Daktari (1966) s01e04 Episode Script

- Dad, here's the phenol red.
- Thank you, honey.
There you go.
There.
That's all right, l think.
- I hope we get lucky.
- Heh, heh.
Yep.
Where there's lion tracks, there's got to be lions.
That's a proverb me old father told me once.
Now, the law of averages says that we've got to snare this one sooner or later.
Tell that to the lion.
Ha, ha, ha.
You know, the trouble with you, Stokes is you've got no faith in your old partner.
l got lots of faith in you, Giles.
lt's the animals you can never depend on.
All right, let's set the trip line.
When we come back, maybe we'll be lucky and have something.
All right, come on.
Let's check the snares upriver.
Well, now what's with Judy? l don't know.
Judy, calm down.
Anyway, it's very plain she wants us to follow her.
We don't have time to go roaming off in the bush with her now.
Well, something's bothering her, whatever it is.
She'll calm down on the way home.
Clarence, come on, let's go.
Judy, bring him over here.
Clarence, did you hear me? Let's go.
Clarence! Judy! Come back here! Come back here! Dad, what is bothering her? A big streak of stubbornness.
Maybe if she has to walk home, it'll teach her a lesson.
To disregard Judy was a prime mistake.
If onIy we had gone with her we wouId have been spared grief and danger.
- Still no sign of them? - No.
No, thank you.
Well, it is kind of strange.
They should've been back by now.
lt's my fault.
L should never have left them out there in the bush.
Don't blame yourself.
They've come from the brush before and never got lost.
l know, but maybe Judy wasn't just being stubborn.
Maybe she really was trying to show us something.
Hey, look, don't worry too much.
l figure that pair can handle just about anything.
l know, they usually can.
But since they are late maybe they ran into something they just couldn't handle.
Judy's an oId hand at animaI survivaI.
She knew that motherIess cubs wouIdn't Iast Iong, if at aII unprotected in the jungIe.
So she decided to bring them home to the onIy safe pIace she knew.
Jack could use some help in the laboratory, Paula.
l'm afraid l wouldn't be much good to him.
l'm ready to climb the walls.
Paula.
Clarence will take care of Judy.
lf he can't, then Judy will take care of Clarence.
Maybe l should drive to the village and see if anyone has seen them.
Judy and Clarence know better than to go near the village.
The natives are friendIy, of course but how were they to know that CIarence was a Iover, not a fighter? Judy had to get those cubs out of there before they were spotted and attacked.
What did l tell you, eh? Patience brings its own reward.
Oh, she's a fine looking animal, sure enough.
You know, this little venture of ours might pay off yet.
Let's get the net in the truck and get out of here.
Here, Stokes, we can take care of that later.
You know, this lioness is still carrying milk which means she had cubs recently and is still nursing them.
So? Well, cubs bring a good price too, partner.
- You're not suggesting we look for them? - Why not? Ha, ha.
They're bound to be around here somewhere.
lt's too dangerous.
Now, why stretch our luck? l say we take the animals we got and head for the coast.
Now, why take half a cake when you can have the whole thing, Stokes? All right, now.
Let's get tracking, eh? Gauze pad, Paula.
Paula.
Gauze pad, please.
Oh, l'm sorry.
Tape.
Pull a piece off, huh? Well, you sure picked a bad time to daydream.
l'm sorry, Jack.
l'm just terribly concerned about Judy and Clarence.
Only wish l knew where to look for them.
Well, Judy likes to swim.
Maybe they took the river route.
Are you kidding? She wouldn't go within a mile of that river.
lt's infested with crocodiles.
To baby Iion cubs, anything, even crocodiIes appear to be fine candidates for pIaymates.
But Iike aII babies, human or animaI they hadn't yet Iearned the meaning of fear.
But Judy viewed this game of tag with proper caution and frustration.
And with a usuaI resourcefuIness she finaIIy found a way of ending the game and the danger.
But the situation was far from the fun and games it seemed to be.
If a jungIe predator, Iike a Ieopard, didn't get the cubs sureIy starvation wouId.
And they were stiII a Iong way from the compound and its worried inhabitants.
Hey, little lady, it's almost dinner time.
l'm not hungry.
But we are, and you happen to be our cook.
- They're lost, l just know it.
- Don't be silly.
There's over a dozen signs posted giving the directions to the compound.
Hey, Giles.
l may not be the tracker you are, but aren't these leopard tracks? Yes, l'm afraid they are.
Well, that settles it then.
There's no point in going on.
By now, the leopard's made a meal of them.
We can't be sure about that.
Maybe we'll get to them before the leopard does.
Come on.
Well, well, well.
Speak no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil.
