All language subtitles for My Best Friends an Animal S01E06.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

(GENTLE UPBEAT MUSIC)

NARRATOR:
When it comes to true friendship,

shape, size, or even species
is irrelevant.

Respect, trust, and understanding

can be found
in the most surprising places...

..creating incredible connections
that change our lives.

Hello, hello, hello.

From cuddly companions...

Hi, Cosima.

How are you today?

Come. Good boy.

..to comfort in times of need.

(KISSES LIPS)

(GOOSE HONKS)

And eager playmates.

Do you wanna go play?
(GOOSE HONKS)

The bond of friendship is universal.

(CRICKETS CHIRP)
(BIRDS CHIRP)

On the outskirts of New Orleans,
USA...

Wake up, Neuty.

..one animal, normally seen
in the city's wetlands...

Come on, Neuts.

..has taken up residence
in Denny Lacoste's home.

(RODENT CHIRPS)

Meet Neuty the Nutria.

(RODENT CHIRPS)

Going to work, hm?

Going back to work today?

Here.
(RODENT CHIRPS)

There you go.
He loves his milk bones.

(RODENT CHEWS)

Neuty is a 10-ilogram
semiaquatic rodent

native to South America.

(RODENT CHIRPS)

I get up, I get dressed,

I could leave my house in five
minutes without opening my eyes.

With him, I've gotta get him up,

he's got a pee pad in the bathroom,
I gotta clean that up,

I gotta give him a little snack.

So he is extra work for me,

but I don't mind it. He's cool.

(RODENT CHIRPS)

Every morning,
Denny heads off to work...

(RODENT CHIRPS)
Hello.

..with Neuty at his side.

It's getting hotter, man.

It's sunny today, huh?

A lot of commercial fishermen
live in this area.

I grew up, like,
two blocks away,

been here my whole life.

(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC)

I have a seafood place,
Dennis' Seafood,

about 10 minutes from here.

That's what we do.

Neuty came into Denny's life
three years ago.

I was driving to work.

It was early,
probably 7:15 in the morning,

I saw a mama nutria
up ahead of me,

crossing
with about 8 or 10 little pups.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

I stopped my truck.

Well, here comes a car,
passed me,

the car didn't see them.

It ran over most of them.

He was just sitting there,
crying.

I just stopped my truck,
picked him up, and I went to work.

He didn't try to bite me.
He was calm.

His little paw was bleeding.

And I held him all day that day,

from 7:30 that morning
til I got home.

That's good, Neuts?

If Denny hadn't picked Neuty up
off the road,

it's unlikely he would have
survived on his own.

He as so cute and loving,
you know?

He just got bigger and bigger.

He knew, from day one,
he knew we saved him,

I really think he did.

He was just a little fluffy ball,

constantly wanting to be held.

He's still like that
to this day.

Once Denny had hand-reared Neuty,

he was too accustomed to people
to go back to the wild.

Neuty does go everywhere
with me

because we don't want to leave him
home all day, inside.

And I don't wanna leave him
outside all day.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)
And at work,

Neuty is quite
the employee of the month...

How y'all doing?

Hey Neuty.

Way to go, man.

..even if he doesn't
get much work done.

There you are, Neut.
That'll cool you down.

That's his place to chill.

Denny doesn't get to relax,

but he does regularly
check in on Neuty.

They have oil glands,
so they'll scratch all over.

That's why he looks so shiny.

The water repels.

He does the same routine,

he'll get his head, his belly,
his side.

As a reward for his hard work,

Neuty gets a special treat.

Ice cream cone?
(RODENT CHIRPS)

..and he's the centre of attention.

Hey, how you doing?

Neuty's come to get an ice cream.

(CHATTER, LAUGHTER AND COOING)

He'll bite me
if he wants to get down.

He needs a plain ice cream cone
with some ice.

On a hot day,
some plain ice helps Neuty cool down.

Neuty gets lots of love
from his community.

But in the USA,

nutria are far from welcome.

They are classified
as an invasive species,

condemned for destroying
native wetland areas.

It was bad news when the authorities
learnt about Denny's houseguest.

They kinda just showed up, like,
"We've come to get the nutria."

I'm like, "What do you mean?"

They said it's illegal
to have a wild animal.

They said they were gonna
bring him to the zoo, which...

you might as just kill him

because he would never make it
in a zoo.

Luckily,
Neuty had a lot of local support.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

With the help of the state senator
and Neuty's social media fans,

he was saved.

