Episode 21 Roar

Today on Roar, they've got razor-sharp claws,

teeth like daggers and are ruthless hunters.

If you're being chased by these ultimate predators,

this could be the last thing you ever see.

Hello and welcome to Roar. I'm Johny, and this is...

Rani, what are you doing?

I'm just seeing if I can turn my neck all the way round, like an owl.

Yes, but Harriet's neck is designed to do just that, and yours isn't.

Ah-ha, but practice makes perfect, Johny.

I'm sure I'll be able to do it in a minute.

Rani, I think you're going to get stuck. Let's get on with the rest of the show.

Johny. Johny... Er, Johny, I think my neck's stuck!

In an action-packed show today, the lions get a new scratching post.

But is it tough enough to survive these heavyweight killers?

-Roll over!

-Has Rani gone mad?

-Roll over...?

-That's a rhino, not a dog.

And breakfast, anyone?

Our Roar Rangers face a prickly problem with the pygmy hedgehogs.

That makes me feel disgusting.

But first, head of the big cats Brian Kent

looks after some of the laziest animals in the park, the lions.

Like domestic cats, lions sleep for up to 20 hours a day.

They conserve their energy for hunting.

But here at the park, they get their food delivered.

So Brian and his team are always looking

for new ways to keep the pride active and alert.

Mildred, Mildred!

Today, it's football training.

She likes playing football. Here you are.

Well, they're off. And Mildred's really getting her teeth into this game.

Beautiful move there! And she's passed to Sweet Pea.

Referee, that was a harsh tackle!

Oh, and that's a throw-in.

Mildred's going to take it.

Oh, no, it looks like it might be all over. And it is now.

The crowd won't be happy with that. These are some really lazy cats.

The lions do have other toys to play with, but the problem is, they break everything too quickly.

This is our old scratching pole. I think it's been here three or four years, maybe.

This one's just about had it now, they've had all the rope off.

All the objects that we had on it,

they've basically destroyed a lot of that,

so we're thinking of putting up a new one for them.

Brian and his deputy, Bob,

have come up with a design which consists of a central post

with a crossbar attached to a swivel on the top, so it can move.

They'll get a good old swing on that.

The crossbar will also have hooks to hang things off for the lions to play with.

You could dangle anything from there.

But will this super scratcher be tough enough to survive the lions?

We'll find out later.

The safari park is surrounded by forest, which is lucky,

because many of the animals here love nothing better than some fresh branches and leaves every day.

It's called browse, and there's one greedy group of animals here that just can't get enough of it.

-I'm here in the pygmy goat enclosure, with keeper Bev.

-Hi.

It's feeding time for the pygmy goats. Where do we do this?

OK, if you're up for it, Johny, up on the climbing frame.

Right, I'll let you lead the way.

OK! Just mind, some of the goats will get in the way slightly.

You just have to push past them.

They're keen, aren't they? This is really surprising,

cos I've always thought of goats as being quite timid animals.

They can be, but these are pygmy goats,

so they're extra playful, extra jolly,

and we've got babies at the moment, so they're all very excitable.

-I think I'm being followed.

-Are you?

-I am.

-They're not going to try and ram us off, are they?

-I hope not.

Just watch where you put your feet and you'll be fine.

Why are we feeding them so high up on this climbing frame?

Because it's a new climbing frame,

and they're trying to get their confidence up here.

If we feed them here, they're up here playing more often,

and they use it more, because they do like to play at height.

Yeah. Would you find these guys up in the mountains?

Yes, you would, you'd find them on high ground,

rocky outcrops and things like that.

So a plain paddock would be a bit boring for them,

they need something to run around on.

-What are we giving to them?

-We've got oak browse today,

but any kind of leaf for the goats is fine -

sycamore, beech, anything like that, they really enjoy it.

Throughout the summer, they graze on the grass, but we do supplement them

-with a bit of browse.

-And what part do they eat?

Mostly just the leaves.

Any of the small twigs they'll eat as well.

Really?

Is that OK for the digestion, if they eat some of the twigs?

Yeah, that's fine, cos they do tend to chew them.

They've got very strong molars at the back, so they chew them right up.

-Yeah, they enjoy it.

-And they all seem to have their own vibe,

their own style and fashion - why are they all different colours?

