Original subtitles

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 kicking back with a feathered friend...

It's your relatives in Colombia.

NARRATOR: ..to sharing a birthday surprise.

My favourite thing in the world is seeing him happy.

NARRATOR: And a reunion with an old companion.

It's a great feeling to know she's out here, she's safe.

NARRATOR: The bond of friendship is universal.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

The ancient rainforest of Barrington Tops,

in New South Wales, Australia.

It's where Tyler Grolton fell in love

with one of Australia's most iconic and imperilled animals...

..who, at the moment, are hungry for their lunch.

My parents have always, kind of,

encouraged me to go with my gut,

and my gut's always drawn me towards animals.

There you go! Off you go!

NARRATOR: Tyler never imagined that the Tasmanian devil

would be the animal to capture his heart.

(BOISTEROUS CLASSICAL MUSIC)

Seeing all of that attitude, that character,

the charisma that they walk around with...

..it turned this unknown species into a little superstar,

a little rockstar, for me.

When you really understand these animals,

you realise this reputation has been built up around them

being a really dirty, disgusting, scary animal.

It's really undeserved.

They've got the ugly and they've got the cute,

uh, and it is really endearing.

NARRATOR: Tyler works at Aussie Ark,

set up in 2011 to help protect the country's most endangered animals,

and where he's been raising two devil babies,

brothers, Elrond and Durin.

It's a softer one than I'd like,

but it's manageable.

Yeah, well, you can't have baby animals

without baby animal poo, so...

Could be contained pretty quickly.

No, you're gonna help.

So, this one here is Durin,

and Elrond's crawling around under the table, at the moment.

Durin and Elrond are quite different.

Elrond seems to be a little bit more confident.

He goes up and he checks things out,

he's always the first to do it.

Elrond's running around at the moment and Durin, here,

he's a little bit more stand-offish.

He's the first to growl, he's the first to nibble on your toes.

(JAUNTY MUSIC)

There is something special about having

one of Australia's most endangered species,

um, playing around in your living room and causing destruction.

It doesn't matter how often you clean the house,

you give them 30 minutes runaround,

and all of a sudden, the house is turned upside-down, as if-

(CLATTERING) ..a whirlwind has come through.

Are you causing a ruckus?

There's just so much personality in a little Tasmanian devil.

NARRATOR: The brothers are now nine-and-a-half months.

Good boy.

They've been in Tyler's care since they were babies.

A Tasmanian devil mom will give birth to anywhere from

30 to 50 babies in a single birthing.

A maximum of four can survive in the pouch.

NARRATOR: So that their mother could care for her other young,

Tyler steps in to hand-raise some of the babies,

ensuring that more survive.

They're born after just three weeks,

so they're less than a jelly bean, they're a grain of rice.

And that was when I first met Durin and Elrond.

Is your brother leaning on you?

A baby Tasmanian devil's not really much different to a baby human.

They squawk, they scream, they cry,

and they require around-the-clock care.

It's a lot of work.

They are our little babies,

they're just furry ones, instead.

NARRATOR: Elrond and Durin will, one day,

play a vital role in the local ecosystem,

eating the decaying carcasses of other animals.

We need something to clean up

behind the animals as they pass away,

and Tasmanian devils do that second-to-none.

Without this scavenger in the area,

disease is rife to spread.

NARRATOR: But the Tasmanian devil is already extinct

on mainland Australia,

and now only found in the wild in Tasmania.

And they're under threat from devil facial tumour disease.

It's a contagious cancer that is spread through contact.

We've gone from 250,000 wild individuals,

to potentially less than 15,000.

Elrond and Durin are part of an important breeding programme.

We've bred over 400 Tasmanian devils,

to ensure we don't lose them to extinction.

NARRATOR: Aussie Ark now cares for the world's largest

disease-free insurance population of the species.

We have a healthy, genetically diverse

and robust stock, that we can continue to release

year after year, right here, in the Barrington Tops.

They'll do well, and create this population

that we can utilize to protect the species from extinction.

NARRATOR: But, being part of a conservation project

can be bittersweet.

The bonding is a double-edged sword.

We get to sit here and cuddle Tasmanian devils for several months,

and fall in love with them.

Unlike kids, they don't hang around until they're 30,

they hang around until they're about 12 months old.

NARRATOR: It's time for Tyler's devil babies to flee the nest.

