0:00:00.250,0:00:02.960
Preserving endagered species[br]is no easy task.

0:00:03.670,0:00:07.559
And sometimes it takes a bit of creativity[br]to get the job done.

0:00:07.559,0:00:09.852
Come and take a closer look at wildlife

0:00:09.852,0:00:13.330
and their most dedicated guardians[br]with these five stories.

0:00:13.330,0:00:16.560
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:00:16.560,0:00:18.140
(rustling of the forest floor)

0:00:18.641,0:00:21.362
This fuzzy little creature is a quokka.

0:00:21.362,0:00:24.630
And these guys live here,[br]off the West Coast of Australia,

0:00:24.630,0:00:26.209
on Rottnest Island.

0:00:26.721,0:00:28.530
Quokkas are not only cute,

0:00:28.530,0:00:31.890
they are camera-ready,[br]and they're taking the Internet by storm.

0:00:31.890,0:00:33.560
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:00:35.120,0:00:38.464
So let's start at the beginning:[br]what is a quokka?

0:00:38.464,0:00:40.475
A quokka is a small wallaby.

0:00:40.475,0:00:42.622
It comes from the same family[br]as the kangaroo,

0:00:42.622,0:00:44.900
and physically,[br]they've got thick brown fur,

0:00:44.900,0:00:47.460
they've got long tails,[br]and they hop around.

0:00:48.220,0:00:51.560
Quokkas thrive on Rottnest Island[br]because they don't have any predators

0:00:51.560,0:00:53.046
over here, so there's no foxes.

0:00:53.046,0:00:56.330
We have the largest viable population,[br]of about 10,000.

0:00:56.330,0:00:58.004
Oh sorry, and you are?

0:00:58.004,0:00:59.404
My name is Cassyanna Gray

0:00:59.404,0:01:01.740
and I'm a conservation officer[br]on Rottnest Island.

0:01:01.740,0:01:05.264
In my role, I'm responsible[br]for managing conservation programs.

0:01:05.264,0:01:08.680
And there's one online trend[br]that has really helped these animals:

0:01:08.680,0:01:10.130
a quokka selfie.

0:01:10.130,0:01:12.060
But make sure you're getting it right.

0:01:12.700,0:01:14.661
How to take a quokka selfie.

0:01:15.266,0:01:16.640
Step 1: a camera.

0:01:18.355,0:01:19.975
Step 2: a quokka.

0:01:21.059,0:01:22.758
But don't touch the quokkas.

0:01:22.758,0:01:24.436
Ah! No!

0:01:24.436,0:01:26.646
Or feed them. It's 150-dollar fine.

0:01:27.222,0:01:28.887
These guys don't need the food,

0:01:28.887,0:01:31.911
they naturally graze their way[br]through the island's vegetation.

0:01:31.911,0:01:34.729
And they also really love[br]the seedlings that we plant

0:01:34.729,0:01:36.940
as part of our re-vegetation projects

0:01:36.940,0:01:40.177
that we have implemented[br]by our environments technicians.

0:01:40.177,0:01:42.760
Sorry about that, guys.[br]Thanks for all your hard work.

0:01:43.983,0:01:46.723
And what makes these guys[br]so great for taking selfies?

0:01:47.404,0:01:50.264
Around the settlement área,[br]the quokkas are a lot friendlier,

0:01:50.264,0:01:53.454
they've become used to people,[br]so they natural behavior has changed.

0:01:53.454,0:01:55.596
But out in the reserve,[br]where they're actually

0:01:55.596,0:01:59.285
still exhibiting their natural behavior,[br]they will a lot more wary of people.

0:01:59.285,0:02:02.660
We have to know.[br]Are they actually smiling in photos?

0:02:02.660,0:02:04.895
Yeah they're not actually[br]smiling in the photos.

0:02:04.895,0:02:08.080
It's the natural shape of their mouth,[br]which comes up at the side,

0:02:08.080,0:02:10.299
which makes them look[br]like they're smiling.

0:02:10.299,0:02:14.268
The popularity of the quokka selfie[br]has given us the opportunity

0:02:14.268,0:02:16.855
to be able to raise awareness[br]about the quokkas,

0:02:16.855,0:02:19.285
particularly on the mainland,[br]that are under threat,

0:02:19.285,0:02:22.545
so we use that[br]as a platform to educate the public

0:02:22.545,0:02:26.109
and also educate them about[br]appropriate interaction with wildlife.

0:02:26.109,0:02:29.259
So finally, a good cause for selfies.

