These orphaned jaguars are on the road to a new life.
They've found a loving family
and are at the centre of a pioneering project.
Dinnertime.
A team of scientists are taking the place of their mother
to teach them how to be wild.
They're in a learning process like going to school -
every day you learn a new thing.
It'll take two years of training to prepare them.
If it works it will be the first time
that humans have taught jaguars how to survive in the wild.
The story starts with three tiny jaguar cubs
starving in a forest in Brazil.
They're all alone and are calling for their mother.
But she can't come.
She's dead.
But help is on the way.
Jaguar expert Leandro Silveira has been called in to rescue them.
The cubs' mother was shot by cattle ranchers
who see jaguars as the enemy.
Hundreds of jaguars have been killed,
and their orphans left to die.
But one cowboy had a change of heart.
He saw three orphans
and he gave them to government officials
because he knew they would starve to death.
So luckily this guy changed the destiny of these three cubs.
Leandro and his wife Anah simply couldn't turn them away.
It was a life-changing commitment.
They were not in the best health condition -
they were already dehydrated,
one had diarrhoea
and I don't think they would last two days in the wild.
Leandro and Anah have studied jaguars together
for 20 years in the wild,
but they've never done anything like this.
It is a species we are dedicating our life to work with,
and three orphans,
it's something that really touches you right in the heart
because they are going to die if you don't do something now.
These cubs are now safe
but hundreds of other jaguar cubs are orphaned every year
and simply left to die.
If any are rescued, they spend their life in captivity.
Up to now, none have ever been successfully released.
But these cubs have a second chance to be free.
In the wild, cubs stay close to their mother,
learning all their hunting and survival skills from her.
Now Leandro and Anah have to take the place of that mother.
It's a bold scientific experiment.
If it succeeds, it could pave the way for other orphaned jaguars.
But it's not going to be easy.
Leandro and Anah have two years to teach the cubs how to survive.
Their first step
is building a jaguar-proof enclosure in their back garden.
At six months old,
the cubs are already becoming distinct characters.
Maya is the smallest and the most playful,
and she's Anah's favourite.
I like all of them
but Maya is more calm, or sweet.
And I prefer her!
Her sister, Kyra, is the wildest and always up for a fight.
- Kyra is more aggressive. - She has a very distinct mood.
Since the beginning, since she was little.
She gets wild. Especially with food,
she beats them up and gets the food first,
she dominates the other two.
Xavante is the only male.
Although he's the biggest,
he's a gentle giant
and is Leandro's favourite.
There comes a jealous guy.
Hey! Come here. Come here!
Xavante is really the typical male,
the big boy,
the teenager that is starting to go out.
The cubs will soon be back to full strength
and ready to start their training.
A far cry from when they were found close to starvation.
We're very happy to have this privilege to have the cubs.
At the same time, it is very sad - the reason why they are here -
they are not supposed to be here.
They had their mother killed, they are orphans,
and that happens all the time with jaguars.
I have had several reports from illegal hunters
that they said, "Oh, I killed a mother, there were some cubs."
I said, "What did you do with the cubs?"
"I just left them." They wouldn't last long.
Brazil is changing, fast.
The jaguars' forest home has been cleared
to make way for cattle and crops.
Their natural prey has been replaced by livestock,
and jaguars are now being forced from their tiny fragments of forest
to feed on cattle.
The cowboys retaliate by killing them.
Look at the drama of their life. It's the real drama of the species.
If we look what we as humans do to the jaguars, it's just not fair.
We remove their habitat,
we put out cows where they used to live,
and they have to live on this tiny pocket of forest,
they come out and eat cows and, in retaliation, we kill them.
We leave so many orphans behind every year that will starve to death.
This is not a fair game.
This persecution is a major cause in the decline of jaguars.
But the three orphans have been spared the fate of their mother.
Their journey back to the wild is about to begin in earnest.
The first job of a jaguar mother
is to show the cubs around their new world.
A generation ago, this was all forest.
The cubs will have to learn how to survive
in a landscape dominated by fields and farming.
Today's family outing
is for the cubs to get used to this environment.
