The cameras capture young cheetahs learning to hunt in Namibia, reveal how fur seals of an Australian island evade the great white sharks offshore and help solve a conflict between South African farmers and chacma baboons.
S36 Ep9
Animals with Cameras | Episode 2
The cameras capture young cheetahs learning to hunt in Namibia, reveal how fur seals of an Australian island evade the great white sharks offshore, and help solve a conflict between South African farmers and chacma baboons.
Features
PRODUCTION CREDITS: EPISODE 2
ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS
EPISODE 2
PRESENTED BY
GORDON BUCHANAN
WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY
CLARE DORNAN
GILLIAN TAYLOR
PHOTOGRAPHY
GRAHAM MACFARLANE
NICOLAS DIVISCHEK
ANIMAL CAMERAS
CHRIS WATTS
MARCUS SHIRLEY
SOUND RECORDISTS
NICK ALLINSON
RESEARCHERS
ESTER DE ROIJ
ISABEL ROGERS
ALISTAIR TONES
DIRECTORS
CLARE DORNAN
HANNAH WARD
EDIT PRODUCER
CLARE BROOK
PRODUCTION COORDINATORS
KATIE CUSS
LORNA NORTHAM
BRIDGET JEFFERY
PRODUCTION MANAGERS
LYNN BARRY
J. RUTH STEVENS
UNIT MANAGER
MARIA NORMAN
ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSED BY
TIM GOALEN
DUBBING EDITOR
NICHOLAS ALLEN
DUBBING MIXER
JOE SIDDONS
COLORIST
TIM BOLT
ONLINE EDITOR
JAMES BEYNON
EDIT ASSISTANT
GEORGE PILLAS
GRAPHIC DESIGN
MICK CONNAIRE
FILM EDITORS
GARY SKIPTON
STEVE BARNES
CHRIS HALL
SPECIAL THANKS
ANNE SOMERVILLE
N/A’AN KU SÊ WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
HARNAS WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
MIKE SCANTLEBURY
BERND CURSCHMANN
THE PREDATOR AND PRIMATE PROJECT, DURHAM UNIVERSITY
RYNAUW VAN DEN HEEVER
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
MIKE MCPHERSON
JOHN ARNOULD
VICTORIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING
COMMISSIONING EDITOR
CRAIG HUNTER
SERIES PRODUCER
DAN REES
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
TIM MARTIN
FOR NATURE
SERIES EDITOR
JANET HESS
SENIOR PRODUCER
LAURA METZGER LYNCH
COORDINATING PRODUCER
JAYNE JUN
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
JAMES BURKE
LEGAL COUNSEL
BLANCHE ROBERTSON
DIGITAL PRODUCER
ERIC R. OLSON
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
WHITNEY MCGOWAN
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
NATASHA PADILLA
CHELSEY SAATKAMP
BUDGET CONTROLLER
JAYNE LISI
ONLINE EDITOR
CHRIS GUIDO
RE-RECORDING MIXER
ED CAMPBELL
ORIGINAL FUNDING PROVIDED IN PART BY
THE ARNHOLD FAMILY IN MEMORY OF CLARISSE ARNHOLD
THE HALMI FAMILY IN MEMORY OF ROBERT HALMI, SR.
SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III
KATE W. CASSIDY FOUNDATION
LILLIAN GOLDMAN CHARITABLE TRUST
FILOMEN M. D’AGOSTINO FOUNDATION
ROSALIND P. WALTER
SANDRA ATLAS BASS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
SERIES PRODUCER
BILL MURPHY
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
FRED KAUFMAN
A BBC STUDIOS PRODUCTION FOR PBS AND BBC WITH THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC
THIS PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED BY THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, WHICH IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT
© 2018 BBC
ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS ADDITIONAL MATERIALS © 2018 PBS AND
© 2018 THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TRANSCRIPT
♪♪ [ Cheetah purrs ] BUCHANAN: As a wildlife cameraman, I have traveled the world trying to capture life's most intimate and dramatic moments... but wouldn't it be incredible if we could see the world from an animal's point of view?
Well, in this series, that is exactly what we're gonna do, with the help of the animals themselves.
They're gonna be the ones that are doing filming.
They're going to take us to places that a cameraman like me simply cannot go and reveal a side of their lives like we have never seen before.