0:02:29.259,0:02:31.189
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:02:32.046,0:02:33.764
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:02:33.764,0:02:37.924
This is Aiya and Shigu,[br]two adorable clouded leopard cubs.

0:02:38.734,0:02:40.684
Don't be fooled by their youthful spirit.

0:02:40.684,0:02:43.634
Clouded leopards are some of the most shy,

0:02:43.634,0:02:46.032
mysterious, and elusive cats.

0:02:46.032,0:02:50.302
Besides their shy nature,[br]they have a steadily declining population

0:02:50.781,0:02:53.471
making it even harder[br]to spot them in the wild.

0:02:53.914,0:02:57.668
As far as big cats go,[br]clouded leopards are the smallest.

0:02:58.472,0:03:02.717
These two little girls will top out[br]at around 3 feet when fully grown.

0:03:03.419,0:03:07.068
Native throughout Asia,[br]they live in diverse habitats:

0:03:07.068,0:03:11.094
from the rainforests of Indonesia[br]to the foothills of the Himalayas.

0:03:12.420,0:03:14.809
They pack a powerful bite too,

0:03:14.809,0:03:19.974
as they have the largest canine teeth[br]relative to body size of any wild cat.

0:03:20.535,0:03:23.325
They have short, powerful legs and ankles

0:03:23.325,0:03:27.074
that can rotate backwards,[br]making them elite climbers.

0:03:27.074,0:03:28.802
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:03:28.802,0:03:30.983
Beyond a quickly shrinking habitat,

0:03:30.983,0:03:33.502
poaching remains a huge problema,

0:03:33.502,0:03:36.842
as their skin, claws,[br]teeth, bones, and meat

0:03:36.842,0:03:39.142
are all sold on the black market.

0:03:39.142,0:03:40.467
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:03:40.467,0:03:42.134
This is the clouded leopard.

0:03:42.134,0:03:45.044
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:03:45.877,0:03:47.821
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:03:47.821,0:03:51.092
We look at every subject[br]that we want to film, and then we say,

0:03:51.092,0:03:53.751
"Well, what is the best way[br]to get into their world?"

0:03:53.751,0:03:56.035
It's an amazing moment when you realize

0:03:56.035,0:03:58.752
that you're actually seeing[br]some stuff for the first time.

0:03:59.951,0:04:03.061
My name is John Downer, and these--

0:04:03.061,0:04:05.900
are my incredible team of spy creatures.

0:04:05.900,0:04:07.411
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:04:07.411,0:04:10.714
Well, I suppose it all started[br]when I started making wildlife films,

0:04:10.714,0:04:14.620
and I wanted to have that kind of intimate[br]perspective to get into the animal world

0:04:14.620,0:04:16.911
and actually know[br]what it's like to be an animal.

0:04:16.911,0:04:18.925
So over the years, used technology

0:04:18.925,0:04:21.158
to get more and more[br]inside the animal world.

0:04:21.158,0:04:22.628
And as things have progressed,

0:04:22.628,0:04:25.827
we would move from just using[br]remote cameras disguised as rocks

0:04:25.827,0:04:28.357
to where we are today, which is having,

0:04:28.357,0:04:31.984
these incredible spy creatures,[br]which are able to do filming,

0:04:31.984,0:04:34.504
cameras in their eyes,[br]but they look like the animals,

0:04:34.504,0:04:36.828
and the animals will interact with them.

0:04:36.828,0:04:39.171
The whole idea of using the robots,

0:04:39.741,0:04:42.174
it came about[br]when we made a film about penguins.

0:04:42.174,0:04:43.711
For the first time, we thought,

0:04:43.711,0:04:45.763
"Well, what if we made a penguin cam,

0:04:45.763,0:04:49.513
a living, moving camera[br]that looked like a penguin,

0:04:49.513,0:04:51.575
that was able to go into the colony,

0:04:51.575,0:04:54.051
and start to get[br]these incredible shots?"

0:04:54.051,0:04:57.185
You can't explain it,[br]because it's a dream come true.

0:04:57.805,0:04:58.805
(penguin squawk)

0:04:58.805,0:05:00.074
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:05:00.074,0:05:02.099
I think part of the whole technique

0:05:02.099,0:05:04.635
is to try and get inside[br]the animals' minds.

0:05:04.635,0:05:08.505
You know, understanding animal behavior[br]is key to it all, really.

0:05:08.505,0:05:12.238
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:05:12.238,0:05:15.335
We lost one spy pup to a wolf.

0:05:15.335,0:05:17.511
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:05:17.511,0:05:20.071
Our tortoise was squashed by an elephant.

