Episode 15 Roar

Today on Roar, Nico the gorilla is 50 years old

and we're up for a party.

But will the birthday boy go bananas if he doesn't get what he wants?

Oi!

Welcome to Roar. I'm Johny.

And I'm Rani and it's feed time in the grey wolf enclosure.

You know what, Rani? I used to be a werewolf.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-But I'm all right nooooooooooooooow!

-Dear, oh, dear.

Let's get on with the show.

Coming up today...

When she was born, the baby giraffe seemed to be struggling.

I'll catch up now she's steady on her feet.

Diego the tegu has a neat trick to keep his skin young and beautiful.

We'll discover his secret later.

And most people are scared of something.

Sharp teeth, nasty sting, creepy legs.

But why is our Roar Ranger frightened of a furry little face?

All will be revealed.

On one side of the safari park, there's a lake.

And in that lake, there's an island.

And on that island lives a gorilla.

His name is Nico and today we're celebrating his birthday.

He's 50 years old,

which means he's one of the very oldest gorillas in the world.

For the last 20 years, keeper Mark Tye has been looking after him.

But Nico's been at the park longer than that.

And he hasn't always lived alone.

Nico's been here since about 1986.

Erm, he came here with his partner, Samba.

Erm, and they've been together all their lives.

Samba was really nice. She was the complete opposite to Nico.

He's always been a bolshie, stroppy individual.

Oi!

Despite their different personalities,

Nico and Samba got on very well and were happy living together.

But sadly, back in the spring of 2007, after a short illness,

Samba died.

Well, Samba lived to the ripe old age of 47,

which is a fantastic age for a gorilla.

Er, anything over 40 is considered really good for a gorilla.

In the wild, they'd be lucky if they lived to 25.

But that was no consolation to Nico.

Having spent his life with her, he took Samba's death very badly.

Mark was very worried about him. Here's what he said at the time.

You know, you can tell he's upset. He's...he's very funny with us.

You know, I think he thinks we've done something to her.

And he, sort of, cries a bit for her and he's constantly looking.

You know, he's always looking in the places where she was,

like the large bamboo bush at the end of the island and things like that.

It's...

..tough for us all to deal with.

After that, Nico was just too old to be mixed with any new companion.

They would almost certainly fight

and anyway, he doesn't seem to mind being on his own.

As time goes on, you know,

he got over it and seems back to his normal self, if not better.

He's actually nicer than he was before.

Which is just as well, as now he's elderly,

Nico needs a little more care

and it's easier to give him his medicine if he's cooperating.

In fact, Mark and Nico are now closer than ever before.

I've worked with him now for...

hmm, 20 years.

We know each other very well.

It's a real...a real bond that you have with an animal like that.

Different to other animals you look after.

Sometimes, although they don't speak...

it seems like they understand what you're saying.

I talk to them as if they're a person

and they sometimes respond with their grunts and grumbles,

as if they know what you're saying.

All right? You going to get up?

Gorillas are very intelligent

and they do understand more than most animals.

Nico, for example, gets a lot out of watching TV.

They respond to it, particularly Nico.

Samba was never that bothered but Nico always enjoyed it.

Particularly other animal programmes.

So he does spend a lot of his time at night in front of the telly.

He is an old man, he doesn't like to do a lot more.

He's probably one of our oldest viewers!

Let's hope he's up for a birthday bash later.

It's going to be his 50th birthday,

which is an absolute amazing figure to reach.

He's the third-oldest gorilla in the country, apparently.

He's the oldest male that there is in this country

and I think he's the eighth oldest in the world.

Well, I think it's going to be a big day, Nico reaching 50.

Erm, I definitely think he'll be allowed a few treats.

And I'm sure we'll manage a cake. I'm sure he'll love that.

Cake, yes. But what about pressies? Stayed tuned, cos we're on our way.

Earlier in the series, we brought you some amazing footage

of the latest baby giraffe actually being born,

outside, in broad daylight.

The baby immediately started trying to stand up.

She seemed to be struggling with the awkward, long legs

but soon enough, she was up, suckling from Becky, her mum.

And after that, the keepers' big worry was about Becky,

because in the past,

she's had a bad habit of licking and nibbling at her babies' ears,

which can cause permanent damage.

But now Johny's gone to find out the latest news.

