Episode 21 Roar

On Roar today, there is an emergency.

Four tiny monkeys have escaped from their new enclosure.

Can the keepers catch them before it's too late?

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

-And I'm Johny.

Just over there, chilling out, are the park's four white rhinos.

-Unjanu and Moreschi.

-Rezida and little cutie, Aboan.

They're getting ready to do what they love the most,

and that's head out into the park for the day.

Exactly what we love doing. Let's get on with today's show.

'Coming up, the flamingos look pretty in pink,

'but they can be rotten parents.

'I'll be finding out egg-xactly how to hatch their eggs.

'They say owls are wise but will this lot be clever enough

'to catch out keeper John with their barn owl questions?

'And 240 hungry mouths to feed, no problem.

'I'll be serving up some fast and tasty food to the deer herd.

'We're starting today down at Monkey Temple.

'This is a new type of animal exhibit.

'It has no bars and no roof, and the marmosets that live here

'are free to roam around the buildings, trees and bushes.

'At the moment, it is home to eight common marmosets.

'They are loving the freedom and space it offers.

'Head of section, Darren Beasley, is delighted with how it's going.'

The whole thing about Monkey Temple is they have got such a huge area

and such a variety of things for them to do.

I'm not talking a hamster in a wheel type of thing,

it's natural trees and swinging ropes

and they can leap and hang by one foot.

They're catching wild butterflies and bugs and spiders.

Great stuff, proper monkey stuff. To me that is fantastic.

No bars, no cages. Come and go as they please.

Go back in their warm night house if it is cold.

It is so entertaining and great for the monkeys. Really wonderful.

'In the wild, a family group of marmosets like this

'would have their own territory, which they'd stay in

'and defend against any intruders.

'Darren and the team are hoping the marmosets feel that this

'is their territory and they won't want to run away.

'They've made sure they have a warm and comfy night house

'they can go into at any time.

'It's got a nest box, fresh food and is away from the visitors.'

We thought they were going to be a bit nervous.

Actually they've done really well.

They have explored their area,

they have not gone any further than they should, so I am very pleased.

As they get braver and braver, they are going to push the boundaries.

They might go a little bit further than we want,

but it really doesn't matter,

as long as they stay within this area, I am very pleased.

'Keeper Jo looks after the monkeys.

'She loves the new enclosure but she does have concerns.'

There are a few worries about having such an open enclosure.

When we've got new monkeys arrive, it's new to them.

They don't know the area they are coming into.

You have always got the worry of the odd one being a bit adventurous.

'And Jo was right to be worried.

'Yesterday, when they were letting a new group of monkeys out,

'it all went wrong, and the monkeys ran away.'

We let them out yesterday but I kind of knew they would be cautious,

coming out into a new enclosure they've never come into before.

They were a little braver, or they got braver very quick.

One of them jumped out and kind of slipped, I think,

and went in the wrong direction to where it should have gone.

Obviously, once one goes, they all go.

'The four that are missing are called Goeldi monkeys.

'They have beautiful black fur and are tiny, just 20 centimetres tall.

'They ran away into the dense woodland behind Monkey Temple

'and spent their first night out fending for themselves.

'Can they survive out in the wild

'and will the keepers be able to recapture them?

'We will be back with Jo later.'

'Did you know the smallest monkey in the world is the pygmy marmoset?

'It weighs just 110 grams and is only 12 centimetres long.

'They're gumivores, which means that apart from insects,

'they also eat the sap from trees.

'Gumivore, great word.'

ALL: Now you know!

I am at the deer park with head of section, Tim.

As you can see, we've got a massive trailer of browse.

I am not doing a very good job.

We have got all this because we have loads of mouths to feed.

What are we talking about, Tim? Who are we talking about?

Rani, we are talking about all the deer in the section here

that we are giving browse to.

We've got four different species.

We've got Pere David deer,

we've got axis deer,

we've got fallow deer.

