1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,988 2 00:00:00,988 --> 00:00:04,446 [MUSIC PLAYING] 3 00:00:04,446 --> 00:00:18,300 4 00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:20,120 NARRATOR: Doctors believe this dog helped 5 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,330 diagnose her owner's cancer. 6 00:00:22,330 --> 00:00:26,920 Can animals bring unknown powers to medicine? 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,000 How did Beetle the cat find his way 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,439 through city streets and country roads across southern England 9 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:34,870 to the home he loved? 10 00:00:34,870 --> 00:00:39,230 What invisible lifeline links a man and this dog? 11 00:00:39,230 --> 00:00:41,660 How did this Rottweiler foresee the heart attack which 12 00:00:41,660 --> 00:00:44,380 would have killed her master? 13 00:00:44,380 --> 00:00:47,600 Mysteries from the files of Arthur C. Clarke, 14 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:52,070 author of 2001 and inventor of the communication satellite. 15 00:00:52,070 --> 00:00:55,060 Now in retreat in Sri Lanka, he ponders the riddles 16 00:00:55,060 --> 00:00:58,254 of this and other the worlds. 17 00:00:58,254 --> 00:01:01,740 [MUSIC PLAYING] 18 00:01:01,740 --> 00:01:25,850 19 00:01:25,850 --> 00:01:26,550 Come on. 20 00:01:26,550 --> 00:01:33,100 21 00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:35,520 I've always been fond of animals, which 22 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,790 is a good thing since it's impossible to avoid 23 00:01:38,790 --> 00:01:40,620 them here in Sri Lanka. 24 00:01:40,620 --> 00:01:44,280 Over the years I've had many animal companions, usually 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,570 dogs, but also a pair of mischievous monkeys 26 00:01:48,570 --> 00:01:52,510 who did their best to take over my life. 27 00:01:52,510 --> 00:01:56,680 All my pets have been lovable, but some have also surprised me 28 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,630 with their intelligence and their ability 29 00:01:59,630 --> 00:02:02,050 to know what I'm thinking. 30 00:02:02,050 --> 00:02:05,720 But can you make of claims that some animals 31 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,039 have extraordinary, even supernatural skills? 32 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:14,700 These include mathematical horses, dogs that can diagnose 33 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:18,730 illnesses, and domestic pets with the navigational 34 00:02:18,730 --> 00:02:22,380 know how to track down their owners over miles 35 00:02:22,380 --> 00:02:24,920 of unfamiliar countryside. 36 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:28,230 NARRATOR: Bonita Whitfield owes her life to her dog Boo. 37 00:02:28,230 --> 00:02:30,820 She believes Boo alerted doctors to a disease 38 00:02:30,820 --> 00:02:32,450 that threatened her life. 39 00:02:32,450 --> 00:02:34,930 Now Boo has a place in medical history. 40 00:02:34,930 --> 00:02:37,630 Her extraordinary story is chronicled in a world 41 00:02:37,630 --> 00:02:39,640 famous doctors' journal. 42 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:42,530 Bonita Whitfield has lived to tell the tale. 43 00:02:42,530 --> 00:02:44,960 Well, I used to standing at the sink. 44 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,590 And she'd come up behind me and start sniffing my leg. 45 00:02:48,590 --> 00:02:50,790 And I used to shew her away because I thought 46 00:02:50,790 --> 00:02:53,190 it was just a dog sniffing. 47 00:02:53,190 --> 00:02:58,170 And this went on for about four or five months. 48 00:02:58,170 --> 00:03:00,060 And then why day I was at the sink washing up 49 00:03:00,060 --> 00:03:03,090 and I felt something on the back of my leg and put my hand down, 50 00:03:03,090 --> 00:03:05,890 not realizing it was Boo, and I felt 51 00:03:05,890 --> 00:03:07,654 a lump on the back of my leg. 52 00:03:07,654 --> 00:03:09,320 That evening when I had a bath I had a look at it, 53 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:10,860 and it was a mole. 54 00:03:10,860 --> 00:03:13,750 I've never had a mole there before. 55 00:03:13,750 --> 00:03:16,400 And then one day I was out in the summer 56 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,320 and she actually went for the back to my leg 57 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,280 where this mole was. 58 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,310 And tried to nip it off. 59 00:03:22,310 --> 00:03:24,840 And she did it again, tried to bite it off. 60 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,890 She's not a dog that snaps or bites. 61 00:03:26,890 --> 00:03:29,230 And it was just so out of character. 62 00:03:29,230 --> 00:03:30,870 But it still really didn't dawn on me 63 00:03:30,870 --> 00:03:33,210 that there was anything wrong. 64 00:03:33,210 --> 00:03:35,860 NARRATOR: But Bonita told a friend about the mole. 65 00:03:35,860 --> 00:03:40,320 Her friend, a nurse, told her to see a doctor at once. 66 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,500 BONITA: She said, promise me you will go to the doctor's. 67 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:45,520 So I went to doctor's. 68 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:50,140 And he sent me along to King's College. 