They asked that I get
some special permit to keep Neuty.

I think I might be
the only person to have this permit.

Now on the right side
of the law,

Neuty can get back
to being a local celebrity.

Hey, Neauty!

Oh, perfect.

(LAUGHS)
Thank y'all so much.

Neuty lives
an action-packed life,

and it's time for his next stop.

Right, Neuts.
Going to your momma's hair salon.

Today Myra's gotta
get her hair done,

so I'm gonna bring Neuty
to the salon.

Every time Myra goes there,
they're like,

"Oh, my god,
you need to bring Neuty"

so I'm gonna surprise them today.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

(BELL RINGS)

Look who I've got.
Whoa. Oh, hi.

Can I have a look?

Neuty's come to see you.

Hey, he's visiting, girls.

Hi, my boy.

Even though you seen them every day
right around in the canals,

it ain't too often
you get to pat them

and see how friendly he is.
(RODENT CHIRPS)

Most people wanna hold him,
or pet him, or touch him.

How old is he?

He's gonna be three in December.
Really? Wow.Yeah.

What does he eat?

Vegetables, fruits.

We have watermelon.
Yeah.

Oh, yeah, he loves watermelon.
I'll grab some.

I'll get some more.
You want a piece of watermelon?

That's so delicious.
(LAUGHTER)

They've got a description like
they're dirty as they swim in canals

but they're really
clean animals, like a cat.

Nutrias don't have no smell,
don't carry rabies,

they're always grooming.

If you see Neuty, he's constantly
grooming himself. Constantly.

Come on then.
(RODENT CHIRPS)

Let's go. We gotta go home.

Tell everybody "Bye."

Bye, Neuty. See you later.

Bye.
(LAUGHTER)

After a lot of socialising,

it's Denny and Neuty's
favourite part of the day

and favourite place...

I know you like it out here, huh?
(RODENT CHIRPS)

I know, I know.

Come on, come on, come on.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

..Lake Pontchartrain.

Look how pretty it is.

Birds, look at the seagulls.

You'd love to go get in that water,
wouldn't you, huh?

You'd love to go get in that water,
huh?

(RODENT CHIRPS)

Yeah, we like you.

We love you, huh?
You're happy too.

I've got a special connection
with him.

Yeah, like,
he talks to me a lot.

I know he trusts me.

He's spoiled, very loving,
and cuddly.

He knows he's safe with me.

If something scares him,

the wind blows over a garbage can
or there's a loud noise,

he runs to me.

Yeah, he knows...

He knows I'm gonna keep him safe.

Rough day? Long day?

You sure met a lot of people.

Go home and go to bed, huh?

Go home and go to bed,
what do you say, hm?

I love you too.
I know, I love you.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

As in human relationships,

some animal friends

require a little extra patience
and understanding.

It's early morning in Limpopo,
South Africa.

Claire Lamond is waking up.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

Claire didn't intend to share her bed
with a wild cat...

Good morning.

..and this cat,
a Serval,

is known to be solitary
and antisocial.

But animals don't always
do what's expected.

(SERVAL PURS)

Claire and Jasper
are an inseparable pair.

Jasper is fun, he is loyal.

Are you ready to go outside,
Jasper?

Enjoy.

He is naughty.

He knows exactly
how to get what he wants,

and I always do
exactly what he wants,

so it's probably my own fault.

What Jasper wants this morning
is playtime.

(UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES)

When he is playing with a hose,

he loses his mind
over the water.

He's just so fun to be around.

Have you ever seen a cat
that loves water like this?

Whoo.

Are we getting these balls?

Jasper's days
are full of fun.

But his unusual living situation is
the result of a rough start in life.

He was born at a zoo,

but all was not well.

Jasper was 244 grams
when I first met him,

and he was less
than 24 hours old.

His siblings had passed away,

and it left him the lone serval.

They weren't sure if the mum
was going to take care of him,

so they brought him to me
to see if I could help him.

To make matters worse,

Jasper had sustained a head injury,
causing his brain to swell.

24 hours passed,
and he started to have seizures.

For the first week of his life,
he would turn in a little circle

and you could see
there was something not quite right.

But after one week, it stopped.

Claire was there for Jasper
from the very beginning.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)
Everything's OK.

(LAUGHS GENTLY)

Once the swelling went down,

it became clear that
the injury had left a mark on him.

He definitely has
some cerebral damage

from the brain injury,

which we still see
evidence of today.

