The first few months
of a baby animal's life
are often the most crucial.
So if they lose their mothers,
they're going to need help.
We're going to meet the wild orphans
who are getting a second chance.
And the dedicated people...
Are you going to have a play?
..who devote their lives
to saving them.
They need the love and the attention
because they don't have parents.
Their parents are taken away
from them.
In this series, we'll be witnessing
the incredible stories
of animal orphans from two
very different locations.
I'm in Australia, where I'll be
meeting Stacey, a rescued wombat,
struggling to come to terms
with her new life.
When an animal
that is so dependent on its mother
in the wild for so long becomes
orphaned, it is pretty tough.
Wildlife cameraman Max Hug Williams
is in Costa Rica.
He's spent years
filming animals in the wild,
but now he's stepping out from
behind the lens to see what happens
when orphans need
rescuing and rehabilitating.
I mean, he's a little fighter.
I can barely hold him in one place.
He'll be catching up with Newbie,
the three-toed sloth,
who's been battling with pneumonia.
All hopes of a recovery are resting
on her new course of medication.
And Al the anteater
struggles to work out how to
tackle his specialist diet.
Look, see?
As soon as he sees ear, he's in.
Raising these vulnerable
orphans can be tough.
Oh...
There will be highs...
Good boy!
..and lows.
SHE GASPS
We will follow their stories
through their most critical
make-or-break months
on their difficult journeys
back to the wild.
I've come to Australia -
a vast island
isolated from the rest of the world
for 35 million years.
Much of its unique wildlife is
found nowhere else on the planet
and has evolved in distinctive ways,
none more so than the marsupials.
These iconic mammals make devoted
mothers,
rearing their young in pouches
and raising them for up to
a year and a half.
This means the orphans here
need close physical contact
if they're to survive.
Here in Australia, the animals
that get rescued need care,
not just around the clock
but for months and even years.
So instead of being looked after
in specialist wildlife centres,
these wild animals become part of
the family in people's homes.
In the small town of Mount Evelyn
in the south of Australia,
Sue Samphier has dedicated her life
and her home
to caring for one of Australia's
lesser-known marsupials...
..the wombat.
Over the years, Sue has raised
ten orphaned wombats.
Her newest arrival is Stacey...
..a five-month-old,
bare-nosed wombat
who's been with Sue for four weeks.
Oh, yes, don't you bite.
Don't you bite me.
Stacey was rescued
after her mother was run over.
Let's wrap you up.
You know what's coming, don't you?
Hey? There you go.
Wombats tend to often graze
beside the road at night
and, unfortunately the next morning
when we often go out,
there'll be roadkill
beside the road.
Stacey was just four-and-a-half
months old when she was rescued
and still living in
her mother's pouch.
Despite her tough start,
she's responding well to Sue's care
and developing
quite a strong personality.
Some wombats are not so sweet,
but she certainly is
and I love the way
that she's just full of life,
running around and everything,
you know.
Butting stuff
and bulldozing through things
is all typical wombat behaviour,
which is great,
because that's what we want to see.
In the wild, Stacey would be
living in a burrow with her mother.
Her long, shovel-like claws
are perfect for digging.
And her strong teeth are designed
for chewing roots,
bark and vegetation -
well adapted for a life in the bush.
Although perhaps not best suited
to Sue's living room!
She's certainly not as easy
to look after in the house.
If you don't watch her, she can
start chewing all the woodwork.
I've always got to be very careful
to keep an eye on her
when she's out.
She tends to chew the curtains
as well.
Wombats are notoriously
stubborn creatures
and become quite territorial
when they mature.
But for Stacey that's still a long
way off -
it'll be over a year
before she can be released.
So in the meantime,
Sue must do everything she can
to prepare her
for her return to the wild.
Today, I'm joining them for Stacey's
first trip outside in Sue's garden.
Let's get the last bit
of this fence up
so that Stacey doesn't do a runner.
Stacey's been living inside until
now. At about this age,
they would
start to emerge from the pouch.
It's important that she gets used to
the outside world and to the ground.
There she is! How are you going?
All set up? She's ready.
OK, I'll pass her
over to you. Thanks.
Just pass that over. Hello. Hee...
So this is going to be great -
a bit of exploring on the grass.
Shall I just put her down gently?
Yeah, just put her down. Yeah.
Check it out, Stacey!
What do you think?
She's not quite used to grass yet.
In the wild, Stacey would be leaving
the burrow
for short exploratory trips...
..but always staying close to
her mother.
So this is actually
typical behaviour.
She sees me as mum.
Sue, why do they need to
come outside when they're so young?
Learning sight, smells, sounds -
very important from a young age.