I've missed one, I think.

Red deer.

Red deer, Pere David, axis and fallow.

Who's that over there? Pere David?

Over there we've got Pere David running.

Up in the corner there, if you can see,

that's the red deer and their calves.

And then over here on the left are some fallow bucks.

How many deer have we got out here, Tim?

Presently we have about 240 deer in total out here.

We've placed loads of browse out here but as you said there is

lots of deer, but they are really shy, aren't they?

They are. They are extremely shy.

The reason for that is so many of them have been giving birth

and they have got young calves and fauns running around with them.

They are extremely protective of them.

One thing that gets me is you talk about little babies.

When they are born, do they have antlers?

No, they don't. It takes a while to grow those magnificent antlers.

No, they, the males, after about a year old,

they start to get their first antler.

-Wow! Which ones are they?

-The red deer. Do you see the calves?

Do they have antlers?

There is one there, actually, with antlers.

-In regrowth, in velvet.

-Regrowth?

-What do you mean by regrowth?

-He's growing antlers now.

He's growing his new set because they cast them every year.

What happens to the one that...

-Do you pick them up?

-I do actually pick them up.

When they cast them, and a lot of them cast them in the spring,

I go out and pick them up and gather them up.

Here we have a young fallow dear.

In fact, that is a two- to three-year-old fallow deer.

It's a beautiful thing, the curve. But all of these scratches on it.

Is that where it's bashing against other antlers?

Exactly. Exactly that, yes. Quite.

It's been sparring with another buck at some point

and it has got these scratches on it.

Absolutely fab. I'm going to let you put that back in your van.

I know we've more browse to pull out.

We've got plenty to pull out. We'd better get to it.

Let's move it out!

Here we go again. Come on, Tim. Don't make me do all the hard work.

'It's been a sleepless night for keeper Jo.

'She's worried about the Goeldi monkeys that escaped yesterday.

'They've spent their first night out in the cold.

'Jo has been in the woods looking for them since this morning.'

Of course I was worried. They are used to a nice cosy, warm house.

All the luxuries of a heated lamp and everything.

It was a horrible night last night, pouring with rain and quite cold.

'The monkeys normally sleep in a nest box at night.

'Last night, Jo filled one with hay and left it in the woodland

'along with food for them to eat.

'She can see two of the monkeys in the bushes nearby

'but hopes the other two are in the nest box

'so she can close the door and catch them.'

They are right near the box now. Just see if they are inside, hopefully.

So frustrating.

You can see them down there now, look. Little devils.

They have all been around the box and they have taken some food.

The minute I've have gone up to the box very slowly

they've all just kind of dispersed.

They are all here.

I have seen all four of them.

The best chance for me is to come back

and they've actually used that and they're in there

and I can sneak up on them

and hopefully shut the door and get them in there.

I've got to be careful because if I frighten them or try to grab one,

that could take me back another day, you know,

before I can get them, so I just have to be patient.

'It's so frustrating.

'The Goeldis are very nervous and run away when Jo gets near.

'If she's to have any chance of catching them in the nest box,

'she needs to know when they are using it.

'Are they coming in to sleep here?

'How much food are they eating?

'We've offered to help with a Roar night camera.

'This can film both during the day and at night

'and show Jo what the Goeldis are up to when no-one's around.'

It would be fantastic if we could pick up some shots on the night cam.

I can't wait to see in the morning the evidence

to see if there is anything to see.

'With plenty of food left in the nest box,

'Jo can only hope they come and get it.

'We'll join her later as she finds out what the footage holds.'

Last year on Roar,

keeper John wowed us with his wisdom on the parrots.

This year he is hoping to be awe-inspiring with the barn owl.

But he has to take on this fearsome three.

That is what I'm talking about.

-Are you ready for the challenge?

-I think so. Fingers crossed.

You came across pretty confident then.

We shall soon see. Girls, have you got a question for him?