He also had a broken tail,
which caused nerve damage,

which now causes
a lot of anxiety,

and he has communication
difficulties as well.

Come on, then!
(JASPER SQUEAKS)

And that's why he's such
a special little serval,

that's what makes him stand out,

what makes him different
from all the rest.

The head injury left Jasper's ears
sitting closer together than normal.

Jasper has such a unique look,

with his ears standing
on top of his head.

He looks like a bunny.

He always looks shocked
or surprised.

When they're so small,
you have to keep them safe,

in isolation, in quarantine,

so I was the only face he saw,

and our bond formed,

every single day,
it was stronger and stronger.

Recovered
from his physical illness,

Jasper's mental health issues
lingered.

We used to bring him outside

and let anybody
take him out for walks.

One day, he suddenly
became scared of being outside,

which is actually
why he also ended up in my house.

He refused to go outside
if there's anybody outside.

Jasper's world may be quite small,

but under Claire's care,
it's where he feels safe and secure.

He has a lot of issues,

special needs that mean
he has to stay in my care

for the rest of his life.

This behaviour is
a little bit of nerve damage,

which exacerbates the anxiety.

That's why he's spinning.

Do you wanna come here
and I'll help you?

Having known him all his life,

Claire's an expert
on how to help Jasper.

When Jasper's
nerve damage hurts,

you can see some twitching along
his spine and his tail,

it's flicking.

It usually increases the anxiety

because he doesn't understand
why there's some pain.

Hey,

it's OK.

Ah, what is it? It's OK.

Jasper, are you hungry?

Waiting, waiting.
This is your medicine.

Move your head.

Good boy, well done.

Wah! There you go.

Jasper is on anti-anxiety medicine
every morning and every night,

as well as medicine
for nerve pain.

Whilst waiting for
the medication to take effect...

Jazzy?

..Claire tries
to keep him distracted.

Come here.

I used to work with
kids with special needs.

Jasper.

It feels like
Jasper was meant to be my friend,

and that I was meant to be his.

Come on, come on, come on.

Because I understand Jasper
like no one can.

Here you go.

Jasper. Good boy.

With my background,

I just understand him,
I get him.

And he gets me.

What do you see?

Jazzy?

Although Claire
is more than happy

to give Jasper as much love
and support as he needs,

she'd like him to have friends
of his own kind too.

We try to help him be friends
with the other cats.

We had him with a caracal,

but,
because of Jasper's special needs,

he didn't understand
the body language of the caracal.

Jasper suddenly decided that
caracals were the scariest thing

he's ever met in his life.

I thought he would never be
friends with anything except me...

..until he met Tammy.

Say hi, Tammy.

Tammy was a little stray cat.

It took a year and a half before she
would let us even touch her herself,

but then she saw Jasper.

Instead of being scared of Jasper,

she just walked straight up to him
and said "Hi."

"Hi, friend."

Jasper was so surprised.
He didn't really know what to do.

Say, "Hello"

Every time she saw him
in the morning,

she would rush over to greet him.

Over time, he just accepted that
this little cat is now his friend.

She's now officially a house cat,

and she's officially Jasper's
second best friend.

I go out to work during the day,

I'm not home all the time,

so it's so nice
for both of them to have company.

Claire works in a sanctuary
where she, Jasper and Tammy live.

Jasper, Tammy, I love you guys.

I'll see you in a little while.

My role here is to look after

all of the different cats,
the big cats.

I have to make sure
that they are fed,

that their enclosures are clean,
that they are healthy and happy,

that they're stimulated.

I'm so lucky to literally
be able to open my gate

and walk out to work.

But Claire is more than a short walk

from the place she originally
called home.

I grew up in Scotland,

and I always wanted to
work with animals when I grew up.

In 2011,
I found a post on Facebook

with volunteering opportunities
with big cats in South Africa,

and I said,
"Wow, I want to do that."

Claire sent in an application.

Good morning.
(CHEETAH PURRS)

..and landed her dream job.

(GROWLS)

It's not a 9-to-5 job
in an office.

It is 24/7, it is hard, it is busy,

but it's so rewarding.

Good morning.

Satisfied all the other animals
are happy and well...

..Claire returns home
with a little shopping.

Jazzy, I'm home.

(WHISTLES)
Jazzy.

Do you wanna see what I got?

He makes me smile
every single day.

Even a coconut, Jasper.
Can you believe it?