0:05:20.071,0:05:21.737
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:05:21.737,0:05:24.737
And I think it's something[br]about the fact that they look living.

0:05:24.737,0:05:27.142
Makes them think[br]before they actually do anything.

0:05:27.142,0:05:31.427
And if it's not a threat,[br]then they kind of-- they quite like it.

0:05:31.427,0:05:35.637
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:05:37.991,0:05:39.617
The challenges are--

0:05:40.087,0:05:42.659
they're innumerable,[br]because everything is a challenge,

0:05:42.659,0:05:45.889
from the beginning[br]to the point you get the film.

0:05:45.889,0:05:49.315
The animals, once you get there,[br]and once you're actually with them,

0:05:49.814,0:05:52.977
they tend to be[br]the least of all the problems.

0:05:52.977,0:05:56.243
They usually do deliver,[br]because they do amazing things,

0:05:56.243,0:06:00.092
and if you've got the technology[br]to be able to film close to them

0:06:00.092,0:06:01.957
and in their world,

0:06:01.957,0:06:04.807
you know you're going to get[br]something remarkable.

0:06:04.807,0:06:09.962
♪ (gentle music) ♪

0:06:09.962,0:06:11.857
♪ (music) ♪

0:06:14.179,0:06:15.758
(vehicle starting)

0:06:15.758,0:06:19.532
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:06:19.532,0:06:22.557
(vehicle accelerating)

0:06:23.139,0:06:29.277
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:06:29.277,0:06:35.325
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:06:35.325,0:06:41.107
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:06:44.481,0:06:47.567
Early morning in Kenya,[br]in the wildlife conservation areas,

0:06:47.567,0:06:48.921
they are quiet.

0:06:48.921,0:06:52.660
♪ (funk music) ♪

0:06:52.660,0:06:54.627
This all changes when the pone rings.

0:06:56.113,0:06:58.045
The team can be contacted at all times.

0:06:58.887,0:07:01.137
We are the first mobile security patrol

0:07:01.137,0:07:03.007
veterinary team in this part of Kenya.

0:07:03.007,0:07:04.967
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:07:04.967,0:07:07.957
Typically, an animal[br]is trapped in a poaching snare,

0:07:07.957,0:07:09.320
but it can be anything.

0:07:09.320,0:07:11.567
A lion which needs to be translocated

0:07:11.567,0:07:13.837
or a sick zebra,[br]but usually it's a snare issue.

0:07:13.837,0:07:15.954
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:07:15.954,0:07:17.097
Our kits include:

0:07:17.097,0:07:19.974
gloves, first-aid kit, medical supplies

0:07:19.974,0:07:22.557
blindfold, rope and darting rifle.

0:07:23.022,0:07:25.397
The team consists of a driver,

0:07:25.397,0:07:26.694
(car starting)

0:07:26.694,0:07:28.679
one head vet,

0:07:28.679,0:07:30.427
and two rangers.

0:07:31.611,0:07:33.367
Once we have assembled everything,

0:07:33.367,0:07:35.281
we are ready to go and save the animals.

0:07:35.281,0:07:39.413
♪ (dynamic music) ♪

0:07:39.413,0:07:41.684
The roads are not usually paved.

0:07:42.383,0:07:44.503
Most of the time,[br]we drive through the bush.

0:07:46.653,0:07:49.413
We are going to see where he is.[br]where he is. Where is he?

0:07:50.703,0:07:57.003
♪ (dramatic music) ♪

0:07:57.003,0:08:01.263
♪ (dramatic music) ♪

0:08:01.263,0:08:02.453
When we reach the animal,

0:08:02.453,0:08:04.903
we have to keep the animal safe[br]and ourselves safe.

0:08:04.903,0:08:06.394
♪ (dramatic music) ♪

0:08:06.394,0:08:09.023
It has become debilitated[br]because of the snare.

0:08:09.023,0:08:10.438
It's not eating.

0:08:10.438,0:08:13.449
We only have a few minutes[br]once the animal has been tranqulized.

0:08:14.703,0:08:16.363
And it can be very dramatic.

0:08:16.363,0:08:21.933
♪ (dramatic music) ♪

0:08:21.933,0:08:24.722
♪ (dramatic music) ♪

0:08:24.722,0:08:25.973
Complete.

0:08:25.973,0:08:28.103
Back in the compound,[br]we are a bigger team.

0:08:28.103,0:08:30.809
Joseph, our animal keeper,[br]takes care of the orphans.

0:08:31.349,0:08:33.963
Our lab technician[br]takes care of the blood work.

