All language subtitles for My Best Friends an Animal S01E05.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

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.

A near-death experience
strengthens a bond.

I'm here for her,
and she's here for me.

For one man,
groundhog day is the best day.

There he is!
Look, he's got bed head.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

And in friendship,
even the most unlikely creatures

look for affection.

Just literally come in
and just lean there and say, "Hi.

Can you pet me?"

The bond of friendship is universal.

Amongst the city streets
of Nottingham, England,

the kettle's on
for a birthday cuppa.

HANNAH: I like to do Penny
a little bit of a treat,

because when I first rescued her,

I learned pretty quickly
that she had

an acquired taste
for a cup of chamomile.

Obviously, I don't know when she was
actually born, because I rescued her

and she was probably already
about three months when I found her.

But I treat her birthday
as the day we found each other.

You like that, huh?

Ahh.

Penny is a precious pigeon
that has changed Hannah's life.

I feel a very strong connection
with Penny.

It's the way that
she behaves with me.

She always wants to be around me,

on me, physically,
you know, connected to me.

When I first got her,

I never thought
this would be a possibility.

I never rescued her expecting

that I would be shown
affection or love.

I was happy that she trusted me
enough to help her.

But over time, as we've bonded,

to be able to pet her like this,
is the loveliest thing.

It's really, really cool.
And she loves it.

When I was growing up,

animals were always
a huge part of my life.

I had guinea pigs,
axolotls, newts,

I had a giant African snail,
I had dogs, cats.

Never had a pigeon,
and never had a bird.

Even though Penny
is free to fly away,

she chooses to stay with Hannah,

and the two do everything together.

Good girl.

I like to start all of my days
with Penny

by my side if at all possible,

because she's just so funny
and she makes great company.

She just loves make... oh, yeah,
that's a common occurrence.

She loves standing on your head,
and she loves,

for some reason, makeup brushes.
She's absolutely obsessed with them.

Is it practical having Penny here
while I do my makeup?

No, but, you know, do I care?

Would I rather be the girl that
does her makeup with a pigeon
on her head? Absolutely.

I've no idea where Penny was
before she found me at that pub.

I'm assuming
she was just a feral pigeon.

So it really surprises me
how she just managed

to settle so quickly into,
like, domestic human life.

Good girl.

To be honest, before Penny
sat on my lap at the pub,

I'd never even made physical contact
with a pigeon.

So, it was very bizarre to me.

It was a chance encounter
over a drink

that brought Hannah
and Penny together.

I will never, ever forget
when I first laid eyes on Penny.

She was a three-month-old
scraggly fledgling.

I was in a pub with my friends,

and we were on a bench outside,

and this little scraggly thing
hopped onto the bench.

And then she came
all the way up to me,

nestled against my thigh,

and then hopped right onto my lap.

Hannah could see the young bird
was badly injured.

The staff at the pub

told me that punters
were kind of kicking her

with their feet,
which made me very sad.

It was clear
that this was a cry for help.

I'd never ever met this bird before,
in my life,

and here she was, just interacting
with me, communicating with me.

I was flabbergasted.

I popped her on my shoulder, and
we got in my car, and we drove home.

But Penny was weak,
and close to death.

I really didn't think she'd make it,

she was small, she was young,
she was injured.

So, I just thought,
"You know what I'll do?

I'll just make her last night
really comfortable."

That's the best we can do.

Fast forward to the next day,
she gave me a big yawn,

and I let her out in the garden,

and yeah,
the rest was history, really.

Hey, little friend!

Every day,
I would let her out of the cage,

just to see if she was interested in
joining a flock,

or being feral again,
and she never left.

You look good!

And we did this every single day
for seven months.

She never left my side.
So, please don't worry,

because I promise you,
everything that Penny does

is by choice. (CHUCKLES)

Things did not come easy at first.

Penny's injuries were extensive.

She had a lot of trauma.
On her chest, under her wing,

lost all of her feathers,
it had cut through her skin.

I think had it been left, it
probably would've become infected.

I had no idea what I was doing.

The only thing I knew to do was
run her a nice, warm bath,
give her food and water.

That was my basic understanding
of keeping a bird alive.