Hang on, hang on.
You've gotta wait for me to unpack.

Even when he's being naughty,
even when he steals coconuts
from the shopping...

Jasper!

Bring that back.

..you can't really
be cross with him.

He looks at you
with those funny ears,

and those bright little eyes,
and you have to smile at him.

You definitely cannot leave
anything laying around.

Jasper.

Can I have the vegetables?

Bring them back!

This is what happens
every time we go shopping.

(LAUGHS) Jasper, bring those back.

You lost a mushroom, Jasper.

I could stop him,
but it's kind of funny.

He's not a typical serval,

so the rules that would apply to
having a normal serval do not apply

because of his special needs.

Cats don't eat coconuts, Jasper.

Jasper's disabilities
mean he may not understand

what it means
to be a wild serval.

It's only enhanced
his and Claire's relationship.

Jasper knows me.

Jaspers knows
when he needs to make me laugh.

You're doing such a good job
killing that coconut.

Oh, wow.

He just understands me.
And I understand him.

That's what makes us
best of friends.

I love Jasper.

Jasper has absolutely
changed my life.

Jasper is my grounding.

I come home to Jasper
every single night,

and no matter
how hard the day is,

no matter
how sad things can be sometimes,

when you work with animals,
I come home to Jasper.

It's the perfect way
to end every day.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

In the heart of
the English countryside,

is the Hornbeam Wood
Hedgehog Sanctuary.

Home to an animal once common,

now struggling to survive
in the modern world.

Helping them has become
the life's work of Martin Maylin.

OK, this is the hogs hospital,

this is the first place
all hedgehogs come to

when they're rescued.

We rescue sick and injured hedgehogs
and baby orphaned hoglets.

Of all the hedgehogs
Martin cares for here,

one has a special place
in his heart.

Terry is a blind,
disabled hedgehog,

and this is where he has
a permanent residence.

Terry arrived four months ago.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal,

but blind Terry can't tell
if it's day or night.

He is out all the time,

so I actually see Terry moreso than
any other hedgehog we have here.

When he was rescued,

he was found wandering
around a main road, basically.

Bumping into things.

The person who rescued Terry

tried to find somewhere where
Terry could have a semi-wild life...

..but in a safe place.

I can see Terry's out already.

Usual of Terry,
out during the day.

He's not the prettiest
of hedgehogs,

but he is very healthy.

When they lose their eyesight,

it's very dangerous
for them to be out

because they can't see
what they're doing.

They're bumping into cars on roads,
things like that.

And they won't survive very long.

Martin has been caring for hedgehogs
for eight years.

But the story of his love
for animals started at a young age.

I grew up on a smallholding...

..and we had an animal sanctuary
close to us where we lived.

I was able to go
and volunteer as a child.

So I got involved at a young age
to rescue wildlife.

One of the first animals
that I rescued was a hedgehog,

so I think there is
an attachment to that as a child.

Martin left wildlife behind
for a successful career in banking.

Then everything changed.

I ended up becoming ill.

And they found a tumour

which was cancerous.

I didn't know for years
how long I had to live.

And then, at the end of the period,
they told me

"The cancer's gone.
You're fine."

So it was a pretty big moment.

Being told that your life could
suddenly stop unexpectedly

basically means you understand

the limited time
you have on this planet.

So it's good to
make the most of that time.

By chance, the animal sanctuary
he loved as a child went on sale.

Martin bought it

and began his new life
here as a hedgehog rehabilitator.

I basically dedicated my life
from that point forward

"That's it... I'm gonna be looking
after hedgehogs."

Every day I enjoy what I do,

which I never used to do
when I was working in the city.

Give you your dinner.

We're in summertime now,

so it's becoming a busy time
for hedgehog rescues.

Usually, this time of the year,
we'll have baby orphaned hoglets.

Hedgehog numbers have been in decline
for the past few decades,

but Martin is determined
to help change that.

The idea of rescuing hedgehogs is
to help their populations increase

and ensure that
they don't go extinct.

Most residents of Hornbeam Wood
will return to the wild,

but Terry, and a few others,
would not survive if released.

For these special hedgehogs,
Martin has made private gardens.

We have up to eight
dedicated wild gardens

for permanent resident hedgehogs.

I will feed them
every three or four days,

but they have a lot of space,

so they fend for themselves,
feeding and foraging.

Martin feels his garden will be
a safe and comfortable home

for his friend.

