Wild at Heart

While on honeymoon in London, Alice discovers that Danny has some final business to do before they can return home to Africa. He’s reluctantly arranged to meet his estranged father, Robert, who has recently got back in touch (having been absent from Danny’s life since he left Danny’s mother twenty years ago). Danny is still hostile towards his father so Alice decides to try and improve their relationship by inviting him back to Leopard’s Den, much to Danny’s chagrin.

Danny is throwing himself into his work after the death of his father, and has applied for the role of State Vet. However, Danny’s attempts to involve Thabo in the first phase of the Lion Breeding Project lead to Du Plessis feeling like an outsider in his own home.

It is Danny’s first day as State Vet and when he helps rescue some smuggled animals he feels he’s making a difference. However, he discovers the role isn’t going to be all plain sailing when it looks like one of the sick animals, a cheetah is going to be put down because there are no rehabilitation centres in the province. Rather than let that happen Danny brings her back to Leopard’s Den for treatment. Danny is horrified to discover that his neighbour Vanessa was going to buy the cheetah illegally, even though she insists she didn’t know it was smuggled. Against Alice’s advice, Danny decides to fine Vanessa – friend or not he has to be impartial, even though she’s struggling to keep Mara afloat.

Danny’s first big project as State Vet is a major animal translocation, and he is desperate to impress. Meanwhile, whilst Alice is out in the bush treating an injured zebra, she is stalked by lions. She just makes it back to her jeep in time but is badly shaken up. Danny’s first day of the translocation goes well, culminating in him discovering a rare white-tailed mongoose which he brings back to Leopard’s Den. Alice downplays her near miss with the lions because she doesn’t want him to worry – he has enough on his plate. Danny suspects all is not well but Alice insists she is OK. Torn, Danny returns to the translocation site where he discovers they are behind schedule because of the time it took to capture the mongoose.

Alice is still suffering from a loss of nerve after her close shave with the lions and so Danny tries to help her overcome her problems – the Leopard’s Den lions have produced their first cub and he needs Alice back in the saddle. But his attention is divided when he discovers that distracted Olivia has failed her exams. Meanwhile, some strange things are occurring at Leopard’s Den – a mirror cracks for no reason, some animals are found miles away from their normal habitat and there are dead crocodiles at both Leopard’s Den and Mara.

In his role as State Vet, Danny works with wealthy conservationist, Anton Ziegler, to catch a group of leopard hunters. We discover Ziegler is also buying a tiger from Vanessa, who still struggling with her finances, desperately needs the money to ensure Mara’s future.

Du Plessis has started a one man campaign of vandalism against the new neighbours at Mara; Peeters and the mining company. When Peeters catches him on CCTV, Du Plessis is fined and given a restraining order to keep him away from Mara. Danny is angry with Du Plessis, the fine means they can’t buy Liv the car she wanted for her 18th birthday the next day. However, Alice tries to mediate and suggests Du Plessis uses one of his contacts to get Liv a car.

The family are making arrangements to leave Leopard’s Den, all except Du Plessis who is steadfastly refusing to accept that he has lost his home. He won’t use his share of the money from the sale of the land to buy somewhere else so Danny and Alice have been unable to find somewhere new to live.

The family have been squatting at Leopard’s Den as they prepare to make their last stand to prevent the bulldozers from destroying their home. Du Plessis and Fatani bring elephants and a giraffe to dissuade the construction crew from moving in and a stand off ensues until Peeters arrives with an eviction order. As the bulldozers start to crush the animal pens the family try and stop them.