Episode 33 Roar

On Roar today the keepers are very worried about

George, one of the park's oldest and friendliest De Brazza monkeys.

Can the vet find out what's wrong?

One kidney is a little bit big.

Hello and welcome to Roar, I'm Johny.

And I'm Rani and these guys over here are Copasoh and Lidaeng

the Malayan tapirs.

Did you know female tapirs actually weigh more than the males

and the largest female ever recorded was an astonishing 540 kilos.

Wow, that's about 4,500 of their favourite snack, the banana.

That is one tubby tapir.

Speaking of tubby, we've got a fat show for you today.

Coming up, this canny crew puts ANOTHER keeper under the spotlight

and the questions are getting pretty tough.

-Guys, are you ready to test Joel?

-Yeah!

I find out why the margay is the only species of cat in the world

able to run down a tree head first.

And why are my cupcakes turning the gorilla's pooh purple?

First though, this is George,

one of the park's oldest and most loved De Brazza monkeys.

He's also a firm favourite with our Roar rangers.

We've followed this friendly monkey on Roar

through his many ups and downs.

Watched him be an amazing dad to five babies

and win everyone's hearts.

But, his poor health has been a constant concern.

Last year, George was diagnosed with a worrying medical condition.

He's got a condition known as diabetes which, if left unmanaged,

could possibly kill him or make him very unwell.

Diabetes is common in humans,

in fact, keeper Matt has this condition too.

It's when your body doesn't make enough insulin, which is the

chemical the body needs to control how much sugar is in the blood.

So, just like with humans, George eats a specially

created diet which doesn't include too much sugary fruit.

Each day George is injected with insulin by the primate team

and this keeps his condition under control.

However, recently George has been looking a bit thin and unwell,

so today worried head keeper Simon is preparing to help Jane the vet

knock him out so they can examine him.

The plan today is to check on George.

We've noticed he's possibly looking a little bit thinner at the moment.

We want to go down there and be in a position where we can knock him out,

have a look at him and give him a good overall check up.

Simon has looked after George for 15 years and the two have quite a bond.

So, Jane's given him the job

of injecting George with the anaesthetic today.

He's a very relaxed monkey

and Simon has always been able to inject him in the bottom.

I mix up the mixture in the syringe,

give it to Simon and he injects it and George goes to sleep.

It's always nice to get someone else to do your job.

We hope he'll see it as an insulation injection. He might be shocked

it's the wrong time of day but might be in a position to not overreact.

-If you'd like to give that to George that'd be great.

-Righty-ho.

Giving any animal an anaesthetic is dangerous,

especially if they are elderly, so the keepers and Jane are concerned

but it's vital George has this check up to find out what's wrong.

Right it's time for another ask the keeper.

Come and meet head of hoof stock Joel Bunce.

Joel is in a bit of a piggy predicament

cos we are going to be asking him questions about the red river hog.

-Guys, are you ready to test Joel?

-Yeah.

-Joel, are you ready to save your bacon?

-Oh, yes.

All right then. Let's fire some questions at Joel. Who's first?

Where do hogs sleep?

Where do they sleep? Good question.

They tend to sleep kind of burrows, makeshift nests,

things they've dug themselves or other animals have done,

or they'll make a loose nest full of branches and things like that

and they'll just sleep on that or,

if it's a really nice sort of evening,

they'll just sleep outside on the forest floor.

Do they eat meat?

They can eat meat. It's not part of their normal diet

but if they get the opportunity to eat it they will.

Things that have died or if they managed to catch something

that's unlucky enough to be slow for them to get, they'll eat it.

Pigs are what's called omnivores

which means they'll eat meat and fruit and veg.

-Fire questions!

-Why are they called red when they're actually orange?

Ooh!

They are kind of a red. I know they look a bit sort of gingery orange.

We would say it's a chestnut red.

It's a bit of a posh thing.

Probably in the forest, when it's a lot darker, the colour

looks a lot darker and therefore more of a red colour.

