Episode 14 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

This show has highly-trained professionals

working with dangerous, unpredictable animals.

So don't attempt to do anything you see here yourselves.

Yes?

Moo!

Did you know that right now 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 helpers to get stuck in at vets', wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

Rats!

It's tough and dirty work, but somebody's got to do it!

On today's show, Jan and Rachel handle awesome American hawks.

Nicely done!

Christian and Donel go head-to-head with Cliff, the giddy goat!

Whoa!

And Dick needs to be on his best bee-hive-iour for his wild work.

-Don't touch them, you might damage them.

-I see.

-New posters ready yet?

-Yes. Look at my silly face!

I haven't much choice. Look at the size of yours

and look at the size of mine!

You're too far away. Come closer and use this.

Today on Dick & Dom Go Wild, I'm on a farm. Hoo Farm, Shropshire.

When I think of a farm, I think of sheep, cows and goats.

And they do have all that here.

But they also have rescued reptiles,

bandaged birds of prey and injured invertebrae.

And for one day only, they also have these two.

Meet Jan and Rachel, two schoolmates from Belfast, Ireland.

Rachel is a fur fanatic.

But there's a problem.

I'd really like a pet, but I'm not allowed. Mum just says no.

Jan likes hanging round with most animals, too.

Not donkeys, though!

I was once in a zoo and they started making their weird noises.

Eee-aw!

Got it loud and clear, thanks, Jan.

Let's hope today's animals make the right kind of noises for these two!

Hello, Rachel and Jan. Welcome to Dick & Dom Go Wild.

Jan, you find animals amusing. What's that about?

They make weird noises and they look a bit funny.

We'll have a laugh today, and do some serious stuff too.

-Rachel, you've not been near animals before?

-No. Mum doesn't like them.

Rubbish. You'll meet a lot of them today. First... Thank you!

Put these on and let's get started.

This place is home to a huge array of animals.

Many were rescued from miserable lives

but they can now enjoy long-term shelter here.

It's the perfect place for these two to show their animal care skills.

Will, thanks for having us. It's not an average farm. Where do we start?

First, we've got a nice snake we've been looking after for two years.

-Today he needs a bath.

-How do you feel about that?

Excited.

-It's a little snake. Do you want to meet it?

-Yeah.

Come on, then. Follow me.

Monty is a four-metre long Burmese python.

He was brought here after outgrowing his last home.

He still has a bit more growing to do

and could end up as wide as a lamp post!

Meet the little snake.

-Ever seen a snake that big before?

-No!

What do you think about that snake, Rachel?

-I'm stunned!

-Stunned! It's massive, isn't it?

-Yeah!

-How much does it weigh?

-He weighs about 30 kilos.

Wow! Heavier than you, Jan! Right, let's get to work.

Oh, man!

-What are the white dots there, Will?

-Those are old burn scars.

It's from where he was kept in a tank too small for him

and he couldn't get away from the heat.

So he got burnt, unfortunately.

Monty's skin has recovered well, but still needs regular TLC.

That's how the team will be helping him today.

Do you want to have a feel? Is it OK to touch?

Yeah, feel free. He's as good as gold.

-How does that feel?

-Smooth.

It is. It's a lovely skin.

-Why do you bathe him?

-We give him baths regularly

to stop him getting mites, or if he has, to kill them off.

So is it a question of a bucket and sponge and rub it down?

No, we have to take him out and put him in a bath tub.

-You want us to carry it to the bath?

-Yes.

-I'm going to see a man about a goat. Enjoy!

Best of luck, you two!

Now that is a long snake! Get a firm grip!

When I first saw Monty, I was just speechless! It was massive!

I was terrified. It looked so big.

But when I touched it, it wasn't really scary.

Later, Jan and Rachel search the snake's skin for little critters.

What do the mites actually look like?

Like tiny black dots.

But first, Dom is walking on the wild side in Somerset.

Leeds. Bradford.

A-ha! Found it!

Here we are today at Secret World in Somerset

where they look after over 4,000 sick, injured or orphaned animals

every year.

All with one main aim, to patch them up and release them to the wild.

And our helpers are pet-less pals Donel and Christian.

Donel finds foxes freaky but would love to have a...

Monkey! Monkeys are my favourite.

