"There is something missing from our world." "The amazing animals that time has left behind." "But what if we could bring them back?" "What if extinction didn't have to be for ever?" "We're going back in time on a safari with a difference as wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into prehistory to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction." "His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance." "This time he's going back to prehistoric South America in search of Giant Killer Birds and ferocious Sabre Tooth Cats." "Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary." "Welcome to Prehistoric Park." "Prehistoric Park is a huge reserve with a wide range of habitats to house the animals that Nigel brings back." "After several successful rescue missions, the Park is filling up nicely with creatures not seen for millions of years." "Most of them have adjusted to their new environment, though a few have had some...teething problems." "At least the Park's newest residents, a herd of giant Titanosaurs, seem to be settling in well... for the moment." "Now Nigel's got cats on his mind." "Not your household tabby variety, but big ones like this cheetah." "Cats are some of nature's most efficient killers, but even they need protecting and that's got Nigel thinking about what animals to bring back next." "The sad thing is the populations of cheetahs are minuscule in comparison to the past." "Their habitats have been destroyed and it's important to build up breeding populations in captivity." "But in the past, there Were 30 species of big cats and I Would love to have one or two species for Prehistoric Park." "Maybe We can even breed an extinct cat." "Despite such a huge selection of big cats, it doesn't take Nigel long to narrow down his choices." "This is a Giant Cheetah, the same size and Weight as a lion." "Imagine seeing that running at full pelt!" "And this, the Thylacoleo, a Marsupial Lion, a lion With a pouch, the babies actually grew in the pouch." "And it Was a brilliant climber." "It climbed in the trees, and When prey Walked underneath, it Would leap down and ambush them." "But for me, there's one choice." "The cat l must save from extinction is the most famous prehistoric cat of all." "This has been my prized possession since I Was a little kid." "It's the skull of a Sabre Tooth Cat, the most famous extinct cat." "Those teeth are aWe-inspiring." "Palaeontologists are pretty certain how Sabre Tooths used them." "They got onto their prey's throat and sliced through the major blood vessels and crushed the Windpipe in one bite." "That meant the prey couldn't attack back, couldn't injure them." "This is a really ingenious killing technique." "To find a living Sabre Tooth Cat," "Nigel needs to go back to a very different world." "A million years ago," "Sabre Tooths were the top predators in North America." "As they spread down to South America, they were fast taking over from one of the strangest predators the world has ever known, a ten-foot-tall Killer Bird." "Have a look at this." "Look at this." "A Phorusrhacid, a group of flesh-eating birds named Terror Birds." "This is a life-size representation." "It dwarfs me and if I can go back a million years, I may be able to get Sabre Tooth Cats and one or two of these." "And imagine having this at Prehistoric Park!" "Even for bird-lover Nigel, catching the ten-foot Terror Bird could be a very tall order." "But when Nigel has a mind to do something, nothing will stop him." "An outlook shared by the Park's largest residents, the Titanosaurs." "No fence will hold a hungry Titanosaur in search of his next meal." "Control Room, come in, Control Room!" "I'm not gonna get that fixed in a hurry." "I'm just gonna have to let them roam about the Park for a bit." "They mustn't get too close to the main gate Which is Where they're heading!" "I've got to go." "Sorry!" "Oblivious to the Titanosaur break-out, Nigel's getting ready to go." "Bob, do you read?" "Over." "Come in, Bob." "What is it now, Nigel?" "As Well as the Sabre Tooths, I'm bringing back something more." "'We need a big bird cage.' l've got a serious problem here." "The Titanosaurs are heading for the park gate. I'll turn them round." "It's a big bird. lt stands ten feet, over three metres tall." "Nigel, I can hardly hear you." " 'l said I need a big bird cage.'" " A bird cage, right, right." "A ten-foot bird, it stands ten feet tall." "We need a cage for it." "There's no need for that!" "Are you getting this, Bob?" "I hope he got that lt seems not all modern plants agree with the Titanosaurs' prehistoric stomachs." "As they find some more tasty tree tops to chew on," "Nigel finally discovers what's happened." "Hello!" "What are you doing?" "Hello