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.'

(LAUGHING)

'From empathy for a bad tempered bird.

Just a little bit misunderstood, aren't you?

'To companionship where words are not needed.'

(KISSES)

'And total adoration.'

Sorry, I'm just staring at him. I might be a little in love.

'The bond of friendship is universal.'

(PEACEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

NARRATOR: 'It's midwinter, in the small community of Parksville,

New York state, USA.'

MAN: Good morning, sunshine.

NARRATOR: 'Todd Friedman has his hands full.'

TODD: My life was going to work, coming home,

going to work, coming home.

You know, friends and family around,

but nothing that was just like, 'oomph',

like, "What am I here for?"

'What we got here, people?'

I didn't have a passion to get up for,

my heart wasn't exploding. And, so, when I discovered

that you can wake up in the morning and be happy...

(WHISTLES) 'Here they come.'

..I discovered there was a flame inside of me

and a passion that was my meaning of life.

And I truly believe that.

'There you go.'

(PIGS SQUEAL)

(GENTLE MUSIC)

From day one, I was a huge animal lover,

I was always drawn to them,

and then when I started working with them,

I just knew this was what I was put on the Earth to do.

There's not a time I don't walk out and see a pig and smile.

NARRATOR: 'There's one pig that Todd is particularly fond of.'

'Katniss!

Come on, baby girl!

Come on, baby girl. Yay.'

I have a bond with every animal here,

but mine and Katniss is super special.

'Hello, sunshine.

Good girl, good girl, you look good today.'

We are an animal rescue focused on pigs.

So we have 39 pigs and, yes, there's 39 different sizes,

personality, you know, there's every kind of pig.

'That's Wolfie, he's very handsome.

Yes, you're cranky, though. You're very cranky,

you're very cranky, yes, you are very cranky.'

We started in 2018, when I was looking at the property,

and it was an abandoned slaughterhouse.

The barns were falling down, nothing was being taken care of,

the pastures were muddy, the fencing was bad.

There as more bad than good.

'Hi, Billie. Hi, baby girl, hi, baby girl.

(KISSES) Are you a good girl?'

NARRATOR: 'After a lot of hard graft,

by 2018, Todd was up and running.'

It's not an option for me not to get out of bed,

as much as they rely on me, I rely on them, you know,

for just keeping this fire in my soul.

'Tickling your face? He loves it when his face is tickled.

Oh see, look here. That's the spot, that's the spot!'

NARRATOR: 'On his morning rounds,

Todd checks in on Katniss.'

'Good morning, Katniss.'

She came to us three years ago today.

And she was locked

in a small shed in the middle of the woods,

and was not being fed.

'Oh, man. Jesus.'

And her, her sister, Prim, and her niece, Rue,

were actually having to sleep on each other's backs

in order not to drown in their own faeces.

They were emaciated, they were malnourished,

it was a really bad situation.

'Been starved.'

But she just couldn't walk, she was paralysed for four months.

And the vets recommended euthanising her.

(KISSES)

'Good night.

Good night.'

I just knew, right when I looked in her eyes,

she was not ready to go, she was not ready to die.

Er, for four months, we worked together.

'Come on. Come on.'

Physical therapy, massage therapy,

laser therapy, acupuncture, nutritional therapies,

literally everything you can absolutely try.

'I think she really likes it.

Good girl. Oh, right up in there.

Yay! Oh, man.'

There's not one day that she wanted to give up.

Every single day she tried harder and harder.

'I just wanna give everybody a Katniss update.

She's really tired right now, she stood up and, kind of, uh...

I mean, she stumbled, but she got up.

There you go, baby girl.'

We'd move an apple a little farther away,

so she had to get there someway.

'OK, today's the day.

Four months. This is what we've all been waiting for.

Katniss is coming out.

Come on, baby girl.

(KATNISS GRUNTS)

She's coming out of her stall after four months...

..of not being able to walk. Come on, baby girl.

Let's go.

Come on, baby girl! You did it!

You did it!

You did it! You did it!'

Now, she's living her best life,

you know, she's probably about eight years old,

and she is doing amazing.