♪♪ Working with scientists, we're going to design cameras small enough to take us into their hidden world.
MELDRUM: Barging past some pups.
BUCHANAN: Wow.
This is their footage... MELDRUM: Oh, yeah.
Blimey.
BUCHANAN: Oh, wow.
...their story, and we're going to see it through their eyes.
♪♪ ♪♪ BUCHANAN: In this program, our cameras reveal the hidden lives of three very different families.
In Australia's shark-infested waters, we discover how fur seals escape the deadly jaws of one of the ocean's top predators.
Oh, wow, wow, goodness me.
In South Africa, we see the conflict between baboons and local farmers.
With tensions mounting, could our cameras help find a solution?
VAN DEN HEEVER: The cameras are basically my last hope.
BUCHANAN: But my adventure begins in the wilds of Namibia.
This is a stronghold for Africa's most endangered big cat, the cheetah.
Famously, cheetahs are spectacular sprint predators, chasing down their prey over the open savannah.
That's how I've seen them in the past.
In the open grasslands, it's easy to watch these incredible athletes.
But here in Namibia, they live in bushland where they're much harder to see.
We're hoping our cameras can help us follow the lives of three very special young cheetahs.
Conservationist Marlice Van Vuuren adopted this trio when they were orphaned at just one day old.
They still rely on Marlice for food, but she wants to find out if they can catch their own prey.
VAN VUUREN: Come, Ody.
Come.
Come.
BUCHANAN: She's hoping our cameras could help her track their progress as they learn to hunt in this dense scrubland.
But how do you design a camera for the fastest mammal on earth?
Mini camera expert Chris Watts has taken up the challenge.
WATTS: When I first think about making a camera system for an animal, a lot of it is kind of really studying how they move.
And with a cheetah, the first thing you notice is the head is so stable when they're moving and running.
The head is completely locked.
So how amazing would it be if we could actually get the camera on the head?
BUCHANAN: Chris has designed a 3-D-printed camera harness fit for a fast-moving predator hunting in the African bush.
WATTS: Cooling is a massive issue.
We didn't want to put something on their head which was gonna, you know, make them overheat.
So we've tried to have vent holes here so you get air underneath the head.
And the way we've attached it to the cheetah's head is just using this flexible, breathable neoprene.
BUCHANAN: The harness is designed to be quick to deploy and easy for the cheetah to pull off if they're not happy.
WATTS: I'm really excited to see what we're gonna get.
BUCHANAN: Time to see what the orphan cheetahs think of their bespoke headgear.
Who are your friends?
VAN VUUREN: This is Odyssey.
BUCHANAN: You are beautiful.
Male?
VAN VUUREN: Yeah, he's a boy.
He's a male.
BUCHANAN: What about the other two?
VAN VUUREN: They are two females, so Shiloh and Wonder.
BUCHANAN: Odyssey and his sisters are now 18 months old.
By now, most wild cheetahs would be making their own kills.
But these orphans have had no one to teach them.
Can they work out how to hunt for themselves?
So I'm gonna show you what we've come up with.
This is the camera.
VAN VUUREN: Oh, okay.
BUCHANAN: Do you want to feel the weight?
VAN VUUREN: Cool.
And this goes on the head?
BUCHANAN: On the head.
What do you think?
VAN VUUREN: I would love to see the footage off of this.
And it's nice that it's nice and elastic and it's not gonna restrict them at all.
So I think it will work.
BUCHANAN: The cameras looks good to us, but the youngsters will decide if they're happy to wear them.
VAN VUUREN: Hello.
BUCHANAN: Who is this?
Is this Odyssey?
VAN VUUREN: This is Odyssey, the one that sits down.
BUCHANAN: Hey, Odyssey.
Odyssey's sister, Wonder, is first up for a fitting.
Camera's running.
I keep one part of my shirt clean so I can clean the lenses.
Okay, that's perfect.
Look at you.
VAN VUUREN: [ Laughs ] Look at you, darling!
[ Wonder purring ] Well, she's not upset, otherwise she would immediately start clawing and stop purring.
She's happy.
I'm their mom, and to see what they actually do when I'm not there would make me very proud to know that they're actually doing very good.
Huh?
Hello.
You want one?
She's asking, "Where's mine, huh?"
