Episode 11 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

Listen. This show features professionals

working with potentially dangerous animals.

-So don't try anything you are about to see yourselves.

-BOTH: OK?

Did you know that there are people all around the UK

working their socks off to help wounded wildlife and poorly pets?

We've managed to get VIP passes for willing helpers to get stuck in

at the busiest vets ,wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

It's tough and dirty, but somebody has to do it.

On today's show, will Chloe and Hope get to like it

and lump it at the vets?

VET: There is something in there. BOTH: What is it?

-Mizzie and Oluche are on a wetland safari.

-There's a vole!

And Dom's in a dark place when animal care turns creepy.

Rats!

You know what?

I just love every day I get to work with you.

I'd be lost without you.

Always there to pick me up if I fall.

Step in if I forget a...

line.

I couldn't do ANY of this without you. Not that I'd want to.

Always there, by my side.

-Sorry about that.

-Sorry about what?

Inglis Vets uses the latest modern technology.

This hospital is open 24 hours.

If you wake in the night with a poorly pooch,

or, in the morning, your goldfish is giddy, they do the job for you.

And today, best friends Chloe and Hope will be joining the team.

Chloe wants a fish. That puffs out, just like this.

But doesn't like beaky, loud, flappy birds.

They've got big wings, and they make a funny noise.

THEY SCREAM

Cos their faces are tiny, and they have such a big beak.

They're like, "Arr! Arr!"

Hope's not a fan of ferocious, nippy hamsters.

What kind of pet would you like, Hope?

It would have to be a penguin.

I would say, "Mum, can I please have a penguin?

"I'll pay for it with my pocket money".

SHE LAUGHS

Girls, would helping out in an animal operation get you in a spin?

It would make me sick. Literally, sick.

That bad, eh? Hope?

Having to watch it.

I wouldn't like it, AT ALL.

OK, I've got it, loud and clear.

We'll ease you into your first busy vet shift,

and see if we can get you coming around to animal helping.

-Hello, Chloe. Hello, Hope.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Welcome to Go Wild.

I've heard you are into hip hop dancing,

so let's do a hip hop move.

Enough of that. Today, we're going to be working in a vet's.

-How do you feel?

-BOTH: Erm...

-A bit squeamish?

-BOTH: Yes.

Hope, a hamster bit your finger?

She started to grab onto my finger.

She wouldn't come off, and it was really sore.

Any other animals you don't like?

I don't like crocodiles, spiders,

-big birds.

-Rats.

Anyway, put these on. Let's go and be vets.

'This place takes in all sorts.

'You never know what will come in next. See?'

DOG BARKS

-This way, ladies.

-Hello!

-Hi!

Adam, this is Chloe, and this is Hope.

-Hi, Adam.

-Hi, Adam.

-Can you help us admit some patients?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

-Is there anything

-I

-can do, Adam?

-You could make us a cup of tea.

-Charming(!)

These two are eager. Now all they need are some pets to patch up.

Next.

Here you go. The first arrival in need of the team's help.

-Good morning.

-Can I take your cat's name, please?

My cat's name is Richie.

What is wrong with your cat today?

He's getting his teeth out today.

If you leave your cat, we'll take care of it, and give you a phone.

What a pair of professionals.

Time to check out what's wrong with kitty's teeth

in the operating theatre.

This is Richie, who you brought in. He has a very sore mouth.

-So we'll have to take some teeth out today, OK?

-Mm-hmm.

'Richie has a worrying build-up of tartar on his teeth,

'and they're starting to rot.'

What's the first thing to do?

Cats won't sit there to let us take their teeth out.

We'll have to give him a general anaesthetic.

'The anaesthetic makes Richie feel all drowsy.'

Is he going already?

He's just going nice and quiet, there.

His head's getting really heavy.

The girls keep him nice and calm as he drifts off.

He just went...

He just went, "That's it". Snoring away.

That's the easy bit done. Now to remove those manky molars.

And later, Chloe and Hope help deal with this foul-mouthed moggie.

Brilliant!

But first, Dom wanders into a watery wildlife wonderland.

Today on Dick And Dom Go Wild, I'm in Gloucestershire.

And so are these two. Mizzie and Oluche.

Mizzie hasn't had any wild animal experiences at all.

She doesn't do crawlies that creep.