69 00:03:50,140 --> 00:03:52,490 And they inspected it. 70 00:03:52,490 --> 00:03:54,840 They took it off. 71 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,080 They do a biopsy on it. 72 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,680 And found that it was a melanoma. 73 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:04,120 Dr. Hywel Williams, who was treating me at Kings 74 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:08,090 said that another year and it would have 75 00:04:08,090 --> 00:04:12,740 started to spread in the body. 76 00:04:12,740 --> 00:04:13,930 So I was very lucky. 77 00:04:13,930 --> 00:04:16,610 But I still didn't put the two together, 78 00:04:16,610 --> 00:04:19,839 the dog and the melanoma. 79 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,829 NARRATOR: Dr. Hywel Williams was carrying out 80 00:04:21,829 --> 00:04:26,400 a survey of patients with melanoma skin cancers. 81 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,055 When I came to Mrs. Whitfield's notes 82 00:04:28,055 --> 00:04:30,480 I noticed the somebody had put a comment, 83 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,810 dog sniffed at mole in exclamation marks. 84 00:04:33,810 --> 00:04:35,530 And I had a laugh of it at the time, 85 00:04:35,530 --> 00:04:37,070 but I thought, well, hang on. 86 00:04:37,070 --> 00:04:38,260 There may be something in this. 87 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:40,920 And I rang up Mrs. Whitefield and indeed 88 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,770 the dog had sniffed the mole, not just once, but on repeated 89 00:04:44,770 --> 00:04:47,860 occasions, whilst ignoring other moles, 90 00:04:47,860 --> 00:04:49,560 just this particular one. 91 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,050 And I said to the doctor at the time 92 00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:55,700 they must give off some type of an odor 93 00:04:55,700 --> 00:04:58,935 because my dog could smell it, or I 94 00:04:58,935 --> 00:05:00,710 thought she could smell it. 95 00:05:00,710 --> 00:05:02,290 It wasn't until I sort of thought about it. 96 00:05:02,290 --> 00:05:04,800 I thought she must have known it was really bad as well. 97 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,490 I think that this particular dog was instrumental in saving 98 00:05:08,490 --> 00:05:11,830 Mrs. Whitfield's life in that she had the type of skin 99 00:05:11,830 --> 00:05:13,940 cancer, the melanoma skin cancer removed 100 00:05:13,940 --> 00:05:17,950 at an early and curable stage. 101 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:19,700 NARRATOR: Boo was awarded a gold medal 102 00:05:19,700 --> 00:05:21,790 for her diagnostic skills. 103 00:05:21,790 --> 00:05:24,330 And the doctors hope that the rewards to medicine 104 00:05:24,330 --> 00:05:26,570 may be even greater. 105 00:05:26,570 --> 00:05:30,920 I think Mrs. Whitfield's story taught me to be open-minded 106 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,500 as a scientist to the potential diagnostic powers 107 00:05:34,500 --> 00:05:36,850 of so-called lower animals. 108 00:05:36,850 --> 00:05:40,170 And I think compared to our sense of smell 109 00:05:40,170 --> 00:05:43,080 a dog's sense of smell is infinitely more powerful 110 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:48,840 and they may well have beneficial actions 111 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:52,650 for medicine in the future. 112 00:05:52,650 --> 00:05:55,340 NARRATOR: In Lorenzo Abundiz's Californian home, 113 00:05:55,340 --> 00:05:59,310 his two Rottweilers have pride of place. 114 00:05:59,310 --> 00:06:02,080 Lorenzo believes he owes his life to one of them. 115 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,250 Her name is Cinder. 116 00:06:04,250 --> 00:06:05,649 Hey, Cinder. Hi, Reno. 117 00:06:05,649 --> 00:06:07,170 Ready to go for a walk? 118 00:06:07,170 --> 00:06:08,300 Come on. 119 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:10,108 Let's go bye bye. Let's go. 120 00:06:10,108 --> 00:06:12,488 Come on. 121 00:06:12,488 --> 00:06:13,596 OK, little girl. 122 00:06:13,596 --> 00:06:14,310 You ready? 123 00:06:14,310 --> 00:06:16,360 NARRATOR: From their early morning call through wash 124 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,610 and brush up, this dog's master cannot 125 00:06:18,610 --> 00:06:21,960 do enough in his best friend. 126 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,062 Lorenzo, a firefighter, likes to hike high up 127 00:06:25,062 --> 00:06:27,070 in the Californian mountains. 128 00:06:27,070 --> 00:06:31,341 Only there can he escape the stresses of his job. 129 00:06:31,341 --> 00:06:35,080 On this particular day my wife was sitting at home in bed. 130 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:36,410 She couldn't go on hike with us. 131 00:06:36,410 --> 00:06:39,920 So I just took Cinder and Reno myself to go hiking. 132 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,870 Cinder, Reno, come on. 133 00:06:42,870 --> 00:06:45,070 Normally when we hike Cinder likes to be the leader. 134 00:06:45,070 --> 00:06:46,850 She stays ahead of us. 135 00:06:46,850 --> 00:06:52,022 And she likes to mark her territory before Reno. 136 00:06:52,022 --> 00:06:52,970 Come on, Cinder. 137 00:06:52,970 --> 00:06:53,966 Kennel. 138 00:06:53,966 --> 00:06:54,962 Cinder, kennel. 