Bit by bit, Penny grew stronger.

But always remained by Hannah's side.

Hannah started to share videos of her
and Penny's daily lives online.

What am I gonna do with you?

Advice and support from around
the world came flooding in,

and soon, Penny became a fully
fledged social media sensation.

Did you guys see that?

And now she's famous,
Penny likes to be pampered.

She loves having a bath.
Contrary to popular belief,

pigeons are really,
really clean animals,

and they absolutely love
having baths,

and we bathe her literally once
a week, and she absolutely loves it.

She also likes it
when I wash her wing pits.

She'll hold up her little wing cos
she'll want me to wash underneath.

She's very particular,
she knows how she likes it. (LAUGHS)

I feel very bonded with Penny
when we have bath time.

I remember the first time
she did it after I rescued her...

I'm getting under the wing pits.

I was so thrilled, and I felt like

it was a real trusting moment
for both of us.

Look at this.

And, yeah, every time she lets me
bath her, it just gives me

such an absolute sense of joy.

I think we're about done.
Yes, because she's gonna jump out.

I'm just gonna grab a towel for her
and give her a swaddle.

One of her favourite things

is to be swaddled in a little towel.

I think it kind of
makes her feel a bit safer.

There you go. That's better.

I love Penny to pieces.
I genuinely love her so much.

I care about
her wellbeing and her happiness.

If there's any way
that pigeons can feel love,

or any animal can feel love
or affection,

I do believe she feels that for me.

She chose me,
not the other way round.

It's been exactly a year

since Hannah and Penny
found each other.

And to celebrate,
they're having a tea party.

I'm gonna try my best

to make a makeshift Victoria sponge,
and just see how we go.

So, the aim is
to cut it into circles

the same size as this little plate.

We've got my afternoon tea,

but Penny has also got
her own little tea set,

and we've got tea pot,
and Victoria sponge.

Everything, basically, that I've
got, but just in a mini version,

which I found at a charity shop,
and I'm so thrilled with. (LAUGHS)

And Penny's sharing the celebrations
with all her followers.

Hi, everybody!
So, today is Penny's birthday,

because it's a year
since I rescued her.

And, honestly, she has changed
my life in all the best ways.

So, I thought today we'd do
a little tea party for her.

We're gonna have a little party,

everyone's gonna wish you
happy birthday. Good girl.

Penny taught me
a very important lesson.

Never be afraid to ask for help.

Even when you hit rock bottom.

Even if you've been treated badly
in the past.

Always be brave enough
to ask for help,

because you never know
what might happen,

and that's exactly what Penny did.
She asked for help

even though she hadn't been shown
kindness before.

And she didn't just find kindness,
she found a family.

You have quite happily
changed my life, little miss.

You're so pretty
and I love you so much.

Thank you. Thank you.
You're my best friend.

I can taste strawberry. (LAUGHS)

In challenging times,
we can form the strongest of bonds.

In Limpopo, South Africa,

two pals are heading out
for a picnic.

For me, friendship is to be there
for somebody no matter what.

Through thick and thin.
That somebody can rely on you,

to be there, to be close,
to be like this.

Going for a walk
is the most precious activity

Riana can do with Faith the cheetah.

After contracting meningitis,

Faith faces physical
and neurological disabilities.

A friend is exactly what she needs.

Faith is such a sweet cat, you know?

It was so easy, actually,
to create a bond with her.

I think she knew
that we are helping her,

and so the bond was there
right from the start.

Oh, hello!

It's time for a tasty meal.

Ooh, what's this?

What is this, Mummy?

Smell it, smell it.

Get up, get up.
There we go. Ooh.

Breakfast at last, huh?

Oh, as you can see, ooh,

this girl,
she's got a good appetite.

You cleaned this out,
oh, my word, huh?

That was nice.

Hey, that was very, very nice.

Oh-ho-ho.

I want some more.

I want to make that face clean.

Can I just quickly clean there,

otherwise the flies will come.

Do you know,
because of her balance and things,

it's difficult, she can't clean
her face like the other cheetahs.

Then the flies come to her ears,
and to her face, so...

we clean it for her, my darling.

Yes, we clean it for you.

