Episode 35 Roar

Today on Roar - the lion is one of nature's deadliest killers,

they run like lightning, their teeth are like knives,

but they play like pussy cats. So what will they make

of our two big red balls?

-Hello, I'm Johny.

-And I'm Rani, and welcome to the last episode

in the current series of Roar.

What do you mean last episode? Nobody told me.

No more rubbing the rhinos, no more patting the pygmy goats

-or feeding the ferrets?

-Not for this year, Johny.

-WHY?!

WHY?! WHERE WILL I GO?! WHAT WILL I DO?!

Erm, we've still got today's show to get on with.

Oh, yeah. Sorry about that.

Coming up today - the cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth,

but are they quick off the mark at feeding time?

Your dinner's behind you. Behind you!

They say owls are wise, but how about their keepers?

We need answers about Africa's biggest owl.

And the competition is fierce to find our new champion.

Who will be crowned the parks' laziest animal?

You can see they're all working flat out to win it.

Lions are just big pussy cats. They love to play with toys.

Earlier in the series when we gave them a new rope,

they played like pet cats with a ball of wool.

The only difference is that toys for the lions

need to be a lot bigger and much, much stronger

as we discovered before.

Last series, we created a super scratch post that the lions loved,

-until they broke it.

-That's right,

but we're a determined lot here on Roar and this year,

we're going heavy duty with chains

and Adie is going to tell us what all this lot is about.

-Hi, Adie.

-Hello! We've gone for a simple design this time,

simple and strong, so it should be indestructible.

What's the big idea then, Adie?

We're going to attach floats to the end of these chains.

One side is low, so the cubbies can reach and have a play and,

-hopefully, jump over them.

-But we've also got super strong Niblo.

-Yes.

-How is this going to fair with him?

Well, it's super cool Niblo, so I think first...

I've been trying to keep an eye on him, see what's happening.

The girls are pacing about, keeping an eye, though I can't see Niblo.

-Head down probably.

-Getting his energy up.

Yeah. I mean, he may follow these girls out,

-he may not even come out the paddock.

-As they are pacing,

-should we get these balls on?

-I think we're ready now.

-Talk us through. What do we need to do?

-Need to undo the clamps.

That's it. Remove the clamp. Thread them through.

-That's it.

-It's actually quite weighty this.

Adie, we've got one that's a bit lower. Is that for the lion cubs?

It's for the cubbies. It's low enough so, hopefully, they'll be

jumping over it and trying to join in the fun.

You say they're going to have fun with it, but what can they do?

I think they will try to pull it. The big girls will get hold of this.

-I think it's going to need two of us.

-OK.

-Let's pull.

There we go. That's it.

So the lions are going to good play with that,

the cubbies are going to imitate and have a play with that one.

Nothing's going to happen to them. They'll be nice and safe.

It sounds like we've totally thought about the lions and the cubs

-being safe, but what about us? How will we keep safe?

-Exactly.

I think we should get out of here and why don't you join us later

to see what happens when the lions attack.

Last year, we gave deputy head warden Ian Turner

a speed gun and challenged him to find the fastest animal in the park.

That was a good run. He did a good run.

The winner turned out to be the sea lions

who were clocked doing 27 miles per hour.

But this year, we've got a new challenge for Ian.

I've heard a rumour that you're after the laziest animal in the park.

Yes, of all the animals in the place,

who is the laziest?

It's going to be a tricky one to judge. Ian will have to decide

between creatures of all shapes and sizes

and the competition is fierce.

There are animals here who could snooze for Britain.

MUSIC: "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

Of course, snoozing a lot isn't always the same as being lazy.

Yeah, it's a difficult question - what is lazy?

Different people have different ideas about what laziness is.

And with some of the animals, you can never be sure

if they're only pretending to be lazy.

You get that with lions, for instance, as keeper Stu knows.

They make look like they're oblivious, but when they're asleep,

it'd only take the slightest thing and they'd be up

and they'd be off like a shot.