-Do barn owls hibernate?

-That's a very good question.

Barn owls actually don't hibernate.

This is a European barn owl, you find it in this country

and also lots of parts of mainland Europe.

We have very cold winters but these guys, as the name suggests,

barn, they live in outbuildings where they are fairly sheltered

so there is no need for them to hibernate.

How many eggs do they lay each year?

Barn owls lay... In each clutch they lay it is four eggs.

It is normally only once a year.

Harry here has had a few eggs in the past and it is normally four.

What is the difference between a male and female?

This barn owl here is called Harriet. She is a female.

If you look on her chest, can you see those speckles?

See those speckled markings?

That is actually the difference between male and females.

Size difference, they're exactly the same size.

The females have a speckles and the boys don't.

Boys have a nice white belly.

-What do barn owls hunt for?

-Barn owl's main food is rodents.

Things like mice, shrews, voles. They actually eat their food all in one.

They don't chew their food. They have bad table manners.

They eat the whole mouse all in one go

and anything they don't digest they cough up into...

I don't normally carry these in my pocket, I'm not weird,

..into a pellet.

This is actually the undigested parts of Harriet's last meal.

I don't know if you can look,

can you see any bones in there? The little bones?

ALL: Ew!

John, you are one cool customer.

You've answered everything with absolute ease.

Apart from the killer question. Come on, guys.

Yes, cool. We are up for this!

OK, John, the average barn owl in captivity

lives for approximately 20 years.

Assuming they raise and fledge one chick per year for 20 years,

how many rodents would they consume during that time?

Aah!

20...

Have you got a calculator? Someone got a calculator?

-20,000.

-On their phone?

If it's 20 babies a year.

Average barn owl eats four rodents a day.

3,600...

You should be asking this lot, not asking me. How many?

-How many?

-About 7,500.

We will go with 7,500. I asked the audience.

7,500. John, final answer?

Yes.

That's incorrect.

Yes, we got him with the killer question. It is actually 20,000.

-Not even close. Not even close.

-It was a good effort.

Girls, less attitude now. You're all right.

He got that wrong but he answered all of our other questions.

Overall, how do you think he did? Thumbs up or thumbs down for John?

Thumbs up? Thumbs up all round from the crew. Well done, John.

Where do sheep go on holiday?

The Baa-hamas.

BOTH: Baa-baa!

When is it the best time to buy a budgie?

When it's going cheep.

HE BARKS

Why did the boy throw the butter out the window?

-I don't know.

-He wanted to see a butterfly.

ALL LAUGH

'Back in the woods behind the open-topped enclosure,

'the four Goeldi monkeys are still missing.

'Keeper Jo has been leaving food out every morning and evening

'and giving them somewhere warm to sleep.

'We've set up a camera that can record pictures during the day

'and at night to help Jo check that the monkeys are OK

'and to work out a plan as to how to catch them.'

The food has been gone every night that I have returned.

I'm pretty convinced they are coming back,

I'm really excited to see if we have got any action.

'Will the footage show the monkeys coming into the nest box?'

What's that? A mouse! You are joking! Mice!

Are they really eating all that food?

They can't be.

Where are the monkeys?

'All night there has been nothing to see but mice.

'But suddenly, at daybreak, something appears on camera.'

I can see something!

I can see one of them in the background. There's one coming now.

Now this is... Oh! And another!

They're coming in. They're really cautious, though.

They're having a look around first, before they come into the box.

The other one is coming in now.

I've learnt something I've got to do from watching this.

That is to put the bowl right at the back of the box,

so that they have to get in to eat the food.

I can only see the three at the moment.

It's odd that the other one isn't there

because they do tend to stick together.

I would expect to see number four with them as well.

I do wonder where number four is.

'It looks like one of the monkeys

'has become separated from the others, which is a huge worry.

'They never normally leave the group so it could mean it may have died.