139 00:06:54,962 --> 00:06:59,020 140 00:06:59,020 --> 00:07:00,890 LORENZO (VOICEOVER): And on this particular day 141 00:07:00,890 --> 00:07:02,360 she acted real strange. 142 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,220 And what I mean is that she'd started turning around, 143 00:07:05,220 --> 00:07:06,760 going back down the trail. 144 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:08,381 And I kept calling her, trying to bring her on. 145 00:07:08,381 --> 00:07:09,390 Come on. Let's go. 146 00:07:09,390 --> 00:07:10,340 Let's go. 147 00:07:10,340 --> 00:07:13,070 So I wasn't in the hike about a half hour. 148 00:07:13,070 --> 00:07:15,610 And I decided to cut it short and go back home because I 149 00:07:15,610 --> 00:07:17,220 was thinking she was sick. 150 00:07:17,220 --> 00:07:18,460 She never acted that way before. 151 00:07:18,460 --> 00:07:21,500 152 00:07:21,500 --> 00:07:22,920 As soon as I turned around and started 153 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,660 headed back down the trail she immediately became the leader. 154 00:07:26,660 --> 00:07:31,540 She wanted me to get back down to the car and go back home. 155 00:07:31,540 --> 00:07:34,460 So Cinder's looking at me with this glazed look in her eye. 156 00:07:34,460 --> 00:07:36,300 And I didn't want to take any chances with her 157 00:07:36,300 --> 00:07:37,840 because I love her so much that I decided 158 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:39,880 to go ahead and call of vet. 159 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,700 So as soon as I got up I felt this palpitation in my neck 160 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:45,690 and I felt it on my pulse. 161 00:07:45,690 --> 00:07:47,180 An irregular pulse. 162 00:07:47,180 --> 00:07:49,520 And it really started to scare me. 163 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:52,570 So then I got up to go get the phone. 164 00:07:52,570 --> 00:07:56,100 And immediately I felt like something just grabbed my lungs 165 00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:58,510 with all their might and just like two hands just squeezing 166 00:07:58,510 --> 00:08:01,570 and everything. 167 00:08:01,570 --> 00:08:03,055 Next thing I know I fall to the ground. 168 00:08:03,055 --> 00:08:10,310 169 00:08:10,310 --> 00:08:14,870 And Cinder's nudging me with her nose on my hand. 170 00:08:14,870 --> 00:08:16,560 I can feel the phone there. 171 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:17,850 And I was very weak. 172 00:08:17,850 --> 00:08:22,109 And I was able to dial 9-1-1 with my thumb. 173 00:08:22,109 --> 00:08:23,275 I couldn't even bring it to my ear. 174 00:08:23,275 --> 00:08:26,420 And I remember the operator had answered. could hear it. 175 00:08:26,420 --> 00:08:28,170 And I said I was a firefighter and I 176 00:08:28,170 --> 00:08:29,580 feel I'm having a heart attack. 177 00:08:29,580 --> 00:08:31,766 Please send somebody immediately. 178 00:08:31,766 --> 00:08:34,159 [SIRENS BLARING] 179 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:37,830 GIOVANNI: We received a 9-1-1 call to Lorenzo's house. 180 00:08:37,830 --> 00:08:41,620 When we got there we found Lorenzo lying on his back 181 00:08:41,620 --> 00:08:43,559 on the floor of his living room. 182 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:48,060 We found that his blood pressure was 270 over 130. 183 00:08:48,060 --> 00:08:50,750 He was in great danger of having a massive heart attack. 184 00:08:50,750 --> 00:08:54,867 And I think he was on his way to that when we got there. 185 00:08:54,867 --> 00:08:56,500 LORENZO (VOICEOVER): If I would have continued up 186 00:08:56,500 --> 00:08:59,250 on that to hike on the hill, which is normally about three 187 00:08:59,250 --> 00:09:01,350 and a half, four hours, I wouldn't be here today 188 00:09:01,350 --> 00:09:03,325 because if that incident would have happened up 189 00:09:03,325 --> 00:09:05,220 there in the high altitude, I would have 190 00:09:05,220 --> 00:09:06,210 died up there on that trail. 191 00:09:06,210 --> 00:09:07,584 And there would've been nobody around. 192 00:09:07,584 --> 00:09:11,915 193 00:09:11,915 --> 00:09:13,430 GIOVANNI: Lorenzo's a pretty lucky guy. 194 00:09:13,430 --> 00:09:16,240 If we hadn't got there when he did he probably would have died 195 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,352 and I think he owes that all to his dogs. 196 00:09:18,352 --> 00:09:21,304 Kennel up. 197 00:09:21,304 --> 00:09:22,900 [DOGS BARKING] Ready, Reno? 198 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:26,870 I think dogs in general have a special sense. 199 00:09:26,870 --> 00:09:29,110 They can hear your heart beat 20 feet away. 200 00:09:29,110 --> 00:09:32,430 They have the ability that we just need to take 201 00:09:32,430 --> 00:09:34,460 time to listen to our animals. 202 00:09:34,460 --> 00:09:35,860 [DOGS BARKING] 203 00:09:35,860 --> 00:09:39,190 Cinder has the ability to know the rhythm of my heart. 204 00:09:39,190 --> 00:09:40,960 And she probably can sense or smell 205 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:42,660 the adrenaline in my body. 206 00:09:42,660 --> 00:09:45,080 The body chemistry was changing. 