MAN: Sir... Hey, it's really rude.

George has a tendency to pick on people.

He likes to chase people's ankles and...

he likes to kind of nip at people's arms.

He never did that for me. I can pick him up without a glove.

And not have to worry about him biting my hand.

(SINGSONGY) Let's go outside.

The key to building trust with any animal is to spend time with them.

The more time I spend with him, it seems like the closer that we get.

I've reached a point that I can do medical things for him.

I can lift his feet, I can have a feel of his keel.

And I can touch his wings.

I'm gonna have a feel of his keel really fast,

just to see how much fat or muscle he might have on that keel.

Vultures spend a lot of time on the ground,

so they can get sores on the bottoms of their feet.

So, I just wanna pick up his little toes,

and just make sure that the undersides of his feet look good.

That one does.

Let me check the other one.

That one looks good, too.

Good job.

Today is a big day for George.

Are you ready, Mr?

We're going on a trip.

You're getting a little bit of an upgrade. Good job.

So, we're super excited to be moving George

to our new facility, today,

to check out his new room for the very first time.

You can't forget your sign.

Alright, Mr.

We are so grateful to have found

about 57 acres of property about 25 minutes from here,

and we have built a new facility,

new enclosures for all of our birds, bigger enclosures.

He is getting a major upgrade.

Unable to fly, and in captivity since a chick,

George would not survive in the wild.

It's Jenna's care that allows him to live a safe, long life.

Guess what, George, we're at your new home, buddy!

You have no idea how excited you're about to be.

Home sweet home. Let's go.

What do you think, buddy?

Look at all that, over there.

Are you ready? We're gonna be so excited.

(SINGSONGY) Look, George! ALL: Look, George!

WOMAN: Welcome home! MAN: Woo!Welcome home, George!

Look, buddy!

(SINGSONGY) What do you think?

He's moving in to about three times more the space.

He's got more ramps, more platforms to hang out on.

It's an open mew, so there's netting on the front

and on the top, so that he can see everything going on.

It's gonna be so much more fun for him and so much more enriching.

My life has changed since I started working with George.

A lot of people will look at him and kind of make a face,

or they'll say, like: 'Oh, that's such an ugly bird'.

But, I love George. (CHUCKLES)

I do have a very strong connection with him.

There's definitely something there, like a bit of a kinship there.

I would consider him a friend of mine.

And I definitely love him.

He looks like he's settling in, he's checking everything out.

If George has taught me anything, it's that...

the un-loveable are actually very loveable. (CHUCKLES)

Welcome home, buddy.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

In Victoria, Australia...

..it's early morning in the nursery.

THERESA: Good morning! Hi, Nicky!

Go on, Camille.

Theresa Matthews has spent her whole life caring for others.

Mother to five children, palliative care nurse,

and now, with her husband, Scruff, kangaroo carer.

Oh, yes! It's coming! It's coming!

MAN: They're all very hungry. It's coming! Yes, it's coming.

Been a long night, hasn't it? (CHUCKLES) Yes.

It's breakfast time in the toddler room.

This is the first of the day,

and we've got another three to go.

And, um, yeah.

It's a cute time. This is a good time. Aha.

This little treat. He is just a delight.

Absolute delight.

Little smooch.

It is love and care. All the things you'd do for your human child.

Her mum was hit and killed.

It was somebody else that found her,

in her mom's pouch.

I think that's it.

(WAILS QUIETLY)No, you can't make any more come out of there.

Like Theresa, Scruff's life also revolves around

caring for the kangaroos.

Right-o. (DOOR CLOSES)

But there's one particular 'roo who's now part of the family.

Looks like Max is having some pellets.

He's over there, is he? Max comes and goes as he pleases.

But always turns up for a morning hello.

Come on. Where's Max?

Ha-ha! Maxi-Taxi!

Scruff adores him and he adores Scruff. I adore him, too.

Hello, mate! You're my big man, aren't you, hey?

You're my big man, having some pellets, hey?

Where you been, Max? You got some flat flies on you.

Flat flies. (CHUCKLES)

You're a good boy. (CHUCKLES)

Max normally comes home at this time,

because he wants free pellets and a free bottle.

