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This is Winston, who at 38 years old is one of the oldest rhinos in the country. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:09 | |
Although it looks as if he is enjoying a quiet life, | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
the keepers have plans to make him a father for the very first time. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:17 | |
Yes, apparently it is never too late for a rhino to find love. | 0:00:17 | 0:00:21 | |
The keepers have set up a date for him | 0:00:21 | 0:00:23 | |
and we will find out whether romance is in the air on today's programme! | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
Coming up - will the precious new arrivals break the deadly curse of meerkat mountain? | 0:00:49 | 0:00:54 | |
In pursuit of love - three tonnes of randy rhino go on the rampage. | 0:00:54 | 0:01:02 | |
This might make a few cars move! | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
And Bev takes her chances with killer snakes and scorpions | 0:01:05 | 0:01:08 | |
as she hunts for the elusive pancake tortoise. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:13 | |
But first, most animals have a one-track mind. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:21 | |
Apart from eating, they generally put a great deal of effort into making babies. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:26 | |
And no-one spends more time thinking about reproduction than Ian Turner, the deputy head warden. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:37 | |
He is desperate to have a baby. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:41 | |
To be precise, a beautiful bouncing baby rhino. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:46 | |
After all, it has now been almost four years since Ian went to | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
South Africa to fetch their three new rhinos. Unjanu, the male, | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
and Roseena and Marashi, the females. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
They are absolutely gorgeous. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
Really good. Better than I thought. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
At the time, they were too young to start breeding but Ian had his eyes on the prize from the start. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:11 | |
Two years down the line, we should have two young ones. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
There is nothing to say we shouldn't do. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:14 | |
12 months later, Ian hadn't lost his focus. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:18 | |
I am hoping down the line we will have two baby rhinos. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:20 | |
And another year on, he was starting to sound like a broken record. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:26 | |
Hopefully, the young ones will start mating this year | 0:02:26 | 0:02:30 | |
because they have got to the right age and then two years | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
down the lines, there is no reason why we shouldn't have baby rhinos. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
The three youngsters are now old enough to be sexually mature but so far nothing. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:42 | |
So recently, the keepers have been arranging to put Unjanu and Roseena out together, | 0:02:42 | 0:02:48 | |
like on a romantic date, away from the others. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
And this morning, Ian's excited. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
They haven't actually done anything yet but at least they are getting to know each other a little better. | 0:02:54 | 0:03:02 | |
# How deep is you love | 0:03:02 | 0:03:03 | |
# Is your love... # | 0:03:03 | 0:03:05 | |
They are showing encouraging signs, | 0:03:05 | 0:03:07 | |
playing about and he is getting interested. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:09 | |
# Cos we're living in a world of... # | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
I would be very surprised if there is not mating this year and disappointed. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:15 | |
This is all good signs, the sword fighting, putting their head on the back and mounting. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:21 | |
That is all good stuff. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:23 | |
# ..to you and me... # | 0:03:23 | 0:03:26 | |
But there is one particular behaviour which usually indicates things are about to get steamy. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:32 | |
It is when they finished the sword fighting and he decides he will run off. | 0:03:32 | 0:03:36 | |
The other starts chasing. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:38 | |
Now, there is over three tonnes of rampant rhino to charging around the park at 30mph. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:45 | |
This could be dangerous. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:47 | |
This might make a few cars move. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:51 | |
# Je t'aime | 0:03:51 | 0:03:53 | |
# Oui, je t'aime | 0:03:53 | 0:03:55 | |
# Moi non plus... # | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
But a moment later, something goes wrong. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
RECORD SCRATCHES AND MUSIC STOPS | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
Unjanu and Roseena have | 0:04:04 | 0:04:06 | |
abruptly gone off the boil and suddenly got interested in a nice patch of grass. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:12 | |