there!" "What are you doing out?" "(Loud grunt)" "Hey!" "Obviously, Bob's enclosure didn't hold the Titanosaurs." " Come back, you great lummox!" " He seems to be coping, though." "Nigel's about to leave on his mission to save South America's top prehistoric predators - the Sabre Tooth Cat and the Giant Terror Bird." "Park-Keeper Bob's taken one of Nigel's requests for equipment rather too literally!" "Hello, Nigel!" "Got that bird cage for you." "What's that?" "The bird I'm going for, you Wouldn't fit one of its eggs in that." "It's ten feet, three metres tall." "It towers above me." "It can't fly, so it doesn't need a top." "All right, I'll build a pen for it." "As quick as possible...because I'm going." " All right, Nigel, have a good trip." " OK, thanks." "By going back one million years, he will arrive at a time when Sabre Tooth Cats are in their prime, but the Terror Birds are on their last legs." "What other creatures will he run into as he enters this extraordinary time in South America's distant past?" "Don't forget me present!" "Aagh!" "WoW!" "I've arrived slap-bang in the middle of a herd of these big animals!" "(BelloWs loudly)" "Colliding With one of those Would really spoil your Weekend!" "I've seen these before, but I can't remember What they're called." "But they are so strange!" "Really big things." "They are so peculiar." "Let's follow them and see What they're up to." "South America has been cut off from the rest of the world for 30 million years." "In this time, all sorts of huge, outlandish creatures have been able to evolve." "Animals not found anywhere else on the planet." "I think I know What these are." "I'm pretty sure these are Toxodon." "Charles Darwin found their fossils When he came to South America in the 1 800s." "He Was the greatest naturalist that's ever lived. I've got his journal here." "What did he say about them?" "He never saw them alive like this, of course." "He just found the fossil skull and he says," ""Toxodon, perhaps one of the strangest animals ever discovered." ""Judging from the position of its eyes, ears and nostrils," ""it Was probably aquatic like Dugong and Manatee."" "But I think...these are much more like hippopotamuses." "There's one sniffing there, scenting the air." "I think We'd better move out before they notice us." "My first herd of Toxodon." "They really remind me of hippos." "They could be dangerous like hippos, the most dangerous animals in Africa." "If you get between a hippopotamus and the Water, they charge." "But I've got to have one last look." "They are superb." "They wallow in the heat of the day, just like hippos." "(Loud bellow)" "Quick, get in!" "Quick!" "It's preparing to charge again." "Got it!" "Look at the speed of that!" "What speed!" "He's accelerating now, all two tons." "We should be able to outrun him." "That is a prehistoric all-terrain vehicle, but it's not as fast as us." "It's given up, it's given up." "They're just as dangerous as a Sabre Tooth." "If you frighten a vegetarian like that and they come for you..." "Whoa!" "If the plant-eaters are this angry, what will the predators be like?" "Back at the Park, something wonderful is happening." "It looks like Nigel's dream of breeding dinosaurs is about to become true." "A female Ornithomimus, an ostrich-like dinosaur, has laid a large clutch of eggs." "Vet Suzanne has been monitoring her progress." "I've been swatting up, so I know a lot about Ornithomimus nesting now." "They're much more like birds than they are reptiles." "It mimics an ostrich and lays a large brood of eggs." "And the ones on the perimeter, they become sacrificial eggs." "An ostrich can't brood them all." "She's laid lots of eggs, but two have rolled out." "She's going to reject those, she's not going to hatch them." "I might see if I can get them." "Without heat, the two rejected eggs have no chance of hatching naturally." "Vet Suzanne is going to use modern technology to give them a helping hand." "That is, if the Ornithomimus mum lets her." "(SquaWks loudly)" "A successful egg poaching." "Now mum's calmed down, it's over to Bob for the next stage of the incubation process." "We've not got long." "We've got to keep them Warm." "Choosing the right temperature, that's the main thing." "Right..." "now, What I don't know about incubating eggs isn't Worth knowing, but I have to admit I've never incubated a dinosaur egg before." "But I'll tell you this, if We don't try something, that pair Will never hatch." "Right..." "Back in South America, one million years ago." "It used to be that the Terror Birds ruled the roost here." "Now the Sabre Tooth Cats are in their prime and it doesn't take Nigel long to spot one." "Look, down there." "It's a Sabre Tooth Cat." "My first one." "What