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The Trevanion family decide to make a fresh start and emigrate to South Africa to set up an animal reserve.
2007
As Sarah agrees to plan a wedding reception to aid finance which is severely lacking, Tate has an accident whilst illegally hunting and this leads to his death despite Danny's best efforts. Nomsa's daughter, Thandi arrives and becomes Evan and Olivia's teacher.
It's the reopening of Mara and a British wildlife charity is releasing a Vulture into the wild. Danny has a love interest in an English woman who comes to watch the release but Sarah prevents it going any further.
Evan and Du Plessis keep running away from the work of Leopard's Den to look after Togo, an orphaned elephant. Rosie finds Du Plessis' son Kirk on a game drive but Du Plessis attempts to shoot down the idea of him being a father. Sarah also finds out her father has died in hospital.
With the Leopard’s Den’s annual inspection fast approaching, Danny is feeling the pressure of Sarah’s absence.
Everyone’s excited about the arrival of Danny’s old tutor and Rosie’s godfather, Bash but he appears to be suffering from memory loss.
The family are less than prepared when Caroline, Sarah's mother, arrives which drives Sarah into running into a buffalo.
Simon, Sarah’s ex-husband arrives at Leopard’s Den and causes trouble between the family. Also, Sarah decides she doesn't want children with Danny.
A plane crashes at Leopards Den bring with it an unwanted virus.
Du Plessis's birthday celebrations don't go according to plan. He's been told he has angina and doesn't feel like celebrating.
The residents at Leopard’s Den are reeling from the lion attack. Danny has been given the all-clear to go home but Du Plessis is still unconscious. Will he pull through?
2006
Danny and Sarah set out to build a new life for themselves and their children amid the teeming wildlife of the African plains.
As Danny considers signing a binding business contract, Sarah is appalled to learn the reserve would have fierce competition in the form of a nearby rival. Evan and Du Plessis accidentally run over a cheetah on the way to buy supplies - but the events of the day pale into insignificance when Olivia is bitten by a snake.
The arrival of Evan and Olivia's father throws the family into turmoil. He is determined to take his kids back to England with him and threatens to go to court to get custody. Sarah is furious - he wasn't thinking of them when he left her for his secretary. Rosie can't hide her delight that they might all be going home, but when a drunken fight breaks out in a bar, she is rescued by Tate.
Evan and Olivia run away after a series of rows, leaving Sarah to search for her children alone while Danny and Du Plessis go looking for a half-drugged lioness. While tracking the animal, they crash the truck - putting the warden in need of an emergency operation.
Sarah is forced to ask Tate for help when the first paying guests arrive early at a chaotic Leopard's Den, but a string of unfortunate misunderstandings at the rival reserve convinces Rosie her stepmother is having an affair. A rampaging group of rogue male elephants are damaging the land, so Danny introduces an older female animal to keep them in line.
Danny is concerned that poachers may be in the area and when he finds one of his zebras has been killed, he and Du Plessis stake out the grazing area. They find more dead animals, but these were not killed by poachers. Tests reveal anthrax is the cause and Danny imposes a quarantine on Leopards Den. Sarah is upset by her friend Izzy and goes looking for a missing lion cub, but she collapses. The family must wait to see whether Sarah has anthrax or is just allergic to the vaccine.
2010
Back among the lions, giraffes and elephants, love is continuing to blossom for Danny Trevanion and fellow vet Alice Collins but will Danny have the courage to commit to her? Throughout the series the pair will face many challenges, not least the pressure of working together, and Alice must make some difficult decisions about her future at Leopard’s Den.
Danny starts to feel his age after hurting his back whilst building a new local school. When a new young vet arrives called Lewis he feels even older. After Caroline requests that Du Plessis organises their honeymoon, she ends up with much more than she bargained for.
Alice becomes increasingly torn between helping Rowan to rehabilitate a tiger at Mara and her own responsibilities at Leopard's Den. Danny's project to help township animals takes a disastrous turn when a pregnant cow develops complications. Du Plessis and Fatani agree to help with Rowan's beauty pageant
Danny confides in Du Plessis about his intention to ask for Alice's hand in marriage, but the arrival of his step-daughter Olivia threatens to derail his plans. Meanwhile, Jana the cheetah falls sick, and Danny realises that he must save the animal if he is to salvage his relationship with Olivia.
Danny and Alice's plans for a romantic trip away are ruined when they come across a crash out in the bush. With an injured tourist on their hands and a lion on the loose, they are faced with a long, dark night ahead. Meanwhile, Du Plessis decides that it is time that Olivia learned some manners, but will his short, sharp technique do the job?