If we kept her inside right through
until
she was almost ready to go outside -
at 12 to 14 months old -
it would be such a shock
and set her back.
These excursions will help build
Stacey's confidence.
Hello! Look at my tunnel.
And already she's overcome
her initial nerves.
Come on!
She's pretty fast, isn't she?
She is. They can do up to 40km/h
when they're adults,
so it's quite fast.
Sometimes they don't particularly
look where they're going
and bulldoze into things. Yeah.
She thinks that's her pouch.
Oh, I'm sorry. It's a trick.
You're out.
How can you not love one of these?
Stacey is progressing well
and she's developed
a strong bond with Sue.
But if her eventual release
is going to be successful,
she really needs
the company of another wombat.
It's really important
to pair them up,
just establishing the fact
that they're not a human,
that they're wombat.
Stacey has been alone
for over two months
but at last Sue thinks she may have
found the answer to Stacey's needs.
One of my carers has little Heidi,
who's a little bit bigger
than Stacey
but is going to be
a really good weight for her
and so we're hoping to pair them up.
If Stacey gets along with Heidi
the wombat,
the plan is that they eventually
live together with Sue
and then continue their journey back
to the wild together,
so the stakes are high.
But Sue is concerned.
Stacey was paired up before but it
didn't work out and she was bullied.
I'm feeling a little apprehensive.
Stacey didn't get on with her
last pen mate.
He was boisterous and they tend to
bite - nip them on the ears.
Because she'd had such
a stressful time
she actually did lose
a bit of weight.
She's been on her own ever since,
so Sue is determined
to find her a companion.
All marsupials
are raised in pouches.
If they are orphaned,
this close physical bond
has to be replicated somehow, or
they may not survive the stress.
in the Central American
country of Costa Rica,
Max Hug Williams is finding out
how they care for the orphans
from the country's rainforests.
It's one of the most biodiverse
countries on the planet,
with more than a quarter of it made
up of protected rainforests
and national parks.
Costa Rica is a haven for wildlife
with some of the most incredible
species on the planet.
But like anywhere where wildlife
lives alongside humans,
there are problems.
And when animals and humans collide,
it's often the wildlife
that pays the price.
I've come to wildlife sanctuary
Kids Saving The Rainforest,
a haven on Costa Rica's
Pacific coast...
..dedicated to rescuing
and rehabilitating
orphaned and injured animals
and returning them back to the wild.
Wildlife manager Sam Trull's
main responsibility
is caring for the centre's
many orphaned sloths.
She shares her tiny apartment with
six of these extraordinary animals
which, in spite of their laidback
reputations,
are notoriously difficult to raise.
Sloths are NOT easy to take care of.
Sloths are probably the most
time-intensive orphan
you could possibly ask for.
But the one who Sam and I have been
worrying about the most is Newbie.
Four-month-old Newbie,
a three-toed sloth,
was rescued
when her mum was k*lled by a dog.
Not wanting to tempt fate,
Sam has refused to give her a proper
name until she's sure she'll make it.
But Newbie has been suffering
from pneumonia.
And after a recent dramatic relapse
it looked as though
she might not pull through.
Even though she's still hanging
in there, if we can't cure her,
then she'll never
make it back to the wild
and she probably won't survive.
But to everyone's relief,
she's started to respond to
the new medicine.
Now I'm keen to find out
how she's getting on.
She's come a long, long way.
I mean, the reason you called her
Newbie is cos you thought
she wasn't going to make it.
She still actually has pneumonia
but she's doing a lot better.
We've been nebulising her with
oxygen and antibiotics twice a day.
She also gets an antibiotic injected
and she's on supplements
including vitamins.
Basically, anything and everything
we can think of
that might be helpful.
Fingers crossed,
I think it's working,
but I still don't want to name her
anything official just yet.
There's a lot of noises
coming from her stomach. Yes!
She's getting full.
Her stomach gurgles a lot.
I think we're all out,
I'm afraid, Newbie.
Lunch is over. That was pretty good
for your first time feeding a sloth.
Sat here with Newbie,
it's so easy to forget
she's already been through so much.
She lost her mother,
she's come in with pneumonia
and it's still a long, long way
before she'll be back in the wild.
If she's EVER to complete
that journey,
Sam has to make sure Newbie
knows how to climb.
I like this tree because it's got
a bunch of different sized branches,
but they're all pretty small,
so it should be a good tree to use.
Hopefully she doesn't try
and go too high,
then I might get a little nervous.
It is so nice to see her
climbing around given that she's not
been feeling like doing anything
in the last few days. Yeah.
She wouldn't be climbing
and sniffing and exploring
if she didn't feel good.
She is having fun.
They're so dexterous.