I've come to meet one of the biggest babies at the park

and no, I'm not talking about Rani or keeper Ryan.

I'm talking about the baby giraffe that's just over there.

-Looking well, isn't she, Ryan?

-Yeah, she's doing really well, Johny.

She's three weeks old today, I think, so...

Three weeks and already standing!

Within about a hour, generally, you're likely to see them get up

and she was textbook, in that respect.

For the first, sort of, 30 to 45 minutes,

she's just trying to find her feet, getting used to balancing herself.

Then after about an hour or so, bang! For the next hour,

generally, they're trying to get a drink off mum and er, which she did.

So is she still drinking then, milk?

Yeah, yeah.

She'll drink milk for maybe about nine to 12 months,

something like that.

Incredible that she's only three weeks old

and she's, like, already looking over six foot.

-That's about two metres!

-Yeah. Just under.

And how tall was she when she was first born?

Erm, probably about 1.5, 1.6 metres, something like that.

That's very tall,

Kind of like the average male size or something, isn't it?

Yeah, sort of average for a giraffe calf.

Some will be more towards, sort of, 1.8 metres

but around 1.5, 1.6 is the average.

How is she getting on? Is she healthy?

Any concerns for her health?

We haven't got any concerns whatsoever.

Obviously, we've had trouble with Becky, her mum, with previous calves.

Over-licking the ears and causing a bit of damage to the ears.

But touch wood, at the moment, we haven't really seen any of that.

Let's hope that continues.

So why does Mum do that, then, with licking the ears?

If it's bad for her babies.

Obviously, it's important for a mother giraffe

to lick her calf to just reaffirm that bond, constantly.

-Erm, but I think Becky's just too over-mumsy, basically.

-Really?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Loving them to death!

-She doesn't mean any harm.

It just happens.

They seem to be near each other now.

Is this Mum just behind her?

-No, Mum's the furthest one at the back there.

-Right, OK. Oh, OK! OK.

So she's letting the little baby...

By the way, I'm saying "little baby". Have we got a name for it?

-Er, yes, we have.

-Oh, OK.

-Officially, her name is Kate.

-Kate!

-I thought you were going to say, "Munjabi" or something. Kate!

-No!

Lovely, so little Kate's there

and her mum doesn't seem to be that hands-on at the minute.

No, no. She's, um, pretty comfortable with the situation we've got up here.

This is where Becky actually gave birth to Kate,

so I think she feels particularly calm up here.

And obviously, Kate feels calm up here as well,

because this is her birthplace.

It's a nice place for her to be right now.

It's so, so beautiful out here, Ryan.

You've got the look of a proud father,

will you invite us to see how she's doing later in the series?

-Love to, yep.

-Brilliant.

-When do mice need umbrellas?

-I don't know.

When it's raining cats and dogs!

Ribbet.

What do you get if you sit under a cow? A pat on the head!

Boc-boc!

-What do you call a flying skunk?

-Dunno.

-Dunno.

A smelly-copter!

-THEY LAUGH

-That had to be a joke!

Our Roar Rangers today are George and Nicole

and, like most brothers and sisters, they're a bit competitive.

I'm going to be a better Roar Ranger

cos I'm crazy about animals and my sister isn't.

I am a better Roar Ranger than George because he terrifies animals.

Hmm. They're probably both exaggerating

because, back home, they've got loads of pets -

Angel the hamster, Eddie the dog and Socks the cat.

And none of them look terrified.

Still, we'll soon find out what they're really like with animals.

"George and Nicole, today you will be keepers for all the furry folk.

"It's time for some fluffy love."

Don't know what it is yet,

but it might be little furry animals, like hamsters and ferrets.

If you're looking for furry folk,

here's the place to go - the animal adventure area.

-Hi, I'm Nicole.

-Hi, I'm George.

Hi, I'm Kat. I understand you're going to be helping me

with some of the furry animals today. Yeah? Excellent.

Here's some of the equipment that you're going to need.

-Should we go and get started?

-Yeah.

-Yeah! Come this way.

First up is the fluffiest thing in the place - the lionhead rabbits.

They're a domestic breed of rabbit that comes from Belgium.

They're called lionhead

because they're absolutely ferocious and they eat people.

No, sorry, just kidding.