207 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,541 And she knew I was going to go down. 208 00:09:46,541 --> 00:09:48,501 She knew that if I was going to go down 209 00:09:48,501 --> 00:09:49,500 that I was going to need help. 210 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:52,570 So she decided to try and get me to go back down 211 00:09:52,570 --> 00:09:53,690 and go back to the car. 212 00:09:53,690 --> 00:09:55,310 And go back home where I can get help. 213 00:09:55,310 --> 00:09:58,750 214 00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:01,840 And I think she's learned that by the telephone 215 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:03,789 there can be human contact. 216 00:10:03,789 --> 00:10:05,255 So that's what she brought me the telephone. 217 00:10:05,255 --> 00:10:08,980 218 00:10:08,980 --> 00:10:10,580 NARRATOR: Animals apparently as clever 219 00:10:10,580 --> 00:10:13,010 as humans have amused and amazed scientists 220 00:10:13,010 --> 00:10:14,850 and onlookers for centuries. 221 00:10:14,850 --> 00:10:17,735 Some, or rather their owners, have made fortunes showing 222 00:10:17,735 --> 00:10:20,080 off their incredible talents. 223 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,020 Porky pundits packed the playhouses of 18th century 224 00:10:23,020 --> 00:10:25,970 Europe, their pet subjects mathematics, 225 00:10:25,970 --> 00:10:28,280 mind-reading, and spelling. 226 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:30,890 Tobey, the sapient pig, played cards, 227 00:10:30,890 --> 00:10:34,560 guessed the age of the audience, and even told the time. 228 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:38,380 Even more erudite animals followed in the 20th century. 229 00:10:38,380 --> 00:10:41,190 Mathematical dogs, like Chris the Rhode Island mongrel, 230 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:44,340 performed calculations worthy of a computer. 231 00:10:44,340 --> 00:10:46,900 In Germany Wilhelm von Osten claimed 232 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:49,250 he could train horses like Clever Hans 233 00:10:49,250 --> 00:10:51,630 to tap out the answers to complicated sums. 234 00:10:51,630 --> 00:10:54,990 235 00:10:54,990 --> 00:10:57,660 Academics came from far afield to investigate 236 00:10:57,660 --> 00:10:59,410 these strange and controversial powers. 237 00:10:59,410 --> 00:11:07,520 238 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,360 Later an American horse, Lady Wonder, 239 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,990 was said to have learned secretarial skills. 240 00:11:12,990 --> 00:11:15,140 She typed words on a giant keyboard. 241 00:11:15,140 --> 00:11:20,380 242 00:11:20,380 --> 00:11:23,680 I don't think we should take such stories too seriously. 243 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:26,040 The scientists who've investigated 244 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:28,950 these mathematical and mind-reading reading 245 00:11:28,950 --> 00:11:33,510 horses and dogs dismiss them as brilliant circus acts 246 00:11:33,510 --> 00:11:37,140 where the trickery involved was too subtle for all 247 00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:39,900 but most vigilant to detect. 248 00:11:39,900 --> 00:11:42,030 For example, it's virtually certain 249 00:11:42,030 --> 00:11:46,100 that Clever Hands learned to respond to tiny gestures 250 00:11:46,100 --> 00:11:51,460 or sounds made by his owner who gave him all the answers. 251 00:11:51,460 --> 00:11:54,860 But there are other examples of animal powers 252 00:11:54,860 --> 00:11:56,710 that can't be dismissed so easily. 253 00:11:56,710 --> 00:11:59,580 254 00:11:59,580 --> 00:12:01,670 NARRATOR: Today Blake the sheep dog shows 255 00:12:01,670 --> 00:12:03,550 little sign of the incredible journey he 256 00:12:03,550 --> 00:12:05,970 once made across East Britain. 257 00:12:05,970 --> 00:12:09,760 His skills at driving hundreds of sheep into pens and fields 258 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,550 pale by comparison with his navigational talent. 259 00:12:12,550 --> 00:12:18,640 260 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,670 The dog's odyssey when his owner had parked his truck 261 00:12:21,670 --> 00:12:23,920 and trailer with Blake inside. 262 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,840 When Tony Balderstone returned only minutes later, 263 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:28,440 thieves had struck. 264 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,100 I was gone for about 20, 25 minutes. 265 00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:33,520 And when I come back I just couldn't believe me eyes. 266 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,370 The Land Rover, and trailer, and dogs, 267 00:12:35,370 --> 00:12:37,710 and everything had disappeared. 268 00:12:37,710 --> 00:12:40,160 NARRATOR: The thieves decided to dump the trailer. 269 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,940 It was empty in a car park at Downham Market, a town far 270 00:12:43,940 --> 00:12:45,510 from Blake's home. 271 00:12:45,510 --> 00:12:47,770 It was here, a long way from the pastures 272 00:12:47,770 --> 00:12:51,110 he knew, in the heart of a strange town that Blake's 273 00:12:51,110 --> 00:12:52,630 incredible journey began. 274 00:12:52,630 --> 00:12:56,580 275 00:12:56,580 --> 00:12:59,500 The distance between Downham Market where Blake was dumped 276 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:03,610 and his home near Holt is about 50 miles as the crow flies. 