Are they dangerous?

They can be dangerous, particularly mums with babies

because she wants to protect the young.

You might get a chance to see,

particularly the male here has got very big sharp teeth,

they're poking out the side there. So, yeah, they are very dangerous.

Luckily these guys are pretty good and nice and calm.

A wild red river hog could be very dangerous.

Why do they have big funny ears?

They have big funny ears, it's all part of their communication,

it's good for hearing because the bigger the ears the more sound

it traps so they can hear obviously quieter sounds

and also from a further distance.

Obviously it's all part of their facial communications

where they communicate with movements as well

and the ears are part of that.

They sort of hold them out when they are inquisitive

or even when they are aggressive as well, they hold them out

much like an elephant, make themselves appear more fearsome.

They've got a number of uses but they are pretty funky looking.

My uncle has got really hairy ears, since he's got older.

Is that what's happened here to the red river hog,

is that why his ears are all hairy?

No, this is a feature that all Red River hogs have, these kind of

long sort of spindly ears with the hairs on the end.

-But, it looks good though, doesn't it?

-Do people like long hairy ears?

-No.

-I think you're on your own there.

Joel, I've got to say you haven't faltered, you haven't stumbled.

You know all the answers, or does he?

I think we should have a killer question, do you all agree?

-Yeah.

-They want to catch you out, Joel.

Come on, let's hoggle together. Hog...oh, forget it.

THEY WHISPER

Yeah!

-Come on, let's hear you go yeah!

-Yeah!

OK, head of hoofs or Mr know-it-all of the red river hogs,

we have your killer question.

Now, remember if you get this wrong

you'll be crying wee, wee, wee all the way home.

Are you ready for it?

-Yeah.

-OK, then! How many male red river hogs

would it take to weigh the same as a fire engine?

I love the look on his face.

I would say about 250.

Well, I'm going to tell you the correct answer.

A fire engine weighs around 13 tonnes

and a male red river hog, on average, weighs 68 kgs.

So, with my working out, that's about 191 red river hogs

to weigh the same as a fire engine. You were nowhere near!

So, guys, he didn't get that right

but apart from that his answers were pretty good, I'd say.

So, what do we think, thumbs up or thumbs down for Joel?

Yeah!

Look at you, Joel,

two, four, six, eight thumbs. I'll give you one as well.

-Well done, you.

-Thanks.

One of the last remaining species of wolf in Europe is the Iberian wolf.

They live in a small area of hills and plains

in north Portugal and north western Spain.

But, sadly there are thought to be

no more than 2,500 of these animals left in the wild.

The good news is there is a successful breeding programme

in place on the parks and last year five adorable cubs were born.

Since then, Mum and Dad have gone on to have another litter

so last year's cubs have just been moved

to a new enclosure at their sister park.

Head keeper Rich is really excited

to have new animals to look after and learn about.

-How are you doing, Rich?

-Yeah.

-So, where are they now?

Well, they are in here somewhere,

but being quite elusive and quite secretive

they kind of hide up quite well in very little cover really.

They can just dig themselves into a little bit under a branch

and just stay there, very still,

hoping we won't disturb them or no-one sees them.

That must make the move interesting.

I don't know how it went at the other end but when they got here,

most of them were still quite groggy because of the knock out

but once they came out of the crates

they sort of sloped off a little bit but they came out very nicely.

How are they getting on now, have you seen much of them?

Yeah, as I say, they are quite nervous and quite shy.

We've made a point of going in and making sure they're all OK

and that they've come through the sedation all right

and that there's no side effects.

And that their eating already and drinking.

-They seem happy.

-As a head keeper, do you get nervous when a new animal

comes to the park? Have you worked with these guys before?

Not the Iberian wolves, but we've had quite a lot of experience

with the timber wolves we've had here.

It's always a little bit nerve wracking to hope

that they'll settle in, but, yeah, it's always good as well.