Tarantulas are too hairy, and daddy longlegs have got too long legs.

Oluche definitely does not get geese.

A goose started to try and bite me.

Argh!

-'He's a big fan of frogs, though.'

-Their faces are really funny.

-They have eyes on the side of their heads.

-They have big cheeks.

OK, guys. Likes and dislikes taken on board.

You will love this wet and wonderful place. Hopefully.

Oluche, Mizzie, welcome to Dick And Dom Go Wild.

You are keen. We're in the van, and you're dressed,

ready to go to our first place.

-Have you much experience with wildlife?

-A little.

-What about you, Mizzie? You don't mind moths, is that right?

-Yeah.

-Could you catch one in your hands?

-Yeah.

-You're not scared?

-No.

How about you, Oluche? Could you have one flap around your hands?

-Yeah.

-Could you?

-I could.

-You're a liar!

-No, I couldn't.

-Ha-ha-ha!

'This wetland paradise is home to the world's largest collection

'of protected swans, ducks and geese.

'There's countless rare and endangered wildlife here.

'Cool conservation work for wetland animals.

'Our two waste no time jumping in to help wildlife expert, James.'

-James?

-How you doing? Welcome to Slimbridge.

This is Oluche, and this is Mizzie. What are you doing here?

Today, we'll do some bird ringing. We'll to be capturing some birds,

and fitting little rings to their legs.

What's the use of ringing them?

You can see where the birds are moving to,

how long the birds are living, and how the populations are doing.

-Quite a responsible job?

-Extremely.

-Are you responsible people?

-Yeah.

'The team will use a special piece of kit,

'called a mist net, to get close to the birds.'

-Can you see the net?

-Yes, I can see it.

This is one of the nets.

It's quite tall, and quite long, and almost invisible.

'The high-speed, low-flying birds are caught safely in the net,

'which allows the team here to study them.'

If we pretend this is a bird, it will fly into the net, like that.

'This is a brilliant way to keep tabs on which species live here.'

-Does it hurt the birds?

-No, it doesn't hurt them at all.

The way the bird falls into the net,

it's not flying in, and getting stuck.

It's flying in, and then just sitting gently in a pocket.

Then we remove it, very softly.

Do we just have to stay here and wait?

No, we have some more nets like this set up further down.

It's a case of hoping there's birds in them.

-Let's go bird-spotting.

-Let's do it.

'Within minutes, the patrol team spots a bird in a mist net.'

OK, so we've caught one.

We get hold of the bird's feet, first.

'It's a tiny, very delicate warbler, so James carefully unpicks it

'from the net, and shows the team the technique.'

This is a special grip we use to hold the birds safely and calmly.

-And what is this bird?

-This is a reed warbler.

This is a classic bird of this habitat. It's surrounded by reeds.

Pop him in this little bag, which keeps him nice and calm.

-We'll walk back, and fit him with the ring.

-Cool.

-Let's go.

Later, Mizzie and Oluche get to grips with close-up warbler work.

And, off he goes.

'At the Dunfermline vets, Chloe and Hope are helping out cat, Richie.

'He needs his manky teeth removing.'

This is why he's in. Can you see?

-See how red that is there.

-Will that be painful for him?

That'll be really painful. Every time he bites something,

it'll be like he's eating something really hot and burny.

'The girls check Richie's heart rate,

'to make sure he's fit and healthy.'

It's important we make sure all the time his heart's going.

From time to time, I might say, "Can you listen to that for me?"

'We're nearly ready to get going,

'so it's time for face protection.'

Here you are, girls - masks and goggles.

Have a good one.

Sorry, girls, they only come in one size, and it's not small.

That's better. Don't move.

'Time to check out the state of poor Richie's minging mouth.'

'Those rotten teeth DON'T look good.'

I'm drilling out the root, so it's never going to come back

and it's not painful.

Hang on in there, girls.

You are being very brave. I'm very impressed. Brilliant.

-That's it.

-'The bad teeth are removed,

-'but Richie's stinky breath is still hanging around.'

-BOTH: Oh!

-It's pretty revolting, isn't it?

-'Adam gives his mouth a good rinse.

'And our girls finish off with a polish.'

Ready to go? Go.

Brilliant.

That's great!

Is he going to be in any pain at all when he wakes up?