They're called lionhead because all the hair around their necks

is like a lion's mane.

OK, so these are some of our rabbits.

What I would like you to do today is do a bit of grooming

and a bit of a health check on them

and also get your hands a bit more dirty and clean them out.

Do I have to hold one? Cos I don't really...

That's OK, we'll do it together.

Sounds like Nicole has had a bad experience with a rabbit.

Once I got... One bit me.

By a little black one.

You do have to be careful round any kind of animal.

And even the tamest, cutest rabbit may bite

if it's not handled properly.

The rangers have got keeper Kat here

to make sure they're doing things right.

What to do for me is do a quick health check for me, OK?

So have a look at his eyes. Can you tell me if they're nice and clear?

Yeah.

It's really important

to do a regular health check on all pet rabbits.

This means checking their coat, eyes, ears, nose and bottom area.

Anything out of the ordinary

could be a sign of illness or other problem.

-OK, what about his ears?

-His ears?

-Nice and clean?

-Yeah.

-Fantastic. OK. Give him a bit of a brush.

He's very soft and fluffy.

The rabbit felt calm and I felt all warm inside.

So, Nicole, it's your turn now.

Are you ready to face your fear?

Nicole, we'll get Thumbelina out together, shall we? Yeah.

Thumbelina? With a name like that, she doesn't sound like a biter.

OK. So Thumbelina is a bit fluffier than Merlin.

So the same as what George did, Nicole.

If you have a look at Thumbelina's eyes for me.

Have a look at her nice blue eyes.

Do you see them?

They say once bitten, twice shy,

but the best way to beat your fear is just to tackle it head-on.

Do you want to give her a quick feel, then?

Give her a quick feel down there. Go for it.

Well done, you! Excellent.

The first touch is the hardest,

but soon Nicole is OK with brushing and everything.

OK, so let's pop her in.

Meanwhile, let's go and get our hands dirty, shall we?

I think Kat's helped me get over my fear.

I'm feeling a lot confident about rabbits now.

The rabbit's hut is their bedroom and...their toilet.

Smells a bit like...eurgh.

Don't be shy, George - it smells of poo.

I'm glad that my brother's got his hands mucky for a change.

They're doing really, really well.

They're getting stuck in there,

not afraid of a bit of poo, which is always good.

Fantastic.

That's you!

So, with the hutch all done, Merlin and Thumbelina can go back in.

-There you are.

-Well done. Do you want to have a touch?

Have a touch, cos they're saying thank you. Go for it.

Well done!

Now, what do you think, guys,

-do you think Thumbelina and Merlin are going to enjoy that?

-Yeah.

I enjoyed it very much.

But there's more in store for the Roar Rangers.

As soon as they've washed their hands,

Kat has another job lined up for them.

-Was that OK, yeah?

-Yeah.

-I think we'll go and see some of our ferrets now, shall we?

-Yes!

-Yeah?

Now, you know how you take a dog for a walk? Well, later on,

the Roar Rangers are going to try and take the ferrets out.

It's not going to be easy.

It's Nico the gorilla's birthday and we've got something for him.

But first we need to meet keeper Mark to get things ready.

Now, this is exciting. Nico the gorilla is turning 50.

That's like one of us turning 100.

The thought of you being 100, Rani, is very scary.

I'll be very little, Johny.

It really is a massive milestone for Nico,

so we've popped over to give him some special treats.

Hi! Here he is, the man who will make it all possible for us.

Head of section Mark, how you doing?

-Mark, how you doing?

-And here is the birthday fella.

-Oh, look at him.

Listen, we have brought him some presents, Mark.

Will this be all right? It's not for you, unfortunately!

Well, if I can't have a bit, then he's not having a bit.

I'm sure you'll get a bit, there's enough cake for everyone.

Shall we place this down, cos I don't want to get Nico too excited.

Bit of fruit cake, so it's kind of healthy.

And we've got some fruit in here, Mark.

Will that be all right for him?

He'll love that, that'll be fantastic, yeah.

We've got some grapes and strawberries. Has he got favourites?

He loves grapes and he loves strawberries.

Soft fruits, he's real keen on, because he's an old man.

His teeth aren't as good as they used to be.

All right, well, we've got all these soft fruits for him in a big box

with a ribbon on top. What are we going to do with them?