It depends, cos Poppadom's sister is all ginger, with short hair,

and then he's just long and blonde.

So it's just one of those things.

We get white ones to black-and-white ones to Benson, he's a tri-colour.

It's just one of those things.

With pygmy goats, you get all sorts of colours.

These little ones are so cute, have a look at this fella.

-They're not shy at all.

-No.

What's the difference between a pygmy goat and a regular goat?

Short in the leg, really.

Regular goats will be much, much taller and a bit bigger.

Pygmy goats are short and stout.

Bev, it's been great to see these pygmy goats enjoying their treat.

I think they've all scattered now, so they're full-up.

-How do we get down?

-Er, we should follow that goat, I think!

Let's do it!

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

-Don't know.

-A gummy bear!

Moo!

How do you stop the skunk from smelling?

Hold its nose!

What's a snake's favourite football team?

Slither-pool!

The park's builders have been hard at work

making a tough new scratching post for the lions.

It's now finally finished, and ready to go into the lion enclosure.

But these deadly predators could kill a human in seconds.

So, before the workmen can get going,

Brian's got a very important job to do.

We just need to lock them in, so they're safely out the way.

Luckily, this morning, all seven lions are all safely in the paddock

at the bottom of the enclosure,

so all Brian has to do is lock a door in the fence

so they can't get out.

Now it's safe to bring in the diggers.

Ready?

Someone's got to do it properly.

With the main post in place, the crossbar goes on top.

Now all it needs are the finishing touches.

Some footballs and a Roar camera in a special lion-proof box.

The post is tall enough

so the lions will have to jump to reach the balls.

So this camera should get some great action shots.

I think the lions are going to come out excited,

cos they've been in the paddock watching us,

and I've been watching them and they've been looking quite excited.

So I think when they come out, they'll be straight over,

and really go for it.

But will it be tough enough

to survive a whole pride of hungry lions?

Stay tuned to find out.

Our Roar Rangers today are brother and sister George and Nicole.

These two are crazy about their animals.

I want to be a Roar Ranger, because animals are important to me.

I just love animals, and it's my life.

I want to be a Roar Ranger, to have a great day,

and to spend more time with my brother.

Ah, sisterly love!

But how long will that last?

I'm going to be a better Roar Ranger,

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

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

At home, George and Nicole have three pets - Angel the hamster,

Eddie the dog and Socks the cat.

These Rangers are raring to go,

so let's find out what their challenge is today.

"George and Nicole, today you're going to be keepers

-"for some of the prickly creatures."

-Yes!

I don't think it's going to be porcupines, cos they're a bit dangerous.

We would never put you in danger, Nicole!

Poo cleaning, yes, but danger, no.

Time to meet your keeper down at Animal Adventure.

Hi, guys, my name's Kat. I hear you're going to be helping me with some very prickly animals today.

Why don't you come and have a look?

First up is an animal that we rarely see on Roar.

It's the African pygmy hedgehog.

These small animals are found in the dry grasslands of central Africa.

What I'm going to do is, I'm going to ask you

to pop them in this nice carry box,

cos we're going to give them a bit of a clean-out.

-Nicole, if you want to hold on to Candy for me, OK?

-OK.

Now, you're going to feel the prickles,

but don't be scared, cos she'll be absolutely fine.

You feel how soft her belly is?

-Mmm, she's very soft.

-Lovely and soft?

-Yep.

Now, do you want to have a good stroke?

Shall I hold down and you have a touch there?

-It's like she's put too much hair gel on.

-They're sharp.

They're sharp, aren't they?

The spines feel like when you put hair gel on your hair.

Now the hedgehogs are safely away, we're going to get in

and we're going to get our hands a bit dirty now.

It's horrible.

A lot of gas in there.

A lot of gas, and a lot of stinky bedding.

You can't beat being a Roar Ranger!

With a nice clean cage, it's time for a treat.

Breakfast for the hedgehogs - mealworms, anyone?

That makes me feel disgusting.

Looking at those mealworms makes me have the heebie-jeebies.

I might touch them, but I'll let George.

You'll actually eat one.

-I will not.

-George might not, but the hedgehogs adore them.

So, both hedgehogs get 15 each.