Danny's attempts to help Alice settle into her new job at Mara backfire when a hyena goes on the rampage. With the life of an animal in the balance, Danny realises he must pull out all the stops if he is to salvage his relationship with Alice. Meanwhile, Alice discovers that Rowan and Vanessa have been seeing each other in secret. And a honeymooning couple face a charging wildebeest.
With matters between him and Alice still tense, a distracted Danny makes a fatal mistake while treating a rare black leopard. When the big cat dies, its owner insists that Danny is investigated for malpractice. Hearing the bad news, Du Plessis decides to look into the matter in order to exonerate his friend. But things look bleak when Danny goes against his suspension to treat Jana and an official catches him out.
Leopard’s Den’s residents go to an auction to purchase a giraffe after lions kill their own. However when Danny and Alice argue over a suitable replacement Danny falls into the arms of Vanessa. Meanwhile, a storm is approaching Leopard’s Den, so for safety reasons the family have to release some of the animals. When the storm hits, Charlotte and Danny come off the worst.
There are dangerous consequences when Du Plessis ignores his heart condition and collapses while alone in the bush. Danny gets more than he bargained for when he has to deal with two rogue lions that are attacking the local cattle. Olivia and Caroline are finding it particularly hard as the anniversary of Sarah's death draws nearer.
When Du Plessis hears about Caroline's intention of buying them a retirement home he confesses to Olivia that he has given away all of their savings to his son. Will they be able to resolve the situation before the family find out? Danny and Alice's plan to give a home to a rare aardwolf backfires when they meet Vanessa's father - who refuses to take in charity cases. He goes on to make himself even more unpopular by buying Ekotto's land with the intention of turning it into a golf course.
Stephen Tompkinson
Danny Trevanion
Deon Stewardson
Anders Du Plessis
2012
It's one year later at Leopards Den. Ed Lynch and Fiona have since left Leopards Den and Alice is back, but work demands and caring for baby Robert lead to tensions with Danny. Martin, the new neighbour at Mara, has his eye on Alice. Liv and Fatani are struggling; nobody likes Rosie's fiancé Dylan; and Dup receives a frightening medical prognosis. The family's cheetah Cassidy is poached, and tensions are high. Dup decides to use his remaining time to fix his ailing family by proving to Danny that his future son-in-law is worthy.
2008
Business at Leopard’s Den isn’t flourishing. Sarah decides that new luxury accommodation which will attract wealthy guests is the answer to their financial problems. Danny is finding it tough to juggle mending the fences, his veterinary practice and the health of his animals. A zebra dies unexpectedly, and he needs to stop whatever killed it spreading to other animals. Sarah is on a shopping trip with her mother Caroline (Hayley), purchasing soft furnishings for the new accommodation, when there is a problem with Sarah’s card. The bank has frozen her credit as they are constantly overdrawn. Zebras slip through the damaged fencing into the neighbouring reserve, Mara, angering the manager, Fatani. As Danny tries to smooth things over, he finds two tiger cubs in Fatani’s “zoo for endangered species” and is outraged. Later, the cubs go missing and Fatani immediately accuses Danny of taking them. Danny knows nothing about it but in retaliation, Fatani lures away workers from Leopard’s Den with the promise of instant cash. Things go from bad to worse when Danny learns that his lab bills are still outstanding. Will the Trevanions be able to turn their luck around? And will they unmask the true tiger cub thief?