Could it be they are still too young? | 0:04:12 | 0:04:17 | |
Luckily, this pair isn't the only couple Ian has hope for. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
There is also the other young female, ?? | 0:04:21 | 0:04:24 | |
and the park's older male, Winston. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
MUSIC: Steptoe And Son Theme | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
He is somewhat elderly but the vet has checked him out and reckons he is up to the job. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:37 | |
So, Ian can still dream. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:40 | |
My biggest wish would be for Winston to mate with one of the females. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:45 | |
That would be my wish list. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:49 | |
If they went berserk, they could have twins. That is a bit of wishful thinking. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:56 | |
In the 31 years I have been here, we've never had twins. | 0:04:56 | 0:05:00 | |
We have had lots of baby rhinos born and they are cute. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:04 | |
It's no wonder Ian is so broody after what happened on his trip to Kenya last year. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:11 | |
He had the chance to get really close to a couple of orphaned baby black rhino. Ian was over the moon. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:19 | |
Thank you very much. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:21 | |
You could see how boisterous they get and when they want food and | 0:05:26 | 0:05:30 | |
it's finished that is when it gets out of hand. Absolutely gorgeous. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:36 | |
So, after that experience, Ian redoubled his efforts to have one of his very own. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:45 | |
Now, he has got the keeper, Kevin, taking samples of | 0:05:45 | 0:05:50 | |
dung in order to figure out when she will be most likely to conceive. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:55 | |
They test for the female hormones | 0:05:55 | 0:05:58 | |
and we get the results back and plot it on a graph. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
We are looking for each peak to be 30 - 35 days, | 0:06:01 | 0:06:05 | |
which is when the rhinos come into season. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:09 | |
It takes 35 days to come into the next season. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
At the moment, we can see that it is about... | 0:06:12 | 0:06:17 | |
that was about six weeks. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
That is a little bit | 0:06:19 | 0:06:21 | |
too long, really. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:23 | |
We need to try and make an average of her cycles and go from | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
the average and put the bull out with her around that sort of time. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:32 | |
Once they've established the pattern, they will arrange a romantic rendezvous with Winston. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:38 | |
However, in rhino years, Marashi | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
is a teenager while Winston, let's face it, got his bus pass some time ago. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:47 | |
So will their tryst be a hot date or a damp squib? | 0:06:47 | 0:06:50 | |
We will find out later on. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
Unlike the rhino area, pets corner is a prolific place for births. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:05 | |
But one area that hasn't enjoyed much success is the ill-fated meerkat mountain. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:14 | |
Following the much-loved meerkat's progress has often been a tale of | 0:07:17 | 0:07:20 | |
tragedy with the babies dying a few weeks after being born. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:27 | |
Only this year, keeper John Reynolds lost several to | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
a mysterious disease, leaving a dark cloud hanging over meerkat mountain. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:35 | |
But, things could be looking up. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:40 | |
I'm down at meerkat mountain where there has been some really exciting news. The meerkats have had pups. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:46 | |
So, this is what the meerkats live. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
This is their burrow inside the mountain. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
-And where are the pups? -The pups are down here. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
Dad is looking after them. | 0:07:55 | 0:07:57 | |
There are some underneath the tubes. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:00 | |
I can see a little tail sticking out. That is dad... | 0:08:00 | 0:08:05 | |
That's dad looking after them. Mum is behind him there. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
They are extraordinary. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
-Remind me how many pups are there. -Five pups born about four or five days ago now. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:17 | |
And they are still obviously | 0:08:17 | 0:08:20 | |
in that fragile state where the parents are being protective. | 0:08:20 | 0:08:26 | |
Yeah, they are very protective parents, looking after them and making sure they are all all right. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:30 | |
There is always one babysitting, making sure they are OK. | 0:08:30 | 0:08:36 | |