His mouth will be a bit sore, as we've taken the teeth out.

But tomorrow, he'll feel like a new cat.

What's it like working as vet's assistants, girls?

It's just really, really, really weird.

It's strange, but cool.

Later, Chloe and Hope listen as rescued rabbit, Biscuit's health

-is checked in a heartbeat.

-Woh! That's fast!

'Mizzie and Oluche are working

'at a wetlands sanctuary in Gloucestershire.

'They're helping the team keep tabs on birds protected here.

'A reed warbler has been caught in a mist net,

'and needs to be tagged with an identity ring.'

Now, we look at the bird, and make sure it's not got a ring on.

-Has that bird got a ring on?

-No.

First thing I do is put a ring on.

On the ring, there's a tiny little number, and an address.

It's like a passport.

Wherever he goes now, we'll know where he is.

'This will help the experts

'keep track of the bird for the rest of its life.

'James needs to work fast.

'He attaches the numbered ring to the tiny bird's leg.'

The first thing we do is make sure the bird is steady, hold it tight.

Then, we place the ring onto the leg like that.

-Will it squash its leg?

-No, not at all.

I can squeeze as hard as I could on that,

and I wouldn't be able to hurt the bird.

Like to check that ring's on nicely?

The next thing we do is measure the wing length.

So just going to pop the wing onto the ruler.

-What does that read?

-66.

-66, it is. We write that down.

'Next the warbler is weighed, using a special protective plastic cone.'

-Can it still breathe?

-Yeah. At the end of the bag, there's a hole.

See him looking towards you?

'Yeah, he looks nice and comfy in there.'

If you want to tell me how much it weighs?

12.5.

12.5, it is. Very good.

'All done.

'Over to Oluche for the privilege

'of helping our feathered friend fly free.'

If I just pass him over.

Off he goes.

Like that?

'Great start, team, but your wetland workout hasn't finished yet,

'not by half.'

'Later, Mizzie and Oluche discover a toad, and a vole in a hole.

It's cleaning...

Yes, it's cleaning himself. Not scared of you at all.

But first, Dom's in the dark, when it comes to his animal challenge.

-Ha-ha-ha!

-I don't know why you find cleaning out goats so funny.

-Remember what happened last time?

-What are you doing?

Doing the wobbly back-in-time thing.

Get...

I'm going in. I got you!

Oh, yeah. I remember that.

I think it's best if I do the cleaning,

and you just stay here, OK?

Oi, it's dark in there.

Don't worry. Your eyes will adjust.

Just go in, give the place a once-over,

and replace the nesting material.

I didn't know goats used nests. All right.

HE LAUGHS

Cheeky.

Mate. Where's all the goat...?

Rats!

BROWN rats, my twitty little fella.

One of the most successful creatures living on planet earth.

And it's thought there's five rats for every human. Beat that!

I've got to clean these ones out. Get off my shoe! Get off my bag!

They're just big mice. That's all they are.

Make sure you sort them out with lovely clean bedding.

I can't see where I'm standing!

Watch out for the big lad in the corner.

Argh! Argh! Argh!

It's me. You're sweating a bit, aren't you?

I would be, wouldn't I? I've been working hard. I'm parched!

Well, I'm feeling lovely.

Us rats don't sweat. We control our body temperature with our tails.

You are not a rat.

You are an idiot in a giant mouse costume.

I'm a rat!

If you are a rat, go over there where your mates are,

and go and get my shovel.

Rats each their own poo, and are covered in fleas,

so you'll like it in there.

Did you know we can eat through concrete and metal?

Is that how you got out here?

No, I used the other entrance, down there.

Are you going to eat all that?

'In Gloucestershire, Mizzie and Oluche have been ringing birds.

'No, not on the phone that would be silly.

'They've been tagging, and releasing, wild birds with the experts.'

So, James, where are we off to now?

We'll head up onto the reserve, about a mile,

and then we'll go out onto the edge of the River Severn,

-and see what wildlife we can find out there.

-Beauty!

'This place protects rare and beautiful wetland creatures.

'The team makes regular surveys to make sure everything

'is in good health.

'Next, the team meet with wildlife specialist, Ann,

'who has been keeping tabs on the winged critters.

'This lot were found here last night.'

We have a biscuit tin full of moths.