You can see how they're just
completely designed for the trees,
aren't they? They are.
She looks so natural up there.
Sloths are slow but expert climbers
and can even sleep
hanging from branches.
To cope with this
upside-down lifestyle,
their skeleton is different to that
of any other animal
on Earth with extra vertebrae
in their necks so they can look
around while they're upside down.
Even their hair grows
in the opposite direction,
which helps the rainwater run off.
SNAP
Whoa!
She looked a bit shocked when that
little branch broke off then,
but they have to learn
not to climb dead branches,
otherwise they're going to be
in a lot of trouble.
They definitely have to learn
what's safe to touch and what's not.
In the wild, sloths use
their excellent sense of smell
to detect
dangerous, decaying branches.
I think Newbie's got herself
in a bit of a pickle here.
She's sort of spread-eagled
between two branches
and she's sniffing at this one
and almost seems to know that it's
dead, but she hasn't got much option.
She's only got two tiny little twigs
in front of her
and I think we're moving in
just in case we need to catch.
She's stuck.
She's only got this tiny little...
CRACKING
Whoa! Did you...
Newbie! Whoa! That was close!
She definitely wasn't wanting to
go to that branch,
so she was just like,
"I guess I have no choice."
But that's one reason why their mums
are still supposed to be there.
I suppose that's a good
lesson to learn.
Newbs! You scared Mummy.
Despite a few stumbles,
Newbie is making steady progress,
but pneumonia in sloths
is notoriously hard to cure,
so Sam will remain
apprehensive about Newbie's future
until the vet gives her
the all clear.
Here in the south of Australia,
carer Sue is also feeling
apprehensive.
Her six-month-old orphaned wombat
Stacey
is about to meet
a potential companion.
Elise is part of a local network
of volunteer wildlife carers
and they hope that Heidi,
her seven-month-old
orphaned wombat, will prove
the perfect match for Stacey.
Look, here's a buddy for you.
Sue is worried that Stacey's
experience of being
bullied by the last wombat she was
paired up with, might put her off...
She's not too sure.
It's a little bit like leaving
a creche for the first time.
She says, "Don't leave, Mum."
STACEY HISSES
Yeah.
STACEY HISSES
Despite Stacey's alarm calls...
Yeah, it's OK.
..Sue can't interfere.
Both Stacey and Heidi's chances
of being released successfully
will be much higher
if Sue can raise them together.
She's not adverse to her,
she's just not too sure.
Come on. Say hello.
She just wants a bit of reassurance,
don't you? It's all right.
Yeah, it's all right.
THEY LAUGH
A bit of shoving.
And you can see already
she's starting to gain
a bit of confidence.
It's harmless shoving though.
Go on, Stacey.
Stacey's confidence
may have improved
but she's still not comfortable
around Heidi.
STACEY HISSES
I think Stacey's
not quite ready yet.
Slowly but surely,
a slow introduction is going to be
what's best for her.
If I were really, really confident,
then I might have been tempted to
try and match them up sooner,
but this has just shown that,
for Stacey,
she needs a little bit more time to
grow up on her own.
Come on.
The plan is to continue to introduce
Stacey to Heidi with short visits
so the two gradually bond, but for
now it's all too much too soon.
I know.
Fortunately time is on their side
and Sue can afford to take
things at Stacey's pace.
Patience and perseverance
are essential qualities
for anyone
looking after rescued wildlife.
Here in Costa Rica, Newbie
the orphaned sloth
has been testing both of these traits
in carer Sam to the limit.
Her battle with pneumonia has been
a long ordeal for both of them.
If she can't beat this infection,
Newbie
will never go back to the wild.
Today she has an appointment
with the vet
to see if all of that perseverance
has paid off.
How is she? Well, she's kind of back
and forth.
Personality wise
I think she's doing really well,
I just want to see
how you think her lungs sound.
And are you doing nebulisations too?
Mm-hm. Twice a day. Mm-hm.
Her eyes look bright.
I don't see any secretion, I don't
see any decolouration either.
So she doesn't look dehydrated.
Her colour,
I think it's better than before.
She's strong. She's very active.
She is very active.
Sam thinks the stress of being
orphaned triggered the disease,
so she has done all that she can
to nurture
and reassure this baby sloth
ever since.
Good? She sounds very good.
I can definitely hear
both lungs very clear.
I think that since last time
her lungs are clear.
Sam, you are doing a good job.
Thank you.
It's the best possible news.
With Sam's help, Newbie has finally
beaten the pneumonia.
Some days you feel like
you're just always losing
and why are you even doing this to
begin with? But today is a good day
because Newbie sounds good.
This news changes everything, and at
last Sam feels confident enough
to give Newbie a proper name.
