Can Captive Cheetahs Return To The Wild. (4K Documentary)

Early evening at the base of the Ombarocco Mountains in central Namibia. But while the inhabitants of the Okonjima Wildlife Reserve enjoy the sunset, at the clinic, there's an emergency. Eight days ago, cheetah cub Quadro was rescued after being hit by a car. X-rays revealed multiple fractures in his leg. But he survived major surgery and finally returned to AfriCat to begin a lengthy recovery process. I think he's obviously still a bit traumatized, obviously. I mean, I'm sure his leg's hurting him. It's okay, baby. Three days ago, rescue and release officer Dave Houghton decided to provide Quadro with some space to move around. It's a decision he's now regretting. We put him in this slightly larger area here. And he was just so mobile. He was trying to climb the gates and everything. And we're really worried that just that extra little bit of mobility has damaged his legs. And it's a one-off thing. It's a one-chance operation. And if he starts breaking bones and pulling the pins out and stuff, it's probably the only option would be to put him down. So I'm a little bit worried. I mean, I've come to change the bandage. And I'm hoping that everything, once the bandage is off, is still solid. It's fingers crossed. Quadro's been anaesthetized. And with the help of the foundation's director, Tristan Boehmer, Dave will have to remove the bandage to reveal the extent of any damage. He's been chewing here and along the end. Cheetah flies were here. Quadro's injuries were so severe that seven screws were needed to realign just one of his fractured bones. After all the hard work, a mishap at this crucial stage of his recovery would be heartbreaking. This is the moment of truth. Do you think it feels solid? Yeah, it does now. Better look when I take this off. The wounds are not pussy. It looks actually really good. Carla's been stealing herself for bad news. No, it's good. It's really solid. It's all nicely healed. No swelling, nothing. After quite a scare, Dave won't be taking any more chances. We're going to keep him in crates now. We're not going to let him in there, so he moves around. I think things have already started fusing together and he's got to go back for his follow-up x-ray, so touch wood it all stays like that. As the foundation's director, Tristan spends much of his time dealing with clients. To get hands-on with the cheetahs is a rare privilege. These are the things that I think so many people out there almost dream about having the opportunity to do. And for me, it's also learning something new every day. So it is a great opportunity to be able to come and help. Nice leg. How does that feel? It looks sturdy. I'm sure he'll be very happy to put a mirror in his crate. He can look at it. See what he looks like. I'm very relieved. It's been a whole day of worrying. Quatro's follow-up with the vets will be in three weeks. In the meantime, he'll be confined to quarters. If everything goes well, he can look forward to a possible release here on the reserve. This 40,000 acre site was designed to provide rescue cheetahs with a stepping stone to life back in the wild. Elsewhere in the reserve, other cheetahs are enjoying newfound freedom without the need for human care. The team aims to release 12 more onto the reserve in the coming weeks. Waiting in the wings, four-year-old male Charlie and his female companion, Trish. Trish, come! Charlie was rescued at just four months of age and has grown up with human company. But Trish was a year old when she arrived and she remains wary of people. Trish has always been a nervous cat, ever since we've had her. She's got a little bit better, but if you go in to try and find the pair of them, you'll more than likely, 95% of the time, find Charlie, but not Trish. She kind of hears you coming and just keeps it out of the way. Before the cheetahs can enter the reserve, Charlie needs dental surgery to repair a root canal. Dave is here along with Dr. Jose Ruiz to anaesthetise him before transferring him to the clinic, where the rest of the veterinary team are waiting. He's decided to dart Trish as well, so the two cheetahs can be released at the same time. The procedure will be stressful for both cats, but Dave is particularly worried about Trish. Trish is quite a special cheetah for me, really, because she's named after my sister, who sponsored her. Well, every time I come up and see Trish and Charlie in here, it kind of reminds me that I must let her know how Trish here is doing. I can see me SMSing every day once this Trish goes into the reserve. I'm sure she'll be worried and be texting me every five minutes as to how she's going. Both cheetahs have been anaesthetised before and will recognise the dart gun. Dave hopes to get them under before they become too stressed. I'm going to do Trish first, because she's the more skittish of the two. Dave has confined the cheetahs in their feeding area. He needs to get a decent shot into Trish's leg muscle, but Trish seems to know what he's planning. And she won't make it easy. Dave shoots, but the dart doesn't go in. Trish's instinct is to run, but with nowhere to go, she's already becoming stressed. Switched on as to what's going on, and as soon as she sees me now, she's going to start pacing, which is what I didn't really want. Stop. What can I do? Dave lines up again. But misses once more. Cheetahs are unable to regulate their body temperature under anaesthetic. And Trish is already becoming hot. Darting her now is just too risky. I can't dart, I can't try. First one bounced out, second one, I don't even have it here. She's just pacing so much now, panting, I can't go for any more. I can see me having a nervous breakdown by the end of the week. It's not good for them especially, but it does kind of get me stressed as well. Dave decides to turn his attention to Charlie. And thankfully, it's a direct hit. Dave will return for Trish once she's had a chance to calm down. In the meantime, Charlie has an appointment with the dentist. At the Africat Foundation in central Namibia, four-year-old male cheetah Charlie has been anaesthetised. Okay, left upper, one wear, two