- [Mark] Coyote, why so nervous?
- Well, today I'm gonna enter an enclosure
with a serval, which is a feisty little Savannah cat.
And I'm gonna attempt to feet it this bucket of chicken.
It's either gonna end really well or really badly.
(cat hisses)
(wild drum music)
The rolling grasslands of South Africa
visually define this epic landscape
and set the tone for a series of epic adventures
the Brave Wilderness crew and I would embark upon.
This is big country, and with it comes big animals.
In fact, the world's largest land-dwelling animals
can all be found here, including African elephants,
white rhinos, and hippos.
Aside from these massive herbivores,
there are also a fair share of stealthy carnivores.
Sure, we all know lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
But what about the smaller, more secretive felines?
Today, the crew and I are visiting the Kariega Game Reserve.
This internationally-renowned site
is set amongst 10,000 hectares
of pristine African wilderness.
And their conservation programs
are some of the best in the country.
Currently, they are working to reintroduce the serval,
a medium-sized spotted wildcat
that has become completely extinct in the Eastern Cape
due to habitat loss and hunting.
I will be working alongside Jo.
Considered the mother of servals,
she is one member of a conservation team
whose ultimate goal is to successfully breed
and reintroduce this species to the reserve.
Alright guys, so in this bag, I have a dead bird
that we found the other day out in the field.
What I'm gonna do is enter this enclosure
and attempt to feed it to a serval.
I have this pole here and this bird here.
I also have, and go ahead, duck down,
I also have a piece of twine in my backpack.
What I'm gonna do is build a good old-fashioned cat toy.
That's a dead bird, right there.
Now, I'm gonna actually tie the rope around its feet.
Alright, so there you go, bird on one end.
Tie this twine
to the snare pole.
Okay, get that secured on there like that.
- [Mark] Now, you said you were nervous.
Is this a wild serval?
- It's a serval that's been raised in captivity,
but you have to keep in mind that
this still is a ferocious little animal.
I would consider this the bobcat of South Africa.
They're a little bit bigger than a bobcat,
but they are completely spring-loaded.
So we've got the bird set up on there.
Now I'm gonna actually position a GoPro
on the stick as well so we can get some epic shots
of the serval jumping up, trying to get the bird.
Alright, I've got a good shot there.
Bird dangling from the stick
and I think we are ready to enter the serval's enclosure.
Entering the enclosure of an animal,
especially an athletic predator like the serval,
is incredibly nerve-wracking.
Therefore, it was important that we stay quiet
and calm, so that the cat could acclimate to our presence.
There they are, they're starting to come out,
getting ready to eat.
Alright, Mario, go ahead and zoom in there and get a shot.
Wow, what a beautiful feline.
- [Jo] That's the female.
- [Coyote] That's the female.
That's Sky, her name's Sky.
- [Jo] That's Sky, yep.
- [Coyote] That's Sky, Phoenix is just
in the background there.
Look at that short tail, short bobbed tail
with rings around it, and look at that coat.
It's like a mix between a leopard and an ocelot.
Alright, well, it looks like the servals are ready to play.
So I'm gonna head into the enclosure
and see if we can get up close.
- [Mark] Who's growling, is that her?
- [Jo] Yeah.
- [Coyote] Hey, kitty!
- [Jo] Yeah, just go a touch closer.
- [Coyote] Yep.
- [Jo] She might want to take that.
- [Coyote] This way--
(serval hisses)
- [Jo] Ooh, that's a nice one.
- [Coyote] Ooh, there's a grr, take it.
Listen to that hissing sound.
What a beautiful animal.
Now real quick, before we get into
trying to tempt it with the bird,
take a look at the anatomy of this cat.
They're disproportionate when it comes to
front leg to back leg, their back legs
are actually bigger than their front legs.
They are completely spring-loaded.
What they will do is slowly slink through the grasses
and then as they scare up a bird,
they will leap into the air and grab a hold of it
with their hands, pull it down
with their claws, and then have a feast.
(serval growls)
- [Coyote] Oh, listen to those sounds!
Hi, kitty!
Oh, yes, look at those teeth!
Look at how big its ears are.
They have an excellent sense of hearing.
