0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today on Roar - when she was born,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06this baby meerkat was very sick.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11Now the keepers are doing everything they can to help her survive.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Hello and welcome to Roar. I'm Rani.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I'm Johny. I'm in a tug of war with Melendey the serval,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44who can run at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour!
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And she can jump over three metres straight up.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Which is almost two Ranis standing on top of each other.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Very impressive. And speaking of jumping, I think we should LEAP
0:00:54 > 0:00:57- into today's show.- Let's do it!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Ah, she's winning, Johny!
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Coming up on Roar -
0:01:03 > 0:01:05we'll be grilling a keeper to get the low-down on the world's
0:01:05 > 0:01:07largest rodent.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Why has Kruger the big bull elephant turned mean and moody?
0:01:13 > 0:01:17And up at the baboons, Dad goes mad when the kids nick his dinner!
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- SHRILL SCREECHING - Oh!
0:01:22 > 0:01:24They're faster, but Dad's bigger.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Stay tuned to see what happens.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35But first there's some big news about the meerkats.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Three weeks ago, there was an emergency when a newborn pup
0:01:38 > 0:01:40fell dangerously ill.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43If she didn't get medical attention in the vet's hospital
0:01:43 > 0:01:45she was going to die.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48So the keeper in charge, Rich Barnes, had no choice
0:01:48 > 0:01:51but to take her away from her mum.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56It was a tough call but then Rich is a tough guy.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01He has to be, because he's the boss of the big cats section.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08But maybe roughty-toughty Rich isn't such a hard case after all.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The baby meerkat is still in the vet's hospital
0:02:15 > 0:02:18but it's Rich who's been looking after her more than anyone else.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20- In fact, he's absolutely devoted. - Hello!
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Are you ready for some food?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I'm not really a big softie at all.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Don't let anyone ever see this, all right?
0:02:30 > 0:02:34But then this baby would turn anyone into a softie.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Patience!
0:02:35 > 0:02:37OK, this is Tigs. TIGS SHRIEKS
0:02:37 > 0:02:39A little baby meerkat.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Three weeks old today, aren't you?
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Eh? TIGS SHRIEKS
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Yeah, she's doing really well now.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Actually look like a little meerkat now, don't you, eh?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Look like a little meerkat? Yes. TIGS SHRIEKS
0:02:51 > 0:02:56And these are OK noises, kind of content and just, "Oh, what's that?"
0:02:56 > 0:02:57What's that?
0:02:57 > 0:03:01And when she's hungry, she proper squawks like a bird.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03SHRILL SHRIEKS
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Yeah, she's quite cute.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Aren't ya?
0:03:09 > 0:03:12She's now three weeks today and she's, er,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16she's doing well. Apart from she's started teething and chewing
0:03:16 > 0:03:19her tail a bit. It's sore, isn't it, madam? It's getting better.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21You think it's getting better?
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Yes. SHE SHRIEKS
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Despite the name, meerkats aren't cats at all.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28They're actually a kind of mongoose.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32They come from the deserts of southern Africa
0:03:32 > 0:03:36where they usually live in a large family group called a mob.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43But sadly Tigs will never be able to return to her mob.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Like many animals, meerkats will reject a baby
0:03:46 > 0:03:49once it's been gone for more than a day or so. In fact,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51if Tigs WAS put back in with her family
0:03:51 > 0:03:54they'd probably kill her. So now it's up to Rich
0:03:54 > 0:03:56to become a foster parent.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Are you hungry? Are you hungry?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00SHE SQUEAKS Are you hungry?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Are you? Are you hungry?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Do you want some grub?
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Tigs is too young to have anything but milk.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12And she's getting the sort that's specially made
0:04:12 > 0:04:14for kittens of domestic cats.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I feed her every two to four hours...
