A man finds new purpose when he helps rescue a baby pangolin, one of the most trafficked animals in the world, in a sting operation in South Africa. He leaves the city and embarks on a heartfelt mission to rehabilitate and prepare the vulnerable animal for a life of freedom in the wild. From the Academy Award-winning director of My Octopus Teacher comes Pangolin: Kulu's Journey, a poignant exploration of the connection between humans and the creatures we share our world with.
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00:00It's an incredible thing to see just how innocent pangolins are.
00:09It's an ancient creature that runs the risk of extinction.
00:15Are we trying to save a species?
00:18If a pangolin's too small, it won't survive.
00:25The stakes are very high.
00:28I've still never seen a pangolin in the wild.
00:32Only ones that we've rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
00:38And that was how I met Kulu.
00:41Welcome to your new home.
00:43Between the hospital and the release process, we were losing pangolins.
00:47There needs to be a place where you can become a wild pangolin again.
00:52There's definitely a fear of failure.
00:55I've never had to nurture something so vulnerable in my life before.
01:00There's only so much pressure I can put on him to eat.
01:05It's taken Kulu a long time to feel secure in the environment.
01:11Every pangolin is going to face his dangers.
01:15At some stage, Kulu needs to be wild.
01:20He's freaking out.
01:22I got you.
01:23I got you, my buddy.
01:25Before pangolin rehabilitation, I was sort of in that stage of my life
01:29where I wanted something more meaningful.
01:35It's far easier to be vulnerable around a pangolin.
01:38Just the sense of freedom that I can give him out here,
01:41it changed the way I saw the world.
01:46Hey, are you cleaning me?
01:48I really just wanted to do the best job possible.
01:52Are you all right?
01:53It's me, my buddy. It's me.
01:55But there's got to be a point where you let go.