- Whoa! Oof! - This is a bond that defies belief, an extraordinary relationship built on trust. But now Kevin Richardson faces his biggest challenge yet ` moving 27 lions and 14 hyenas to a new home. (LION ROARS) Boundaries will be pushed to the limit,... - The lions are going mad! (HYENAS SCREAM, BARK) - ...relationships put to the test. - No! - And the move comes under threat. - Less than a month away from moving animals, and now I get an answer saying no. Now what do we do? Captions by Able. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020 (DRAMATIC MUSIC) Whoa! Oof! (LAUGHS) - Meet Kevin Richardson, a very unusual pride mate. - This is just... (LAUGHS) unadulterated fun that they're having here. Ooh! Kev's their little plaything. (GRUNTS, LAUGHS) They enjoy nothing more than to do this with me. This has been going on for 10 years. (GRUNTS) The way they play with me is exactly the way they play with each other. The only difference is that they do tone it down with me. (LAUGHS) Be happy. I'm happy. It's great fun. They really enjoy it. I really enjoy it. When you know these girls as well as I do, you realise that I'm just part of their pride, and they accept me as one of their own. I know that there's no untoward behaviour, and whenever they do this, it's completely amazing because they don't bite. Their claws don't come out. Hello, my girl. (GRUNTS, LAUGHS) - 27 lions make up Kevin's unlikely family. He has known most of them since they were cubs. Born in captivity, they are either former stars from the movie industry or donated from other animal parks. The lions live in a 450-hectare wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, also home to four black leopards and 14 spotted hyenas. (LION GROANS) But now the reserve they live in is up for sale. They need to relocate ` a huge undertaking. - I made a promise to Tau and Napoleon when they were little cubs all those years ago that I would see out their dying days in captivity and I would make damn sure that they had the best life that I could give them. But along the way, we've gathered a bit of baggage (CHUCKLES) ` all the other lions and hyenas ` and they're coming along for the ride, and they deserve everything that Tau and Napoleon have got. - The animals' future home is in another province, a new sanctuary already under construction ` in all, 13 enclosures and a 35-hectare enrichment area. It borders the 18,500-hectare Dinokeng Reserve, home to Africa's big game, including elephants, white rhino, and wild lions. Now the pressure of the relocation is mounting. Each journey is a 220km round trip. But the biggest hurdle of all is yet to come. Every captive lion in South Africa needs a permit to be housed in a park. But securing a permit to live in a different province is no easy feat. - All I'm tryna do is relocate an existing facility from one province to another. You'd swear it would be as simple as somebody saying, 'That's fine. Meet the specs, and we'll give you your permit.' Not so. Not the case. It's really irritating. Yeah. Are you also irritated, my girl? And you, my boy? Come lie here. - Despite the holdups, Kevin needs to carry on preparing for the move. He hopes to form a new pride of lions. Sisters Meg and Amy have never lived with other lions before. But now that could be about to change. - They really are the two loves of my life. They're 9-year-old lionesses. And as we prepare to move the park to the new premises, I've gotta consolidate animals, and this means that these two lionesses are gonna have to go with three boys. - And Tzar, Bongani, and Suja are the perfect suitors. - In the wild, as males come into prides, there is a bit of turmoil as females get unsettled, and there can be fighting where the females are a little bit more resistive. - Lions are the only cats to live in social groups. The females often stay in their birth prides, whereas the males form nomadic coalitions before taking over a pride of their own. But there's no guarantee that this introduction will work. - To introduce them in a careful way, I've gotta keep Meg and Amy locked up. And then I'm gonna introduce one of the boys. His name's Tzar. Just let them sniff each other, get used to each other through the fence. - With the girls safely locked away, Tzar is released into the enclosure. - Oh, here he comes. (CHUCKLES) Look at her. Look how attentive she is. She's already submitting. (LIONS SNIFF, GROWL) He's a gorgeous boy. - His grimace is called the Flehmen response. It draws scent molecules into the Jacobson organ, a highly sensitive gland. It can help an animal interpret all kinds of information, such as whether a female is fertile and ready to mate or even what kind of mood they're in. - Yeah, it went very well, my boy. You're a lover boy. Yes, you are. Hello, my girlie! Who is this in your enclosure here? Who is this here? Who is this boy here? Eh? Do you like him? - For Kevin, there's more at stake than whether the lions accept each other. - I must say, this is a bit... of a worrying time for me because I've got such a great relationship with Meg and Amy, and I'm just wondering how three males are now gonna affect our relationship, and it is a bit for selfish reasons, but having said that, I'm gonna be extremely happy to see them now living in a pride. - With everything calm, the next two lions are let in ` Suja and Bongani. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) At first, all seems to be going to plan. But then suddenly the mood changes. (LIONS ROAR) In the excitement, Suja and Tzar start to fight over the lionesses. (LIONS GROWL) It's not the outcome Kevin was hoping for. - You could see he was agitated. He walked up to the bars with a different intention. The girls picked that up immediately. (LIONS ROAR) Jesus! That just fuelled the fire and caused tension, and that caused tension with Tzar and Suja, and they had a huge fight. - Suja becomes possessive over the two lionesses, scent-marking his territory. - I think we're gonna go ahead with it and just take it a little bit slower than we initially anticipated. Once we do the entire release, we're gonna have to monitor it very carefully. For the sake of forming a pride, if this is gonna cause havoc, then I'm not for doing that. I would rather try and figure out how we're gonna accommodate them at the new place. - The lionesses are left in peace. The next week will prove critical to see if the potential pride mates settle down. At Dinokeng, the new enclosures are half completed. And in one of them, there's an early arrival ` a 32-month-old wild male lion. - Where's his injuries? - The young male has been fighting with another wild pride. He's been tranquilised and brought in to recover from his injuries in safety. But his brother wasn't so lucky and died. - The two older male lions were obviously trying to push out any of the younger guys or get rid of them simply because if you're an older male lion and you come across two younger guys, it makes perfect sense to just eliminate them from the gene pool cos then you don't have a problem of them ever siring young or them ever coming and taking over a pride from you. (TENSE MUSIC) - Over the last century, wild lion populations in sub-Saharan Africa have been decimated, with some areas losing up to 90% of their population and vanishing from 80% of their historic range. Tragically, some estimates now stand at around 20,000 remaining animals. As this lion is part of a reintroduction programme to the Dinokeng Reserve, the decision was made to intervene. - The interesting question that people are gonna ask is why are we interfering with a lion that's in the wild? Each lion that's reintroduced is actually a precious, precious commodity. That's the reason. Once the lion populations here in Dinokeng are established and quite sustainable and there's coherent pride structures, I'm pretty sure that if something like this happened in the future, I don't think they would intervene. - Once he recovers, the young male will be released in a different section of the reserve, away from the pride he was fighting with. - You know, lions are tough, and they're resilient, and I think he's gonna be just fine. He's gonna be able to recuperate, and hopefully in a couple of weeks we can just release him into this area and he can get on with his life. I'm gonna leave you and love you. Keep well. Buh-bye. 25cc Line Trimmer only 138 dollars Yard King 125cc Lawn Mower 269 dollars Plastic Rake just three dollars 98 # Bunnings Warehouse # VOICEOVER: When the things that matter break, use Selleys Power Grip with SIL-X technology. It sticks and withstands virtually anything. (BOOM!) Selleys Power Grip. Whoo! - ...relationships put to the test. - It's a big day for 18-month old hyena brothers Luke and Nyeba. Having grown up in a nursery, they are going to join adult hyenas for the first time. - Ah-ah, Bongo. - Hyenas have a strict social hierarchy, individuals ranked by their status within the clan from the most submissive to the dominant. Highly gregarious, they use body language and complex range of sounds to communicate their rank and reaffirm their social status. Luke and Nyeba will be joining a clan of males in this case led by dominant hyena Bongo. - We are expecting a bit of ear-biting, neck-pulling, fur-flying. He is a mean guy, but if it goes well, then the rest of the clan shouldn't be a problem, cos if he's accepting... Eh? If you're accepting, then the rest are gonna follow suit, we hope. - Bongo has already been introduced to Luke and Nyeba through the bars of a cage, but now they're going to be let out together, and the only way to sort out their pecking order is hyena style. - It's a little bit heart-wrenching because you know that they are gonna get a fair beating and amount of abuse, but it's absolutely necessary for them