'But knowing that the other three are coming to the box to feed

'gives Jo an idea,

'a remote-controlled trap,

'which she is putting in place in the woods.

'But as she is about to leave, something catches her eye.'

Ah! Actually, one has just come back now.

Come on, then. You have got to come and get it.

Two, there we go. Come on, then!

I want to reach over and I want to grab one

but if I do that and it goes wrong,

I go to grab it and it gets away,

it will knock me back 24 hours

because I have built up the trust of them coming down

and getting the food, and then one false move

and it's just going to scare them away.

Frustrating isn't the word.

'With Jo unable to physically catch them,

'the three Goeldis disappear back up into the trees

'but at least she has seen them.

'They are eating and perhaps the trap will work.

'Luckily, it's springtime and the weather is warm

'so the little monkeys should be fine outdoors.

'We'll be let back later to see if there are any developments.

'Now on the last series of Roar,

'we were captivated by the story of the little flamingo chicks.

'We followed them as they grew up, and just look at them now!

'You can barely tell them from the grown-ups.

'This year, the birds have been laying again.

'Apparently with flamingos, it's best not just to leave them to it.

'It's a bit more scientific than that.'

Today I've popped somewhere quite unusual

and it's all because I'm here to see keeper Mark

and find out all about a breeding programme.

Mark, where am I and what are we doing?

This is our incubation room.

This is where that we incubate our Chilean flamingo eggs.

OK, why are you keeping them in here?

Because flamingos are not very good

when it comes to looking after their eggs.

Quite often, they lay a nice egg in a nice nest that they've built

and they all squabble and fight and kick them out

and they get lost in the mud and wasted.

We bring them here so we can look after them,

make sure they are fertile, and then when they're due to hatch,

we stick them back out with the birds.

Basically, you are keeping them safe from those clumsy birds?

-That's right.

-So you get the egg here and what happens?

-Then what we do is we weigh them.

-Why do you weigh them?

Because we need the egg to lose weight over its incubation period.

I thought normally when people are giving birth,

animals and humans, the baby needs to get heavier and heavier?

-But not with birds.

-So what happens them?

An egg has got loads of little holes of it, it is really porous.

It needs to lose weight through moisture loss

and get a nice big air cell in the end of it,

so when it's due to hatch,

the little chick can break into the air cell

and it can start breathing.

I didn't know that. You see, I love it.

Is anything being incubated at the moment?

-We've got quite a few in here.

-This is the machine?

What happens?

Are they all at the right temperature,

what a flamingo would sit on them as?

Yes. The temperature is right, the humidity is right, hopefully,

and the machine turns them because they have to be turned every hour.

At 28 days, they should be at the point of hatching.

They will break into the air cell, start calling, start breathing.

-Still in that machine?

-Still in that machine.

Then what we do is we whip them straight back up.

-We have got a map of all our nests.

-No way!

We write which egg came from which nest.

-So there is method to your madness.

-A little bit.

Will Mum look after the chick after that?

Are they capable of growing safely?

That's the intention, that Mum and Dad rear the chick normally.

Last year, we had five successes. We are looking for more this year.

It's fascinating. That's turning, you've got your computer.

I think we need to get you a white coat.

I think you need to get into the science look for this.

-So I've got 28 days to wait?

-Yes.

Do I just stand here and wait?

-No. Go and have something to eat.

-All right, Mark. See you laters.

'Right, Roar gamers. It's cheat code time.

'Type grass33 into the Roar game on the CBBC website

'and see what it gets you.

'New treats, new animals or even a new enclosure. Happy gaming.

'Up at Monkey Temple,

'there have been some dramatic developments.

'Keeper Jo has called us up with some news.'

I have something to show you.

I have a little black monkey up here.

A Goeldi monkey.

'Jo has managed to catch one of the missing monkeys.

'It's fantastic news,

'especially because it's most likely the one that got separated

'from the rest of the group

'and has been alone in the forest for many nights.