So you guys are now going to have to count out 30 mealworms.

-Two, three...

-Five, six, seven... Ooh!

12...

That's another two, you pop them in.

-I feel sick.

-Just a few more, Nicole.

12, 13.

Two more!

Your last one.

Well done.

That's all right, they can have an extra one.

Well, Nicole doesn't like them, but the hedgehogs love them.

Time for a quick hand wash before the next Ranger challenge.

Guys, that was fantastic.

Going from a small prickly animal to a rather big one now.

This animal can actually take down and kill a male lion.

A male lion?

Stay tuned to find out

what animal our keeper can possibly be talking about.

This is a very special moment here on Roar.

That's right, this is the grand opening

of the brand new lion scratch post.

We're here with head honcho, head of animals Keith.

-How are you doing?

-Hiya, I'm good.

OK, here it is, what is the plan?

Well, we need you to cut the ribbon, or at least untie it.

-OK!

-And then we're going to let that lot come up

and see what they're going to do with it.

I can see them pacing, does that mean they want to be let out?

Yes, they've been watching what's been going on, all this being built,

so hopefully they'll come straight up.

And we'll see what they do. I just hope it stays there!

Johny, we should be very honoured.

-Shall we untie the ribbon together?

-Let's do it!

OK, you get one end, I'll get the other. And...

Three, two, one...

We declare this lion scratch post open!

-Right, let's quickly get in the van!

-Yeah, and let's let them out!

So we're here in safety of the jeep now, and I think it's time to let the lions out.

So Keith, are you ready to do the honours?

-Are we ready?

-Let's do it. Let's do it.

OK, Brian, you can let them out now.

-RANI GASPS

-Oh, they've been released!

-Here they come!

-So you've got seven females...

-The braver ones will come first.

-Oh, my goodness!

-They're coming from all round.

-I know, I feel scared for the pole!

-Think of when they're hunting, though.

When they're hunting prey, they would all spread out and attack it.

-And it's a similar behaviour we're getting there.

-Just look at them!

It is so unbelievable to see them like this.

Now, how deep does that go, I mean, is it quite sturdy?

It's going to last for a while?

Yeah. Because, I mean, when you think these girls

are 300-400 lbs in weight each.

But when they start climbing on something...

You see how they're surrounding it?

-Yeah!

-They're making sure there's nothing to interfere.

Is there much communication going on between the lions right now?

Not that we can sense from here.

You won't hear talking, but they communicate.

Lions are quite incredible, especially if you think of them in the wild, hunting.

-They're not even near each other, but everybody knows what everyone's doing.

-Here we go!

-Gently... I hope that doesn't fall down.

-They're going for it!

Oh, look at the size of them!

So, she's testing it.

-You can really see just how big these lions are now.

-Yeah.

You think of her height.

Well, I'm six foot three and she'd tower me, stood up.

-Really?

-That's incredible.

-Thing is, you wouldn't want

one of them standing next to you, would you?

THEY LAUGH

She's going to try and go for that ball.

Do you think that's the fascinating thing for them? Or the camera?

-Oh, they're going for it!

-She's after the camera.

-No, don't go for the camera!

-We wouldn't see the action!

Look at the shots that camera must be getting.

When you're putting stuff up, part of you is thinking the lions'll go,

"A little scratch, look after me nails",

or do you know they are just going to take it on?

-No, we normally know they're going to get up to something.

-Look at that!

She's trying to hit the ball with her other paw now.

It just shows how strong these guys are.

-Look at...

-THEY LAUGH

Went for its close up, and then jumped down!

As well as the claws, when this lioness just went up then, you could really see her teeth.

They've got incredibly powerful teeth, haven't they? Big teeth.

Their jaws are probably one of the most powerful parts

of the animal, believe it or not.

Because, although they'll bring prey down with their claws,

they will actually kill the prey with their mouths, their jaws.

And it's the power of the jaw which suffocates their prey.

If you think of them, you know, they'll take things like buffalo,

they've got to have some power to actually asphyxiate those.

Even though they're big and strong,

they're still really light on their feet.

They're quite good climbers. They're better going up than coming down!

-Right, yeah!

-They quite often fall down.

And so this post will be great

for sharpening their claws, strengthening their jaws.