277 00:13:03,610 --> 00:13:07,400 But to complicate matters Blake took a roundabout route. 278 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,520 Blake wasn't seen till the next morning. 279 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:12,720 My son was going through Swaffham and see him, 280 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,220 but Blake being a bit of a loner, 281 00:13:14,220 --> 00:13:16,020 my son couldn't catch him. 282 00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:17,880 And I thought he was coming directly home. 283 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,590 Instead he went around by Little Fransham way, 284 00:13:20,590 --> 00:13:23,630 where I sometimes run some sheep. 285 00:13:23,630 --> 00:13:26,300 NARRATOR: Tony put the word out among Norfolk's farmers 286 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:28,740 and Blake was spotted by Jenny Mallon. 287 00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:31,575 I saw Blake the day after having received a telephone 288 00:13:31,575 --> 00:13:33,380 call from Tony Balderstone. 289 00:13:33,380 --> 00:13:37,190 But unbeknown to me the dog I saw didn't really connect. 290 00:13:37,190 --> 00:13:40,825 And he was in fact walking along the very, very busy A47 291 00:13:40,825 --> 00:13:43,080 early one morning. 292 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,160 Blake was looking very, very sad with his tail down. 293 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,410 And I wished I'd known at the time that it was him, 294 00:13:48,410 --> 00:13:50,680 but it just did not connect. 295 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:52,035 NARRATOR: By now Tony had contacted 296 00:13:52,035 --> 00:13:53,830 the local radio station. 297 00:13:53,830 --> 00:13:56,160 He asked listeners to be on the lookout. 298 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:57,840 When I got phone call from people, of course, 299 00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:59,970 I went to where I had the call from, and then 300 00:13:59,970 --> 00:14:03,170 tried to take my bearings, think which way he was coming home. 301 00:14:03,170 --> 00:14:07,710 But he always took a different route what I did. 302 00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:09,810 NARRATOR: Every time Tony tried to predict 303 00:14:09,810 --> 00:14:14,650 Blake's route the dog would turn up somewhere else. 304 00:14:14,650 --> 00:14:16,630 TONY (VOICEOVER): And after he got to Guist, 305 00:14:16,630 --> 00:14:19,030 we had a phone calls at every little village. 306 00:14:19,030 --> 00:14:21,290 People phone up that seen him go passed. 307 00:14:21,290 --> 00:14:23,640 But every time I went out to look for him 308 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,600 I was about 20 minutes behind him. 309 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,160 And eventually he made his way back to where the sheep 310 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:29,470 are, down at Letheringsett. 311 00:14:29,470 --> 00:14:32,430 And that's where we picked him up from. 312 00:14:32,430 --> 00:14:34,600 NARRATOR: They were reunited at Letheringsett where 313 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,950 Tony had once kept some sheep. 314 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:39,620 Blake had decided to look there Tony. 315 00:14:39,620 --> 00:14:41,890 He'd been gone five days and traveled 316 00:14:41,890 --> 00:14:46,670 more than 60 miles to the village next to his home. 317 00:14:46,670 --> 00:14:51,250 When he got back he was thin, and dirty, and really weak. 318 00:14:51,250 --> 00:14:53,170 His paws were roughed up. 319 00:14:53,170 --> 00:14:55,460 And he was limping. 320 00:14:55,460 --> 00:14:58,540 And he looked at me for a few seconds 321 00:14:58,540 --> 00:14:59,494 before he came up to me. 322 00:14:59,494 --> 00:15:00,760 I think he thought he was going to get 323 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,810 wronged for being away so long. 324 00:15:03,810 --> 00:15:06,670 NARRATOR: Scientists suggest Blake may have navigated 325 00:15:06,670 --> 00:15:09,500 by linking together the places across the county 326 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:12,420 where Tony Balderstone had grazed his sheep. 327 00:15:12,420 --> 00:15:14,770 By going from pasture to pasture he'd 328 00:15:14,770 --> 00:15:17,470 found his way home in stages. -Stand. 329 00:15:17,470 --> 00:15:19,980 330 00:15:19,980 --> 00:15:23,250 Two or three years ago, Tony Balderstone used to graze 331 00:15:23,250 --> 00:15:25,810 his sheep here in the winter. 332 00:15:25,810 --> 00:15:28,980 And one could any presume that where the thieves 333 00:15:28,980 --> 00:15:32,090 dropped him off he suddenly realized 334 00:15:32,090 --> 00:15:34,200 that he probably knew the area. 335 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,400 And actually came back to the ground 336 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,391 that he knew several years ago. 337 00:15:39,391 --> 00:15:42,758 [WHISTLING] 338 00:15:42,758 --> 00:15:51,360 339 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:52,960 NARRATOR: Haverly Market in Devon 340 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,200 is one of the West of England's busiest cattle markets. 341 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,785 Here cows, calves, and bulls are traded between farmers. 