He's not silly at all.

He is a quite a smart kangaroo.

Max's mum was hit by a car.

She, um... She had to be euthanised.

Theresa took in orphaned Max,

and they formed a strong bond.

She raised him and a mob of kangaroos,

before setting them free into the wild.

But Max... Max didn't go.

He could leave any time.

But he chooses the good life with Scruff and Theresa.

He'll wait here for me every morning.

Normally, yeah. Don't you, mate? We have a coffee together.

Have a scratch.

And you have a sleep. (CHUCKLES)

I think he's more a human than a kangaroo, actually.

(CHUCKLES) He's... He's funny. Max is like our mate. (CHUCKLES)

You know? It's like he likes being with us.

He might get a lady one day, who knows?Yeah, he might.

He might disappear. He might take off with a mob. Don't know.

Oh, well, to be honest,

once he does find his feet and go off with the girls,

I'm gonna really miss him. I can say that.

While Max relaxes,

Theresa has her hands full with the younger kangaroos.

Now it's cooled down for the day, the kangaroos become more active.

(LAUGHS)

(GIGGLES)

Whoa!

Hey! Where you going?

Oh, we're getting a bit tired now, are we?

Being surrogate mum to a mob of kangaroos

is a world away from Theresa's previous life.

I used to like going out shopping, having my nails done.

My little baby.

Now, I'm happy to just be in an old pair of jeans

and an old pair of boots, and my hair not done.

(LAUGHS)

No beautiful fingernails, but yeah, they're worth giving up everything.

When they first start coming out here,

if we stay out here a lot, they're more confident.

The little ones, as soon as I walk back in the room,

they all come straight back in the room.

I just let everyone do it at their own pace.

Little Trish hasn't long been out.

This is, pretty much, their first steps

of coming out, away from their pouch,

and being in an open space.

Are you coming?

All worn out, it's nap time.

There! Good girl!

Theresa began adopting kangaroos in 2009...

There...when an unexpected encounter led to a calling in life.

We were only here a year into my retirement, as well,

and somebody handed a kangaroo over the fence.

That, sort of, was it. (CHUCKLES)

Theresa's first kangaroo was rescued

and given to her, after her mother was run over.

(GASPS) There you go!

I waited for three days for a call back from this big wildlife rescue.

They told me there was nowhere for her to go - she would be euthanised.

And there was no way I was gonna let that happen.

(TUTS) You're a good girl.

Started feeding it and just realised how,

emotionally, that animal changed my whole life.

I thought: 'If I'm gonna do it, I wanna do it right'.

So, I did. I studied everything that I could get my hands on.

Come on. Whoops!

Within a year, I had... I think I had 15 kangaroos.

And then I've had up to 45 on bottles.

So, yeah, it gets really hectic.

I love 'em with all my heart, you know?

I don't care if we don't have holidays and money, yet.

As long as they're fed and got everything they need,

that's the best feeling in life, you know? It's better than a holiday.

One of the most rewarding parts of Theresa's work is graduation day.

The time has come to release back to the wild

a mob of kangaroos that she and Scruff have cared for.

I've got a group that's ready to go, and I'm very proud.

But it's emotional, too, to say goodbye.

Because no longer will I be able to protect them.

I'm not gonna force them out.

It's up to them, now. Some might take off, some might stay.

Just like Max, any of these kangaroos could choose to return.

My gate will be left open for as long as they wanna go and come back.

This is what we work for, is that freedom -

release - and hopefully, they behave themselves out there.

Sorry. No, that's fair enough, kid.

You're gonna be upset. Yeah.

It's hard to say goodbye. Mm.

It gets really emotional. Mm.

Cos I can't protect them once they're outta here.

They know something's happening. Something's about to happen, yeah.

Gonna come with me?

(GASPS) What is happening?

At the end of the day, doing this job...

it also can be very confronting and heartbreaking.

Come on.

It's not all cute and fluffy, it's really hard work.

Whoa!

Look at all this grass and it's much cooler out here.

But, I couldn't imagine not having...

kangaroos in my life.

I think I'd be lost. (LAUGHS)

They need love, they need comfort.

They're my family as much as my human children are.

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