Heh, heh.
L'm sorry, honey.
Look, l'll tell you what.
L'll go back and see if l can pick up their trail.
Clarence is easy to track because he never walks in a straight line.
So we shouldn't have any prob - Judy.
Clarence.
- And friends.
Ha, ha! They followed the signs.
l'm so mad at them, l don't even wanna see them.
You can start giving Clarence and Judy a hard time if you want to but those cubs look like they could use some milk.
- Well, l'll fix it.
- We'd better help Marsh.
No, we're gonna get a very practical lesson.
We're gonna see how the daktari handles three squirming lion cubs.
See, it's not so easy, even for him.
- There, you see? He made it.
- Come on.
A Iion cub, too young to be weaned couId not Iive Ionger than 24 hours without its mother's miIk.
Time was running out on us.
Wanna take a look? Alrighty.
Well, let's see there.
Oh, that's good, yes.
No stiffness or anything.
- Well, Jack, l think you can let him go.
- Good.
Will do.
Have you finished feeding the cubs? l didn't even get started.
They just won't eat.
Especially Nod.
Nod? l named them Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
- And Nod's giving you trouble? - He's starving.
- Well, not yet.
- But he will.
All three will if they don't get something to eat, if we can't find their mother.
Did you call in Officer Hedley? Yes, yes.
About an hour ago.
He said he'd tell his men to keep their eyes open for a worried mother lioness.
l'm beginning to feel like a worried mother myself.
You know, Marsh she's right.
lf they don't take nourishment and we can't find the mother l know.
Dad.
- Paula, what's the matter? - Well, look.
Ah! We'd better let Judy handle it.
After she's finished, we'll put them in the baby pen.
Judy, that's not for you, that's for the babies.
It appeared that the cubs were oId enough to survive without their mother.
But our happiness and joy was soon to turn into something quite eIse again.
- Well, hello, Hedley.
- Can l join the party? Oh, Hedley, you're just in time.
Look.
Sometimes l wonder just who belongs in a pen.
- L say, that's not a - Yes, it is.
lt's a bear.
Dirty and thirsty.
And resourceful.
Lsn't he cute? What the deuce is a Himalayan bear doing here in Africa? - We imported him.
Yes.
l worked that part out for myself.
The point is why? Just another part of our studies in inter-special relationships, Hedley.
And pretty good proof that there's no such thing as natural enemies.
At least not in the animal world.
Look, Judy's afraid the bear is gonna hurt the cubs.
She's protecting them.
Very valiant of her.
l take it these are the little rascals you called me about.
Uh, yes, um Hedley, have you dug up anything? Well, no, not really.
No talk of a lioness being killed or found dead or anything.
Well, she wouldn't desert them.
And without their mother, l'm worried.
They look healthy enough.
They took some nourishment from Judy, but not nearly enough.
You mean without their mother they mightn't pull through.
Well, let's hope they don't have to try.
Hmm.
L do see what you mean, old boy.
Very well, l'd better be off.
Look around a bit.
Thank you, Hedley.
For all of us.
l'll take a look back here.
Them cubs didn't come back here either, so let's drive.
Oh, relax, Stokes.
Relax.
A person would think you got somewhere to go.
Look, if the cubs don't show up first thing in the morning, then off we pop.
Waiting around like this makes me edgy.
All right, then, do something constructive.
Water the animals.
We gotta keep them healthy.
l don't blame you for being a bit timid, old boy.
That's right, no fast moves.
A nursing lioness.
lt's a bit ironical, but l know a family that'll be very grateful to you.
Oh, and the next time you poach, be sure you cover up your tire tracks.
Thank you, we will.
Oh, l wouldn't do anything, if l were you.
To quote a certain nosey district officer, "No fast moves.
" All right, now, drop your gun.
Drop it, l said.
Well, now, that was kind of foolish, wasn't it, old boy? Nope.
No.
L wouldn't do that if l were you, Stokes.
At the risk of making a bad pun, you're jumping the gun.
- You don't want me to finish him? - Oh, indeed l do, but not here.
No, we tie him up and we take him with us in the morning.
Then when we're safely across the border Well, over there, a dead district officer from over here ain't no skin off nobody's nose, eh? lt's a shame Paula didn't stay to enjoy her own cooking.
She's too excited to eat.
- Well, what's the latest report? - They won't eat anymore but they're settled down for the night.
Thanks to Judy.
Judy? You mean, she's still with them? They wouldn't settle down without her.
Come have a look.
Even though we Iaughed at Judy's antics I knew what morning wouId bring with it.
The sad reaIity of the cubs' true periI.
And there wouId be nothing we couId do about it.
Except perhaps to keep it from PauIa.