I know you only gave her
the temporary name Newbie... Mm-hm.
..originally because you were
too scared to name her properly
because it didn't look like
she was going to make it.
I couldn't bring myself to actually
pick a proper name for her
because I just was worried
it would jinx her.
She needs a proper name now. Look
at her! She deserves a proper name.
Top of the tree. I know.
She is, she's ready for a name.
Do you know the name Modoc?
M-O-D-O-C.
This is the story behind it.
When I was a little girl, I wrote a
book about an elephant named Modoc.
It's a good story of overcoming
obstacles
and it's also the story
of why you shouldn't give up.
Oh, it sounds perfect for her.
What more fitting name
than Modoc for Newbie here,
because she's well on the way to
fighting through what seemed
an impossible task and now, one day,
she's going to be back out
in the wild where she belongs.
Modoc the sloth, like most
of the animals at KSTR,
would not have survived without Sam
and the team's incredible dedication.
But she can't celebrate for long.
New orphans arrive almost every week
and it's not long before
there's another emergency.
It's crazy, you really can't plan
anything around here.
We've just had a call from
the fire department
saying they've found a baby sloth.
Hey, Sam. Hey, Max.
They say it's a newborn baby sloth.
I don't know
if it's two-toed or three-toed.
I don't know anything other than
we have to go and meet them now.
Let's jump in.
Luckily it's only a 20-minute drive
to the fire station
in the nearby town of Quepos.
It's crazy. I mean,
sometimes it's such a whirlwind.
But when a new animal comes in,
especially something like
a baby sloth,
you have to react really quickly,
go right away,
because every day, every hour,
every minute can make a difference
in whether they survive or not.
You'd better give me some directions,
I've no idea where the fire station
is.
Just keep going.
You're going the right way.
Wow!
Aw... It's barely got any hair!
It's right there.
Aw! It's a two-toed.
It looks brand-new. It's absolutely
tiny, isn't it? Is it OK if I...?
Hi! How many days old do you think
this little guy could be?
I'll do a better exam once we get
to the clinic, but mere days old.
Thank you.
OK.
What did the guy say?
Where did they find him?
Apparently there was a couple
walking along the beach this
morning and they heard him crying.
They make a really loud crying noise
when they're not with their mothers.
So they found him and
they looked everywhere for the mum
but they couldn't find her anywhere,
and that's when they called 911.
This is definitely a newborn
that we're dealing with here.
This is going to be tricky.
The first stop is the centre's
clinic for a thorough check over.
So I'm just going to look
over his body a little bit and see
if we see any kind of wounds or
anything that's abnormal.
He looks good. I don't see any
wounds at all, so that's good.
Let's turn him over
and look at his belly.
So his belly button -
the umbilical cord is gone
but it's still inflamed.
So it looks like the umbilical cord
came off very recently.
He's really gripping on though. The
last thing that goes is their grip.
The fact that he still has an
extremely strong grip,
that's really, really good.
He's actually 275 grams -
very small -
and he's at the bottom of the normal
weight range for two-toed sloths.
Honestly, he's just so tiny that
before we give him a proper name,
I think we'll just call him Tiny.
Tiny is the smallest sloth
that Sam has ever looked after.
And at this age, one of
the biggest risks is dehydration.
All right, bud, here we go.
It's critical that Sam
can get fluids into him fast.
Oh, my gosh! Look!
Good job, bud.
That's amazing.
This is...like the best result that
we could possible hope for,
because not only
does he want to drink,
but he clearly knows
what he's doing.
He's just so ridiculously tiny.
How much fluid
do you need to get inside him?
If I could get 5ml in him,
then I think that that would be
a pretty good place to start
for now. And at the next feeding
in a couple of hours I'll try again
and just keep going like that
throughout the day.
Tiny is just so small.
I don't think I've ever seen
a baby animal this vulnerable.
And now, for Sam, it's going to be
a massive commitment.
She's got to look after him 24/7,
feeding him every few hours
and she's probably not going
to get much sleep.
Sam has finally got him stabilised.
Now Tiny just needs warmth
and comfort.
So is he just going to rest now? He's
had fluids, so he just needs to...
He just needs to cling onto you
and be warm and feel safe.
Hello, little fella.
Just keep him like that and hold him
kind of tight so he doesn't start
climbing all over you, cos that
actually means he's kind of scared.
He's tiny but he's strong.
You'll be OK. I'll be back soon.
Are you on the radio if anything...
I am on the radio
if anything happens. Thank you.
He's half the size of my hand
but he's got an awful
lot of fight in him and I just hope
he keeps that up and gets through
these first few difficult days.
After such a traumatic start
to his young life,
the odds of survival
are stacked against him.
