Plot Synopsis

Using first-person interviews and home movies, film and television archives spanning 1950-80, MY WILD AFFAIR reveals the special connection between animals and humans. These rare relationships cross the divide between species, providing a glimpse into the inner life of the creatures, with animal anecdotes teaching a lesson about their incredible nature. Each one-hour episode focuses on a different animal-human relationship, including: Aisha, a baby elephant orphan, who refused to eat when her foster parent, Daphne Sheldrick, left the pachyderm with a babysitter for a few days to attend her daughter's wedding; Chantek, the orangutan raised as a human child on an American university campus during the 70s and 80s; Rupert, an orphaned black rhinoceros, which was raised in the suburban family home of wildlife vet Dr. John Condy after the young rhino was rescued from flooding caused by the damming of the Zambezi River; and Andre, a two-day-old wild harbor seal who, in 1961, was rescued from certain death by Harry Goodridge, an arborist from Rockport, ME. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT (check local listings).