We love getting something new in,

it just means we've got to learn from the off

and try and work out what's best for them and how we work them and stuff.

It looks like they've got a happy new home here.

-Good luck helping them settle in.

-Thanks a lot.

What do you call a load of giraffes at traffic lights?

A giraffic jam!

Oooh-ohh-oooh!

Why did the bull blush?

I don't know.

Because it saw the cow slip!

Buckaw!

-What do snakes learn in school?

-I don't know.

Hiss...tory.

Over at the De Brazza enclosure, Simon is waiting

for his favourite monkey, George, to fall asleep

from the anaesthetic he's just injected him with.

It usually takes about five minutes for the drug to take effect

and once he's out, vet Jane can give him a check up.

As you can see he is getting a little bit more wobbly.

I don't want him to fall off the branch and hit the floor.

I want to be able to catch him...just in case he starts to go.

We are just waiting for him to actually fall asleep really.

He's nearly there but not quite, not given up the ghost yet.

This tough De Brazza is a fighter

and in typical George fashion, he's refusing to go to sleep.

I would expect him to sleep quite quickly.

He's not really scared of us, but

it takes longer. It shows you each animal is different and

you should never be complacent cos they will surprise you.

At last George is sleepy enough to be handled.

Let's sit you there a second, there you go. He's not quite out of it.

But some of his family are intent on waking him up again.

Out, both of you.

Simon covers George with a towel to stop him being distracted

and to help him fall fully asleep.

He's sedated so we'll transfer him I think.

And the trick works, George is almost asleep

and in a few moments the team will be able to begin his vital check up.

Have you ever wondered if gorillas get bored eating

the same veggies day in day out.

I did and that's why I popped

into the Roar kitchen and helped bake some tasty beetroot muffins.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Matt, you said the gorillas wanted beetroot.

So, I've made beetroot muffins.

-Does that look tasty or what?

-Very impressive.

I've got to ask though, beetroot for the gorillas, why?

Well, first of all it's nice to give

them lots of different variety of foods but beetroot is a good source,

high in vitamins and minerals, vitamin C, iron

-and it also lowers blood pressure.

-So they are really healthy then.

How are we going to give this to them, maybe with a cup of tea?

Possibly with a cup of tea, but we generally just go in

and scatter the food around for them.

There might even be one left over for me.

Come on then, Matt, let's get scattering.

I'll hide one just here, there we go.

Nobody stand on it. Please don't stand on the cake.

Maybe some near the water.

I'll put some of this beetroot down here.

The other question is, I like beetroot, a bit personal this.

Sometimes when you have beetroot it can make

your pooh and wee come out purple, does that happen with gorillas?

-It certainly does, yeah.

-Does it?

-Yeah, it's the same.

Every morning after we've given them beetroot we clean up purple pooh.

I tell you we won't be coming to see that then, that's for sure.

That's your next job tomorrow morning, you're back in.

I don't think so. I don't think so, Matt.

Join us later on when we release the gorillas and find out

if they go bonkers for our buns. Come on, Matt, take a bite.

They're tasty! Mmm.

Some of the most elusive animals in the park

are the small cats and there are some we hardly

ever get the chance to see on Roar. One camera-shy cat is the Margay.

These wild cats come from the rainforests

of Central and South America and lucky me is about to meet one.

The reason I'm whispering is because I've popped down to

the margay enclosure in the hopes of glimpsing

one of the park's most elusive small cats.

In there is keeper Steve Veen who's got an idea.

What's up your sleeve, Steve?

Johny, I've got myself a little quail here,

-which I hope is going to tempt her over.

-Really?

-I am going to place it on the branch above me.

-She's quite a good climber?

Fantastic climbers.

They are one of the most acrobatic species of cats.

They can swivel their ankle joints 180 degrees

so they can run head first down a tree.

They're amazing. It's fantastic.

They are able to chase squirrels and small monkeys through the tree tops.

Would you say they are good hunters?

Very good hunters, but they hunt at night,

-so you hardly ever see them.