For now, Tiny will join Modoc
and the rest of the small band
of orphaned sloths.
And Sam will need to draw on
all of her experience
if she's to keep him going.
Tiny is the latest arrival here,
but the team cares for a HUGE
variety of Costa Rican wildlife.
Each animal needing specialised care.
In 15 years they have raised
over 300 orphans,
but they are still faced with
new challenges.
Al is a 10-month-old
northern tamandua.
He's a type of tree-climbing anteater
and the first of his species
that KSTR have ever raised.
I've met a lot of different animals
over the years,
but there's something about
anteaters.
They're just such quirky, amazing
creatures,
but I had no idea
how much character they had.
It's a natural instinct
to just explore, I think,
and just tap into everything. Start
sticking your nose into anything.
Look, see. As soon as he sees ear,
he's in.
I'm afraid there's no termites
in there, fella.
HE LAUGHS
Al was rescued
when he was just four weeks old
after his mother was run over.
Now, nine months on, he's being
raised by KSTR wildlife carer Hannah.
But caring for Al
is a huge challenge.
He has a highly specialised diet,
which requires Hannah to collect
thousands of termites
for him every day.
Here you go. Breakfast in bed.
Al is well adapted to this
fast moving meal,
with powerful claws to break
open the nest.
His mouth only opens to
the size of a pencil
but inside is one of the longest
tongues in the animal kingdom...
..up to 40cm long and covered with
tiny spines and sticky saliva -
it's perfect for hoovering up
ants and termites.
Despite the challenges,
Hannah has a strong bond with Al.
Al is one of a kind
and so is the relationship
that I have with him.
It's a very tricky business
here with these orphans -
they need the love
and the attention
because they don't have parents.
Their parents
are taken away from them
and we try and step in
and fill that role.
It's really very difficult
raising and rehabbing orphans
to try and get them
back to the wild.
And with Al, Hannah's main problem
is the amount of food he needs.
There is no way she can collect
the 8,000 termites
he must eat every day,
so instead, she supplements his diet
with goats milk.
At the age Al is at right now,
he actually wouldn't be getting milk
from his mother in the wild,
but to sustain not only his weight,
but also growth,
he needs to be given
milk on a daily basis.
You like your milk, Al?
SLURPING
Looks like it.
When I put termites and milk
in his cage at the same time,
he always goes for the milk first,
so it's definitely his favourite
and I think he's going to miss it.
Al is growing well, and he's getting
to an age where he could be
released back into the wild,
but Hannah has a serious concern.
I don't think he really knows how
much he has to forage in order
to keep weight on him
and continue to grow,
so he's got a lot to learn.
If Al's going to make it back to
the wild, she will have to get him
off the milk
and learning to forage in earnest.
Feeding is critical for successfully
raising wild orphans.
But every animal has a specific diet
and it's often one of
the hardest things to get right.
Al's appetite for milk
may be holding him back,
but it's a very different story
in Australia.
Here on the outskirts of Melbourne,
Stacey the wombat
has been with carer Sue
for five months now,
but a major problem has developed -
Stacey has been flatly refusing
to drink her milk
and Sue fears the worst.
Come on. You can see
what's going on. Refusing.
A wombat that can't eat
can't be released.
In Victoria the laws are quite
strict. So, unfortunately,
if they are compromised at all,
they can't be kept in captivity.
And personally I think
a life in captivity for an animal
like this is not fair.
As you can hear in my voice,
it is hard not to be
attached to these guys
and, um, hopefully the outcome
will be good.
I'm not a vet
so I can't make that call.
Turning down her milk could indicate
a serious underlying problem
so Stacey's off to
the local wildlife hospital.
What have you brought in for us
today? I've got Stacey.
I noticed that in the last week or
so
she's been fiddling with the bottle,
not drinking very well,
sometimes not drinking at all.
It'll be easier for us to get
a good look if we knock her out.
We'll let you know what we find.
Yeah.
In order to thoroughly examine her,
head vet Paul Eden
will need to anaesthetise Stacey.
All right. How's she going, Kelly?
Good.
I think we're deep enough
to have a good look.
The first place to check is
Stacey's mouth, in case there is
something physical
preventing her drinking.
If they are not able to get that
food into their mouth
normally or to chew their food
normally, they'll essentially
just waste away and die
and it tends to be a bit of
a slow kind of death,
which is pretty horrible.
Yeah, there's certainly no
signs of ulceration there.
Hey, little girl, let's have
a look inside your other teeth.
They're actually quite normal. Yeah.
So I think that all looks normal.
There's no ulceration there,
the teeth look like they are in
good condition
and so, yeah, I don't think it's
anything to be too concerned about.