So for everyone's safety, the lions have been disqualified

but now we're ready to run through the nominations for the prestigious

Laziest Animal Award.

First up is a cane toad named Michael.

He's been nominated by keeper Sarah.

He doesn't really do a lot. He's definitely a couch potato, I think.

He'll either be in his bath for a few hours and he might sit on his log

and then back to his bath. He doesn't really do a lot at all.

Because Michael's so laidback, when it comes to cleaning him out,

or feeding him, he's quite easy really.

He sometimes jumps a bit if you're moving things around in there

but generally he'll just sit and watch you.

I think Michael's very lazy

and I think he's up there with a lot of the laziest animals in the park.

But Sarah has another nomination - the iguanas. All of them.

We've got four iguanas - one boy and three girls.

They're all quite elderly iguanas now, they've been here a few years.

Iguanas are definitely like beach bums. They don't do a lot at all.

I'd say the iguanas are probably the laziest animals

we have in this section.

Our next contender is Rex, the African spurred tortoise.

He's been nominated by keeper Bev.

If there's a competition going on laziest animal,

I'd like to put Rex up there. People do think tortoises

are slow and quite lazy anyway, but they're not. Just watch Michelle.

As soon as she's out in the sunshine, she gets all warmed up

that's it, she's very active, moves around quite fast.

Tortoises shouldn't really be that lazy. It is all about him.

You know, he should be better than that but, no, he is incredibly lazy.

And the final nomination goes to Caroline, the dromedary camel.

I've had people pull over and go, "Is your camel all right?

"It looks like it might be dead," and we're like, "No.

"She's fine. She's just very sleepy."

Caroline has her favourite spots - shelter, any of the sandpits,

down by the mound or up by the water hole.

Yeah, she generally will stay in one place

and stay there for most of the day.

In the shelter, she'll sometimes sleep in the middle,

and you've got the other animals lined up really far away from her,

and she's just taking up most of bed.

She's stays in there most of the day, hogging the best bit.

So she does lazy very, very well,

and generally does very little.

So, we have our four nominations,

but who's going to be crowned as the park's laziest animal?

Stay tuned to find out.

ALL: Did you know?

Parrots, rabbits and bongos

can all see behind them without turning round.

That's the advantage of having your eyes on the side of your head.

So, if your teacher was a bongo,

you'd never get away with anything!

Earlier on in the show, you saw us with big cat keeper Adie,

putting finishing touches to the lions' new toy - chain ball!

We've fixed it to the scratch post, over there,

and now it's time to release the pride.

Adie, who do you think is going to come over first?

-I think Sweet Pea will be the first one over.

-OK.

Let's find out if Adie's predictions are correct.

Look at that - they're striding straight over. Who's come out first?

Let's get a good look to make sure.

-She's quite light in the face.

-She's a big girl. That is Sweet Pea.

-Look at the face!

-Yes! Yes. That is Sweet Pea.

It's weird, isn't it?

To us, it's red balls on a chain, and they're like, "I want it!"

-Straight over.

-Straight over. You were right.

-Oh, wow. I believe that's Malaika.

-Properly gripped over!

Now, the little cub who's here, coming over slowly...

Lindy's just keeping watch.

She's just keeping a watch there, making sure everything around is OK.

Are you saying she wants to make sure the toy's safe for the cubs?

-RANI SHRIEKS

-Look at that! Look at the teeth!

I can't believe the way she's opened her jaw so wide. Look at that!

That is incredible.

Adie, you know, it's amazing that just one of these lionesses

can pull that chain, and it took two of us, and it was pretty tough.

-Just how much can a lioness pull?

-Over about 100 metres,

they can pull a carcass weighing 450kg with no problem at all.

-Wow.

-So very powerful.

Incredibly strong. That's what's incredible.

Usually you associate lions with being killers and predators,

but they have a playful side as well, and loving.

