Shamwari

The game capture team are going after one of Africas rarest animals the black rhino. Theres only one way to bring them in and that is by using a helicopter to dart them. Ecologist Johan OBrien is very worried. The recently born leopard cub has gone missing and he is going in on foot to try and find it. John fears it may have been killed by lions. Albert the foster sheep is off to the hairdresser for a slick new hair do. He needs to be shorn but the question is will the other sheep recognize him. And the ranger trainees get more than they bargain for when they go walking lions and stumble across a pride getting ready to hunt. Its a race back to the vehicle to get out of their way.

A sheep and baby elephant come face-to-face. White lion cubs meet their new foster parents. The Ranger trainees end up eating elephant dung as part of their initiation.

Theres tears of joy as two lions rescued from a circus in France take their first steps back on African soil. Its the first time they have had the sunk on their backs or felt grass under their feet. Its high flying action as the game capture team brings in Africas national emblem the springbok these tiny antelope can really jump. The ranger trainees are going fishing for scorpions. A deadly snake gets a little too close to our office and pays the price. It gets caught in the chicken wire surrounding the fence and needs to be cut free. Its a delicate balance saving the snake and not getting bitten for your trouble! And Themba the orphaned elephant gets a new swimming pool. We watch him take his first swim in his new, custom designed dam.

Keeping track of the worlds biggest animal is harder than you think. The wildlife team struggle to find an elephant they have just darted. Theres no time to waste and they are relying on the chopper to guide them in. Up at the animal hospital two feisty young caracals check in. We almost lose our very precious sheep Albert after he gets stuck down with a deadly tick disease. Luckily our vet Johan treats him just in time. And tragedy strikes the precious white lion cubs when one of the little ones is attacked and killed while we were releasing them back to the wild. The whole project has suffered a major setback but the team is determined to push on and succeed.

The Wildlife team races to their vehicles as a black rhino is hot on their tail. Orphaned warthogs take on a puppy for ownership. A lion with a sore tooth gets some sweet relief.

The wildlife team almost end up in the jaws of a hippo after they try and help an injured bull. They need to capture the animal in nets but before they can set the trap the bull is on its feet and heading straight towards them. We capture some rare footage of the cheetah cubs as their mother teaches them to hunt by using a baby antelope as bait. And its second time lucky for the white lion release. The white lion cubs are going back to the bush. This time things run a lot smoother for the big cats, although its not so good for our camera crew. One of the lion finds our remote camera a bit too interesting and we end up losing a camera but capturing some incredible footage filmed in the jaws of a lion.

When it comes to game capture buffalo can be one of the most dangerous animals to bring in. The team has to race into the bushes on foot to reach the darted animal and you never know what other, deadly animals might be lurking in the thick vegetation the buffalo call home. Up at the Born Free rescue centre its an emotional time for the team as they release two young lion cubs rescued from a circus in Europe. Johan has a rather complicated operation to perform on a lioness with a sore tummy. It turns out she has a giant abscess lodge in her stomach that will kill her if it isnt removed. And a rhino with wire tangled around its foot gets a helping hand from Johan.

Johan faces a medical crisis of the Oryx kind. The eighty strong herd has a deadly tick infestation and the team desperately need to treat them but so far they can only catch six. Its time to call in the chopper. A leopard bites off more than he can chew when he brings down a baby giraffe that is double his body weight. The plastic bag and the rhino. The relocation team use ingenious methods to get a two ton animal to follow them willingly. And two lions make a break for it as they escape from their holding enclosure. Johan faces a dangerous shot in trying to dart them in time.

A herd of hartebeest give the wildlife team a run for their money as they jump clean over the capture sails. A sun burnt hippo desperately needs to cool off. Its up to Johan to find this young male a home he can call his own. But first he has to catch it. Its not just big animals who need rehoming. Johan performs roof repairs on a tortoise using material you would normally find in a hardware store. We capture the lions on a night hunt as the pride set their sights on the worlds biggest antelope. Ranger Morne is there to witness the havoc. And the ranger trainee students get a rude awakening when they come face to face with a lion that is supposed to be asleep

The good, the bad and the ugly. An elephant capture is performed perfectly and gives the team cause for celebration. The same cant be said for a badly behaved rhino who takes revenge on a steel reinforced capture crate. The team needs to work quickly before it damages its horn and breaks the crate. Jackie the warthog gets a terrible skin disease. Johan is called in to restore this precious piggy back to her beautiful self. The animal hospital checks in two of Africas most elusive cats; a mother leopard and her son. They need to have important tracking devices replaced but Johan has a tricky operation to perform as he struggles to locate the transmitter.

Its a race against time as resident vet Johan needs to reach a family of hippo before they break out of their enclosure. With a giraffe traffic jam and the team en route, hes worried the hippo might charge the door before they get there. Life and death in Africa takes a poignant turn as tragedy strikes the elephant herd. The game capture team has a risky situation on their hands with a darted lioness in the middle of a fully alert pride. They need to get to her before the rest of the pride senses something is wrong and turn on her or them. A hyena caught in a farmers trap is in need of rescuing but proves to be a feisty customer for the wildlife team. And an incredibly rare baby mountain zebra arrives at the animal hospital.

Its a hair raising finale as a black rhino capture turns into a life or death scenario for our own presenter Lyndal. As the wildlife team is treating the injured rhino it suddenly wakes up early and they have a flight or fight situation on their hands. When the rhino singles Lyndal out and charges, nothing can prepare her for the impact of that massive horn. Up at the animal hospital our orphaned elephant Themba gets a baby hippo playmate. But the first game they want to play is whos the boss. We find out what makes a pack of wild dogs the most successful hunters in Africa and which of our ranger trainees has what it takes to cut it in the exhilarating world of game ranging.