Instead of spending all night cuddled up and comfortable...

..uh, they need to start to learn how to be wild devils.

Best for them doesn't always equal

the same as best for us, emotionally.

NARRATOR: Tyler is releasing Elrond and Durin

into one of the outdoor enclosures.

You ready?

NARRATOR: It's the next step towards a life in the wild.

Out in the outdoors, it's a little bit rougher here,

it's a bit of a glamping experience,

but it's a really important milestone for them.

Without a stepping stone like this,

their chance of survival drops right down.

Looks like they're raring to go.

Alright? You guys ready to move out?

Alright, who's being a sook in there?

Elrond's always the first out.

It's gonna be a very quiet house,

now that these guys are spending all their time down here.

Get him.

How's this? (SIGHS)

I can't move out, too. You gotta stay here on your own.

Every part of you screams, "Just say they're not ready.

Just say they're not ready." But, at some point,

we have to cut the cord, and it's not easy.

There will be a switch in them that flicks,

and they won't want anything to do with me anymore.

This enclosure is perfectly suited for them

to go through that next step of their journey.

I don't really need to worry about them,

um, and that is a nice feeling.

I might have one of the best sleeps of my life,

because I don't have to wake up and worry about them.

That is the last chance we really have

to cuddle and interact, and we have to cut that cord.

NARRATOR: Tyler will closely follow the brothers' journey

back into the wild.

We're about to go into our Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary,

which is our 400 hectare, feral-free,

secure area for native animals.

Every individual you see along this wall

has been born and bred at Aussie Ark,

to come out here to breed in the wild,

which is really, really significant.

Elrond and Durin could be a really key part of that

in the future, when they become breeding individuals.

It's gonna be really satisfying to be able do the same thing,

get their ID cards up on this wall.

They are best mates.

They're little friends, running around,

doing what they do, together.

NARRATOR: Tyler will soon be bidding farewell to his two friends.

But, he can rest assured that their relationship with each other

will set them up for a life in the wild.

They have a bond with each other,

which is really important to them succeeding through life,

being able to go through these tough moments together.

That's what friends are for. They're to support us through

those hard events, through those stressful times,

and I really do think that is what Elrond and Durin

are to each other, and, you know, they're that for me, as well.

No matter what, they're always gonna hold

a really close part of my heart.

NARRATOR: Taking care of those closest to us

can have the greatest rewards.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC) Good morning!

NARRATOR: Holley Muraco is in Mississippi,

delivering breakfast to North America's largest rodent.

Good morning! Hello, my darling!

Good morning, sweetie!

We're gonna be very sleepy today.

Oh, hello, sire! Good morning!

Good morning!

You good? (BEAVER WHINES)

You gonna wake up? There you are!

Come on, sleepy-head!

My name is Holley Muraco.

I have a PhD in Animal Physiology,

as an animal wildlife expert and consultant.

I am a mom, I have two humans and three beaver kids.

Every morning, they get a little sweet potato breakfast.

That's their favourite breakfast.

NARRATOR: Holley has been surrogate mom

to three rescued beaver kits for nearly a year,

after a local rescue centre asked Holley to care for them.

They are so much like toddlers,

more than I could've ever imagined,

and so they are a full-time job.

This little sound that they're making is just a happy,

"I have my food, I'm happy,

no-one else better take my food."

(CHUCKLES) But, they insist on eating together,

which is really funny, they're very social.

Um, so although they can be a little bit grumpy with each other,

it's just like siblings.

The beavers recognise me as mom.

I provide them with comfort, safety, security.

NARRATOR: Holley can't help but have a favourite beaver child.

I ended up... really bonding with Huck,

from the very beginning.

When Huck crawled into my lap and fell asleep,

that was very special. I was like,

"OK, this is really nice." (CHUCKLES)

This is the lodge, and...

..it looks rough, I get that.

So, although I would prefer it to look nicer,

this is what they really like.

In the wild, they would be with their actual beaver parents,

in their lodge, and they'd be under their care.

I have that role as the beaver mom.

NARRATOR: The makeshift beaver lodge is just temporary,

but it provides the kits with what they need.

They can be in there together, and, um,

they know where they can go, as far as home is concerned.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

Beavers make a huge mess.

Alright, so now, the gross stuff is out,

and clean water is going in,

and they love to play as the water's filling.