It's interesting seeing the other lionesses,

who aren't the mother of the cubs,

really playing gently and nicely with the cubs.

Yes. They all interact very well with the cubs.

They are very good, and it is excellent to watch them.

You usually get Mildred having a play and Malaika will come over

and tell Mildred off. "That's a bit rough!"

Then Malaika will go off and play with them and she's just as rough.

THEY ALL LAUGH

Look at that play - a kiss and a cuddle.

Aw, they just look so lovely. Look at that.

-Who is this that's playing with the chain now?

-That's Jazzira.

-OK.

It's funny. We've seen the cubs watch the older lionesses play.

Are they taking all this in? "Oh, so that's what you do"?

Yeah, they're learning.

It's information, information all the time with the young.

It's got to be more interesting.

I know the scratch post is there for them to climb

and look after their claws, but this is a bit of fun.

-This is fun.

-You know what, Adie?

It was incredible to see this pride of lions attack the new toy.

And so far, so good - it's lasted. It's still attached.

You're good with predictions. You said Sweet Pea would come first.

You were right. What will go first - the chain or the balls?

-I think they'll both last.

-Ohh! OK, that's it!

-Oh, yeah!

We have created a toy for the lions that will last! Well done, team!

Well done.

What do you get if you cross a dog with a phone?

A golden receiver!

ALL WHOOP AND SQUAWK

Why was the knight afraid of the bug?

Because it was a dragonfly.

Whoo-oo!

What does a mother bison say to her son when he leaves school?

I don't know. What does a mother bison say to her son?

Bye, son.

There's a new kid in town and he's got a whole host of new animals,

so I've brought in this bunch of intrepid quiz-masters

to put Jimmy Robinson to the test in Ask The Keeper.

-Jimmy, who have you got there?

-This is Cavelli,

who's a Verreaux's eagle owl.

PIERCING CRY

Cavelli - a what owl?

A Verreaux's eagle owl.

A Verreaux's eagle owl. We've got loads of questions.

-Fantastic.

-She's a fantastic-looking thing.

How can she turn her head round 360 degrees?

She can't turn her head all the way round - cos it would fall off!

We have the same amount of vision,

so you have to look forward, shoulders straight,

then turn your head, then turn your eyes,

like that, as far as you can see.

I can see that sign behind me. OK?

So we have the same field of vision as an owl,

but can't go all the way round.

It's cos her eyes can't move in their sockets, like ours can.

What's the Latin name for the eagle owl?

The Latin name for THIS eagle owl? That's a really good question.

It is Bubo lacteus. OK.

"Bubo" is the eagle owl family,

and "lacteus" relates to her pale white eyelids.

She's also called a milky eagle owl because they're normally white,

but when she gets excited, they blush and they go pink.

She's got these beautiful pink flashes on her eyelids.

She's really cute.

-How old does an eagle owl live to?

-OK.

Cavelli is now four, and she could live till she's 40, maybe even 50.

The bigger the bird, the longer it lives for.

-Is she fully grown?

-Yes, she's fully grown.

When they hatch, it takes them about 16 weeks and they're fully grown.

By that time, she's got all of her feathers, she's ready to fly.

It doesn't take long for them to grow up. 16 weeks.

Jimmy's doing really well. We need to catch him out.

-Do you think we can catch him out?

-ALL: Yeah!

Jimmy, it's time for the killer question. In we go. OK.

What are we going to ask him?

THEY WHISPER AND GIGGLE

All right, Jimmy, it's time for us to clip your wings.

So, the eagle owl. It isn't the largest in the family, is it, Jimmy?

Can you name the biggest owl in its family?

-And I'm not talking about Mummy and Daddy owl.

-OK.

The biggest owl in the owl family...

..I think it's a type of fishing owl.

Just a type of fishing owl, Jimmy?

-Could you give us a little bit more, you expert, you?

-I'm trying!

It's a Pel's fishing owl.

It's actually the Blakeston fish owl. N-N-Nuhhh!

Blakiston's fish owl!

You say Blak-i-ston, I say Blak-e-ston, and you're right! OK.

You still got the question wrong.

How big is one of these Blakiston fish owls?

They are huge, huge owls. She's the biggest owl in Africa,

so a Blakiston's fish owl would stand about that tall,

in comparison to Cavelli. It's a huge, huge owl.

OK. Thumbs up or thumbs down for Jimmy and his birdie knowledge?

FANFARE AND APPLAUSE

Ohhh!

I think...I think he's being harsh. I'm going thumbs up. Well done, you.

APPLAUSE

Even though this is the last show in the series,

you can keep on roaring by playing the Roar game on the CBBC website.

So, take this down.

That's today's cheat code to help you make the most of your game.

See you there!

One of the biggest stories of the year has been

the park's sixth new cheetah.

We first met them in South Africa when we went to follow

the action as they were prepared for the journey to England.

There are three males and three females

and they were all born in captivity as part of a breeding programme

to help save this threatened species.

The journey was long, but all six arrived at the park in good shape.

However, they must now be kept in quarantine for six months,

just in case they're carrying the disease rabies.

It's very unlikely, but at the moment,

they're limited to the cheetah house and a paddock outside.

Everyone who goes in needs to wash their feet in disinfectant

and wear the green coats.

The plan is eventually to mix them

all together to create a new breeding group.

But so far, the boys and girls have been kept separate.

If they were all put together straight away,

they'd probably fight.

All this makes looking after them here quite complicated,

so Johny and I have come to give

big-cat keepers Bob and Brian a hand.

Today, it's the boys' turn to be fed outside.

So what is the plan and who's going to do what?

You've got me and Rani at your service.

Johny, if you come with me, we'll put the meat out into the compound.

Rani, if you go with Brian, you can sort the cheetahs out

to go into the tunnel prior to letting them out.

-Does that mean I have to speak Cheetah?

-Yeah.

Good luck, Rani!

I think I've got the hard job!

-You're just throwing out bits of meat.

-Bye!

Right then, Brian. I am at your service. What do we need to do?

We need to get these three cheetahs out of these pens,

into the open bit out the back there.

-we'll just open this one first, let Max go.

-Ah, right, OK.

-We're opening the back door there.

-We're opening the back door.

And is he straight outside now?

-He's not right into the paddock, but he's into a safe area.

-OK.

-And all we need to do is open these two here.

-Pull this?

-Yeah.

-And he'll just run on through?

-Hopefully he will.

-Oh, yeah!

OK, Karl, are you ready for this?

Sometimes, he's little bit slow to go out.

Well, Brian, I think we've got our work cut out for us

because Karl is now having a nice lie down.

So I think you guys, I think you should go and see how Johny's

getting on with the meat and we'll hopefully get these lot out soon.

Bob, it looks like Rani and Brian have done their job -

the cheetahs are in the passageway. What are we doing now?

We'll go through this gate and place the meat out so that the cheetahs

can see it and eat it.

We just place it out. I'll put one here.

OK, where do you want me to put this?

-You put one in the middle and I'll chuck one over there.

-OK.

Do we have like a leader here? Someone who'll get the meat first?

Well, as soon as Rani and Brian open the gate, they'll just run out.

OK. It looks like they're ready. Don't open the gate yet, guys!

No, no. It took us some time to get Karl out. He wasn't interested.

-But he's out now, finally.

-OK, good job.

And we're all ready to go and I think they seem quite peckish.

Right, the job's a good'un. Rani, Brian, are you guys ready?

Yeah, we're ready, and these guys are desperate to get out

so let's do this!

I want to see them bolt out and get their dinner. Shall I do it? OK!

Here we go, boys. Dinner time!

Look at that! Look at that one! Casey or Karl?

Karl, your dinner's behind you. Behind you!

He's just noticed his food, did you see that? Oh, oh, oh.

