Lucky Poo Canoe Builder Animals at Work

Welcome to Animals At Work, the show that's got everything...

..well, mostly animals at work! Dur!

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Around the planet, there are millions of animals with jobs.

JOHN SCREAMS

This is the show that brings you

the funniest, coolest and most bizarre animals at work.

Don't go anywhere. It's going to be wiiiild!

Coming up - Lucky the sheep makes a canoe out of poo.

And Diesel the bulldog learns a new skateboard trick.

And the Fanimals take on their biggest challenge yet.

But now it's...

..showtime!

Ooh, I like some poo! I like poo, poo, poo, poo, poo.

Poo, poo, poo.

Oh, hi! This is not what it looks like.

Really, it isn't.

Actually, it is.

You've caught me, John Barrowman, shovelling sheep poo.

JOHN RETCHES

This actually can be very useful

and there's an animal at work whose job it is...

..well, to do the job.

Our first animal at work is in Snowdonia in North Wales.

SUPERMAN THEME

Lucky looks like a normal Welsh Mountain sheep, but she's a lot more.

Lucky is responsible for Super Poo!

That's right, Super Poo!

Using a secret recipe, Lucky's droppings

are made into an incredibly earth-friendly paper.

Thanks to Lucky's grazing, her poo is 50% grass,

giving it high-quality fibres, which are ideal for making paper.

So far, Lucky's poo makes writing paper,

envelopes and even greeting cards.

But Lucky always wants to go one better

and her latest creation has done that.

Lucky's helped make...

..a Poo Canoe!

But there's been a disaster.

On its first attempt in the water, the canoe sprung a leak

and started sinking.

Repairs were carried out and this afternoon,

the boat hits the water again.

Nobody has ever built a boat out of poo before.

I'm very anxious.

I've spent half my time training with the paddle

and half my time training to swim.

So today is a massive day and Lucky couldn't be more nervous.

Will her canoe float?

Or sink?

There's more than pride invested in the boat.

For Lucky and the canoe builders,

it's the chance to fulfil a lifelong dream of going to France.

But there's a problem.

Before Lucky can see her boat launch,

there's paper-making to be done.

If the paper quota isn't met, then there's no canoe testing for Lucky.

She needs to get cracking and make paper.

Paper making is trickier than it sounds.

It's not easy. It's quite a long process.

The poo is created, then collected and finally, it's processed.

But it's well worth it.

Lucky's paper is incredibly environmentally friendly

as not one tree is cut down to make it.

It's a technique that's being used all over the world.

It's been done for a long time in Asia with elephant dung.

And Australia with kangaroo dung.

And we decided to make it out of our iconic Welsh sheep.

Which is where Lucky comes in.

She's our star and she provides for us very well.

Once Lucky's done her business, the second step

is the collection process, which is handled by...

..the fearless Sheep Poo Collectors!

Come on, Ruby.

Lucky's drafted in this crack team

as they are some of the best poo collectors in the business.

If she wants to test her canoe today, these are the guys Lucky needs.

-Let's collect poo.

-There's no messing around. Straight into action!

Get your gloves and scoop it into your bucket. That's your pile.

Let's find more piles. Big lumps over here. Over this way!

Finally, all the poo has been collected.

Phase two is over, but time is getting on.

There's still another stage before the paper's made.

They need to process the poo while it's fresh enough to make paper.

-Back to the mill.

-OK, let's go, guys.

Time is not on Lucky's side. Will she get to see her canoe launch?

Later, will Lucky's dream of seeing her canoe float come true?

I won't lie to you - I'm very anxious.

Now, those kids who love animals. It's the...

Fanimals, yes!

Let's meet the Fanimals, our animal detectives.

The Fanimals are testing the myth that elephants are afraid of mice.

Yes, legend has it that elephants are petrified of mice.

But is this really the case?

Tanya, the African elephant has taken some time off her job

as a herd leader to help the Fanimals discover the truth.

They've come up with a great plan.

They're planting a fake mouse in Tanya's enclosure with a fishing rod.

But will their tricky plan reel in Tanya?

In goes the mouse. Good work, Fanimals.

It's landed by her feet, but what's she going to make of it?

Is she going to run a mile?

Ah, no, far from it. She sees it and picks it up!

She's trying to eat it!

Scared?! You must be kidding! Let's see it again in slow motion.

Yep, I don't think I've ever seen an elephant seem less scared.

So, Fanimals, what's your conclusion?

It's a myth that elephants are afraid of mice.

Myth busted!

But the Fanimals aren't giving up there. Now they're curious.

Elephants clearly aren't scared of mice, but what are they afraid of?

They're the world's largest land animal

but surely there's something that scares them.

They're putting Tanya face to face

with some scary things to see if they frighten her.

First, it's the supernatural.

Many humans are scared of ghosts, so wouldn't an elephant be as well?

GHOSTBUSTERS MUSIC

The Fanimals put the ghost theory to the test

with one of the most convincing ghosts you'll ever see(!)

WAILING

It's not a Fanimal under a bedsheet(!) Honestly, it's not!

Tanya's nerves of steel shine through again. She's completely unfazed.

# I ain't afraid of no ghost... #

-The conclusion is clear.

-Elephants are not scared of ghosts.

It's the Fanimals' last chance.

Can they come up with something even scarier?

They've left the scariest till last.

So what have you got, Fanimals?

-I think he will be scared of the John Barrowman CD.

-It is scary.

What?! My voice?! How dare you?!

I want to talk to my agent!

# We dreamers have our ways... #

What do these kids know?! Surely, Tanya has taste.

What?! No, Tanya, don't leave! Don't do this to me! This can't be!

Ah haha, she's dancing! That's right, the elephant's dancing!

Look at that!

The elephant is not bothered about it.

MUSIC STOPS

She's even demanding more so...

JOHN BLOWS A RASPBERRY

# Through the rain... #

Take that, Fanimals! Tanya loves me. They all love me! So there.

# I made it through the rain... #

So, Fanimals, what are your conclusions?

Tanya the elephant is not afraid of anything.

Elephants aren't scared of mice, ghosts or John Barrowman!

The Fanimals made one important discovery today.

The elephants appreciate great music. So there!

# And made it through.#

Now we're off to Hawaii in the USA.

MUSIC: Rule Britannia

Meet Diesel. A British bulldog. And a skateboarder.

# He was a skater boy She said see you later boy

# He wasn't good enough for her. #

Diesel has a reputation as one of the top skateboarders in Hawaii.

I think he's pretty good.

But he could be top dog if he learnt some skate tricks.

And stopped chewing his board.

Today's the day. Diesel's attempting his first skateboard trick.

Because he takes his job as an athlete seriously,

he's preparing with the help of a coaching team.

His owner, Sylvia. And his best friend, African grey parrot, Maui.

-Diesel, breakfast!

-Sylvia's in charge of Diesel's nutrition plan,

ensuring he has all the energy he needs.

Maui makes sure Diesel stays in peak physical condition,

by leading his workouts.

Up the stairs!

DIESEL BARKS

Back down the stairs!

And repeat!

Some people think bulldogs aren't athletic.

But, as you can see, they're great at running fast in short bursts -

perfect for skateboarding.

Bulldogs also have a low centre of gravity,

which makes it a lot easier for them to balance on the board

than other taller species.

It has to be said, skateboarding's a pretty unusual trick for a dog.

Did he learn from his human friends?

We did not teach Diesel to skateboard.

When Diesel started skateboarding, he took the board

and rode it down the street with two feet on the board

and one foot going, but all four feet would never be on the board.

One day, by accident, he put all four feet on.

He realised he could ride the board alone.

Diesel's clearly a natural but should all bulldogs try skateboarding?

I don't think bulldog owners should get dogs to skateboard

unless it's something the bulldog wants to do.

Bulldogs, like Diesel, like doing what they want, when they want.

If you force him to do anything, even on the board,

you'll get "stink eye".

And it's a direct, dirty look.

When he's on the board, that's pure happiness and it's pure Diesel.

You want to skateboard, don't you? I know you do.

Yes, Diesel's itching for his skateboard.

It's off to the skate park to meet up with his fellow skater boys.

# Here it goes, here it goes Here it goes again... #

-There's Diesel!

-Diesel!

-Who's a pretty boy?

Remember, this is no normal day for Diesel.

Today he's going to attempt his first ever skate trick.

A move called an Ollie.

This manoeuvre was named after a famous skateboarder named...Ollie.

To do an Ollie, skaters jump with their back foot on the board's tail.

They drag the side of their front foot forward

and the board sticks to their feet.

No problem. Right, Diesel?

This is his big moment.

Here he goes...

OK, not an Ollie, but that was just the warm up. Second time lucky.

Hey, come on Diesel.

Chewing on your board is not what they meant

when they said to shred it.

This is it. Last try. This is the one.

-Not to the wall!

-Watch out for the wall!

Ohhhh! Ouch.

Poor Diesel. He's not even close.

Doesn't look like he's top dog today.

Luckily, his friends don't mind.

We love skating with him. He livens up everything.

So Diesel didn't get the hang of the Ollie

but there's always tomorrow.

Time to skate off into the sunset. And all the way home.

If presenting this show has taught me one thing

it's that animals get a lot of work.

That's why I'm setting up my own animal employment agency.

I'm going to make a fortune.

The way it's going to work - if someone needs an animal,

I can get that animal for a very reasonable price,

say £3 million.

Oh no, that might be a little steep. £2 million.

Just waiting for those phone calls.

Any minute now, they're going to come whizzing in.

Obviously with a new business, it takes time for the phone to ring.

Takes time for word to get around. Best thing is not to panic.

Arrggghhh, why won't you ring! RING!

I never let stress get to me.

Please ring! Please ring!

CLIPPER BUZZES

PHONE RINGS

John Barrowman's Animal Agency,

no animals too big, no job is too small.

Yes.

It was a wrong number.

Now we're off to Singapore in tropical south east Asia.

Meet Deeg, a tapir from Singapore Zoo, with a very important job.

She's a mum.

Whilst all mums are important, Deeg is a mother with a difference.

She has the job of helping save her species from extinction.

Tapirs are unique and beautiful creatures.

Due to hunting and deforestation, they have become endangered.

This means they could die out and be lost for ever.

There's only 1,500 to 2,000 left in the wild

Bushmeat is the meat from wild animals.

As no-one wants this family to be eaten,

we can help the tapirs survive by breeding them in captivity.

But for a programme like that to work, it needs great mums.

Luckily, tapir mums don't get any better than Deeg.

Since becoming part of the breeding programme, Deeg met Merg,

the zoo's dominant male, fell in love and mated.

WEDDING BELLS CHIME

It may sound simple,

but there's nothing straightforward about the mating ritual.

It's a little weird.

A female tapir will have a wee and then the male will sniff it.

From the smell, the male can tell if the female is likely to get pregnant.

If she is, the male will do one himself.

If they're both happy, they'll mate.

Luckily, it worked out for Deeg and Merg.

They did their bit for tapir breeding,

by producing this little cutie.

Meet baby Shakti.

The youngest tapir here is Shakti. She's about seven months old.

Along with the other tapirs bred here,

Shakti is one of the last hopes of her species.

This is what makes Deeg's job important,

as a world without tapirs would certainly be a duller place.

One of their most unique characteristics is their long noses,

which they use to help them eat.

Tapirs make look and eat like pigs

but they're more related to horses and rhinos.

Keeping tapirs around is as important a job as you can get.

It's lucky that Deeg is so committed to it.

She's dedicated to ensuring that Shakti becomes a mum herself

and makes more babies to help the tapir population along.

This mean mother and daughter have a special relationship.

Like most mums, Deeg ensures that Shakti is brought up

to be well mannered and makes sure she eats her veg

so she grows up strong.

She's about 180 kilos.

The weight of an American football player.

When she's not eating or exercising, Shakti enjoys something else.

Shakti is growing up fit, healthy and active.

In a few years, she will be doing her bit for tapir breeding.

This helps ensure that these amazing creatures are around for a long time.

And it's thanks to Deeg, one of the most important mums in the world.

It's not just today that animals have had jobs.

History reveals that in the past,

they've had even more amazing jobs than today.

And here are those History's Heroes!

Hello, my little history lovers.

I am the greatest animal historian in the world.

And today, we are looking at history's grossest heroes.

Look away now if you're squeamish, as I count down

the grossest animal jobs known to man or animal.

First up are the nightingales who worked in Japan in the 18th century.

The nightingales worked for the geishas,

who performed tea ceremonies for the rich and famous.

These women had a distinctive look.

But the thick, white make-up wasn't very good for their skin,

which is where the nightingales stepped in, or rather flopped in.

Their job was a big one. Well, a big two. Number two, that is.

Their poo was used by the geisha to moisturise and soothe their face.

Now, time for a tale of historic herbal tea.

Delicious.

In the 1700s, beavers had to watch their behinds

in case someone found a job for their behind.

Beavers have hard blobs near their tails.

These blobs are called castoreum, which is dried scent

secreted from the gland they use to mark their territory.

This castoreum was scraped off the beavers and brewed

into a medicinal tea, believed to cure headaches and fevers.

Moving on. The prize for the grossest job goes to the animal

who helped make incense for the Ancient Egyptians.

Step forward, or float forward, the sperm whale.

This job involved a lot of guts.

Whale vomit, in fact.

Sperm whales need to eat a ton of food every day.

That's almost the weight of two cows or 15 people.

It's no surprise they get a touch of indigestion now and then.

Rather than blubbering about it, they just throw up.

This gooey sick eventually dries, hardens and becomes sweet smelling.

The Egyptians collected the dried puke

so they could burn it as incense to make their homes smell nice.

And that concludes this week's History's Heroes.

And finally, let's head back to Snowdonia in North Wales.

Welsh Mountain sheep Lucky makes Super Poo.

Lucky's poo is turned into paper and used for many things.

It's even helped build a canoe.

But there's been a disaster.

On its first attempt in the water, the canoe started to sink.

Repairs were carried out and this afternoon,

the boat hits the water again.

I won't lie to you, I'm anxious.

We don't know if this will work.

There's a problem. Before the canoe launch,

Lucky needs to make more poo to meet her daily paper-making order.

Despite drafting in the fearless Sheep Poo Collectors,

she's running out of time.

They've collected droppings

but they still need to turn them into paper.

They head to the paper mill with Les, who shows them the ropes.

Here's the poo, guys. Put it all into the one bucket.

First, the poo is weighed.

OK, just over 5kg.

That's a lot of poo.

-Then put in a pillow case.

-We don't lose any fibres.

Next, the poo is boiled, removing all the bad stuff that can make you sick.

Why do we need to boil it?

We need to get rid of bacteria to make it safe for people.

After being boiled, it's washed.

Once boiled, put it into the washing machine.

Now it looks nothing like poo.

So this is the washed poo. Anyone want to touch?

-Doesn't smell or anything.

-It smells nice actually.

-The fibres get beaten into a pulp.

-Ready...

We have power!

Finally, the pulp is formed into sheets,

which, when dry, will become Lucky's paper.

Wait a minute. How does this, become this?

The paper makers built the canoe's frame

and then, using flour and water glue,

applied three layers of paper made from Lucky's poo.

They finished the interior with bees' wax

and the exterior with resin made of soya beans.

Pretty eco impressive.

At last the paper's dried, so Lucky's work is done. And she may be in luck.

It's going to be close but it looks like there's enough time

to get to the jetty for the canoe launch.

It's a mad dash, but she gets there with minutes to spare.

Now for the real test of nerves.

Have the repairs worked? Will the canoe finally float?

I'm very nervous.

We had a leak last time and it was quite catastrophic.

We've put extra layers of resin on since the first, troubled mission.

I won't lie, I'm anxious.

Remember, the stakes are high.

If the repairs have been a success,

Lucky and the canoe builders plan to paddle to France.

OK, it's showtime.

This is the big moment. The tension couldn't be any higher.

The poo paper makers put the canoe in the water.

They're climbing on board.

Lucky looks on with her heart in her throat.

She can hardly look.

And would you believe it?! It floats!

There's not a leak in sight,

as the paper makers do a lap of honour around the lake.

Not a chance of that bad boy stinking - I mean sinking.

The fearless poo collectors are impressed. Lucky couldn't be happier.

She's faced the busiest day of her career

and it couldn't have worked out better.

Have you ever seen a sheep look so proud?

She's every right to be.

She helped build a canoe out of poo, and that's simply amazing!

Collecting sheep poop is an exhausting job.

Look how many there are!

One, two, three, four...

five...six...

HE SNORES