BUCHANAN: It's all the latest thing amongst cheetahs in this part of the world.
No worry.
No stress.
There we go.
You are -- Possibly.
There we go.
Quite a couple.
VAN VUUREN: Yeah.
With new bling.
They've got bushveld bling.
BUCHANAN: With two of the three cats wearing cameras, we watch them head into the bush.
They're soon out of our sight, but the cameras are filming their every move.
I don't know about you, but I am very excited about seeing this.
Okay, here we go.
VAN VUUREN: Wow!
BUCHANAN: That's quite incredible.
So that's what it looks like to be a cheetah.
VAN VUUREN: Ah, he's rolling around.
BUCHANAN: That's fantastic.
You can see they're just -- They're kind of chilling out, enjoying being together.
This is an intimate insight into the cheetahs' lives.
VAN VUUREN: Ahh.
Gunk!
BUCHANAN: Watch the camera!
VAN VUUREN: Oh.
BUCHANAN: Shake, head shake.
VAN VUUREN: Shake.
BUCHANAN: Oh.
Beautiful reflection.
While Odyssey takes a drink, Wonder finds a good scratching post.
And it's not long before our playful young cheetahs decide to stretch their legs... ...and we're running with the fastest mammal on earth.
♪♪ ♪♪ Oh, wow!
VAN VUUREN: Yes, it's beautiful.
Look at the tail.
Yes.
BUCHANAN: Wow, that is stunning.
Absolutely incredible.
VAN VUUREN: Ah, look at that.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: It's an amazing insight into the youngsters' lives, but what we really want to know is whether they can hunt for themselves.
Hopefully the cameras will give us the answer.
I'll also try to film them for as long as I can.
♪♪ ♪♪ Trying to spot the three cheetahs.
They've gone into this very thick bush, and I don't know where they are.
None of them.
Any of them.
They're all gone.
It's only when Odyssey emerges from the dense cover that I finally find him.
Or really it's more a case of him finding me.
Hey, beautiful.
No, no, no, no, okay.
I think you're gonna jump up onto the car.
Get a better view.
Okay, that's fine.
With this gain in height, Odyssey can see so much more than he can see when he's down on the ground, so this isn't about a cheetah coming to say hello to us.
It's about just kind of having a better field of view.
Maybe saying hello as well.
[ Laughs ] [ Odyssey purring ] That's not what you're supposed to be doing.
DRIVER: Hello.
Are you gonna go hunting?
Where's your sisters?
BUCHANAN: There's no room in the back, if that's what you're thinking.
Odyssey's not showing much sign of independence just yet.
But he does finally head off to rejoin his sisters.
They've spotted a herd of gemsbok in a clearing.
For young cheetahs, these are a very dangerous target.
Three cats all together.
They look like a force to be reckoned with.
♪♪ I don't quite know how this is gonna play out.
I have seen cheetahs hunt before, but out on the open plains, and I'm not sure how it's gonna change their behavior somewhere as thick as this.
It's very, very scrubby and bushy.
Okay, cheetah there, moving in.
Right.
Okay one's running.
Second one running towards the game.
They don't yet know that the cheetahs are gaining on them.
They're actually just -- Okay, full on run from the front cheetah, full-on run.
No, they're just scattering the herd.
The gemsbok panic.
The cheetahs are after an easy target.
Okay, ahhh.
Just confusion, confusion.
It's very hard trying to keep track of three cheetah.
Wonder's camera captures what I can't see.
She's chasing one animal away from the group.
In amongst the bushes, Wonder's losing speed.
Her sister, Shiloh, charges in on the left, but the gemsbok is now so far ahead it's safe.
♪♪ The thick vegetation has scuppered our cheetahs' chances.
♪♪ Wonder skulks back to the clearing where the tables have turned.
Oh, just got charged by a big, big gemsbok there.
They're now at risk of being skewered by this large male.
♪♪ The prey knows that the predator is around.
The cheetah have lost their advantage.
Ah.
Now they're just getting chased away.
They're being humiliated.
Taking on such large prey was a real rookie mistake.
But will they learn from the experience?
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Over the next few days, the cameras keep rolling.
The youngsters need to turn this scrubby terrain to their advantage.
And soon, we see encouraging signs.