0:08:34.587,0:08:37.523
Our co-owner manages our online presence.

0:08:37.523,0:08:39.693
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:08:39.693,0:08:43.203
This job is important[br]because there is a lot of conflict

0:08:43.203,0:08:45.363
between human beings and wildlife.

0:08:45.883,0:08:48.496
And therefore,[br]intervention to save wildlife

0:08:48.496,0:08:51.406
from becoming extinct is very crucial.

0:08:51.406,0:08:54.886
I love so much to save lives[br]and see animals are well.

0:08:54.886,0:08:57.962
And that is our calling.[br]That's why I do the job.

0:08:57.962,0:09:01.302
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:09:02.292,0:09:04.342
Alright guys, let's finish up.

0:09:04.342,0:09:07.714
Bear then, this little guy[br]hasn't been named yet.

0:09:08.321,0:09:11.846
Growing up in Montana, I feel like[br]I had kind of a special opportunity

0:09:11.846,0:09:14.811
just to be outside a lot.

0:09:14.811,0:09:18.192
That's kind of where[br]a love of wildlife started for me

0:09:18.192,0:09:21.095
that dies out on a lot of kids,[br]and for me, it just continued.

0:09:21.095,0:09:23.332
My name is Wesley Larson,[br]I'm a master's student

0:09:23.332,0:09:25.382
working in wildlife conservation

0:09:25.382,0:09:28.282
and in some circles,[br]I'm known as Griz Kid.

0:09:29.295,0:09:32.678
When I first started deciding[br]that I should get into the wildlife field,

0:09:32.678,0:09:35.500
I found Dr. Tom Smith at BYU.

0:09:35.500,0:09:39.329
I started by working with polar bears[br]on Alaska's North Slope

0:09:39.329,0:09:42.134
and then that kind of transitioned[br]into some black bear work

0:09:42.134,0:09:44.297
down here in Utah, in Bryce Canyon.

0:09:44.963,0:09:48.042
Bryce Canyon, like other national parks[br]that do have bears,

0:09:48.042,0:09:51.572
they've had kind of a history[br]with visitor conflict

0:09:51.572,0:09:54.286
and with bears[br]that maybe are getting into campsites.

0:09:54.286,0:09:56.901
So what we're doing[br]is we're tracking the bears to learn

0:09:56.901,0:10:00.005
what habitats they're using,[br]just to see what park could to better

0:10:00.005,0:10:02.792
to make it easier for visitors[br]to avoid bears.

0:10:04.433,0:10:07.441
What we're doing is[br]we're fitting black bears with GPS collars

0:10:07.441,0:10:10.772
and then I'll go into the den[br]with the bear

0:10:11.242,0:10:13.244
to inject it with some drugs.

0:10:13.846,0:10:16.492
The bear then falls asleep,[br]I can pull it out

0:10:16.492,0:10:18.502
and you know,[br]just give it a full check-up.

0:10:19.592,0:10:22.152
It's probably the most scary thing we do,

0:10:22.152,0:10:24.325
just because the bears wake up,

0:10:24.325,0:10:26.328
sometimes[br]they're really unhappy to see us.

0:10:26.328,0:10:29.252
Stay, stay, stay! Get back.

0:10:30.278,0:10:33.408
(rustling)

0:10:34.324,0:10:35.804
Hey, stay!

0:10:35.804,0:10:38.528
♪ (cheerful music) ♪

0:10:38.528,0:10:39.536
Get him!

0:10:39.536,0:10:43.510
I have had to crawl up trees after bears.[br]It's an interesting job, for sure.

0:10:47.198,0:10:50.974
People do have this knee-jerk reaction[br]to see an animal that's sedated

0:10:50.974,0:10:54.610
or an animal that's wearing a collar[br]and think that it might be being hurt.

0:10:54.610,0:10:56.370
And the thing that they don't realize

0:10:56.370,0:10:58.373
is that we really care[br]about these animals,

0:10:58.373,0:11:00.532
probably more than just about anyone.

0:11:00.532,0:11:03.764
Getting out into the wilderness[br]and having these kind of experiences,

0:11:03.764,0:11:05.138
helps you understand

0:11:05.138,0:11:08.589
that we depend on wildlife[br]and wildlife depends on us.

0:11:08.589,0:11:10.870
And that's really[br]what conservation is all about:

0:11:10.870,0:11:14.007
giving the space and the respect[br]to these animals that they deserve

0:11:14.007,0:11:16.290
and really learning[br]as much about them as we can.

0:11:16.290,0:11:19.808
♪ (gente music) ♪