After breakfast,
it's time to go home.

That's it, come!

The pair share a house,

with Faith having run
of the downstairs and garden.

You can have a bit of water
while I have my coffee.

So, she always needs to...

..eat and drink standing up,

cos she can't bend down
like normal cheetahs.

Riana runs The Cheetah Experience,

a centre for animals in need.

It's where Faith was born,

and it was clear from the start
that all was not right.

It was a very cold night
and three cubs were born.

That morning, one cub
was already dead of the cold.

Rejected by their mother,
Riana found a home for one cub,

and hand-reared the other herself.

The cub grew healthy,
until one day, she lost strength.

When she was one month old,

her whole body went paralysed.

First her back legs, and...

..a little while after that,
her whole body.

She could not even lift her head.

She was totally, totally paralysed.

And was then...

rushed to the vet in Pretoria.

He did tests, and he...

said it is meningitis.

And he said he would try his best.

As for humans, meningitis can be
fatal for a cheetah.

When she was fighting for her life,

I said, "Her name will be Faith,

cos I have faith...

that she will get better,
and she will come back to me."

Miraculously,
Faith lived up to her name,

and survived, but was
permanently brain damaged

by the infection
that nearly killed her.

So, the meningitis that she caught
is an infection in the brain.

And it affected her nerve system,

her eyes, she's got squint eyes,

and that's why also her tail
is not like a normal cheetah's tail.

Where other cheetahs use
their tail for their balance,

her tail is a curly tail.

Riana was determined to save Faith,

because as a child,
a cheetah once saved her.

I grew up as a child
in a very abusive home.

I was afraid, I cried a lot,

and I liked to watch animals
in books, magazines.

And one day I saw
this photo of a cheetah,

the face of the cheetah,

and the tear marks,
it looks like they've been crying.

There was a connection between me
and that photo of the cheetah,

and I could feel
that somehow we connected.

And I think, you know, you've
been crying and I've been crying

and maybe I can
make a difference in your life,

and you can make
a difference in my life.

That would be absolutely
a dream come true.

The Cheetah Experience is
the realisation of that dream.

Riana's charity rescues,
cares for, and rehabilitates

a variety of injured
and orphaned animals.

Hello, my boy! Hello!

And aims to conserve
the cheetah species,

and protect it
from endangerment or extinction.

And at the centre of her world,
it's always been Faith.

With endless love,
physio, and daily care,

Riana rehabilitated her,

helping her learn to walk again.

Soldiers, we march.

So, it was basically to teach
her brain how to move her muscles,

because her brain could not do that.

Faith would not have survived
without Riana's help.

Ten years later,
the pair are inseparable.

Faith is for sure
one of my very good friends.

I am very sure that

I am one of Faith's
favourite best friends.

I'm this happy person
when I'm with her.

I was just alive and now I'm living.

Such a privilege, I'm here for her,

and she's here for me.
(FAITH PURRING)

And we can comfort each other.

It's just lovely.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

NARRATOR:
When it comes to relationships,

it's not always love at first sight.

As organic gardener
Jeff Permar discovered.

He is in Delaware, USA,
wondering if spring will ever come.

And he's longing to know
if the visitors that nibble his crops

each season will return.

I've been growing a garden
for about 20 something years.

So, I like to plant
pretty much everything,

from asparagus to zucchini,

and all things in between.

Whenever you garden,
there's always some kind of pest.

But one day, Jeff saw damage
to his prized vegetables

that couldn't be explained
by the odd slug or snail.

At first, I noticed a bunch
of chunks that were missing

from vegetables, and I'd never
experienced that before.

Look at these zucchini! Oh, God.

In an attempt to catch the culprit,

he set up a hidden camera.

All of a sudden...

pops up out of nowhere
is a groundhog.

And Jeff soon discovered
that there was more than one.

When I first found these guys,

it was going through my head,
look, I gotta get rid of these guys.

You know, this is my livelihood.

At first, I was
very upset about it, you know,

I would try to put up a barrier,
put up a fence,

but everything I did,

these guys would seem to be
one step ahead of me.

Tried to re-secure the garden,
and... they got me again.