to find their place in this clan, and, yeah, we just hope it goes well. OK, so good luck. Mwah! And you. Mwah! You're gonna be good. You're gonna be fine. (TENSE MUSIC) (HYENAS SCREAM) No matter how many times I do this, it's never easy to watch. It's really heart-wrenching. - Straight away, Bongo singles out Luke. - What Bongo's done immediately is he's gone for the most dominant male, and he is showing him who's boss. - While it looks violent, there's little damage. - So far it's just neck biting. (HYENAS SHRIEK) It's a lot more noise than anything else. (HYENAS GROAN) - He locks on to Luke's thick fur and asserts his dominance. - Be submissive, boy. Come on. - It serves as a warning to Luke's brother, Nyeba, not to try his luck. - What worried me was that I thought he had his ear, and if he bites his ear, he can literally bite his ear off. (HYENAS BARK, GROAN) - Luke totally submits while brother Nyeba keeps a low profile. The initial aggression soon subsides, and Bongo begins to relax. Luke is even brave enough to mark his territory. - What's also good is he's getting tired, so Bongo's running out of steam. (HYENA HOWLS) MIMICKING HOWL: Yes! That's a good thing. - Having proven his status, Bongo retires for a cooldown. - You thought you would just beat them up and it would be over quickly? They're putting up a good fight. Yes. He's calmed down nicely. And in fact... OK. He's not even interested in him anymore. This has gone well. - With Bongo safely out of the way, it's Luke's turn for a well-deserved dip. - It seems he's through with you. You've got no injuries. Let me look. Let me look. It's absolutely amazing. There's not even a drop of blood. Now you can appreciate how an animal of this size can compete with a lion. I mean, they're incredibly tough, but what's even more amazing is they're extremely intelligent. - The animals will be closely monitored. If they settle well, they'll spend increasing amounts of time together to form a cohesive unit before the rest of the clan are introduced. There's still no news on whether the application for the permits to move the lions has been accepted. The deadline is fast approaching when they need to vacate their current home. - There's the Kingdom, and there's the new farm. - Kevin is meeting with assistant Rodney Nombekana to discuss the best route to the new sanctuary and how many trips they will need to move the animals. - Maybe we should take much more of a quieter route. - To minimise stress, they need to avoid the heat of the day and the worst of the traffic. - So that would be route two. OK. Let's go through how many trips it's actually gonna take. Enclosure one ` Siam's group. Who's gonna load? - We're all gonna load. - Except? - It probably will be two trips. It's not gonna be one trip. - Next one ` Napoleon. - One trip. - Hyenas? Actually one trip, and it's trailer. OK. 10, 11, 12, 13. Less than we thought. - Large predators are usually sedated to be transported, but they are notoriously difficult to tranquilise. The dose can be hard to measure, leaving them susceptible to coming round too early, and the drugs can lead to choking and heart failure, but Kevin has a unique advantage. - Hello. - The lions trust him enough to load straight into a van,... - Ooh! It's tight in there. Out you come, guys. (WHISTLES) - ...meaning they won't need to be tranquilised when they move to their new home. Today a coalition of five males is being released into a different enclosure. The change of scene gives them a chance to explore and act out natural behaviours as they would in the wild. - It's always such fun to see them when they first come in because they get out the vehicle, and they just start sniffing around and exploring, basically smelling all the smells from the previous group that's been in there. Hey, boy. You having fun, eh? Look at that, huh? (LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC) Their senses are heightened because this is what happens in the wild. In order to keep them mentally fit and just physically fit, this is why we do it. When you see the lions here at the Kingdom, you can actually physically see the enjoyment that they get out of it. They have an absolute blast. - Back at the hyenas, Bongo the dominant male has fully accepted youngsters Luke and Nyeba. Now it's time to release a new member into the clan. - Come, boy! - Vinci, the lowest-ranking hyena. - This is the lash of a subordinate hyena male in a hyena clan. Old Vinci over here had his ear and his tail bitten off literally the day he was born. We knew that the female had had two cubs, and because they were the same sex ` Vinci's a male ` cos they were the same sex, the one dominated the other. Baby hyenas are born with a full set of deciduous teeth. The canines and the incisors are very capable of biting an ear off, and that's exactly what happened, so we had to intervene, and we hand-raised them. And he's