(GROANS) OK... This is Huck.

So, we're gonna put Huck in.

There we go, big man. And this is Finn.

Yay! Fun times!

Alright, then we got Sawyer.

In we go! Oops.

NARRATOR: After a refreshing dip...

..it's time for some exercise.

Who's ready for walks?

We have one, we have one ready for walks.

Come on, let's go!

Come on, Finn. Let's go for walks.

Come on, let's go for walks!

There you are. Come on, buddy!

Come on, Huck. Come here.

(BEAVER WHINES)

NARRATOR: Holley's bond with Huck was reinforced

by a near-fatal health scare when he was very young.

I noticed that Huck seemed that he was not comfortable.

He was not moving right,

and then that progressed into him being in extreme pain.

Good boy. You're a good boy.

He would stretch, and he would arch,

and he would cry, like, a legit cry.

It was so upsetting.

There was a massive amount of air trapped in his intestines.

And so, that is known as 'rodent bloat'.

I brought him home with 24-hour care.

It was very scary, it was very sad.

Um, we were very worried,

but then he started coming back around.

And ever since then, if he even acts like he's slowing down on eating,

uh, then we take extra care.

That cemented our bond to a point, where,

it has continued so, so intensely,

where, we had to spend so much time tending to Huck,

and making sure he was OK.

Come on, Huck! Ooh, somebody's tired.

Come on! Come on!

NARRATOR: But, not everybody's tired.

You wanna go in?

From the very beginning, I could tell Sawyer was trouble.

Hey, Sawyer!

This is playtime! (CHUCKLES)

Sawyer came to us still on a bottle.

And so, we bottle-fed Sawyer,

and he lived in our house.

One day, it was very random,

we actually had lots of stuff piled in our hallway,

then Sawyer starts picking up everything in the hallway.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

Good job, yay!

First of all, it's hilarious.

But Sawyer, since the time he was just little itty-bitty,

has enjoyed putting stuffed animals together.

NARRATOR: Despite being raised by Holley,

Sawyer's natural instincts are strong.

We call it his indoor dam building.

What a good job!

He always chooses this location for the dam.

He seems to have a certain process and need to do it.

Are we almost done?

NARRATOR: By the time Sawyer is satisfied with his dam,

it's lunchtime.

Huck wants to do this every single day.

Every day, he wants to be on my lap, eating his chow.

Um, this is a very comforting thing for him.

NARRATOR: As much as Holley loves these moments with Huck,

she knows they can't go on forever.

Today's a really exciting day.

In a little while,

what we're gonna do is load up the beavers,

and drive them over to their soft release site,

which is a really nice pond in a safe location.

We're just gonna see how they respond.

We're gonna let them swim around in the pond,

explore, play, we're gonna be right there with them.

The goal is to do that a few times...

and over time, as they get more comfortable

with that pond and that location,

then we will actually set up a den for them there.

I got you, buddy. I got you.

NARRATOR: Holley's hope is that, one day,

it will be their permanent home, out in the wild.

It's especially emotional for me,

um, because I've been with these guys for a year,

they've been living at my house.

But it's important, this is an important step.

The beaver that I'm most concerned about

with all of this is Huck. He's always been a little slow,

so I'm gonna be keeping a really close eye out on Huck, today.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

Come on, babies. Look at this!

How fun is this gonna be?

Alright, OK.

Grab the side. Got it, Colton?

I'm nervous, um, I'm excited.

Um, I feel like my babies are growing up,

and I can't wait to see how they do.

I feel very fortunate that I've had this opportunity.

Everything I have experienced with them over this past year,

has taught me that, we just, really, still have a lot to learn

about animal behaviour, and that human-animal bond,

and it has been a privilege for me to get to spend

this much time with them.

(SOFT MUSIC)

Alright, check it out, man.

How cool is this?

Oh, some good stuff.

Good stuffs.

You got it, man! You're fine!

Sweet Huck, I'm right here if you need me, OK?

I'm right here if you need me.

So, not surprised that Finn took off to go exploring.

And Sawyer and Huck are, sort of, hanging back a little bit.

That is not surprising to me.

Good job, you can do it! That's good!

NARRATOR: Huck soon finds his stride.

Hey, sweet Huck! Good job!

Huck's doing great, yeah. He went swimming out.

Oh, my goodness, this is great.