Mizzie isn't afraid to capture one in her hands,

and then let it out the window. This is our first treat.

'These are no ordinary-looking moths. Check this beauty out.'

Most people think that moths are really dull and drab,

but this one, for example, this is called an elephant hawk moth,

because its caterpillar looks like an elephant's trunk.

Look at that. I've never seen a moth this colour before.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-'Stunning. But the moth is off.'

ALL: Hey!

'And Oluche, not normally hot on moths, is happy handling

'these gorgeous creepy crawlies.'

-It's cool.

-Not scary at all, is it?

'No time to hang around. We have logs to look under.'

-Look!

-There's a vole!

-Here it is!

-Look, it's there.

-There's a vole!

This is a baby bank vole.

'The family of bank voles nesting here proves

'animals are happy to breed in this wildlife haven.'

There will be about ten babies in there.

They're all nestled in together, and that'll help them keep warm.

It's cleaning himself.

He's not scared of you at all.

He loves me.

We'll pop this one back.

In he goes, back into the nest. There he goes.

'Who's this hiding here? Oluche's favourite animal of all time.'

These toads have a hard time in the UK, through loss of habitat.

There's not many wetlands for them.

Leaving out bits of wood in your garden would be a good thing to do.

It gives these amphibians a home.

'It's been a busy hands-on session.

'All these critters show the wetlands are in top health.

'Later, Mizzie and Oluche need to put all their eggs in one basket.'

See the eggs!

'Chloe and Hope are working as vet assistants in Dunfermline.

'They've helped remove Richie's rotten teeth,

'and he's now recovering from his operation.

'Back in reception, it's getting too busy for my liking.'

-Oh!

-There's a spot!

Why, I ought to...

Oh, look. Your next customer.

'Eight-month-old Biscuit the rabbit had to be re-homed

'because his last owners could no longer look after him.

'His new family has brought him in for a check up.'

He's lovely, isn't he? He is lovely. Look at him.

If one of you would like to hold him steady for me?

If you can just hold him steady at the sides? That's great.

I'm going to check him over. What does Biscuit eat?

He eats lots of grass and veg.

In the wild, that's what rabbits eat naturally.

So they SHOULD eat lots of grass.

Rabbits have very long teeth that keep growing all the time,

so when they keep munching grass, it keeps their teeth

nice and short, and normal.

'The girls check Biscuit's heart rate.'

Woh, that's fast!

It's going whooh, whooh, whooh!

'Biscuit also needs a jab,

'to protect him from nasty bugs and diseases.'

And that's it.

-Done. Thank you, Angela.

-No problem.

Girls, I think there's only one thing now we need to do.

-Take Biscuit back to his owner.

-Excellent.

-Good job.

Biscuit's had his check-ups and he's absolutely fine.

-Also, he's had his vaccinations.

-That's great. Thank you.

-Goodbye.

-Bye.

-Bye!

'Great vets in the making. But there's no time to rest.

'The animals keep on coming here.

'Will Chloe and Hope leg it later, when Cara goes under the knife?'

-We're going to see inside the leg.

-By cutting it open?

-Absolutely.

-Eurgh!

'But first, it's sheep we are up against.'

Just like big clouds, really, on four legs, aren't they?

Wouldn't like one to rain on me.

They don't do much, do they? Just wander round the field.

There's more to sheep than you think.

-Besides kebabs and jumpers?

-They have four stomach chambers.

Right. So sarnies, pies, crisps,

-meatballs.

-No, grass.

Grass is quite tough to chew,

so they chew it, swallow it, bring it back up again, chew it,

swallow it again until they've used all four stomach chambers.

They like peace and quiet. They get frightened easily.

You'd get frightened, with only a woolly cardy for protection

They used to be intelligent,

but since humans have looked after them

for thousands of years, their brains have shrunk.

Let me get this right. They have four stomachs,

like peace and quiet, and have small brains.

Sounds like you, doesn't it?

You're not kidding. And I'm staying right here.

HE SIGHS

Room for one more, fellas?

'In Gloucestershire, Mizzie and Oluche have spent the day

'working with wildlife in the wetlands.

'Next up, our team is helping some specially protected water birds.'

-Phoebe.

-Hello.

I'm here in an enclosure, with our merry helpers,

surrounded by ducks and a low netted roof. What's that about?