The three cheetahs are following animal trails in the undergrowth.
Shiloh appears to sniff the ground to work out what prey is around.
See, this is impossible.
There's absolutely no way we could see this any other way.
They're also using the thick bush as cover.
The closer they can get to the prey, the more likely they are to make a kill.
They're trying to get eyes on.
Odyssey creeps forward.
He spots a target and freezes.
VAN VUUREN: So his sister is on his left, one of them.
BUCHANAN: That's a clear sign that they're working together, 'cause he sees the prey, stops, checks that his sister's there.
VAN VUUREN: Then he's looking back to the prey.
BUCHANAN: Yeah.
VAN VUUREN: And there he goes.
BUCHANAN: Oh, my God.
♪♪ VAN VUUREN: It's an oryx -- It's an eland.
Yeah, there's a cheetah with it.
BUCHANAN: That's a youngster.
My God.
VAN VUUREN: There's a -- One of his sisters is in front.
It's a baby.
It's a baby eland.
BUCHANAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look at that.
Oh, my gosh.
His sister Shiloh tries to trip the calf.
Oh, so close.
Oh, my goodness me.
What on earth!
Odyssey is forced to swerve to avoid a thorn bush.
You see the difficulties of negotiating those bushes.
VAN VUUREN: And now the mom is trying to keep them away.
There she goes.
BUCHANAN: My heart is in my mouth.
That is quite something.
A cheetah can only sprint at top speed for 10 seconds, so the eland and her calf manage to escape.
I'm completely blown away by these images.
VAN VUUREN: It's brilliant to follow them.
What are they actually doing in the field?
BUCHANAN: Yeah.
VAN VUUREN: You know, and I'm proud as the mom of them.
You know, they're actually working in a team, and they have huge challenges, and they take it.
They're not scared.
So this is amazing.
This is really a good idea.
BUCHANAN: But Marlice has yet to see a successful hunt.
We leave our cameras with her to keep watch on the youngsters' progress.
♪♪ For our next mission, I'm traveling to the south coast of Australia to the remote and rugged Kanowna Island.
Few animals have what it takes to survive out here, but there's one hardy sea mammal that does.
♪♪ The island itself is more of a rocky outcrop.
It's uninhabited but for the thousands of fur seals that call it home.
On the island, the fur seals are safe.
But the surrounding seas are deadly... ...teeming with the ocean's most feared predator, the great white shark.
I'm here to help scientists discover how fur seals avoid the sharks and thrive in this unforgiving wilderness.
♪♪ We're hoping our cameras will help solve the puzzle.
There it is -- home sweet home.
Leading the research team is Professor John Arnold.
Hello.
ARNOLD: Gordon, nice to meet you.
BUCHANAN: What an amazing, amazing place.
ARNOLD: Thank you.
BUCHANAN: Good to meet you.
For the next week, this windswept spot will be my home.
Ah, perfect.
Everything a man needs.
John's team have been studying these seals for 20 years, but their lives out at sea are still shrouded in mystery.
So what are the big questions you want to be answered by the seals taking cameras with them?
ARNOLD: They spend up to 80% of lives at sea.
Every time the mothers leave the colony, they have to run the gauntlet of any sharks that are out there.
What are they doing?
Just seeing them onshore gives us a very small view of their life.
The big holy grail for us is what are they seeing?
What are they hunting?
How successful they are at catching prey.
It's a hard life for these seals.
BUCHANAN: There are around 15,000 fur seals on Kanowna Island.
So it's no surprise that the island's a magnet for great whites.
These giant sharks specialize in hunting marine mammals like seals.
Our first challenge will be to test our cameras.
John's been fitting seals with trackers for years.
He operates with military precision.
His tactic is to keep low... ARNOLD: I'm gonna sneak in and see what I can find.
BUCHANAN: Okay, okay.
...keep quiet, and bring a very large net.
♪♪ Okay, we've got her.
Let me know if there's anything I can do.
Our mother seal gets a light anesthetic to help keep her calm.
Wow.
ARNOLD: 86 zero, plus board, so she's 80 kilos.
At such a healthy size, John's happy that she won't be hampered by our small camera.
ARNOLD: Okay.
MAN: Well done.
ARNOLD: Pull back.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: While our mom goes on her first filming trip...