I want a monkey for a pet because it's fun.

Christian used to have fish until they ate each other!

He thinks cats have special powers.

Cats, I think, are Ninjas.

They can kind of jump off really high buildings

and they stay on and only lose one life,

where if me and you did it, we'd die straightaway.

These boys really want a wild adventure.

But it looks pretty cool around here, boys.

Water. That's the only thing we see.

Right. You want animal adventures. Let's kick things off

at one of the busiest animal rescue centres in the UK.

-Christian, Donel. Welcome to the show. All right?

-Yes.

-Good.

-Do you know what animals they have here?

-No.

-Cos it's a secret!

Secret World. Christian, you once found a snake in your garden.

-Yeah.

-A snake? Terrifying! Sure it wasn't a big fat worm?

-It was just a ginormous grass snake.

-So nothing too bad.

Nothing dangerous here, just nice animals.

I'd like you to wear that, and you wear that.

Go and get changed. No racing, come on.

This place provides 24/7 animal rescue

and every year over 4,000 animals roll through the doors here.

-Donel, Christian, this is Pauline.

-Hello.

-Now, this is your kitchen, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

You're going to do some baking! Are we?

-Are you good at baking?

-No!

-No?

No, you're here to see the rarest animal in the wild in Britain.

-In a kitchen. Can you see it?

-No!

Is Pauline having us on here?

-Is it in the cupboard?

-No, it's right behind you.

If I put the light on, there she is.

An otter cub! Tarn must have taken a wrong turn somewhere

because she ended up miles from water in someone's garden shed.

She's quite a big girl now. She's got a very long tail.

-Can you see the beautiful webbed feet she's got?

-Like fingernails.

-But sharper.

-It shows how well adapted she is to swim.

-She's an animal that spends a lot of time...

-Paddling.

-Right.

40 years ago, river pollution affected the UK's otter population.

Now they're very rare.

If you were lucky to see one in the wild, you'd never get this close.

Choose which fish you want.

Tarn needs her breakfast, so the boys' first job

is to serve up a fishy feast.

I'm having that one. I'm having that one.

-All right?

-This feels so weird!

It may stink, but this slimy fish is Tarn's favourite chomp,

full of vitamins and oils.

Hold tight. There, she's got it.

Now for somewhere to secretly scoff it.

And later, Tarn turns bath-time into a toilet stop!

Eughh!

In Shropshire, Jan and Rachel are filling a tub for this fella,

Monty the monster-sized four-metre Burmese python.

We're going to place him into the bath

and you guys are going to gently rub your hands down his scales

-to make sure all the scales get covered in soapy water. OK?

-Yep.

Monty needs a soothing soak and inspection

after recovering from some bad skin injuries.

They are superb swimmers and can hold their breath for 30 minutes.

Not normally in a bath tub, though!

First, Jan and Rachel need to check their slippery customer for mites.

You need to put your hands on his body

and run them in the wrong direction from his tail towards his head.

If you run them up that way, nice and firm.

-What do mites actually look like?

-Like tiny black dots.

You can see them on your hands if he does have mites.

These pesky parasites live on a snake's skin

and can cause serious health problems.

Mites aren't just uncomfortable.

They can cause dehydration, starvation and even death

so this is an important job for our team.

How often do you have to do this?

We try to do it once a week.

By doing it that often, it stops him getting mites

or if he does have mites, it kills them off quickly.

-Can you see any?

-No.

-Excellent.

So, no mites on Monty.

Now a long lift back to his nice warm house

and the Burmese python can coil up and chill out for the day.

Washing a snake is probably one of the strangest things I've done.

I enjoyed it.

And later, things get loads dirtier for Rachel and Jan.

This is not what I signed up for!

Back at the sanctuary, Donel and Christian

are looking after otter cub, Tarn.

This feels so weird!

After feeding her some stinking raw fish in the kitchen,

it's off to the bathroom.

Not for a relaxing bubble bath, though.

Tarn is here to learn to swim.

Let's put her in the bath and I bet you

the first thing she'll do is go to the toilet!

-Yep, she does!

-Eugh!

Why do you have to teach her how to swim?

In the wild, her mother would take her to the water to get her to swim

so that she learns how to close her nostrils and to close her ears.