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Every three hours-ish, roughly.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's not an exact science. They'll let you know as and when
0:04:22 > 0:04:25they want feeding.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Last little bit. Come on, last bit.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31There we go.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33That's a good girl.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Good girl.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40It's just a matter of feeding throughout the day and night,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43around the clock. Hence the reason why I'm a little tired and cranky,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47but, you know, it's worth it if you can get them to survive.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49She's doing really well now.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52She's started to be quite a lot of fun now, so it's quite good.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Now Rich is going to leave her to snooze
0:04:55 > 0:04:57with a fresh hot water bottle.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But since Tigs needs to be fed every three hours, round the clock,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05the keepers must take turns to bring her home with them at night.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07We'll find out how that works later on.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22When gorilla keeper Emily Clark invited me down to the pool
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I thought, way-hey, a bit of swimming on this lovely day.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29What I didn't count on, Emily, was the western lowland gorillas
0:05:29 > 0:05:31would be joining us. What's this all about?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- I didn't think they liked water! - They don't like deep water
0:05:34 > 0:05:37but in the wild you can find them in the swampy areas
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- and they will wade in up to about their waist.- OK.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44I can see you've got some grapes. They look quite hard and very cold.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Yeah, we've got frozen grapes here.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48And we've got a pool here.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- Obviously the gorillas are not going to be waist deep in it.- No.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56- It's safe in that pool.- So are we putting those grapes in the water?
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Yes, you guessed it.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00We'll put them in and see if the gorillas will go in there
0:06:00 > 0:06:02just like they would in the wild in search for food.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I bet your arm's getting cold, so let's chuck those in.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10You've got some little ones in here. Is it safe for them
0:06:10 > 0:06:11to go in the water?
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Yeah. In this group, our youngest one she's big enough that she could,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18well, she could be in the water and her head wouldn't be under.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- She'd be quite safe. - And what about...
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- putting some of these grapes on the ledge, maybe...- Yeah.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- ..if they don't know there's food in there?- Yeah, we can do that too.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Scattering them round, as well, makes sure the gorillas don't fight.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Is that the whole idea? To put a load out?- Yeah.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37We've got 14 gorillas in this group
0:06:37 > 0:06:42- so it's good to spread the food around.- Lucky we've lots of grapes.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47The other things is, are there any gorillas we have to watch out for,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50that will just dive straight in? Is there anyone who loves the water?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52It's down to individual preference.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It'll be interesting when we let them out.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58We've a few gorillas that are good at using sticks
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- to obtain things they might like.- OK. I don't think they'll need sticks,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05I think they'll need sieves to get these grapes.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Emily, is that enough for now? - We can put a few more in,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and the rest we can scatter around the enclosure.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16to prevent the gorillas fighting and encourage natural foraging behaviour.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19We're going to scatter the rest of these grapes.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Join us later when we release the gorillas and find out
0:07:22 > 0:07:24if they're willing to take the plunge.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It's Ask The Keeper time.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Today we're going c-c-crazy for the c-c-capybaras.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45I'm joined by these animal addicts,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48who are ready to give hoofstock keeper Helen Rhodes a grilling.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Are you ready for the flames?- Yeah.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Go on, Jordan.- What food do they eat?- Capybaras are herbivores
0:07:54 > 0:07:58so they'll eat any shoots, leaves. In the wild, they'd eat aquatic plants.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00What climate do they live in?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03they come from South America so it's very warm.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07It's sort of Argentina, Uruguay, anywhere like that.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Central and south America.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Do they have any predators?
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- They don't look like they can defend themselves well.- They have lots.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Ocelot, jaguars, any wild cats.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Also snakes, but their main predator is probably humans.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Really?- Yep, they kill them for their meat.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Are these guys endangered, then? Are there many left in the wild?