It's a purpose built breeding pen,

and it contains the cream of our breeding stock,

to encourage as many eggs to be laid as possible.

'The netting system helps protect many precious birds

'from predators, like foxes.

'But the eggs are still vulnerable.

'Mizzie and Oluche help move some recently-laid eggs to a hatchery,

'a place they'll safely hatch, before returning to the water.

I have to warn you, the one female we're looking for

is quite feisty, so she's going to hiss at you.

She's going to stick her tongue out at you. We'll get cracking.

"Get cracking". Did you hear that?! "Get cracking." Ha-ha-ha!

'The ducks we're working with are African white-backs

'that originate from South Africa.

'But, as we approach the nest, they know something's up,

'and start getting naturally protective. Dad gets stressed.'

Is that the dad? He's not happy.

'Mum doesn't know we're trying to help her eggs hatch successfully.'

She's being a good mum, defending her eggs.

I can see mum moving.

Look at them eggs!

How many eggs do they roughly lay?

An average clutch would be six or seven.

We find eggs taken from the bird and hatched in the duckery,

have a 90 per cent chance of life.

Out here, it's only 20 per cent.

-That slim?

-That slim.

'With mum distracted, the team take their chance.

'The quicker they get the eggs to the hatchery, the better the chance

'they have of survival.

'The eggs are placed in the electronic incubator.

'In the next two weeks,

the chicks will hatch, just like these cute things.

'They'll be on the open waters here in no time.

'Job done.'

-So, have you two both had an exquisite day?

-BOTH: Yeah.

-What's been your favourite bit?

-The ducklings and the eggs.

How beautiful.

You were part of that breeding programme.

What was your best bit?

I liked the bit where we let the reed warbler go.

The reed warbler. You set him free. Fantastic. A success, I think.

Duck!

No, no, don't duck, there's a duck.

It's the best I could think of.

'Chloe and Hope have been making sure

'their patients are well looked after.'

We have one more job for you, OK?

And that is Cara.

'Cara's been having a bit of trouble walking.

'Adam's noticed something strange on one of her back legs.'

She has one leg bigger than the other.

So she does!

This leg is twice the size of that leg.

-This one's bigger.

-It's much bigger.

'They've discovered a large lump,

'and Adam has decided to take no chances with the Labrador cross.

'So it's straight to the operating room.

'Our girls bravely enter.

'Remember, they weren't up for ops earlier.

It would make me sick. Literally sick.

'To get things going, Hope shaves the area around the lump.'

Look at all the hair that's coming off.

-Can you see all this leg swollen here?

-Yeah.

We are going to cut with a blade, in there,

and see what's inside.

-We're going to see inside the leg?

-We'll see inside the leg.

-By cutting it open?

-Absolutely.

BOTH: Eurgh!

'OK, girls, this is it. Adam makes the first incision.'

BOTH: Oh!

Well done. You're both still standing.

-That's brilliant.

-That's cos I'm leaning on this.

SHE LAUGHS

-Is there something in it?

-There is something in there.

BOTH: What is it?

It looks like a massive bit of chicken.

It does!

'It's actually a huge but harmless fatty growth,

'and that's a big relief.

'Cara's leg should be normal size within weeks.'

When she wakes up, will she be in any pain?

She'll be a bit sore. We'll give her painkillers,

so she doesn't feel anything.

You've done really well. Thank you so much for being so helpful.

Still one more thing to do.

Remember Richie, the cat with the terrible teeth?

'Good news. He's already well enough to go home.'

Ah, there they are!

Richie, back to the rightful owners, all because of these two.

-Are you happy you've got your cat back?

-Yes.

-Thank you very much.

Girls, another job, spot on.

BOTH: Bye!

At the beginning, you didn't really like vets.

-How do you feel now?

-All right!

-Hope, what was your best bit?

-Checking out Biscuit, the rabbit.

-And Chloe?

-Pulling that big fat thing out of the dog.

If you could sum today up in one word, what would it be?

-Cool. Fantastic.

-That's two words.

-Cool-dabbydozy.

-That's two words.

-Cool.

-Cool!

SHE LAUGHS

Where is Dick?

Maybe those rats have freaked him out, and he's done a runner.

-HE SNORES

-I'm a rat.

MOO!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd