0:00:11 > 0:00:16We share our world with some amazing animals.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18And sometimes they need our help.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24When wild animals get sick, it takes radical thinking, extraordinary
0:00:24 > 0:00:28medical skills and great bravery, to treat them and save lives.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31What are you doing?
0:00:31 > 0:00:35In this series I'll be finding out how dedicated vets are taking
0:00:35 > 0:00:39pioneering human medicine to transform animals' lives.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42This is the trickiest ultrasound I have ever seen.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And vet Steve Leonard will be seeing animal medicine
0:00:46 > 0:00:50pushed to the limit in the most remote places on earth.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Nowadays, these guys can get the kind of treatment that a few
0:00:54 > 0:00:56years ago would be impossible.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Oh, yeah.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05From life-changing surgery for a gorilla deep in the jungle,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08to an elephant who needs an X-ray at a human hospital.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14This is big animal medicine as you've never seen it before.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41I'm in South West China, a thousand miles from Beijing.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Here in the foothills of the Himalayas, hi tech animal
0:01:47 > 0:01:51medicine could help save an entire species.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58I've come to the Wolong Giant Panda Base.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59Hello, fella.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It's home to the largest panda breeding programme in the world.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14This is incredible, you think how difficult it is to breed pandas,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19how endangered they are in the wild and to see so many of them here.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21Where are you going?
0:02:23 > 0:02:27These cubs are the latest of 197 bred here so far.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33They're using human neo-natal techniques to help keep them alive.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42But it's not just the babies who need specialist care.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Sometimes the very few giant pandas left in the wild need
0:02:50 > 0:02:51emergency help.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02This is a panda called Zhu Xia, which means purple dusk in English,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and she was rescued from the wild.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08She's about 16 or 17-years-old and she'd come down
0:03:08 > 0:03:10from the higher ground because she had a problem,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13she couldn't feed herself, and she seems
0:03:13 > 0:03:16remarkably comfortable around humans
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and the vets here told me that it's almost as if she came down from
0:03:19 > 0:03:23the higher ground to look for help and went to an area where there were
0:03:23 > 0:03:29people, and luckily they brought you to the right place, haven't they?
0:03:29 > 0:03:30I know.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Zhu Xia's behaviour is extremely unusual as pandas are normally
0:03:36 > 0:03:37very shy.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The team here think there must be something wrong with her
0:03:40 > 0:03:41and she could be in pain.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Determined to find out what's going on, they're taking Zhu Xia for
0:03:49 > 0:03:53a scan in a human MRI machine that's been adapted for the panda bears.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Zhu Xia's been sedated as she needs to be kept completely still.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20So I'm going out now before the scan starts.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22She just fits under it. You see how big her rib cage is?
0:04:28 > 0:04:33The MRI scanner builds up 3D images of Zhu Xia's tissue and organs.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Ten years ago it would have taken major surgery to examine
0:04:41 > 0:04:43her in this kind of detail.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Now, it takes just 20 minutes.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Well, she's still a bit groggy but Zhu Xia's
0:04:58 > 0:05:00just starting to find her feet again.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06The team will now check every image to find out what's wrong
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and if there's anything they can do for Zhu Xia.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16But in more remote parts of the world, there aren't
0:05:16 > 0:05:19specialist vets, and the kit they need, on the doorstep.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42In the jungle of Cameroon, in West Africa, Rachel Hogan is
0:05:42 > 0:05:45waiting for a team of pioneering medics to arrive.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51She saved Shufai the gorilla's life once.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Now he needs her help again.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Did you do those branches before?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Rachel runs the Mefou Primate Sanctuary.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12She came out here from the UK as a volunteer 13 years ago
0:06:12 > 0:06:13and never left.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18At night we'll put the baby gorillas in here
0:06:18 > 0:06:19and then the baby chimps here.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24The sanctuary is a haven for orphaned gorillas,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27rescued when their mothers have been killed by poachers
0:06:27 > 0:06:29for the illegal bush meat trade.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44When Shufai's mother was shot nine years ago,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46he was left fighting for his life.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55So Shufai arrived when he was just over a year old, um, which is
0:06:55 > 0:06:58a very delicate age for a gorilla because they're very emotional
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and they also retain the memory of what's happened.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12He had horrific gunshot wounds to the side of his head that had
0:07:12 > 0:07:16gone through his ear and then his one arm was a complete mess
0:07:16 > 0:07:20because he'd got the gunshot blast from holding on to his mother.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25He was absolutely terrified.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26And I just got a chair
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and I sat outside the cage and at night he would wake
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and he would cry because he was so upset.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Gorillas are very, very emotional and they're very, very fragile.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43You need to be able to get them emotionally secure.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46If you don't have that, they literally just give up and die.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51For two weeks Rachel didn't leave Shufai's side.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And then something changed.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00He sat up and I just remember him just looking at me