a fantastic animal. He's got such a lovely nature. - If the introduction goes well, Kevin will release leader Bongo back in with the three of them. - It's very difficult to tell aggression with Vinci because he's got no tail, in case you haven't noticed ` and also no ear. (CHUCKLES) You can sort of make out a little stump going up and down, but they can tell. These hyenas can tell like that, and there's absolutely no aggression here. Although Nyeba, as you can see, is still a little bit nervous about the whole situation. There's a good boy! Hello, my friends! This is wonderful. There's not even vocalisations, which is great. There's no squealing. There's no deep, guttural tones. There's no intimidation. Eh, Vinci? I thought you'd come out here and try and get a little bit higher in the corporate ladder ` of the hyena world. Who's a beautiful guy? Yes, you are. - With the three getting on well, Kevin decides to release Bongo, the dominant male. - Hello, Bongo Loser! Hello, Bongo Loser! - It's hard to predict how he will react or how aggressive he will be. - Ah, Vinci. Here, Bongo! You haven't even come to say hello. Come here. Hello, my buddy. Yes. Look here. Yes. Hello. How are you? Eh? How are things? Look! Slowly but surely your clan's coming back together. It's coming back together. (CHUCKLES) OK. So far, so good. (HYENA GROANS) - Bongo raises his tail in a dominant display just to remind Vinci he's still number one. - Vinci is a little bit unsure, so he kind of does something and then he looks back at Bongo for recognition and reassurance, as if to say, 'Is this good? Should I do more?' Look. This is the way it should be. No aggression. It's really gone well. There's been no neck biting. There's been a little bit of talking. - (GROANS) - Like that. And that talking can go from that to a giggle to frenzy in a matter of seconds. Just one wrong touch, one wrong move. So you've gotta be quite careful when he starts to talk like that. (HYENA GROANS) So it's gone very well. We're gonna leave them all together for the rest of the day, and then we'll come back later and see how it's going. - With the introduction so far a success, another three hyenas will be gradually introduced to make a new clan of seven. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - It's important they fully integrate before the move to the new sanctuary if they are to settle in successfully. Any in-fighting could be easily aggravated by a change of routine and territory. - Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Come on, Bongo! (CHUCKLES) - Two weeks have passed since Meg and Amy were first introduced to three males ` Tzar, Bongani, and Suja ` but the introduction did not go to plan, leading to a final decision. - Meg and Amy are both on their own again. We've decided that mixing them with the three boys is not gonna work. (LIONS ROAR) We tried everything. The boys just didn't settle down. (LIONS GROWL) They were at each other's throats. Meg and Amy were petrified. Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly. - Now they're back on their own. It means that Kevin's relationship with them is no longer under threat. - What was really amazing is the moment we took Meg and Amy out of their enclosure where they were from the boys and put them back in their normal enclosure, the attitude change was unbelievable. It was almost as if they were saying, 'Guys, thank you, thank you, 'thank you for taking us out of there. That was the best thing you could ever have done.' Are you so happy to see me? I'm very happy to see you too, my sweetie. And they were back immediately, like a light switch, back to their beautiful, loving natures. - It means Kevin will have to build another enclosure for them at the new reserve. - These two girls have just cost me a whole lot more money. But I'll tell you something. They are absolutely worth it. Come, girl! - Understanding the different characters and moods of his animals is key to making the move a success. - Hello, my girlies. Yes! - But to do that takes a great deal of time and dedication... - Come lie down here. Let's all lie down here. - ...and is the foundation for Kevin's bond with them. - I think people need to actually understand the reason why they can't associate with this particular group of lions is simple. They don't have a relationship, and that's what it's about. Social animals all have a relationship with each other, and the relationship varies from individual to individual, but I suppose the... Ah! (CHUCKLES) I suppose the example to use would be if somebody who doesn't know these lions or is a stranger to them comes in here, fair game. (CHUCKLES) There's a big boy. Hello, big boy. (GRUNTS, LAUGHS) Who's a smart boy? (UPBEAT MUSIC) - Kevin is visiting Nikita,... - Hello, my girlie. Are you wanting your pilchards? - ...a black leopard. Her dark coat is the result of a rare recessive gene causing a condition