That connection stayed forever.

(KISSES)

'She's my little girl, are you my little girl?'

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'It's three years to the day since Katniss was rescued.

Todd has a surprise for her.'

I'm gonna make today special. Every day's special,

but today they get special treats, and so,

we figured we'd have a pineapple party for her and her friends.

So this is for Katniss's rescue anniversary.

Um, we're going out there, we're gonna meet them out there.

There's Katniss.

'Katniss! Happy rescue anniversary!

Here you go, baby girl.'

Watching them that happy,

chewing, juices drip down their face,

it's like a kid having a sugar dream, you know?

That's candy to them.

When they walk around with a pineapple in their mouth,

it's just funny.

It's literally just funny.

They're walking around, you'll see a couple that'll trot about them:

# I got my pineapple! It's so delicious.

# You can't have any. This is mine #

You know, you put a song to it sometimes.

NARRATOR: 'It's the end of a long day.

Every night, Todd reads someone a bedtime story.

Tonight, it's Petey's turn.'

'OK, you ready?

So it's 'The Precious Priceless Piglet',

the little pig who wouldn't give up.'

They're my world, they're my life, they're my air.

They're my heart, they're my soul. They're everything.

'Mum!, Mikey yells, as loud as he can.

He can barely hear his mum's voice call back:

"I love you."

Then the man takes Mikey

and puts him into a carrier held by his daughter.'

They feed my soul so much, I love them so much,

I don't want to be away from them.

'Are you sleeping? I put you to bed? I put you to bed?'

You know, people will say to me: "Why don't you take a vacation?"

Where would I go that I want to be more than here?

'Good night, good boy.'

This is where I want to be,

I wanna be around them. They're my family.

NARRATOR: 'Before Todd calls it a night,

there's one more pig to bid sweet dreams to.'

'Hi, Katniss.

Good night, good night, good night.

Good night, good night, good night.'

I know her so well,

we've been through so much together.

'I love you.

So much, baby girl.'

(KISSES)

We look in each other's eyes and gaze,

we look in each other's eyes, I know what she's thinking,

I know, I can tell just from her eyes,

I don't have to see her body, I can tell if her mood is good or bad.

'Goodbye. Sweet dreams.'

We have a deep soul connection.

It's never gone away,

it's never been less. It's always been there.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Friendships are often based on shared happiness.

But a shared cranky temperament

can also create a unique bond.'

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

'In the Australian outback,

ex-police officer Petah, cares for rescued animals.'

'Hello, Bubba. Hello.'

(PETAH CALLING)

'Bicksey, Blitzen!'

'Hello, beautiful girls. Hello.'

(PETAH CALLS THE GOATS)

'Hey, how are you, beautiful?

Guess who's boss man, hey, Oz?'

'Are you a good boy?'

'It's also home to Toto.'

(PETAH LAUGHS)

' A very grumpy, ferocious emu.'

(PETAH LAUGHS)

'Toto's a bit temperamental.

You just never know what you're gonna get.'

'Volunteer, Jeff, is trying to give Toto her breakfast...

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

..but it's not going well.'

No ripped clothes and no blood drawn today, so, yeah.

She's in a good mood.

(LAUGHING)

'Jeff got off lightly this morning.'

Ripped me elbow open.

Ripped a bit of skin off there.

Gets behind me and grabs my ears.

Takes the skin off, I bleed like hell.

(CHUCKLES)

That was a good morning.

'Now it's Petah's turn to get in the ring.'

There we go.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

'Just a little bit misunderstood, aren't you?'

I reckon Toto and I get along really well

because similar personalities here.

Cranky one minute and fine the next.

So, yeah, just like an emu.

(LAUGHS)

We can relate to each other.

'You like your morning pats, don't you? Mm?'

Had no intention of ever getting an emu.

They're pretty cool.

They're a bit silly, but they're pretty cool.

She likes the pet down the neck,

and then, in a minute, she'll close her eyes. Watch.

One day, some friends from another station

were lucky enough to| rescue a baby emu.

And then it was just getting a little bit too big.