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and I was looking at him and he was looking at me
0:08:02 > 0:08:05but I could see there was a difference in his eyes.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I just picked him up and he just wrapped his arms round me.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18And that was it, then, it was like he had decided he was going to live.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Rachel had saved him.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Although the gunshot injuries to his arm meant he couldn't climb trees,
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Shufai soon began a new life with the other gorillas.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41For six years he thrived with his new family.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57But, recently, Shufai started struggling to
0:08:57 > 0:08:58walk on his damaged left arm.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Rachel feared that his childhood injury was getting worse.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14And he seemed to be in pain.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22But she's found a team of specialist vets who think they can fix his arm.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Today, they arrive from the UK.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40They've been able to bring all the kit they need
0:09:40 > 0:09:43to set up an operating theatre out here in the jungle.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Surgeons Sandra Corr and Damien Chase have been studying
0:09:58 > 0:10:01X-rays of Shufai's wrist, taken a year ago.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03These are our radiographs from...
0:10:03 > 0:10:05And have devised a pioneering operation.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12So the hand is twisting off, it should all be nice and straight.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16As Shufai gets older, the outer bone of his arm is growing faster than
0:10:16 > 0:10:21the inner one that took the bullet, forcing his wrist to curve round.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23So, basically...
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Sandra is going to remove some of the excess bone
0:10:26 > 0:10:30and then insert metal plates to hold his wrist straight.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Bring this hand around.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37It's a complex operation that no-one's ever tried before
0:10:37 > 0:10:38on a gorilla.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47The team want to take some up-to-date X-rays
0:10:47 > 0:10:49to finalise their plan.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Shufai's taken, in style, to the make-shift operating theatre.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05So this is the effected arm and it should be lie flat down
0:11:05 > 0:11:08on the plate but you can see how bent it is and it's
0:11:08 > 0:11:12not going to be a particularly good X-ray but that's going to help us.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21But one look at the X-rays reveals something's not right.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The X-rays, as soon as they came up, they looked worse,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34considerably worse than last year.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40In contrast to his healthy right arm,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Shufai's left wrist has deteriorated much more than they expected.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55It's really crunchy which means the joint itself is pretty badly
0:11:55 > 0:11:58damaged and the elbow also is really crunchy.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06If you look here, these carpel bones are just a big jumble of bones.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09The wrist is what we were feeling when we were him checking earlier,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10it's just a big bag of bones,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12which is why I don't think this surgery's going to help him.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Mmm.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The operation they hoped to give him is out of the question.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Sandra thinks there might be only one option left to help Shufai,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27but it's not what anyone wants to hear.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30At every point we thought we could fix him and I think this is
0:12:30 > 0:12:34the first time we've been absolutely certain that we can't.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Based on that, we have to think about amputating his arm.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49It's such a shame because he's been through such a lot.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58They hope that by removing his arm now, they'll stop Shufai's pain
0:12:58 > 0:13:01from getting worse as he grows and that he could get his old
0:13:01 > 0:13:02life back.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07But it's a horrible choice for Rachel to make.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11It's really, really difficult.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Gorilla's, they need their arms, they use them for playing,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21climbing trees so to remove one arm for Shufai is huge.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25What if the rest of the group kind of push him out?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31It's probably one of the hardest decisions I've had to make.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36With the vet team due to fly back to the UK, Rachel has just
0:13:36 > 0:13:4024 hours to decide if the operation should go ahead.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02In India an army of international vets are preparing
0:14:02 > 0:14:03for a wildlife crisis.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09They'll borrow techniques used in human disaster relief.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19I'm in the city of Ahmedabad in the northwest of India.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Every year it's home to a unique festival.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36It's called Uttarayan
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and it's all about the return of Spring and the arrival of the sun.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And, for hundreds of years, they've been celebrating
0:14:42 > 0:14:46this with feasts, with prayers, and an epic kite flying contest.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Thousands of paper kites are flown in an ancient competition.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The aim is to slice down other people's kites
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and be the last one flying at sunset.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07The secret lies in the string.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13It's coated in glue, laced with razor sharp, powdered glass.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19But it has some unintended consequences.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Ahmedabad is on the migration path of thousands of birds
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and home to the highly endangered Indian vulture.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36For all of them, the kite strings are a deadly hazard.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Small animal sanctuary Jivdaya has been
0:15:44 > 0:15:48transformed into one of the largest animal A&E's on the planet.