(BOUCY MUSIC)

Now, it's the big day.

The garden is ready
and Terry can move in.

Hello, Terry.

I can see you're out again.

Let's just open this up.

So, let's give you a weight check
to see what's going on.

Get you into your new garden.

Just weighing him. He's 860 grams,
which is a good weight.

But Terry's very active
and very hard to keep still.

So, what we'll do is we'll move him
over to his new garden,

which he'll be much happier in.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

His new home will offer Terry
the next best thing to living wild.

The likelihood is that
Terry will survive longer

than most hedgehogs would.

He'll have a very happy,
long life, being cared for.

He'll have the freedom

to move around
in his own private garden.

OK, Terry.

You ready for your big release?

Helping hedgehogs is fulfilling.

It makes me happy.

I wake up looking forward to
what I'm gonna be doing.

You have saved something

which, more than likely,
wouldn't have survived.

It brings a lot of happiness to me,
yeah.

Martin can rest easy knowing that
Terry is safe and secure.

And he can still enjoy stopping by
to spend some time with him.

See you soon. Take it easy.

Friends can make new surroundings
feel like home.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

In Louisiana, USA...

..when eight-year-old
Abby Lehman gets up,

the first thing she does
is say good morning

to her friend
out in the backyard.

Good morning, Gumbo.
Did you sleep good?

Gumbo is a Chinese goose...

(GOOSE HONKS)

Gumbo, what are you doing?

...who lives with Abby, her dad,
and mum, Tabitha.

(GOOSE HONKS)

So, Gumbo The Goose
came about a year ago now.

Um...

She adopted us, I guess.

Do you want some breakfast?
(GOOSE HONKS)

Is that a yes?

She came into our house,
literally into our garage,

and tried to get into the house.

My husband was trying to shoo her
out of the garage.

She was not having it though.
She was not leaving.

She made it clear
that she was here to stay.

Yeah, you do?

(GOOSE HONKS)
OK.

We thought maybe she was
somebody's pet,

so we looked on our neighbourhood
Facebook group first

to see if anybody lost
their pet goose

and nobody did.

First, we're gonna put
some of these, like...

Um...

A few cups of this, like, seed.

There's probably
some sunflower seeds,

some... probably corn,

not cooked corn,

and there's a little bit
of other types of stuff.

Abby insisted on
trying to hug her.

We didn't think that
you could hug a goose,

but Gumbo has been
her best friend since.

The hug sealed the deal.

Gumbo was here to stay.

Now, we need grass.

The next day,
when Gumbo didn't want to leave,

and nobody had claimed her,

I think reality started to hit
that we now have a goose.

We did not know
how to look after a goose.

We did all the googling to
try to figure out what she needed.

We didn't find out until she started
laying eggs that she was a girl.

Abby and Gumbo
quickly got to know each other.

Abilene is
a very sweet and funny girl.

She believes
she can talk to animals,

so she really gets along good
with animals.

She talks by honks
and we can, like,

tell, kinda,
what she's trying to say

'cause she makes sounds
that sound like

a "Yes" or a "No"
or a... (SQUAWKS)

Like a "Uh-uh."
Like a "Thank you."

(IMITATES HONK)

(GOOSE HONKS)

Looking after
the new family member

was a learning curve for all.

When we got her,
we tried to give her, like,

normal bird feed

but not for geese.

But she didn't even eat it.

We tried giving her crackers,
she didn't eat it.

Tried giving her bread,
she didn't eat it.

She only likes this green stuff.

Abby really enjoyed
taking care of Gumbo.

We gave her some water,

and Abby thought it'd be good idea
to put some grass in

'cause she eats grass and weeds,

and she really seemed
to enjoy that.

So, I think that was their first
real bonding moment,

Abby learning
what she would really like,

and, you know,
how to take care of her properly.

With breakfast prepared,
it's time to tuck in.

Gumbo, do you want your breakfast?

It's the most delicious
grass water...

I think she just likes
to be with us.

..with a side of delicious food!

She is very protective
of her family.

(LAUGHS) Yeah!

She has a honk that is...

Sounds like an alarm
for when other people come around.

So, she lets us know
when there's people in the yard or..

you know, somebody new comes up.

(LAUGHS)

Gumbo has the run
of the family's backyard.

We left the gate open,
let her go on her own,

and she never left.

We can leave her
in the front yard,

and she'll come right back
to the back.

This is her place now.

(GOOSE HONKS)

Oh, now you're grumpy.

There is a very unique connection
between Gumbo and Abby.

Sometimes, he'll come outside and
sit on the ground and cuddle her,

that's all she wants to do.

She's cuddling me
by putting her neck down.

Not one to miss out on anything...

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

..Gumbo likes to join in

with whatever Abby and her parents
are doing.

Let's go park, Gumbs.
(GOOSE HONKS)

Come on.
Come on, Gumbo.

(GOOSE HONKS)

She really likes to
take her around the neighbourhood

and show her off
to the neighbours.

Abby really likes
to make people smile,

and you can always get a smile
when they find out we have a goose.

(GOOSE HONKS)
(LAUGHS) Yeah!

That should feel good!

I think whenever people hear
we have a goose, they always say:

"I thought geese attacked
people."

And she likes to spread the message
that all geese aren't mean

like we had originally thought.

Gumbo!

Abby's dad
works in the US Coastguard,

meaning the family
move around a lot.

They've only just recently located to
this new neighbourhood.

Gumbo came at a really hard time
for Abby.

She was very supportive
in that way.

(GOOSE HONKS)
(LAUGHS)

I think it was a big help

because she missed her old school
and her old friends.

I love my goose.

Our new neighbourhood, it's very
different than our last one.

She got to meet a lot more people

than she probably would have
a lot faster.

So, she definitely made her
like our new location

a lot better, a lot faster.

Do you wanna go play?
(GOOSE HONKS)

Abby and Gumbo enjoy hanging out
in the local playpark.

OK, let's play.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

Like all great friends,
they have lots in common...

like a love for the slide.

One day, Abby picked her up

and carried her onto
the playground equipment, and...

all of a sudden,
Gumbo goes down the slide.

(LAUGHS) Yeah!

She goes down it quite a bit.

Soon, the pair are all played out.

You hot?
(GOOSE HONKS)

In need of a cool down,

there's only one thing for it.

She wants to be in the pool
every single day,

so, of course,
when Gumbo came around,

it's in her yard now.

Gumbo will follow us around
in the pool.

Come on in!

Oh! She wanted to go
before she was even in.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah!

(UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES)

At the end of the day,

before Tabitha packs Abby
off to bed...

..Abby makes sure
Gumbo is tucked into hers.

Ready for bed?
(SOFT HONKING)

Abby loves to read Gumbo
a bedtime story.

"Dress him up in his PJs...
(GOOSE HONKS)

"..and when he starts to giggle..."

If Gumbo could sleep
in her bed with her,

she would definitely let her.

She wants her to
be with her all the time.

You just wanna look at the book?

OK, you wanna try
to read it yourself?

They're pretty inseparable.

If she could take her to school,
she absolutely would.

"Give me a kiss goodnight
each for the ear and paw.

"Sweet dreams, Little Lion."

Gumbo has changed Abby's life.

She does not want to leave.

Abby also does not
want her to leave.

(GOOSE HONKS)

I do love how happy it makes her
to be a goose mum, basically.

Have a goose as a best friend.

(CRICKETS CHIRP)

Goodnight, Gumbo.

I hope you sleep well.

See you in the morning!
(GOOSE HONKS)

In challenging times...

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

..new friendships
can help shape who we are.

Morning, Cosima.

In South Africa, Belinda Harvenher
is checking on an injured friend.

Hello, hello, hello!

Hi!

Hi, Cosima.

How are you today?

Huh? Did you sleep well?

Cosima is
a four-year-old vervet monkey.

She's currently in the recovery ward
with a broken wrist.

It's so nice to see you
this morning!

Hm?

Belinda has been caring for Cosima
since she was a tiny baby.

(SOFT MUSIC)

She arrived
as a little two-week-old orphan.

Her mum was hit by a car,

and she had to be pulled off
her dead mummy's body.

Motor vehicle accidents
happen quite often...

where the mum gets hit

and protects her baby so well
that the baby survives,

but her life is gone.

Cosima was rescued

and brought here to
the Bambelela rehabilitation centre.

When Cosima came in here,

she was screaming for
two-three days, non-stop.

She has a blind eye.

We think that has to do with when
she was hit, as well, by the car.

Belinda looked
after the orphaned Cosima

and the two developed
a close emotional bond.

It's totally incredible the
connection we have with one another

that she can trust me so much
to tickle her belly.

Yeah, Cosima. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Or to look at her teeth,
or to look at her arm.

