Episode 18 Roar

Today on Roar,

there's great excitement when a weird and wonderful animal arrives.

It's got a head like a baseball bat,

a tongue as long as your arm and a preposterous tail.

But what is it?

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of Roar. I'm Rani.

And I'm Johny and this fella here is the park's huge male eland.

-Check the muscles on that.

-Thanks, Rani, I'm quite built, aren't I?

I wasn't talking about you, Johny. I was talking about that fella there.

To save any more embarrassment, should we get on with today's show?

-I think that's the best.

-They are all right, your muscles.

Coming up today,

we've got a tongue twisting test lined up for the giraffes.

Over half the flamingo chicks have died.

We'll find out if the rest still stand a chance.

And there's the cheeky chappie, the fidget and the mummy's boy.

We're going to see how the kids got their nicknames.

Down in the animal adventure area, we're about to meet

a pair of very strange creatures for the first time.

For the last few weeks, a lot of work's been done

to build them a new house and enclosure.

The team has been busy welding and planting

and they've even installed a luxury shower.

Now it's finished and the mystery new residents can be moved in.

Which is easier said than done,

because they are about two metres long and weigh almost 60 kilos.

But at last they're in, and keeper Catriona Carr can reveal all.

We've got something really, really exciting to show you today.

We have got some new animals. Our new giant anteaters.

These two are the first giant anteaters they've ever had here.

The female is named Maroni while the male is Bonito.

They've come from different wildlife parks

but they're both just a year and a half old.

I just think they are amazing.

They are so unique and such strange animals to look at. But so much fun.

Giant anteaters come from Central and South America,

but with only about 5,000 left in the wild,

they're a threatened species.

They are one of the few mammals that don't have any teeth.

They do have huge claws,

which they use to break into ant and termite mounds.

Then they use their long tongues to catch the bugs.

Their diet in the wild is about 35,000 bugs in a day.

Here at the park, one of the favourite foods is crickets.

They eat them the same way they eat all bugs.

Basically, anteaters have got extremely long tongues.

They are about 60 cms in length, so they can protrude them.

They have loads and loads of saliva.

They've got a gland that produces all this really, really sticky saliva.

The tongue then goes back into the mouth then gets pressed

up against the hard palate and that's how the bugs get crushed up.

That long, sticky tongue can flick out up to 160 times per minute.

So the bugs don't last long.

For me, learning more about the anteaters is absolutely amazing.

The characters that Bonito and Maroni have got

are just so interesting.

Maroni is very, very much forthcoming.

Whereas Bonito is a bit more tentative. Very shy, at times.

So far, the anteaters seem to be happy with their new house

but the next stage is to introduce them to their outdoor enclosure.

The keepers have worked hard to create an anteater-friendly zone

but what will Maroni and Bonito make of it?

Stay tuned to find out!

The giraffe is an amazing animal.

With those long legs and stretched neck,

they can eat the leaves that no one else can reach.

But out in Africa,

many of their favourite plants like the acacia tree

are covered in thorns.

So the giraffe, like the anteater, has evolved a very special tongue.

To find out more,

I've joined keeper Lauren to set up a tongue twisting treat feeder.

-We've cut some holes out in big bottles like this.

-Right.

And we're going to pop some of this chopped food into it.

OK, well let's get to it, then.

I suppose you want me to put my hands in there

cos they'll get nice and smelly with the red onion.

We've got some sweet potato, red onion, apple and bananas today.

How is a giraffe going to eat from this?

-Giraffes, as we know, have got a very long tongues.

-Yes.

They are going to use their tongues to pick out bits of food

and they are very good at it.

In the wild, giraffes use their tongues

to navigate through acacia trees,

past the thorns to get the leaves on the inside and outside.

Very strong tongues. Probably the strongest part of their body.

And it's about half a metre long.

They won't have any problems getting the food out of here.

Our main concern is the tongue will go in one hole and out the other.

-More than likely.

-That would just be amazing.

Now, with the giraffes,

we're not just going to leave these on the floor, are we?