0:15:55 > 0:15:5925 vets and thousands of volunteers are expecting to
0:15:59 > 0:16:01treat over a thousand birds.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07On every single one of these tables,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10there's a bird being operated on at the moment.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14And these baskets here are the patients waiting for surgery.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I've never seen the scale of this sort of operation before.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It's amazing what they're doing, with all of these volunteers,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and yet they're still not keeping up with the number of birds coming in.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Most of the casualties need complex surgery to reconstruct their wings.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Back in the triage department, there's a commotion.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44A vulture's brought in, in a critical condition.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56But there's no way they can attempt surgery yet.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01It's in shock, the bird's in shock.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The vulture's lost so much blood he's slipping out of consciousness.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08They need to give him fluids immediately
0:17:08 > 0:17:10or he'll die on the table.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Chief vet Dr Shachi Jahad has to get an intravenous
0:17:16 > 0:17:18drip into a vein in his leg.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21There should be a great big sort of vessel shouldn't it,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23a bird this size, but you can't get in?
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Yeah.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29The bird's lost so much blood that actually they're really
0:17:29 > 0:17:32struggling to get a vein to come up and it's really important to
0:17:32 > 0:17:35get those fluids in there to get that blood pressure up.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39In any animal that's bled,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41they're not going to die from lack of blood, it's lack of blood
0:17:41 > 0:17:44pressure, being able to get the blood to go round the body.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56He's done it.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Oh, steady, steady, steady.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06The vulture gets the fluids he needs.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Yeah, that's dripping OK.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Now Shachi needs to see if he can repair the damaged wing.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16If the kite string has cut right through the bone,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19the vulture won't fly again.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21You can see the string in the bone.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- Oh, it's embedded in the bone. - In the bone, yeah.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29But, luckily, it looks like it hasn't gone all the way through.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32- You'll have to reconstruct that muscle.- Yeah, yeah.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34You'll have to pull all that back together.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- Reconstruct all the muscles.- Yeah.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40You think that this vulture has a good chance of flying again?
0:18:40 > 0:18:41- Yes, yes.- Good.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46The vulture was rescued just in time.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53There's a patient on every table and every ward is full.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57But more victims keep arriving.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Not all of them will make it.
0:19:10 > 0:19:18But the team managed to save nearly 2,000 birds and three bats.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Over the next few weeks,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27all the recovered birds are released back to the wild.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Treating animals in remote corners of the world can take some
0:20:04 > 0:20:09improvisation, especially if your patient weighs nearly four tonnes.