I find it hard to say no, as you can see.

Yeah.

So, I Googled a little bit about them

and what they eat, and their behaviour,

and, um, what they're like, sort of thing.

This is how much I trust her.

Like, she could really hurt me with her claws,

if she was to kick.

Whenever you walked anywhere, she'd follow you.

She'd just sit with you, at your feet, was just like a dog.

With all the chooks, and all that, she wasn't fazed,

so, yeah, it was just, just easy.

It was like it was meant to be.

I don't there's a lot of emus that will just sit here and get cuddles.

I've had Toto, um, three years now.

I don't have her in a cage,

she's free to come and go as she likes.

And I make sure she's got enough food and water.

Who wouldn't love an emu where you can just come and pat them? And...

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

..you know, they close their eyes like that.

NARRATOR: 'Petah has been rehoming animals

since leaving the police force in 2018.'

I actually ended up going out with PTSD.

Um, I just couldn't go back.

It was a pretty tough couple of years, just sorting through things.

'He's gotta get in on the cuddles.'

The animals made me get up in the morning and,

you know, couldn't sit around doing nothing.

It just cheers you up straight away, you just feel good straight up.

Pretty tough life being a dog and an emu on this place, I tell ya.

NARRATOR: 'Toto isn't a fan of sharing attention.'

(LAUGHS)

'But Petah has to tend to the other animals,

the attention not on her,

Toto goes in search of mischief elsewhere.'

'Morning cuddles, hey?'

'How are you, Missy? Hm?'

'Hey, Tiramisu.'

'And soon, she's nowhere to be seen.'

Some days she decides to go for a walk,

and I think: "Well, that's it. I'll never see her again."

A few of the locals see her close to the road

and get a bit worried, and they ring me

and I go for a drive and look for her.

'Hello.

You haven't happened to have seen Toto this afternoon, have you?

Yeah, just went to feed her and she's not out there.

Yeah, just give us a call if you see her.

OK, thank you. Bye.'

They all know who she is,

so I'm pretty lucky that I've got some good locals

that keep an eye out for her.

As if I've got time for this! (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: 'Emus are native here, and Toto is free to roam,

but Petah tries to keep her out of trouble.'

I don't know why Toto decides to go

into the township of Silverton,

she chooses to either go to the pub or the bakery,

or to visit the local galleries.

'Hello!' (VARIOUS LOCALS)Hello!

'Now, have you seen Toto today?'

Not today. (LAUGHS)

'Thanks, guys.

Alright, talk to you later. See ya.'

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

She's not where I normally find her,

so we'll go check out the Mad Max museum.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

'We're looking for Toto.

How sometimes she walks around the back here?'

Do you need me to have a look?

'Oh, just keep an eye out for her.

You know my number. If she turns up, give us a call.'

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

There she is.

Oh, never thought she'd be there.

'There you are, Toto.

Been looking everywhere for you all day.

Gonna walk home now, righty?'

'Come on. Home time. Come on, bub.'

She must see something in me that she likes,

just like I see something in her,

like, I reckon that's pretty cool.

'Home time, Toto.'

It's pretty unique to have, you know, a friendship like that

with a wild animal. I reckon that's pretty cool.

'You've been out all day, eating plants and flowers.

Good girl.'

It's pretty hard to describe feelings for an emu,

because, you know, when you have a cat or dog,

they're just affectionate always, by nature,

where she isn't.

'Good girl, Toto.

Nearly home. Come on.'

When she goes for her little walks, I often worry

that she's not gonna come back home.

I think: "OK, this is the day she's not coming back home."

So, yeah, I'd miss her terribly if, um,

something happened to her or she took off.

'Now we're home,

sit down and relax, hey?'

I love my emu. I love her. Like, you know,

she's got personality, she's different.

She's a good cuddler.

'Big day out. Big adventure.'

(GENTLE MUSIC)

'Good girl.'

Yeah I love her. She's gorgeous.

She's got personality plus. (LAUGHING)

No matter how cranky she gets with me,

she still wants to give me a cuddle.