...I want to see what the seals get up to close to shore.
It's amazing how interested they are when they're in the water.
They're incredible inquisitive.
This shallow cove provides a sheltered swimming spot where young pups should be safe from sharks.
Well, that's the theory anyway.
One big step.
♪♪ I'm immediately surrounded by moms and their curious youngsters.
The pups won't leave the island or become independent for at least another six months.
But they're already phenomenal swimmers.
♪♪ ♪♪ That is absolutely beautiful.
It is probably one of the nicest things I've ever seen underwater.
They're just so graceful.
♪♪ This cove is the only place I can observe these seals beneath the waves, but we want to understand their lives away from the sheltered shallows.
You definitely get a glimpse into their world by being in the water with them.
But literally it is just a glimpse, and that's what the deployment of these cameras is all about.
That's why it's so important, because we know so little about what goes on when they're underneath.
Our camera-testing seal has also been taking a dip.
Time to see what the footage reveals.
ARNOLD: Heading down to sea.
BUCHANAN: See the way her shoulder blades are working.
ARNOLD: And she's about to jump into the water.
There she goes.
Into their world.
BUCHANAN: Whoa, wow!
Look at that.
As soon as she dives, the camera captures unexpected behavior.
ARNOLD: Oh, look at that.
Look at that.
She's rubbing against the rocks.
BUCHANAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
ARNOLD: On that green stuff.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: Wow, yeah, you can see it very clearly there.
ARNOLD: Yeah.
And there she's rubbing the side of her face and neck.
The other animals around her are doing the same thing.
They're all doing it.
BUCHANAN: Yeah.
And you've never seen this before?
ARNOLD: No.
I wouldn't have known.
I mean, you see them offshore at the surface playing, but this is brand-new stuff.
I've never seen this before.
BUCHANAN: Wow!
John thinks the seals could be using the seaweed to clean their fur, brushing up against it to remove parasites.
♪♪ ♪♪ Already, we've captured brand-new behavior.
We deploy more cameras.
Hopefully these seals will head further out to sea.
We know from John's previous research that some seals will travel as far as Tasmania, a 200-mile round trip.
♪♪ But they face the greatest danger from sharks within the first few miles of their journey.
ARNOLD: There she goes.
BUCHANAN: Will our cameras finally reveal the seals' survival strategy?
ARNOLD: You see seals coming ashore with injuries from sharks, they're the lucky ones that got away.
BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.
♪♪ As soon as our seal enters the danger zone, she heads straight down to the bottom.
It's a deliberate tactic.
♪♪ Great whites prefer to ambush prey from below.
She's trying to slip under the shark's radar.
She can hold her breath for eight minutes, but then she must come up for air.
♪♪ And this is when she's most vulnerable.
Now she starts to swim in a completely different way.
ARNOLD: All the time when she's coming towards the surface, she's looking around to get a 360 view.
BUCHANAN: In these dangerous surface waters, she's doing everything she can to avoid a surprise attack.
Rotating her head gives her an all-round view.
Just constantly barrel rolling and just twisting and turning.
It's incredible.
ARNOLD: You wouldn't know that unless you had a camera on an animal.
BUCHANAN: As soon as she has can, she returns to the safety of the seabed.
This is the first time John has ever seen how seal moms give sharks the slip.
Further out, she switches into hunting mode.
Skimming over the seafloor has another benefit.
She's on to something.
ARNOLD: It's a cuttlefish.
BUCHANAN: Wow, look at that.
ARNOLD: Oh, my God That's a big one.
BUCHANAN: Just looks like a big cloud of ink.
The cuttlefish squirts ink to try and confuse the seal.
ARNOLD: Wow.
BUCHANAN: But it's too late.
♪♪ ♪♪ ARNOLD: I don't know if we've ever seen cuttlefish in their diet before.
BUCHANAN: Really?
♪♪ Her super senses soon detect something else.
Oh!
ARNOLD: What's she chasing here?
♪♪ Oh, it's big.
BUCHANAN: Oh, yeah.
ARNOLD: It's a big octopus.
See its tentacles?
BUCHANAN: Yeah.
I didn't even see her grab that.
A struggling octopus is hard to eat.
Our seal risks heading to the surface.
Up here, she kills her prey and bashes it into bite-size chunks.
Wow.