No, we'll winch them up on the browse hangers we already have there.

-So we can see them back there.

-Yeah.

-Now, they are quite high.

-The little ones won't be able to reach it.

-Unfortunately not.

The very small babies we have won't be feeding at all from these.

They're still not completely on solids at the moment.

They're still feeding from their mums.

They will show a lot of interest and are quite inquisitive at the moment.

It will just be the adult giraffes going for it today.

All the fruit is in the bottles.

-All that's left for us to do is to winch them up then?

-Yes.

Why don't you join us later on in the show and we'll find out

if Lauren is right about how strong a giraffe's tongue really is.

Earlier in the series, we got the very first shots

of the new pygmy goat kids when they were just a few hours old.

Since then, we've been following their progress

along with keeper Bev Evans.

We've got five baby goats. Two sets of twins and a single.

All five of our goats were born in the same week.

This is Jerry. He's very friendly and like hanging round the keepers

and also the public here.

His sister is Margot and she's a little bit more confident,

a little bit more outgoing.

We've got Benson. He's our single and he gets doted on by his mum Nottie.

He's a bit spoilt, bless him.

We've got Olive and Butler. Butler is quite cheeky.

And Olive is always running around, to be honest. She never stands still.

They're starting to nibble at grass and a few pony nuts occasionally

so, they're starting to grow quite quickly.

And even their tips of their horns are starting to poke out.

Baby goats generally are quite a handful.

They're getting curious, so they are hanging around with the keepers

and the public a lot, lot more, Jerry, especially.

He walks along the fence.

If you've got small hands you can push through and give him a tickle.

Hugely popular with the public at the moment.

Though Poppadom still is trying to get centre of attention, bless him.

I think all of our goats, to be honest, are all such characters.

They do really well with the public, especially the children.

I love pygmy goats.

We have so many exotic wild animals here

which you can really appreciate and admire but not necessarily touch.

Pygmy goats, you can give them a good old cuddle, to be honest.

I think that's what the keepers like.

A little bit hands-on, as well as hands off stuff.

-What's a cow was favourite subject?

-Don't know.

Moosic.

Woof-woof-woof-woof! Woof-woof!

What did one sheep say to the other sheep on Valentine's Day?

Wool you be mine?

Buk-buk-buk-buk-buk!

What kind of dog tells the time?

A watchdog.

THEY LAUGH

Now, earlier on in the show, Lauren and myself,

we filled bottles filled with fruit and veg,

and we have just finished winching them up

into this tree and look at this.

The giraffe are already making their way over, they're surrounding it.

Now, the idea was to see whether these bottles with holes in them,

whether the giraffes would get their tongues in,

and just by using their tongues, just by using their tongues,

eat the food in the bottle.

Lauren thinks their tongues are really dextrous,

and if you look at them, they're going for it.

Now, who's this one to the right, this big fella here?

That's our breeding bull, Doto. He loves his food.

As you can see, he was the first one over.

And he has practically finished the whole thing off

and the bottle is still intact,

so that is purely just by going through the hole, isn't it?

Yup, mmm-hmm.

See, I always just think of giraffes being so big, so tall...

-Hi.

-Hey, Henry.

-Henry?

-Yes.

This is you, Henry?

What makes a giraffe good?

Just a nice, calm temperament. He's quite friendly as well.

Can I just say, though,

I'm getting loads of hot air on my face from his big nostrils.

Sometimes you get snotted on as well.

-Hey, Henry.

-Hi, darling. Ooh, should I be...

-Had your food, have you?

Hey? Have you had some dinner? I smell of red onions and banana.

-Do you like that?

-That's probably what it is, actually.

-He is so gentle. Are giraffes just really gentle?

-They are.

I think when they get spooked, obviously, they'll kick off,

but generally they're very calm animals.

Oh, my goodness. The length of that tongue. Who is that one?

That's Imogen, she loves her food

and she's been really giving it a go over there.

I can't believe how long her tongue is. It is like...