If we just throw a little bit of straw on top,

just to make it a little bit more difficult...

Hang on, you're ruining the fun!

And why would you want to make it more difficult for him?

It's just all part of the making him work a little harder for his food.

He'll just sit there and pick it out otherwise.

We'll put the straw in and he's got to find the food.

We've got a piece of cake here, haven't we?

Yeah, we've got a whole cake. Are we going to give him a little sample?

-Let's give him a sample now.

-Just a little slice!

Just to see what he thinks.

-Save a slice for me and Johny.

-I'm sure he'll love it.

-You're going to give it by hand?!

-Yeah.

Has he had anything like this before?

He has had a few bits of cake now and again, only as treats.

He has got a very sweet tooth.

-Why's he eating the straw?

-It all helps with digestion, I think.

A bit of roughage to go with the sweetness.

So, what's the plan with this box?

Well, we'll just take it out to the island now and place it outside.

So, Mark, has he got a favourite place? He's been here a few years.

Yeah, normally out the way, hidden.

But we want to see him, so we'll put it over here!

Cos we're not going to be out here with Nico. Where are we going to be?

We're going to be over there, on the pontoon.

I'm so glad, cos I didn't bring my swimmers!

So if we place this here, there is a duck there, so we better be careful.

-Cos Nico doesn't like ducks.

-I'm sure the duck will scamper away!

-Just like us!

-Cake?

-Yeah. We won't leave the board.

-Ah! So, tease him over with the fruit cake. Tease him in.

-Very nice.

You think he's going to come out and enjoy that?

I think he'll come straight to that.

Awesome. Join us later on

to see what Nico makes of his special birthday treat.

Today's cheat code for the Roar game on the CBBC website is "frost45".

Don't forget, to make your park a success,

you need to have as many of these cheat codes as possible,

in order to unlock extra food,

treats, new areas and even new animals.

So look out for them on every show. Happy gaming!

Back with the Roar Rangers,

George and Nicole have finished sorting out the lionhead rabbits,

and are about to tackle the ferrets.

This is our ferret enclosure.

We're going to go inside,

and I have a feeling all our ferrets will be sleeping.

They sleep an awful lot of the day,

so I want you guys to go in and wake them up a bit.

When we head in there, I want you to watch your hands.

The minute we go down and fluff up that straw,

these guys will think we're playing.

We'll head down just now and see what they're up to.

Ferrets are a domestic animal.

They used to be used for hunting,

but nowadays they're generally kept as pets.

We're going to get our hands in and fluff up this straw.

Now I can't really be bothered getting my hands dirty today,

so I want you guys to do it, is that OK?

-Yeah.

-Yes, sounds good?

OK, Nicole, you get down there.

There's one in there.

You're certainly waking them up now.

There's one coming out your side, George. Under your armpit.

There are ten ferrets here and they're all boys.

Whilst some of them are ready to play,

the others look like they're still pretty sleepy.

Excellent. OK, so we've got our two,

we've got Bandit here, which you found, George,

and Nicole, you have Barney.

-What do you think we're going to do now?

-Take them for a walk.

-Exactly.

Ferrets love going for walks,

but you can't train them to walk how you want them to on the lead.

They have to do it their own way.

These guys, it's not like walking a dog, OK?

These guys take you guys for a walk, OK?

So the ferrets like to explore and see what's going on.

So you'll have to follow them. Shall we give them a walk then?

Yeah? OK.

So they're all set for walkies.

But there's a problem with Barney.

Barney's not too keen on going anywhere just now, is he?

I think he's seeing what's going on and having a bit of a smell.

-And he's probably sleepy still.

-I think he's just tired.

And because loads of people are around, it's crowded, I think.

I think Barney just wants to go straight back to sleep.

Meanwhile Bandit's having a great time.

Very cool. I wish I had a pet one.

I think he's taking me for a walk instead of me taking him.

Now Barney's woken up a bit, but he's acting strangely.

I can't, he's just... He keeps on going back, that's why.

Perhaps he wants to go "back" to bed.

But now Bandit's doing the same thing.

He was shuffling backwards like this, watch.

Any minute now he'll do it.

Wow, looks like a street dance move.

He's in a way quite hard to handle,

but he's fun to handle, if you know what I mean?