On completing his annual animal census, Danny makes the alarming discovery that there are no male cheetah on the reserve. Meanwhile tension between Sarah and Caroline is at an all time high and in a fit of pique, Sarah fires her own mother. Vet students Glenn and Caitlin are at Leopard’s Den for a work placement, after which Danny will choose which one will be his vet assistant for a year. This annoys Rosie who has started to enjoy assisting her dad. And she doesn’t appreciate Caitlin flirting with her boyfriend, Max. When Danny bawls her out for being late for a game drive, Rosie quits. Sarah is astonished to discover Caroline is the new deputy manager of Mara. But Du Plessis is fed up with all the upheaval at Leopard’s Den and hatches a plan to get everything to go back to normal. Enlisting Caroline’s help, he “borrows” a cheetah from Mara and hints to Rosie that there still may be one male cheetah at Leopard’s Den. Rosie is delighted when she finds the animal. Episode one
This week Danny has an elephant problem: there’s not enough space for their growing numbers at Leopard’s Den. The elephants have eaten all the available foliage and are beginning to fight over food, and injure each other. If Danny can’t solve this problem, Du Plessis tells him, the only humane thing to do will be to cull some of the elephants. Sarah has her work cut out with the first guests in the new luxury lodge - a hen party of excitable young women - while Du Plessis’s son, Kirk, arrives with his girlfriend, Neema, and Du Plessis is thrilled to discover he is going to be a granddad. Fatani is nervous because Mara’s new owner is arriving. But Elliot Kriel turns out to be a really good guy. One of the first things he does is invite the Trevanions over for a meal so he can get to know his neighbours. It turns out he may have a solution for Danny’s elephant problem too. But it’s not just elephants on the agenda. Rosie calls Danny away to investigate a giraffe problem near the fence with Mara. It seems the new electric fence Fatani has installed is hurting the giraffes…
Danny is shocked when Elaine, his old flame from veterinary college, turns up with a tranquilised lioness which she claims to have found in the bush. Sarah is unhappy when she sees the way Danny reacts to seeing Elaine again. It soon becomes clear that Elaine has not told the whole truth when a man from Catabele, a nearby game park, reveals that one of his lionesses, destined to be shot in a hunt, has been stolen. Danny confronts Elaine who denies taking the lioness, but Sarah’s suspicions are raised. After some internet lessons from Evan, Du Plessis secretly goes on a dating website but Caroline knows he’s up to something. Danny is oblivious to the fact that Elaine still has feelings for him, but Sarah is starting to worry. Sarah is furious with Danny when Mr Castle returns to demand his lioness back. Danny promises to sort it out, but Elaine has already released the lioness. How will Danny sort this one out?
Danny berates a tourist for carelessly hitting a cow while driving through the township. He’s stunned to learn that the woman is Kriel’s wife, Amy (Jessie Wallace). Sarah is dismayed when she discovers that her mother has invited a journalist to review Leopard’s Den, but Caroline reassures her that the woman and her husband will have an unforgettable time. As Evan and Olivia are staying away for longer, Sarah wants to make the most of their temporary freedom, but Danny is called away by Kriel, who has found a rooikat trapped in a snare. While treating the wild cat, Danny despairs of his lack of equipment and wishes he had the facilities of an animal hospital. He’s taken aback when Kriel suggests they build one.
Danny is busier than ever due to a drought affecting the region. But he has to turn away some locals with sick animals to attend to an abandoned baby hippo. Frustrated by his relentless workload, Sarah decides to restart the animal hospital initiative. Without Kriel’s knowledge, Amy helps Sarah organise a fundraiser. They hope to persuade Jordan, a rich businessman staying at Mara, to invest in the hospital. Caroline’s sister, Judith, comes to visit the family. She immediately perceives the stalemate between Caroline and Du Plessis and resolves to make Caroline realise how much she cares for him. Meanwhile Max surprises Rosie with a huge diamond engagement ring. To him, it symbolises their future together, but when he outlines his idea of the future to Rosie, she begins to have doubts. At the fundraiser Du Plessis is being auctioned off. The two sisters engage in a bidding war but Judith is triumphant. And Max realises that Rosie hasn’t told Danny and Sarah about their engagement and leaves, upset.
Max's parents are from old South Africa and don't approve of the wedding and the omens are bad when Max sees the bride before the wedding. The drought continues and a fire threatens the marriage, the hospital and the house. Max is the hero and Kriel the coward while Max's father proves that a leopard can change it's spots.
The hospital is lost in the fire, but the animals are now in danger of being trapped in the flames, so the Trevanions rush to help them. Disaster strikes and the family has to decide what it can do in the face of such tragedy. Africa has been their saviour and now could be their undoing.
2011
New series. Danny's estranged father comes to the reserve with a secret that could blow the family apart. Meanwhile, Du Plessis is devastated when the lions under his care fall ill.
Danny applies for the prestigious job of State Vet. Meanwhile, he attempts to involve Thabo in his work but does not realise that Du Plessis is feeling pushed out.
On his first day as state vet, Danny's investigation into an animal-smuggling ring surprises him when it leads him close to home. Meanwhile, Thabo is settling into life at Leopard's Den, but the arrival of his troublesome older brother leads him into a bit of trouble with the law, which tests his blossoming friendship with DuPlessis.
For his first big project as state vet, Danny oversees the relocation of an animal. However, Alice struggles running the vet clinic in his absence, and a traumatic, close encounter with a lion only makes her feel worse. Meanwhile, DuPlessis takes Caroline on a basic camping trip into the African wilderness to show her the 'real Africa', it backfires.
