Episode 3 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

Listen, this show features trained professionals

working with potentially dangerous, unpredictable animals.

-Please do not attempt to do anything you're about to see.

-Bosh!

MOOING

Did you know that now, 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 willing helpers to get stuck in

at the busiest vets, wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

RATS!

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

On today's show,

Owen and Mason try to get an injured woodpecker better...

Go on little fellow, you give it some.

Jordan and Bethany shower Sean the donkey's bumpy back...

It feels lumpy and bumpy and scabby.

And Dom's on for a shocker of a croc-feeding frenzy.

I don't like him moving towards us. What does that mean?

-Old McDonald had a farm...

-No, he didn't.

-What?

-McDonald didn't have a farm. He just reckoned he did.

No farm? How do you know that?

Met him. He's not even old. And he's a woman.

A woman?

-Are you thinking of the right person?

-Think so.

You know, Scottish farmer, loads of animals.

No, sorry, I was thinking of someone else.

Today, I'm in East Sussex where I'll be working alongside

the Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service.

Well, when I say, "I'll be working alongside",

what I mean is, "I'll be watching."

It will be these two doing all the work. Drive on.

Meet dudes Owen and Mason.

Mason thinks his fish is fab and his budgie is a beauty.

But he's looking to extend his pet collection.

I want a cub lion and I want a dog as well.

Owen, on the other hand, dances to a different tune.

He already has two dogs and two big horses.

But how do you feel about handling spiders, Owen?

I would fall on the floor and probably pass out if I saw one.

And what's your wildlife knowledge like, chaps?

Me and Owen went over the park and we thought there was

a gorilla and we chased after it

and it turned out to be a deer!

A little limited then. We can work on that.

'Swing over to East Sussex, we'll get going.'

Owen and Mason, good to meet you both.

Ready to get your sleeves rolled up? You got none.

But are you ready to help British wildlife today?

BOTH: Yes!

-I've heard you're experts on British wildlife, correct?

-BOTH: No.

Of course you're not, you wouldn't be on this programme otherwise.

By the end of today you'll know more about wildlife

than you ever have. Before you start working with animals,

you've to get kitted out. I've left overalls in the van.

Off you go. Well trained.

BOTH: Taa-daa!

I like that and you'll like this.

WRAS stands for Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service

and it's run by this man, Trevor Weeks.

'On call 24 hours a day, he rescues a wide variety

'of wildlife casualties and today,

'Owen and Mason are joining him on the front line.'

So, Trevor we are actually all on standby right now.

The boys could take a call any moment

and rush out and deal with an emergency.

Definitely, yeah, we're just waiting for the phone to ring.

-Any preparation needed?

-First we need to get the van loaded.

'The animal ambulance needs to be ready to go at a moment's notice.'

It's important that it's packed up with all the necessary equipment.

There are things to catch animals in. Steady boys.

'Things to catch animals with...'

You mainly use this to help get

small animals out of tight spaces, or even snakes.

'And things to carry animals on.'

-What do you use the stretcher for?

-Mainly for road casualties

especially animals you have to be careful lifting

which could have a damaged spine.

The team here

have to respond to an average of 50 animal emergency calls each week.

Wildlife Rescue.

'We have our first call out of the day.'

We'll be out with you shortly to come and collect it.

A young bird has been injured by a cat.

A concerned member of the public has tried to give it food and water.

To give it the best chance of survival they called in the experts.

Trevor, what kind of bird is this?

It's a spotted woodpecker

and there's two types - the greater and the lesser.

I have a feeling this is actually the rarer lesser spotted woodpecker.

You can see it's tucking its head under its wing

and that's because it's in shock.

We need to sort of get this guy sorted quite quickly.

What can we do to help him?

Right, we need to get him warmed up first of all.

We need to get some food into him and we need to get

an antibiotic into him.

It's touch-and-go for the injured woodpecker.

The boys need to get it back to the rescue centre fast.

'Later the team arrive at animal A&E with their woodpecker.'

He seems to be taking the liquid.

Is that a good thing?

It's a good sign he's taking it and he's swallowing.

But first, Dom surrounds himself with four legged friends.

Today on Dick N Dom Go Wild, I'm at the Donkey Sanctuary

in Sidmouth in Devon.

Meet Bethany and Jordan.

Bethany ain't big on animals of any sort.

She's not even keen on her own cat.