called melanism. - Come. Here. Here, here. Here. Here. Nikita. Let's go. Let's go. Let the tin open first! She's about 10 years old now, and as part of her enrichment, her favourite thing is to give her some pilchards. It's really good for her. It's got omega-3s. It's good for the coat. And she absolutely loves it. Not my hand! - Although they look small, leopards are incredibly strong. - Ah! (CHUCKLES) The real problem with leopards is that they have an extremely short fuse and the power-to-weight ratio is incredible. You'll see a leopard in the wild, weighing in at about 60, 65 kilos, being able to carry an impala, a fully grown impala, up a tree in its jaws. LAUGHS: That's my finger! When you see even Nikita, a lot of people see her, and they go, 'But she's such a small cat.' But it's the attitude and the mindset that goes with that little dynamite package, that's what you've got to worry about. And unlike a lion, who only has really sharp claws on the front paws, leopards' claws, all four paws ` extremely sharp, like razor blades. Ah! Ah, ah, ah, ah. And for their size, really incredibly long teeth. So you put that in this package together with this mind, you've got an extremely successful animal. Ooh! (PURRS) (BLOWS RASPBERRY) Contrary to popular belief, they're not these mindless maneaters too. It's a different animal, and you've just got to know what you're dealing with and work around it. - At Dinokeng, the new leopard enclosures are nearly ready. They will need to have extra high and wide fences; leopards are expert climbers, making them master escape artists. - The enclosures are coming along pretty well. When it comes to building the perfect leopard enclosure, one has to make sure that it's got ample foliage and trees. The leopards do love to climb, and they like to spend lazy, hot summer days in the top of the trees with a nice view. - In the wild, leopards are solitary, only coming together to mate, but as Nikita is in captivity, she has been paired with a male called Coal for company. - This enclosure on the right here is actually one of my favourites. It just worked out perfectly. When I saw the area, I said, 'This is going to be for Coal and Nikita.' It's just fantastic. It's got beautiful trees. It's got the bush. It's right on the crest, so the views are spectacular. I think they're gonna be very happy. - Each of the 13 enclosures is being designed to try and keep the animals as stimulated as possible. - We wanna give the animals as natural a habitat as possible. In the wild, obviously, lions have got a diversity of habitats, and they have choice. Over here in captivity, it's simply what we provide for them. So a couple of nice, tall acacia trees with a nice umbrella is imperative. They're gonna use those trees for shade and for scratching on, and, yeah, it's just visually a lot more appealing. - (GROANS) - With the enclosures just weeks away from being finished, Kevin is hoping for good news on the permits to move the lions. - I was just curious to see how far you're going to be getting going. - But after four months of waiting, it's not the answer he was expecting. - I've had basically the answer back on the permits, and it's no. Refuse. So what do we do now? Do I stay? Do I just leave it? Do I just walk away and say, 'Fine. Thank you'? It's really about giving these lions the lives they deserve, let them live out their lives. The first step after refusal is an appeal, and that's what we're gonna do. These aren't just lions. These are seriously like my buddies. I know them all intimately ` their good points, their bad points. I can't just turn my back on them. It would haunt me for the rest of my dying days. It's not a question of 'are we gonna get this permit?' We have to. (STAMMERS) It has to happen. It's like, there's no... No. There can't be a no. We're not prepared to just lie on our backs and let it go by. We're gonna fight. - Despite the permits still being held up, Kevin must carry on preparing for the move. Most of his animals are happy travelling in the van. - Hello, guys. - But there are a few who are more reluctant to load. And Tau is one of them. Pride mates Tabby, Maditau, and Napoleon are far more confident. - OK. Who's gonna load? Let's go. Come. Let's go. Here. Here we go. - Napoleon is straight in, unlike his brother. - Here. Uh-oh. Tau, you're being a problem. - Kevin needs to up his confidence. - Tau. There. There we go. And in. Just got to get him used to it and let him understand that this is not gonna hurt him. As you can see, he's a bit nervous going into the vehicle. Go. One more time. OK, Tab. That's good. There. And there. Good boy. And there. (CHUCKLES) Come, Tau. Here. There we go. - Patience finally pays off. - Ha, there goes Tau. Great. Excellent. Good boy. Tau's even getting cheeky now. He's enjoying it so much in there. Eh? Are you getting all possessive over this place? It's incredible. Look