0:20:13 > 0:20:20Young British vet Will Thomas is trying to help Tonkoon, an elephant
0:20:20 > 0:20:24who's in a critical condition after being shot in the leg.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Laos, the country once known as Lan Xang,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37the land of a million elephants.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41As it has been for centuries,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Laos is still home to some five hundred domesticated elephants.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59Tonkoon and his mahout, Iya, have worked together for 15 years
0:20:59 > 0:21:00but now they're in trouble.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08This is where he was shot, so obviously quite painful.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12It's my opinion that the bullet's still inside there.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15It's obviously infected and it's swollen and it's painful.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Will needs to try and remove the bullet and get that infection
0:21:21 > 0:21:22under control.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29It could be the end of the line.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30We're in a lot of trouble.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Before he can operate, Will needs to take Tonkoon for some X-rays.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42But he won't get on the truck.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48After three hours of trying, Iya comes up
0:21:48 > 0:21:49with the right motivation.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58The elephants are afraid of injections
0:21:58 > 0:22:00so whilst they were shaking their bottles, they shout,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03"sakya, sakya" which means, "injection, injection".
0:22:03 > 0:22:06So he moved rapidly in the opposite direction.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I'm so unbelievably happy.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I can't believe that we finally got him on and we can go.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27There are no specialist animal hospitals here.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32The only X-ray machine Will could find is at the local human hospital.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It's taken two weeks, but he's persuaded them to let him
0:22:42 > 0:22:43use their machine.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It's the hospital's only X-ray machine, it costs, you know,
0:22:53 > 0:22:5640,000, it's the provincial hospital.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59If he were to hit the machine, if he were to break it,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02there would be really quite a disaster.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09There's no way Tonkoon will fit inside the building
0:23:09 > 0:23:13but the doctors agree to bring their machine out to the car park.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18So this is the X-ray machine.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23We have to look after it and just hope it's strong enough.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Will needs to take two X-rays, one from the front, the other
0:23:29 > 0:23:33from the side, so he can work out exactly where the bullet is.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36So you see, this is the X-ray plate.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38You take the shot from the X-ray machine
0:23:38 > 0:23:39and the image is developed here.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42This needs to be on the opposite side of the leg to the X-ray.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56To get an image, Will needs Tonkoon to keep completely still,
0:23:58 > 0:23:59even just for a few seconds.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Finally, they get their chance.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12They bring the precious machine as close as they dare.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Tai, take the photo.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19Take the photo.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25The electricity's not enough?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's just, sometimes in Laos, the power fluctuates so much that it
0:24:32 > 0:24:35might just be that and the hospital, there's not enough at the moment.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39By the time the power's back, Tonkoon's had enough.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Will's hopes for the vital X-rays are fading, when Iya has an idea.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08This surprisingly simple approach seems to work.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Phew, yeah, what an X-ray. Oh, my God.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Now, Will just needs the second image.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35But Tonkoon's been on the truck for three hours.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41I think he's getting too anxious and too worked up.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46All the people and all the noises. I really want to take the X-ray
0:25:46 > 0:25:50but I think I'm going to have to abandon it.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53It's going to be dangerous both for him and for us.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Tonkoon's taken to the elephant sanctuary for the night.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07He didn't get the two X-rays he needs, but Will's not giving up.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Tomorrow he'll try and remove the bullet.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32At the Mefou Primate Sanctuary in Cameroon, Rachel has spent
0:26:32 > 0:26:35the day facing one of the hardest decisions of her life.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43X-rays have revealed that Shufai's wrist is more damaged than
0:26:43 > 0:26:44anyone imagined.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Removing his arm could stop him living in constant pain.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03But no-one can be sure how he'd cope with only one arm.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Gorilla's have a strict hierarchy which is all about physical status.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Rachel fears that Shufai, who is extremely sociable, could be
0:27:18 > 0:27:20rejected by his troop.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36By midnight she decides the surgery should go ahead.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It hasn't been an easy day.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44We've had Shufai from when he was a little boy and he has been
0:27:44 > 0:27:50through such a lot, but after the team sat us down and explained us
0:27:50 > 0:27:53everything, and then went through the X-ray and,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56you know, what the pain that Shufai was feeling,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59the whole reason we're all here is because of Shufai.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And what we want for Shufai is the best. Now whether that was that
0:28:02 > 0:28:06they were able to do the original surgery and to plate everything
0:28:06 > 0:28:10or obviously now, things are different and it means amputation.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22The operation has to happen the next morning.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Primate specialist Sharon Redrow is here to inject him
0:28:35 > 0:28:38with an anaesthetic.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43But Shufai's seen this stuff before and knows something's up.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52There's a good boy, there's a good boy.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Who's that?
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Who's that funny person?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Even with Rachel's encouragement, Shufai won't go near Sharon.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Funny Sharon.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15But there is one person Shufai's always trusted.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Rachel gives him the injection.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26He won't worry, he didn't feel anything.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Shufai is taken for a very different operation to the one they'd planned.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01No-one likes to amputate things. It's a horrible thing to do.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04But you have to do it sometimes, if it's the right thing for the animal.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11So we're going to start.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Starting, keep an eye.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17So let's make a big...
0:30:21 > 0:30:24We're all built the same from domestic cats and dogs,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27just variations on a theme, but the thing is,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29it's those slight variations
0:30:29 > 0:30:32that can give us the surprise that we're not expecting, such as,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35is there going to be an artery where we didn't quite expect it?
0:30:35 > 0:30:38We're just starting to cut muscle, which is bleeding quite a lot.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56After two hours of surgery, they've removed all the muscle.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59We're down to the bone on all sides.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09For Rachel, it's all too much.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13SAWING
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Done.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Now, all that remains is for Sandra to stitch up what's
0:31:21 > 0:31:23left of Shufai's arm.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28That was just to make it as neat as we can. We're nearly there.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Shufai should wake up within an hour.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Horrible to see him right now.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03But everything went fine, so fingers crossed and see how he is
0:32:03 > 0:32:04when he wakes up.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10But two hours later, Shufai is still asleep.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18We want him awake and then we know it's done.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22I'm paranoid he's not going to sit up.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Come on. Are you waking up?
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Finally, after one more agonising hour...
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Hello.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52..Rachel sees Shufai open his eyes.
0:33:03 > 0:33:04He's made it.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05- Hello, Shufai.- Hello.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Huge relief.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19He's a little fighter, eh, Shuf?
0:33:26 > 0:33:28No-one knows how Shufai will react
0:33:28 > 0:33:31when he realises what's happened.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34But they're hoping that once he's
0:33:34 > 0:33:38fully recovered, he'll be pain-free and back with his troop.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59In China, Zhu Xia has had an MRI scan to help vets explain her
0:33:59 > 0:34:00unusual behaviour.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05They found no sign of what might be wrong
0:34:05 > 0:34:08until they examined a scan of her back.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19- This bright spot?- Yes, yes.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32- Yeah.- So would that cause her pain? - I think so, yeah.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Zhu Xia's damaged disc explains why she couldn't
0:34:38 > 0:34:41fend for herself in the wild.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45But here at the sanctuary, they can treat her
0:34:45 > 0:34:48with medication that should give her a more comfortable life.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58The aim at Wolong isn't just to look after individual pandas.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03I'm heading to the maternity ward to see vets try out an ingenious
0:35:03 > 0:35:06idea that could help them save the species.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10This is Shi-Shi and she's 14-years-old.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12You can see she's got a cub in there,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14she gave birth just a couple of months ago.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18You can see this cub is doing really well,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21he's strong and she's bonded very, very well with him.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28She's finished cleaning him and now it's cuddles.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34But he isn't Shi-Shi's only cub.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35She had twins.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42The other one, Sheitza, is struggling to survive.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47His mother rejected him.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Panda cubs are so difficult to care for, when mothers like Shi-Shi
0:35:55 > 0:35:58have twins they have to choose just one to look after.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04In the wild, the other one is left to die.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Since his birth,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Sheitza has been looked after by the expert team here at the nursery.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Hey, you're quite heavy, aren't you?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28He is quite heavy, it's just like holding a heavy baby, isn't it?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Do you want to come in here?
0:36:33 > 0:36:36They're currently raising five rejected twins in the nursery.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44At birth pandas are some of the least developed
0:36:44 > 0:36:46and helpless of all new-born mammals.
0:36:53 > 0:36:59Babies like Sheitza have to grow a staggering 900 times in size
0:36:59 > 0:37:01to become the giants that their parents are.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12THE PANDA SQUEALS
0:37:12 > 0:37:15He doesn't like having his face washed. "Get off," he says.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21There we go. All done.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31But this specialist care alone isn't enough to keep cubs
0:37:31 > 0:37:33like Sheitza alive.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Sheitza needs vital anti-bodies that help him fight infections.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50And they're only found in his mother's milk.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55So the team is going to attempt to swap the twins.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09First, they have to separate Shi-Shi from her favourite.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27This is Mr Fung
0:38:27 > 0:38:32and he's going to get that cub out, so he's tempting Shi-Shi
0:38:32 > 0:38:36away with panda cake, special cake that she likes, get her through
0:38:36 > 0:38:39in that section because, remember, although she looks adorable,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43she's a bear and she could, with one swipe, do him serious damage.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47So he's going to take this cub out.
0:39:00 > 0:39:01Hey, little one.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13So far, so good.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22They're identical twins and, to me, they look exactly the same.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25But surely their mother will be able to tell the difference?
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Here he is.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34This is Sheitza's chance, but it's a risky strategy.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Not only is his mum armed with claws and teeth,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41but at 15st she could crush him.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53She's going straight for him.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Will she realise that this is a different cub?
0:40:17 > 0:40:20It has to be nerve-racking because you never quite know
0:40:20 > 0:40:25whether she's going to accept the twin cub and continue to
0:40:25 > 0:40:31think it's the same one but, despite fairly intense inspection,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35it seems that she's quite happy, this is her cub.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43And it means he can now get the love and attention from his mother
0:40:43 > 0:40:44that he needs.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51By swapping the twins,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54Shi-Shi thinks she's only looking after one baby.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00They'll be switched between their mother and the nursery
0:41:00 > 0:41:02every week until they're six months old.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11This simple but clever idea and three decades of research has
0:41:11 > 0:41:14helped to keep every cub born here alive.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Do you know, you read so much about pandas and you see
0:41:21 > 0:41:24so many photos, they just look cute and you think they can't possibly
0:41:24 > 0:41:28be like that in real life and you get here and they are.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Some people think you're over-rated but I don't think so!
0:41:36 > 0:41:37Hey?
0:42:04 > 0:42:06In Laos it's the morning of Tonkoon's surgery.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Will needs to try and remove the bullet in Tonkoon's leg,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16with just the one X-ray he managed to get.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Obviously this view is only from the side,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26so it tells me how high up but not exactly how far over it is,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29but this is the only view that we could get.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Tonkoon will be awake throughout the operation.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Elephants are so heavy, their body weight can
0:42:41 > 0:42:44crush their internal organs if they lie down too long.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47We'll just sedate him
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and he'll still be conscious of the whole procedure, which is
0:42:50 > 0:42:54better for him, although it's a little bit more difficult to operate
0:42:54 > 0:42:57on him when he's still aware of what's going on around him.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Already his trunk is dropping.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07His eyes are starting to go.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Ten centimetres above the ankle chain,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Will makes his first incision.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35I can feel a tract where I think the bullet went,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38so I'm just bluntly dissecting
0:43:38 > 0:43:45so no sharp cuts which reduces the risk of haemorrhage.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Elephants have such high blood pressure,
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Will won't be able to control the bleeding if he hits a major artery.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59Good boy, good boy. It looked to be around this level.
0:44:03 > 0:44:09He burrows deep into Tonkoon's leg, but there's no sign of the bullet.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Then Tonkoon starts to wake up.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:44:31 > 0:44:34I'm deep enough. I know I'm in the right level.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38I know I'm far enough in, it's just how far to each side it is.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Will expands the incision to either side,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45but without that second X-ray he's working blind.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Where are you?
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Eventually it's too risky to keep cutting.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56It's really frustrating but I think if I keep going we're just
0:44:56 > 0:44:59going to cause more damage than we're going to solve.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03All Will can do is try and clean out Tonkoon's wound.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09We found the pocket of fluid.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12I'm just going to scrape out and clean out that area
0:45:12 > 0:45:15and just gently debride away.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20For the elephant's sake, it's better to close him up
0:45:20 > 0:45:22and clean the infection as we sew.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30It's really difficult not having an X-ray machine here.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35At home in Europe I would be able to take multiple X-rays whilst
0:45:35 > 0:45:37we were doing the surgery,
0:45:37 > 0:45:41find out exactly where my instruments were in relation to the bullet,
0:45:41 > 0:45:45but it's just really galling not to have found that bullet.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Elephants have very strong, but slow, immune systems.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56It will be a month before Will knows if he's done enough.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14The only way to treat some animals is to get right into their world.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20To care for his patients, one vet has invented a whole new
0:46:20 > 0:46:22kind of underwater medicine.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35I've come to the Churaumi Aquarium on the island of Okinawa,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38500 miles south of mainland Japan.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43- Hi there.- Hello, nice to meet you.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Hello, how are you?
0:46:45 > 0:46:49I'm going behind the scenes with vet Dr Keiichi Ueda
0:46:49 > 0:46:50to see some of his patients.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58The manta rays.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02They're beautiful, the way they fly through the water,
0:47:02 > 0:47:05- you can really see their wings moving.- Yes.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08- It's fantastic. - Very beautiful.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Although close relatives to stingrays,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17these four-metre-wide giants are completely harmless.
0:47:21 > 0:47:27To try and protect this critically endangered species, in 2007 Churaumi
0:47:27 > 0:47:31became the first place in the world to breed them in captivity.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41This is incredible footage, the baby is just about ready to pop out.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Gosh, it really is wrapped around like a sort of scroll of paper.
0:47:52 > 0:47:53Oh, there's the baby.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00So it comes out rolled up
0:48:00 > 0:48:02and there's all this fluid around it.
0:48:09 > 0:48:10And swims away.
0:48:12 > 0:48:13Ha!
0:48:15 > 0:48:17No-one had ever witnessed this before.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22They now knew what happened when baby mantas were born.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37But last year, Keiichi and his team had to intervene
0:48:37 > 0:48:39when one pregnant female fell ill.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Keiichi had to deliver the premature baby.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05He knew it was developed enough to survive because he'd been
0:49:05 > 0:49:12able to monitor the pregnancy using a unique underwater scanner.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16So this is an ultrasound machine,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18- the same as you would use on a human?- Yes.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28- So this goes on and makes it completely waterproof?- Yes.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Now, after a pair of mantas were spotted mating,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Keiichi needs to find out if the female is pregnant.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44You've got to carry this and you'll be scanning her with this?
0:49:44 > 0:49:45- Yes.- On her back?- Back, yes.
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Good luck.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10To have any chance of finding out if she is pregnant,
0:50:10 > 0:50:16Keiichi has to try and get the scanner in exactly the right spot.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19But manta rays have to keep swimming to breathe.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30This is the trickiest ultrasound I have ever seen,
0:50:30 > 0:50:35because Keiichi has to get his speed and his balance perfectly right
0:50:35 > 0:50:37to swim at the same pace as the manta ray, while trying to
0:50:37 > 0:50:41scan her, there's another diver at the front keeping her straight.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Keiichi's previous ultrasounds have revealed that there is no
0:50:51 > 0:50:56umbilical cord or placenta feeding the baby oxygen in the womb.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Instead, they constantly gulp a special uterine fluid to breathe.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Do you think you got it?
0:51:12 > 0:51:13Let's check the monitor.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Yeah. So this is giving us images.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18What can we see here?
0:51:23 > 0:51:26But right now there's only one thing they want to know.
0:51:26 > 0:51:27Is she pregnant?
0:51:35 > 0:51:38It's just a shape that they're pausing over.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44But this time it's not what they're looking for.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50So there's nothing on that image and that's what would tell us.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53- Nothing.- Oh, what a shame.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Keiichi's invention will not only help ensure the safe arrival
0:52:11 > 0:52:15of any future babies, but it means we know things about manta rays
0:52:15 > 0:52:18that would be impossible to find out any other way.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25And Keiichi hopes this could help efforts
0:52:25 > 0:52:28to save this endangered species in the wild.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47It's been two months since Tonkoon's operation.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Will couldn't remove the bullet that was lodged in Tonkoon's leg.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57But we're on our way to see if he did enough
0:52:57 > 0:53:00to stop the chronic infection from spreading.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06What are the signs that will make you worry today?