She does like to walk around with it hanging out.

I've got to say, they are absolutely amazing.

You said they had a really long tongue that was really dexterous.

I think I've learned so much more and, in particular,

-just how big they really are.

-Yes!

For the park's flock of Chilean flamingos,

it's been a season of triumph and tragedy.

The keeper in charge of them is Mark Tye

and he's been trying for years to get them to breed,

with little success.

Flamingos build nests and lay eggs, but that's when things go wrong.

What happens is someone will make a nest and lay an egg,

and it'll be quite happy with that.

Someone else will think, "I like the look of your nest,

"I don't care that you've got an egg in it, I want it out."

So, they'll kick the bird off

and kick the egg out to lay their own egg in there.

So, this year, Mark hit on a cunning plan.

He swapped their eggs for wooden dummy ones

and took the real ones away to the safety of an egg incubating machine.

And when they were just about to hatch,

Mark had to get them all back on the correct nests.

The trick worked,

and soon there were 15 brand new chicks in with the flock.

Mark couldn't believe his luck.

We're really happy with the way things have gone.

At first, the fluffy grey babies were doing really well.

And then came a week of dreadful weather.

The flamingos do have a house they can go inside,

but just like in the wild,

they prefer to be outdoors, rain or shine.

In bad weather, they're supposed to shelter their chicks,

but keeper Sarah could see

the parents just didn't seem to know what to do.

Every now and then they seem to forget that they've got babies.

You'll see them wander off with the group. They're a flock animal,

so if the group are moving off, they'll move off

and leave the chicks behind.

In the end, the bad weather took a terrible toll.

Over half the chicks died.

It's always disappointing.

Obviously, when you go through all the work of incubating them,

they do the work of sitting on the eggs,

then they follow that process and then to lose them at the last bit...

Yeah, it's very disappointing.

But now, the weather has been fine for a couple of weeks,

and the keepers have called us back to see what's been happening.

Are the survivors hanging on,

or has the flamingo's poor parenting skills led to further tragedy?

Find out later on.

It's time for another Ask The Keeper,

and the keeper hoping to earn her stripes

answering questions on the Grant's zebra is Polly.

-Polly, are you ready for Ask The Keeper?

-Yes, I think I am.

Oh, you'd better be. William, you've got a question, haven't you?

Yeah. How big are the zebras when they are born?

Well, we've got a baby zebra at the moment that's just over a week old,

so she's still quite small. They weigh about 31 - 33 kilos when born,

maybe a quarter the size of mum.

-Jonathan, have you got a question, now?

-Yeah. What do zebras eat?

Well, at the moment, they're just grazing on grass throughout the day.

They graze constantly, and then in winter

they also get hay and pony nuts.

It's the same kind of things that you would feed a pet pony, really.

How old is the oldest zebra?

We've got Stephanie who's 17.

She's got a little baby, she's the last one that gave birth.

Her baby's just over a week old now.

But she's 17, she's getting on a little bit,

but she's still fit and healthy and really well.

Have you got any other questions, guys?

-She's answering them well, isn't she?

-What is you favourite zebra?

To be honest, I love them all.

I think, though, at the moment, with our babies,

Saga's little baby, Kimbya, is my favourite.

She just seems really happy all the time and bounces around all the time.

I've got a question, how come her stripes are brown instead of black?

When they're born, they are, kind of, fluffy

and more brown than black, but they do go black as they get older.

OK. And have they got many predators?

The big cats out in the wild, they'd be the main predators,

and the stripes help break up their outline, so if a lion's after them

with the stripes it, kind of, confuses them,

so they can't just focus on one animal to catch.

Guys, she's done really well, hasn't she?

But now, prepare yourself, because it's time for The Killer Question.

Come on, guys, come here. Huddle up, huddle up.

THEY WHISPER

Right, guys, are we happy with that?

We're going to ask that? That's the killer question?

-Yeah.

-OK, brilliant.

Well, you've done well so far, Polly,

but I think all the questions so far have been a bit...

black and white.