They're doing wonderful.

They are loving this space to swim in.

You can tell they're just exploring,

and they're doing their diving behaviour,

where they're making a big splash.

That is an excellent sign that, "Oh, this is...

This is what we're supposed to do."

NARRATOR: Huck isn't ready to completely let go

of his human mum, just yet.

Come here, sweet Huck. There he is! Come here!

(HUCK WHINES)

(SOFT MUSIC)

So, I have Huck, here.

He came out, wanted a snack.

I am gonna have a hard time letting Huck go.

I do love him very much.

But, he did really good today, I'm very happy.

I feel like this was a great step.

It was a great step for them,

and they're gonna only become more comfortable,

and as they continue to mature, we're gonna have them ready.

And one day, they will be able to go back to the wild.

You know, a lot of my worries, now, are lessened,

knowing how well he did.

The bond is real.

They give me a lot of love, and I love them back.

And honestly, it's very strange, as a scientist,

to sit here and tell you that, but it- but it's true.

He's a good boy. He did good.

OK, let's get some kisses, huh?

(HUCK WHINES)

I love you.

NARRATOR: Sometimes, a chance encounter

can take us in directions we never intended.

As is the case for Laura Korus...

..in rural Illinois, USA.

I was lucky enough to grow up on a farm.

I had horses, goats, ducks, um, ponies.

Really a dream for any child.

I got to go to the rodeos in the summertime,

and the animals that stood out the most were the bucking bulls,

because they were these beautiful animals,

and I was always like, "Wow, like, they're pretty amazing."

I'm not surprised that my best friend

turned out to be an animal, because, um, I think...

my whole life, animals were the ones that I felt

were the most understanding of me.

Come on, buddy. Come get breakfast.

Spuddles, come here, baby.

NARRATOR: Laura is friends with a 800 kilogram bull called Spud,

who lives in her backyard.

(WHISPERS) That's a good boy.

My gentle giant.

NARRATOR: Although she spent her childhood on a farm,

Laura never had any intention of becoming a farmer.

Instead, she pursued a career as a professional stunt-woman.

A demanding job,

it's Spud that she chooses to relax with after work.

Spud has a personality as big as him.

He's silly, he's shy, he's curious.

He's kind and sweet.

Sometimes, he'll hide behind me when the vet comes.

I can literally do anything under the sun with Spud.

I can snuggle with him, I can brush him, I can kiss him.

I always love this little poof on his head.

Let's fix it up.

You got bedhead, honey. (CHUCKLES)

I love to go out there and brush Spud,

get all the straw off of him, all his itchies go away.

Come on, Spuddles. Come over here.

Come get brushies.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

Where's an itchy spot? Oh, there we go.

There it is.

You can see in his face, he just completely relaxes.

He even drools, sometimes, as I'm brushing him.

This has been our daily routine for eight years.

And it helps me relax, too.

It only increases our bond.

NARRATOR: A bond that started almost eight years ago.

So, this was baby Spud.

Now, obviously much smaller than he is now,

but still pretty big.

NARRATOR: It was during Laura's time in college that she met Spud,

when she had the opportunity to take an animal science class.

You can pretty much take, like, any type of class

in any genre, and one of the classes was,

where, you got to choose a farm animal,

it was a horse, a pig, sheep or a cow.

And you raised them for the last quarter of school.

NARRATOR: Of all the farm animals Laura could choose from,

it was the fluffy baby bull that she couldn't resist.

He was about five months, six months old, at this time.

He was only about, I'd say, 300 pounds, at the time,

which, let it be said, is still pretty big.

He kind of curled up in this little ball, right?

And I looked at him, like, "You look like a little potato.

So, I think I'm gonna call you Spud."

And that was our first day together.

NARRATOR: At 22, Laura had the responsibility of raising the bull.

Every day, in the morning, I'd wake up,

and I'd drive over to the farm, and my teacher told me, like,

"Make sure he gets to know your voice.

Make sure he gets to know you're his person."

So, I tried to talk with him a lot.

I'd yell out, "Spud!" every morning,

and he'd moo to me, that was, like, our thing.

It was up to me to feed him breakfast and dinner,

brush him, and teach him how to lead on a lead line.

And, sooner rather than later, we just became good friends.

We bonded very fast, and it just continued to grow in those months.

NARRATOR: Laura passed her animal science course with flying colours.