After days of being outsmarted
by the groundhogs,

Jeff had a change of heart.

It dawned on me one day,

it's like, they're just out here
trying to survive.

Just gotta stop fighting, man.
These guys are so cool.

So much swagger, they just pop right
up in front of the camera,

and they're just eating away,
so innocent,

lips smacking, juice everywhere,

it's the most coolest thing
you'll see.

I transitioned from being
an organic farmer that spends, like,

hours tending to the garden, to
caretaker of a family of groundhogs.

It's their land, too,
I just put a garden on it.

In a bid to spare his own livelihood,

and satisfy his groundhog companions,

Jeff started planting
extra vegetables.

But the banquets are on hold while
the groundhogs are in hibernation.

So over here, we have the den
for the groundhogs, um,

where they come out of the den,
come right through there,

and into the garden.

Groundhogs are notoriously shy.

Jeff only ever sees them through
the footage which he captures.

So this here is a wireless camera
with 100 yards of range.

When they come out of the den there,

you'll see their head pop out,
this will get tripped,

and it will start recording,
and this sends that recording
right to the cloud.

It's not just Jeff who's looking
forward to the groundhogs waking up.

As the time went on,
and seeing them in the camera,

I posted it on social media.

It went viral instantly.

And people were commenting,

"Wow, this is just
what I needed to see."

"I was having a really bad day."

"I really needed to see this,
thank you so much."

"It actually lifted my spirits."

Seeing how much joy
the groundhogs brought others

further persuaded Jeff
that they were not garden pests,

but welcome visitors.

So, from that point on,
it had purpose.

And basically, I embraced it.

As a surprise for his new friends
when they wake from hibernation,

he's making them
their very own garden furniture.

Which should come in handy
for their growing family.

I saw he had a girlfriend, too.

It pulled on a couple
heartstrings even more.

Like, hey, this guy's got
a family, he's got a girlfriend,

they're just like us.

Jeff's growing affection for them

prompted him to get to know
Chunk's extended family.

I named the first one Chunk cos he
was taking chunks out of vegetables.

But then as times went on
the family started expanding.

The first season it was
Chunk, Nibbles, Nugget,

Chip and Chibbles.

Now we have Chunk Junior,
Chewing Yummy Snacks,

Wookie, Niblet.

I'd say it looks pretty good.

Sturdy.

So, the anticipation is, like,
you don't know what groundhog
is gonna come out,

you don't know if it's gonna
come back from last year.

They go away and they hibernate
from November to mid-February,

so you're not seeing them
for all that time.

That's it.
There's the Chunk's picnic table.

After years of sharing his garden
with the groundhogs,

Jeff knows they will be
stirring soon.

He has built them a welcoming space
ready for when they wake.

I got this sign from a fan
who made it for us.

We're official now. It's Chunk Land.

Now for the finishing touch.

A little spring sign.
We all could use some spring.

Alright, everything's complete here.

All we need now
is some cameras to set up

so we can capture some footage.

I'll put one here
that goes straight on.

I'll also put one here to get
the side profile right here.

That looks about right.

Chunky Chunky,
let's get something to eat.

With everything in place...

and the perfect conditions
for groundhog day...

..Jeff decides to give
the shy creatures some space.

I'm headed to this taco restaurant.

Chef Billiot created a taco
in honour of the Chunk.

He's a big fan, and he invited me
down to try this taco.

OK, here it is.
"Chunk Don't Eat Junk.

Veggie taco."

Billy here? I saw on that sign.

BILLY: Chunk Don't Eat Junk!
Wanna try one?

Now, let's do it.

Can I get a couple
Chunk Don't Eat Junks, please?

Oh, man, this looks delicious.

And the verdict?

You nailed it, man.
Chunk would love it.

And someone else
is ready for lunch, too.

Waiting any moment to get,
like, a notification on the phone.

Ooh, got some activity.
Let's check it out.

(GASPS)There he is!
Dude, there he is.

Oh, he's tearing up that carrot.

Chunk has woken from hibernation.

And it's groundhog day once again.

Oh, that's awesome.

Man.
(LAUGHS)

Oh, my goodness. That's so funny,
look at him. (LAUGHS)

He is the happiest groundhog
in the world.