NARRATOR: 'Physical touch between human and animal

shows a great deal of trust.

And for some animals, it's essential.'

'Dinghani Nkomo is up early.'

'Lucy is currently in the maternity ward

at Free to be Wild Sanctuary, in Zimbabwe,

with her four-month old baby, Chacka.'

NARRATOR: 'Lucy and baby will re-join the other baboons

in a couple of week's time, when Chacka is a bit bigger.'

'Dinghani has been working with orphaned baboons

for seven years.

He has his father to thank for his love of animals.'

'But it was when Lucy and Dinghani met, six years ago,

that the strongest friendship was cemented.'

NARRATOR: 'Once Lucy and Chacka have learned to be independent,

they will be released back to the wild.'

'Dinghani is taking the other baboon residents

out for an afternoon bush walk.'

'For safety, Lucy and Chacka must stay behind.

But in just a couple of weeks,

this will be part of their daily routine too.'

(BABOONS CHATTERING) (DINGHANI CALLING)

'Although not all of them are keen on the walking bit.'

'In time, this entire troop will be released together.'

'Wild baboons live in patriarchal troops

where alpha males can be boisterous,

competing for females to mate with.'

'Once introduced to the troop,

Chacka will need to find his place,

under the protection of Lucy and Dinghani.'

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

'Like with Lucy,

Dinghani knows that if he wants to gain the baboon's trust,

he needs to act like a baboon.'

'Baboons spend several hours a day grooming each other.'

'It calms nerves within the complex social structures

and reinforces friendships.'

'Dinghani can even speak baboon.'

(LOUD CHUFFING GRUNTING)

(LAUGH-LIKE CHATTERING)

(GENTLE MUSIC)

'With the troop taken care of,

Dinghani can get back to his favourite baboon.'

(LOUD CHUFFING GRUNTING)

NARRATOR: 'Connecting with others is all about slowing down

and taking your time.

Especially when it comes to animals.'

(GENTLE MUSIC)

MAN: When I'm out there, it's...

kind of my time to not think about things,

so, you know, get out there, kinda clear my head,

and just kinda re-energise.

Being quiet, and just being one with nature.

I have a hard time even, like, realising this is real life,

this is just my normal Tuesday,

it's kinda hard to put it into words, but it's just,

I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

It's about being quiet

and kinda taking in the surroundings around me,

and I think that's a lot of times where I get manatee encounters

is when there's a lot of silence, not a lot of movement going on.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Saint Augustine, Florida, USA,

is the perfect home for wildlife lover, Adam McCahill.'

ADAM: I'd never done any paddleboarding until

a few years ago, a buddy of mine bought some,

and I was kinda intrigued by the idea,

so I went out with him one time,

and from there, I think I bought a board within a couple days.

One day, I just happened to come upon some manatees.

'Every season since then,

Adam has returned to the same spot to see them.

There was one he began to recognise early on.'

He's got a perfect scar on his little forehead

in the shape of a seven,

so, just my nickname for him.

Every time he saw me, he'd kinda turn around,

investigate for a little bit, he'd always come right up

and hang out for a little while.

'Once Adam became aware of Seven,

he realised many of the others were regular visitors too.'

Easiest way to describe them is just,

think of a potato floating around in the water,

the people around here call them floating potatoes all the time.

It was just amazing to be out in the water,

around an animal that big that's so gentle.

I always had an obsession, when I was a kid,

pretty much any wildlife that I could see

or knew anything about,

I was the one who wanted to be the marine biologist,

or a zookeeper, or whatever it was to work around animals.

Never did, professionally.

I test railroad software and hardware,

I go out and work in the field for a week or two,

then I'm usually home for a week or two.

So, it gives me a lot of time to explore.

It's kinda become pretty much my main thing that I do

when I get some time off, is go out on my paddleboard

and explore.

NARRATOR: 'The manatees spend the summer in the Gulf of Mexico,

Adam has been waiting months for their return.'

Since manatees don't have a lot of body fat,

they need to stay warm,

they don't survive in the coastal waters in the winter.

