Extreme Animal Transport

The prestigious Wonderland Circus has become the second Spanish circus to voluntarily end its show with wild animals. Seven tigers have been donated to animal rights organisation Animal Advocacy and Protection (AAP). It's the largest rescue of big cats in Spain to date. The tigers are first transported temporarily to AAP's specialized rescue centre, Primadomus in Spain for their rehabilitation process. Here they are trained to enter their crate voluntarily so as to avoid sedation for the long journey to the Isle of Wight in the UK. The team are well prepared. With no hotel equipped to accommodate five adult tigers, they must make the 30-hour road trip nonstop. The transport crosses cinematic landscapes, through the northern Spanish countryside, across the French border, through the Pyrenees and across the iconic Millau Viaduct, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world that crosses over the Tarn River in the South of France. It's an epic journey with traffic delays on the outskirts of Paris and a rush to make their Eurotunnel booking before the final ferry ride to the Isle of Wight. Not a journey normally undertaken with five hungry adult tigers.

Henry is no ordinary polar bear. Born at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Australia, it was planned from day one that he would eventually make the journey to the small-town of Cochrane in Ontario, Canada, where he can live like a wild polar bear. The town folk of Cochrane decided they wanted the polar bear as its mascot, so they built an amazing polar bear facility. But there was one problem, they didn't have a polar bear. Back at Sea World, Queensland, Henry is now an adult and after months of crate training and logistical planning, departure day arrives. The first leg is to Sydney but with no plane equipped to carry a polar bear, the Australian military step in. He flies first-class with his keepers on a Hercules jet to Sydney. From Sydney to Hong Kong, then Hong Kong to Vancouver where the plane is delayed, and Henry has eaten all his food. There's still a long way to go to Ontario and they need to feed this hungry polar bear. It's 11pm and there's a supermarket close to the airport but it's about to close. Henry's keeper begs the shopkeeper to let them in, "Stop, I've got a polar bear at the airport, can you help me?" See what happens next and follow Henry's journey back to the Arctic from the sunshine state of Australia.

Derek Milburn runs NGO Elephants Rhinos and People, which, over the course of a year will transport 250 elephants from South Africa to Mozambique via road. The current location of the herd is getting overcrowded which could eventually be dangerous to both elephants and people in surrounding villages. This first mission will involve 25-30 elephants the number will vary depending on how many ERP's team find in the herd. Day one of the mission and the trucks get stuck in mud before reaching the elephants. A helicopter flies above darting the herd with a tranquilizer. They must dart the females first, to ensure the rest of the herd stay, darting a male accidentally means the herd could split and be lost altogether. They must be careful not to leave one of the family behind, this would mean disaster for the abandoned animal. The elephants are then lifted upside down with a helicopter onto their crates. They cross two border checkpoints crossing into Swaziland and Mozambique. Derek has his paperwork ready for the border security. There is no time to waste, he can't have the elephants on the trucks longer than planned. It's a 45-hour nonstop journey before they are released to their safe new home.

A variety of different Australian horses are purchased from Singapore investors and annually a cargo plane with up to 50 horses are flown from Sydney Airport to Manilla Airport. The horses range from race horses to miniature ponies to Clydesdales. A mission like this takes meticulous planning. Cameron from Equine International Airfreight won't let one piece of incorrect paperwork stall his mission. Each horse has its own documentation, if one paper is scrutinized by customs it will mean game over for the mission. Even the custom designed horse crates are scrutinized by officials. The final veterinary checks are undertaken by a government vet at quarantine and the horses are washed prior to the trip. The first leg of the journey is a one-hour drive on a convoy of four semi-trailers moving from quarantine to the airport. But no matter how careful Cameron has been with his planning, there are things beyond his control. A late truck driver means hitting Sydney peak hour traffic. The plane transporting the horses is delayed offloading its cargo. A horse crate is placed incorrectly in the cargo hold and a horse that refuses to enter his crate.

An Australian Outback Adventure. Tom Curtain is a professional horse trainer and Golden guitar winning singer/songwriter. He is also the founder of Katherine Outback Experience, a 90-minute horse and dog show that celebrates life in outback Australia. The show takes place at Tom's ranch in Katherine, Northern Territory from April to the end of October, and in Pinjarra, a town in the south-west of Western Australia from November to March. It's the end of March and it is time to go home. This will be a 4000km road trip through outback Australia. The resting points are not planned but Tom and Annabel have a large web of connections on stations and show grounds that can be called upon at last minute for a place to rest the animals. Travelling with 6 horses and 12 dogs, these resting spots are a place for the animals to stretch tired legs have a drink and feed. It's an adventure they look forward to but the extreme road and weather conditions comes with its own set of challenges.

Locked in a dark cell in an illegal zoo is an adult lion who became known as Ivan -Asen. A result of generations of inbreeding at Razgrad Zoo, Bulgaria, he's in extremely bad condition, with skeletal deformations as a result of growing up with no room to move. He was rescued by animal welfare organisation, Four Paws and has been rehabilitating in Sofia Zoo. It's a temporary holding facility while Four Paws find a long-term sanctuary equipped to care for a lion in his condition as he will need specialized care and pain medication for the time that he lives. He's about to make the journey to his forever home. After weeks of crate training the veterinarians who specialize in large animal transports Marc and Juno are relieved that Ivan- Asen doesn't need to be tranquilized to be moved into the crate. He walks in willingly. After beginning a life in such hellish conditions, Ivan-Asen is on the road to recovery. The team first have to navigate the Balkan Mountain ranges in the middle of winter, it's a perilous journey with dangerous road conditions. Never having felt grass under his feet before, his first step into his new home is an emotion alone for the team who have been fighting for his rehabilitation. Finally, he can live in peace, under the care of the team at the FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands.

At 9 years of age Kifaru is already a well-traveled Southern White Rhino. He was born in New Zealand at Hamilton Zoo as part of their Rhino breeding program. Then in 2014, at five years of age, he was moved across the Tasman sea to Australia to the National Zoo and Aquarium. After four years in the country's capital zoo, it's time for him to move again. This time, getting him into the transportation crate is not easy but the team are ready with plans A - Z.

John runs Red Sun Camels in Broome, a tourist town in the north of Western Australia where visitors can experience a sunset camel ride along the famous Cable Beach. As his business expands, he needs seven more camels to add to the group, to enable his other camels to rest. But camels don't come ready to be ridden by humans. Without extensive training they can be very dangerous, and the risk of them kicking a tourist could mean serious injury or even death. On the other side of Australia, 5000kms away, Peter has been commissioned by John to train and deliver seven wild camels. Known throughout Australia as the camel whisperer, Peter's love of the animal is evident. Each of his seven beloved camels has a unique personality. It's a four-day transport. Due to Australia's strict bio security laws, the camels have to pass a quarantine checkpoint at Kununurra, on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Clair is the government vet who will inspect each of the animals and the truck which has to be washed out to get rid of any faeces and hay. In the 40-degree heat, Donnie hasn't done a good enough job, so he has to start again. After the final check of the paperwork, they are set to get back on the road, for the last leg of the 2000km journey through the picturesque Kimberly region of outback Australia.

The journey heightens as elephants trek from South Africa to Zimbabwe by truck. Terrain and logistics challenge drivers. Will the giants adapt in their new home? Dive in to witness resilience and change.

In Razgrad, Bulgaria, lion cubs are saved from an illicit zoo. Handraised by Marina, a dedicated wildlife rescuer, their growth soon poses challenges. The journey climaxes as they're road-transported to the Netherlands for a safer future.