a magnificent animal!" "They remind me so much of lions." "And there's one hunting there." "I think it's a female." "In lion society at least, the females do 90% of the hunting." "And it looks like she's using a similar technique." "They've got an amazing burst of speed, but only over short distances." "You can see she's got really stocky front legs, and that's because of animals like Toxodon that they have to bring down." "They've got big front legs and those massive teeth." "And she's charging!" "She erupted out of the grass there." "The Sabre Tooth's slashing at the throat." "It happens so quick." "It's those huge incisor teeth which make the Sabre Tooth such a successful, specialised killer." "One bite to the throat crushes the windpipe and severs the jugular." "For the poor Toxodon, it's all over very quickly." "And there's other Sabre Tooth Cats coming out." "They didn't help With the hunt." "They're coming for their share of the meal now." "I Wonder how close We can get?" "(GroWls)" "There's so much squabbling and there's some little cubs in there, too." "Look at that, six to eight Weeks old, based on lion cubs." "And that's the time When lionesses Will take them to a kill." "And they are biting down huge chunks of flesh." "And lions can take 1 1 0 pounds, 50 kilograms, at a single sitting." "That's half my Weight in meat." "Even With so many of them, that Toxodon is so big, I think they're going to take a long time to polish that off." "At last, they're leaving." "Sabre Tooth Cats must be doing really Well at the moment." "There's so much meat left on that carcass." "Leaving a ton of fresh Toxodon unattended is the surest way of attracting South America's other top predator - the Terror Bird." "What a magnificent creature!" "It must be three metres, over ten feet tall." "And that bird looks so hungry!" "And the Sabre Tooth..." "The Terror Bird has dropped the food." "And this is What happens." "The mammals outcompete the birds and that's Why the Terror Birds become extinct." "We've come back to a point in prehistory" "Where the balance of an ecosystem is changing." "The Terror Bird evolved" "When South America Was an isolated continent." "now it's nudged up closer to North America." "The Sabre Tooth Cats have come down and are outcompeting the birds." "So the Terror Bird is a perfect candidate to take back to Prehistoric Park." "But now how will he get a ten-foot-tall Killer Bird back to the Park without a cage?" "(Flies buzzing) I Want to get that meat the Terror Bird dropped." "Here goes." "Getting this close to a Sabre Tooth Cat is at best daft, at worst, deadly." "But it's a risk Nigel must take to get that Terror Bird back to Prehistoric Park." "(GroWls)" "(GroWls more fiercely)" "There's nothing like a juicy piece of steak for drawing the attention of a hungry Terror Bird." "Now he's got the bait, it's time for Nigel to put the final touches to his ingenious plan." "Come on, Mr Terror Bird!" "Here's dinner!" "(High-pitched squaWk)" "Here he comes!" "Come on." "Come closer to the bait." "That's close enough!" "Come on!" "I've got to go fast enough so he doesn't get it." "That Was a near miss then." "Look out!" "I knew you said it Would be big, but this is over the top." "You can see Why he needs a big cage." "He's nearly ten feet tall, incredible thing!" "What are We gonna feed him on?" "He Was gobbling down huge chunks of flesh and bone and hide." "All predatory birds, owls, they need roughage - feathers and fur, so if We give him that sort of stuff, he should be fine." " No point in putting some cuttlefish in?" " You'd need a big cuttlefish!" "(SquaWks)" "The following morning, there's a buzz of excitement as the Park awakens to the pitter-patter of tiny three-toed feet." "Nobody's seen a baby dinosaur for 65 million years and there's a surprise in store for Nigel and Suzanne." "I didn't expect them to be covered in fluffy down like you get With baby birds." "I guess it's to keep them Warm." "Dinosaurs and birds are closely related." "And just like birds, some baby dinos have downy feathers." "And it seems they react like birds, too." "They're quite curious, they see their reflections or something." "Let's go in, come on." "They could easily escape through the fence, but they'll stay With their mum." "Look at that." "They remind me of a little partridge or grouse." "Let's try something." "Hey." "And they just completely freeze." "If there Was a predator, they'd run in the grass, freeze and Wait till their mum calls." "They've got to have some protection system." "Yeah, they're so vulnerable, tiny, tiny dinosaurs." "Pretty cute, aren't they?" "Well, for dinosaurs." "They're so lovely." "Bob, meanwhile, is still brooding over the eggs he put in the incubator." "All the