Sorry. This is The Killer Question.

If a zebra, a Grant's zebra, was running full speed through

a residential area and was spotted by a policeman,

would it get a speeding ticket?

Yes, it would. Their top speed's about 40 mph,

so I guess in a residential area it would be 30

so they'd definitely be getting a speeding ticket.

She's right. Round of applause for Polly.

Well, the main thing is, thumbs up or a thumbs down?

Thumbs up all round, yeah.

Didn't she do well?

Everyone worked very hard to create the ideal home

for the park's new giant anteaters, Maroni and Bonito.

They seem to approve of their indoor space but now,

what will they make of their custom-built outdoor enclosure?

Keeper Cat is about to find out.

This is really exciting. We're going to be letting the anteaters outside

into their new enclosure for the very first time.

So, there is a lot going on out here so they might be a bit nervous,

so I've got some food here to try and entice them out

and just, kind of, let them know that everything's OK.

Anteater's can be shy, and if they're too scared,

they simply won't come out.

But Cat's got avocado.

After bugs, that's one of their favourite foods

and to encourage them to explore the whole enclosure,

she's going to lay out a food hunt.

The first bit we come to is a kind of log pile,

so, hiding the avocado down there.

OK, if we move over to our digging area, now.

I think we'll pop a couple of bits of avocado down here.

Now, coming to the rock mound.

I think we should put it in the crevices.

So, let's see where we can hide it.

And the best bit of all, come and see.

Anteaters absolutely love swimming,

so we've got a lovely pool for them here, with an added extra

of a bit of a shower cos they love having a bit of a sprinkle.

So, with the avocado being over here, they'll go over,

they'll explore and they'll quite enjoy the water.

So, the treasure trail of treats is all laid out.

This is going to be amazing.

As I say, their very first time into the enclosure,

they've got treats out there, so let's see if they like it.

Maroni, the girl, is the first out.

Bonito is a little more shy, but he can smell something interesting.

Maroni follows her nose and is the first to find some avocado.

Anteaters have a fantastic sense of smell

but their eyesight is quite poor.

Sometimes, they can smell a bit of food that's around the enclosure,

and when they come very, very close

you're wanting them to find it but their eyesight's not great.

So, even though we can see that she's extremely, extremely close,

she's still got to get that sense of smell

so she knows exactly where it is.

Because they have no teeth, anteaters can't chew,

so when they find the avocado

they have to lick it up with their long, sticky tongues.

Cat's plan has worked.

Maroni and Bonito are exploring all around the enclosure.

Getting so close is actually really nice,

just because we can't always go in with them

and have that kind of closeness. So, they'll have a barrier here

but getting that one-to-one contact is really, really nice.

The anteaters are looking quite relaxed in their new home.

That was so exciting.

It was so fantastic to be able to see them out and about.

Pleased with the way it went. Absolutely fantastic.

If you're a Roar gamer, you'll know what to do with this.

That's today's cheat code. Type it in and see what you get.

And if you're not a Roar gamer, why not?

You'll find it on the CBBC website.

It's easy to get started and great fun. Happy gaming.

It's been a couple of weeks since the spell of bad weather

that killed over half the flamingo chicks,

so I've come to meet Mark Tye to find out

if the parents are doing better, now.

They've had some problems, haven't they, in the past?

A few. But mainly because they're all young birds.

They're all under 10 years old,

and for a bird that lives anything between 50 and 70 years,

they're at the start of their breeding life.

-Wow, so they're just starting out as parents, I guess.

-Absolutely.

So, tell us about the story of these guys and how they've laid eggs

and not really looked after their eggs.

Three years ago they started to lay and they laid a couple of eggs

and hatched one chick out and, kind of, looked at it at thought,

"Hmm. Don't like the look of you," and left it.

-"What's that?"

-"What's that?"

And then last year they really went to town at it,

made loads of fantastic nests which they make here, these mud piles.

-So they're flamingo nests?

-Yep.

-They're unlike any nests I've seen.

-They're quite bizarre, aren't they?

