Over the years we’ve had exactly ten bush babies living with us. All fell out their nests and their mother’s refused to take them back. The first two were Binky and Binkus. Unfortunately they weren’t very strong to begin with and had been badly injured during their fall from the top of our roof and did not survive. Then along came Biscuit, Google and PJ. PJ is short for Perfect Jumper, which is completely ironic. He was the only bush baby we have ever had that would leap from his perch and go flying off into mid air for no apparent reason and with no idea of where he was going to land. It took a while, but he eventually improved his jumping skills enough so that he could be released. Google went off to a new home where she was allowed to come and go freely and had many babies over time, who all still live in the area to this day. Biscuit and PJ were released into the bush at our house. They used to come back every night for a few months to get food and water, but eventually moved on for good.

Over the years though we have had a few close encounters with them.  We knew it was them because they were the only bush babies to come down from the tree tops to investigate and get close to us. They would wait a few seconds, as if to say hello and tell us they were happy and then they would jump away to join the rest of their group.

After that we got a whole lot more, although they all arrived separately. Yoda, JoJo, Honey, Bibo and Furby seemed to like living in our house. When we released them they would regularly come back to see us. They would come in and nibble our fingers at 2am to tell us that they were “home”. Furby learned that if he held on to the edge of one of our ears and called at the top of his voice it would wake us up! Some nights they found a way to crawl under our duvets and attack our feet! Other nights, when the cats were on our beds, they would sit on the top of our cupboards and scream a warning call again and again until we woke up and gave them some attention. After many, many early wake up calls, we gave our bush babies to a family who live in the Sabi Sands. From here they were able roam freely, eventually becoming wilder and starting families of their own.

Daniella

The reel will showcase our vision for the series and along with a proposal package that contains more specific information about how we plan to make it all work, we are now able to shop the idea around to broadcasters and funders with a great deal of confidence.

We are very grateful to the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa for providing us with the necessary development funding to make this possible. And then our gratitude also goes to Table Mountain Films, our production partners, whose advice and support during the development has been invaluable. Table Mountain Films have a long and highly successful track record in natural history programming for the BBC, ITV, NatGeo, Discovery, Channel 4, Canal+ and Arte and will be key in helping Wild Kid find a home with one of these top broadcasters.

If the idea behind Wild Kid appeals to you, please do share it with anyone who you think might be interested. It is all designed to grow a world community of wild kids, who overcome their fears and prejudices about wild creatures and become inspired and motivated by nature. By sharing it and supporting us you will become part of this community and help children worldwide to connect with the magic of the natural world.

Bruce – Writer | Producer

As we were about to leave for the elephant collaring which was next up on our to-do list for the day, we spotted one of the hand-reared cheetahs walking up the road. We all jumped out of the car and played with her for a while. She was just like a normal cat, but waaaay bigger. She purred when you scratched her and acted very lazy. It was so cute! After a few photos with her we were on our way again to try and find the elephant that we needed to fit with a collar.

Trackers had been out since 6:00am trying to find the huge animal, but with no luck. We headed out to try and help. We’d been in the bush for about an hour when we decided that we should call someone who had a micro-light or plane to fly over and help us find the elusive elephant. This proved rather difficult to arrange, but just as we were getting really frustrated, on of our other vehicles radioed in to say that they had found the animal in thick bush.

Peter managed to dart the elephant successfully from the car on his first attempt. We then waited for it to lie down. The only problem was that the one female in the herd was hand reared and wasn’t afraid of people. There was some concern that she might try and protect the bull that we were going to collar.

After the bull went down, we drove our cars into the bush to where it was lying down. When we got there, the female was watching us very closely. When she did try and come nearer, one of the game rangers who knew her was able to chase her away. Witnessing the bond between the elephants was a truly incredible experience!

First the LCP group cleared some trees away that surrounded the bull so that he wouldn’t hurt himself when he lay down on his side. They then put a strong rope around him and several men pulled on it so that he would lie down properly on his side. This would make it easier to put his collar on.