I don't know. I just feel my cat's got it in for me.

Any living thing you really can't stand, Bethany?

That would have to be donkeys and horses.

Jordan loves her cat and all sorts of other stuff.

Her home is full of pets.

And thankfully for me she loves horses and donkeys.

You can ride them. You can feed them.

You can actually brush them. They're really cute.

I don't see what's wrong with them.

Trot on to Devon, girls, we have work to do.

Jordan, Bethany, welcome to Go Wild.

-Jordan, you're a donkey lover, aren't you?

-Yeah.

You're a donkey kisser. And you are

-a donkey disser, you don't like them.

-No.

-Why?

I don't like the noise they make.

The braying, yes? That's the name for the noise they make.

Ee-aw, ee-aw, like a hinged door.

Jordan, think we can turn her round throughout the day?

-Turn her into a donkey kisser and donkey lover?

-Yeah.

All right, then. We're certainly in the right place. Let's allez-oop!

They currently care for over 7,000 furry four-legged friends

and never turn away a sick, injured or abandoned donkey.

Whenever possible they try to find them nice new homes.

-You look ready. Do you feel ready?

-Yeah.

-No.

-How do you feel?

-Scared.

Really? Look at the lovely four-legged animals.

They look all right, don't they? Fluffy faces.

Stupid waggly ears.

-Be all right, won't you.

-No.

-Or will she?

The donkeys in this enclosure arrived from overseas

around three months ago. They're not used to human contact

and have taken time to settle in.

If they're going to be rehomed

they'll have to get used to people. That's where our team come in.

What we are going to do is crouch down

and see if the donkeys come and see us.

If we do it this way then we're being really passive

and gentle and they are just being a little bit nosy

and they'll come and see who we are and what we're all about.

Here he comes now. All he's doing is checking us out.

If you can give him a little stroke.

Feel how soft this part of his nose is.

Wow. His nostrils.

Good start, Bethany.

Jordan's plainly loving giving these once unwanted donkeys a bit of TLC.

It might take a little more time for Bethany, though.

Don't panic but you've got one behind you.

Good girl. Nice and gently.

-They're all around you. You feel OK?

-No.

All right, stand up very gently so we don't frighten them.

I've got you. You're fine.

Give them another little stroke.

Why are these donkeys here?

They've come from one of our donkey farms

in Ireland where we're completely full.

We've got so many donkeys we've had to bring some over to the UK.

We're trying to do is find private homes for them

and we can send them out in pairs to live with a family.

The girls have done a great job helping

these wary donkeys get used to people and that can only increase

the donkeys' chances of finding new homes.

And later, Bethany and Jordan find a room to groom a donkey in.

Back in East Sussex, Owen and Mason

are returning from an urgent wildlife call out.

They have rescued a lesser spotted woodpecker attacked by a cat.

'The bird's life is in serious danger, so the boys

'rush it through to the emergency room where senior carer Sue

'is ready and waiting.' How bad is he?

He's very cold. Very lethargic.

That can obviously be down to body temperature.

If they get too cold, their system will start to shut down.

The key thing is to try and get the temperature raised.

Is it a common thing to get woodpeckers in here?

This is the second one this week.

-What are the chances at the moment?

-Probably less than 50/50.

We'll get a better idea once we've managed to raise

the body temperature.

Once we've done that we can start trying him on some solids,

i.e. meal worms.

Go on, little fellow, you give it some!

-He seems to be taking the liquid though, doesn't he?

-Yeah.

-Is that good?

-It's good he's taking it and swallowing.

It really is so pretty.

The poor pecker is in shock.

Sue has put a special heated pad in his basket to help bring him around.

How long are you leaving him there for?

He'll stay in here on the heat for half an hour.

We'll know after half an hour whether he's any better.

Hopefully, we'll see a bit more improvement in him

and he'll be a little more lively and not quite so wobbly.

So boys, your first rescue. What do you think?

Pretty wicked, because we think we've saved a life

of a lesser spotted woodpecker

and it will be just relief

-if he survives.

-Fingers crossed.

Everything crossed for the lesser spotted woodpecker.

Fingers crossed. Good luck, buddy.

And later, Owen and Mason head over to fill up a hungry fawn.

She's sort of head butting because she wants more.

Back to Devon now and we're getting down with the donkeys.

Outside the heavens have opened

so Jordan and Bethany have moved indoors so they can

complete their donkey grooming work.

Sue, why can't donkeys be groomed or brushed when they're wet?

They don't have a waterproof coat

and if you brush them when wet it rubs the water into their skin

and can make them sore.

Make sure you only do the dry bits today,

so under the tummy and down the legs

and then when the brush gets full of hair

and use the other one, to get the hair out.

And while the girls get to grips with the grooming,

we can play Dom's Dazzling Donkey Quiz!

To join in at home

simply decide which one of the following statements are true.

Statement A, when a donkey and a zebra mate

the offspring is called a Zedonk.

Statement B - there are more donkeys in China

than there are people in Scotland.

Statement C - donkeys have such good memories,

they can recognise another donkey that they haven't seen for 25 years.

Choose your answer now.

DONKEY BRAYS

Time's up. And the answer is,

they're all true.

And another thing that's true is that Jordan and Bethany

have almost finished grooming.

-Do donkeys like having their coats brushed?

-They love it.

Because naturally if you watch donkey's in the wild

they groom each other, scratch each other all over

and so when we're looking after them we do that for them.

Looks like dealing with donkeys gets a thumbs up from Jordan.

It's been a good experience. I haven't groomed a donkey

or a horse before. It's been a really good experience.

And Bethany has really surprised herself.

I didn't think I would be at all pleased to find out

that I'd be grooming a donkey. Now I don't really mind.

Nice one, Bethany.

And later it gets hairy

when the team have to handle Sean the scabby donkey.

It's like massaging my mother's feet.

Hairy and crusty.

But first Dom fixes supper for a snapper.

Who have you come as? A lifesize Bob the Builder?

This is protection. I've heard this place here

is home to some of the world's most dangerous animals. I'm not stupid.

We'll be fine. Today all you're doing's feeding the reptiles.

Great easy. Do you know what's going to be on the menu? Us.

Just calm down. Keep it under your hard hat.

I've heard this reptile is one of the smallest of its kind. Peasy.

This is kid croc, an African Dwarf crocodile.

Yeah, he's small, but he's got a massive appetite.

Where's me phone. I need to call my dad.

Your father? Is he good with crocodiles?

No, he's a taxi driver. I need to get home.

This is a perfect opportunity for Dom to overcome his crocodile fears.

Kid was an unwanted pet until reptile expert Mark took him in.

Dwarf crocs will scoff just about anything meaty

they can fit into their mouths, fish, shellfish, even rats.

Chicks are on the menu today though.

How's it feel, mate?

Powerful. It's got really powerful jaws.

It grabs onto the pole and it nearly pulls you in.

-I don't like him moving towards us. What's that mean?

-He's hungry.

Get it in his gob, hurry up. It'll be after your leg in a minute.

Ten chicks later and kid is all filled up.

Anyway, time now for the next job.

-Next job?

-Yep.

Over in Devon, Bethany, who arrived as a donkey disliker,

and Jordan who loves them, continue to be busy at the sanctuary.

This is Sean

and Sean's been at the sanctuary for about five years

and he's got a problem with his skin and what we have to do is massage

him with a special medicated shampoo

to get the scabs out of his coat.

Fancy massaging donkey scabs?

-No.

-No.

Things could get a little messy now. Our girls aren't keen on this job,

but Sean really needs that itchy matted coat of his scrubbing.

-Feels horrible.

-It feels scabby.

It feels nice when you're shampooing it in,

but it doesn't feel nice when there's no shampoo on the section.

It feels lumpy and bumpy and scabby.

Like massaging me mother's feet.

All hairy and crusty.

It's all important work, though.

What would happen if you didn't shampoo him?

The scabs would build up and build up on his skin

and then they'd crack and then he'd bleed.

We need to keep them nice and soft and supple

and keep his skin in good condition.

It's a bit not very nice, but I suppose it is helping.

So you're prepared to put up with the ickiness of it

-for the donkey's sake, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Very good.

Done. One scab-free, scrubbed up, soapy-smelling, delighted donkey.

That's brilliant. Well done.

You got all those scabs off. That feels really smooth.

Great job, girls, well done!

Time for a rinse.

It looks like I peed myself now.

You made it look like I've peed me trousers.

Hoy, that was rinse Sean, not me.

At least you don't have to dry him by hand. Oh, apologies, you do.

Well that's one very clean, very dry,

very happy donkey,

and one very wet, miserable mardy Dom-key.

Here's my towel. Dry me arms. Neck.

Back. That'll do. I'm off for a run round the paddock.

As the day goes on, I'm starting to like donkeys a lot more,

because I'm helping them

so it makes me see them in a different point of view.

Shampooing a donkey is one of the weirdest thing I've ever done.

And later, the girls discover that doting on donkeys

has its ups and its downs.

In East Sussex,

Owen and Mason have been with an animal ambulance service.

It's now time for the team to check on Dolly and Dotty,

a pair of five-week-old rescued fallow fawns

recovering from nasty injuries.

They need oodles of hands-on care until they're healthy enough

to return back to the wild. And our boys

are dishing out a serving of delicious formula milk.

Perfect because it's close to what mum would provide in the wild.

Looks like Dolly's really hungry. Poor deer!

What's the sound effects for?

She's doing that because she wants more.

She's head butting because she wants more.

'Nice job, Owen. Now lunch is over there's a very rare

'opportunity for the boys to get even closer to a tiny deer fawn.'

Trevor this is a deer that you rescued.

How much treatment does it need?

Hopefully, it doesn't need too much more treatment,

but unfortunately because it hasn't got its mum

then we are going to have to be its foster parents

and wait till it's much bigger before it can be

-released back into the wild.

-How is it?

It's brilliant.

To actually be next to a deer that's very small

and it's very cute. It isn't afraid.

-It's sucking his finger.

-I know.

Mason, how does it feel having your finger chewed by a deer?

Really good and it isn't really hurting, either.

It's not. Do you mind being this close?

Yeah. It's really nice.

Cool.

It likes noses, chins and lips.

Guys, do you think this is the best animal you've ever met?

-BOTH:

-Yeah.

-It's a cool little deer.

-Definitely.

(Happily Dolly the deer's head wound seems...)

Hang on a minute. Why am I whispering?

Happily, Dolly the deer's head wound seems to be healing nicely

and thanks to Owen and Mason she has a nice full belly of warm milk.

Time to stretch those legs now. Goodbye and good luck, Dolly.

Right now I feel speechless, because it's like so awesome.

I don't know how to say it. It was just awesome.

I never ever thought I'd get close to a deer,

because they're really shy and I always used to think

British wildlife was just really boring.

Now I know it's really exciting.

And later our boys are called to a boxed fox in a fix.

-If it wasn't for you guys, would it have died?

-Definitely, yes.

That's amazing.

But first, Dick's pet kicks up a right old stink.

See you got your cat then. How is he settling in?

You mean, Stinky. Yes, he's beautiful. Very affectionate.

-Although he has been acting a bit strange recently.

-Why's that then?

He's not drinking any milk.

He doesn't purr and dogs run away from him,

in fact, everyone runs away from him.

And he bloomin' reeks.

That's because your cat is a skunk.

No wonder it stinks. It's got a couple of glands

at either side of its bum and it squirts out of them

every time it gets scared or senses danger to protect itself.

-I love Stinky me, so I'm keeping him.

-Oh, right.

Good luck trying to find pet food

because in the Americas where they live

as well as eating berries, nuts and leaves they actually eat bees.

This thick coat stops them from getting stung.

They do get stung in the mouth, occasionally. It doesn't stop them.

-A bee-eating cat.

-It's not a cat.

-You're talking absolute twaddle.

-Watch.

Over in Sidmouth,

Bethany and Jordan are at a massive sanctuary

that looks after donkeys.

They'll now prepare Twinkle and Rosie

for the journey to their new home that will hopefully

be taking place in a few days.

The donkeys are looking lovely.

Also this horse box is looking great

and now the important bit, right? Why's it so important?

Donkeys naturally are worried about going into a confined space.

We practise loading and travelling them

so when we take them on their journey to their foster home

they're comfortable and when they arrive

-they're nice and relaxed and not stressed.

-A big thing for them.

-Girls, think you can do it?

-Yeah.

-Not sure.

-Not sure. Why not?

-Because I'm just worried the donkey

will buck or anything.

I reckon as a team we can do it. Let's get to it.

This trial run is a test to see if the donkey pals

are happy entering a trailer and travelling in a closed box.

If they get the jitters it could delay their move to a new home.

Just letting her have a look at the ramp.