And where do they put the eggs? On the mounds?

Yep, there's these little dishes in the top,

and they lay their egg into the top of those dishes.

The whole point of those nests is that normally

they would lay next to lakes, and if there were any flood problems,

obviously the nest and the egg and the chick are protected

from any raises in the water level.

I mean, what makes a good flamingo parent?

I think a good flamingo parent is one that's attentive

and actually looks after and stays with its chick.

What you find is that some of the younger birds that are first-timers,

they put a lot of effort into the egg and then,

when it hatches, it's almost like, "Oh, not sure about this.

"That's a bit beyond my responsibilities."

And they don't really give them a lot of attention,

or they keep looking at them and let them get wet by the rain

and things like that, rather than sitting on and keeping them dry.

And is that what's been happening here, then?

That's what's happened with some of them but these ones over here, now,

have, obviously, got through that stage and they're coming on nicely.

Mark, you must be so chuffed that these little ones are doing well.

I mean, how important is it to breed these guys?

Oh, desperately important. In the wild, these birds are classed

as near-threatened with, I think, around between 200,000 - 300,000 left

and the captive populations are also of mixed ages, so every year

people are losing some through old age, but we're not breeding enough

to cover those losses, so every bird is a valuable asset.

They look very different from their parents, though.

They do, don't they? Incredibly different.

They're grey, covered in down feathers rather than flight feathers

and they won't get proper flight feathers

until they're at least three to four months old.

That's when they'll get that beautiful pinkish colour

-we know flamingos for?

-Ooh, not even then, no.

They won't get the pink colour until they're about three years old.

I can see the chicks running about

so you must be delighted to see them healthy.

I'm really chuffed. They're looking good.

We'll be sure to keep you guys updated

on how the chicks do throughout the series.

It is nearly the end of the show, but before we leave here,

we thought we'd pop up and see Corinne in wallaby woods.

-Hi, Corinne.

-Hello.

-Hello, Corinne.

-Now, it's feed time, am I right?

-It is, yep, yep.

I've got an interesting mix, here.

Bits and bobs, really that the wallabies are going to love,

so, if you want to dig your hands in there...

-Right, we've got some grapes, some green beans...

-Some apples.

How are we feeding them? In a nice platter? A knife and fork?

No, they really don't care for anything like that, Rani,

so just, sort of, cast it out, there, on to the grass.

When I think of wallabies, I think of timid animals,

but they look chilled out. Are they not bothered by us?

Um, it's taken us a while to actually get to this stage, Johny.

They've been in this enclosure now for a few years.

To begin with, they just didn't want to know,

they were up the back away from where the public was.

But now, with a bit of bribery, doing this every day,

that's made a difference and they seem more relaxed.

Is that because in the wild, you know,

they are prey for a lot of predators?

Exactly, they are not a type of animal that is naturally confident,

certainly around people or any, sort of, large other mammal, really.

So, it's sort of in their interest to be scared and, sort of,

stay quite away from other animals.

How closely related are these guys to kangaroos?

Cos they look similar but they're tiny versions.

That's exactly it. The same family,

so just a smaller, cuter versions of the big kangaroos.

We think of the big kangaroos being able to get away

from their predators by jumping. What about these guys?

Same, kind of, for these.

If you can see they've got really long hind legs, very strong,

brilliantly adapted for long jumps, not so much high,

but certainly long distance.

It's been great to get so close to these guys and feed them,

but we've got to make a quick getaway, too,

and while we do, you lot check out what's coming up

on the next episode of Roar. Come on, Rani.

I'll be catching up with the hand-reared baby otters,

when they face their toughest challenge,

their very first swimming lesson.

The wolf pack go hunting, and their prey is running for its life.

Let's just hope that Johny doesn't mess it all up.

Ooh, I think I've lost control of Robuddy. Oh, he's gone off road.

And training the new Roar presenter isn't going as well as we'd hoped.

Archie? Say goodbye.

Goodbye, Archie.

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye.

Hello.

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