at you. From a lion that didn't wanna load to a lion that doesn't wanna come out. But that's really good news for me because I would have been really upset to have to dart Tau. He is old, and putting them under an anaesthetic for any length of time at this age is never good for them, so I'm just really pleased that he's loaded well. You've saved yourself the pain and agony of an anaesthetic. Ah! Oh. Ooh, now you're getting all grumpy with everyone, huh? - While Kevin expects most of the lions to load easily, the hyenas are a different challenge. Everything comes down to clan dynamics. And on the big day, squabbles could easily upset the balance. - What are you doing? This is Geena. She's the matriarch. She's been in charge for quite some time. And there is Geena asserting her dominance. She's gonna give you a good one just now. Yeah. You're pushing your luck, bud. I tell you something. I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of those jaws. Hello, my girl. Come. Let's all calm down. Ah. Stop that. - A hyena's jaw strength is far stronger than a lion's, capable of crushing through the thickest of bones. The front molars alone can generate a pressure of 800kg. - Who's stronger? Me or you? It's incredible to be in the middle of this because here is the matriarch. She could quite easily take my face off. But here she's putting another clan member in their place, and that actually so happens to be the male. Hey? Are you being in trouble? Hey? Don't come pick on me now. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Don't take advantage. One needs to become quite a master in learning hyenas' posturing and body language. In my earlier years, I got bitten many, many times. Maxi. It's a game. It's a game. And that was really because I didn't understand how the hyena clan worked. I didn't understand the dynamics. But as the years went on and as I got bitten less and less, I started to understand the way that these little brains work. This is not aggression. This is play. She's playing with me. What I love about Geena is she gets all flirtatious. She comes and she nips and she gets all flirty with me, which really is a special moment, especially knowing (LAUGHS) that she's the dominant individual in this clan. - Kevin wants to see if all of Geena's clan will load in the van at the same time. - OK? All right. - If they do, it means he can move them in just one trip. - (CHATTERS) Good, good, good. Come. - He knows some individuals are more nervous than others. But he hopes they will take their lead from matriarch Geena,... - Do you wanna go for a ride, huh? Here. Geena. - ...backed up with the help of a meaty treat or two. Geena is the first to investigate,... - Come. Sham-Shams. - ...followed by Shansi, the dominant male, who soon makes himself at home. - 'Ooh. This is my favourite place in the whole world. Yeah.' We can't get him out. Look. It's going really, really well, except the hyena that I thought would get in the quickest is actually just standing back. That's old Maxi. She's normally quite dominant in this clan. But what's really good is we've got four. That's a good start. They're pretty comfortable loading. It's just we're missing three, and these are the critical three. That's Ringo, that's Spannies, and surprisingly, Maxi. Hey. Here you come. Here, Max. Who's a good girl? There we go! There we go. You feel like you're missing out, hey? Maxi! Max, Max, Max, Max, Max, Max! - It will be important to build Maxi's confidence step by step over the next few weeks. - There we go. Max. Max, Max, Max. OK, so we're even making some inroads now with Maxi, who's figured that she's missing out on some tasty treats. I guess we're gonna hit these snags all the way through trying to move this Kingdom. - But suddenly, in all the excitement, Geena and Shansi decide to exert their dominance over Maxi,... - Max! - ...who quickly submits to their aggression, adding to an already tense situation. (HYENAS CHATTER, SHRIEK) - You better get in here. I promise you it's safer. It's safer! Come! Come! She's still very nervous, but she's calming down. You're calming, my girlie. Look here. Look here. Here. A good sign is eating. Have some patience and let her do it in her own time. No, greedy guts. We know you load. We're not worried about you. But she's far more confident, and it's been a good exercise. Excuse me, where am I? You're lost in the procrastination place. Yeah, right. That makes sense. MAN: Slap yourself out of it. Whoo! - Back at the Kingdom, it's time for a well-needed catch-up with Livy, Ginny, and Vayetse. With a battle on his hands chasing the permits, Kevin is worried his relationship with the lions is suffering. - No. Don't get the bottle, you naughty thing. - And with the younger animals, spending time with them is critical to maintain the bonds. - Come, boy. Here. Here. Here. It's been a while. Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? The way I pride myself on working with lions is obviously having the ability to interact with them on a very familiar level. If my relationship wasn't about that and it was merely about coming in with a big stick, then it wouldn't be a problem. SINGS: I see you, girl. (CHUCKLES) Like any relationship, if you don't work at it, you're gonna lose it, and it's even more so important when you're working with animals that can potentially kill you. Stop biting me. Hey. So relationships are key to what I do, and therefore it's absolutely paramount that I get here as often as I can, and I simply just have not been able to do it, and it is a bit of a worry because I see it with guys like Vayetse. I mean, look. He's not a problem, but he's doing things that he doesn't normally do. He's trying me. He's testing the waters. He's seeing how much he can get away with. He's doing it right now. He's biting my leg. (CHUCKLES) Naughty guy. Hello, my boy. (CHUCKLES) He's full of it! When you're away for a long period of time, then he's gonna try all the more harder to assert his dominance or just to show you that he can do what he wants. Eh? And you can't. Cos you've got me here now. Yes. - After eight weeks recuperating at Dinokeng, the wild male lion has made a full recovery. He has been fitted with a GPS collar which will allow him to be tracked in real time. - Now we can track his movements. We can go and check up on him every day. And we can see how he's doing. We can see if he's hunting, where he's going, and what he's really getting up to. - Today he will be released. The collar will help researchers to gather data on his behaviour and his territory. - I'm extremely happy with the way things have turned out with him. His wounds have all healed very nicely. He's fit and strong. Hopefully we see SAT-153, as he's affectionately known, being free again, which is gonna be a fantastic thing. The feeling of liberating an animal into the wild ` I tell you, it is extremely exhilarating. And this is just fantastic because this is where lions should be. Lions should be out in the wild. - Although wild lions are under threat, numbers of captive lions in South Africa are on the rise. Many are bred for the cub petting industry but when they grow up are sold into canned-lion farms for trophy hunting. With limited space and because Kevin can't guarantee where cubs will end up, his lions are not allowed to breed. All the females are given contraceptive implants. Today it's Tabby's turn. She's been separated from her pride mates. Vet Claire Speedy will use a pole dart to anaesthetise the lioness. - All right. Hello, my girlie. Oh. Let me say that Tabby's seen a few needles in her time, and she knows Claire well. (CHUCKLES) So she's not charmed, to say the least, and she's not cooperating. - While Kevin distracts Tabby,... - Good catch! - ...Claire grabs her chance. - (ROARS) - Get it? - Mm-hm. - Good one. - Giving a lion anaesthetic is a risky procedure. Every animal reacts differently, and as Tabby is 15 years old, her metabolism is slower, putting her at risk of complications and even death. They need to keep a close eye on her. She has been given the lowest drug dose possible, which means they need to act quickly. Even lions that appear unconscious have been known to suddenly wake up and lash out in their confused state. - It's not something I enjoy doing. It's something that's necessary. We want to prevent the breeding here. And that's why we just need to keep putting on the contraceptive implant. In another two years or so, she probably won't be breeding anyway, so this is hopefully the last time. - Each implant lasts around two years, but it has an unfortunate side effect ` weight gain. - OK, that's in. Looks all right. Her breathing is really nice. She'll have to go on a diet. - She's on a diet, Claire. She doesn't have to go on one. She's on one. Eh? Tabby, close your ears. Don't listen to the horrible vet. - She's given the reversal drugs to bring her round. - How long does the reversal take? - It takes about 30 minutes or so. - OK. - Yeah. You don't want to wake her up too quickly. We all need to do our part to protect our whanau and communities. Kia ora, Stacey and Scotty Morrison here with the Electoral Commission. Voting will be different this year because of COVID-19. There will be safety measures like physical distancing and hand sanitiser at voting places, and make sure you enrol and vote early to avoid queues. We all need to do our part to protect our whanau and communities. If the situation changes, we'll let you know how you can vote. Let's look after each other, New Zealand. - ...relationships put to the test. (TENSE MUSIC) - KEVIN: The drugs are working. - CLAIRE: The drugs are working. - Today went really well. It was a straightforward procedure. She's still a bit dopey. I thought she was up on her feet walking around, but she's stumbling