Strange things are happening at Leopard's Den - a cracked mirror, elephants and lions seen miles away from their normal locations and dead crocodiles in a river - Danny and Alice have to work fast to discover the cause of the mysterious happenings before more animals die. Meanwhile, whilst cleaning out the house rubbish, DuPlessis finds a pregnancy kit and jumps to the wrong conclusion. This leads to a surprising revelation.
Danny investigates when the routine transportation of a tiger goes wrong, and finds Alice could be to blame for it's death. Meanwhile, DuPlessis resorts to desperate measures when the mining company says it wants to buy both Leopard's Den and Mara.
When Pieters asks for their help in relocating a pair of hyenas, Danny and Alice are divided. Meanwhile, DuPlessis starts a one-man vandalism campaign against the mining company. However, when he's caught on camera he's fined and given a restraining order. But these aren't the only consequences of his actions.
As the court case between Pieters and Leopard's Den nears, Danny realises he may have to put aside his principles to save Leopard's Den. And Caroline takes matters into her hands when she decides to go undercover, applying for the job of Pieters' personal assistant at the mining company. She hopes she will find more about the company's plans. DuPlessis meanwhile, turns to sabotage to protect his home.
When the mining company takes over Leopard's Den, Danny comes to an agreement with Peeters to set up a field hospital in the Bush until the rehoming of the animals is complete. The family end up camping out in the Bush, with squatters' rights being claimed by DuPlessis. However, the protest takes a turn for the worse when the electricity generator fails.
While Du Plessis digs himself deep in trouble trying to sort out his finances and keep Caroline happy, Danny is busy making plans for his and Alice's future.
2009
Danny is unable to get custody of Evan. The gang try and save a baby elephant who has been abandoned. Danny finds himself pushed to the limit as a father and a vet.
Whilst they are on the run Danny and Evan come across a sick hippo. They put themselves on the line to try and help her. Rosie meets the new owner of Mara. Rosie put her own and the animal hospital's future at risk to help save a sick lioness.
Danny is called to help with a rabies outbreak. Danny finds it hard working with a vet called Alice who has been sent to help him.
Max and Rosie are finally married but their future happiness is in jeopardy. Du Plessis is upset when he finds out that Caroline has decided not to return to Africa.
Danny and Alice rescue an endangered wild dog and are shocked by the arrival of Alice's ex boyfriend who shows up to take a look at the animal. When Terry manages to persuade Alice to give them another go, Danny realises he has to be honest about how he feels about her.
Du Pleiss shocks everyone when he says he is returning to the United Kingdom to live with Caroline and that he wont be coming back. Rosie is determined to stop some animals from being treated badly.
Georgina thinks that Du Plessis is South Africa's version of Crocodile Dundee. An animal's welfare is in jeopardy when he lets fame go to his head. A man shows up claiming that a lioness belongs to him and he is determined to get the animal back.
Danny and Alice fall out at an animal auction. Alice becomes upset when she thinks she has paushed Danny towards Vanessa. A storm hits the area and Alice is concerned that she might not get the chance to be honest with Danny about how she really feels.
Alice is forced to leave Danny and try and get help following the storm. After Alice makes it back to Mara a search party heads out to find him. Danny leaves the car when he needs water and finds himself in real danger.
Danny has to fix the reserve's boundaries after some of the animals are discovered roaming around in the town following the storm. Vanessa fires Fatani after he steals some medicine to help a sick elephant calve. Du Plessis is surprised by Caroline's arrival at the Family Day Festival organised by Georgina.
2012
After the devastating loss of Leopard’s Den, the family are split across continents. Caroline, Liv and a heavily pregnant Alice are in the UK, while Danny and Du Plessis have remained in South Africa, trying to raise enough money to buy a new reserve and make a fresh start
Caroline, Liv and Charlotte return to South Africa with Danny. They are looking forward to seeing their new home, Clearwater Farm. After they find out that Du Plessis hasn’t done anything since Danny left, and the place is falling apart they are left feeling upset. Liv is happy to see Thabo again, but the feeling doesn’t seem to be reciprocated. Du Plessis believes that Danny killed their old enemy, Christian Peeters.
Danny has been working on an upcoming pitch for an Endangered Species Project. A pharmaceutical company are wanting to fund an environmental project and he hopes that this grant money could see the family buy back Leopard’s Den and Mara. Danny and Du Plessis end up crashing their jeep on their way back from collecting a lion though. Caroline is really concerned when they fail to return in time for the meeting. Danny, Du Plessis and Caroline finally make it to meeting with the lion in tow after Caroline manages to find them. Danny and Du Plessis have concerns after they find out that Ed Lynch is involved. When the lion becomes distressed the meeting is forced to be cut short so that Danny can see to it. Caroline ends up becoming convinced that all hope is gone for reclaiming Leopard’s Den. As Danny and Ed operate on the lion, Ed gets a call from JLW asking for him to meet with the board again tomorrow and Danny learns they want to see him as well. JLW explain that they want Danny’s project, but they also want Ed’s business skills which will mean they have to work together.
Danny and Ed release two cheetah brothers into the wild as their new partnership begins. Not all the members of the family are happy about the partnership though. Caroline is not happy with Danny’s having betrayed Du Plessis, and is completely against the idea of working with Ed. Caroline turns to Rosie for help, hoping that she’ll be able to talk some sense into her father. Danny and Du Plessis are still hiding the dark secret that Peeters’ body is buried on Leopard’s Den. Danny is pleased to see his daughter again, but she is upset at all the tension in the family. Rosie soon starts to believe though that Ed isn't as bad as Caroline thinks he is. Things end up getting worse when Du Plessis discovers a hyena digging at the grave site, and Ed thinks that it’d be the ideal place for their new quarantine pens.
The family are still at odds and seperated after Caroline’s decision to move back to the old Clearwater house with Du Plessis. Rosie is determined to get everyone back together and plans a dinner party as a first step towards reconciliation. Du Plessis’ is shocked after he sees Peeters in town when he looks again though he has vanished. Du Plessis hopes that it is just his mind playing tricks on him, but after he sees Peeters again in the bar, he begins to think he’s being haunted and decides to go talk with Danny.
With Danny in prison, accused of murdering Peeters, Du Plessis is determined to prove his innocence anyway he he can. After Du Plessis quizzes Ed about what he was doing the night of the murder, Ed says he was fast asleep and Du Plessis knows he’s lying. Fatani ends up finding evidence against Ed which is a letter of termination from the Big Five, signed by Peeters himself. Rosie is left to manage everything herself, to her increasing frustration. Caroline manages to secure an emergency hearing for Danny and he is granted bail. Du Plessis and Ed find Rosie following her disappearance and she has lost a lot of blood and is in a bad way. Danny hurries home to his injured daughter. Fatani discoverers cash and a flight ticket, which seems to confirm their suspicions of Ed. Du Plessis attempts to outline their theory to Danny, but he doesn’t want to hear it.
With Danny not around and Du Plessis doing his community service, Ed is left in charge of running the Endangered Species Project. Kim wants Ed to go for a drink with her, but after feeling flustered, he turns her down, immediately regretting his decision. Ed gets a second chance after Kim returns, worried about her lioness. Fatani tries to help Liv and Thabo with the animal census. Du Plessis and Ed end up discovering thst Kim is an animal smuggler.
Danny and Ed are getting ready for a review with JLW, the pharmaceutical company that funded their Endangered Species Project. Ed and Rosie find two dead wildebeest calves and Ed wants Rosie to perform a post mortem on them. Fatani is frustrated by the fact that but Liv insists that they have to keep their relationship a secret. The review ends up being a success and their funding will continue and JLW even want to hold a PR event to hand over the next cheque. Ed is not happy after he discovers that Rosie’s made a huge mistake on the post mortem. Fiona Lynch shows up up and is revealed to be Ed’s wife. Ed explains to everyone that they separated after Fiona cheated on him. Fiona begins to think that Ed is seeing Rosie and shares her suspicions with Caroline.
Having lost their funding, the family are in serious financial straits. Danny and Ed try to get an extension on their mortgage but are turned down. Ed manages to arrange an interview with Sienna, the owner of some rich breeding stables, and if they can secure the vet contract with her, it will help them out of their pediciment. Alice and the children are due to return soon and Danny can’t wait. Danny is shocked though when he speaks to Alice who is reluctant to return.
There are some odd things going on at Leopard’s Den after the family awake to discover frogs everywhere. The giraffe also refuses to move from the front gate and the cheetah is off its food. Fatani believes that the animals don’t want Danny to leave and Du Plessis has promised Caroline that he’ll hide his true feelings from his friend, so as not to make the situation any more tough than it already is. After a request for help comes from the National Park, Danny enjoys the chance for one last adventure. After an elephant found in the kitchen, the mystery of the animals’ odd behavior is solved after Fatani admits that he arranged all these stunts to stop Danny leaving, because he feared that Liv would go with him.