So, the final test, the final show,

it actually went very well.

NARRATOR: But, the end of the course

meant the end of Laura and Spud's time together.

(PENSIVE MUSIC)

Saying goodbye to Spud was one of the saddest days.

I fell in love with this little bull that was never meant to be mine.

NARRATOR: Laura packed up her room, ready to head home to Illinois,

when a phone call came from her teacher.

He told me, the man in Texas

that had bought Spud previously, no longer wanted him.

I was just beside myself, I couldn't believe it.

NARRATOR: Spud's future was now uncertain.

Possibly, even headed for the slaughterhouse.

He goes, "What if Spud went home with you to Illinois?"

And I was like, I didn't even hesitate, I said, "Yes!"

Now, he lives in my backyard, so we're finally together again.

NARRATOR: Since fate brought them together eight years ago,

Spud and Laura's lives have become so intertwined,

they even share the same hobbies.

Soccer's been a part of my life as long as I can remember.

I started playing when I was about three, four-years-old,

and I played at the club level, high school level,

and I knew I wanted to take it to the college level, too.

Played all four years at Louisiana Tech.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: And Spud is just as dedicated.

All he wants to do, if he's not napping,

is play with a ball.

NARRATOR: Little does Spud know,

today is a big day.

It's your birthday, big boy! It's your birthday!

NARRATOR: And Laura has a surprise planned for him.

So, this is the base

of what's going to be a scratching post,

and we're surprising Spud with it for his birthday.

You're going to be eight, which I cannot believe,

'cause I met him when he was only six-months-old.

The time just flew by.

Oh, this might be what I think it is.

NARRATOR: Right on cue, her parents have a special delivery.

Hey, guys!

Spud, stay there, I don't want you to see your surprise.

Oh, I cannot wait to give it to him.

This is your surprise!

Good job! Yeah, good boy

You gotta let us put your birthday present together, OK?

(DRILL WHIRS)

Good boy, you're being so patient.

Alright, Spud, you ready?

Yeah, you can rub on it!

That's my boy!

(CHUCKLES)

Happy birthday!

Look at all his fur coming off, already.

My favourite thing in the world is seeing him happy,

so this is just the best.

Can you believe it's his eighth birthday?

I can't, just such a little boy when we first got him.

He was a little moo, yeah. Yeah.

There are stereotypes about bulls, that they're aggressive

or stand-offish,

but you see Spud, and he is just this big,

silly, loveable guy.

He's given me nothing but love and happiness,

and I try to give that right back to him, too.

And we've really had a lot of fun together.

I love Spud very much.

He will forever have a piece of my heart.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: Our friends are there for life's most memorable moments.

(UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC)

In Missouri, USA,

Laurie Brown is off to meet a deer friend.

Buttons!

Come here!

NARRATOR: Laurie's backyard is a 1.4 square kilometre estate

with many kilometres of open woodland trails.

She shares this space with dogs,

cats, chickens, ducks,

and a wild white-tailed deer, called Buttons.

Hi, baby girl.

The relationship I have with Buttons has probably changed

how I think about any wild animal.

To know that they care, and that they have feelings,

and that they can love, and that they have family bonds.

(SOFT MUSIC)

NARRATOR: Buttons has been part of Laurie's family

since she was found as a baby faun, 12 years ago.

Somebody called us and let us know

that a doe had been hit in the road,

and there was a baby abandoned in their yard.

Buttons was probably a few days old when we got her,

she was a little tiny thing.

I literally had to bottle-feed her every three to four hours,

get up in the middle of the night, just like a baby.

NARRATOR: But Laurie was determined

that Buttons would grow up as a wild deer.

She was probably three to four-months-old,

then we just left her pen open, where she could go in and out,

and she just explored a little bit more of our land

as time went on, and soon, she just never went back into the pen,

and she was just a free deer to go where she wanted to.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

NARRATOR: Despite this total freedom,

Buttons continues to come home whenever she wants.

And over the years, has developed a strong bond

with Laurie and her family.

We share holidays together.

Last year was my husband's 50th birthday,

she came, she literally came down into the, uh,

group and said hi to us.

My daughter's wedding, we had it outside,

Buttons was literally the first to walk through the aisle.

She doesn't miss things.

She likes to be a part of all of our family events.

NARRATOR: And Buttons has shared some family moments of her own.