The Bambelela centre
takes in orphaned or injured monkeys

and helps them get back
to a natural life in the wild.

A lot of monkeys
come in being abused,

being treated really badly
by people.

I had a rough childhood
growing up, um...

bullied a lot in school.

I feel like I have
a same history,

like some of these monkeys.

I try everything in my power

to make it better for these monkeys,

and to give them
a second chance.

It's all about love,
it's all about caring,

it's all about affection,

and they can read all that
in your body language as well,

that you care, that you love them
and that you will protect them.

Hey, Pixie.

When Cosima arrived,
she started off in the kindergarten

with the other orphaned
vervet monkeys.

You seem hungry.

Babies spend
the first weeks of their life

clinging to their mother.

The moment we were walking
to the cage with the formula milk,

they're all on top of you,

they wanna have the milk,
they just go crazy,

'cause they know you're coming
to give them some food.

Surrogate mum, Belinda,
steps up to meet their every need.

They are just like humans.

They each have
their own personality.

They cry with you,
they laugh with you,

they're angry with you.

This is why I fell so deeply
in love with this species.

This is, for me,
the best place to be, ever.

I would not change this job
for anything else.

This makes me happy,
this makes my day,

just spending it
with the monkeys.

From here, they make their way
to a much larger, wilder enclosure,

where they learn to
be independent from humans

and bond further with each other.

Cosima will join them shortly.

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

So, in here is where
they can become a family.

They have to learn
to cope without us.

It's hoped that, in here,

Cosima will from a troop
with the others,

and start a family of her own,

before they're ready
to head into the jungle together.

Hopefully, this baby season,

she'll have a little one
of her own,

which she can then proudly raise
and do a good job with.

But before Cosima
can become one of the troop,

she needs to be back
to full strength.

To ensure she's on track,

Belinda takes her for regular
medical check-ups.

Say, "Hello, Chantelle."
Hello, Cosima!

(CHUCKLES)
We're here for a check-up.

Let me see your arm quickly, please.

It's all healed so nicely.

She is ready to go back
to a troop now.

Amazing.
Are you ready to go back, Cosima?

She's on course to join the troop...

and live with her own kind.

Belinda will have to
take a step back.

Are you ready to go back?

Building a bond with a vervet
is something special.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

But breaking that bond
is even harder.

Belinda's hard work to re-wild
Cosima and the other vervets

looks set to be a success.

As a friend, the best thing
I can possibly do for her

is let her join her family.

I'm super happy,
but I'm also extremely sad

'cause there's a possibility
of never seeing her again.

But before Cosima
returns to the troop,

the pair get to spend
a bit more time together.

So, she's showing that
she cares and she loves me.

That's part of
a monkey's communication.

When they interact
with a person,

it's through grooming,

and apparently she's finding some...

things in my hair
which I didn't know about.

When I just arrived here,

I was a very broken down teenager.

I never knew what I was really
put on earth for.

And the moment I'm with monkeys,
I know exactly why I'm here.

I wouldn't be surprised
if I was a vervet

in my previous life, who knows?

Cosima made me who I am today
and...

I will forever stand up for vervets
till the day I cannot anymore.

I will fight for them
as far and as wide as I can.

(WAVES WASH GENTLY)

Quiet encounters with wildlife
can offer a sense of peace.

Even in the darkest of times.

Moments with wildlife,

they're so valuable
for your mental health...

because when you get
those moments where time stops,

then it just drains away
any stress in your life.

(CALMING MUSIC)

It's incredibly good
for your soul

and really helps you deal with

the stress and strain
of normal life.

I'm an adult man

who has found something

that makes you feel like
a child on Christmas Eve.

Dive enthusiast, Ben Burville,

is headed to the Farne Islands
off the North East coast of England.

They are the Galapagos of the North,
really, in terms of wildlife.

You've got thousands
and thousands of birds there,

guillemots, puffins, razorbills.

(BIRDS SQUAWK)

But also,
most importantly for me,

it's home to a resident
population of seals.

(SEALS BARK)

Every day that I'm going diving,
it's full of anticipation...

and that's a joy.

The beauty of it is you never really
know what you're gonna see.

It's always exciting.

Well, my normal day job
is incredibly stressful.

I'm a GP, I work eight sessions,
which is full time,

in Amble,
a coastal town in Northumberland.

So, there's patients every
10-12 minutes.

It's pretty non-stop, really.

Ben first came across the seals

on a dive trip to the Farne Islands
20 years go.