So, in the winter months, they will travel inward,

they'll all kind of migrate central, into the springs.

'He's off to Three Sisters Springs,

a designated manatee conservation area.'

I'll wake up as early as I can get out of bed,

always best to see them when there's not a lot of people on the river,

so if you can get out there, be the first one on the water,

pretty good chance you're gonna be able to see them.

'But seeing the manatees is never guaranteed.'

'It's a little warmer today than normal,

about... Maybe about 70 degrees.

Normally, the colder the better,

so we'll see what we find out there, I guess.'

A lot of people don't know what manatees are,

unless you're from Florida, and have been around them,

they're almost like an alien species to people.

They're very gentle animals, no aggression at all.

And some of them really do enjoy coming up

and interacting with people.

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Despite their size,

manatees are not always easy to spot.'

'There's definitely one here.

Maybe something over there.

Saw a nose poke out of the water.

Heard a little: "Pffft." Kinda blow-off.

Noise over here,

there's usually a manatee somewhere.'

'Oh! There's one right here.

Literally coming up right here.

Looks like a little baby.

Oh, there's a mum over here, right in front of me.

So we've got a mum and baby.

Just kinda hanging out.

That's pretty awesome.'

'Seven is not here,

but Adam is happy to make some new friends.'

(GENTLE MUSIC)

They're every bit as curious

and every bit as interested in you as we are in them.

'Manatees have no predator,

meaning they have nothing to fear.'

They'll get right in your face

and sometimes nose to nose with you,

and you really can just feel a connection with them.

We're both just as happy to see each other.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

Sometimes, they'll just come up and rub against you,

to kinda get your attention.

They're almost like sandpaper,

they're not slimy, or how you would expect them to really feel at all.

They're my friends.

I enjoy being around them, they enjoy being around me.

The manatees kinda go about on their own, do their own thing,

and even the gators and sharks just kinda leave them alone.

No-one's chasing them around,

and they're not chasing anything to eat, either,

so they're just kinda happy-go-lucky,

go about their way,

and kinda live in their own little world a lot of the time.

NARRATOR: 'But the manatee does face dangers.'

Unfortunately, identifying them by scars on their bodies

from being hit by boats

is normally how you can tell which one's which.

'They are currently classified as a threatened species,

largely due to human activity.'

'Adam does what he can to protect his friends.'

'Looks like maybe got some trash over here.

Go ahead and go pick that up.

Don't need manatees choking on beer cans.'

Like any other animal, if they swallow some plastic,

they can choke on it very easily.

So, I try to pick up whatever I can out there.

'Let's see what we got here.

Coat hanger.

I saw a can somewhere.'

And stuff like, paddling along,

see people who are speeding by in their boats

and their jet-skis, just kinda let people know,

"hey, there's manatees in the area,

slow down, get out of the way."

'What else, what else?'

Just kinda let people know they're around,

and let people know they need our help,

'cause their numbers are really not doing well

the last few years.

'That's at least a few things that won't end up

in the belly of a manatee.

Alrighty.'

(GENTLE MUSIC)

It never gets old, to me. It doesn't matter how many times I see 'em,

how many times they come up to me, it always amazes me.

I mean, it's hard to...

have a bad day or be upset

when you're around really cool animals.

There's only so many of them left in the world,

and they're just...

the gentlest, kindest animal in the world.

They don't have any problems with any other animal,

no-one has a problem with a manatee,

and it's just kinda one of those things,

maybe we should all be more like the manatees,

just be kind to everyone, and everyone's kind back.

NARRATOR: 'The strongest bonds can be formed

in times of mutual need.

In Sydney, Australia...

'Hello, kids.'

..Sarah Curran and her daughter

have some unusual houseguests.'

SARAH: 'Ayla, do you want to come and help Mummy?

Do you want to help Mummy take dinner to them?

Show them what they do.

Yeah, good girl.

You hold it for Mum.

Ah, thank you. Now you stay there.

There you go, guys.'

NARRATOR: 'Sarah is nursing some injured flying fox fruit bats

back to full strength.'

So, we've just come back from the vet,

and the vet gave them the all clear.