So, the first year, we didn't even know if Buttons was pregnant,

and then, all of a sudden, she comes up to the house with, uh, babies.

It was an incredible thing to know that, uh,

you know, she wanted to bring her babies up to us.

And every year since then, she still brings her babies

to our house, even now.

NARRATOR: Laurie always makes time to visit Buttons in her natural home,

roaming freely in the woodland as part of a larger herd.

Camouflaged in their native habitat,

they can be hard to see.

I don't know if they went back up, or...

or they could be on my neighbour's property.

NARRATOR: Hidden in Laurie's woodland,

is a cabin that she has dedicated to Buttons.

You see, this is White-tail Lodge,

and it's all themed after Buttons.

This is Buttons' family portrait wall.

This is my hiking friends,

and Buttons is following us through the creek.

Buttons with our Christmas. This is one of Buttons' sons,

one of her many bucks over the years.

This is me and my husband with Buttons when she was a baby.

NARRATOR: Another important member of Buttons' extended family,

is Jibro the dog.

So, Jibro is our golden retriever.

He literally grew up with Buttons,

so they have been best friends their whole life.

But, Jibro acts like another parent to her babies.

He grooms them, he loves on them.

She will actually leave her babies in our yard,

and go off and graze, and he will literally look after them,

just like a little guard dog. I mean, it's wonderful to see.

NARRATOR: In the familiar part of Laurie's woodland,

like always, there she is, Buttons.

Hi. Look how pretty you are.

Come here. Hi.

Hi, sweet girl.

It's always good to see her.

I literally soak up every minute I have with her,

until she's gone again,

and then I wait till she comes home again.

NARRATOR: Laurie has seen buttons grow from a young helpless faun,

into a healthy, confident wild deer,

with offspring of her own, sharing key moments of their lives

throughout their time together.

As the years have gone on, I think she looks at me as comfort,

and when she's raised her own babies, now,

I am now the person that she can come back to.

You're OK. Yeah.

I am living an incredible life,

to have this incredible experience with this wild deer,

who still thinks of me as Ma,

who still loves our family and wants to come home to us,

and she could be anywhere she wanted to be,

but she chooses to come home.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: Across the ocean, are an inseparable pair of friends.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

Nigel Marvin is a wildlife TV presenter,

who has travelled the world filming animals.

I've been close to giant pandas in the wild,

I've been with tigers, I've swum outside a cage

with great white sharks, I've caught green anacondas.

I have to pinch myself. I'm actually living my dreams,

um, and it's truly wonderful.

NARRATOR: But, Nigel's most treasured encounter

happened a lot closer to home, in South England.

Hello, Digger. Morning!

A very, very special relationship happened just four years ago...

Morning, Digger!

Come on, Digger.

..when I got this little ball of fluff.

That was Digger.

(WHISTLES) Come on, Digger.

Digger, come on. Hello! Good morning!

(DIGGER CHIRPS)

This is our morning routine.

I say hello to him, he says hello to me.

You alright, Digger?

Did you sleep well?

Did you sleep well, Digger?

This garden is his territory, now.

He flies free very day.

NARRATOR: Native to the Americas,

Digger is a four-year-old captive-bred burrowing owl.

In the morning, I call him, we have a little bit of a chat.

Then, at 11 o'clock, it's coffee time.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

Not long, now, Digger.

It's just gotta brew. (DIGGER CHIRPS)

Go on then, off you go, into the garden.

NARRATOR: Digger was born in captivity,

but with his parents unwilling to look after him,

he needed a surrogate mom.

Good boy.

NARRATOR: And a professional conservationist and naturalist,

Nigel was the ideal candidate to take on that role.

I can remember it precisely when I first saw Digger.

He came in a box, I opened the lid of the box.

This little ball of fluff with a few feathers sticking out,

he looked up at me, head bobbing.

As soon as I saw him, I fell in love with Digger.

NARRATOR: Right from the start, the two were inseparable.

I went on holiday to Scotland,

and he came on a car journey with me,

because I had to feed him every few hours, then.

Digger's having a sleep on our long journey to Scotland.

And then, slowly, the feathers grew,

and he started to flap his wings.

(DIGGER CHIRPING)

And then, he made his first flight.

To me, I'll never forget that.

You know, it was only a short flight of a metre or so,

and he flew onto my hand.