other eggs hatched Within a few hours of each other, but so far With this pair, not a thing, not a dickybird." "Suzanne doesn't think they'll hatch, but I'm not giving up." "They're too precious." "Nigel has already rescued one of South America's most ferocious predators from the brink of extinction, but the mission's not over yet." "There's one final puzzle Nigel needs to solve." "If Sabre Tooth Cats were once America's top predators, how did they end up fighting for survival?" "I'm going back to When the last Sabre Tooths Were on Earth, about 1 0,000 years ago." "Did they become extinct because they Were too specialised?" "Look at the cheetah run, but there's a price to be paid for that speed." "Being fast means the cheetah is a lightweight." "It can't defend itself against lions or even hyenas, so when food is scarce, the cheetah often loses out." "Its specialisation of running fast can actually become its weakness." "Maybe the Sabre Tooths Were over-specialised, too." "I Want to go back 1 0,000 years now and find out if that's true." "Nigel's travelling back to a time when Sabre Tooths were dying out, so he's invited big cat expert Saba Douglas-Hamilton to join him." "Together they'll try to track down the last survivors of this magnificent species." "Almost a million years after his first visit," "Nigel was expecting Sabre Tooth Cats to be thin on the ground, but he didn't expect South America's vast plains to be empty of all the large animals that used to live here." "There are no Terror Birds, no Toxodon." "There have been big climate changes since Nigel was last here, and many animals have died out as a result." "Nothing." "We've been searching all day." "It's completely different." "I came to this precise location, big herds of Toxodon." "By this time, I'd seen a big family of Sabre Tooth Cats." "Maybe there's so little prey, they've spread out and are hunting individually." "When you've got that intensive selective pressure, the animals Will have hugely extended territories and Will hunt on their own." "Even lions, When there's not much food, have territories up to 1 50 square miles." "I reckon, if that is the case, We'll have to change our plan." "We're not covering enough ground, so if We split up and look on foot, We've got a better chance." "Travelling on foot is the only way to explore some of the target terrain." "But now it will have to wait till morning." "(Distant cries)" "The following day, Saba makes an early start to see if she can pick up the trail of the last Sabre Tooth Cats." "I'm hoping We'll dissect some animal trails, maybe see some footprints, but most importantly, I can hear the sound of alarm calls from other animals." "The only problem is that," "With Sabre Tooths right on the brink of extinction, it's really a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack." "Elsewhere, the eerie lack of large animals is beginning to get to Nigel." "I preferred it a million years ago." "At least there Were Sabre Tooths around and you knew Where you stood, but now they're so scarce." "Where are they?" "Meanwhile, Saba gets a whiff of her first clue." "Hey, look at this." "This has got to be Sabre Tooth Cat." "Yes, it's been scraping the ground to try and cover it up." "I bet the Sabre Tooths love this place." "Look at all the shade and high rocks, so they can sit up and look out over the plain for any prey." "It's full of hide, all bits of hair and bone as Well." "I think this cat's had to scavenge, eating little bits and pieces from any old carcass it finds." "On the other trail, Nigel's definitely being stalked..." "But by what?" "There's a rustling." "No, I can see it." "It's not a Sabre Tooth." "(Laughs)" "An armadillo." "And a million years ago, there Would have been giant ones." "Of course, they're extinct now, and these smaller armadillos are the only things around." "But What an extraordinary creature!" "It looks really prehistoric anyway." "Let's let you go." "Off you go." "When Saba makes a discovery of her own, sadly, it's not the one she was hoping for." "There's something in the grass up ahead." "Oh, no, I hope that's not What I think it is!" "Oh!" "Oh, no!" "Oh, Saba!" "Poor thing." "(Saba) lt's only about two months old." "There's no sign of disease." "He's just skin and bones." "He's just died of starvation." "If the mother can't provide enough milk for a tiny cub, she must be in a bad Way." "Doesn't bode at all Well." "Poor little guy." "Although distressing, the discovery of the dead cub has given Nigel and Saba a valuable clue." "The cub's mother must be around here somewhere, but where?" "As dusk approaches, it will become too dangerous to continue tracking her, but Nigel's got another trick up his sleeve." "This could Work." "Cats are