Episode 28 Roar

When the pride of lions go hunting, their prey better watch out.

Today on Roar, we show you how strong and athletic

these top predators are.

This isn't trick or treat. It's nature, red in tooth and claw.

-Hello, and welcome to Roar. I'm Rani.

-And I'm Johny.

Rani, what is that? Have you been at it with shaving clippers?

Oi, oi, oi! You're going to hurt her feelings. This is a naked rat.

She's born without any hair.

Maybe I could work that look. What do you reckon?

Anything's an improvement! Shall we get on with the show?

Yes, that's right, isn't it?

Coming up, Meerkat Mountain gets a makeover - a giant termite mound!

But will the superstructure survive when the mob dig in?

Nico the silverback is in for a special treat,

but can you teach an old gorilla new tricks?

And will the killer question floor keeper Bev,

or will pygmy goat Popadom floor me?

I've just been butted! I've been rammed!

First, though, we're off to Meerkat Mountain, where the group

of ten adults and six babies are about to get a big surprise.

The keepers are always dreaming up new ideas

to keep this mob interested in their enclosure,

and today, head of animal adventure Darren Beasley has come up

with a big plan - a giant bug dispenser.

Meerkats just love bugs.

On a scale of one to ten, it's 100. They just love them every day.

And in the wild they find lots of those bugs

in these great big termite mounds.

Termite mounds are found in many parts of the world,

but particularly in the tropical savannah areas of Africa.

They can get huge. The biggest recorded was nine metres tall!

They are built by the termites out of mud and saliva,

and the colony in a large mound may have several million termites.

Inside there's a network of tunnels for ventilation,

but as far as a meerkat is concerned this is a high-rise restaurant!

They'll scratch them open, eat loads of the bugs if they can.

They climb on them and use them as lookout posts.

We thought, "Why cant we have a termite mound

"for a meerkat to sit on?"

'The first thing for Darren to do is to find the perfect spot.'

I think the sand area I'm in now

is probably going to be my favourite position.

If Im taking the vote on behalf of the meerkat population,

we vote we want it right here. In fact, X marks the spot.

Just there'll do.

The next job is to design the superstructure.

It's got to be tough enough to be meerkat-proof.

The man for the job is Bob Savage.

It's got to be strong enough so the meerkats can't wreck it.

They've got long claws for digging.

They might see this as a challenge.

I'm going to make a chicken wire mesh,

fill that with anything light, really.

And then put about six inches of concrete on the outside.

Hopefully they won't wreck it!

That's what I'm hoping. But you never know. We'll see.

OK. Brilliant, thank you.

It takes a lot of concrete,

hard work and several days of construction,

but finally the termite mound is ready for the mob.

But will it be meerkat-proof?

It's quite a natural shape. I'm thinking,

"Will it be strong enough?" That's my concern.

We'll come back later to find out.

Up in the lion reserve, the giant scratching post

that the keepers built them has been looking a very sorry sight.

After just one day, the pride of eight playful lions

had wrecked their new toy!

But keeper Bob refuses to be beaten. So what went wrong last time?

-Bob, what happened?

-It wasn't up to scratch!

-Wahay!

-I like what you did there!

I think the sheer weight of the lions pulling on it

just overbalanced it and it broke, unfortunately.

Hopefully, phase two will be better.

How much does a lioness weigh, Bob? How much weight are we dealing with?

-We're talking about 160 kilos, at least.

-Wow!

-That is a lot of weight!

Now, we can say, "new and improved phase two,"

because last time, there were footballs on there,

and I was thinking lionesses don't like footy.

They're not going to go for it but they did!

But we've got pumpkins on there today.

-Is this a tasty treat for them?

-Well, they've never had pumpkin.

Never seen one, probably. So this is the vegetarian option!

Pumpkins are this vibrant orange colour.

Do you think they lions will react to that at all? The colour?

I don't think they actually see colour, as such. They see shades.

They'll just see something dangling and hopefully go for it.

OK. To mark this special occasion, Bob, and to hopefully

give us some luck today,

we've got our very own Roar pumpkin. Check that out!