Next time I visit y'all,
I'll bring tortillas.Deal.

Deal.Good to see you, mate.
You too, man.

Most people don't like groundhogs.
It's a well-known fact.

In fact, they're a nuisance.

But for me, they're a blessing.
And I couldn't see it any other way.

So happy that they're here.

(PLAYING JOYFUL TUNE)

The groundhogs have definitely
taught me how to coexist.

They're just trying to survive
just like we are.

# Chomp, chomp, chomppity, chomp

# Who is it? Was is it? Hm...

The groundhogs are definitely
my friends. Friends and family.

# He became so special to me

# That I named him Chunk
And he eats for free

# Chunk...

I think from their perspective
they're probably watching me.

Right? Come out to the den,
and putting the stuff down.

If they could,
I think they would say,

"Hey, man. Thanks for the grub."

(CHUCKLES)

# He don't care what you say

# He gonna eat your veggies anyway #

If I had one message
to send out there about groundhogs,

it would be give them a chance,

don't invite them to your doorstep.
I don't do that.

I take care of them from afar.

It's about just learning
to live together

in harmony where we both
can benefit.

That's cos Chunk don't eat junk.

Friends support each other
through the hardest of times,

and are there for the moments
of greatest adversity.

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire,
in the north of England.

It's a world away from home
for Ryad Alsous.

I left my country, Syria,
in 2013 because of the war.

One of my distant relatives
lives here in Huddersfield,

and he invited us to come to the UK.

In Syria, Ryad
was a professor of agriculture

at Damascus University,

where he was a renowned bee expert.

I look from my balcony to Damascus,
places burning.

Clouds of smoke...

and explosions.

Ryad and his family escaped Syria

and arrived in the UK as refugees.

He was gifted a hive
of European honey bees.

After 50 years,
I'm continuing my job as beekeeper.

I owe to bees a lot of things

because they taught me
a lot of things.

The bees gave Ryad an opportunity
to rebuild his life.

We are going to check the hives,
if they are happy or not,

if they have food or not.

You see it is calm hive, here.

Not aggressive, it is very calm.

Ryad's life story provided
the inspiration

for the best-selling book
The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

Every day
I have a new lesson from bees,

and how they behave
to survive in a peaceful way

that is the best society
available on Earth.

They are doing their job,
without any order from others.

Like a computer in a quiet way,
without any pushing.

Ryad keeps European honey bees,

evolved to withstand
harsh conditions.

British bees are adapted
in English weather.

We have long winter,
wet season in summer time,

they can do their job
in an excellent way,

better than any other imported bees.

Ryad is inspired
by the important role of bees

in our ecosystem.

You see, the dust.

This is the pollen.

Without bees, no pollination.

Without pollination
we will not get any fruit,

or any meat, or any type of food.

If they disappear on Earth,

the human life will disappear.

When we put a colony
in this orchard here,

the quality of fruit will improve.

The taste of fruit
will be different, also.

The quantity of fruit will increase.

Very important to spread the word

by spreading the bees.

Ryad is as passionate
about beekeeping

as he is
about helping other refugees.

English bees and refugees,
they have same issue.

They need the same help.

He founded The Buzz Project,

helping refugees
to rebuild their lives

through community and understanding.

It is beautiful to help
English bees by refugees,

just to say thank you, England.

You saved our life,

and we also want to share...

saving the life of your bees

here in this country.

Ryad hopes he can inspire
a new generation of beekeepers,

whilst also providing
companionship, and jobs.

All of us, we are one unit.
Me, bees, and refugees,

we are working here
in this community,

doing the same job, and same aim.

I will be very happy to find people
doing beekeeping and owning bees.

Because they share and maintain
our nature, to improve our nature.

Not only are bees
vital pollinators...

..they of course
provide us with honey.

WOMAN: Hello!

Hi!
How are you doing?

Good, good, thank you.Excellent.
Are you selling the honey?

We are, indeed. They've gone down
really, really well.

The people are happy with it?
Absolutely, yes.

Alright, OK, thank you, thank you.

Alright, Ryad. Have a good day.

When you love your job,
you can do all day,

you will not feel tiredness.

Bees, they have ugly feeling
and happy feeling,

they feel the same as human.

Don't look to bees as small insect,

it is, like, high-level
of developed creatures.

It is a very strong relationship,

it is like they are my soul,

it is my nature.

I believe my soul connected
with them.

Without them,
I can't have a nice life.

To me, they are my children.

NARRATOR: It's often chance meetings

that lead to surprising,
but genuine connections.

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

On the outskirts of the city,

Baye Pigors is friends
with one of Africa's

most recognizable animals.

Morning, Richmond. Hi! Hello.

So, this is Richmond,

and he's at the gate
every morning to meet me.

And we just have a little cuddle and
a hello to see how our night went.

Baye runs the Free To Be Wild
Rescue Sanctuary.

One of the things I'm most grateful
for is that I found my calling

and my passion really early on
in life.

I'd never say no
to an animal in need.

Too domesticated to be released,

Richmond will live out
his days here,

as Baye's right-hand man.

So, every morning we come and do
a patrol along the boundary fence,

and this is part of our
anti-poaching practices,

where we just make sure
there's no holes in the fence,

no animals have come in,
no animals have tried to get out.

Along for the ride
are some of Richmond's friends.

Come on, guys!

When I started,
I definitely didn't think that

the zebra species would become
almost my spirit animal,

and here I am,
almost ten years later,

with the strongest bonds I have,

opposed to any other animal
that I've ever had to care for.

It's also just a really nice
morning routine

to spend a bit of time
with Richmond.

It was at a time
when I really needed a friend,

and he was that creature for me.

He's probably had one of
the biggest impacts on my life,

and the most positive.

Obviously, being in a city
environment, we are quite a hotspot,

because we've got
a lot of foot traffic

that comes through this area,

but we're fortunate enough
to have not had

an incident of poaching
for a really long time.

I like to think it's because of our

ever so efficient
anti-poaching zebra.

I've ridden horses
since I was about two years old,

and to me, a zebra
is just a magical, wild horse.

With the boundary lines secure,

it's time
for a well-earned breakfast.

Hello!

Richmond was rescued from a suburb
on the outskirts of Bulawayo.

He, one morning,
was found next to a supermarket,

which was kind of bizarre,
because you don't see

a wild animal in the city.

Baye managed to organise
a horse trailer

to take Richmond to the sanctuary.

And Richmond seemed to take
an instant liking to Baye.

Richmond just
walked onto the trailer.

We were absolutely astounded
that a wild animal

that, at that time, showed
quite a lot of fear to people,

was willing to walk
onto a horse trailer,

better than my own horses
have ever walked onto it.

Hello, sweet boy!

I think Richmond's circumstances
were that he had been harassed.

Whether he had been chased by dogs
and dog poachers,

or the fact that he had found
himself lost in a city environment,

I think he kind of got that feeling
that we were there to help him.

Once Richmond settled in,
he bonded not just with Baye,

but the other animals, too.

He befriends everyone,

and really helps new orphans accept,

or get used
to their life at the sanctuary,

and integrate into what is the zebra
herd here at Free To Be Wild.

He has the freedom to come and go
in the presence of people.

So, if he wants to hang around
and be close to me, he can,

if he doesn't want to, he's got the
freedom and space to choose not to.

Richmond's instinct to be friend

and guardian are now needed
more than ever.

The most incredible little arrival

that got here nearly two weeks ago,

Peggy the zebra.

Hi, Peggy Peggy!

Peggy broke her leg
on a game reserve in Zimbabwe.

It was a really bad fracture,

unfortunately the infection
was too deep,

and her leg couldn't be saved.

We've just received a sling
for Peggy's leg,

and we have had to be
a little bit creative

in trying to treat her wound and
stop her from bumping the stump,

and knocking out her stitches.

So we are just gonna put it on,
and hopefully it fits

and works and serves its purpose.

The sling is just
a temporary measure.

If it all goes to plan
and she heals well,

we are gonna actually get Peggy
fitted with a prosthetic leg.

She hasn't quite realised
that she doesn't have her leg,

and she keeps putting it down.
So we came up with the sling idea

to help her hold the leg up.