342 00:15:59,785 --> 00:16:02,760 343 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:04,570 But this was the starting point for one 344 00:16:04,570 --> 00:16:08,282 of the strangest stories in the annals of animal navigation. 345 00:16:08,282 --> 00:16:11,726 [AUCTIONEER CHANT] 346 00:16:11,726 --> 00:16:16,646 347 00:16:16,646 --> 00:16:20,470 NARRATOR: It was here that Blacky, a heifer, and her calf, 348 00:16:20,470 --> 00:16:21,980 came to auction. 349 00:16:21,980 --> 00:16:25,480 The calf was bought by this man, farmer Arthur Sleeman. 350 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:29,630 And its mother Blacky went to this man, Bob Wollacott. 351 00:16:29,630 --> 00:16:33,260 Both men set off for their farms with their new purchases. 352 00:16:33,260 --> 00:16:37,210 In Bob's cow shed Blacky the mother seemed far from happy. 353 00:16:37,210 --> 00:16:41,870 354 00:16:41,870 --> 00:16:43,880 When I brought her home and she was wild. 355 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,490 And she'd been taken away from her half. 356 00:16:46,490 --> 00:16:48,002 We did the best we could for her. 357 00:16:48,002 --> 00:16:50,000 We put her in the yard, bedded her down. 358 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,840 Give her hay and water some meal. 359 00:16:53,840 --> 00:17:00,100 And when we came down the next morning the cow was gone. 360 00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:01,630 NARRATOR: Early that morning a cow had been 361 00:17:01,630 --> 00:17:03,450 spotted loose in a village. 362 00:17:03,450 --> 00:17:05,344 The postman wasn't the only person to have seen 363 00:17:05,344 --> 00:17:07,550 her trotting along the road. 364 00:17:07,550 --> 00:17:11,900 Two of my neighbor's saw this cow and it was going our way. 365 00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:14,619 It had a market ticket on it, but wasn't 366 00:17:14,619 --> 00:17:16,270 their cow or anything. 367 00:17:16,270 --> 00:17:20,353 And it came right down to our place. 368 00:17:20,353 --> 00:17:21,819 NARRATOR: Arthur Sleeman woke up to discover 369 00:17:21,819 --> 00:17:23,940 a strange cow in his yard. 370 00:17:23,940 --> 00:17:28,140 His farm is more than seven miles from Bob Wollacott's. 371 00:17:28,140 --> 00:17:31,150 This cow wanted to go in with the cows. 372 00:17:31,150 --> 00:17:34,330 We let it in there with its calf. 373 00:17:34,330 --> 00:17:38,630 And then immediately the calf went and suckled her. 374 00:17:38,630 --> 00:17:40,340 NARRATOR: Fortunately the strange cow 375 00:17:40,340 --> 00:17:43,460 still carried the auction lot number on her back. 376 00:17:43,460 --> 00:17:45,260 Sleeman was able to call the market 377 00:17:45,260 --> 00:17:48,010 and find out who owned the mystery cow. 378 00:17:48,010 --> 00:17:50,670 The market confirmed it was Blacky, the mother 379 00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:52,766 of the calf he and bought. 380 00:17:52,766 --> 00:17:56,495 Bob Wollacott drove across to claim her. 381 00:17:56,495 --> 00:17:59,720 When I saw the cow and calf together on knew that it was no 382 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,410 good bring the cow back on its own 383 00:18:01,410 --> 00:18:03,340 because it would all happen again. 384 00:18:03,340 --> 00:18:06,350 We bartered a bit [INAUDIBLE]. 385 00:18:06,350 --> 00:18:10,310 Eventually I came home with the cow and the calf. 386 00:18:10,310 --> 00:18:11,610 NARRATOR: But how had Blacky found 387 00:18:11,610 --> 00:18:14,330 her way to a place she'd never seen over roads she'd 388 00:18:14,330 --> 00:18:16,060 never traveled. 389 00:18:16,060 --> 00:18:18,690 I think she could hear the calf calling. 390 00:18:18,690 --> 00:18:20,907 And that's what took her in that direction. 391 00:18:20,907 --> 00:18:22,040 That's the only thing I can think. 392 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,220 Some people say that in the middle of the night when 393 00:18:26,220 --> 00:18:29,460 everything is still that she might have heard 394 00:18:29,460 --> 00:18:30,930 cries coming up through the valley. 395 00:18:30,930 --> 00:18:33,490 But, I mean, it was a long way. 396 00:18:33,490 --> 00:18:36,180 Never seen anything like it before. 397 00:18:36,180 --> 00:18:38,860 And never will again I don't expect. 398 00:18:38,860 --> 00:18:40,530 Being a sentimental sort of man, 399 00:18:40,530 --> 00:18:43,360 I thought it was better to bring them back. 400 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,370 Let them go on together. 401 00:18:45,370 --> 00:18:47,240 And that's what we did. 402 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:48,930 NARRATOR: After Blacky's maternal marathon 403 00:18:48,930 --> 00:18:51,910 Bob decided they'd never be parted again. 404 00:18:51,910 --> 00:18:54,070 Cow and calf spent the rest of their lives 405 00:18:54,070 --> 00:18:55,540 together on his farm. 406 00:18:55,540 --> 00:19:05,250 407 00:19:05,250 --> 00:19:08,330 When Beetle the cat escaped from his owner's new apartment 408 00:19:08,330 --> 00:19:11,790 in the heart of London, Robin Lefever was distraught. 409 00:19:11,790 --> 00:19:13,950 The can had only been there for six months 410 00:19:13,950 --> 00:19:15,670 and had never been out of doors. 