When they pulled him over, the female elephant charged towards us! Many of the people helping ran for their lives, my sister being one of them. Fortunately though when the game ranger ran at the female again, she stopped and went away. I laughed at my sister, but I think that was the point when she decided that this wasn’t all just fun and games.

When Fred and Devon put the collar on, they had to dig a trench under the elephant’s neck to get it all the way around his neck. Once they were done, they splashed water on the back of  one of his big ears so that it wouldn’t overheat.

I was a bit surprised when Fred asked me to sit on the elephant’s shoulder for a photo. I thought he was joking! It turned out to be the highlight of my day even though I was rather nervous when they said that if he wakes up I must not jump off, but rather climb onto his back and hold on! Needless to say, I was very glad that he did not wake up!

When we were done we gave him the medicine to wake up and all got into our cars as quickly as possible. The elephant rocked twice and then was up! It was so quick. But then we noticed that one of the branches that had been cleared was stuck into his collar. Everyone sat and watched as he walked up to a tree and started to rub against it to try and get rid of the branch. Peter was ready to dart the animal again, if necessary, but it was extremely clever and managed to move the branch around so that eventually it slid easily out of the collar. Another moment from that remarkable day that I will never forget!

I would like to thank Fred and my dad and the rest of the LCP team for the experience of a life time. And it all happened just up the road from where I live!

Daniella

In all my dreams I would never have thought I would be able to cuddle a cheetah, stroke a leopard and sit on an elephant all on the same day! What makes it even better is that it all happened because of the Leopard Conservation Project (LCP), which is a nonprofit organization that helps save and preserve leopards for the future. So not only was it an amazing experience, it was all for the good of the animals.

The LCP was set up to try and save as many leopards as possible from illegal hunting and poaching and to make more people aware of the problems that are impacting on the leopard population in South Africa. Recently my dad asked if I’d like to go along and help out on their latest project.

When we arrived at Tshukudu we met up with Fred and Devon Berrange, Chris Pearse, Dr. Peter Rodgers and a few others who were going to help during the day.

When Fred had received a call from Nature Conservation recently to say that a leopard had been illegally captured in a bated cage on a cattle farm near the Botswana border, the LCP team had immediately set off to rescue the animal and it was brought back to Hoedspruit to recover.

Every leopard that the LCP team saves, allows them to collect data for their research. They had already made history when they were able to collect some semen from a wild leopard. This semen will be used for research and for future breeding projects.

I was lucky enough to see the leopard being darted, examined and collared. A collar is fitted so that it can be monitored once it has been released back into the wild. While examining the leopard they found out that some of it’s teeth were damaged. One tooth in particular had been badly mangled by the illegal cage in which it was caught. Fred and his team are now raising funds to have the tooth reconstructed before they release it. While they were measuring the big cat, I was able to go up and stroke it. What a great feeling it was to be so close to such a beautiful animal!

At one stage during the examination process, the leopard started to wake up a little! That’s when your adrenaline really gets pumping. His ears started to move towards the sounds around him, but fortunately Peter, the vet was able to put him back to sleep before there were any problems.

Later when all the procedures were finished, the beautiful animal was put back into a wooden crate specially designed for leopards. He was then taken to a cage where he will stay until he is healthy and ready to be released. We then went back to the lodge and had a great breakfast. Much more excitement awaited us soon after this!

Daniella

The other day we heard about an African Wildcat that was due to be put down because the people who had been feeding him no longer wanted him around. They were saying that he was a problem cat and needed to be taken away. We decided to try and give him a second chance.

My dad’s friend put up a cage with food in it and managed to catch him. He was then brought to our house, so we could try and help him. My parents weren’t home yet, so my sister and I put him in a room with as little noise as possible and where none of our animals could reach him.