0:53:06 > 0:53:09What I really don't want to see is, I don't want to see him
0:53:09 > 0:53:12with pus coming out of the wound, I don't want to see him
0:53:12 > 0:53:15very lame, very painful, not able to walk,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19and those two things really would make me very concerned.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Wow, look at him.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31If the infection has gone,
0:53:31 > 0:53:35Tonkoon's damaged leg should feel firm to the touch.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42- He's not keen, is he?- I'll just try to have a quick touch.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43A quick feel, yeah.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55It feels really good. It's really hard.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59It's not painful at all. I'm happy.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01I think it's now going to settle down
0:54:01 > 0:54:04and he can continue with his normal routine.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Well, he doesn't seem to be lame at all, which is great.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09- Will he let me have a quick... - Definitely give it a go.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15All right, wee man. Let's have a feel. Oh, yeah.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Cleaning out the infected tissue meant Tonkoon's own healing
0:54:21 > 0:54:23process could take over.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28The bullet's probably just been sort of walled off with scar tissue
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- and it will stay there forever, won't it?- Completely agree.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:54:34 > 0:54:38He was just saying that after you returned and he spent the two months
0:54:38 > 0:54:42recuperating, he's now working at least as well as he was before.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Fingers crossed he stays safe.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10Eight months ago, everything changed for Shufai the gorilla,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12when vets had to amputate his arm.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Hello, hello, Shufai.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Rachel's big fear was that Shufai would be rejected by his troop
0:55:28 > 0:55:30after the operation.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35When he came round from anaesthetic one of the other gorillas
0:55:35 > 0:55:38was in a satellite cage next to him
0:55:38 > 0:55:42and he showed them his arm and they were all looking at it
0:55:42 > 0:55:45and then he was looking at it and they were putting their arms
0:55:45 > 0:55:48through, touching it really, really gentle, touching it and then
0:55:48 > 0:55:50smelling their hands.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55And then, when he went into the group, they were all really gentle,
0:55:55 > 0:55:57everyone was really curious, so they knew,
0:55:57 > 0:56:02you know, that something was different and even with playing,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05they would wrestle with him but they would cradle his arm with their
0:56:05 > 0:56:09other hand, so they all adapted to him. It was fantastic to watch.
0:56:13 > 0:56:14Good boy, Shufai.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24This is Yabba next to Shufai, who is his best friend and after the
0:56:24 > 0:56:28operation carried him on his back, so he's quite protective of him.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31He's going to lob things at me.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Thanks, Yabba, that's kind.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38You see how well Shufai looks.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42He's built up the muscle again across his back and he looks very
0:56:42 > 0:56:45contented and he's completely integrated into the group,
0:56:45 > 0:56:50they're still quite protective of him as you can tell, but he does
0:56:50 > 0:56:53his thing and he's maintained his role as peacemaker in the group.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56He's the good boy in the class.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59The vets did a fantastic job, it was a risky operation
0:56:59 > 0:57:02but it has paid off and it was the right decision to make.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Are you about to throw it at me again?
0:57:11 > 0:57:14He never, ever climbed trees when he had both arms
0:57:14 > 0:57:16because the pain was too much.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19The first time he climbed a tree was with one arm.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22And I nearly had a nervous breakdown.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38He uses his chin and his other arm to just pull himself up,
0:57:38 > 0:57:40but when he had both arms he never used...
0:57:40 > 0:57:42You never saw him in a tree and now you never see him
0:57:42 > 0:57:45out of a tree, so all of my worries are completely disappeared now.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49He's a completely different little boy now.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09Although animals across the world face threats to their survival,
0:58:09 > 0:58:13we can now look after them in ways we never could before.
0:58:14 > 0:58:19Next time, vets give Tandy the first ever Rhino skin graft.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24A seal with a mystery illness needs a CT scan.
0:58:24 > 0:58:29And could pioneering eye surgery help Rosemary, a blind orang-utan,
0:58:29 > 0:58:30see her daughter again?