Hello, Digger.

When I first let him out, I was very worried.

But then, I realised that he didn't want to leave,

and then I left him in the garden

for longer and longer periods.

Over the months, I realised that

he liked having me as a companion.

And now, he never leaves the garden.

Never leaves the house, at all.

You are gorgeous, aren't you?

Right from the start, Digger had such charisma.

As an owlet, he used to play.

He'd jump on some sweet wrappers, jump on my shoulders,

play with my hair, pull my shoelaces.

(CHUCKLES)

There was a lovely time when he was playing with a bit of wood,

laying on his back. You can't get cuter than that.

(DIGGER SQUEALS)

(LAUGHS) You lost it, Digger?

Where is it?

I realised that this was gonna be an incredible relationship,

and I was gonna learn so much from Digger.

Alright?

First time you've seen snow, isn't it?

It's moments like this when we developed a really special bond.

Of course, Digger is an owl, he's a burrowing owl,

but, to me, he's a very special friend.

Hi, Digger. You love sunbathing there!

My heart does a flip every time I see him.

NARRATOR: The trust that Digger shows him

means more to Nigel than the little owl will ever know.

During lockdown, Digger was really a lifesaver for me,

because I was diagnosed with tonsil cancer.

I was here on my own by choice,

because when you're feeling really low and sick like that,

I don't wanna burden other people.

I could hardly leave the chair,

you know, the radiotherapy

and the chemotherapy was really severe,

and I couldn't eat anything, I lost a lot of weight,

but every day, I'd come out and talk with Digger,

and spend time with him, however tired I felt.

When he was there, sitting on my knee,

making his little sounds, bobbing his head,

doing all of the things that I know that he does,

and I knew that he would be with me unconditionally.

Somehow, this little owl helped me get through that cancer.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

NARRATOR: As much as Digger takes care of Nigel,

Nigel looks after Digger.

There we go.

Including catering to his unusual diet.

These are Digger's favourites.

Locusts and crickets.

Digger! It's treat time!

(LIVELY MUSIC)

NARRATOR: After a good meal and exercise...

..it's time to kick back and relax.

That's your relatives in Colombia, Digger.

It's incredible to have a little owl snuggled on your shoulder

while you're watching TV.

Are you OK? Can you hear them, Digger?

I'm so privileged to see animals in the wild,

but those glimpses are fleeting,

it's only a snapshot of their lives.

But, having this special relationship with Digger,

has allowed me to see how he experiences the world.

It's been one of the greatest privileges of my life,

to spend time with Digger.

(WAVES CRASHING)

NARRATOR: In the Pacific Ocean of Australia,

Earth's oldest species is in need of a friend.

(LIGHT MUSIC)

These waters are home to the green turtle.

Facing many threats, they are fortunate to have

the Cairns Rehabilitation Centre in Queensland.

And founder, Jenny Gilbert.

Hi, Nicky. Morning, Jen.

NARRATOR: She has dedicated her life to rescuing

and rehabilitating sick and injured turtles.

And it's Tommy whose character and story touched her the most.

OK, Tommy, breakfast is coming.

Here, Tommy.

Good boy.

Nice bit of squid, there.

Tommy was actually found down at Airlie Beach.

He was in really bad shape when he came in.

He was very scared.

He'd been taken out of the ocean. He was very skinny.

If I came near him, or anyone came near him,

he'd go over to the other side. So, he had to build the trust

that I wasn't gonna hurt him. I was only here to help him.

He's taking water in when he's eating,

and then he's squirting it back out through his nose.

(CHUCKLES)

NARRATOR: Jenny and her volunteers worked hard to fatten Tommy up.

It was just a very slow process.

He had to be tweezer-fed when he first came in.

Good boy.

Bit hungry.

NARRATOR: Tommy soon came to trust Jenny,

and enjoy her company.

Tommy definitely recognises me.

When my car pulls up, he starts splashing the side of the tank.

I definitely get attached to the turtles, especially Tommy.

I mean, he's absolutely fantastic.

Tommy will always be a special turtle.

Who's mum's boy?

And those turtles stick in your mind,

there's no doubt about it.

Who's mum's boy, hey?

He's a very gentle turtle.

NARRATOR: Tommy's bond with Jenny,

means he's happy to let her give him a once-over.