Hey! Remember this tree!
And it's a chance to practise a key skill for jaguars - tree-climbing.
Jaguars have a special relationship with trees.
First for marking, but they have scent glands here on their paws
so they mark it, and eventually they go up to rest.
Maya is a natural climber,
but Xavante and Kyra need a little encouragement
from their human parents.
Kyra, come here!
Come here, come here.
Come here! Good boy, come here.
This is good for them to come out
and have a feeling of this wide landscape around them,
so that they start getting used to that.
It's a good exercise for them.
Leandro and Anah are trying to get the cubs fit for training.
They are not used to having so much space,
and stay close to their human parents.
The cubs have become part of the family -
even sharing the sandwiches.
Hey, picnic, who wants a sandwich?
This closeness may be fine for now,
but at some point they will need to learn to fear humans.
They still have bond with us, so they feel we are protection,
but we may lose that very soon,
so maybe it's the last opportunity we have for them
to move around us, play around us without trying to go away.
After the fun, some more serious training has to start.
The cubs need to recognise the taste and feel of different prey.
At this age, in the wild,
their mother would bring back different animals for them to try.
This evening, they're feeding on peccary for the first time.
Dinnertime!
We're letting the cubs experience feeding on this species
so they can recognise the smell,
they can start finding their way through the carcass.
They seem to like it.
They better do, because this is what they are going to be eating
when they are released.
They are in a learning process, like going to school -
every day you learn a new thing.
They are going to learn how to fight with other jaguars,
have a territory.
As usual, the larger female, Kyra, is the most dominant of the three.
Her wild instincts are emerging much faster than her brother and sister.
Maia is much more timid and quickly backs down from the fight.
Although Xavante is much bigger than Kyra, he's wary of her,
and won't challenge her for the peccary.
The early signs are that Kyra
will be the first of the three cubs ready for release.
Over the next few weeks,
the cubs are introduced to all sorts of natural prey.
And they take to it all - with relish!
This is a good sign.
In the wild, jaguars need a very broad diet,
and eat over 60 different kinds of animals.
The cubs get plenty of practice
with their two deadly weapons -
their teeth and their claws.
Just reinforcing their knowledge
that they are going to fight for their food.
The three cubs also discover that not every animal in on the menu.
The orphans' training has started well -
they can now recognise their prey.
But when they head into the wild,
the odds will be firmly stacked against them.
Most big cat releases ultimately end in failure,
because they can't hunt for themselves
and they have no fear of humans.
There's a long way to go before they are ready for release.
The orphans are now 11 months old and are growing quickly.
They have one year left until their release.
One thing all young cubs need is exercise
to develop strong muscles.
In the wild, they'll be walking
several miles a day in search of prey.
Most days now they are let off the lead
to stretch their limbs and follow their noses.
And today, their noses lead them to water.
Jaguars are aquatic animals,
so Leandro and Anah have built the cubs
their very own open-air swimming pool.
It's a fun part of their training,
but in the wild they'll need to stalk and hunt in rivers to survive.
The smallest cub, Maya,
seems to have a special affinity with the water.
She's always been the most playful of the three.
The orphans are in their element, enjoying their new pool,
but there's a serious point to this exercise.
Among all large cats, jaguars most love water.
They hunt by rivers,
they hunt capybara, caiman,
turtles, and they are good divers, too.
So, all this is important to them.
Hey, look at what you've done!
Hey!
Getting worse! It's not fair!
The cubs are in no rush to go home
and keep disappearing into the tall grass.
It's about time to take them back to their enclosure,
but it's like waiting for kids in the park -
they want to have the last minute of fun,
playing around and chasing,
so we're just waiting for that moment to end
and have them back.
Even when they're out of their enclosure,
the cubs are still deeply attached to Leandro and Anah,
looking to them for reassurance.
After a life of studying jaguars from a distance,
they're enjoying the close contact,
but how much longer can it go on?
Perhaps the biologists
have become too close to the subjects of their experiment.
Apart from looking after the three orphans,
Leandro and Anah also run the Jaguar Conservation Fund from their home.