411 00:19:15,670 --> 00:19:19,080 412 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,590 We put up notices everywhere trying and hoping 413 00:19:21,590 --> 00:19:24,252 that people would spots him. 414 00:19:24,252 --> 00:19:27,290 And it was dreadful that he didn't come back. 415 00:19:27,290 --> 00:19:30,860 And we really didn't expect to see him again at all. 416 00:19:30,860 --> 00:19:32,160 NARRATOR: With Beetle at large Rob 417 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,360 Lefever was deeply concerned. 418 00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:36,530 The animal was adrift in the capital. 419 00:19:36,530 --> 00:19:38,560 All he'd known before coming to the city 420 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,810 was the quiet countryside around the family's cottage 421 00:19:40,810 --> 00:19:44,170 near Canterbury 70 miles away. 422 00:19:44,170 --> 00:19:46,290 Months passed and Lefever thought 423 00:19:46,290 --> 00:19:48,260 he'd never see Beetle again. 424 00:19:48,260 --> 00:19:51,031 Until one day that he'll never forget. 425 00:19:51,031 --> 00:19:51,730 Well, I was at work. 426 00:19:51,730 --> 00:19:55,280 And I got a call from my parents to say that they 427 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:56,250 had some incredible news. 428 00:19:56,250 --> 00:19:58,760 And that our neighbors had found Beetle. 429 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,720 He'd turned up in their wood shed/ I was absolutely amazed. 430 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:03,970 It was several months later. 431 00:20:03,970 --> 00:20:06,340 And when we brought him home again he was completely 432 00:20:06,340 --> 00:20:08,420 familiar in his surroundings. 433 00:20:08,420 --> 00:20:11,060 Back in usual spots. 434 00:20:11,060 --> 00:20:14,100 NARRATOR: Back home in Kent the cat didn't even look thin. 435 00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:15,890 the family thought that somehow Beetle 436 00:20:15,890 --> 00:20:19,060 had been charming a few free lunches along the way. 437 00:20:19,060 --> 00:20:21,340 But the real mystery is how on earth this cat 438 00:20:21,340 --> 00:20:23,060 could have found his way. 439 00:20:23,060 --> 00:20:25,610 His route must've taken him across Europe's busiest 440 00:20:25,610 --> 00:20:28,674 streets, through menacing traffic, and all of it 441 00:20:28,674 --> 00:20:29,734 along an unknown route. 442 00:20:29,734 --> 00:20:30,900 ROBIN (VOICEOVER): To get back here 443 00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:32,299 the incredible thing is that he would have 444 00:20:32,299 --> 00:20:33,927 come from North Kensington. 445 00:20:33,927 --> 00:20:35,160 And he would have to go right the way 446 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,380 across London, across the Thames, 447 00:20:37,380 --> 00:20:39,800 right the way through south London, right the way down 448 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:40,600 passed midway. 449 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:42,390 And probably went across it. 450 00:20:42,390 --> 00:20:43,490 And he then have to have traveled 451 00:20:43,490 --> 00:20:45,130 right the way through Kent, right 452 00:20:45,130 --> 00:20:46,220 down to here passed Cantebury. 453 00:20:46,220 --> 00:20:52,010 454 00:20:52,010 --> 00:20:53,760 I can't explain how he did it at all. 455 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,270 He's got a brother from the same litter who was brought 456 00:20:56,270 --> 00:20:59,630 to a coastal town near here. 457 00:20:59,630 --> 00:21:00,930 And that was 30 miles away. 458 00:21:00,930 --> 00:21:03,890 And he walked straight back here again as well. 459 00:21:03,890 --> 00:21:06,080 And so I can only imagine that there's something particular 460 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,515 to this area or maybe to that particular litter of cats 461 00:21:08,515 --> 00:21:10,050 that they're just homing cats. 462 00:21:10,050 --> 00:21:14,590 463 00:21:14,590 --> 00:21:17,920 Claims that animals can navigate enormous distances 464 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,480 present problems for scientists. 465 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,110 It's so difficult to check all the facts 466 00:21:23,110 --> 00:21:24,990 that even experts can be fooled. 467 00:21:24,990 --> 00:21:29,130 468 00:21:29,130 --> 00:21:32,830 NARRATOR: In Washington DC, Dr. Michael Fox is one of America's 469 00:21:32,830 --> 00:21:35,140 best-known veterinary surgeons. 470 00:21:35,140 --> 00:21:37,710 He writes in newspapers across the country. 471 00:21:37,710 --> 00:21:39,890 And he also travels the world representing 472 00:21:39,890 --> 00:21:44,890 the United States in international animal welfare. 473 00:21:44,890 --> 00:21:47,290 His credentials and know-how in animal matters 474 00:21:47,290 --> 00:21:49,890 are impeccable, which makes it all the harder 475 00:21:49,890 --> 00:21:53,170 to understand how he was caught up in a classic case 476 00:21:53,170 --> 00:21:55,176 of mistaken identity. 477 00:21:55,176 --> 00:21:56,460 [CATS MEOWING] 478 00:21:56,460 --> 00:21:57,850 MICHAEL: We were living in Galesburg 479 00:21:57,850 --> 00:22:01,080 Illinois in a small apartment and decided 480 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:02,280 to move into the countryside. 481 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,930 It was about six miles away, a little cottage 482 00:22:04,930 --> 00:22:07,020 on the edge of some farmland. 483 00:22:07,020 --> 00:22:09,460 And Igor was a young male Siamese. 