Every so often she will come over and feed them. The dad is | 0:08:36 | 0:08:41 | |
watching them and making sure none get into trouble. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:44 | |
That extraordinary noise going on, is that because of the pups or are meerkats always vocal like that? | 0:08:44 | 0:08:50 | |
When they are babies they make as much noise as possible. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:53 | |
You will walk in in the morning and know they are born because of the noise. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
It's just amazing. | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
How long will they be suckling, taking milk | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
-from the mother? -Probably suckle for about a month and they will wean on solid food. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
They will carry on suckling after that but it doesn't take long | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
after they are weaned until they are fully weaned. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
Have they got all the same stripes and colourings as a fully grown meerkat? | 0:09:13 | 0:09:17 | |
No, they're very pale right now. | 0:09:17 | 0:09:18 | |
-It is only when they get -to nine or ten weeks they get their stripes and markings. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:23 | |
Just extraordinary. It must be really exciting for you to see this addition to your collection. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:31 | |
It really is absolutely incredible for us. It has taken us a long time to get them breeding. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:38 | |
Now they are trying to get their colony up, it is really good for us. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:43 | |
Bearing in mind these pups are just a few days old, how long | 0:09:43 | 0:09:45 | |
before they can venture out into meerkat mountain? | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
Normally, it will be about three weeks or so, they will come out, not go too far away from the tunnel. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:54 | |
There will be some one watching them, one of the adults to make sure they are all right. | 0:09:54 | 0:10:00 | |
As they get braver and braver they will go further and further out. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
It doesn't take much to make them scarper back to the tunnel again. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:06 | |
I bet. Eventually they will have the run of the place and feel very at home. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:13 | |
With these special new births, everyone now has their fingers | 0:10:15 | 0:10:18 | |
crossed that meerkat mountain's run of bad luck may finally be at an end. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:25 | |
The safari park's African connections run deep - | 0:10:31 | 0:10:34 | |
that's where so many of the animals here come from. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:38 | |
In the past, many of the keepers have had the opportunity to travel south to that vast wild continent. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:44 | |
This year, it is the turn of Bev Allen, Michelle Stephens, Ryan Hockley and Keith Harris. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:57 | |
They have flown into the game reserve in Tanzania | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
to learn more about their animals and help with conservation projects. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:06 | |
In our last programme, we followed the action as | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
Keith and Ryan joined in an operation to help return a pack of African hunting dogs to the wild. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:16 | |
Now, we are going to catch up with Bev and she is going on a wildlife hunt | 0:11:19 | 0:11:24 | |
but the animal she's after doesn't have big teeth, is unlikely to charge and couldn't outrun anything. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:31 | |
Bev is looking for one of Tanzania's rarest creatures - the pancake tortoise. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:38 | |
Back home, she helps look after four pancake tortoises. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:42 | |
It is a threatened species which has some unusual habits. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
Out here, Bev is hoping to discover detailed information about their | 0:11:46 | 0:11:51 | |
native environment in order to improve their Longleat environment. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:56 | |
This is an ideal area you would find a pancake tortoise | 0:11:56 | 0:11:59 | |
because you have these rocks where they would hide in the crevices. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:04 | |
There are lots of different plants as well. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:08 | |
If you feel the rocks, they are quite warm so pancake tortoises need | 0:12:08 | 0:12:13 | |
the heat to survive and keep them going because | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
the sun will shine on their shell, warms them up and off they go. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:22 | |
You would see them on the stones warming up and when it gets too hot they can go into the holes and | 0:12:22 | 0:12:30 | |
get away from the sunlight and also to get away from predators because it is quite open. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:35 | |
You probably get predators coming up | 0:12:35 | 0:12:38 | |
that may attack them. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:41 | |
They can lock themselves in the crevices where they would be safe. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