Whenever there's a jaguar emergency in the area,
they're the first port of call.
This morning, a large wild female jaguar
has been brought into the ranch by wildlife officials.
She was found concussed by the side of the road
and the plan is to release her back into the wild as soon as possible.
It's the perfect chance
for a real-life rehearsal for the three cubs.
Well, this guy was reported to be hit by car
took her to the vet,
X-rayed,
but no record of any fracture
so this is the kind of cat
that's eligible to return to the wild as soon as possible.
As you can see, it's big enough and strong enough
to easily kill a human being.
So it is a very dangerous cat.
The wild female is being fitted with a satellite collar
to track her after release.
If it works, they'll do the same with the three cubs.
The wild female will now be left alone,
and released when she's fully recovered.
The three cubs are exactly halfway through their training
and making good progress,
when events take an unexpected turn.
Xavante, the biggest and strongest of the three orphans,
has fallen seriously ill.
He's hardly able to move.
He had already fallen, he couldn't get up any more.
He was breathing with some difficulty.
When I looked closer, he had his pupil dilated
and definitely wasn't normal.
It was as if he didn't recognise me.
He was really acting as if he was not going to make it.
The biggest fear of all is that Xavante's mystery illness
could spread to his sisters.
This is my lowest point so far.
I think it's unthinkable to lose Xavante at this stage,
after all this investment, after all the success at this point,
losing him for a disease.
It's been a long, sleepless night.
After an injection prescribed by the vet,
Xavante's condition seems to have stabilised.
But he's still very weak.
It's time to release the wild female.
It's not safe to put her back where she came from,
as she was living too close to roads and was hit by a car.
So, she's heading to a remote area of forest where there's
plenty of prey and places to hide.
There are jaguars already in this region.
There's a chance she will find a mate and establish a territory.
I think she's going to the best place she could.
OK.
If the wild female stays in this area, she'll be safe.
But jaguars roam large distances and this is just a fragment of forest.
Eventually she'll be forced to move through farmland,
where cattle ranchers could shoot on sight.
To them, jaguars are pests.
The cowboys are simply protecting their cattle
and the jaguars are just following their instincts.
When the two collide, the jaguar loses.
They're now officially endangered in Brazil.
In our one-year project, we collected over 30 jaguar skins.
It's a tiny fraction of
what is actually killed in Brazil every year.
I can picture each of the skins as a living jaguar.
The species won't tolerate this for much longer.
But there's good news.
After a course of injections, Xavante has
recovered from his mystery illness, much to everyone's relief.
Now the three jaguars must continue with their training.
Today, they're being tested with a pampas deer.
This allows Leandro to observe the strengths
and weaknesses of each cub.
They know there's a carcass around. That's a good sign.
Xavante, the gentle giant,
is trying to establish his dominance as the male.
It's interesting that Xavante has taken over the carcass.
Kyra is trying to approach me, but she's respecting,
giving him the space.
Jaguars are solitary hunters and they feed solitary.
Maya is waiting,
Kyra is waiting for Xavante to finish his turn on it.
Usually, the male eats more than the female.
He gets larger, and the more dominant he becomes,
so he ends up eating first.
AGGRESSIVE GROWLING
Oh, look at that.
Oh, look at that!
Right now, they don't have space
and they're waiting to see who's giving up.
Maya is starting to feed.
But Xavante and Kyra haven't decided yet. Xavante is touching her.
Jaguars don't like physical contact.
Their position is clear - they are tense right now.
That is deadlock, where one is hoping for the other one to give up
so they can start eating, but none of them wants to give up.
Look at that.
Kyra is in the advantage position, because she is underneath Xavante.
Now she's got a position, she can breathe better now.
Look at that.
After ten minutes, the stalemate is finally broken.
Maya walks away from the fight.
She's still the smallest,
and can't compete with her more aggressive siblings.
Eventually, Kyra proves to be the cleverest of all.
She chews through the rope, and claims the prize all for herself.
With her prey secured, Kyra becomes extremely protective.
It's the first time one of the jaguars has issued such
a clear threat, and even at this age, Kyra could easily kill Leandro.