nocturnal." "This is a camera With a motion sensor." "If a cat Walks along this trail, it looks pretty Well used, We may catch it on tape." "Big cats can see six times better than We can at night." "That's When they do most of their hunting, so a camera that can see through the darkness gives us our best chance." "Whatever happens With the camera trap, I'll get up at first light to see if I can track down the mother." "My concern is, considering What happened to the cub, she'll be in poor condition." "We've got to be really careful because I've seen Sabre Tooth Cats hunting and they are formidable predators With full stomachs." "If there's one that's injured, one that's really hungry," "We've really got to Watch our backs." "Later in the night, a sensor from the camera trap picks up some movement." "Something is definitely out there." "(GroWls)" "The camera's toppled over, so it looks like something's been here." "And there's a musky mammalian smell, so it could be a cat, and if We're lucky, it's a Sabre Tooth." "This is fantastic stuff." "And here it's checking out this camera." "Right into the lens there." "It just swiped the camera With its paw." "That's Why it Was toppled over like that." "It's not a female, it's a male." "It's spraying all over the camera." "You see the family jewels there." "That's terrific news." "Saba's tracking a female." "If We can get the male as Well, We can get a pair back to Prehistoric Park." "The mission is back on track." "And the trail is about to get very warm for Saba." "She's definitely hunting." "Look, here We've got fresh tracks, very fresh tracks." "She must've gone up on to higher ground." "(GroWls)" "OK..." "Just don't move." "Keep looking her in the eye." "She's looking pretty upset." "(GroWls)" "OK..." "She's pretty angry." "We're going to have to think about getting out of here." "We're in trouble." "Her mood's changing." "She's thinking about hunting us, so We'll have to start backing away slowly now." "(Radio crackles)" "(Nigel) 'Saba!" "Come in, Saba!" "'" "She's gone." "Oh, phew!" "That Was close." " 'Saba, do you read?" "Over.'" " Nigel, come in." "how's it going With the female?" "Are you still tracking her?" "Yeah, it's been pretty interesting up here." "Could you come up and join me?" "'l'll be there as soon as I can.'" "As Nigel catches up with Saba, she's already pinpointed the female Sabre Tooth to a lower ridge where it's stalking some unusual prey." "We've got the female down there and she's hunting a deer of some species." "But she's got about as close as she's going to get now." " l think she's going to go for it." " lt's such strange prey for her." "Those big, sturdy legs and amazing teeth are for catching big animals like Toxodon." " This isn't What she'd normally go for." " Definitely not." "They Were hunting really big megaherbivores." "She hasn't paid any attention to Wind direction." "(Nigel) She's getting close." "(Saba) lt's caught her scent, but she's going for it anyway." "(Saba sighs)" "Missed it." "She Was totally outclassed and totally outsprinted." "They're just not designed to catch fast-moving prey like that." "(Saba) Poor thing." "It's finally become clear why the Sabre Tooth Cats are on the brink of extinction." "There's no big prey animals, no Toxodon any more, none of these megaherbivores." "And Sabre Tooth, those Weapons for slicing through the jugular, crushing the Windpipe, they're specialised to take out big prey that Weigh more than they do" "and they are not designed to outrun small deer and gazelle." "(GroWls)" "Nigel and Saba follow the exhausted female back to her den and another discovery." "(Nigel) She's sniffing." "I don't think she's caught OUR scent." "She's looking for something." "(Plaintive cries)" "Did you hear that?" "She's calling." "When lions make that call in the back of their throat, it's often for their cubs." "is she calling for the dead one?" "(Nigel) No, she's not." "Look, there's a tiny head in the grass." "Look, she's picking up another cub." "He's in a bad Way though." "(High-pitched cries)" "The cub's calling back, but I can't hear any other sounds." "I think she's only got one living one." "(Saba) Look, it's nuzzling." "Doesn't look like it's getting any milk at all. I think she must be dry." "They're in such a pitiful state." "(Cries of anguish) lt's so distressing to Watch." "We've got to try to dart her, get the cub, get them back to Prehistoric Park." "Suzanne the vet may be able to pull them round." "That's What We need to do." "But as they fetch the Jeep to tranquillise the stricken Sabre Tooths, there's an unexpected change of plan." "It's the young male that Nigel saw on the camera trap and his presence is an unsettling one." "Do you think he's going to be a danger