-Oh, there you go.

-He'll be fine now.

-Look at that, isn't that a great sight?

-It's an amazing sight.

I mean, would they eat together like this out in the wild?

-Are they sociable?

-Er, a coalition of brothers probably would.

Yeah, they'd kill something and then they'd quickly eat

as much as they can before they get chased off by lions or hyenas.

So, what's the plan now? They have their dinner

and then they run it off? Or do they have a good sleep?

-They'll probably have a kip.

-It's a cheetah's life.

I tell you what, they've given me a few, I fancy a bit of a kip.

-You know what I fancy?

-What?

-Dinner! Come on, let's go.

Roar!

Cats can either roar...or purr.

But they can't do both.

It's got to do with the shape of the throat.

So, you can tickle a lion's tummy all you like but it will never purr.

Cheetahs on the other hand, can't roar.

They make all sorts of other sounds, including a rather nice purr.

PURRING

By the way, have you ever noticed that purring is a continuous noise?

That's because the cat's throat can make a sound

when they breathe in as well as when they breathe out.

Just like a harmonica.

Now, it's almost time to find out who'll be crowned

as the laziest animal in the park.

The judge who must make this difficult decision

is deputy head warden, Ian Turner. Let's run through the nominations.

Michael the cane toad.

Rex the tortoise.

Caroline the camel.

And all four of the iguanas.

It's a tough call, so to help Ian decide, we're going to film

each one for half an hour non-stop to see how much they move.

Let's start with the iguanas.

Of course, the iguanas are reptiles so they're cold blooded

and they do need to bask in the heat.

People look at iguanas, they say, "Are they real?" They don't move

and they'll stay in the same position all the time.

But that's not being lazy,

that's soaking up the sun as part of what they do.

Next up is Rex the African spurred tortoise.

At the moment, he's just staying indoors. He does that a lot.

Oh no, he's moved. That's blown it.

If you come at a time when they're not moving, you think,

"That's a really boring, lazy animal. It's not doing anything."

And the next person comes up and the tortoise is running around,

at quite a rapid speed, as well.

Maybe Michael the cane toad can do better.

He's good, but is he really putting his heart and soul into it?

Or does it just come naturally?

It's what a cane toad is.

A cane toad is actually not lazy, it's just what cane toads do.

They don't do anything, they eat, they sit there, and for days

they won't move a muscle.

And here's our final nominee. Caroline the camel.

She's not snoozing, just lounging.

And she does have that look of a champion couch potato.

She's an old girl, literally the only time that Caroline will

move is if there's food around.

But we need a decision. Ian's got it down to a choice of two.

We've got the cane toad who doesn't move at all. Very, very little.

But it's natural. And then we've got Caroline the camel.

Caroline would love to win the laziest animal competition,

that would make her day.

Maybe if you had a grumpy animal competition,

she'd be right up there as well.

And now, let's find out who'll be crowned the park's laziest animal.

I'm going to go for, definitely,

Caroline is the laziest animal at Longleat.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We have a winner! And it's a popular choice.

I think everybody's quite fond of Caroline.

She's a doddery little old lady who gets her own way every time

with anyone, from zebra stallions to bull giraffes,

to ostrich to everything, she's always doing exactly what she wants.

Well, that's it for another series, and what a series it's been!

I know, it's been fantastic, hasn't it.

You know, new animals, new sections, new keepers, it's been wicked.

It has been wicked. And I tell you what,

it's been great hanging out with mischievous monkeys,

huge hippos and elderly eles - I'm really going to miss it here.

You know what, I am too. And I'm going to miss you guys, as well.

But for the current series of Roar, it's time for us to say...

-AT THE SAME TIME:

-Ta-da.

-Bye-bye.

Ahh!

Ohh! Look at his little face!

TRUMPETS

Phwoah!

He's so fast, look at him!

Absolutely amazing. I can't describe it. I've always wanted to do this.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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Roar!