It's good news, for a groggy Stacey.
They've given her a good health
check all over, checked her bones
and everything
and everything looks really good
so I'm really pleased.
I'm very relieved, I have to say!
There may be nothing medically
wrong with Stacey,
but the fact remains
that she is off her milk.
She's refusing to drink
no matter what.
When I give her the bottle
she's just spitting it out most of
the time.
Wombats are very stubborn and Stacey
probably is a very typical wombat.
Despite Stacey's reluctance,
she is only nine months old
and needs the high fat content
in the milk to grow.
In the wild, joeys
drink their mothers milk for up to
try a new technique.
Come on.
Try that. Yeah,
there's some there on the plate.
Come on.
Oops!
True to form,
Stacey is as stubborn as ever.
Now you've tipped it all out.
Time for a clean up.
You don't want milk
around their mouth
because the fur comes away.
So you have to keep them
quite clean.
She's been having baths
since she was quite young.
In the wild, mum would lick her
and keep her clean.
Hygiene is even
important out in the wild
and mums naturally would lick them,
but I'm not going to lick her!
So this is the way
that we would do it.
And she doesn't mind a bath.
She quite likes having a bath,
don't you?
She just thinks this is a time
that she can play. Yes!
OK. All clean?
All Sue can do is try and maintain
Stacey's weight on vegetables alone.
If she can do this, then Stacey
can start having regular play dates
with Heidi, the potential new
companion Sue has lined up for her.
Here in Costa Rica, Sam is also
fighting a battle over food.
Tiny, the rescued newborn sloth,
must start feeding
if he's going to survive.
He definitely has been acting hungry
ever since he came,
and, um,
acts like he wants to nurse,
but he still is having some issues
kind of getting the hang of it
and really kind of learning
how to feed.
Without milk
he has no chance of living.
I mean, he is a newborn, and even
a newborn with his actual mum
can sometimes have
an adjustment period
in learning how to feed properly.
In the wild, Tiny would lie on
his mother's chest to feed
while she hangs upside down
from the branches.
So Sam is doing her best to
simulate that same effect.
Basically he has to drink this
if he wants to survive.
Even in the right position,
Tiny is still reluctant
to feed from the plastic tube.
Wakey wakey.
Yeah. Come on.
There's just kind of something about
rubbing skin in front of his face
that seems to make him
want to suckle.
Wow! Look at that.
He's sucking pretty quickly.
There you go.
Getting any newborn wild animal
to accept substitute milk
can be difficult.
I mean, he's a newborn, he falls
asleep at the drop of a hat.
He's only managed to drink a few
millilitres of milk,
but it's a start.
If he continues to feed,
there is a chance he could survive.
Tiny isn't the only resident at KSTR
who's having trouble feeding.
I'm back with Al, who lives
a charmed life with termites
and milk delivered daily.
But to survive in the wild he'll have
to learn how to feed himself.
He's got to use these claws and that
tongue to get 8,000 ants a day.
He's got a lot to learn before
he's a proper wild anteater again,
and that's not going to be easy.
I think he's going
to get a bit of a shock.
To help him learn to
forage for himself, Hannah takes him
out to the trees
around the centre every day.
Go on, Al.
He is learning how to eat
as much as he needs to
to continue gaining weight,
because he's not full size
right now.
He should be about three times
this size
when he's completely full-grown.
Without his mother to teach him,
young Al has to pick up his climbing
technique through trial...
..and error!
Fortunately he's well adapted
to life in the trees,
with a strong prehensile tail that
can EASILY support his body weight.
A wild adult tamandua
would have to find
up to 80 ant and termite nests
every day!
So Al really has his work cut out.
He can't figure out how to get
enough nutrition
from being outside
and foraging himself.
He's going to have
a serious problem.
Until now,
Hannah has only brought Al termites,
but to get sufficient food
he'll also need to eat ants -
which in Costa Rica tend to come
with a rather painful bite.
Hannah has brought him to one of
the biggest ant nests in the forest.
In the wild,
tamanduas only spend a short time
feeding at an individual ant nest
before moving on.
It's a behaviour which allows
the nest to regenerate,
and ensures
a constant supply of food.
And a quick visit also means
you can get out of there
before the ants overwhelm
you.
But Al has left it far too late.
If he's ever going to survive
in the wild,
Al will have to learn the knack
for tackling this feisty food.
Al may need encouragement to feed,
but here in Southern Australia
Stacey the bare-nosed wombat has
given up on milk altogether.
Sue has been feeding her vegetables
and it's vital that she monitors
Stacey's weight regularly.
For some home carers,
weigh day means a trip to
the local post office!
Come on.