I guess that's the point of putting it in there.

Yeah, it is entertainment for them, but it's exercise

and that's what these animals need. So it will be quite good.

So, do you think they're going to use this pole?

I would imagine they'll use it every day.

On that note, I think we should say thank you very much

-and we should get out of here!

-Yeah, while we can!

The scratch post has survived so far,

but this lot won't give up easily.

We'll be back later to see what happens.

It's cheat code time for the Roar game.

Have you got something to write with?

OK. Take this down. snow9. Type that in and see what you get.

It could be treats, new animals or even a new enclosure.

If you haven't played the Roar game on the CBBC website, then why not?

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

I'm off to the Rhino House now,

because I've heard that keeper Adrian

has learnt how to talk to his animals!

Now, tell me, is this true?

Can you get this very big lady to do what you want her to do?

-Because I'm having trouble with Johny!

-We can do. We can do.

Talk us through this. You've got commands for the rhinos.

-Who is this lady?

-This is Marashi.

So, what are the commands you have for Marashi?

Well, first we want her to come to us, so we say, "Come here".

Then to go forward, it's, "Move up".

And then when she's with you, "Steady", because we want her to stand still. So it's just, "Steady".

So these are all commands you use so you can look after the rhinos?

It is, it gets them up very close,

so we can look them over, and we can brush them down.

And if the vet had to get up close to see anything, to check their feet,

they're right beside so he can get a very close look at them.

Now, I have to be honest, Adrian, everyone's at home going,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever".

The commands sound great, but will Marashi,

who's probably about 2.5 tonnes, actually listen to you?

Well, let's actually see if she's going to listen to you, shall we?

RANI LAUGHS I can't speak rhino!

OK, so if we stand over here, and you say, "Come here".

So... Come here!

-"Move up".

-Move up.

And if we can just get her to come up closer. And, "Lean in".

Lean in.

Good. Now, I want you just to gently hold her there,

-and just keep saying, "Steady," gently.

-Steady.

-And don't forget, "Good girl".

-Steady.

-Good girl!

-Remember, don't pat her.

-Don't pat her! I've got it.

Why are you brushing her? Because she's a lady

and she likes to have her hair brushed every morning?

No, because this is very good for the skin. It loosens that mud.

We've given her a mud bath a few days ago,

and it loosens that mud and lifts the dry skin up.

-Steady, steady.

-Keep saying "Steady". Good.

I think it's time to release her, so, two pats.

-"All right".

-All right.

-And, "Get around".

-Get around. Here she comes.

-Here she comes!

-I did that, I did that!

-That's it, over here.

Tell her to come here.

Come here.

-"Move up".

-Move up.

-And, "Lean in".

-Lean in. Steady. Good girl!

-Well done.

I'm actually quite amazed that I have got a rhino to do something!

Good girl.

Good girl.

-That's very good.

-Steady.

-Now, two pats and, "All right".

-All right.

-Good girl.

-Good girl.

I have to say, Adrian, I'm so impressed with Marashi,

she has listened to everything I've asked her to do today.

I would like to try something now with Marashi.

-Is my job under threat?

-It could be.

I'll just, I think I have a knack, so, Marashi, stay.

Stay.

Now, roll over.

Roll over?

I think I need to work on this one.

So far today, our Roar Rangers George and Nicole

have cleaned and fed two small prickly animals.

Now it's time to meet a pair that are 10 times bigger -

the porcupines.

What we are going to do is, we're going to go in and give them

that very special thing, enrichment, before we let them out.

The Cape porcupine, or South African porcupine, is a large rodent

that mainly comes out at night, so they can be hard to see in the wild.

They're found all over southern Africa.

OK, we're now in the porcupine enclosure.

What I want you to look out for is their big quills, OK?

The porcupines actually shed their quills, so they do drop them.

So you've got to have a look around this enclosure for me.

Pick them up, make sure that you don't hurt yourselves with them,

cos they are very, very sharp.

Luckily, the porcupines are shut in at the moment,

so our Rangers are safe.

They regularly shed some of their quills,

but, since they have up to 30,000 of them, they won't miss a few.

The largest spines grow as long as the animal's body.

The spines are actually modified hairs made of keratin,

the same substance that's found in our hair and fingernails,

and a rhino's horn.