Perfect! That is so cool.

To the best of our knowledge,
we believe that this is gonna be

the first zebra in the world
with a prosthetic leg,

and definitely the first
wild animal in Zimbabwe

to ever be fitted
with a prosthetic leg.

Central to her recovery
will be Richmond.

Richmond has become
such an amazing ambassador

of his species that really helps

settle in other zebra rescues
that come in.

Our hope is that once Peggy
is a little bit older,

and she's got her prosthetic leg,

and provided
everything's going well,

that we will be able
to introduce her to Richmond,

and hopefully they'll be able
to form a natural relationship

that she would have in the wild.

That's one of the things
we aim to do with our animals,

is replicate as close to
a natural environment as possible.

Bye-bye, Pegs. See you later.

Satisfied that Peggy is doing well,

Baye has an important task
for Richmond.

Some tick medication.

Although they live
in a natural environment,

we still have elements of health
we need to be able to control.

Hey, boy. Come.

So, I'm just applying it down
his mane and his spine,

and then the body will absorb it.

(RICHMOND SNORTS)

I think that was
a snort of approval.

Our task is complete.

Every evening,
Baye and Richmond spend

some quality,
one-on-one time together.

One of my favourite times of day,
and things to do with Richmond,

is kind of just a quiet time,

taking a moment
out of the chaotic life

of running the sanctuary

and just grounding myself
in the present moment,

and doing that in his presence.

While zebra might be
my spirit animal,

Richmond is definitely
my soul animal.

(CHUCKLES)

Just sometimes sitting on a rock
and just having him close.

Yeah, just his love and presence

is a really, really special
bonding moment

that I really find important
in my life.

I really do love him so much
with all of my heart.

Richmond has one of those
macho personalities,

where he kind of portrays himself

as this big bad boy,
and on the inside,

he's really soft
and just loves a good love.

One of the best parts
about Richmond and my friendship

is the fact that
he can choose to be with me.

If we wants to roam the sanctuary

and just be a zebra,
he's able to do that.

Friendship to me is someone
that when you're in their presence,

you just feel like you're at home.

You feel like
you can fully trust them,

rely on them,
their loyalty is undeniable,

and I feel like
my relationship with Richmond

is all of those things.

It's love, it's compassion,
most importantly, it's trust.

He trusts me and I trust him,

and I think that is a huge
foundation for any relationship.

From the dusty African Savanna,

to the turquoise waters
of the West Indies...

..where the underwater
environment of The Bahamas

makes for incredible encounters.

Italian-born conservationist
Cristina Zenato

is preparing to visit
some close friends.

And they rush in to welcome her.

Caribbean reef sharks.

I stand there
and let the sharks come in.

There's no phones,
no computers, no people,

it's just me and the sharks.

Everything is just
absolutely peaceful.

My heart rate just drops,
my breathing drops.

My brain clears,

and it's just like...
(DEEP INHALE AND EXHALE)

The ocean has always
been part of Cristina's life,

as far back as she can remember.

I grew up with my dad being
this phenomenal diver.

He would always go
free diving, spear fishing,

or collecting, for example, mussels.

And so I was always
in the water with him.

I would swim eight to ten hours
per day. I had no concept
of hypothermia.

My mum would tell me to come out of
the water, cos my lips were purple.

Cristina turned her passion

into a career
as a professional diver.

For the past three decades,
she has called Grand Bahama her home.

I came to The Bahamas
to pursue this dream of diving.

My idea was, "Well,
I'll dive for a while, I'm 22."

If you don't do something
like that when you're 22,

when are you gonna do it? And so
I'll get diving out of my system,

then I'll go back home, and...

here we are 29 years later.

We're at a dive site
called Shark Junction.

This where I've been coming
for the last 29 years.

Cristina's never forgotten
her first dive here.

On my first checkout dive,
on my open water course,

I submerged and there were
Caribbean reef sharks

swimming around me.

It was the dream come true,
all in one.

I was scuba diving, there were
sharks, and crystal clear water.

And you have to imagine
these sunbeams are coming down

and they dance,
you know, with the reef.

When I entered the water here, it
almost felt as if I had gone home.