Not a great start. Twinkle is clearly nervous.

A little tug on the rope just to encourage her to come forward.

We are not rushing her.

Let her have a look. She can take her time.

It's weird. They haven't facial expressions

but you can tell she's anxious.

-How's the other donkey getting on?

-She's fine. She's raring to go.

-Is she?

-Yeah.

We might try bringing her around.

Annie decides it's better for the more confident Rosie

to lead the way.

Hopefully, she'll help encourage her best pal, Twinkle to follow.

That's how you do it.

Look at that.

-Come on, Twinkle, let's be having you.

-She's going to load herself.

Look at that. I didn't ask her, I didn't pull her.

I think she got bored of my conversation.

You can push her bum round. Are we all in?

OK.

Animals in and humans out. Gate closed.

There you are, look, happy donkeys.

And there you go. Two donkeys on the move

and not the slightest bit bothered travelling in a trailer. Job done.

Twinkle and Rosie seem happy with their little journey

in preparation for their big journey.

-But what about YOUR journey. How was it, Jordan?

-It was great.

Beth, what about you. How was the whole experience?

Well, it's certainly changed my opinion on donkeys.

What about the old ee-aw? Are you still scared of that?

-I'm not scared of the old donkeys.

-Old what? Do the noise.

-I can't.

-Do it. You do it.

-No.

Do it. Just make a donkey noise. Perfect way of ending this piece.

-You.

-OK, I'll do it. Ee-aw.

Back in East Sussex, Owen and Mason have got access all area passes

to a busy rescue centre and animal hospital.

Earlier today they were called to a wildlife emergency

and brought back a young bird injured in a cat attack.

The chances of the youngster surviving were slim.

Right, let's find out what the update is on the woodpecker.

So, Sue...

I'm afraid I've got some bad news.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it.

The problem with cat-attacked birds

they suffer internal crush injuries

so even though they look fine on the outside,

-we don't know what's gone on inside.

-So he died.

On this occasion, yes. He didn't make it.

-How do you feel boys?

-Sad. Upset. Unhappy.

-Emotional.

Unfortunately, this is all part of the job.

Working with wildlife doesn't always involve happy endings.

The sad news makes our brave boys even more determined

and it's not long before they're back

with another rescued youngster in need of their help.

This chap came in as a road casualty.

Now he almost died.

He had been hit on the chest by a car and all his chest was bruised.

We thought he might have even had internal bleeding.

Thankfully, this plucky fox has now made a full recovery and today

he's taking the first steps on his journey back into the wild.

If it wasn't for you guys, would it have died?

Definitely. Us working with our local vets

have saved this fox's life.

Wow! That's amazing.

The fox is pretty nervous

so the team get the edgy animal into the ambulance quickly and calmly.

Within seconds, we're on the road again.

Trevor, we're not actually releasing the fox into the wild today.

Where will we be putting it?

This fox will go into like a halfway house.

He's got to acclimatise and get used to being outdoors again

and get used to being out here at night with other foxes,

other animals, before we release it back to the wild.

When you put foxes in with other foxes do they tend to get on well?

Most of the time they do.

We do have to be careful they don't start having a fight.

So what do we do next with Mr Fox?

We'll take him in the cage and we'll get him released.

The cage is open and Mr Fox makes a run for it.

He might not look happy with his surroundings,

but this is exactly what we needed to see.

He's quite skitty at the moment. Is that normal?

That's a really good sign, it means he's ready to go back to the wild.

He's nice and feisty and nice and wild

-and he'll survive really well once he's released.

-Good lad.

Right, we best get out of here.

Lads, you got here, you didn't know much about wildlife.

-Think you've learned about British wildlife today?

-Yes.

-Think being an animal rescue helper is a worthwhile job?

-Yes, I do.

-What's been your favourite animal, Owen?

-Foxes and deers.

Because the deers are cute and the foxes are funny.

-You?

-I think the same.

The foxes and deers, because the foxes are really like funny

and the deers are so cute and I'd have one as at pet.

There we have,

another two converts to Dick N Dom Go Wild.

Can't believe you made me brush the croc's teeth.

I'm sorry I ran off, OK.

There is another croc needs its choppers shining,

so I brush the teeth but you hold it, yeah?

-You've got to be joking.

-Where's he off to?

Poor Dave, didn't mention you were a baby, did I?

MOOING

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