Episode 12 Roar

On a roaring Roar today...

the lion cubs must have their last injections.

But at nine weeks old, they are big, strong,

and have teeth and claws like knives.

Will the keepers escape unharmed?

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

-And I'm Johny. And today,

we're facing our most challenging task yet here at the park.

We're not talking about wrestling tigers

or riding a camel. We are not even talking about hand-feeding a hippo.

No, this is far, far worse.

We've been asked...to be boat tour guides

-in front of REAL people, Rani!

-RANI LAUGHS

Find out later if we'll be thrown overboard!

But for now, let's get on with today's show.

-Oh, Johny!

-Do we have to?

Coming up...

Hello! Is that King Kong?

Oh, it's only the marmosets!

Our Roar Rangers are monkey keepers for the day,

but there's always one show-off who'll do anything to get on telly.

And we meet the two baby oryx who are vital for the survival

of their species, because they are now extinct in the wild.

But we're starting with the lions.

It's been a really busy time for the keepers

since Nibalo, the new male lion, arrived.

He came from Germany and has mixed in well with the females here.

In fact, two months ago,

Nibalo and female Yendi became proud parents to this little lot.

Yendi is a very experienced mum.

She's had seven cubs before, and she's been

very relaxed with these little ones. Even when they start playing rough.

This is the time now that they are learning all the skills

that they'll need to survive in the wild.

You can see that they're playing, trying to trip each other up.

It's all skills that they would need.

Nine weeks on and the cubs are now much more active.

Today they need to have their second injections

against cat flu, and some worming medicine.

Cat flu, if untreated,

could kill these lion cubs as easily as it can domestic cats.

The first injections were done a few weeks ago,

when the cubs were smaller.

Now, they're much bigger and much stronger.

Vet Duncan is in charge.

I enjoy this. It gets the adrenaline going.

It's certainly a good chance to get close to the cubs

but it's a bit hairy.

Hairy it will definitely be!

And big cat keeper Bob wants some of the younger keepers to help today.

We've got three new volunteers for this one,

which is going to be a bit exciting, I think.

We're fortunate that we've got some cubs.

And it's excellent training for new keepers, cos

they don't obviously get a chance to do this sort of thing

on a daily basis, but when they do come along we try and get

as many of them to do this as possible.

I can't wait to get hands-on with the cubs.

It's not very often you get to work with lion cubs.

Getting hold of them will be difficult.

And trying to stay away from their teeth and claws.

That will be a challenge.

Having had their first injections,

they know exactly what will go on.

So they're going to be a bit feistier.

Their teeth are bigger.

Their claws are bigger.

Mum, she's been separated away from the cubs.

She's a little bit annoyed about that, obviously.

The cubs and Mum will feed off each other's stress.

It sounds a lot worse than what is actually going on.

I can see why the girls would be very apprehensive

if they've not done it before.

These cats have grown really quickly.

They're not kittens anymore. That's for sure.

The main thing to do is to just basically scruff it.

Hold it really tight. Hold the tail,

and just keep the cub away from you but down.

Head keeper Brian is giving the girls

a last-minute lesson on tactics.

And then shows them exactly how it should be done.

It may look a bit rough holding cubs by the scruff of their neck,

but this is how Mum carries them,

so it actually helps calm the cubs down when they're held like this.

Brian makes it look easy, but as head keeper he's had

over thirty years' experience of working with lions.

Vet Duncan has also done this before,

and he knows how important the keepers are if this is to go well.

I'm totally reliant on the keepers to make sure

they restrain the cubs. Otherwise I can't inject it.

To reduce the stress for the cubs, we won't be going

into the lions' den, but we have given the girls some Roar cameras,

so you can see what it's like when you're up close to a lion cub.

If it doesn't go well, someone may well get injured.

We'll be back later to see how the girls get on.

Half Mile Lake must be one of the wildest

stretches of water in the whole country.

It's not just home to ducks and swans,

but also to two of Africa's biggest killers.

Hippos. Spot and Sonia.

Add to that nine Californian sea lions, and a silverback gorilla

on an island in the middle, and you can see that this is no ordinary lake!

The boat trips around the lake are very popular,

so the Roar team thought they'd set us a little challenge.

Who could be the best boat tour guide,

and would either of us be good enough to join the boat crew?

It's time for the ultimate challenge!

And this really is for us. Now, take a look at this boat.

It is filled with lovely people. I'm saying "lovely"! Be nice!

-Everyone cheer!

-THEY CHEER

OK, so that is our audience,

and we are going to have to be boat tour guides.

So, John, before we start, can we have some tips?

How to be great commentators. Great commentators like yourself, John!

He's great! John's great!

THEY CLAP

Basically, three things you will need to know.

One, speak clearly. Right?