'The little one's in good condition and seems to have been

'eating the fruit Jo left out and the natural bugs in the woodland.

'But it wasn't the trap that caught her.'

I came up here after dinner with a bowl of banana,

ready to go and walk into the woods back to the traps I'd set previously,

and from a distance, I thought I saw something black on the tree.

Goeldis are distinct. They are black all over and have amazing fur.

She was so quiet, so still.

I did a double-take and thought, no, that's too easy.

I very slowly crept, staying low so as not to scare her out the way

to make her shoot back up the tree.

I thought, I wonder how far I'll get.

I knelt down on the floor with food to see if she would come down.

I thought, I won't pounce on her now.

Let her eat and trust me sitting with her before I make the move.

I had nothing on me. Only my fleece. I very slowly took my fleece off.

'Jo had got the monkey.'

She was so quiet, she didn't put up a fight at all.

She looked a little war worn and looked very tired and hungry.

I walked back with her and she kind of snuggled into the fleece.

I was so happy to have her back.

'And back in the house with plenty of heating and food,

'the Goeldi seems happy to be home.

'This one has finished her forest adventure

'and is back with the keepers who have given her a name, Lucky.

'Jo is still concerned about the others.'

I am worried about them. They are my animals.

I know they are built for being able to survive.

I have to go home every night and I worry about them.

'Getting the Goeldis back to Monkey Temple is taking longer

'than everyone had hoped.'

I think we're at the stage where we've tried everything we can -

listening out for them,

trying to catch them with nets and trying to lure the others back in.

None of it's working.

In my heart of hearts, I'm not surprised.

Their ancestors came from Bolivia in South America.

Thick, tropical forests. Loving it.

Imagine how many spiders and bugs are here to eat.

It's like a summer holiday, I'm sure.

It's a massive great bit of woodland

and they're not bothering to call back

because they're having such a good time.

'The keepers are continuing to leave food

'and shelter out for the group, and will be doing everything they can

'to get them back.'

It's almost the end of another show but before we leave you,

we thought we'd sail out in style on one of the park's boats.

Choo-choo! That is the train going past to say hello.

Of course, hello to you, John.

You drive the boat and do the commentaries,

hence you have a microphone in hand.

What's new on the boat section?

What's new on the boat? I've got a baby sea lion called Renee.

She is doing really, really well.

Part of the boat tour is feeding the sea lions.

-Can people still do that and can we?

-You can feed the sea lions, yes.

-We do still do that. He you go.

-Excellent. We have Buster here.

How is Buster getting on? He is sort of the top dog.

Buster is the breeding bull. He is doing really well right now.

You've got Nancy, there. Nancy looks a bit lighter in colour as well.

We've got Buster here, who is a big lad.

But we've got two bigger animals in this lake, haven't we? The hippos.

How are they getting on?

They are doing really well right now.

They're in one of the best shapes they've been in.

There are quite active, which is quite nice for them.

You always get a lovely view of them.

There is one other big fellow, isn't there? Nico.

Can't miss him out.

He is lovely. How is he doing? He's 50 now.

He is getting very old but again, he is in good shape as well right now.

He is still very active and runs around,

chasing things off he doesn't want there so he's doing really well.

It has been great being out here today, John. Thank you.

It has. Unfortunately, we have run out of time.

Here's what's on the next episode of Roar.

For now it's goodbye from us and goodbye from Buster.

'Next time on Roar, the lion cubs are moving on to solids,

'and I don't think they are going to be fussy eaters.'

Oh, yes! I love this job!

'They say that pigs are as clever as dogs

'so Rani and I have a go at some basic training.'

-Sit!

-Sit!

-Sit! Roll over.

'And our Roar Rangers throw away their ballet shoes

'and pull on the gloves, because it's bath time for mum and baby.

'That's all next time on Roar. Don't miss it.'

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