to the cub, Saba?" "Yeah, this is really bad news." "If Sabre Tooths are like modern lions, this male being so far inside the female's territory means he Won't have any qualms about killing her cub." "It brings the female back into season so he can mate With her immediately." "The female's close by and in no condition to protect her cub." "They're in real danger." "So We should dart the male first?" "Absolutely." "We've not got any other option." "To be able to tranquillise the male Sabre Tooth, they need to get much closer." "If they fail, the lives of the female and her only cub hang in the balance." "Look, it's coming straight towards us." "Just time check." "(GroWls)" " Good shot." " Got him!" "(Nigel) how long Will the tranquilliser take to Work?" "I gave him a small dose because of his size, so about ten minutes." "But We've really got to Watch him now." " He's moving in that direction." " Something's over there." "(GroWls)" "Back at Prehistoric Park, there have been disagreements among some residents." "Last week, the two teenage T-Rex clashed over territory and had to be forced apart." "OK, two, three!" "Now Bob is putting the finishing touches to a dividing wall to keep them apart." "Although exactly the same age," "Matilda, the sister, is larger and more aggressive than her brother Terence." "Now the dividing wall is complete," "Terence is being let back into the enclosure." "On his return, Matilda appears to be even more hostile." "It looks like the wall could be a potential life-saver for poor Terence." "(low growling)" "In Bob's shed, there are still no signs of life from the incubator." "Back in South America, the tranquillised Sabre Tooth male is safely loaded on to the Jeep." "Now Nigel and Saba plan to tranquillise the female and her cub, so that all three cats can enjoy a better life at Prehistoric Park." "But as they near the female's den, they realise something is tragically wrong." "(Nigel) The cub, it's not moving at all." "The mum's nuzzling it." "No, there's absolutely no response." "(Nigel) I think We're too late, just too late." "The cub's gone." "(Faint groWls)" "Starvation has killed her cubs and it's killing her, too." "Saba must act fast to save her." "(Gunshot)" "Once the female is tranquillised," "Nigel and Saba are ready to take both the adults back to the sanctuary of Prehistoric Park." "But it's not quite the happy ending they were hoping for." "Back at the Park, vet Suzanne has been working round the clock for two weeks, nursing the female Sabre Tooth back to health." "And she's cautiously optimistic about the future." "She seems to be OK." "She's got a bit of a Way to go." "She Was really emaciated." "When Nigel found her, she Was feeding her cubs." "Producing milk is an energy-demanding process, so it took a lot out of her." "Hopefully now that she's not feeding her cub, she'll put some Weight back on." "We really hope she is still a reproductively active female, and she's not too old, Which is a real concern." "We're really hoping that they do manage to mate successfully and then We'll get some cubs." "That's What We really hope for." "Meanwhile, someone else in the Park is celebrating the joys of parenthood." "(Bob) What a racket!" "Look, Will you two pipe down?" "now behave yourselves." "Come on!" "I knew I could do it." "I had the temperature too low." "But these two have finally hatched out." "Come on, quick sharp!" "now the little rascals are following me everywhere!" "I Was the first thing they saw When they broke out of their shells." "now they think I'm their mam." "They're imprinting on me." "Some more?" "All right, just a little bit." "You must have hollow legs!" "Come on." "Imprinting is common in many modern-day bird species." "It's a survival mechanism which ensures that chicks stay close to the first thing they see after hatching, normally their mother, in this case, Bob." "It's not easy being a mother, you know!" "Go on, eh?" "It's been a time of upheaval, but calm has returned once more to Prehistoric Park." "The Titanosaurs are happy with their new-found freedom and are taking advantage of Bob having more important things to worry about." "The South American predators, the Sabre Tooth Cats and the Giant Terror Bird, are regaining their former strength and healthy appetites." "(Nigel) Bob, they're sticking to you like glue, the Ornithomimus." "And the Park's latest arrivals seem very happy with their new mum" " Bob!" "Next time, Nigel travels back further than he's ever gone before to a time when giant creepy-crawlies ruled the world." "And Suzanne plays Cupid to two very reluctant Sabre Tooths." "But for now, all eyes are on the T-Rex pen." "Unless Matilda calms down, things are going to get very dangerous at Prehistoric Park."