-Steve, look she's coming.

-Yeah.

-How do you think that she's knows it's there?

-She's seen me,

so she knows something's up. She's so used to me feeding her

that's all she ever associates me with is food.

Really. How about in the wild how would she go about hunting,

would she use her ears or her eyes?

They've got fantastic eye sight, but they do hunt at night.

Their night vision has to be pretty good and it is.

She has got very big eyes in comparison to the size of her head.

Their hearing is fantastic as well.

So, she'll be listening out for little rustles and leaves

or anything like that which might be an indication there's an item of

food running around which she can get hold of. Are you going to come over?

Other than her eyes, Steve, she looks quite like a...

cat you would find at home, how else is she different?

Size-wise they are very similar,

but their coat pattern is completely unique.

You won't see any pet cats looking like that.

-No.

-Stunning.

-It's beautiful.

-She is absolutely beautiful.

That's posed a big problem for the species in the wild.

It means they've been hunted a lot.

Their numbers have been declining rapidly.

Within just 30 years, the fur trade has caused them a big, big problem.

You can see such a beautiful coat it's no real surprise that people

want to see these animals.

She took that gently, that was amazing seeing her take that.

I was expecting her to kind of leap at it a little bit more.

-Why did she take it so softly?

-She knows it's not going to move.

If she tries to hand feed from me she'll snatch it off me.

She's not shy at all.

If it's on the branch there's no reason to just grab it

and run off with it, she knows it's not going to go anywhere.

Well, it was amazing to see how elegant this elusive animal

was and to see her up close as well.

Thank you so much for the privilege, Steve.

Right then, gamers, are you ready for your cheat code?

Your park should be getting nice and full,

but don't forget to keep feeding your animals

to keep them healthy and happy.

I'm still wearing my pinny because earlier on myself and Matt

placed some healthy beetroot buns inside the gorilla enclosure.

Now, you can just see one next to the water.

They love beetroot, but will they like them in the form of cakes?

That's what we're going to find out, isn't it?

-Shall we release the gorillas and see what they think?

-OK.

Need gorillas.

So, here they come now.

Have you put veggie down in here as well?

Yeah, they've already got their morning forage.

That's cauliflower and mooli.

If we'd put the cakes out, they'd be too focused on them.

You say cauliflower and mooli. What is mooli?

Mooli is a type of radish.

Just a big white radish that we give them, we chop it up

quite small and put it in the straw. They quite like it.

Ah, look at that, straight for my muffin.

Oh, there you go, greedy gorilla, he's taken the beetroot as well.

-Who's that?

-That's Kouillou. He's gone for one.

What they'll often do is they'll take as many as they can basically and

then just go off somewhere and eat it in peace and quiet.

They can't really mess around with the adults around.

If they don't grab as many as they can the adults will take them.

I'm just looking at him there, he's munching on vegetables.

I'm thinking, how much of that is he going to have to eat to fill him up?

Because he's an adult male gorilla he's going to have

to eat a lot more than the females.

In the wild they probably eat something around 18 kgs worth

of vegetation a day.

Matt, I think my beetroot muffins have definitely been a success.

So, as I'm still wearing my pinny and I'm in a baking mood what can

cook up next for them?

Maybe try banana cake and we'll have some as well, the keepers.

Typical, I better had put the kettle on.

Back at the De Brazza enclosure,

Jane the vet is starting diabetic George's medical check.

The keepers have been worried about this monkey because he has

been looking a bit thin and they are concerned he may be ill.

Jane checks his kidneys.

Some people with diabetes can get kidney disease

and it's the same with monkeys.

-Do his kidneys feel all right?

-One is a little bit big.

We'll do some bloods.

Next she checks his teeth.

He doesn't have many left, as you can see.

I have removed quite a few of his teeth already.

We'll have a look at this canine, but the rest are in good condition.

It may need to be extracted in the future.

There's a little pocket at this side,

but the rest of the tooth seems quite healthy, so we'll leave it.