Even the smallest vibration in the grasses,
they can pick up.
That can be a little bird, it could be a little mouse,
even a lizard, and then they creep in and pounce.
As compared to their body size
and other cats, they have the largest ears
of any feline out there in the wild.
That is so cool.
I love the patterning in the coat: stripes and spots.
Helps them keep perfectly camouflaged
in between the light and the shadows of tall grasses.
This is a Savannah cat.
You'll oftentimes find them hunting by day,
but based on what sort of prey item
they're going after, they will also hunt at night.
Excellent eyesight, excellent sense of smell,
excellent sense of hearing.
Look at you.
(serval hisses)
Okay, now we've got her interested in the bird on a stick.
This is how I play with my cat at home.
Actually, I don't have a cat, but if I did,
this is exactly what I would do.
There's a bird! There's a bird.
Get it.
Ooh, pow, pow, pow!
You got it! Pow!
- [Jo] That's what they would do with snakes as well.
Hit it on the head, get it confused, and then...
- [Coyote] Oh! Got the bird.
Just like that, got the bird.
Ripped the legs right off of it.
Look at that.
That's okay.
Those little legs will still work as a good little treat.
Let me see if I can crouch in a little bit closer.
Oh, she says no, this is my bird.
Okay, I'll stay right here.
Look at that, feathers and all.
Just scarfing that bird down.
Ooh, its head fell off!
You give me back that head.
Oh, give me the head.
Give me the head.
Do you see how she's whacking at the stick?
That's exactly what they'll do to their prey.
Whap, whap, whap with those paws.
Look, there's still some drumsticks.
There's the drumsticks.
You know, my good friend Steve Kroschel
taught me how to talk to animals.
Let's see if I can call the serval in.
Ready?
(Coyote meows)
(serval hisses)
- [Coyote] Oh, here you go.
Here you go.
(serval hisses)
Those were some epic shots.
Holy cow, that was cool, okay.
We put a little bit more bait on the end of the string.
Let's see if we can go another round.
- That's a feisty cat.
- Okay, guys.
I have the ultimate cat toy right here.
Check that out.
That is chicken all wound up with the twine.
This one's not gonna be as easy for her to get away from me,
so hopefully we're gonna get some more epic shots.
Here we go.
I am moving in
to play a game of cat and chicken.
Hi, sweetie.
There we go, let's see.
(serval hisses)
- [Coyote] Oh yeah, that one's not as easy to get, is it?
You're gonna have to chomp on that one, huh?
Oh, there you go.
See if you wanna jump for it.
Look, Sky.
Now, if she's gonna kill a snake, like a puff adder,
this is exactly what she would wanna do.
Rip it up with her claws so she would avoid a bite.
Wow, it's amazing how she just
pats at the chicken like that.
She's just gonna chew the chicken out from around the twine.
Oh, she's almost got it now.
Got those claws lashed in, you can see
those retractable claws coming out.
Alright, give it back, give it back.
No, don't eat the whole thing!
She is all claws into that.
Oh there, I got it back.
Yep, you got it all.
That's it.
Wow.
Well how cool was that?
Entering an enclosure and getting to feed a serval.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
Okay, I'm gonna back up real slow.
Since 2012, the Kariega Game Reserve
and the Kariega Foundation have been working to reintroduce
servals to the wilds of their conservation area.
Upon the filming of this episode,
there were rumors that one of the females was pregnant.
And sure enough, just a few days after our visit,
a healthy litter of kittens were born.
These future Savannah stalkers are currently growing strong.
And in just a matter of months, they will be released,
ultimately defining this conservation effort
as an incredible success.
Looking back on that snarly feline face,
I feel fortunate to have been given the chance
to get up close with one of South Africa's
most impressive cats.
And I hope that this litter of servals
will flourish for generations to come.
Hey, Coyote Pack!
I have some exciting news.
I am proud to announce that the crew and I
are headed back on tour with Brave Wilderness Live.
Our next shows take place in the Midwest.
Tickets can be purchased at the Brave Wilderness website,
and these shows are certain to sell out,
so make sure that you reserve your seats today.
And don't forget, subscribe so you can join me
and the crew on our next big adventure.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave!
(audience cheers)
(animal roars)