Hey, Bandit!

I don't believe it, Barney's asleep again.

I don't think it likes the camera.

-HE YAWNS

-Maybe he had a really late night.

SNORING

OK, guys, I think the ferrets have had enough exercise for today.

You guys have been fantastic, very, very well done.

CONTINUES SNORING

The best part of being a rabbit and ferret keeper

was the ferrets. We really love the ferrets

and hopefully we'll be getting one soon.

The rabbits were OK, but smelled a bit.

Nicole and George were fantastic today.

Overall I would give them two ferrets up!

-BOTH:

-Big thumbs up for the ferrets.

Earlier on in the show, we met head of section, Mark,

to present Nico with his 50th birthday present.

Now it's time to see what he makes of it.

Mark, what do you think he'll do?

I'm hoping he'll go straight to it and rummage around looking for food.

-Well, let's see then, let's bring out Nico.

-OK, Lou.

Is he going to be all right with that cardboard?

-It won't harm him, will it?

-He'll be fine. He won't eat that.

There's other nice things in there to keep him amused.

-He's having a good look.

-I'm amazed how quickly he came out.

-I expected him to run like an old man.

-He's got a good turn of speed.

-He's had the cake already!

-He's got a sweet tooth.

I love how he knows there's something in there.

He's taking all the wrapping and the hay out.

He didn't even care about my lovely pink bow.

Now we've wrapped his present, but it's not just for a laugh,

it's quite good for him, isn't it?

Yes, we wouldn't normally do this, this is special,

but we do that indoors, we wrap his food in bags, boxes,

hide it in straw, or even use socks, put food in socks.

-Clean socks, I hope.

-Clean socks.

We tie a knot in it so he has to break them out.

Look at this!

What do you think he's going to do now?

You went, "Oh, here we go."

He's probably going to take it in there out the way, look.

Nico, we want to see what you make of it.

He's throwing it round though.

For such a ripe old age, he's doing really well.

And it's been under your care.

You must feel happy he's got to this nice old age?

I'm delighted, he's done fantastically.

He's still really fit for an old man, still really active.

It was brilliant to see him open our present.

Do you think he liked it?

-Definitely, he went for that really well.

-Congratulations, Mark.

Here's to another 50 years for Nico the gorilla.

Time flies when you're having fun,

but we have just enough time to meet Sarah

and find out how to bathe a four and a half foot tegu named Diego.

-Hi, Sarah.

-Hiya, Sarah.

-Hello.

It's warm today, Diego doesn't look too dirty.

Why are we giving him a bath? Is it because it's warm?

It's nice on a warm day to help him cool down.

Also, as they shed their skin, large lizards like this,

it just helps that skin come off if you put some moisture on there.

And it's something different for him, it's enrichment.

How often do they shed their skin?

He'll do it every couple of months.

It depends how fast they grow and if they're eating a lot,

they'll do it a lot more because they'll be growing faster.

-I'm not seeing any bath here.

-I've come with this, can I help?!

You can give him a little spray, yes.

So this is it, you just spray it on.

And spray over his face, it gives him a chance to drink.

-His face as well?

-Yes. He'll lap up the water.

Does he like the water, does he like getting wet?

I think he does, yes, occasionally I dribble water from a watering can

over him and he laps it all up. I think he does enjoy it.

That's handy, he likes this, plus it helps him shed his skin.

Is shedding really that important?

Is it just like putting on a new seasonal coat for us?

He needs to get in his winter outfit. Or is it him growing bigger?

They do it constantly throughout the year.

And as they grow, their skin, it's tough on the outside,

it doesn't grow with them. So in order for them to get bigger,

they have to shed the top layer of skin off in large bits.

That just helps them grow.

It's not painful, is it?

No, it's just the very top layer.

It's just like us, our skin comes off, but it's all the time

and it's very gradual, we don't notice it, but he does it in one go.

I've got to say, I've learnt a shed-load today!

And while I get over that incredibly bad joke,

why don't you check out what's coming up in the next episode?

You want to laugh, really.

The tigers go wild about some funky smells,

but which do they prefer, meat or poo?

The keeper's for the high jump

when the team want answers about the wallabies.

And we'll find out who's got the biggest gob in the park.

All that and more next time on Roar.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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