-Can we put it up?

-Yeah, of course.

-Brilliant.

-Is that it? Get it through the hole.

-Have you got it?

-Struggling a bit.

-Oh! These boys are definitely struggling,

but will the lions struggle with the scratch post?

Join us later in the show to find out.

-Come on, you lot!

-Give us a hand, then!

What do you give a pig with a rash?

Oinkment!

THEY SNORT

THEY LAUGH

What's a cow's favourite movie?

COW MOOS

High School Moo-sical!

Rargh!

What do you need when it's raining elephants?

I don't know.

A concrete umbrella!

ALL LAUGH

Back in the workshops,

the giant new termite mound is finally finished.

It's two metres high and made of wire mesh and concrete.

It's got tunnels in that the keepers can fill with bugs for the meerkats.

But it's massive and weighs a ton, so just getting it to the enclosure

could be mission impossible.

And Bob the builder is nervous!

We've got bumpy ground round the corner,

so hopefully this won't swing too much and fall off.

Then we've got to get it over a fence about that high,

lower it in onto scaffolding poles. Then, with an army of people,

push it round over bumpy ground to its spot.

I'm very worried, actually!

This could go wrong quite easily. The worst thing is this could start

swinging like a pendulum, and then it will just go "smack!" onto the ground

and just probably break into 100 pieces.

I might even cry.

'The 300-metre journey begins, and it's full of hazards.'

So far, so good.

'Stage one, tackling the bumpy track...

'A hazardous bush...

'And a live railway.'

Stage two, got to get it up and over this fence, onto these rails.

Then, hopefully it will just smoothly run down here

and into space perfectly. Nothing can go wrong!

'Bobs asked an army of keepers from around the park to help.'

Another seven metres of moving. Looking good!

'There are no machines for this bit. It's just muscle power!'

Four, three, two, one.

Woo!

That went amazingly smoothly. Let's hope the meerkats like it.

Don't vandalise it. Will it be meerkat-proof?

That's the next test. We'll see.

With the masterpiece in place,

meerkat keeper John Reynolds is impressed.

The meerkats should love it.

We can put the bugs in, they'll be able to pull

everything out and they'll have a great time

exploring, climbing and doing everything they want with it.

Right, that's that all ready. Let's let them out.

But will the meerkats like their giant new bug dispenser?

It looks like the termite mound is a huge success.

The mob are having to hunt out the bugs as they would in the wild.

It is brilliant enrichment. They've absolutely loved exploring it,

trying to pull all of the bugs out.

For now, the meerkats are loving their new termite tower,

but against the mobs strong claws, how long can it really survive?

Back up in the lion reserve, keeper Bob, Rani and I have finished

hanging up the pumpkins for the lions and are now safely inside

the safari vehicle.

We've put a camera up to get some great shots,

and now it's time to see if the new scratching post

is tough enough!

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Release the beasts!

-OK!

They're attacking each other before they even attack the scratch post!

They're just playing. They're a little bit excited.

Having a new thing in their section, they're going to be intrigued.

Here we are, look. Here, she is coming up to it. Having a look.

'Our post camera's getting some wicked shots!'

Look at this.

Obviously, the orange pumpkins attract... Oh, no!

They're all hankering around but no-one's gone for the pumpkins yet.

Are they waiting till they're all around that central post

and then attack them?

You'll find it intriguing - they're going for the Roar one.

It'll be the movement that encourages them to take them down.

That's the one thing - I was more inclined to think,

that the movement would...

-Oh!

-Look at that!

-She's gone for the Roar one!

She was kind of batting it down, wasn't she?

-Like you see a domestic cat with a ball.

-Yeah.

That is playing to them. They're trying to get their claws into it.

It keeps moving slightly.

I think the last one, a bit too big for her and broke it.

It's not going to be much to them to break that.

Bob, there's a lioness here, and she had a taste of this pumpkin,

and she was going...

Have they got a delicate palate?

I'm not sure she liked the taste of that!

It's a completely new taste. They are primarily carnivores.

Meat is their main diet. Vegetables don't often come onto their menu.

They would nibble on grass to help with their digestion.

And just something completely new.

Do you try and do that with the lions? Give them new stuff?

That is the thing... Oh, got another one!

The thing is, if you do the same thing time after time after time,

they will get bored. They're even playing with the rope now.

I thought she'd pull the log off.

Are lions naturally playful? Would they do this in the wild?

Would they have time to play?

They do an awful lot of sleeping in the wild, as they do here.

Yeah, anything new, it's like the curiosity thing with a normal cat.

It is with them as well. Anything new, they have to investigate it,

play with it if they can. If it's too dangerous, they leave it alone.

SQUEALS: OOH! He got it! Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I thought a lion was going to eat you then!

I apologise. It was exciting. She pulled it right down.

I was very impressed.

They are incredibly strong animals.

What they're doing there won't hurt them.

They've got very strong jaws, and teeth, obviously, and claws.

-Yeah.

-They can well withstand the weight they hang on.

It is amazing to see them pulling at it.

We know that's really secure up there. They are moving it a bit!

You're saying it's really secure. We know what happened last time!

That's it!

The pumpkins are destroyed, and I think the scratch pole will be next.

But so far, it's one to the keepers and one to the lions. Well done!

OK, all you gamers, it's cheat code time!

Today's secret code is WIND56.

Type that in and see what you get. Happy gaming!

Half Mile Lake is home to the fastest,

the fattest, but also the most elderly member of the safari park -

Nico the silverback gorilla.

He's 50 years old now and is one of the oldest gorillas in the world.

Today we're going to find out how clever he is.

I've come across to Gorilla Island to give Nico a treat.

Head keeper Mark asked me to bring this along.

Let's find out what for.

-Hi!

-Hello.

-I am here with said red thing. What are we doing?

-Environment enrichment. Simple.

-OK!

We just fill this with nuts, peanuts, chocolate raisins...

You're giving Nico, a gorilla, chocolate?

-Just for a treat.

-Yeah?

-Not very often.

-All right. Where is Nico?

-He's outside.

-Shall we just check these are OK first?

-Yeah, quality control, of course.

-Yeah, that's OK.

Tell me what we're doing. I'll keep checking...

Fill these into the ball, we'll put that in the pen

with some of his other food,

and then we'll come out, let him in, and he can do what he wants with it.

Does he normally eat inside?

-Cos he's got this whole island.

-It depends on the weather.

Most of the summer, he eats outside and we give him a choice.

Now it's a bit colder, we keep him in at night.

That's all in. I'm hoping we'll give him some healthy food as well.

-Absolutely. We've got a bucket full of food down here.

-OK.

So if we want to throw all this about inside.

This is Nico's pen, then?

So everything can go around.

There's all sorts of stuff in here. This is super healthy.

Is this stuff he gets every day?

Yes. Yeah, he gets a diet like that. Bucket like that twice a day.

Do you need to hide it under the hay?

No. He'll sit on it and flatten it. He's quite lazy.

Well, saying that, cos he is, what, 50 now?

Does he still have good eyesight?

Yeah, he's not too bad. Not too bad but he is an old man,

and he is definitely lazy in his old age.

All right, Mark, well, all the fruit is out, the veg is out.

What about the big red ball with the tiny hole?

Let's check. He could tip it to get out the nuts,

or he'll have to put his finger in there.

I think he'll hold it above his mouth and pour it in.

All right, then. So it doesn't matter where we put it?

No. Anywhere'll do.

Right in the middle, and let's get out of here.

We'll be back in a minute to see what Nico makes of his feeder ball.

Will he be intelligent enough to get to his chocolate treats?

It's time to test out some grey matter,

find out who knows their anteaters from their aardvarks,

their goats from their guinea pigs and walruses from warthogs.

In the hot seat today, it's keeper Bev.

I hope you've brushed up on your pygmy goat knowledge!

This lot do not kid about. See what I did there with the kid?

-Yeah - nice!

-Thanks. So we've got some questions, then, guys?

What are these here called and do they have a purpose?

They're called wattles and no, they don't really have a purpose.

Lots of goats are born with them, but some are born without them.

Who've we got here, by the way?

Jerry. He's a month and a half old. He's one of our baby pygmy goats.

He's so cute. What do you reckon?

Have you got another question? Phoebe?

Where did they originally come from?

This is an African pygmy goat, and it's a domestic breed.

They originally come from Cameroon, so basically, Africa.

Have you ever seen one being born?

Yes. I saw Jerry being born, and it's quite exciting.

It doesn't take long, and normally, they have twins.

Jerry was born and his sister, Olive.

What age do they start growing their horns from?

OK. When they're born, they have nothing there at all.

Jerry is a month and a half old, so that's a month and a half's growth,

so basically, they grow straightaway, as soon as they're born.

Bev, I've got a question, right.

While you were answering that,

I've been butted. I've been rammed. Why do they do that?

That's because you were ignoring him, to be honest.

He needs stroking and cuddling. He likes being touched and cuddled.

So they'll beat you up if you don't show them love?

If you ignore him, yes, yes.

Are they very good at climbing, like mountain goats?

Yes, yes, they are. They're brilliant at climbing.

We've got our climbing frame there. We built it ready for the babies,

and our babies, although they're only little, running all over it

and doing really well.

Why are their coats different colours?

OK, well, their coats are different because these are a domestic breed.

It's like having a pet guinea pig.

Because they're bred with lots of different coloured goats,

you get lots of different colours.

In the wild, they are just grey.

Sorry, Joey, I've got to speak a minute.

They are generally grey, but when you have a domestic breed,

you can white ones, yellow ones, tricoloured ones.

She's doing really well. I think it's too easy.

How high do they grow?

About 21 inches high.

21 inches - that's only half a metre tall!

Generally, pygmies are described as short in the leg and wide,

so sometimes they're as wide as they are tall.

Bev has answered all our questions. She's done really well so far.

But now I think it's time to ask the killer question.

THEY WHISPER

Think we'll trip her up with that one? Huh, huh, huh!

Feel the power! OK, we think we've got our killer question.

Connor, are you going to do the honours?

-OK.

-OK. Prepare yourself, Bev.

-OK.

-Who has more teeth, an adult pygmy goat or an adult human?

-Oh, that's a good one.

-That's a little harsh.

I would say an adult human has more teeth.

Goats only have them at the front on the bottom.

So I would say adult human has more than a goat. Is that true?

Well, I'll be honest with you, Bev...

It was a bit of a trick question. They both have the same!

-No!

-Yes, that's right. 32 teeth each.

We got her on that last killer question! Put it there, guys! Yes!

Bev, you didn't answer the killer question correctly,

but you did really well. You BLEAT the system.

Welcome back to Gorilla Island.

Earlier, Mark let me go in Nico's pen to place some treats down.

We placed some fruit and veg, scattered them all around,

but most importantly, in there is a red ball with a hole in the top

and it is filled with lots of yummy chocolate raisins and nuts.

They're a special treat for him. He's outside at the moment.

We're going to let him in.

As soon as this door opens, you think he'll come running in, or hobbling in, as he's an old man!

-We'll see!

-Oh, wow, he was right there!

He's amazing.

Now, for us, for safety, cos there's a few of us here,

-just keep away?

-Yeah. As long as we don't get too close to the bars.

-And he's all right with us being here?

-Yeah.

There you go!

You said you thought he'd hold it above his head and pour it in.

-Yeah.

-And he's doing exactly that.

-He's not as silly as he looks.

He's very, very clever.

When I was holding that ball, it felt really big.

And look at him holding it. It looks tiny!

It's nothing to him. It really isn't.

But he's happy. You know what's in there, don't you?

-Is that a happy sound?

-Yeah.

-Doesn't he laugh?

-He doesn't laugh, it's a nice, low, grumbling sound.

You know that is a happy noise.

I love the fact he has a balanced diet. He's had a few nuts and raisins, chocolate ones,

-then he's gone for a slice of apple.

-Yeah.

With the red ball, that has never been used before in here, has it?

-No.

-Do you use things like that?

How has he figured that out straight away?

We do have another container that's quite similar with holes in,

so he is aware of the hole idea and things fall out of it.

I suppose you've done a lot of things like this over his time.

Is it something you do a lot to keep him entertained?

We don't have to do it very often all through the summer,

because all his entertainment is outside.

We put his food all round that island, so he has to out and forage

like he would if he was in the wild.

Although he doesn't like that idea sometimes,

cos it makes him get off his bum, he does do it

and it's part of the reason why he's lived to such a good age.

He goes out in lots of different weathers and is very fit and active.

The ball's coming in handy as a foot rest now.

Oh, wow! What's he doing there?

He was using it to get a bit of extra height!

Now, using the red ball as a foot rest, is that cos he's older?

Maybe in his younger days, bit more nimble, would've shimmied up there?

Definitely. He would've been spending most of his time... We used to put the food up high.

Because of his age, we do make it a bit easier for him.

You know when I'm having my tea, I do like to watch a bit of telly.

I know Nico likes to watch the box, so what do you say

-we leave him to his dinner and maybe a spot of telly?

-I think so.

Sounds like a plan.

We interrupt this broadcast with some breaking news

down at Meerkat Mountain.

After just a few hours in with the mischievous mob,

the new termite mound has been attacked.

For the latest, we're now going live

to meerkat keeper John Reynolds.

It's not taken them long to get through the concrete,

and so although it has worked, it isn't strong enough for the meerkats,

and they're just obliterating it now.

It took a week to build, 14 keepers to haul into place,

and less than a morning for the mob to trash it.

The keepers are worried that they may destroy it so much

it could fall over and hurt the meerkats, so it's got to go.

It's back to the drawing board to create another -

a much, much stronger one!

It is nearly the end of the show,

but we have made special time to catch up with our favourite, Andy,

and, of course, the warthogs. Hi, Andy.

-How're you doing?

-Hi, boys! Still not saying hello to me!

We've got a group of lads in here. You know what happens when you get lads - mischief! Any characters?

All three of them are just awesome.

They're probably my favourite in the park, these three guys.

They're just so ugly, they're beautiful.

They're fantastic little things.

They're great. And they are very characterful.

All three of them, slightly different.

What kind of things do they get up to?

They're just out here doing boy stuff.

Digging holes, rolling round in mud, charging around, play fighting.

-Great life!

-I have to defend all the girls.

We also like playing around in the mud and digging holes!

-You definitely do, don't you?

-Yeah, and putting on a bit of slap after.

-You've got apples there, Andy.

-Yeah. If you want to chuck these over the fence, go about ten metres in.

They'll come over and start eating.

-And say hello.

-Yeah!

-Here we go. No pressure!

Yeah, yeah, go on, you go first!

-Nice.

-Not bad, is it? When they're eating these apples,

they go slightly down on their knees.

Do they do that in the wild, and why?

Because they've got such short, powerful necks,

for them to bend their head down to eat all the time would be hard,

so they've adapted and they'll go on their knees.

They've got hard, calloused knees. They'll go round on their knees

-cos it's easier for them to do.

-A comfortable position.

-Yeah.

It's nice to see them relaxed, having their dinner.

I like to be relaxed having my dinner.

-That's why tonight, you are cooking.

-In your dreams, Rani!

While I order us a pizza, check out what's coming up in the next episode of Roar.

-Meat feast, please.

-I'm a vegetarian!

Next time on Roar, it's the great parrot talent show!

We'll meet Bobby, Jake and Matilda!

They all want to be stars, but who's got the X-tra talent

to win the judges' hearts?

There's a hair-raising moment

when MC the snake goes AWOL in Johny's afro.

And Toby the Roar Ranger must feed the killer carnivores.

He's going to need nerves of steel cos he's going right in with them!

-Don't miss it!

-Oooow!

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