Get an inside look at day-to-day life in one of South Africa’s closely guarded rhino orphanages. As poaching continues to decimate rhino populations, some particularly vulnerable victims are left behind: calves orphaned when their mothers are killed. It takes a dedicated team of wildlife heroes to save these traumatised youngsters. Special thanks to: http://www.earthorganization.org/projects/rhino-orphanage/ https://www.facebook.com/rhinoorphanage

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Tiniest poaching victims find home & family at Africa’s rhino orphanages

The Tasmanian devil is a tough creature with a fearsome reputation. In its natural habitat it has no predators, yet devil numbers are plummeting. Cancerous facial tumours caused by devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) are decimating wild populations of these carnivorous marsupials. But there is hope! In this Earth Touch Insider, we discover how the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and partner organisations like Toledo Zoo are fighting to save this iconic predator from extinction. Toledo Zoo: http://www.toledozoo.org/ Save The Tasmanian Devil Program: http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf

Racing to save the Tasmanian devil

It is inconceivable to imagine Africa without its elephants. Yet as poaching reaches critical levels, we are heading ever-closer to that grim reality. We take an in-depth look at why the demand for ivory skyrocketed, how the illegal wildlife trade is a threat to global security and what is being done to save Africa’s elephants from extinction. EIA: https://eia-international.org/ Wildlife Direct: http://wildlifedirect.org/ WildAid: http://www.wildaid.org/

A brief history of the ivory trade

Africa’s vultures are in trouble. The poisoning of poached elephant carcasses means that these birds are dying in huge numbers. Here’s an inside look at what it takes to rehabilitate these truly remarkable animals.

Saving Namibia's endangered vultures

They’ve been called the world’s most trafficked animal you’ve never heard of. Pangolins are notoriously difficult to rehabilitate and release, but one woman in Namibia is getting it right, thanks to lessons learned from one of these scaly anteaters. Meet Katiti! Rare and Endangered Species Trust, Namibia: http://www.restafrica.org/ 

Meet the pangolin who’s teaching humans about his own kind

We’re going behind the scenes this week to film groundbreaking beak surgery that will give an African penguin a second chance at life in the wild. After being hit by a car and left with a fractured, disfigured beak, the bird will get a prosthetic replacement – but there’s a catch. It needs to make a 900-mile journey to a specialist centre first.

Prosthetic Beak Surgery for Endangered Penguin

Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, but that isn’t stopping humans from exploiting these apes to devastating levels. In this episode of Insider, we take a look at the pet and bushmeat trades, and visit a sanctuary for those chimps lucky enough to be rescued from this fate.

Hope for rescued chimpanzees in the DRC

Meet Dr Angelo Lambiris, one of the few people in the world who perform intricate surgery on reptiles and amphibians. In this episode of Insider, Dr Lambiris operates on an obese Bosc monitor lizard and discovers an inoperable cancerous tumour in its intestine.

Surgery on obese monitor lizard uncovers cancerous tumour

We take our cameras inside two Thailand sanctuaries for rescued and injured slow lorises to meet the vets and volunteers dealing firsthand with the consequences of the illegal trade in these threatened primates. They might be some of the most adorable creatures on earth, but that cuteness has put slow lorises at serious risk from the exotic pet industry. Additional footage courtesy of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand : http://www.wfft.org/, Love Wildlife Foundation, Thailand http://www.lovewildlife.org/

Meet the wildlife warriors saving the world's cutest primate

We took our cameras into the field recently to film an innovative surgery on a lioness: a hysterectomy. Lion populations in small game reserves need to be closely regulated – but how do you manage this without upsetting the natural balance or resorting to culling? Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa is solving this problem by performing partial hysterectomies on female lions.

Lion Hysterectomy

Follow conservationists on a rescue mission to free bears imprisoned in a bear bile farm in China. Kept in tiny cages and mutilated by horrific surgical procedures, the animals have endured a life of immeasurable suffering. As the team, headed by Dr. Jill Robinson, races to save the bears’ lives and relocate them to the sanctuary of Animals Asia, we get an inside look at the bear bile industry and what’s being done to stop it If you missed Part 1 watch it here. ANIMALS ASIA FOUNDATION 

The Plight of Asian Bears Part 2: The Horrors of Bile Farming

Asia's bears are in trouble. Habitat loss, the pet trade, a demand for their body parts and the cruel practice of bear bile farming for traditional medicine are threatening their survival. In part 1 of this Insider on Asian bears, we delve into the horrors of the illegal pet trade in Thailand and Malaysia and take a closer look at the sanctuaries that are working to rescue these creatures from a life of suffering. Watch Part 2 here. BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTRE ANIMALS ASIA FOUNDATION WFFT 

The Plight of Asian Bears Part 1: The Pet Trade

Shark finning is a hot topic in marine conservation but it is also one rife with inaccuracies and misconceptions. In Part 1 of this special Insider on shark conservation, we take a closer look at the wasteful and cruel practice of shark finning and what is being done to regulate this multibillion-dollar industry. From a team of marine CSIs to new laws restricting international trade, is there hope for dwindling global shark populations? Trophy Hunting Footage © NBC Sports Shark Hunters

Shark Finning vs Shark Fishing - Part 1

It’s no holiday for the gibbons of Thailand. Habitat loss, poaching for traditional medicine and the cruel capture of baby gibbons for both the pet and tourism trade have left all but one species threatened or endangered. Luckily the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Phuket is looking to change this. Join us as we tour the sanctuary and meet the Gibbons that have been saved from the cruel fate of the tourism trade.

Victims of the trade: Gibbon rescue in Thailand

Marine biologists must undertake the gory task of dissecting a spinner dolphin when it washes up on a beach in Thailand. Finding a cause of death in important as dolphins are an indicator species - a barometer of the ocean’s health. Be warned, it is a bloody affair as Dr. Patcharaporn Kaewong of the Phuket Marine Endangered Society scrutinizes every part of the dolphin searching for an explanation.

Dissecting a dolphin to find cause of death

Get facts and insights into some of the biggest issues affecting wildlife and wild habitats across the globe … one in-depth insider look at a time.

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