(POIGNANT MUSIC CONTINUES)

He now swims with them
at every opportunity.

It's easy to take these things
for granted, isn't it?

When you're looking up at that.

I really love the challenge
of diving in the North Sea.

In the current, in the cold,

It's quite a challenging
environment at times.

It's October,
and the weather isn't looking great.

But, after a long week at work,
it doesn't put Ben off.

The real thing is
what the weather does

to where the seals are gonna be.

They wanna be out the wind
and they wanna be out the swell.

It might bother us...

but it won't bother the seals.

Ben relies on friend and skipper,
Micky,

to take him out,
whatever the weather.

Good morning, Ben.
Good to see you.

How you doing?
Excellent. Always good to get out.

Let's get inside.
Got a brew here.

I was in the water
from a young age,

and the boatman will know that
as soon as I can get in the water,

I'll be in the water.

18 years,
your life's been in my hands.

It has. I trust you 100%.

(LAUGHS)

(UPBEAT FOLK MUSIC)

Grey seals are
the most abundant seals

around the UK coast.

We're very lucky here to have
40% of the world's population.

The feelings that I have
before I go in the water,

it's one of completely
overwhelming peace and calm.

(CALMING MUSIC)
(WAVES WASH GENTLY)

As soon as you jump off the boat,

you're entering another world.

It's full of anticipation,
and that's a joy,

you never really know
what you're going to encounter.

Often they will glide in
from quite a distance away,

and you can see them coming
through the gloom.

I never, ever,
use food or bait of any kind.

I can look into
the eyes of a seal

and have an idea about
how it's gonna behave.

I'm being slow in my movements.

They're not seeing you as a threat,
being very gentle,

so they're in control.

When a seal holds your hand

and it gives your hand
a little squeeze,

and you squeeze its hand back,

there's a connection

and time stops completely,

and that's magical.

(CALMING MUSIC CONTINUES)

(SEAGULLS SQUAWK)

Over the last 20 years,

I will have spent hundreds and
hundreds of hours underwater.

It's about building trust
with these animals...

..to a point where
they feel at ease with you.

The whiskers of the seals are
so sensitive that they pick up on

the trail left behind
the water movements from the fins,

just like a wake on a boat.

Often, you won't even
know they're there.

Incredible streamlined predators,
really,

that, you know, have the ability
to move at high speed,

dive to over 300 metres,

hold their breath
for over 20 minutes.

We've just come through,
you know, a COVID pandemic...

..which takes its toll
on everyone.

I was the COVID lead
for Northumberland, and so...

Just give me two seconds.
PRODUCER: Yeah.

I, uh... Hoo!

Don't know why I get emotional
on that one, but that's...

(SIGHS)

Sorry, guys.

COVIDs just...
too many dead people, man.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

I think for lots of other people,

wildlife during the pandemic
was really, really important.

I think it's probably
what kept me relatively sane.

Happiness isn't somewhere
you get to in your life

as a destination,
it's really, sort of,

moments that you have
along the path of your life...

and there are certain times
that stick in my head

as being those moments.

I remember a young female seal.

I could feel her snuggling
into my neck,

her whiskers tickling my face.

When I sorta glanced, I could see
that her eyes were closed.

And, um... I think my eyes closed
at the same time.

Sometimes
they can be surprising.

I think that
they probably understand

the concept of games to a degree.

They'll use their claws, which are
a little bit like bears' claws,

or their teeth,

and they'll very delicately
grab my hood

and start to pull my hood back
off my face.

What really makes me laugh
is when they're removing my mask.

And they can do this
with incredible dexterity.

They'll take away the little tiny
mask strap at the side

and start to flood it.

(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC)

The seals can be really gentle
to each other,

and I think just trying
to take that into your life...

kindness,
it is important in life,

and I see that
in my day-to-day job.

I will talk to people
about mindfulness.

Sometimes just stabilising
your thoughts in the moment

can sort of ground you.

(POIGNANT MUSIC CONTINUES)

For me, I've found a place where
I can find lots of those moments

because when you're underwater
and there's a 250 kg seal

in front of you,
looking in your eyes,

then time simply stops.

Then, also, you have companionship
with an animal...

..and I'm incredibly fortunate
to have.

If I could bottle up
the feeling you have

when you're with an animal
and it's interacting with you,

then I would be a millionaire.

(CALMING MUSIC)

AccessibleCustomerService@sky.uk