But the most beautiful home

that somebody could ever
prepare for me.

For Cristina,
that first magical encounter

with the sharks sealed the deal.

But like all relationships,

the trust grew over time.

If you go on a speed date,
you can't say,

"I'm in a long-term relationship."

That's your first encounter.
Then you have to have many more.

And, so, it's the same with sharks.
It was time,

and repetition, and presence.
That's how you build.

Cristina's relationship
with the sharks has been developing

for 29 years.

She dives at every opportunity
that conditions allow.

When interacting
with Caribbean reef sharks,

Cristina wears a suit
made of chain mail.

You wear a glove over your arm

for the bird of prey to land on it.

Not because the bird of prey
has any intention to hurt you,

but just, you need something
for them to grasp on

that is not your flesh.

It's very comfortable.
It's 20 pounds, about ten kilos.

It's distributed amongst the body.

The only thing chain mail
doesn't have is...

a stretch. So, it's very soft,

it's very gentle to the touch.

But it cannot stretch.

Sharks have many
nerve endings under the skin

that are sensitive to touch.

Cristina's protective suit
allows her to have

uniquely physical interactions.

Some sharks are very shy.

They're very, like,
"Oh, I'm coming in."

"But not ready." "Oh,
you're trying to touch me. Oof."

There are individuals that
will literally come in

and just lean there and say,
"Hi, can you pet me?"

So, I do believe it is
a shark's choice.

It has to do with their personality.

It has to do with how they feel.

You can tell
if your loved one comes home

and has been disturbed
by a bad day at work.

The way they say hello,
the way they sigh,

and the same thing
I can tell with a shark.

I can also tell
when she finally goes...

(SIGHS)

It's almost like,
"OK, this is good."

She's aware that not everyone sees
sharks the same way she does.

I had absolutely zero understanding

how frightened people were
of sharks,

until I started saying,
"I love sharks."

And people were like,
"(GASPS) Shark!"

And that's what set me up
into this mission,

of changing people's perceptions
about sharks in the ocean.

Why they are there,
why we need them,

how we need to understand them.

As Cristina's appreciation
for the sharks grew,

she began to name many of them.

They're very weird names.

Grandma, for example,
has a very light skin colour.

Very light grey. She reminds me
a lot of the head of hair

that my grandma had.

Crook has both of her pectoral fins
just slightly crooked.

One is bent in,
one is dented a little bit.

Once you give a name and an identity

to an animal
that is normally perceived

a large, carnivorous predator,

you create a connection.

And by creating that care,
you create that desire to protect.

That's what I try to do.

My father taught me very much
about the animals.

One of the things he used to say,

"There are no monsters in the sea.

Only the ones you make happen
in your head."

(SEAGULLS SQUAWKING)

Out of the water, Cristina continues
her shark conservation work.

The box of hope was gifted to me,
on a trip to China.

I was invited in China
by a group of people there

that were interested in
trying to educate more

the public about shark fin soup.

Sharks are shot with hooks
from fishers,

so they end up with this stuff
on their mouth,

and, however, I can remove them.

There's, like,
layers and layers of hooks.

Hooks, like these,
they were on a fish,

and a shark ate the fish
and got caught with the hook.

But then there's hooks like these
that might be questionable.

Could be deep sea fishing,

but they're big enough, also,

to capture an animal
the size of a shark.

I watched them with a hook inside
their mouth having a huge infection,

having their skin
rubbed raw by the wire.

I watched them struggling to eat.

Think about how disturbed
we are when we have

a tiny little splinter
in our finger tips.

Now think about
having something like this.

I single-handedly remove
all those hooks, one-by-one.

Cristina's been removing hooks
from sharks for over 20 years.

The other day we counted,
and it was over 300.

These hooks and these sharks

became then ambassadors for the
plight that sharks have in the world

for the misunderstandings
that they go through.

Thankfully, no hooks today.

But Cristina doesn't want
to get out of the water yet.

I could sit there forever and ever.

It's very relaxing,
it's very soothing.

It's very connecting.

The sharks are family to me.

I love them, I love sharks.

I know we have a relationship,

dictated by the limitation
of a shark animal that it is,

but I love sharks.

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