Because Mum's not around, swimming lessons here

will help Tarn develop the skills she'll need back in the wild.

As you can see, she's not that keen on it here.

She's also a crafty climber!

See, she's actually getting out of the bath now,

so she's ready to be outside. She's too big to be in the house.

Lesson over, Pauline carries her by the scruff of the neck

just like Mum would in the wild.

It doesn't bother Tarn.

We'll put the in the kitchen now. Rub her dry.

This soggy otter could do with somewhere to dry off.

Perfect! Pauline's couch will do.

Their fur is so dense, they can withstand a lot of cold.

-Is it a protective shield against coldness?

-Yes.

I just saw it shake, like after you get out of the water.

To get the water off. Or a dog shakes like that when it's wet.

What are your thoughts on otters, lads?

It was really good meeting an otter

because what I like best is that it hides from people.

It's fun to find it!

I really like otters now. They're one of my favourite animals now.

Later, Donel and Christian get called to a batty animal emergency!

Oh, yeah, look at that!

But first, Dick is buzzing about bees!

That is your job for today.

-It's a bee hive.

-Behave.

-Bee hive!

-Behave.

-It's a hive for bees. A bee hive.

-Buzz off!

Let's get buzzy. Busy! Come on. Shut up.

Dick's job today is to get busy with honey bees.

So why are we - or Dick - helping stinging bees?

Because they're brilliant!

Bees help keep loads of rare plants alive by landing on them

and pollinating them.

Dick's helping bee-keeper John check the health of his hives today.

-There we go. Check 'em out!

-How many are in here, John?

-About 30,000, I'd guess.

-30,000?!

It's like a football stadium of bees!

Remember, don't go near bee hives yourself.

Angry bees are dangerous. These two are fully protected.

They're looking for the queen bee to confirm it's a thriving hive.

Without a queen, the hive cannot survive.

She's the only one that lays eggs that hatch into female bees

who collect the pollen that makes the honey

that feeds the rest of the colony.

With 30,000 bees and one queen, this could take a while!

Where is she?

There she is! Look!

Phew! Glad we've got John's expert eye on this one!

A little beauty.

Would she get angry if you started messing about with the hive?

-You can't touch them cos you might damage them.

-I see.

-That's the last bee you need to damage in a hive.

-Totally.

They're happy and well and it's good for the winter. These are fine.

-Job done!

-Very good.

-But you're not finished yet.

-What do you mean?

-You have to name them all.

-What? 30,000 of them?!

-Get going.

-I'll be here all day!

-That's Dave.

-Dave.

-Dave there.

-Dave.

-Dave.

-Dave.

-Dave One.

-Dave One.

Dave Two. Dave Three...

Dave Four...

Back in Shropshire, Jan and Rachel are down on the farm

fixing rescued animals.

Next up is this lot.

Problem is that Jan thinks their braying sound is very annoying!

Ee-aw!

See?

Before coming to Hoo Farm, these donkeys had hard lives

giving rides to holidaymakers on beaches across the UK.

Thanks to Will and the team here, they can now enjoy their retirement

and get the love and care they need.

-Who's this?

-This is Steph.

-How old is she?

-About 15 years old.

-What's Steph's story?

-Steph has quite bad legs

and a problem in the joints.

So she needs special food and medication.

It's not easy to give a donkey medicine.

You can't find a spoon big enough!

Not really! Donkeys don't like the taste of medicine

so we're hiding Steph's in her favourite feed.

With a good mix, we're good to go.

Jan, do the honours. ..Yes!

Yum, yum, yum!

This mixture is going to ease Steph's aches and pains perfectly.

Steph hasn't "ee-aw'd", made a sound. When do they do that?

They tend to ee-aw most if excited.

A donkey's bray can be heard up to two miles away.

Thankfully for Jan, Steph and her pals aren't in the mood for a loud conversation today!

Jan, how do you feel about being near Steph?

-She's nice and quiet so she doesn't annoy me.

-Good stuff. Rachel?

-She's really sweet.

-There's a lot more to looking after donkeys.

So get into the barn there and muck it out!

It stinks so bad!

It looks like our new donkey-dedicated duo

might have drawn the short straw!

This is not what I signed up for!