We have to leave her alone - she's too aggressive and we should leave.
Kyra is losing her bond with people and developing the aggression
she needs to live in the wild.
It's good to see that behaviour - that means she is confident
and growing, but it's the right time to be outside of the enclosure.
That fight was also a clear sign the three orphans have
outgrown their cramped quarters.
The jaguars could easily injure each other,
so Leandro needs to start work on a much bigger enclosure.
When we received the cubs,
we never thought we would be involved in such a big project.
But I don't regret it. The jaguars demand this investment.
The cubs' new home covers five acres.
This is where they will complete their training.
Today, the cubs are moving into their new home.
They are now 15 months old.
Xavante has fully recovered from his illness,
they are accomplished swimmers,
and they are ready to move on to the final phase before release.
Moving home is always stressful.
Kyra, as usual, is the wildest.
It makes us nervous to see her like this, but in some way it's good
that she's losing her bond with us and wants to become wild.
Whilst Kyra gets a lift, her brother
and sister are still tame enough to be walked on the lead.
Xavante, Maya... New home, come on!
The next time they pass through this gate will be
when they finally return to the wild.
The orphans are enjoying all the new sensations of their huge enclosure.
There's plenty of space to explore,
and from now on, they will be fed less and become leaner and fitter.
In the next three months, they will become adults,
ready for life in the wild.
And their new home comes complete with its own swamp.
These teenagers are in excellent condition - strong and fit.
They are now ready to face their final tests.
In the wild, their mother would now be teaching them to hunt.
Leandro will have to do the same.
Today is a very big day for the three orphans.
They must try to catch live prey for the first time in their lives.
If they can't hunt, they will never be released.
Without a mother to show them the way,
they must work it out for themselves.
Today's test is with a giant bird called a rhea.
It should be easy prey.
They are extremely common in the wild, and now farmed for their
meat, but using captive live animals for hunting is controversial.
We are giving them the chance to feed on live animals like this,
their natural prey. It's part of the process. We can't skip that part.
We can't go around that. It's completely necessary.
We either do that, or we leave the three cubs
in captivity for the rest of their lives.
The cub has seen it.
OK, Natalya, please open the gate.
Xavante quickly takes the lead.
He makes a clean, fast kill.
He has shown that, with this first simple prey,
he is capable of hunting for himself.
He's started to growl at me.
That shows he doesn't want to be seen as a cub any more -
he wants to be respected with his kill and we might as well
do that, we might as well leave him with his prize, he did a great job.
His sisters, Maya and Kyra, will still need to prove themselves,
but for Xavante, it's a special moment - a coming-of-age.
When all is going well,
a worrying piece of news casts a dark shadow over the whole project.
It's the wild female that was released.
After travelling almost 300 miles, her satellite signal stopped moving.
Leandro sets off to track her down, but the signs are not good.
The wild female has wandered deep into cattle country -
a dangerous place for jaguars.
Leandro drives for six hours across ranch land
until the signal gets very close.
This is as far as we can get the car
and we are 350 metres from the collar where the signal is coming.
We believe she is just by this cliff here and from now on it's on foot.
After an hour of searching, Leandro discovers what he's been dreading.
Found it!
Look at this.
She's clearly been dead for some time.
It's difficult to say how she died.
But she was a big healthy cat
and there are no obvious signs of injury.
The teeth are in their best shape.
This is an animal at the peak of capability, of putting down prey.
It doesn't make sense to me to know it died of natural causes.
The death of the wild female in cowboy country
doesn't bode well for the three orphans.
If this healthy cat didn't make it, the chances of failure
are always much bigger than the chance of success.
And this is a major concern for us regarding the three cubs.
Leandro gathers up the remains
and takes her home for a closer inspection.
By a process of elimination, he's trying to deduce how she died.
Looking at the bones and analysing the entire skeleton,
I didn't find any bullet wounds.
If you look at the teeth, look at the claws,
it was in perfect condition.
That also leads us to think it didn't starve to death
and definitely wasn't preyed upon by another jaguar, because
there is no tooth marks on the skeleton. 441 00:3