Look at you! She's getting too hard
to weigh at home now,
so let's try one more time.
Whoops! Good girl.
Good girl.
That's good, isn't it? Hey?
Since last time I weighed her,
which is a few weeks,
she's put on about 300 grams,
so that's good.
With Sue's fears allayed,
the much needed play dates
with Heidi can resume.
And a few weeks later, Sue has got
them both living with her.
Oh, she's so GORGEOUS.
Look at this.
She's really grown well, hasn't she?
She has, she's doing really well.
Hello, hello.
And so now she's joined by Heidi.
How's that going?
Well, I wouldn't say they love each
other yet,
but they're certainly showing signs,
they're not aggressive towards
each other so that's good.
These two don't need to
get along brilliantly,
but they do need
the company of their own species.
What's the next step for Stacey?
What we're hoping to do is take them
for a walk,
and so this is just to get them
used to each other.
And is there a risk that these
two are just going to scarper?
Definitely.
That's the biggest worry,
so I hope you've got
your running shoes on.
We're going to have to keep our wits
about us, aren't we? Yes.
Let's put you to work.
This is such a ruse, isn't it?
Stacey's looking really sleepy, but
she's just going to go, I know it.
That's right! So whereabouts, here?
Yeah, just here. All right, ready?
Ooh...
THEY LAUGH
Hey, that's not what you're
supposed to do.
Let's just get her before she...
I'm going to do
a bit of a quick rescue here.
Let's go again. This way.
Stacey? Come on.
Come on. Stacey, what's this?
SHE LAUGHS
Stacey, come back!
There's an awful lot to
interest them in this garden.
But they haven't gone too far.
We haven't lost them
to the neighbours, have we?
Not yet.
Optimist.
Stacey's confidence and energy
are testimony to Sue's hard work.
In the wild, wombats can travel up
to two miles a day looking for food.
So it's vital that these two
youngsters build up their stamina.
When she puts on a turn of speed,
it's quite incredible how quickly
she catches up with you.
Come on. Come on, Heidi.
Come on, Heidi. Come on.
Come on.
Aw.
Come on.
Tired! Tired Stacey.
She's not very tired, is she? She's
still going. She's still going.
Was that a success? We didn't
lose them so that's a bonus!
They're not in the neighbour's
garden. No, that's right.
Look how tired she is.
Time to go back for a rest.
Yes, I think so.
All right, Stacey,
you've done a good job.
Now that the two of them are
comfortable with each other,
Sue can start preparing for the next
stage of their journey
back to the wild.
Soon they will leave
the comfort of their cot
and move outdoors permanently,
and that's when their developing
bond will come into its own.
At the wildlife sanctuary
here on Costa Rica's Pacific coast,
staff are also planning for
the future
as preparations
for Al's release gather pace.
But after his painful encounter at
the giant ants' nest,
Hannah still feels that
there's work to be done.
Al eats two things -
termites and ants -
and ants are definitely
the more aggressive of the two.
He is not going to be able to be
picky and choosy in the wild,
so we need to make sure that he can
handle
all his possible food sources.
To help him gain vital experience,
Hannah has been exposing Al
to more manageable sized
ants' nests every day.
The secret is to quit
while you're ahead.
Something Al is learning
the hard way!
Let's check out your
foraging skills today, Al.
For Hannah, it's vital that she can
be sure
that Al has learnt his lesson.
So today, she's taking him
back to the big ants' nest.
We want to expose him to the most
severe stuff he's going to encounter
in the wild and see if he can still
overcome it and keep eating.
Obviously some of the ants
are getting to him.
I mean, there's a million swarming
everywhere,
but he looks like
he's getting some good ants,
and, um...
keeping pretty ant-free himself.
But will Al leave the nest in time?
Al just wandered off from
the ants' nest.
He's taken a little break to clean
off the ants
and stop them from biting him
so he can go back,
which is actually
really encouraging to me
because a lot of times
what he'd do before,
is he would just charge right
out of the tree and leave it.
And for him to staying in the tree
to clean himself off
and going to come back to it,
that's a big step for him.
Al has proved to Hannah that he is
ready to live independently.
It is fantastic news and means
the team can now make
final preparations
to return Al to the wild.
But not everyone at KSTR
is celebrating.
Tiny's fight for survival
has taken a sudden
and dramatic turn for the worse.
How's he doing, Sam?
Not good.
I mean it was literally like
one minute he was fine
and the next minute he was just
completely limp and not hanging on.
He just wasn't clinging on to you
at all? Mm-mm.
Tiny's complete lack of strength
is an extremely bad sign
and could indicate
a life-threatening condition.
So what are you doing now?
We've got him on oxygen
and we've started fluids,
and we're going to start
antibiotics.