a bit, so we can't release her now, cos if we did, the rest of the guys in the pride would probably jump on her and start picking on her a bit. So it's always best to get them fully conscious and then do a release. Hey, my girl. But you're looking good. You're up and about, which is the main thing. - For now, Tabby is left to recover from her post-anaesthetic headache. (UPBEAT MUSIC) At Geena's clan, it's time for a final practice load. Despite the permits being refused, Kevin has spent the last three weeks familiarising them with the travel van. - Here. In you go. - He wants to make sure there are no big surprises in store on moving day. - Woody. Woody. Ah, ah! Dah, dah, dah. You chew my rubbers, I will smack your bum. I will smack your bum. - But there's still a problem with Maxi. - Max! Is she coming? - She's yet to prove she's brave enough to climb on board. - Maxi, Maxi! Maxi! Here. Max. I'm just gonna leave it for a bit and let them get used to being around, and hopefully she'll realise, like now, that it's not a threat, and actually, it's not so bad being in the van. Yes. Look. They're all having fun. Why don't you go there? Come. Here, my girlie! Come! You are normally the most confident animal, and now... Eh? One of the problems is even if you do manage to get her in the van and you slam the door in her face, she's gonna freak out, and that's not good. We want her to be happy and calm and confident in the van. OK, you guys come here. Come. Come, come, come, come, come. Waa, waa, waa! Here. Here. Here. - If she refuses to jump in, there's a lot at stake. - Maxi! Here! - It means on moving day she will have to be tranquilised instead, causing extra stress to the animal. - Here. Unfortunately, she's not bright enough to realise (CHUCKLES) that it's for her own good that she must go in the van. We want her to be calm. And you're not calm, my girl. You look very, very nervous today! Why are you so nervous today? Eh? Maxi! What's up? You're giving hyenas a bad name. - There's an added problem. Another hyena, Ed, also won't load, and the clan is extra nervous. - What really can pose a problem is on the day, there can be some squabble happening within the clan. Ed normally loads easily, and today we've come, and he doesn't wanna come anywhere near these girls, so clearly that's indicating to me that there's been something going on, and he just doesn't wanna get bitten by them, so he's just keeping his distance. It just goes to show, despite the best-laid plans, on the day, when it comes to move, something like this can happen, so we've always gotta have a plan B, and that's why we will have the vet on standby. Ed? And you. What's the story? What's happening, buddy? Here! Max. Max, here. - With Ed and the rest of the clan on high alert, Maxi has lost her big chance to finally brave the van. - You don't want to get drugs, my girlie. Drugs are not cool. I promise you. You'll wake up with a headache. Unfortunately, it's not looking good with Maxi loading. She seems to just be completely intimidated by the vehicle. Unfortunately, I think we're flogging a dead horse and we need to move on. - On moving day, she will have to be tranquilised along with another hyena, Ringo, that also refuses to join the rest of the clan and load. (GROANS) Can I make a recommendation? Don't move animal parks every day. 95% of our animals do load, so I can imagine if another reserve similar to this had to move it would be an absolute nightmare, a logistical nightmare, cos you'd have to dart all the animals ` every single one. I suppose we should count ourselves blessed. Eh, Ed? What's going on? Come, boy. - It's been seven long months since Kevin first applied for the permits to move the animals. Despite his best efforts, they were refused. At the new reserve, the enclosures are standing empty. But today there's finally been news of the appeal. Finally. (CHUCKLES) Finally we have permission to move. Today I got a call. The permits have been approved. It's just this big weight lifted after all the fight and the struggle. Get to move the lions to their new home. I thought it was pertinent that I would come tell these two boys first ` Tau and Napoleon, the very first two lions that I ever started working with ` that we've got a new home together now. They're getting old. They're 15 years old now. They don't have much time, and they're going to live out the remainder of their years in the most beautiful place imaginable, so I couldn't be happier. Eh? Did you hear that? I don't even think you understand what's going on. How much I've been fighting for you. - The battle has finally been won. But will the months of preparation for the move now pay off? How will the animals settle in to their new home? - Hey! - For now, though, it's time to celebrate... before the lions face their biggest challenge yet. Captions by Able. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020