So, I'm just feeling his flippers, here,

just to make sure that there's no lumps or bumps on them.

Then, I need to feel underneath, to make sure he's nice and rounded,

and that he's putting on weight, that way.

They have nerve endings running under their shells.

When we're cleaning them, they'll wiggle their backside,

just like a dog. (CHUCKLES) It's really quite gorgeous to see.

Out in the wild, what would happen is,

they'd go underneath coral, and they'd give themselves a scratch.

He seeks out coming over to us, and things like that,

and we give him a scratch.

Every animal likes touch, there's no doubt about it.

We'll give him a scrub every now and then,

when he gets an algae build-up, just to keep his shell nice and clean.

And, you know...

he's a boy, he wants to look good. (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: The aim is that Tommy will one day

be released back to the wild.

Before this can happen, he needs to have gained sufficient weight.

One, two, three.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC)

We can see that he's a really, really good weight.

His neck's nice and thick, he's nice and thick, here.

He'd probably be about 50 kilos.

So, probably up to about 55 kilos,

and then he's ready to go.

Alright, you guys ready?

Just let him swim off.

(SOFT MUSIC)

NARRATOR: Tommy's come a long way since he arrived at the centre,

two years ago.

He was in dreadful shape, he was skinny,

he obviously hadn't eaten for a long time.

Like, he was really covered in a lot of tumours.

Tommy was suffering from a form of herpes, called fibropapilloma.

It presents as tumours, and they can get them so large,

that it just impedes the animal from swimming.

This is like a cauliflower,

and then this is a smooth tumour, here.

So, he had a lot of tumours on him.

NARRATOR: Fibropapilloma is regarded

as an incurable disease for sea turtles.

But, Jenny's work offers hope.

Using tumour samples from affected turtles,

she has developed a vaccine.

Tommy is very important.

He's the third turtle that we've done the vaccine trial on,

and the third turtle to recover. So, it's looking very positive.

NARRATOR: Jenny's work is truly pioneering,

and could help save many endangered sea turtles.

It is a potential cure, but we do need to move forward,

and we need to do a lot more research.

He's completely clear, and he's ready to go.

Perfectly healthy animal.

His fibropapilloma has gone, and also his weight's gaining.

NARRATOR: However fond of Tommy Jenny is,

she knows that, one day, she'll have to say goodbye to him.

There's no doubt that I have a bond with Tommy.

But, you know, the nicest part about this bond is that,

he's recovering, and he can be released back out into the wild,

and what a great thing that is.

You know, it's obviously sad, because we have this bond,

but turtles don't belong in tanks.

Green turtles are just a lovely turtle.

You know, they're just the birds of the ocean.

They're probably the calmest out of all turtles.

They're just a gentle soul in the ocean.

NARRATOR: 28 kilometres off the coast of Cairns is Green Island...

..an eco-resort and green turtle hotspot.

It will one day be Tommy's home.

Give the turtles a chance.

You know, they've got so many threats out there,

that they need to have these areas, they need to have these safe havens.

NARRATOR: By chance, and old friend has dropped by.

We've got one down there, and how fantastic,

it's one of our released turtles, it's Ava.

It's a great feeling to know that she's out here, she's safe.

NARRATOR: Just like Tommy, Ava was a very sick turtle,

when Jenny first met her.

We had put a lot of time into Ava,

she'd been in with us for over two years.

What a great thing that is. She looks really healthy.

She's actually quite fat. (CHUCKLES)

So, the sea grass must be really good, here.

NARRATOR: Seeing Ava gives Jenny confidence for Tommy's release.

We can only hope the same for Tommy, too.

It'd be great if they all ended up coming back here,

and we could actually see them.

There's no doubt, when Tommy goes,

there's gonna be a lot of tears all around.

There's tears of joy, tears of sadness,

but I think the greatest part about it is,

is tears of, "We've done our job."

He's gone back to what he belongs to.

Every turtle going back into the population makes a difference.

Tommy's probably about 20-years-old, now.

So, they start breeding when they're about 20 to 50-years-old,

so hopefully, he'll go back into breeding, which is fantastic.

So, what an important animal to actually rescue,

rehabilitate and go back into the wild.

NARRATOR: Perhaps one day, Jenny will see Tommy

swimming around Green Island.

Tommy will always stick in my mind.

He'll always have a special place with me.

(CHUCKLES)

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