But at the same time she's doing that, she's having to obviously keep an eye out for sharks.
ARNOLD: Yeah.
Yeah.
BUCHANAN: The cameras have revealed how mothers specialize in hunting on the seafloor.
But when this seal comes up for air, something else catches her attention.
ARNOLD: Look, dolphins.
BUCHANAN: Is that dolphins?
Whoa, wow!
Oh, wow, wow.
ARNOLD: That bait ball.
BUCHANAN: Goodness me.
♪♪ So the presence of those dolphins are gonna help her.
ARNOLD: Well, I think she's just getting a free meal here.
BUCHANAN: The dolphins are rounding up the fish, and the seal dives in for an easy meal.
ARNOLD: There, there.
BUCHANAN: Oh, there's another one.
Wow, that's incredible.
Without the on-board cameras, John would have no idea these seals take advantage of dolphins.
♪♪ Once the dolphins leave, the fish spread out.
A lone seal can't keep them bunched together.
ARNOLD: We see here that she's working really hard, and there's a huge school of fish there, but she's getting very few of them.
BUCHANAN: With a belly full of food, she heads back to the seafloor.
♪♪ These cameras have given us a remarkable insight into the lives of these seals far out at sea.
For John, these insights have transformed his research.
ARNOLD: You learn more from, say, a two-hour video of the animals underwater than years and years of dive recorders and GPS data logger tracking because now you're seeing how they're behaving underwater in response to what they're seeing.
Definitely the cameras give us a brand-new view of their life.
♪♪ ♪♪ BUCHANAN: Now we're facing a very different challenge.
♪♪ On the other side of the world, there's trouble.
War is raging in the South African bush... ...between the local farmers and chacma baboons.
♪♪ The baboons' natural habitat is shrinking, forcing them into farmland, where they damage and eat the farmers' crops.
It's a battle that's threatening farmers' livelihoods.
Rynauw Van Den Heever just harvested his butternut squash, but half his crop was unsellable.
VAN DEN HEEVER: All of these butternuts basically in the field is all damaged with bite marks, scratching marks.
That's the way they carry on, take a bite from each one.
BUCHANAN: Some farmers are already shooting baboons, so a solution can't come soon enough.
Could cameras on the baboons reveal how to keep them off these crops?
Scientist Leah Findlay has spent the last five years searching for answers.
So far, nothing has worked.
FINDLAY: Baboons are very smart.
They're very dexterous, agile.
It's basically like having a pack of ninjas on your farm.
Yeah, it's a pretty tricky problem to solve.
VAN DEN HEEVER: We try everything to stop the baboons.
In the beginning we put branches, thorn trees around it.
It never stopped them.
FINDLAY: We've tried rubber snakes, alarm systems.
VAN DEN HEEVER: We made proper scarecrows that moves like this.
Takes you about a week or so, and then they're getting used to it.
FINDLAY: We've tried electric fences, guards.
VAN DEN HEEVER: If the guards are walking on this side they will be on the other side of the field.
Thing is she can run to that side, then they will cross all the way backwards coming to this side again.
They're very clever.
BUCHANAN: These clever monkeys aren't in the crop fields every day.
For the last week, the baboons haven't been raiding even though there are thousands of butternuts in the field.
♪♪ If Leah can learn what is keeping them away now, perhaps she can use it to keep them out permanently.
Our plan is to design an onboard camera to help find a solution to stop the baboons being shot and protect Rynauw's livelihood.
VAN DEN HEEVER: At this stage, I think the cameras are basically my last hope.
I think I'm gonna get a much better idea how to cope with them in the future and don't have these kind of losses because we can't carry on like this.
BUCHANAN: It's not possible to test cameras on these shy wild baboons.
So for our camera design phase, we're off to a nearby wildlife sanctuary.
Tech expert Chris is hoping the hand-reared baboons here will be less timid.
And they certainly are.
WATTS: It is quite unusual work conditions.
Oof, oof.
BUCHANAN: Chris thinks the best option is for the camera to be worn around the baboon's neck.
But he's concerned about their rather distinctive facial features.
WATTS: What I noticed is their faces are very long.
I'm quite concerned that the chin might get in the shot.
But really, we've just got to try it now and see what we get.
BUCHANAN: Easier said than done.
