Body full of polka dots that resembles a leopard
White stripes printed clearly on the forehead
Definitely appearance of wildcats, the best predators of the ecosystem!
Yet,
normal wildcats would have thrown themselves at the chickens
but, these two wildcats are shivering in a corner
Moreover…
have a round body that would burst upon touching it
and a fat belly which is very unlikely as wildcats
Vet: They are wildcats. They seem a bit chubby but, they don’t have the need to move
and since they don’t have much movement, they’re currently pretty chubby
They’re wildcats that should be enjoying the wilderness, but why are they here?
Vet: They came in at our center due to car accidents about 2 years ago…
The two of them were found at separate spots, wounded from car accidents
They were in bad condition to a point they couldn’t steady themselves
Although they have become healthy being taken care of at the center
but lost their wildness, eating food given to them which got them gain weight
Yet!
Vet: Recently they have been showing changes in their behavior
so we’re planning on sending them back to the wild
Recently, they’ve both been showing much wariness
It’s a big change compared to when they first came in, showing no reaction even to people approaching
So, they have prepared a diet project for the fatty wildcat sisters!
At the training cage that has incarnated the nature as much as possible
Training for their diet and recovery of wildness has begun.
Now the only thing left is for them to adapt well
How will they react to smelling
the smell of wildness in 2 years?
At that moment
the little one runs out like a bolt!
The bigger fella follows after the little one soon after
Yet..?
They take refuge in the corner of the cage and won’t budge
Perhaps they need some time…
But,
the amazing changes began at night.
The fella shows the appearance of a predator, walking stealthily lowering her body!
Vet: I think she’s somewhat adapted
I think we’ll have to train them in a form that draws movements with a simulated game
The wildcats showed amazing changes in a day
What kind of reaction will they show upon seeing a simulated game?
As they make it look as if a bird is walking on the leaves,
the little fella looks at the bird with eyes full of curiosity
Vet: Oh! She’s reacting. Pull it gently.
As if nervous, she missteps
But, keeping her eyes fixed on the prey she approaches and closes the distance
At that moment!
She gets scared of the prey’s movement
like that, she hides again…
but, it’s too early to give up! They lure her again
A moment later, the little fella appears again
This time, she doesn't get scared even when the feathers move
and shows her audacity to bite the bird!
On the contrary, the bigger fella that’s been just sitting there to watch
She seems pretty shocked by the little fella’s actions
Perhaps she felt the urge to do something as well?
She looks around the surroundings
She seemed to jump up bravely out of the blue
but, just falls back down
As if she’s ashamed she hides back in a corner
Rehab counselor: Ah, cuz she’s heavy… (she fell back down)
Vet: Hahaha she can’t climb this…
Rehab counselor: I think they need more weight management. Move around more
But, the two have shown much change though it’s the first session!
Next day, they were given a more challenging mission.
Rehab counselor: (The fellas) showed reaction to moving things.
So, we're going to put in a living entity in order to induce more activities
Their new target is a pheasant
Will it be able to draw out their wild instincts?!
At that moment, one fella began to move
Production crew: Is this the bigger fella that’s moving?
Rehab counselor: Yes, the bigger fella
Carefully, takes a step at a time.
But, the pheasant flies right away!
She’s flustered by such an unexpected situation
She approaches it again and again
but as much as she approaches, the pheasant gets away
Eventually, she’s discouraged and gives up
The little fella who watched it all
This time she moves as if she thinks it’s her turn.
The fella approaches the pheasant with much determination
But, at that moment!
The pheasant notices and flies off
Even the little fella who they counted on has failed
Park Byung-Kwon, Professor: She probably thinks she was nimble about it
but, from the pheasant’s perspective, she came thumping.
Wildcats don’t get caught with their nimble movements
but, the two wildcats get caught easily due to their weight...
The training for their survival continued on.
And a week later
It’s the day to check their weight!
As they wait after placing bait on the scale
the little fella appears first
How much weight has she lost?
Vet: She weighs about 4.3kg
Her initial weight was about 4.7kg so she has lost about 400g
Soon after the bigger fella came!
She was a chubby fella that was nicknamed a fatty!
Producer: 5.6kg
Vet: She lost 600g from 6.2kg
You may think it’s not much as it’s only a few hundred grams
But, for them losing 10% of their weight will make them as nimble
Then, they’ll have a higher chance of survival…
Has their hunting skills improved as much as they lost their weight?
Hunting missing prepared to check their improvement, a pigeon
Will their efforts from last week shine?!
The little fella who’s closer to the normal weight took the lead
Taking a step at a time, the fella approaches the prey cautiously
And she throws herself towards the target in one breath
and she succeeds in hunting!!
She comes down majestically and enjoys her meal
On the contrary, the bigger fella sits still smacking her lips…
But!
Vet: Since they are being trained together.
As the little fella who’s been moving around actively
continues to train for her hunting and moving skills
the bigger fella will be induced as much and thereby achieve even more…
The two wildcats that showed many changes within a short period of time
Their challenges continue until the day they go back to the wild!