As you can see, they're different sizes.

And do you think a porcupine would be able

-to take down a lion with this?

-Yes.

-What do you think it would do?

-Stick it into it.

-Run backwards and hit it in the face.

Fantastic, yeah, it would run back and then it would stick it in.

And these quills are sharp.

They have tiny barbs at the end, so if a lion gets a faceful of these,

they're hard to get out and easily become infected.

This can eventually kill a lion.

What I've got here, guys, is a food bowl for them.

So when these guys come out, we'll fill this with hay, and then we'll throw it over for them.

Nicole, if you want to grab on to that...

In Africa, where they come from,

what would they eat there, like, tubers?

Yeah, anything like that, any roots,

anything that they can dig up, they'll have a good gnaw on.

The Cape porcupine is a herbivore and loves all sorts of vegetables.

Like rats, their teeth grow constantly,

so they have to chew on hard materials to wear them down.

They're very, very good at digging.

So what I want you to do is,

get down, get your hands in the sand for me.

Do a bit of digging, and bury some of this food.

With all the enrichment buried, the feed bowl ready for action,

and our Rangers behind a safety fence,

there are some important do's and don'ts for George and Nicole to know

before they meet the porcupines.

When the porcupines come out, guys,

they might actually jump on top of here.

What I want you to do... You can touch them.

You can touch them, they've got like Mohawks,

you can touch them on the top of their heads,

but just don't go near their teeth.

Porcupines' teeth are razor-sharp,

so a nice fleshy finger wouldn't stand a chance.

-I'm very excited. I can't wait.

-Yeah, I'm very excited.

I've fed my cat, but not a porcupine.

There they are. Russell!

-Sprout!

-Russell!

Sprout.

-Did you see her quills go up there?

-Like a peacock's feathers.

Yes. She's heard something that she's not too keen on.

-She doesn't know what's going on.

-How old can they grow to?

In this environment, they can live for about 20 years.

-It's an awful long time, isn't it?

-Yes.

If you saw their quills, just have a look at the ones at the back,

you've got hollow ones and then you've got ones

that stand right on end, and those are the bad ones.

-Have you ever been stabbed by one?

-Have I ever been stabbed by one?

I have felt them, yes, absolutely.

OK, guys, that was absolutely fantastic

and I think our porcupines look quite happy and healthy, don't you?

The best thing about today was putting out the hay in the feeding bowl for the porcupines.

I didn't mind feeding the mealworms,

cos it's just like feeding my lizards at home.

I've not got them any more, but it's just like that.

The mealworms today gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Overall, George and Nicole were absolutely amazing.

I really enjoyed myself, I hope I can do it again soon.

Earlier on in the show,

we installed the mother of all lion scratch posts,

and before we leave you today, we thought,

"We've got to come back down here and see how the lions are doing,

"and if the scratch post has survived."

-Keith, are you all right?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

I'm just having a look at the scratch pole,

and it doesn't look like it's lasted very long at all.

-Look at the state of that!

-Failed!

What happened?

Well, apparently, they've been going to and from it during the day,

and one of the lionesses has managed to get hold of one of the balls,

and just pulled it off!

I guess that demonstrates the power of lions.

It's interesting, it actually shows us, the staff...

Sometimes you need a reminder,

and it is quite interesting that that is the power they've got in them.

How strong was this thing?

We thought it was very strong, obviously!

But I think what they've actually done is, they've bent the steelwork

that connects it altogether. They haven't broken the post.

It's steel bolts that have actually bent.

-Proper, hard metal.

-That's it.

And they've bent that with the power of their jaws pulling it down?

Well, their weight. And their sheer strength,

yes, a mixture of both. It just shows the raw power.

-He-hey!

-I like what you did there!

And if you want some more Roar power,

here's what's coming up on the next episode.

We'll be meeting a creature that's been unchanged

for over 300 million years.

It comes out at night, is armed with huge claws, four pairs of eyes

and a deadly sting. Can keeper Amy conquer her fear and pick one up?

I feel sick!

The baby otters have got a swimming lesson booked in.

So far they've only paddled in the sink.

So how will they get on in the big pool?

And we meet a dragon that can eat with no hands.

No, not you, Rani! Don't miss it!

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