This one was trapped in a courtyard on a hot day.

'Flying foxes are unable to take off from flat ground.'

There's nothing that they can grip on to,

to climb high enough to then fly out.

Yeah, quite dehydrated and heat-stressed.

But she's doing really well now.

'There you go.'

NARRATOR: 'The hope is that, once fully recovered,

the bats will be released back into the wild.

For the bats who are too injured to be set free,

the next best thing is a local sanctuary.

There's one bat who Sarah is especially excited

to be reunited with today.'

I'm particularly excited to see Banksy.

It looks like they're just waking up now

to have their mid-morning groom.

I've spent a long time working with these bats,

so they feel like family,

so I always get very excited when I get to see them.

'Hi, baby.'

NARRATOR: 'And Banksy makes it clear

she's pleased to see Sarah.'

'Hi.'

I hand-raised Banksy in 2012.

And so, she's probably a bat that I've known

for the longest, in my life.

'Hello.

How're you doing?

Hi.'

'Sarah first became involved with bats

when she was at university, studying physiotherapy.'

I had been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks

since I was in high school.

'Hey, good boy.

How're you doing, hey? It's been a while.'

It was so bad that I wasn't able to leave the house.

I dropped out of university.

'Who is that?

Who is that digging in my hair?

That is Gary.

Who'd have known?'

My parents said I wasn't allowed to sit at home and do nothing.

'How's my hair?

'Is it beautiful? Am I ready to go out?'

They suggested that I join a volunteer organisation.

I've never worked with wildlife, I've never been nature girl.

I was a music girl, when I was growing up.

So, at my introduction course,

they had a couple of different animals,

had a couple of birds, and a possum.

'A face full of banana.'

Towards the end of the course,

a lady brought out this bat,

and I just...

Double-take, I can still see it so clearly,

and I just was mesmerised, I was like...

Oh my gosh, that is... That's amazing.

Look at it. That's so cool.

'Would you like more grapes?

It's very polite of you, Mel.'

I was just like: "That's what I'm doing."

And then after, I did the rescue and care course,

and started to raise my own baby bats.

NARRATOR: 'It was Banksy who quickly became

Sarah's number one bat.

'Come on.

Oh, you smell so good.

Hi, Banksy.'

'Banksy came into Sarah's care

when she was just a couple of days old.'

So, we got a call from a member of the public

that had come across a dead flying fox

that was in the gutter.

The mother's body's been half-eaten by ants

and there's a live baby crawling around

over the stinking body.

Her mum was electrocuted on power lines.

The pup was in a pretty bad way.

She was tiny, she was only about three days old.

NARRATOR: 'For Sarah, it was love at first sight.'

She was this striking gold colour,

she was just so, so gorgeous.

Initially, we couldn't see evidence of burns,

but after a couple of days, we started to see blisters develop.

The wings should be up to about here.

Um, and then this side, if you can see,

she's lost quite a bit of her wing.'

'Banksy had several operations.'

We made that decision that she wasn't going to be released,

'cause we were losing too much tissue.'

'Unable to fly for long distances to forage for food,

it was clear that Banksy wouldn't survive in the wild.

She needed a surrogate mum.'

'Help yourself.'

She's a superstar, she can help herself.

'And Sarah was happy to step up to the challenge.'

Caring for Banksy involves

five to six milk feeds a day,

often around the clock,

inbetween milk feeds, you have to give water feeds.

'For Banksy, Sarah was everything.'

'A face full of banana.'

'And for Sarah, hand-rearing Banksy

helped her in ways she never imagined possible.'

So, that's where I think the magic happened.

'Hi, honey.'

In terms of my mental health,

I knew that I had to get better

so that I could put my energy and efforts

into doing a good job for Banksy.

Things were going much better for me,

and I actually made a decision to go back to university.

'Sarah had to work her studies around Banksy.'

The bond between a mother flying fox in the wild

and a baby flying fox is very intense.

Between four and six months, very close to each other.

The first six weeks, they are inseparable.

So, it is a very intense relationship,

I would choose my timetable around

giving myself enough time to, like, go home, or feed Banksy.

'Good girl.'

I'd never had such an intense bond with a bat

as I had with Banksy, because she was in my care

for such a long time, and because of her personality.

Since she was a pup, she was...

she was always so curious,

they are all curious, but she was particularly so,

and very comfortable and happy to be with me.

She reminds me of myself,

she's a bit of a goose, bit of a goofball.

It's pretty special to have that sort of relationship

with a wild animal.

'Oh, I've missed you so much. Let's cuddle.'

Sneaky little cuddle.

NARRATOR: 'Happy that Banksy is doing well,

Sarah has another visit to make.

Tarban Creek Reserve in Sydney.

This is one of the locations

that I like to do releases for flying foxes.

I'd estimate, based on what I'm seeing and hearing,

that there probably is about 10, maybe 15,000.

You can hear the high-pitched trills, that's little pups

calling to their mums.

That... Yeah.

I feel very calm, very zen, very happy.

There's something about the chaos of the camp

that just makes me feel very much at ease.

And I just enjoy listening to all the different conversations

and watching all the different interactions.

NARRATOR: 'It's dusk, and the bat colony are gearing up

for their evening flight and forage.

You can feel the energy has started to pick up dramatically.

(BATS CHIRPPING)

So, lots of scent marking,

lots of boys spreading their eau de bat,

to make it smell very nice.

So, it looks like they're deciding

which way they're gonna go for the night.

(GENTLE MUSIC) (BATS CHIRPPING)

Not only do bats need us, but we actually need them.

NARRATOR: 'Through eating fruits and their seeds,

they play a vital role in cross-pollination.'

When they poop seeds,

they can regenerate areas of forest,

they're literally foresters of the night.

You don't have to love bats like I do,

that's fine, but...

..if everybody on the planet had a little more respect

and knowledge about what they actually do for the environment,

I think the world would be a much better place.

World peace through knowledge of bats.

(LAUGHS)

Banksy will always have a special place in my heart,

because we've had such an intense relationship,

and such a longstanding relationship, as well.

I love her like a mother.

It's a sense of family,

and when I'm with her, it feels like home.

(CHITTERING)

'Sometimes the greatest of loves

are formed from afar.'

'Come, buddy!

He knows.'

NARRATOR: 'Clare Staples, is trying to round up

a rather skittish horse.'

(LAUGHING) 'He's off.

He's off.

He's like: "Oh, no!"'

'The reason he's not used to people

is because, like all the horses here,

he's a wild horse.'

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

NARRATOR: 'Over 200 horses run wild and free here

at Skydog Sanctuary,

Clare's 36 km2 ranch

in Oregon, USA.'

We re-wild horses and mustangs

that have ended up in bad situations.

NARRATOR: 'It's a very different life for British-born Clare

to the one she used to have.'

I moved to New York when I was 18,

and I was working as a model

and as far away from horses as you could get.

'But, ultimately, her heart was somewhere else.'

From as long as I can remember, horses were my first love,

and I just love the smell of horses, being around horses.

'Of all the horses in Clare's life,

there's one great love.'

There's Blue Zeus, up on the hill.

'With his signature dark coat and white socks,

Blue Zeus is a wild stallion who used to roam free in Wyoming.

He is one of an estimated 70,000 wild horses in the US.

'Hey, guys.'

Whose lineage dates back to the 16th Century.'

'Good morning.'

'An iconic symbol of America's Wild West,

Mustangs capture the hearts of many,

with social media accounts dedicated to herds,

and even individuals.'

I saw him in pictures and videos

on people's wild horse sites.

I always felt very affected and connected to him.

'You're such a good boy.'

I don't know why I felt there was such a connection,

it's hard to describe.

As sort of a symbol of all the Mustangs out there,

he was just my north star.

'In the United States,

Mustangs are carefully managed to prevent overpopulation.

Every year, hundreds of wild horses

are rounded up and sold, or put down.

One day I saw pictures of him and his family

being pushed into a trap.

It just felt like my heart broke,

I really just couldn't believe

that they had taken him.