Could you hold this, actually?
Good boy. Good boy.
TINY WHINES
I know. I've never seen a baby sloth
do this before. I don't know what...
I don't know what's going on.
TINY WHINES
Oh, bud.
This guy yesterday looked
really good,
he was climbing all over Sam,
and now, completely out of the blue,
he's gone downhill
and he's in a real bad way now.
Sometimes, in situations like this,
all that's left to do is
just hold him
and if and when he goes, he at least
isn't alone and is comfortable.
Losing his mother so early in life,
the odds were always
stacked against him.
The way Tiny has
gone downhill like this,
it just brings it home what these
guys are up against
every single day because he looked
like he was a real fighter.
He looked like he was pulling
through and now, suddenly overnight,
everything has changed
and that must be so tough.
Sadly Tiny has given up the fight.
Looking after wild orphans
is not for the faint hearted,
but what makes the tragedies
bearable for the carers
are the days when you are able
to make a difference.
Here in Australia,
it's a much more positive story.
Thanks to Sue's hard work, Stacey
and Heidi are now ready to take
the biggest step so far
on their journey back to the wild.
Time for a new home.
They are moving permanently
into the outdoor enclosure.
We'll just have a last hold before
they go in. Yeah, baby's growing up.
Up until now, Stacey has been
living in the house full-time
with Sue acting as her foster mum.
So this is the dehumanising stage,
so they're getting big enough to be
fending for themselves now.
So...
So you won't have as much contact.
So I won't have as much, so it's a
bit bittersweet, actually.
Oh, yeah, it is. This is the time
when they become independent.
It's been a commitment of many
months for you so far.
Oh, yeah, it's been a long time.
And from now on, they'll still be
here for a while longer.
Yeah, probably another 10 to 12
months. What a long journey. It is.
It certainly is.
I feel sad about letting Stacey go.
But you've got to go, haven't you,
Stacey?
So we just pop them down?
Yeah. Will do.
There you go.
New home.
You've done a fabulous job with
them. Oh, look, I love doing it.
You've got to be passionate
about this to keep doing it.
I can't believe that she was that
little, insecure wombat.
The first time she met Heidi she,
you know, Heidi ignored her
and Stacey was quite scared,
but now nothing should go wrong.
Over the next ten months,
Stacey and Heidi
will break their bond with Sue.
A safe release site
will be found for both of them
and her job will be done.
Until the next wild orphan
comes her way.
On the other side of the world,
the carers here at the Costa Rica
sanctuary are sharing the same
hopes for their orphans as Sue.
Al the tamandua is one of
the longest residents at KSTR
and has been with them since
he was a tiny four-week-old orphan.
That was a year ago, and now they
hope that all the hard work
will pay off when he goes
back to the wild.
Hi, Al.
In preparation, he has been marked
with non-toxic paint,
so that the team can identify him
out in the forest.
Last time you're ever going to be
in that cage.
Every morning I take him
out of his cage and I come
and sit on these steps with him
and this is the last time.
I've done everything I could to
prepare him to get out there.
I hope that there's nothing
I could have done better.
Animals want to be wild
and that's what's best for them.
The site the team has chosen
for Al's release
is a remote forest in the
Central Pacific side of Costa Rica,
miles away from any roads
or human settlements.
If ever there is
a place that is ideal to let Al
become an anteater in the wild again,
this is it.
It's absolutely pristine.
He's going to be safe here.
This is what's it's about, getting
these orphans back out in the wild,
but it's definitely mixed emotions.
Once we open the door there is no
way
we can control his future any more,
which is the scariest part.
But if he stayed in the sanctuary
he'd live in a cage his whole
life and what kind of life is that?
Al will be left with his familiar
sleeping box,
in case he needs a safe retreat.
So this is it.
Yeah, this is it. This is the moment
we've been waiting for
for such a long time
and it's really surreal
to think that it's finally here.
So what are you going to do,
put him straight in the box
and then just step back?
And then he can do whatever he wants
and we won't stop him.
This is a big, big world, Al,
you be careful.
Oh, amazing! Oh, my God!
His first foraging
as a free anteater!
Look at him -
he's already hoovering up ants.
Look at him, he looks great.
This is what it's all about.
He's halfway up the biggest tree
in the forest
and he's foraging away
like a wild anteater again.
Amazing!
Good job, Hannah. Thank you.
It does make the hairs on the back
of your neck really tingle
because these guys have put in
so much to get Al to this stage
and so many of these orphans
don't make it.
I don't know if I could keep going
the way that they do,
but it's moments like this that you
can see it makes it all worthwhile
because he's now a wild anteater
again.
And it doesn't get any
better than that.
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