484 00:22:09,460 --> 00:22:12,380 And we took Igor along with us. 485 00:22:12,380 --> 00:22:17,510 But after a few days he disappeared. 486 00:22:17,510 --> 00:22:20,820 We searched all over the fields and around the ponds, 487 00:22:20,820 --> 00:22:22,400 and the wood lot, and so on. 488 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,130 Calling his name, we went out at night 489 00:22:24,130 --> 00:22:28,060 with a flashlight hoping to find him hunting or something. 490 00:22:28,060 --> 00:22:32,520 And he had a very loud voice, but no Igor. 491 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:38,230 It was probably after a couple weeks I'd say. 492 00:22:38,230 --> 00:22:41,000 First of all, we heard meowing and a scratching noise. 493 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,280 And there was a Siamese cat looking at us 494 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,390 through the kitchen window. 495 00:22:46,390 --> 00:22:48,330 And I said, good lord. 496 00:22:48,330 --> 00:22:49,940 It's Igor come back. 497 00:22:49,940 --> 00:22:52,510 He was skinny, emaciated. 498 00:22:52,510 --> 00:22:53,430 So we open the door. 499 00:22:53,430 --> 00:22:57,350 And this cat walked in as though he'd lived there forever. 500 00:22:57,350 --> 00:23:02,120 And we thought, well, that's it. 501 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:05,196 NARRATOR: But six weeks later came a dramatic and confusing 502 00:23:05,196 --> 00:23:05,895 development. 503 00:23:05,895 --> 00:23:09,030 504 00:23:09,030 --> 00:23:14,060 We had a call from neighbors saying that there was 505 00:23:14,060 --> 00:23:17,950 a Siamese cat in terrible condition wondering 506 00:23:17,950 --> 00:23:20,950 around where you used to live. 507 00:23:20,950 --> 00:23:24,190 Perhaps you ought to come over and have a look at this animal 508 00:23:24,190 --> 00:23:28,740 because we did hear that your Siamese cat had disappeared. 509 00:23:28,740 --> 00:23:30,640 Well, of course, we simply couldn't believe 510 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,090 this, what we were doing. 511 00:23:32,090 --> 00:23:35,050 We had whom we thought was Igor II here. 512 00:23:35,050 --> 00:23:38,440 This couldn't be Igor. 513 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,330 And it's an impossible journey. 514 00:23:40,330 --> 00:23:42,950 Back into town we were living in a rural area. 515 00:23:42,950 --> 00:23:45,700 Igor had never made that journey on foot. 516 00:23:45,700 --> 00:23:49,080 And he certainly couldn't have seen much when we drove out 517 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:51,230 to the country place because we were piled 518 00:23:51,230 --> 00:23:52,840 with boxes and everything else. 519 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:55,820 And he was in a small cat cage more or less 520 00:23:55,820 --> 00:23:58,000 on the floor of the car. 521 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,180 But we were both shocked when we saw this cat. 522 00:24:01,180 --> 00:24:03,000 it was Igor. 523 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,500 NARRATOR: But if this was the really Igor, how had he 524 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:08,700 found his way back to the Fox's original home? 525 00:24:08,700 --> 00:24:10,970 Michael Fox believes animals can somehow 526 00:24:10,970 --> 00:24:13,740 tune in to the minds of humans. 527 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:16,850 My interpretation is that the animals 528 00:24:16,850 --> 00:24:18,780 are tuned in to an emotional realm 529 00:24:18,780 --> 00:24:20,670 that I call the empathosphere. 530 00:24:20,670 --> 00:24:23,740 They're able to through empathy sense 531 00:24:23,740 --> 00:24:25,260 where their loved ones are. 532 00:24:25,260 --> 00:24:28,330 It's like the loved ones are an emotional antenna 533 00:24:28,330 --> 00:24:29,840 and the animal can home in on it. 534 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:33,570 535 00:24:33,570 --> 00:24:37,090 It's part of the great mystery of which we are a relatively 536 00:24:37,090 --> 00:24:38,730 insignificant part. 537 00:24:38,730 --> 00:24:41,920 And I'd like to think that our animals can keep us in touch 538 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,805 with this mystery with an aspect of the sacred, and the unknown. 539 00:24:45,805 --> 00:24:50,411 540 00:24:50,411 --> 00:24:51,110 [INAUDIBLE]. 541 00:24:51,110 --> 00:24:54,010 542 00:24:54,010 --> 00:24:57,360 These stories certainly make me wonder. 543 00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:01,130 Although mistaken identity can never be ruled out, 544 00:25:01,130 --> 00:25:04,810 the sheer volume of cases where animals seemed to have found 545 00:25:04,810 --> 00:25:07,170 their way home over great distances 546 00:25:07,170 --> 00:25:11,050 suggests that we have much to learn about their powers. 547 00:25:11,050 --> 00:25:14,620 If we could understand what's really going on when dogs 548 00:25:14,620 --> 00:25:18,170 apparently diagnose illness, perhaps a whole new branch 549 00:25:18,170 --> 00:25:20,540 of medicine could be opened up. 550 00:25:20,540 --> 00:25:23,020 And I'll certainly never again think 551 00:25:23,020 --> 00:25:27,560 of my own non-human companions as dumb animals. 552 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,910 [MUSIC PLAYING] 553 00:25:30,910 --> 00:26:00,700