'After four years of following Blue Zeus online,

Clare saw her favourite wild horse

herded into captivity.'

It was really devastating.

And then to start on this journey of, like,

could I, you know, could I actually find him?

'After more searching,

Clare learnt he was in Colorado,

put up for auction.

If he didn't sell,

he could be destined for the slaughterhouse.

'I just got here.

There's horses on the left and the right.'

I could see pen after pen after pen

of groups of horses there.

'Just looking to see if I can see him.'

And then I stopped, and I saw his white socks,

and his long mane.

'Oh, my God.

I see him!'

I was like, there he is!

And I couldn't believe it, actually.

'He's right there.

Oh, I feel like I'm gonna cry.'

I just walked up to his pen and I remember telling him

that we were gonna get him out of there that day.

'Hi, buddy.

You're gonna be just fine.'

Literally, we had to bid on him,

and I bid $25, which was the lowest you could bid.

Post number 4980, it's a Pinto.

19 years old, bidder number one has bid for $25,

are all bids in?

NARRATOR: 'Nine months of hard work

led Clare to this moment.' (TENSE MUSIC)

Bidder number one, do you still want him?Mm-hmm.

(SOBBING)

Suddenly he was mine.

I was like: "OK, he's coming home."

'You're gonna be free again.'

He travelled home that day,

we opened the door of the trailer and out he jumped.

'There's Blue Zeus.

He's out. He's running.

There's he goes! (LAUGHING) Oh, my God!

Oh, my God. Look at them go!

Keep running, boys!

Don't stop for anything!'

NARRATOR: 'But even after rescuing her favourite horse,

Clare wasn't satisfied.'

I'd always notice him standing by himself,

kind of looking out at the horizon,

and I always imagined he was looking for his family.

So I promised him I'd go look for his family

and try and bring them back.

Family is everything to a wild horse,

in the wild, you know, a stallion will fight to the death

to protect his mares, and his young,

and his family, and, often,

his babies stay with him as long as they can,

You know, in a family setting.

'Through more detective work,

Clare discovered where Blue Zeus' family were being held,

separated from him for nearly a year.

Clare wasted no time in heading back to auction

and bringing his family home.'

'Over here on the hill are Blue Zeus' mares and babies.

His entire family is there.

'Once back, she set up the surprise reunion.'

'He's about to join them.'

The gate opened, and he just flew out.

'Here he comes, it's Blue Zeus.

He's running to his family.'

(SOBBING)

He was, like, high stepping, his head high.

'There they go, running together.

There's Flora and Juno, his two daughters, right behind him.'

And it was just, oh, my gosh, I just sat on the ground

just crying.

'Zeusy, you got your family back.'

'For Clare, seeing Blue Zeus with his family

makes her hard work all worth while.'

I never get tired of seeing that he's here, you know?

It's almost hard to believe

after everything... I went through to find him,

and then bring his family back.

'Blue Zeus may be unaware of Clare's love for him,

but for her, keeping his wild spirit

is what matters most.'

As much as I would love to walk up to Blue Zeus

and give him scratches,

he is a wild animal,

and we really want to leave him that way,

because, you know, that's the beauty of him.

I've never touched Blue Zeus,

he took hay out of my hands once,

when I was having a really bad day,

and I like to think he could tell.

I felt very honoured that he would trust me enough

to come that close.

Because he's a wild animal,

and he has no reason to trust people whatsoever

after everything he's been through, so it's pretty special.

It's strange to say that I love an animal

that I can't touch, but it is a really deep love

that I honour and cherish every day.

'Blue Zeus's story has given Clare

the drive to do the same

for countless other horses since.'

'Good girl.'

He inspires us to keep rescuing,

and keep reuniting families.

They just means so much to me.

Hopefully, for the rest of my years,

You know, I'll be able to spend time with these horses.

I was just staring at him. (LAUGHS)

I might be a little in love.

Probably the first half of my life was all about people,

and being around people, and having tons of friends,

and doing things with other people,

but it certainly didn't fill that hole in my soul

like these horses do.

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