Two, make sure that when you're trying to talk, try to keep

some humour in it, so you can really interact with the audience.

-And what's the third tip?

-Make sure you know what you're on about.

-Right, one out of three. What was the first one again?

-Speak clearly.

Speak clearly! I'm going to go with that one. That's my one.

I'm going to be brave and be a man about this.

I'll go first and get it out of the way. What do you think?

-John, is that OK?

-Yeah, it's all yours. Here you go.

-Ha-ha-haaa!

-Can I give you an introduction?

Ladies and gentlemen, from CBBC's Roar...Miss Rani Price!

-Give her a round of applause!

-THEY CLAP AND CHEER

OK, hello and welcome! Now, we are sailing on Half Mile Lake.

Now this is one of the largest exhibits in the world.

To the seal lions, now as you can see, some of the sea lions

will chase alongside the boat, they'll pop up to say hello.

We've got one big one just down there...

She's been a right teacher's pet and has learned her script, so let's

speed things up a bit...and come back later to see how she does.

The word "hippopotamus" comes from the Greek language,

and means "river horse."

And when a hippo yawns, it doesn't mean it's bored.

Rather, it's a threat and may just be about to attack. Oo-er!

ALL: Now you know!

Our Roar Rangers today are best buds.

They're 11-year-old Molly and Cassie.

Hi, I'm Molly, but I'm nothing without my best friend Cassie.

PING

Aw, that's sweet!

These two are clearly BFFs who spend a lot of time together.

-We...

-Do acting.

-..acting.

-Go on holiday.

-Holidays, swimming!

Swimming together.

And as best friends, they even have a secret handshake...

BOTH: Bli-i-ib!

..which goes on so long, we've had to speed it up!

BOTH: Bi-ing!

But it's not about getting your hand-SHAKES down at the park.

It's about getting your hands dirty!

So, we're giving Molly and Cassie two clues to work out

which animal they'll be working with today.

This smells like mashed-up banana.

It's a good start. It is a banana.

These are monkey masks!

Oh, you don't need the mask.

-You already look like a monkey!

-Thanks. So kind(!)

-I thought you two were best mates!

-Ooh-ooh-ooh!

So girls, any ideas?

Maybe it's an animal that's a bit like a monkey,

but is not actually classed as a monkey,

like a gorilla.

Hmm...not quite.

I think it's a monkey because of the banana and the monkey mask.

Fingers crossed it's monkeys!

The only way to find out is to meet the keeper they'll be working with.

-Hi girls! Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

My name's Jo, and I am a monkey keeper.

Yay! The girls were right!

Today they are going to be helping out with the monkeys.

But which ones?

-They are common marmosets.

-Oh, wow!

-And they're very cute.

The common marmoset is a very small monkey

that lives in the Brazilian rainforests in South America.

They are also known as the cotton-eared marmoset

because of that bonkers hairdo!

The park is home to a family of eight, including these two

super-cute babies, who are only a few weeks old.

They have recently moved into their new, cool, open-top enclosure.

And Jo is helping them to adjust to their new surroundings.

She wants some help with feeding,

to encourage the little monkeys to explore their new enclosure.

I need some different ways of feeding them

and some nice things to give them to make them come out.

Are you willing to help me today? BOTH: Yeah!

-Right, well we'd better get to work!

-OK.

Jo's got a whole load of food to encourage the marmosets out.

Some nice, like fruits and nuts.

And some wiggly, like mealworms and waxworms.

-Ohh...!

-They look cool!

Get your hand in there! Give it a mush around! Go on!

Get your hand in there! Go on! They're wiggly-wiggly!

The next thing they have...doesn't look like much at the minute.

It looks like you're going to make pancakes,

but it's actually a dry powder that makes a very sticky, gloopy gum.

Marmosets, in the wild, will feast on the gum or sap of a tree.

They bite into the bark,

and then eat the sticky gum that flows out of the tree.

Yum!

So guys, are we ready to do the marmoset dinner?

BOTH: Yeah!

First job is to mix the artificial gum.

Then put it into a log with holes drilled into it.

That's it. Good girl. Right...

Add some orange juice to the tasty fruit...

Cool!

..then finally, it's time to get their hands dirty!

If you scrape all that banana in those lovely mealworms!

Oh, man!

Banana AND mealworms? Gross!

-Go on!

-Oh, it's all crunchy! Come on, Cassie! Do it.

-Ur-rgh!

-I did more than you!

-Come on!

-I had to cut the poo as well.

-You've just slopped it everywhere!

-She's flicking it on me, now!

Good work, girls! Those fingers look pretty mucky to me.

Make sure you wash those hands!

Right, girls. I think we've made that really good, now.

They'll love that. If I was a marmoset, I'd go for that first.

With all the mucky jobs done, all that's left now is to wait

and see if the marmosets will come out to play.

We'll be back later on!

So, this is our lovely lake...

Right! Back up at Half Mile Lake, and Rani's still going strong.

I must admit, I didn't think she'd do this well.

Now they actually, in the wild, live in salt water.

So here, to keep them healthy, we actually give them

slow-release salt tablets so they can keep healthy.

Here, our sea lions will live up to thirty years,

which is double the amount of time they'd live in the wild,

and that's because they have such a happy lifestyle and no predators.

Please enjoy the rest of the ride. Thank you.

-Woo!

-CLAPPING

-Did I get it all in?

-You did, you did fantastic! Absolutely brilliant.

I can finally breathe. My turn is over. Join us later on the show,

when Johny will be taking to the microphone. Johny? Nervous?

-Confident?

-Yeah, confident, yeah. Up for it.

Wicked. See you later.

Back up at the lion house, and it's time for the cubs

to get their worming medicine,

and second inoculation against cat flu.

Head keeper Brian has shown the girls how it should be done.

Now they have to do it themselves for the very first time.

The team will go into the lion's den without a film crew,

but they will wear our Roar head cameras,

so you can see exactly what it's like getting close up to a lion cub.

First up is Emily.

Grab his tail. Hold it by the neck.

It's a good catch. Now Duncan, the vet,

can come in to give the cub its injection.

Duncan uses a stick to keep the cub's mouth open

for the worming medicine.

Emily did well, now it's Anna's turn.

Mum is getting increasingly anxious,

which is adding pressure.

A few last-minute instructions from Brian...

Well done. That's it, hold it down. Well done.

Anna's done well to catch the cub.

Duncan works quickly, and the job's done.

That's three cubs vaccinated and just one to go.

So far, none of the keepers have been injured.

But the last cub is often the most difficult.

We'll be back when keeper Cara goes in.

HYENA LAUGHS

What do you call a dog that's been lying in the sun?

A hot dog.

MAKES CLUCKING SOUNDS

What do you call a bear who doesn't wash?

Winnie the Pooh.

BRAYS LIKE A DONKEY

-What type of tiles can't we stick on walls?

-I don't know.

Reptiles.

Was that meant to be a joke?

Earlier on in the show

you saw Rani deliver a superb sea lion speech

and now it's my turn to talk about Nico the gorilla

and be a boat tour guide, and I'm really, really nervous, actually.

OK, Johny, let's do this.

Take the microphone, you've done your homework,

you know Nico. Give it your all!

Everyone, please, Mr Johny Pitts.

Too kind, too kind. You probably are being too kind, actually.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you look in the centre of the lake

over here, you'll see an island.

Now, upon that island is a very special silverback gorilla.

His name is Nico,

and he's thought to be one of the oldest gorillas in the entire world.

'Johny's sounding clear, knowledgeable and funny.

'We'll have to put a stop to that. He sped me up, so here we go...

'I'll give him a taste of his own medicine.'

'Could either of us be good enough to join the boat crew?

'Join us later for the results.'

Back at Monkey Temple, and our two Roar Rangers, Molly and Cassie,

have prepared all the marmoset food.

And now, all they've got to do

is hang it up around the enclosure with keeper Joe.

If you can tip it in... Can you reach? I think they're coming.

Here we go! There we are, if we step back over here...

and let's see.

Marmosets are very curious, and even the babies are brave.

One of them is headed straight for the gum log.

Look, guys! One of our babies is just in with the gum, there.

Look at his little tongue!

Oh, no. That's his brother over there, look. The twins.

We've got one twin in our fruit salad.

And we have one, the other twin, on our gum, look.

-Are they good jumpers?

-They are very agile, yes.

Some marmosets can jump up to five metres,

which, for their size, is amazing.

Let's see that again.

Crikey! It looks like King Kong's coming for us!

With the marmosets relaxed and eating away,

Joe has a treat for the girls.

What I thought you might like to do, OK, very special,

is come over that barrier, over the fence, get really up close to them.

The girls can only cross the barrier

because they are with a trained keeper, who can keep them safe.

If you want to take some more of this gum,

-do you want to put some more in their log?

-Yeah.

They're all right. Put some more in the hole.

I'll hold it up for you, look.

That's it. They'll get it out.

They look a bit grumpy.

And they're having a bad hair day, with their spiky hair.

It's amazing that you're so close to them

and they're just looking at you.

It's been a real privilege for the girls

to get so close to the marmosets.

But it's the end of the day now,

and it's time to find out how they did as Roar Rangers.

Cassie and Molly did a fantastic job. They were two great little chefs.

Cassie was a little bit scared of the mealworms and the waxworms,

but they're clearly best mates

and I think together they'll make a great little team.

So the girls get the thumbs up from Joe,

but what did they make of their day?

Being a marmoset keeper is really nice,

because you can get really up close to them and they're so cute.

They had all that white fluffy hair

and you could see all their features really clear.

We're mad for marmosets!

Right, all you gamers.

Have you been playing the Roar game on the CBBC website?

If not, why not? It's fun and easy to start.

Each day we give you a secret cheat code,

that will unlock treats, new animals

and even new enclosures.

Today, it's grass3. Type that in, and see what you get. Happy gaming!

We're still steaming around Half Mile Lake

in the great tour guide competition.

Will Johny or I be good enough to join the professionals on board?

He's still going on. I think the audience looks a bit bored.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Nico's an old man

who loves nothing more than to watch TV in his spare time.

He watches TV, and his favourite shows are usually cartoons.

Anyone guess why we call Nico a silverback gorilla?

Cos he's got a silver back?

Hands up, anyone?

Point for the lady!

Yes, it's because he has a silver back.

But because of his age, he has a few more silver hairs on his back

because he's getting on a little bit. Any questions?

Good.

Johny, I'm wowed. Please give Johny a round of applause.

OK, how did he do? I was wowed.

That was absolutely fantastic, you spoke really clearly,

you engaged with the audience,

you even added a bit of humility as well,

so...absolutely brilliant.

You act surprised.

So what are we thinking, then, John? Myself? Johny?

On the boat every day, microphone in hand?

Put both your strengths together, you become a fantastic team,

but separately you may have to work on it a little bit.

Is he giving us the brush off? Are you giving us the brush off?

I'm quite happy about it cos my nerves are wrecked.

-Let's join the audience and leave it to the pros.

-Thanks very much, John.

Back up at the lion house, and three of the cubs

have now been vaccinated against cat flu,

and had their worming treatment.

LION ROARS

Now there's just one left and it's Cara's turn to catch him.

LION GROWLS

CUB MEWLS

Finally, the last cub is successfully treated.

Yeah, good.

-Well done, well done.

-The girls have done extremely well.

The whole operation took only six minutes.

Now, mum and cubs can be reunited.

That was incredible.

It went a lot better than I thought it would,

and I was quite nervous, because I went for the last one,

but I definitely feel really...

Lots of adrenaline. I'll be on a high all day now.

It was quite an adrenaline rush.

It wasn't as bad we all thought it would be, I think.

It was a lot easier, yeah.

I'm really impressed with the girls.

They went in, did exactly what was asked of them. Really impressed.

If I remember my first time, it can be very nerve-wracking.

And I expect they truly were a bit nervous about it.

The lion cubs are back with mum, and none the worse for wear.

Oh, Mum, she's a bit of a character,

and I know the nasty little look that she gave me wasn't meant.

Unless they have a medical emergency,

this is the last time the cubs will be handled

as any future inoculations will be done with a dart.

But the cubs still face some difficult challenges.

Next time we see them will be when they go outside

for the very first time.

And also it'll be the first time they meet dad, Nibalo, face to face.

Will he recognise them, or attack them?

That's nearly all we've got time for on today's show,

but before we leave you, we've popped over

to meet some of the park's newest arrivals.

No, we're not talking about deputy head of section, Ryan.

Ryan, who are we here to meet?

We're here to meet Laurence and Lucinda,

who are our latest additions to the oryx herd.

This is Laurence in the foreground.

I can see one little one, but where's the other little one?

-Lucinda is... She's just a way back over there.

-Oh, OK.

So, how old are they?

Laurence is about three months old

and Lucinda is just over a month old.

Because she's only got diddy horns, hasn't she?

Yeah, yeah. But they grow pretty quick, the oryx horns,

and can grow up to about a metre, a metre and a half.

That's some serious spiky stuff, isn't it?

Now, you don't have that many oryx here, do you?

No. I mean, in the wild they would live in herds...

When they used to be in the wild, obviously,

they're suspected to be extinct now, in the wild,

but up until maybe the '60s, '70s

there were herds of perhaps 70 animals.

But before, they reckon there could've been herds of thousands

when they migrated.

So it's really exciting that you've got some little ones.

It's always nice to have new additions to the herd.

Are these the first little ones you've had?

No, we've had success here before,

but it took us a few years to get going,

and now they're breeding, they seem to be really successful every year.

Ryan, it's great to see the little ones,

but unfortunately we've run out of time, so why don't you lot check out

what's coming up on the next episode of Roar?

It's got more legs than eleven football teams...

-But will the kids catch the keeper offside...

-Oh, my goodness.

..about the giant millipede?

Why are we giving the giraffes massive ice lollies?

And, no, it's not just because they've got massive tongues.

And we'll meet Whippet the owl.

He's only a baby, but he's already got some fancy moves.

I am so in love, and I love all this.

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