When I first saw him I totally fell in love with his huge eyes and fluffy face, but that soon changed when he tried to make himself as big as he could and started growling and spitting at my sister and I. Unlike normal cats, African Wildcats growl instead of hissing. I think lots of people get quite a fright on hearing this sound for the first time, but it wasn’t that bad for us as we already have two Wildcats living with us. It is just a way for him to tell us that he was scared and didn’t like us to be too close to him.

We put the open wire side of the cage against a wall so nothing could frighten him anymore, then we left him alone hoping he would settle a bit and not be so stressed out. When my dad came home we went out to a wilderness area with no houses nearby. We didn’t want him to be tempted to go looking for easy pickings again and possibly run into trouble with other humans.

We went down to a riverbed and placed the box in a good spot for him to run out and straight into some bushes for protection.  I sat on top of the wooden box while everyone stood back a bit with their cameras ready. I had to open the box and release him, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. I was afraid that he would turn around and come straight for me! Fortunately he was only interested in getting away so when I opened the box he took off immediately and ran straight for the bushes!

What’s so ironic about this, is that while I write about a wild Wildcat, I have my tame Wildcat lying on my lap half across the laptop. It’s amazing to be able to see the difference between hand-reared and wild animals of the same species. I am definitely very lucky!

Daniella

When you’re surrounded by animals there always seems to be something that needs help, but the past three weeks have been some of the busiest of my life. We have managed to save and help a Brown Hooded Kingfisher, an African Wildcat, a python, a leopard and an elephant!

Our first rescue operation started one day after school. We were driving along a tarred road when we came across a Brown Hooded Kingfisher that had been hit by a car and looked hurt. We decided to take him home for the night and see if he would recover. When we got home we put him in a cage with a bowl of water and left him alone, making sure we didn’t stress him any more than was necessary.

About half an hour later he was trying to fly around his cage! It seemed the water had given him a bit of a boost. As the sun had already set by this time we decided to keep him overnight and release him the next day. It would also give us a chance to keep an eye on him and make absolutely certain that he was fine before we released him.

He looked very healthy the next day, so we decided to let him go. I had the privilege of releasing him. He seemed far more friendly that morning and didn’t mind sitting in my hands. When it came time to release him, he sat quite still on my finger for almost a minute before he took off, perfectly fine.

The next morning when I woke up, I looked out of the back door to see a Brown Hooded Kingfisher sitting on the edge of our pool. It made me smile to think that it could have been him even though this was unlikely. Wherever our new friend was, at least now he now had another chance at life. That’s all that really counts!

Daniella

I recently went to the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where they rehabilitate wounded, snared and orphaned animals. Most of those that make it are put back into the wild. Some are kept at the Centre as part of an ongoing Education process.

Amongst the many birds of prey at the Centre the African Fish Eagle is my favourite. Like many people, I just love its beautiful call which resonates through the bush.

There were also a lot of vultures in the centre. I saw the Lapped-Faced, Hooded, White-Backed, Cape and White-Headed Vultures, all of which are quite austere looking. I then put on a thick glove and the Guide put a piece of meat into my hand. A heavy vulture landed on my arm and grabbed the meat. They are SO huge when they are that close-up!

Then I was able to stroke a cheetah. It has white underparts with fluffy hair on its belly and chest and its spots are smallish. Its tale is ringed with a white tip and it looks as if it has tear stains from its eyes to its mouth. This beautifully sleek cat has unsheathed claws (except for its dewclaw), broad, low ears and it is often referred to as the greyhound of the bush as it can reach great speeds very quickly. I also saw cheetah cubs that were extremely cute!

The baby white rhino was rescued as its mom gave birth to it prematurely. It will be returned to the farm from which it came once it is old enough. In the meantime, it is constantly shadowed by one of the students who acts as a surrogate mom. The white rhino which is a grazer is square lipped, whereas the black rhino that has a pointed mouth is a browser. Their names have nothing to do with their colouring.

Graham

I met Kgoao at the Khamai Reptile Park where our guide showed us various snakes and other reptiles as well as some spiders and scorpions. I liked the Snapping Turtle and learnt that the police use them to locate bodies sometimes in the sea and in dams and rivers because of its precise sense of smell. They release the turtle in a dam or river with a rope attached to it. If there is a body in the area, it will find it and start gnawing away!

The Black Mamba glass enclosure was entrancing. They have about six of these venomous snakes in this enclosure and one could watch them all day. I find them totally mesmerising. They move with such amazing grace. They are more grey or brown than black, but they derive their name from the black colour inside their mouth. They are neurotoxic and live mostly off rats and mice, but also eat birds and other small mammals.

We were once having a braai under our huge Baobab when we heard a total racket coming from the branches up above. It was a Red-Billed Oxpecker being extremely vocal about something. A few moments later a huge Black Mamba dropped out of the tree right between my dad and my uncle. Fortunately for them it slithered away, but we now knew what had upset the Oxpecker so badly!

Graham

Another two animals I’ve had around me while I was growing up were quite a strange pair. We have all heard about the friendship between Pumba the warthog, and Timone  the meerkat, in Lion King. But did you ever think that would ever happen in real life? I didn’t until our meerkat, Monty was introduced to Jelly-Tot the baby warthog!

Monty ruled the house, literally! He roamed around freely all day and at night he would cuddle up to his favorite teddy bear. When he first arrived to live with us my cats and dogs weren’t bothered by him at all, but the minute he got a bit of confidence in his new home, the cats began to need spend their days on the highest thing they could reach.

He was a real little character and would spend his time searching the house for a tasty snack or something fun to play with. That’s when our cats realized that he was totally fascinated by their tails. He would bite them if he ever got the chance. He would also play with the dogs, often digging holes around them and trying to climb into their mouths.

Jelly-Tot the warthog wasn’t our pet. She belonged to a friend, but spent most of her time at our house. She was not much bigger than Monty. At first they were a bit wary of each other, but it wasn’t long before they were chasing each other around the garden having lots of fun!

Jelly-Tot was still young and drank from a bottle. Monty would sit right next to her when it was feeding time. Occasionally a drop of milk would spill and Monty would clean it up quickly, while Jelly-Tot carried on having her meal. They were a perfect pair!

Carry, my dog made their relationship even cuter! She seemed to think that both Monty and Jelly-Tot were her babies. She would become so calm around them and would even lie down for Jelly-Tot to suckle her sometimes. Even though Jelly-Tot didn’t get any milk, it seemed they just liked spending the time together.

Our house was basically a zoo at that time. We were looking after two puppies for friends who were overseas; we had Monty and Jelly-Tot, our two dogs, two African Wild Cats, our domestic cat, our four snakes plus the one we were looking after for another friend, the two ostriches and my two Chinchillas!!

It’s amazing how so many animals can adapt to living with each other and develop strong bonds and relationships just like humans. They all seem to play an important role in each of their lives, whether they get along or try to avoid each other. It is also amazing to see the love one animal can have for another, even though they are completely different species. With a healthy living environment, even a dog, a meerkat and a warthog can be best of friends.

Daniella

Back then when my mom and dad would have some time off from work the whole family would go off on a game drive. We were usually very lucky on these drives and would see a lot of animals. My dad says the most leopards we ever saw on one game drive was eight different sightings!

We used to see the big five almost every day, which I loved. My favourite animal is an elephant. I was often able to get very close to elephants and on a few occasions even stroke the tusk of a big bull who we called ‘One Tusk’.

My sister and I enjoyed sitting on the tracker seat together, especially when we saw something exciting and unusual. We would stay there no matter what animal we came across, just as if we weren’t afraid of anything.

In those first six years of my life, I had so many wonderful experiences which I plan to share with you. My life journey in Hoedspruit has also been an interesting and exciting one with its own stories to tell. The wonderful thing is, life is just beginning for me and I know I will have many, many more new experiences in the bush. They are all out there, just waiting to be enjoyed!

Daniella