Well, looks like Judy's in for a restless night.
Dad, come quick.
They've been like this for the last hour.
They won't even eat.
Not even for Judy.
Poor babies can hardly move.
What do you think, Dad? Oh, they're all right.
Ahem.
Ah Remember, they had a pretty exciting day yesterday.
Would you get me some Dextrol? Maybe it'll lift their spirits a little.
All right.
Judy was concerned and quiet.
I knew now that without their mother, aII hope was gone.
It wouId break PauIa's heart.
How are they? Not so good.
For the last time, you'll never get away with this, you know.
lf you give yourselves up now, l'll do what l can for you.
You're both young, and a year or two behind bars will go before you know it.
Don't sta You know, all these years l thought you were insensitive, Stokes.
Never mind the philosophy, when do we move? Just as soon as we finish breakfast and police up a bit.
Oh.
And this time, old boy, we will cover up our tracks.
We wouldn't want nobody to know that any of us had been around here, now would we? Okay, let her go.
Here she comes now.
They won't touch a drop.
They need their mother.
Yes, l'm afraid so, honey.
lsn't there something we can do, Dad? Try and find her? Hedley's doing everything he can.
We'd all be out there right now if there were any chance of finding her.
lt's just too big an area to cover.
Maybe she's caught in some poacher's net.
Now what? l think she's trying to tell you something again.
Judy.
Judy, is that it? What are you trying to tell us? Dad, when Mike mentioned the poacher's net, she got excited.
See? You said she could only communicate by reacting to what we said.
Judy, is it a net? ls the lioness caught in a net? Of course that's it.
That's exactly what she was trying to tell us at the water hole.
Judy, can you show us where it is? Can you lead us to it? Hey, l think we are beginning to communicate.
Yeah.
Jack, you, Paula and Mike take the truck.
See if you can follow her.
l'm gonna call Hedley, see if he's heard anything about poachers in the area.
Should l take the cubs with us? No, honey, this is too much of a long shot.
And by the way, if you should happen to run into any poachers don't try to be heroic.
Let Hedley handle it.
Will do.
Okay, Judy, which way? Come on, which way? Let's go.
Here, you take this.
Give us a hand with him, eh? Hey, do we need any more chimps? Run! Hey, you know, that's about 200 pounds sterling worth of chimp wandering around out there.
Suppose we take a net and go after her, eh? Fetch a banana from the truck.
Here we go! Here! - What's the matter with her? - That's what's the matter.
Here's a nice little banana.
Where are you? Come on.
Come on, Judy.
Here, girl.
Come on.
Come on, girl.
Where are you? Come on, girl.
Hey, look.
There's Hedley in that cage.
All the animals are on the truck.
And one's a lioness.
lt might be the cubs' mother.
At least we know these are the poachers.
Yeah, and they'd kill Hedley or us without batting an eye.
Come on, girl.
Come on.
Here's a nice little banana.
- Judy, come back here.
- What is she doing? Giles.
- What? There she is.
Here, girlie.
Come on.
Here you are, chimp.
Here, girlie.
Come.
Come on.
Here's a nice little banana.
Come on, chimp, here's a nice banana.
Here, girlie, come on.
Come on, chimp.
- She's detouring them away from us.
- Want me to head back and find Marsh? - No.
- There's not enough time.
They could drive off with Hedley and the lioness.
What are you going to do with that? These darts will put an elephant to sleep, they'll certainly knock out a man.
Jack, that rifle he's carrying shoots real bullets.
l know, l'll just have to try and pick them off before they see me.
Judy, baby, keep them real busy.
Mike, try and get to Hedley.
Here, girl.
Here, here.
- Nice little girl.
Come on.
Here, girl.
Come on, little girl.
Come on.
Here, come on, girl.
Here, chimp.
Here, little chimp.
- What's the matter with you? - L got stung or something.
What? Leave it alone.
lf you think l'm gonna be taken in by a dart, then you're out of your mind.
Oof! Aagh! Hey! Hey! That's it.
Come on.
Let's get Hedley.
Hedley, you all right? ls the lioness all right? Watch, Jack.
Okay.
Here we go.
There.
Hedley, what happened? How do you feel? As your district officer, slightly embarrassed.
But as a doomed man enormously grateful.
Ha, ha, ha.
Oof! The lioness, is she the mother? Well, Mike, what do you think? Oh, incidentally, Hedley called.
Said something about arranging a citation for the three of you.
For having caught the poachers and saving his life.
Three of us? You mean four, don't you? Yeah, that's right.
By the way, where is Judy? She was here a second ago.
Judy.
Oh, no, not again.
Well, if a cub needs help, Judy will mother it.