wear, pulp exposure. Veterinary surgeon Dr. Gerrit Steenkamp has flown in from South Africa. Right, then the lower jaw. He's about to carry out dental surgery. So Charlie can be released onto the Okanjima Wildlife Reserve after nearly four years in captivity. Okay, so in this cat we're going to do two root canals and quite a few extractions. The prognosis is not as good as we initially thought. We thought it was one or two root canals, but it looks like a little bit worse. So we're trying to sort it and hopefully he'll go out there and he'll have, well not a full set of teeth, but he'll have as many as he needs to be able to survive out there in the wild. Cheetahs use their canine teeth to maintain a choke hold on prey after a successful hunt. Sometimes they need to hold their grip for as long as 20 minutes to make a kill. So Gerrit needs to ensure that Charlie's teeth are in the best possible condition. And as you can see, as we're starting to plough in that canal, all that dirt that's coming out of there, that's basically food particles, sand, soil, bacteria, that is all staying inside the canal. Okay, check one minute. Once the inside of the tooth has been cleaned out, it's filled, just like a human root canal. The whole thing is pretty graphic and it does make one kind of shiver a bit. But cruel to be kind. After nearly an hour, it's all over. And Charlie is all set to begin his new adventure in the reserve. Well, I think it went well with Charlie and I'm quite confident that in years to come, when I look at Charlie again, he'll still have some sound teeth. So I'm quite pleased with how it went. When Charlie wakes up, he'll be reunited with his companion, Trish. The two will then be moved to a temporary enclosure, before their release onto the 40,000 acre reserve in just a few days' time. Before the gates opened on this special place, the cats rescued by the AfriCat Foundation had to remain in captivity. Now the reserve is up and running, every cheetah has a second chance to return to the wild. But the process isn't without risk. Of all the cats released so far, five-year-old male Cyclops has given the team the most sleepless nights. Cyclops has sight in only one eye. And when he was released, there were concerns that he might struggle to bring down prey. Events in the last 24 hours suggest otherwise. Dave and Carla have picked up a signal from Cyclops' radio collar on the western edge of the reserve. Here it is. And when they find him, he's resting, his stomach full. What have you done with it? Oh, you're so full you can't move now. Yesterday, he was spotted on a kill. Big fat, look at your tummy. And Dave and Carla want to find out exactly how it happened. Sure we. He's obviously very full. You're a clever boy, eh? Big fat clever boy. In a clearing a few yards from where Cyclops is resting, lays his prize. It's a young kudu, a perfect catch for a solitary cheetah. He just ambushed it. I don't know, what do you think? Probably actually killed it. A kill of this size will ensure that Cyclops won't need to eat again for at least 48 hours. I was just looking for, see if there's any puncture wounds here. Ah, there we go, on this side. He killed it right, he killed it the proper way, by throttling it. Hasn't broken the skin on this side, but he has on this side here. In the wild, cheetahs will eat quickly and then move away from a kill to avoid conflict with other predators. After 18 months in captivity, Cyclops seems to have forgotten the rules. But it seems he's still capable of taking care of himself. The fact that he's done it on his own is great. He's managed to, and with one eye, so you know. You kind of look at him and think he hasn't got much going for him, but he actually has. He seems a bit street savvy, that guy, which is good. Dave and Carla took a gamble when they released Cyclops, but their faith in him has paid off. If he continues to do well, he'll soon be able to leave the reserve to go back into the wild. Yes, I'm very happy for him. I was starting to have my niggling doubts that this might not work out. And so this has just made my day, really. And from now on, I think he can only go from strength to strength. A new day on the Okunjima Reserve. And for two cheetahs, it's the start of an exciting new adventure. After getting the all-clear from the dentist, four-year-old Charlie is finally ready to be released into the reserve, with his skittish companion, Trish. She was eventually darted by Dave and given the all-clear by medical staff. The two cats have spent the week in a holding enclosure adjoining the release site. It's now time for them to begin fending for themselves. Once the cheetahs leave their enclosure, their heads lower and their tails go down. After more than three years in captivity, they're nervous about leaving the safety of their enclosure. Cheetahs are flighty animals, and Charlie and Trish will run at the first sign of danger. While Carla's attention is focused on Trish, Charlie grabs his food and heads straight back in. Having secured her food, flighty Trish hightails it away from the area. No, that's not going to do it. You're going to have to chase him. Yeah. Charlie, come. Charlie will need some gentle encouragement to join her. No, that way. You need to go out with Trish, boy. There we go. A little bit further. There's my boy. There we go. Come, Charlie. There we go. There's a good boy. Good lad. Well done. Let's shut the gate this time. Charles, you are a one. Charlie has lived at the foundation since he was four months old, and has no hunting experience. For the first few weeks, he'll be dependent on Trish, if she decides to stay. As he enjoys his last free meal, Trish returns, and the two are reunited. And I'm hoping that Trish will kind of stick by him for at least a little bit, just to show him the ropes. You know, the other cheetahs out there have had no hunting experience, but they're in a group. And they're in a group of five, and there's a lot of support. Charlie on his own will be an entirely different story, I think. It's not natural in the wild for a male and a female to stick together. So, I mean, we'll find out. We'll see what happens.