But this hasn't stopped Jan changing his opinion on these braying beasts.

This experience has changed my mind about donkeys

cos now I know they're quiet and don't go "Ee-aw" all the time!

They're not annoying.

Ee-aw! Ee-aw!

And Jan and Rachel get handy with hawks later.

Yes!

Nice one, Rachel!

Donel and Christian have been helping Tarn the otter cub

at the rescue centre in Somerset.

But otters are on hold. We've had an animal emergency call-out.

-Pauline, what's happened?

-We've had a call from a lady

whose neighbour has a bat on her wall that's been there two days.

-That's not a good sign.

-It isn't a good sign.

So we're going to have a look at it, if you guys would like to come.

-This is what you do every day.

-Day and night!

-Let's do it.

Our top team is there in no time

and the folks that called us out are on stand-by.

-Hello, ladies!

-Hello!

-We've come to grab a bat off you!

-Yes.

-Whereabouts?

-It's on the wall there.

-Just round here?

-I can see it.

-Look at that!

Tiny little thing. Can you see, lads?

Oh, yeah.

Bats are nocturnal critters, so finding one in the middle of the day

is not a good sign.

Oh, you are so hungry!

Aren't you? It's a juvenile.

But it's really hungry. See how pinched it is there?

That's because it desperately needs food.

This is a common pipistrelle bat

and they can neck up to 3,000 insects a night!

This young one definitely needs some nosh to get its strength up.

-Thanks very much. We'll take good care. Thanks for the call.

-Thanks.

In the animal hospital, animal care manager Sara is already on the case.

The tiny bat is very still. The team tries to revive it with oxygen.

Do you want to grab one of those gloves in the box.

Pump hot water into it and tie a knot in it.

We can pop him onto it like a little hot water bottle.

This really is hands-on animal emergency work.

The boys are totally focused on the job.

Keep your eyes really sharp on that area

to see if you can see any breathing or heartbeat.

It's a tense time. Everyone's doing their best to keep the bat alive.

But it's not looking good.

Some people might think it doesn't really matter,

but for them it's painful.

They think, "Oh, it's just a little thing",

but it's a big thing for them.

Well said, mate. That's just what the team here believes in.

Every animal life, no matter how small, is worth saving.

Come on, little fella!

-It's...

-It's been there so long.

-It's...

Breathing looks like it's stopped.

Tragically, it's too late for this little bat.

He's all out of fight and there's nothing more we can do.

It's not looking great, to be honest. You gave it your best shot.

-I just hoped as soon as they got that....

-Oxygen.

That oxygen thing, I thought it would pop up and come alive.

But it didn't.

Unfortunately, like Pauline said, that's the way it goes here.

This place takes in badly injured animals all the time.

Sadly, there's not always a happy ending.

A brilliant effort from our boys, though.

Things are on the up later when they take on Cliff the goat!

-I'll put it over him. You hold it.

-OK. Yeah.

Before that, Dick has a wee problem to handle!

Whoa! We're helping animals, not squeezing the life out of them!

No, this is Winnie the cat and he can't go to the toilet himself.

So I'm trying to help him wee

-and Jason's shown me a technique of how to do that.

-Oh.

Don't try this at home, or anywhere else!

So, Jason.

-Lift him over the bowl.

-OK.

And then you gently squeeze on his bladder.

Winnie can't wee on his own after damaging his bladder when he was hit by a car.

Apparently, a little squeezing provides a lot of easing!

-Does it hurt him?

-No the opposite, actually.

He can't feel his bladder so it's giving him relief

otherwise his bladder would fill.

-There you are, Winnie. Now onto number two.

-That's disgusting!

I'll stand and watch you squeeze wee out of a cat,

-but not number twos.

-Patient number two, you nugget! Next!

At the sanctuary in Shropshire, Rachel, Jan and Chris the vet

are preparing for a very special examination.

This is Inca the Harris hawk and her handler, Bill.

Bill took in Inca after she became too much of a handful

for her previous owner.

He's keen to make sure she's in good health. An eye check first.

Shine the light in her eye here. Go gently.

Lovely. She's got a nice round pupil and a lovely brown iris.

Nice clean eye. Shine on the other side as well.

Just the same. Beautifully clean.

And the heartbeat next, please, Jan.