George really sort of needs all the teeth he can have and I don't think

it will cause a problem for the next of couple of years. That's good.

It's also an opportunity to clip George's overgrown toenails.

You see how long the nails are

and it can get uncomfortable and in the way and stuff.

He's one of the only monkeys that I know of that needs his claws cut.

They usually wear them down quite nicely.

This one I just cut was so incredibly long

it must get in the way when he's trying to use his feet.

So, I think it will be easier for him to use his feet to grab food

and walk and do whatever he wants.

Simon was especially worried that George was looking a bit thin,

so now they weigh him.

About 8.1.

It's not actually that bad a weight for him.

-No.

-Anything up to 10.

He is an older monkey and you

expect it to go down a bit. 10 kgs is what we've had male De Brazzas

before but they are in their prime. He's a little bit past his prime so

8 kgs isn't bad. We'll keep an eye on him.

We don't want it to go lower than that.

Lastly, Jane takes blood samples

so his blood sugar levels can be checked.

Good boy, George.

With all the tests done, it's time to wake George up.

Poles in here for him to hang onto.

Jane gives him a shot to reverse

the anaesthetic and almost immediately George comes round.

I just want to keep an eye on him while he comes round.

We can with him cos he's quite a nice animal,

he shouldn't be too aggressive.

We don't want him falling on the floor

so if we prop him up a bit just until he wakes up.

It'll be a short wait for the results to come back,

but in the meantime,

Simon is happy that his old friend seems to be doing well.

We've got the tests to run on the blood yet, so we don't know

if there are any problems.

But as far as his condition and weight I am a lot happier

knowing what they are rather than trying to guess all the time.

I've been round the zoos a very long time and so has he.

He's been here for many years now. So, you get used to him being around.

And, when the test results do come in, it's fantastic news.

Jane has found nothing which causes concern.

George is doing brilliantly for an old monkey. But as with all

his animals, Simon will be keeping a close eye on his friendly primate.

Alas, another episode of Roar is coming to a close, nearly.

That's right cos we've got one last little job to do.

It's important for a certain fella

or should that be lady in the cat section.

What's the mistake we need to correct?

Well, obviously we are outside Tug's enclosure.

-Tug's a male Indian desert cat.

-THEY LAUGH

We have recently found out, because we did a

little research, and we had to catch Tug one day and we found out that Tug

is not a male but a female.

Wow, that's quite a big revelation. So, how did you

make the mistake in the first place?

Someone made a mistake in sexing the cat when we vaccinated him

at eight weeks and 12 weeks.

Of course we've never had to catch him/her

since and of course we have done that and we have resexed him to her.

It's confusing, very confusing.

So, Tug is now a female.

-The sign there points to a male.

-That's correct.

So, what are we going to do just put that white correction stuff

on it and change the sign?

-Well, we could do but from nowhere...

-Oh, Jim!

Here's one you made earlier.

Exactly, Tug is now a female.

Fantastic. Can we take this one off?

-If you'd like to do the honours.

-Take one side.

-It feels like a big moment.

-OK, Tug is now a lady.

So, have you got any plans for her now that she's a female?

That's big news, isn't it?

-It is and what we've done we've bought in an unrelated male.

-Right.

Gumpta, who's next door, and we will pair them up

-and hopefully we will have some babies.

-Will you invite us back if

-she gets pregnant and has little nippers?

-Of course.

Good luck with the breeding programme.

While we say goodbye to Miss Tug why don't you stick around

and find out what's coming up on the next episode of Roar.

No-one likes having injections, but the team have to give

the fierce clouded leopard cubs their first jabs.

The new open-topped baboon enclosure has seen its fair share of drama

including a monkey escape. What's going to happen when they put

a black rhino in with this troublesome troop?

Plus keeper Jim can't reach his favourite snack using his mouth,

but we know an animal who can, find out which.

I want my biscuit.

That's all coming up on the next Roar.

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