They expand their shell and with their claws | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
they hold on inside the crevices so nothing can pull them out. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:51 | |
As a threatened species, pancake tortoises are very rare | 0:12:51 | 0:12:56 | |
but they have been spotted amongst these rocks before. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
So, it is worth having a good look. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
In our enclosure at Pet's Corner it is a small enclosure. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:04 | |
We are hoping to make it bigger and the greenery and different grasses and plants... | 0:13:04 | 0:13:10 | |
It would be a really good idea if we can get more greenery in there for them, which would be brilliant. | 0:13:10 | 0:13:15 | |
I would like to take some photos I can take back | 0:13:15 | 0:13:20 | |
to Pet's Corner and show Darren and Joe the pictures so we can | 0:13:20 | 0:13:25 | |
get some ideas for our enclosure. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
Of course, one of the advantages of a digital camera | 0:13:27 | 0:13:30 | |
is you can send photos by e-mail so in fact the pictures could be back at Pet's Corner long before Bev. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:38 | |
Unfortunately, there is no sign of any tortoises out here today. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:41 | |
On the other hand, there is no sign of anything else. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:46 | |
I was worried putting my hands in the crevices because I hear | 0:13:46 | 0:13:50 | |
there are lots of snakes around and scorpions, which are very nasty. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:54 | |
But I will keep coming out and hopefully might find one, fingers crossed. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:59 | |
We will catch up with Bev later to see if she gets lucky on the great tortoise hunt. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:04 | |
It's been over two decades since they last had a baby rhino at Longleat, | 0:14:16 | 0:14:21 | |
and deputy head warden Ian Turner is getting broody. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:25 | |
And while he's been doing everything possible to get his four white rhino to breed, down at | 0:14:28 | 0:14:32 | |
Paignton Zoo in Devon, they've had a bit more luck with their black rhino. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:38 | |
Recently, 12-year-old female, Sita, had a little daughter, Zuri. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:43 | |
Today, Ian is taking a trip down to Paignton, to meet | 0:14:43 | 0:14:47 | |
their curator of mammals, Neil Bemment, and see if he can pick up a few tips. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:52 | |
Zuri's was the first rhino birth in Britain to be covered by a live webcam. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:58 | |
It several of us to actually stand in an adjacent building and see | 0:14:58 | 0:15:04 | |
what was going on without actually having to be there as she...maybe putting Sita off with our presence. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:10 | |
But things started to go wrong after the birth. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
Four hours later, the baby still hadn't been able to get up and suckle from Mum. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:19 | |
For keepers Lucy McKenna and Louise Manning, it was an emotional roller-coaster. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:24 | |
It really was agonising, wasn't it? | 0:15:24 | 0:15:27 | |
One minute we were all happy and the baby was born, and everyone | 0:15:27 | 0:15:30 | |
was cheering and celebrating and the next minute, "Oh, no, what now?" | 0:15:30 | 0:15:35 | |
We were starting to think everyone was getting worried and everyone... | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
Everyone looking at each other, what shall we do? | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
You could see her really struggling, but her legs kept slipping away from her all the time. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:45 | |
The keepers had no choice but to go in and help the baby to stand. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:50 | |
Luckily, after that shaky start, everything went well for mother and daughter. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:55 | |
And now Zuri is three months old. | 0:15:57 | 0:15:59 | |
You can see, she's absolutely gorgeous. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:04 | |
All that stress and worry floats to the back of your mind. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
She's really sturdy and seems to be going from strength to strength. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:11 | |
Ian is supposed to be here on a fact-finding mission, | 0:16:13 | 0:16:16 | |
but that doesn't mean he can't spend time like everyone else, just doting on the little angel. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:22 | |
They're a massive animal. | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
They can be quite friendly. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
The babies, even though they're that size, they're really, really cute, | 0:16:36 | 0:16:40 | |
but they're just an absolutely marvellous animal. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
This just puts it on to the reasons why we want baby rhinos. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
Cos you look at that little one, that's everybody's dream, to have | 0:16:47 | 0:16:51 | |
a baby rhino, and hopefully that's what we'll get in 16 months' time. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:55 | |
Of course, that all depends on something special happening back at Longleat. | 0:16:55 | 0:17:00 | |
And now, all the indications are that young Marashi should soon be in the mood for love. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:06 | |
The question is, will dear old Winston be able to cope with a tonne and a half of red hot rhino? | 0:17:06 | 0:17:13 | |
Earlier, Bev Allen went in search of the rare pancake tortoise in their native Tanzania. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:30 | |
Although she didn't find any, she did discover a lot about their environment | 0:17:30 | 0:17:33 | |
and sent the photos back to Longleat for the pancake tortoises there. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:38 | |
I'm up at Pet's Corner with keeper, Jo Hawthorne, and these magnificent tortoises. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:44 | |
They're very beautiful, but they are quite flat, Jo. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
They're absolutely stunning, aren't they? | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
Why are you in there and the tortoise is out here? | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
-If you turn around now and look at these pictures... -Oh, wow! This is beautiful. | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
She sent the an e-mail and she's been out there where these are | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
-from, and this is the home of these pancake tortoises. -Oh, fantastic. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
So, I've blown them up and put them... | 0:18:07 | 0:18:11 | |
-So, you're recreating it all here. -Yes. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:13 | |
Oh, my goodness. That's fantastic! | 0:18:13 | 0:18:15 | |
I'm just finishing putting this up. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
This is actually a copy in the background here. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
-We've got our own here at Longleat, but obviously not quite the same. -That's going to look fantastic. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:25 | |
It's made such a difference, you know, and hopefully they'll feel more at home now. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:31 | |
It's raining and cold here in England and I just... | 0:18:31 | 0:18:35 | |
Having this lovely African backdrop! Presumably, it's quite important when you're keeping exotic animals | 0:18:35 | 0:18:39 | |
like this to have as natural an environment for them as possible. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:44 | |
Definitely. It you want them to obviously act, breed naturally, everything you can do, it's not just | 0:18:44 | 0:18:50 | |
the temperature, it's things that would be in their surroundings, so, plants, it just helps... | 0:18:50 | 0:18:56 | |
-Gives the right atmosphere. -Yes. And the visitors as well, so it's really important. | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
What about plants and things? What sort of vegetation would they have around? | 0:19:00 | 0:19:04 | |
Mainly, not dissimilar to some of our Mediterranean tortoises, lots of weedy grass, mainly. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:10 | |
These things that you've down here, shall I give you that? | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
-We have a red baron here. -Right. -That grows really tall, very bushy. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:19 | |
This is the kind of thing you'd actually find up in these kind of altitudes. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:24 | |
Are these as long-lived? Tortoises can live 50, even 100 years. | 0:19:24 | 0:19:29 | |
Obviously, the predation rate of these when they're very small, | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
they're literally like a 50p piece, it's very high. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:38 | |
Certainly, these have gone for about 25 years. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:40 | |
-Right. -Nothing like as long as your other ones. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:45 | |
OK. I'll give you Yuri back. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:49 | |
Let you come out. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
-There you go. Shall I put her on there? -There you are, sweetheart. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
There you go, girl. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
I'm going to come out and have a look. Final touch. | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
-Are you ready?! -Yes! | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
Fantastic! | 0:20:02 | 0:20:03 | |
Jo, it looks brilliant! | 0:20:05 | 0:20:07 | |
Absolutely brilliant! Look at that! | 0:20:07 | 0:20:10 | |
-It's like a little corner of Africa. -I'm so pleased. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
Well done. Thank you very much. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:14 | |
Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, old Winston is about to have | 0:20:21 | 0:20:25 | |
his first date alone with young Marashi. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:30 | |
It's up to keeper, Kevin Knibbs to play Cupid. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
He's been monitoring the state of Marashi's hormones and | 0:20:32 | 0:20:36 | |
reckons if she's going to get pregnant, today is the day. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:40 | |
Kevin has let her out in the yard first while Winston is still inside. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:44 | |
She does seem very interested. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:48 | |
We're just introducing Marashi to Winston through the bars, | 0:20:48 | 0:20:50 | |
so that they know who's coming out really, more than anything. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
She's in high spirits by the look of it. She's making lots of localisations, which is good. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
They're just letting each other know that they're there, really. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:59 | |
She's a little bit anxious because she's out here on her own. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
Normally she comes out with the other female. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:04 | |
But today, we need to do it one-on-one, | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
so she's out here on her own for now, so she's probably a little bit anxious. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
And she's wondering what's going on, really. | 0:21:12 | 0:21:14 | |
It looks like Marashi's ready for love, but what about Winston? | 0:21:14 | 0:21:19 | |
At 38 years old, he's a real rhino pensioner, | 0:21:19 | 0:21:23 | |
but the vet has declared him fit for duty, | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
although in terms of behaviour, anything could happen. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
If Winston really was aggressive towards her, he could do a lot of damage. He's a big, massive rhino. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:36 | |
He weighs two-and-a-half tonnes. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:38 | |
She's maybe a tonne and a half, so, he could really do a lot of damage to her. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:43 | |
He could knock her down, and we don't really want that to happen. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:46 | |
If we had to split the rhinos up from fighting, we'd have a couple of people with fire extinguishers | 0:21:46 | 0:21:50 | |
and they let them off, so the noise would distract the rhinos | 0:21:50 | 0:21:52 | |
and then we could move our tractors in between them as a barrier and that should defuse the situation. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:58 | |
The tractors are escorting them down to the park, ready for their big date. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:06 | |
They kept the other rhinos in, so the couple can have a little privacy. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:11 | |
Now to find out, will Marashi fall for the older type? | 0:22:11 | 0:22:16 | |
And will this turn out to be Winston's finest hour? | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
That's her on the right. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:22 | |
She's flirting, but this isn't good. | 0:22:22 | 0:22:26 | |
In rhino romance, the boy is supposed to start playing rough and acting like the tough guy. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:33 | |
So, maybe Winston just isn't that interested. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
Though she's not going to leave him alone. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
# What can I do to make you love me? | 0:22:40 | 0:22:44 | |
# To make you love me | 0:22:44 | 0:22:46 | |
# What can I do to make you care? | 0:22:46 | 0:22:50 | |
# To make you care | 0:22:50 | 0:22:52 | |
# What can I say to make you feel this? | 0:22:52 | 0:22:57 | |
# To make you feel this | 0:22:57 | 0:22:58 | |
# What can I do to get you there... # | 0:22:58 | 0:23:04 | |
With Winston, he's not a big rough old brute that we think he is, he's quite a gentle old soul, | 0:23:04 | 0:23:10 | |
and I think he's going to take his time with this. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
I think we're putting pressure on the rhinos ourselves, because we want baby rhinos. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:18 | |
But they'll produce them when they're good and ready, really. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:22 | |
We can't influence that very much. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:24 | |
Back in his office, Ian Turner has been reviewing some footage of the | 0:23:24 | 0:23:28 | |
other couple to see if they're any closer to the desired goal. | 0:23:28 | 0:23:32 | |
But no joy yet. | 0:23:32 | 0:23:34 | |
Ian is trying to be patient. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
After all, it's still early days. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
They're just coming to the right age, so hopefully, | 0:23:39 | 0:23:45 | |
15, 16 months down the line, we could be... the patter of large tiny feet. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:51 | |
So, for now, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and wait. | 0:23:51 | 0:23:55 | |
Hopefully, though, it'll won't be too long before Ian's dreams come true. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
Back in Tanzania, Bev Allen has been searching high and low | 0:24:10 | 0:24:13 | |
for one of their rarest residents, the pancake tortoise. | 0:24:13 | 0:24:18 | |
She's had no luck, but now on a drive through the bush, she's spotted something else. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:23 | |
I found a tortoise. Our first tortoise in Tanzania. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:28 | |
A leopard tortoise, I do believe. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
It's in really good condition, actually, which is brilliant. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:34 | |
I think it could be a female. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
The shell underneath, you just have a bit more of a dip. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
This is quite straight. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
Usually, the females are bigger than the males as well. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
We don't have any leopard tortoises at Longleat. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:49 | |
We had pancake tortoises, which we were hoping, | 0:24:49 | 0:24:52 | |
well I was hoping to see one at least here, cos they do come from here, | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
but it's just brilliant to see one of these. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:57 | |
At least I'd seen a tortoise now, which is great. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
I've never seen a tortoise in the wild, only in captivity, back at Pet's Corner, so this is brilliant, | 0:25:00 | 0:25:07 | |
especially when you're just driving along and there it sort of was, walking along the road. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:12 | |
That's brilliant. It's quite a big one, actually. | 0:25:12 | 0:25:15 | |
It's hard to tell an age of a tortoise. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:18 | |
The shell's in very good condition. Some people say, like counting the rings on the shell, | 0:25:18 | 0:25:23 | |
you can tell the age, but it's not actually an accurate way of telling, really. | 0:25:23 | 0:25:27 | |
And of course, this is a perfect area for tortoises to sort of run around, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:34 | |
get away from the predators in the bushes as well, | 0:25:34 | 0:25:37 | |
and as you can see, because it's very warm, quite active as well. | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
Back at Longleat, some animals that have been around | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
for centuries are the herds of deer, living in the surrounding parkland. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:56 | |
In recent times, all sorts of other animals have moved in, but the deer are still here. | 0:25:56 | 0:26:03 | |
Kate and I've joined head of section Tim Yeo out in the deer paddock here | 0:26:03 | 0:26:07 | |
with some of these magnificent looking fallows. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
They're looking in such good form, Tim, with their antlers, their coats are looking radiant. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:16 | |
That's right, Ben, I mean this really is fallow peak condition time, it really is. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:23 | |
They'll start very shortly to thicken their necks. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:28 | |
They'll put a lot of weight into the neck, in preparation for the rut, | 0:26:28 | 0:26:30 | |
which comes in the autumn, about September or October. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
This is quite an unusual sight, I suppose, to see males | 0:26:33 | 0:26:39 | |
in full antler, but actually quite peaceful and not fighting. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:43 | |
Presumably, that all changes once the testosterone levels come up and they start thinking about the girls? | 0:26:43 | 0:26:49 | |
Exactly, Kate, you've got it. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
Certainly. As soon as they start to clean their antlers, | 0:26:52 | 0:26:57 | |
there'll be a lot of bickering going on and they will not tolerate this sort of close company here. | 0:26:57 | 0:27:02 | |
What happens? Tell us about what goes on during the rut? | 0:27:02 | 0:27:06 | |
Bucks very close to each other will have rutting stands, dotted around. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:10 | |
-And they will display and will fight off... -So it's like their own little territories? -Exactly. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:14 | |
-Just, just... -Just like me! | 0:27:14 | 0:27:17 | |
-I was gonna say! -And they'll be fighting for females, | 0:27:17 | 0:27:21 | |
-they'll be trying to attract females over to them? -Exactly. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
They're strutting around, they've already fought in some cases. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:29 | |
Some cases they're just...the mere presence of them is enough to intimidate | 0:27:29 | 0:27:34 | |
a younger animal. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:36 | |
But they'll attract the does and the does will decide who they go to? | 0:27:36 | 0:27:42 | |
They've got the pick of an enormous number of bucks, and they'll walk up to... | 0:27:42 | 0:27:47 | |
I challenge you, Tim, to rut over Kate! | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
Yes, I think the two of you should take a stand! | 0:27:50 | 0:27:54 | |
Tim, thank you very much indeed. Sadly that's all we have time for on today's programme. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:58 | |
But here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:02 | |
One of Britain's rarest and wisest birds gets in a flap. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
Lionesses Jazeera and Malika both need an operation, but getting them on their | 0:28:07 | 0:28:12 | |
own proves a real challenge. | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
The one we don't want has gone through. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:16 | |
And back in Africa, an orphaned hyena must be drugged in order to return her to the wild. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:23 | |
But then, something goes horribly wrong. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:27 | |
Why isn't she waking up? | 0:28:27 | 0:28:29 | |
Join us when the drama continues on the next Animal Park. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:34 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:28:34 | 0:28:38 | |
E-mail [email protected] | 0:28:38 | 0:28:41 |