It's like, "Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

-It goes really fast.

-Very fast, yes.

When she's flying and hunting it goes a lot faster than it is now.

These American birds are expert hunters

and can snaffle small animals, birds and even snakes

with those very impressive talons.

Give them a thorough once-over, Jan.

Beautiful. Nice and clean. The claws are sharp for catching prey

but they're nice clean claws.

Not too sharp or too long.

So Inca gets the all-clear from the team

and the big bird has made a massive impression on Rachel.

She's absolutely gorgeous.

It's unbelievable we can get this close to something like this.

You ain't seen nothing yet, you two.

A final test to confirm Inca's in good health -

you're getting a crash course in falconry.

Let's hope that Inca and her friend Trojan

aren't the ones doing the crashing!

-Got it!

-Yay!

How does it feel when it lands?

It's actually pretty cool, but sometimes it's scary.

Inca, come on, girl!

Yes! Smooth!

Harris hawks are social birds

and hunt in groups to increase their chances of success.

Very clever!

Nicely done!

Good handling!

It's been a top day of hands-on help.

Excellent effort from both of you.

A busy day. You've bathed a snake, fed a donkey, helped its knees,

-and flown the hawks. How do you feel?

-It was really fun.

-Best bit?

-Flying the hawks. I like big birds.

-Rachel?

-Flying the hawks.

-Good stuff.

-Will you look at animals differently now?

-Definitely.

-Yes.

Put it there. These two have officially Gone Wild!

Back in Somerset, Donel and Christian are hoofing it over

to help Judith with a boisterous resident.

-Hello, boys. I want to introduce you to Cliff.

-Hello, Cliff.

He's a mountain goat.

He came into us cos he fell off a cliff when he was tiny.

Hence the name Cliff. Today we're going to move him.

Like all horned goats, Cliff loves a bit of horn bashing.

Fine as long as the other goats have horns too!

Cliff's being moved so he can't harm his hornless pals.

The first thing I need you to do is pop these on.

That looks like a good idea. Am I right?

Charming! Time to grab that goat, guys.

Here he is.

If you want to try and pop the collar round his neck.

Just mind his horns.

Cliff is not daft. He knows the boys are up to something!

-Whoa!

-Whoa!

That's him saying, "Butt out of my business!"

I'll put it over him, you hold it. Then I'll slip it into there.

Yeah, OK.

Cliff is keen to show Donel his heading skills,

so Judith moves Donel out of sight so Cliff is easier to control.

-Do you know my secret?

-What?

Custard creams!

That's done the trick, giving Christian a chance to grab Cliff.

There's a good boy.

Well done, Christian!

Yeah, I lassoed a goat!

With the collar on, get Cliff to his new home before he kicks off again!

Hey, Cliff, lots of head-knocking opportunities here!

There you go! Who's that?

Bosh! He doesn't waste a second!

-Are these two having a fight?

-It's a dominance thing, really.

That's why it's important to keep goats with horns together,

because they won't damage each other.

-So if Cliff wins, he becomes like the new boss?

-That's right.

One horned goat re-homed. Lovely work, chaps!

Talking of rehoming, remember Tarn the otter?

It's time for her to settle in to her plush new pad.

Donel and Christian see she gets there safely.

Come and see your new house.

Once Tarn has settled, Pauline will spend less time with her

to prepare for her return to the wild.

You're very lucky to be able to stroke her.

In a few weeks, you won't be able to.

We want her to revert to being wild

and hide when anybody approaches.

They have to be afraid of human beings.

It'll be 18 months before Tarn is ready to leave.

The boys have helped her chances of survival.

It's something you'll never be able to do again. It's special.

-I'm going to miss her.

-She's really sweet.

Well done, chaps. You've got stuck in to your wildlife work. Awesome!

-Did you enjoy the day?

-Definitely.

-Yes.

I know you were looking forward to it.

-What was the best bit?

-The otter.

-You liked that.

-Giving it a bath. And you?

-Mine was feeding it the fish.

Nice and dirty and smelly! Well done, guys, you've been fantastic.

Well done.

-Dave 29,951, Dave 29,9...

-Sorry.

Little problem. Dave, yeah?

They're all women.

Davina one, Davina two, Davina three, Davina four...

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