WATTS: Are you gonna wear a camera?
BUCHANAN: The baboons might be used to people, but they're not used to wearing collars.
WATTS: Um, hmm.
We just sort of make it into a bit of a game.
BUCHANAN: Eventually Chris finds a volunteer.
But as feared, the camera shows mostly chin.
Over the next few days, Chris adjusts the cameras until he gets the results he wants.
WATTS: You can see we've got the bottom of the chin just here and the lens there.
It was pretty much perfect.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: Time to send the baboon-cams to scientist Leah.
♪♪ FINDLAY: All right, let's see what we've got.
This is cool.
To see this on a wild baboon, what they're doing day to day, yeah, that's really exciting.
BUCHANAN: We just need to get our custom-built camera onto a baboon.
FINDLAY: I'm stuck!
BUCHANAN: Leah sets a trap baited with the baboons' beloved butternuts.
FINDLAY: When something pushes down on the cable, it'll pull the latch out and the door will slide shut.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: As night falls, we have our first baboon -- a female.
The vet anaesthetizes her and fits the camera.
♪♪ Over the coming days, Leah catches and puts cameras on more baboons.
♪♪ FINDLAY: There we go!
♪♪ BUCHANAN: As the new day dawns, we get our first glimpse into the lives of these secretive animals.
♪♪ They slept in the trees for safety.
Now they're sunbathing to warm up.
♪♪ ♪♪ FINDLAY: [ Laughs ] VAN DEN HEEVER: That's beautiful footage, yeah.
FINDLAY: She's having a good look at it, isn't she?
VAN DEN HEEVER: So this is basically her eyes now.
Whatever we're seeing now, it's like through their eyes.
FINDLAY: Yeah.
Yeah.
Considering this has only been on overnight she's not bothered by it, is she?
VAN DEN HEEVER: Not at all.
There, this one's grooming now.
FINDLAY: Grooming's the way they socialize, so I think she might be a more dominant female.
[ Baboon shrieks ] BUCHANAN: It's wonderful to finally see the baboon's world.
But will this teach Leah and Rynauw how to keep them off the crops?
FINDLAY: Oh, fence!
VAN DEN HEEVER: Not even jumping over it, just going through it.
FINDLAY: Yeah, just straight through.
She pulled it down and she went through.
It's like it's not even there.
VAN DEN HEEVER: These fences, to be honest, I don't think you're gonna stop them at all.
My opinion.
[ Both laugh ] BUCHANAN: Does anything put the baboons off?
♪♪ One of our cameras gives us a clue.
VAN DEN HEEVER: And now they're running.
Across a nice open area.
FINDLAY: Yeah.
VAN DER HEEVER: It's a road.
FINDLAY: Which suggests that they don't like being in it.
That's definitely something that we can think about in terms of the crops.
BUCHANAN: Leah thinks an empty space around the crops would be a better barrier than a fence.
And soon we get more inside information.
It's dry season, so the rivers have dried up.
The baboons are digging for water.
But there is an easier way to get a drink.
Why bother digging when there's a water trough?
FINDLAY: Has the camera gone underwater?
VAN DEN HEEVER: Yeah.
FINDLAY: Is it waterproof?
VAN DEN HEEVER: It would have to be.
FINDLAY: I'm just thinking about.
you know, keeping water points away from the crops, 'cause maybe having the water close to the crops is, you know, drawing them in.
BUCHANAN: Leah and Rynauw have made some important discoveries, but they still don't know why the baboons have stopped raiding the squash.
They're keen to see what the baboons are eating.
They're rummaging in the leaf litter, looking for plants and insects, but there's not much on offer.
♪♪ One lucky baboon finds a root.
Another takes the last few berries on a bush.
♪♪ Even other animals' droppings are on the menu.
It's a good source of seeds.
Seeing how little food is around, it's even more surprising that the baboons are choosing not to raid the crops right now.
But, as the baboons move into an area of palm forest, our cameras give us a clue.
This place is full of fruit.
♪♪ VAN DEN HEEVER: When it goes like this, it's basically every time they put a fruit in their mouth.
And it feels like so she's gonna feed you.
FINDLAY: Yeah.
VAN DEN HEEVER: Feeding me now.
It's the same kind of fruit.
She's gonna have that roundish fruit to eat.
BUCHANAN: This fruit could be the key.
It's from an ilala palm.
They take up to four years to ripen and fall to the ground.
And when they do, there are thousands of them.
It's a feast.
The baboons are choosing this wild fruit over the butternuts.
VAN DEN HEEVER: When there's enough feeding and stuff, they prefer to use their natural food.
FINDLAY: When there's plenty out there, they don't come in.
VAN DEN HEEVER: They don't.
FINDLAY: Yeah.
You could plant more of these trees that have their natural food that maybe they prefer.
You know, that might be an option.
BUCHANAN: The peak time for crop raiding is the dry season when there's little other food around.
If Rynauw could plant bushes and trees that fruit in the dry season, it might get the baboons through this hunger gap and keep them off his fields.
Our cameras reveal a wide range of the baboons' favorite fruit and berries, showing Rynauw exactly what to plant.
FINDLAY: I think we've definitely learned some new things.
VAN DEN HEEVER: We learned a lot.
FINDLAY: Yeah.
VAN DEN HEEVER: Yeah.
FINDLAY: Does this make you feel any differently about the baboons, having a baboons'-eye view?
VAN DEN HEEVER: Feeling more sorry for them actually.
FINDLAY: Oh, really?
VAN DEN HEEVER: Yeah.
FINDLAY: Why is that?
VAN DEN HEEVER: It's their natural environment, so there has to be space for everybody.
BUCHANAN: Leah has gained new insights into the feeding habits of the baboons.
These will be crucial to her effort to solve this tricky conflict, finding a peaceful way for farmers and baboons to coexist.
♪♪ ♪♪ Back in Namibia, 700 miles away, we've been putting our cameras on three orphaned cheetahs.
VAN VUUREN: Okay.
BUCHANAN: Fantastic.
There we go.
Their surrogate mom, Marlice, wants to know if they can hunt for themselves in the bush.
We've seen some encouraging signs.
Oh, she's seen something.
They're all up on their feet heading off in that direction, I can't see what they can see.
But until now, the cameras have captured near misses, no successful hunts.
♪♪ ♪♪ Several months on, Marlice is still using our cameras to see how their hunting is coming on.
Odyssey flushes a warthog.
VAN VUUREN: And the warthog is one of the animals that they are the most scared of.
BUCHANAN: The tusks on these powerful pigs can kill.
Just in time, he realizes it's a mistake to follow a warthog into the bush.
VAN VUUREN: [ Laughs ] He did give up.
BUCHANAN: A bat-eared fox.
♪♪ VAN VUUREN: It's just amazing, that.
I mean, I didn't even know that they go for bat-eared foxes if it wasn't for the camera.
BUCHANAN: Shiloh and Wonder move in from each side.
And the cameras capture their deadly strike.
VAN VUUREN: With the cameras and with technology like this, it just proves that actually without a mom, without an adult showing them how to do it and with opportunities, they can actually learn.
BUCHANAN: By working together, they're becoming a formidable hunting trio.
And their choice of prey is getting better.
Springbok are one of the fastest of all African animals.
But up against cheetahs, this one has little chance of escape.
♪♪ Success at last.
The right prey and the perfect technique.
VAN VUUREN: I can see that they are ready.
They've learned a lot.
They are ready.
And they're working in a coalition as two females and a male together and making their hunt successful.
That helps me to kind of cut the umbilical cord and know that they're actually ready.
They can go.
Yeah, it's really impressive to see and I'm so proud of them.
BUCHANAN: Our cameras have given us an insight that otherwise would be impossible to see, and it's the cheetahs themselves that have given us their view of their world.
They have taken us with them deep into the African bush.
The cameras have shown Marlice that her three young cubs can fend for themselves.
♪♪ And our new insights into the lives of cheetahs could help us to better protect these incredible big cats.
♪♪ BUCHANAN: For our next mission we're trying to solve a mystery about a giant of the ocean.
There is nothing easy about this.
We'll get to the heart of the ancient conflict between sheep and wolf.
And we'll search for an animal I have never seen before.
Oh, wow.
CAGAN: Oh, oh, wow!
BUCHANAN: This is their footage, their story, and we're going to see it through their eyes.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ To learn more about what you've seen on this "Nature" program, visit pbs.org.
♪♪