0:08:26 > 0:08:30They're not endangered. There's a lot of them. There is loss of habitat,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34so we have to be careful but, at the moment, they're fine.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Are they related to any other animals?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39They're in the guinea pig family and they're rodents,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43so they're related to all rodents like rats and mice.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44How long do they live for?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47In the wild they live up to about ten years old.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50but in captivity they'll probably get to about 12 or 13.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- They're mammals, so I guess they give birth like a human.- Yep.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57They can have up to eight babies. Generally they'll have three or four
0:08:57 > 0:09:01but they can give birth to eight babies and they're born quite big
0:09:01 > 0:09:02so...must be a bit of a task.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08- How long are they pregnant for?- 145 days, which is just over four months.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12How long ago did they give birth? I've noticed some little ones.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Those little ones by the fence are two weeks old.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21I think we've asked all the questions we can think of.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Almost. There is still time for the killer question.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31We did our research and we've thought up some tough questions
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- and we're going to pick one now, OK?- OK.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37WHISPERING
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Ready? Yeah? Cool.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Right, time for the killer question. Are you ready?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- No!- Well, you're going to have to be, cos here it is.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51How many capybaras would it take to weigh the same as a family car?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Huh...slightly unfair.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59Um...well, OK. Just trying to think.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Say a small family car weighed, I don't know, a tonne?
0:10:02 > 0:10:08Yeah? We'll go with a tonne. The average capybara is 50...
0:10:08 > 0:10:12In a tonne, divided by... I'd say about 20.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13About 20.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I can tell you...
0:10:15 > 0:10:19you're quite a way off. You could actually get 40 capybaras
0:10:19 > 0:10:21to weigh the same size as a family car.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Oh, at least I tried. - You tried, you did all right.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28All the other questions were right. She got the killer question wrong
0:10:28 > 0:10:31but are we going to give her the thumbs up or thumbs down?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Thumbs up all round. You've done really well.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Let's see if the next keeper does well in another Ask The Keeper.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- What type of maths does an owl like the most?- I don't know.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- OWL-gebra! - BOTH: TWEET-TWOO
0:10:46 > 0:10:47- Wooo!- Wooo!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51What day does a fish hate?
0:10:51 > 0:10:53FRY-day!
0:10:53 > 0:10:55RAAARRRGH!
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus?- I don't know.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand
0:11:01 > 0:11:03hand, hand, hand, hand.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07THEY ALL LAUGH
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Earlier on in the show,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24gorilla keeper Emily and I placed some treats in the gorilla's pool.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Now the gorillas are on their way out, so all we have to do
0:11:27 > 0:11:29is wait and see if they are brave enough
0:11:29 > 0:11:32to go in there and munch on them grapes.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Here they come, now. Whose group is this?- Keefu's.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Is there a chance Keefu will go to the pool first, to check it's safe?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44He may do. He generally gets first pick of the food.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48But again, he might collect the grapes from around, first.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51But there are a few grapes in here, so he might try and protect them.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55There are plenty of grapes. Here's one approaching the pool.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Who's this?- This is Kebu. He's one of the older males
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Does that mean he's more confident?
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Yeah, more than some of the other gorillas in this group.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- Still, he's only picking them off the edge to begin with.- Yes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Do you think he's tempted to go in the water? Or is that too scary?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I think he will - once he's got everything he can reach first.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I like that. Playing it safe, taking the nearest ones first.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- Who's this one?- Kouillou.- Kouillou.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- Male or female?- Male.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- He's a bit confident, isn't he? - He is.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Not got his feet wet though.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29He hasn't got his feet wet, but he's definitely reaching in...
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- Kebu's started reaching in.- Is that what they do, copy each other?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Sometimes. Kebu's probably had the ones that were nearest to the sides.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40He's having to reach now, so he can get some more.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Look at that! Look at the reach.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Keeping his feet gripped onto the side.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Is that because they're nervous of the water?
0:12:48 > 0:12:52We were saying earlier, in the wild they would wade in.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56I'm sure when the ones closest to the side go, he'll get his feet wet.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59That's amazing! He really is gripping on with his feet.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04- Are their feet really strong? - Yeah, very strong hands and feet.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- So, who's that one with the lettuce? - That's Obeke.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11And he looks like he's going to use the lettuce to support one hand,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- while he uses the other one to collect grapes.- You're being polite.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I thought he was greedy! "I'm having that lettuce for later!"
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Oh, probably that, too. I don't think he'll let go of it in a hurry.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Ooh! Look at this action, here.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Really finding a way, anything not to get into the water.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31If there was no food in here, would they ever actually go to the water?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33What if they were really hot, a day like today?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36We'd love nothing better than to jump into a swimming pool.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Ever a chance of gorillas doing that?
0:13:39 > 0:13:43They tend to rest in the shaded areas to cool down a bit more.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47It's generally only when there's food or something interesting in the area,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50that they tend to use the pool a bit more.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52That's Tebe that's come along.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Oh, look at that, gone straight...
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Aaahh! Ha-ha! And we all got splashed. Brilliant.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Thank you very much, Tebe.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03See, they do like splashing around in the water on a hot day.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I say, those grapes have been a success.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Mel! Mel!
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Mel!
0:14:18 > 0:14:20MEL!
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Ah, I've been called out here, to this field,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26to help keeper, Mel Frampton, pick some food for the baboons.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30But I can't seem to find her anywhere. Mel! Mel, are you there?
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Eh, what's...?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Mel, what you doing in there?
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- There you are! I wondered where you got to.- What were you doing in there?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Cutting some maize.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42This is our field of maize that we grow for the animals.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I thought you might like to give me a hand to cut some for the baboons.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49- What do you reckon?- Definitely. First, what is maize?
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Maize is a bit like sweet corn, but different. Not like the one we eat.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56You can boil this for hours and you wouldn't be able to eat it.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59This stuff is the maize, it's in here.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And maize is actually grown in some African countries.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Monkeys eat it in the wild. We give it to keep them occupied.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- It's something they naturally eat. - Brilliant.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Let me help you out. What do I do?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Knife for you. Let's go and cut some maize.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Is there a specific technique to cutting maize?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Just cut it at the bottom, if you can.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23- Just cut a few.- There are loads of animals in the park,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25but I'm wondering, are there are any animals in there?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I hope not. A few spiders and creepy-crawlies, other than that, no.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Right, so where should I cut? - Anywhere around here.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- Here?- Yeah.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Oh, that was easy. - Easier than you think.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39And what part of the maize would they eat?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43They'll generally just eat this bit. A bit like the corn on the cob.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48They might chew on the stalks, but it's generally these parts they like.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Baboons have got such strong canines.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55As big as a lion would have. They can tuck straight into this
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- and eat this.- They must have a pretty good digestive system.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Yeah, whereas we'd have no chance of trying to eat this.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04They'd tuck into it like it's nothing.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- I'm going to cut one more off.- OK, go on then.- I'm quite enjoying this.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Join us later to see what the baboons make of this amazing treat.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- Amazing.- Amazing maize.- Thanks.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19When she was born, Tigs, the baby meerkat, was very ill.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24To save her life, she had to be taken to the vet hospital.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Unfortunately, that means she can never go back to her own family
0:16:28 > 0:16:32because they would reject her and probably kill her.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Three weeks have gone by since we last saw Tigs
0:16:36 > 0:16:38and she's grown quite a bit.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42At six weeks old, she still needs to be fed every couple of hours.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Day and night.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48This evening, big cat keeper, Jess, is looking after her at home
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and Rich has stopped by to see how they're doing.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Hello! How are you?
0:16:55 > 0:16:58How are you? Meow!
0:16:58 > 0:16:59TIGS SQUEAKS
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Meow!
0:17:00 > 0:17:03TIGS SQUEAKS
0:17:03 > 0:17:05You making yourself all big?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09As you can see, she's getting quite big
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and getting more of a handful each day.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17She's now started to venture away from me a little bit.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And she's been staying with the other guys a bit more,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23they've been helping out and having a bit of time with her.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28And it's good for her, it boosts her confidence with other people,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32amongst other things, but also it gives me a chance to get some sleep!
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Which is quite nice.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It's amazing something that small can have that much energy!
0:17:38 > 0:17:42In the wild, Tigs would need that energy because at this stage
0:17:42 > 0:17:45she'd be starting to learn how to forage for food.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49You can see already her claws are already quite substantial
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and have been for some time.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55It's the main tool of a meerkat. They use them for digging,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58they use them to disarm prey,
0:17:58 > 0:18:03and so it's quite important that they grow first.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06In just a couple of weeks, Tigs will need to be weaned off milk
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and on to proper meerkat food.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Rich has begun the process with something easy.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15OK, these are just cat biscuits,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20domestic cat biscuits soaked in water to make them a bit easier for her
0:18:20 > 0:18:24to get down. Not that she'd have a problem if they were crunchy.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27She's putting on weight steadily, which is nice.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31She's eating like a little gannet, as you can see.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Obviously we'd only really have concern if she wasn't eating well
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and drinking well, but that's never been an issue with her particularly.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Here you are.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Three at a time!
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Ah, Jess isn't going to be pleased with you. You made a right mess!
0:18:46 > 0:18:47You little pickle.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50But real meerkats don't eat cat food.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53The largest part of their natural diet is grubs and insects.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Now, Rich wants to try Tigs on her very first mealworm.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00That's a kind of beetle larvae.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Would you like a mealworm?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Tigs doesn't seem to know what to do with the mealworm.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09But if she's ever going to be a proper meerkat,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12she needs to get used to food that wriggles.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15We'll be back shortly to see if she can.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25OK, gamers, pay attention, because here comes today's cheat code.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32And if you haven't checked out the Roar game yet, what's keeping you?
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You'll find it in the game section of the cbbc website.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Just go get it and get going!
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Earlier on, myself and keeper Mel, picked all this maize
0:19:57 > 0:20:01to feed the baboons. Now it's time, Mel. What do we do?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Right, if we chuck this over the fence there...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07then we can feed some to the baboons.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- Right, so should we go over this? - Yeah, we'll go over.- OK.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- Right, Mel, what do I do?- Let's start feeding this to the baboons.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Chuck some over here, then we can poke some through the mesh.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25They'll try and grab it. We can do it from here actually.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Just sort of...- Before I do it, do they snatch it?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32They will just pull it through, like that, yeah.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37I've noticed the bigger ones come up first. Is there a hierarchy?
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Yes, definitely. The dominant male, which always gets to eat first.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Then there's the hierarchy structure going down from that
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and right at the bottom, the lowest ranking will have to wait
0:20:48 > 0:20:50until all the high ranking ones have got theirs.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53If there's anything left over, they'll get some.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54SCREECHING
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Wo, wo, wo!- Oh, dear.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- They're going crazy, Mel!- They are.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Someone's been told off.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05That's the dominant male, there, and he's telling off this one here.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Obviously trying to steal his bit of maize.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11What would happen if the dominant male caught the other one?
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- I think he'd definitely get a serious slap round the ear!- Really?
0:21:15 > 0:21:20He's too quick, actually. He's not quick enough to catch him.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22He's smaller, more agile, so can go straight up there.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Here comes the big alpha male again.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Here he comes.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30See, once he comes back all the others run out the way,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32let him eat first. As you can see
0:21:32 > 0:21:36there's a little, tiny baby, over there who's having a little try.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Not succeeding. Mum's picked her up and carried her off
0:21:39 > 0:21:43because two of the others have come along. Taking her baby to safety.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- Got a little child-sized portion. - Yeah. A little mouthful.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- He's a bit of a bully.- He is.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Will it ever get to the point where he bullies them so much
0:21:54 > 0:21:55they gang up on him?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58They do, it has happened. Sometimes the whole group have chased him
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and kept him at the top of the cage, they're all at the bottom.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04He's picking his toes. Not good table manners!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Here you are.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12He doesn't look too interested in this. Too busy picking his toes.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17None of the others will come now, because the alpha male's there.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18That's it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22I've noticed that this baboon here is stuffing its face.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24He's got little pouches, here.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27These type of monkeys, baboons, have cheek pouches.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31A bit like hamsters. She's stuffing as much in as she can
0:22:31 > 0:22:33before the male comes and steals it all.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Then she can go up there and eat it in peace.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39I like it. So, will they feed their young?
0:22:39 > 0:22:43We've got a really tiny baby... Check this out!
0:22:44 > 0:22:50That is so small. Would she get the food and then feed her baby some?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53They will share it. The baby will be on her,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and if she comes and has a bit of food, the baby will be down,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58nibbling, trying to sneak a bit of mum's food.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01That's how that start on solid food, really.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I like it. Brilliant. Mel, you know what?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07All this talk of food, and this, has made me quite peckish.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- Fancy joining me for lunch?- Yeah, a bit of corn on the cob?- Yeah!
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Rich is still trying to get Tigs to eat her first mealworm.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27So far, she's just been playing with it.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30You'll like it, if you eat it.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Except you're not too sure on this.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37In the wild, babies learn what to eat from watching their family
0:23:37 > 0:23:41so it's difficult for Rich to teach her.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Now you've got a taste for it. What do you think?
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Nice?
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Another?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Ooh, she actually liked it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Do you want me to hold it for you? Is that what it is?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It looks like that's it, exactly.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10She can't possibly feed herself because one is too spoilt, isn't one?
0:24:10 > 0:24:12There you go.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13Come here. Look...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18So she does like them, just didn't want to eat it herself.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23In the long term, I don't think that there's much chance
0:24:23 > 0:24:25of her going back in with mum and dad.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I would hope to maybe get another meerkat that's in a similar situation
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and introduce her to either one or two males
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and create a new group of youngsters
0:24:35 > 0:24:40that will then hopefully go on... to increase in size.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and do everything that meerkat groups should do.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47But all that is still a long way off. And the next we see her,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Tigs is going to be much bigger...
0:24:50 > 0:24:52You're going to savage me, properly.
0:24:52 > 0:24:53..more energetic...
0:24:53 > 0:24:57and a lot more trouble.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Look out for that, later in the series.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15It's nearly the end of the show, but before we leave,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- we are with ele-keeper, John...- Hi.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21..and find out a bit more about Kruger, the bull elephant.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- Apparently, he's in musth. - That's right.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24Ah, musth...
0:25:24 > 0:25:28- Johny must know about musth. - I don't know anything about musth.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29What is it?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It only happens to bull elephants.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Their hormones go through the roof.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Basically they are becoming mature elephants.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43When they do this, the hormones, testosterone levels, go up
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- and they become very, very aggressive.- OK.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47So Kruger's not normally aggressive?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Normally, obviously we show him a lot of respect,
0:25:50 > 0:25:55normally he's quite chilled out. But at the moment he's in musth
0:25:55 > 0:25:57so we treat him with a bit more respect.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Keep away from him then?- Oh, yeah. - Other than respect,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03is there anything else you can do, or don't do during musth?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07We cut his diet down. Especially high protein pellets like jumbo nuts,
0:26:07 > 0:26:12because obviously the more protein he gets, the more aggression he'll have,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15the more energy he will have. So by cutting his food down,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18he's got less energy and that's good for us.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21In the wild, musth would last two or three weeks
0:26:21 > 0:26:24because they're on the move all the time. In captivity, in zoos,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28even though we have a fantastic paddock, we're not out in the wild,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31so the musth tends to last much longer.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33John, you've got your work cut out.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Taking a look at a very chilled out Kruger, you're doing a great job.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- Thanks.- No probs.- Thanks for letting us get so close. Not too close.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Unfortunately, we're out of time on today's show.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Stick around and see what's coming up on the next Roar.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52There could be trouble when two big cats meet for the first time.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57Will they be friends or foes?
0:26:57 > 0:27:01The Roar Ranger discovers it's not the horns you have to look out for
0:27:01 > 0:27:02it's the beaks!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Oof! Got my finger.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Is a loaf of bread and pot of honey going to keep the keepers safe
0:27:10 > 0:27:13when they have to go in with the most ferocious animal in the park?
0:27:13 > 0:27:16They've chased leopards off their kills!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:35 > 0:27:38E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk