0:00:02 > 0:00:06'All across the world an extraordinary group of people
0:00:06 > 0:00:11'are on a mission to save some of our most critically endangered animals.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'We're going to meet those people and the animals they love.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Good, be fierce. That's what you need to be.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29'I'm Martin Hughes-Games. I trained as a zoologist and I've spent the last 30 years
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'making wildlife films.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:34You've eaten my microphone again!
0:00:34 > 0:00:40'And over that time I've seen with my own eyes the challenges facing our natural world.'
0:00:40 > 0:00:45I'm going to take you on a journey around the world to discover the courage, the commitment,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50the sheer blood, sweat and tears that it takes to drag a species
0:00:50 > 0:00:56back from the edge of extinction, to create Nature's Miracle Babies.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12For me, these have to be the most beautiful big cats on Earth.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14This is an Amur leopard,
0:01:14 > 0:01:19but wouldn't it be better if he was running around in the wild, free?
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I'm going to be controversial now,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26because I'm actually very glad that he is here in a zoo in captivity.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Now, that may sound very weird,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33but I think, when you hear the whole story, you'll come to agree with me.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42In this programme, we'll also be meeting three lonely ladies looking for love.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49I'll be with orphaned baby elephants getting ready for a life back in the wild.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And Lily the lion cub, a very special, very rare baby
0:01:54 > 0:01:58whose first breath could easily have been her last.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02My first stop is way off the beaten track,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05it's on the border between Russia and Korea,
0:02:05 > 0:02:11and if I get very, very lucky I may get to see one of these in the wild.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20So what exactly is an Amur leopard? Where do they live?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Perhaps not where you might expect.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27There are actually nine different types of leopard worldwide
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and Amur leopards live in Russia, in the vast frozen forests
0:02:30 > 0:02:32on the Korean/Russian border.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Next question - how many of them are there actually in the wild?
0:02:37 > 0:02:43And, by the way, aren't they breathtaking animals?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46So how many? Well, no-one can be absolutely sure,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50but, when these individuals were filmed in 2004,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54it was thought there might be about 30 individuals left in the wild.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Yep, that's it. 30.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02The Amur leopard is the rarest big cat on Earth.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Kedrovaya Pad is a National Park, and scientist Linda Kerley knows it intimately.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15She's been on the trail of the Amur here in Russia for 14 years.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19How many wild Amur leopards have you actually seen yourself?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- Just one.- What a minute, one?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24- Just one.- In 14 years?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Yeah, in 14 years.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28That's a fairly elusive animal, right?
0:03:28 > 0:03:34They only know for sure that the big cats are here from the signs they leave behind,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37things like paw prints.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Linda, what's that?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- I'm not kidding you.- My gosh!
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I'm not kidding you. And look at that!
0:03:45 > 0:03:49I can see the individual pads here, and it's kind of refrozen,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52so it's quite solid in there. I can feel each one of the pads.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54That's really clear.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Genuine Amur leopard footprint.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03- And quite recent as well, Linda, don't you reckon?- Yeah, it's sometime in the evening,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07last night, or the night before, when the snow was still soft.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- As recent as that?- Yeah.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15So this is about...a little bit more than five and a half, so that's the size of a female.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19But this is an adult female... has walked right where we are now?
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- Yeah. - 'Footprints aren't the only proof
0:04:22 > 0:04:25'that big cats roam this forest.'
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Check out this tree, see how it's leaning?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31And there's a little bit of dark,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- and there's some hair.- Oh, there is!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Let's see if we can get a smell.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37- Ah, yeah.- Can you?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43This is a sort of message post for cats in the area.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49And they've not only urinated, but they've also rubbed their cheeks.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It's a little bit unnerving...
0:04:51 > 0:04:53but amazing at the same time!
0:04:53 > 0:04:55'If they never see them,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'how do they know how many Amur leopards there are?
0:04:58 > 0:05:03'Well, they use these - remote cameras, triggered by the animal's movement.'
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Wouldn't it be fantastic if we got lucky?
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Spot on, right. One more little test.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Unfortunately, the only image my camera detected was me.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27But look at these.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Real pictures of real wild Amurs.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Each individual can be identified by their unique pattern of spots
0:05:34 > 0:05:36so none is counted twice.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43They're like ghosts, they're shadows,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45they're just SO elusive.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51There are so many threats facing the Amur leopard. I mean,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55you've got the long-term things, but very short-term things, things like
0:05:55 > 0:05:59a little bit more poaching, or even a really, really harsh winter,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01that could be the end.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So, what can we do?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Breeding in captivity could be the answer.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Colchester Zoo in the UK is just starting to try to breed the Amur
0:06:12 > 0:06:17and all hopes are pinned on this very special lady.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26Another critically endangered animal was the western lowland gorilla.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29At London Zoo, a family drama worthy of a soap opera is being played out.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Think EastEnders, with a twist!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Meet the primate version of the Slater sisters...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43..Effie, Zaire
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and the baby of the group, Mjukuu.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Dan Simmonds and Iona Stewart know the girls better than anyone
0:06:49 > 0:06:55and have an intimate understanding of their very different characters.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It's always nice, to keep us entertained, to have scenarios
0:06:58 > 0:07:02of what the animals would drink. Zaire wouldn't be the classiest bird in the bar.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06She's a big girl so she'd definitely be first all in, in leopard skin.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11If you think sort of Pat Butcher... The drink would have to be tacky, but strong and of big volume,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13so we're thinking a pint of creme de menthe.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Effie's a bit of a bruiser so we reckon 15 to 20 pints of Stella,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21but she loves food so it'll be pies and peanuts,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25literally all the pies and the peanuts, or she'd create havoc in the bar.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- Mjukuu, something an irresponsible adolescent would drink.- Alcopops.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Whoever's next to her at the time and most influential, she'd drink what they drink.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Family is as important to gorillas as it is to us.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43But here in London, there's a problem -
0:07:43 > 0:07:47three gorillas, three FEMALE gorillas, no bloke.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50But the worldwide gorilla stud book - no, it does exist -
0:07:50 > 0:07:55the animal equivalent of online dating, has found a solution.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Across the Channel at La Boissiere Zoo in France
0:07:59 > 0:08:02is a big, strong and, importantly, available young male.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04He's called Yeboah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Yeboah's got all the right genes which are vital in captive breeding,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and he's rather handsome, too.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16To prepare the girls for Yeboah's arrival,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Dan and Iona have had a brilliant idea.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21'I love this.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:29Well, we thought a nice trick to introduce them, if you like, before he actually arrives
0:08:29 > 0:08:33is some laminated photos. There's one each so there's no squabbling,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and they'll have a chance to just pick them up and meet their new man.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You really can look at gorillas and say some are
0:08:39 > 0:08:44a bit on the ugly side and some are really good looking, and actually Yeboah's a good-looking boy
0:08:44 > 0:08:48so who knows if they do recognise a gorilla from a photograph.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54I think they do, and fingers crossed, when he arrives,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58they'll remember that, "Oh, you're the one from the photos."
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Iona's on her way to France
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to bring 12-year-old Yeboah back to London.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Sebastien has been Yeboah's keeper for nine years and he knows
0:09:28 > 0:09:31it's time for him to go to become part of a proper family,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35but even then saying goodbye isn't easy.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Oh, I'm sure he will be perfect.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40He's so intelligent, so social, and I think he has...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42almost nothing to learn.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46I need to go.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I need to go, Yeboah!
0:09:52 > 0:09:55He's lovely, brilliant.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Bon, les gars? Yeboah?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59See you, see you later.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05This is going to be a journey into the unknown for Yeboah.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08He's been surrounded by males for the last few years
0:10:08 > 0:10:11so girls are an unknown quantity.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20He was absolutely brilliant, which was really lovely because
0:10:20 > 0:10:24it's very stressful when they travel, and you can't help but get a bit tense about it,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27so it was such a relief, so nice to see how great he was.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I almost could have had him in the cab next to me he was so good!
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Yeboah may be genetically ideal, but that's no guarantee that he'll be welcomed
0:10:36 > 0:10:41by these three feisty females. But if he is, and all goes well,
0:10:41 > 0:10:47he could father the first baby gorilla London Zoo has bred for over 20 years.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54If endangered animals are to survive they have to breed,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57in captivity or in the wild, which brings us back
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- to the Amur leopard. The closest- I- came to a wild Amur
0:11:01 > 0:11:04in its home territory was a footprint.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Now it's time to come home.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09This is Colchester Zoo,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13thousands of miles away from those frozen Russian forests.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19And yet it's places like this that hold the key to the survival of the Amur leopard.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Although there's only 30, 35 left in the wild,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26there's around 300 Amur leopards in places like this
0:11:26 > 0:11:32so there's a worldwide effort to establish a successful breeding programme.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35But just think about it, Amur leopard,
0:11:35 > 0:11:41maybe 60 kilograms of muscle, claws, teeth, lightning reflexes.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45When you put them together to try and breed, when boy meets girl,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49if they don't get on things could go catastrophically wrong.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56This is Vicky Ledbrook,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58sometimes known as Cat Vicky.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03To say that she's obsessed with these animals is an understatement.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Oh, Sayan!
0:12:07 > 0:12:09He moves fast, doesn't he?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Vicky knows the cats better than anyone else,
0:12:12 > 0:12:18and we're going backstage to meet someone very special.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21When we go in here, you are just going to have a mesh window
0:12:21 > 0:12:24between you and her, so obviously be cautious.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Melina!
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Come on, Melina!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Melina! Come on, girl!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33'Chicken drumstick, anyone?'
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Come on, Melina. Good girl. We use the stick for safety.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39They're so quick, they can quite easily chomp fingers.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Hello, come up here, then!
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Look at that!- Good girl. CAT PURRS
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Now, what's that noise she's making?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It's just a purring noise. All leopards to my experience do it.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54It's not an aggressive noise at all, it's like a contact noise.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Is it?
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Gosh!
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Inches away from an Amur leopard.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Hello, you. Good girl.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Melina has never bred before.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10So she's four and a half. She came to us when she was just one year old.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- Do you want to have a go? - Yeah, I'd love to, please.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15'Vicky uses a red ball to train Melina.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'If she touches it with her nose, she gets a food reward.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21'The training gives Vicky a little control.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26'Melina is absolutely beautiful, but...slight bad breath issues.'
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Melina! Good girl.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Yes, good girl.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Oops, she's sorry, sorry.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38That's all right. It's not the first cane to have ever got chomped!
0:13:40 > 0:13:43That far! Oh, I'm Sorry. Sorry, Vicky,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46it's quite a new experience for me.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'Melina is prime breeding age
0:13:50 > 0:13:53'and Vicky hopes she can get her pregnant as soon as possible.'
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- Good girl.- That takes two!
0:13:57 > 0:14:00'Next door is her potential mate, Sayan.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07'He's an ideal genetic match, he's unrelated, and, with so few Amur leopards left in the wild,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'it's important to avoid inbreeding. Like Melina, he's a virgin,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'and at three years old he's only just sexually mature.'
0:14:16 > 0:14:20What we're going to do, we'll try and get Sayan into here now.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25This is our setup here. We've got a mesh door and a tunnel that links the two enclosures.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31So they can see each other and they can actually sniff each other literally through there,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- they're nose to nose. - Sayan! Hello!
0:14:35 > 0:14:38He's a good boy, he's a good boy!
0:14:38 > 0:14:40He's having a good peer around now.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43He can smell her, she uses this quite a lot, and also what
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I've done in the past as well, I've given them bedding from each other.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So you're gradually getting them used to each other.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Yeah, so they can smell each other's smell.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55In the wild, leopards only come together to mate.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Melina is only in season for a few days each month
0:14:59 > 0:15:01so timing is everything.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06So Vicky, what might happen if you got the timing wrong?
0:15:06 > 0:15:10If we mixed them and she wasn't in season any more,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15- the hormonal attraction wouldn't be there and he could possibly kill her. - He could attack her?- Yeah.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21- Or her him, even. - You have to be absolutely right, then, you've got to know it exactly.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Yes, indeed. It's exciting, but still very scary at the same time.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30We have to do it, they're so endangered, we can't not breed them. You worry what'll happen.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33You've got to do it so it's just getting it right.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37But will they get it right? And if not,
0:15:37 > 0:15:38what's going to happen?
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Most big cats live alone, but lions are the exception,
0:15:44 > 0:15:49and these are even more exceptional lions, they're Barbary lions,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52quite different from their African plains cousins.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Barbary lions are the heraldic symbol of England -
0:15:55 > 0:15:58they're the ones guarding Trafalgar Square.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Once they roamed wild in North Africa,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04but the last one was shot nearly a century ago,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07which makes the 80 or so in captivity a lifeline for the species.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Have you ever had that awful experience with your own pet cat
0:16:13 > 0:16:17when, for no apparent reason, they kill and eat their own kittens?
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Well, it happens with big cats, too, and that is what happened here.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26A male cub was found dead and the female, Lily, was being mauled by her mum,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31but Belfast zookeeper Linda Frew saved her life.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36And she actually dropped Lily just where Kate is standing here.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41We had three lions in the paddock. What happened is we threw some food over.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The lions stand there out of her way and we were able
0:16:44 > 0:16:48with a brush just to push it through and kind of scoop Lily
0:16:48 > 0:16:53under the very small gap under the door.
0:16:53 > 0:16:59Returning Lily to her own family wasn't an option - she wouldn't be accepted and might even be killed.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04So Linda took her home, where she became just a regular member of the Frew family.
0:17:04 > 0:17:10We never really left her alone during the first few weeks of life because she was obviously so small and tiny.
0:17:11 > 0:17:19Sometimes I do feel like a mother, but I think I have this bit in the back of my head telling me,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22you know, she's a lion.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27My children, they all mucked in. Even my sons were very aware that this was a very special lion,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31these are Barbary lions, these are extinct in the wild. There's not
0:17:31 > 0:17:34even that many left in zoos so this was a very precious baby.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37As loving as Linda and her family are,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Lily couldn't get TOO dependent on them.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43She's a lion, she had to get used to a bit of rough and tumble.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46She couldn't go back to her family, so what to do?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48She was given a playmate,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52a Japanese Akita dog called, appropriately enough, "Keeper".
0:17:52 > 0:17:58His job basically was to recognise behavioural differences,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02to teach Lily how to behave like an animal,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07and it went very well because basically, no matter what animal it is,
0:18:07 > 0:18:13babies like to play, and so there was quite a lot of play started happening, which is what we wanted.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Lily's human family gave her a fantastic start in life,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21but she was in danger of thinking she was human,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24and she was also getting big.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It was time to break the bonds.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Every healthy Barbary lion gives hope,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and Lily could play a part in securing the future of her species,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37but only if she could breed, and that couldn't happen in Belfast.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Last year she moved to Olomouc Zoo in the Czech Republic
0:18:43 > 0:18:48for what was hoped to be a love match with resident male Simon.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52So we'd seen pictures of Simon and everything and he looked a very handsome fellow,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55but you worry about the introductions
0:18:55 > 0:19:01because she hadn't been with another lion and you worry - "Will she accept him, will he accept her?"
0:19:01 > 0:19:04But she surprised everyone -
0:19:04 > 0:19:08just three months after meeting Simon, she gave birth to twins.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14With the start she had, it's amazing she's taken to motherhood so effortlessly.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16She's a natural.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21All the love and care given to a tiny traumatised cub has paid off.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Linda hasn't been to the Czech Republic so she was thrilled to see
0:19:28 > 0:19:31OUR footage of the proud new mum.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37She is, I have to say, absolutely fantastic looking, and this is going
0:19:37 > 0:19:41to sound very stupid, but actually, you know, looking like a real lion.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45I always have a wee picture of her as just a cub and a wee bit bigger now,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49but certainly looking like something now that you wouldn't mess with.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56And here's her with her cubs, this is the first I've seen her together with the cubs now
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and that is fantastic.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02They're big, fat cubs,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04looking really well and really healthy.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Absolutely beautiful.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Look at that, the cub's just lying beside her and...
0:20:10 > 0:20:14attacking her, and it's biting her!
0:20:14 > 0:20:18She is so good. You're a good girl, Lily, yes.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23You just do want to go over and squeeze them.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28It does me good to see her so well, and her cubs,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and she must be so proud of them, because I am.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37But to actually see something that you played a major part in,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41you know, coming full circle, it's...lovely.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55And at London Zoo, they're hoping to hear the patter of tiny feet.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Keepers Dan and Iona are trying to breed
0:20:57 > 0:21:02their western lowland gorillas. French hunk Yeboah has just arrived
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and it's time to meet the girls.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09How will Zaire, Effie and Mjukuu take to the new arrival?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Yeboah needs time to settle in and meet his new family.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They're all in the night quarters, away from prying eyes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Dan and Iona are rigged with helmet cameras
0:21:20 > 0:21:24to make a record of those first important meetings.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26How would it go?
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Right, he's been with them for probably about two hours now.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It's going well, we couldn't have dreamed for any better.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38He's just done his first mating warble towards Mjukuu,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41our youngest female, this is exactly what we predicted.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45He's also just been chilling out, lying on his back, playing, eating loads, drinking loads.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49He's really happy, Mjukuu's obsessed with him.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52I think he's already got his eye on her and she's likewise,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54so I think there's a bit of love in the air.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58So far, so brilliant.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Yeboah's settling into his new home and it looks like
0:22:01 > 0:22:05teenage temptress Mjukuu has convinced him to leave his bachelor days behind.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Away from the public gaze, things are warming up.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Iona's mobile phone is awash with...
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Well, a picture's worth a thousand words.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32The first time that she approached him in his nest area,
0:22:32 > 0:22:37which is a huge thing for both of them, but especially for him, it was a massive step.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40He was like the sort of teenage boy in his bedroom
0:22:40 > 0:22:44with his girlfriend who's just taken her bra off. He knows it's what he wants,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47but he's kind of not exactly sure, "What do I do now?"
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Gorillas are naturally quite self-conscious in general.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53These two clearly are not shy.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56The actual moment when Yeboah lost his virginity
0:22:56 > 0:23:00was him lying on his back with Mjukuu on top of him,
0:23:00 > 0:23:05and Yeboah just going like this, crazy, like the most exciting thing he's ever done in his whole life!
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Iona can't wait to see if the mating was a success, so how do you find out if a gorilla is pregnant?
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Simple. They're so like us, Iona can use a HUMAN pregnancy test.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Here we go. With a name and a date on it,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and a little line there that shows...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35that it's positive.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Mjukuu is pregnant. Best to be sure, though.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42There's another one, there's another one, another Jookie one,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46there's another one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight so far, that might be it!
0:23:47 > 0:23:51I think we can safely say there's a baby on the way!
0:23:51 > 0:23:55It's a perfect beginning for this new gorilla family.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01And a new family is what they're hoping for at Colchester Zoo.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Keeper Vicky is waiting for the moment when female Amur leopard Melina
0:24:05 > 0:24:09shows that she's ready to be introduced to Sayan, the male.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13If there's a successful mating, it will be a first for Melina,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15AND for Colchester Zoo.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21They're not the only zoo trying to breed Amurs,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and I've crossed the Channel to visit one of the others.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28I'm here in France, very close to Paris,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and I'm glad to say romance has blossomed
0:24:31 > 0:24:34and there's been a result.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Parc des Felins is heaven for captive cats -
0:24:37 > 0:24:42they have the biggest enclosures I've ever seen, huge, and this year
0:24:42 > 0:24:46they've struck gold, because their female Amur leopard
0:24:46 > 0:24:52has given birth to her first litter - not one, not two, but three gorgeous cubs!
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Curator Gregory Breton has been keeping a close eye on them
0:24:56 > 0:24:59from the day they were born, using cameras placed in the den.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03These cats can be super sensitive with a new litter.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Ki-La is a first-time mum, so for the first few weeks
0:25:06 > 0:25:10they were left as undisturbed as possible.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13And was she a good mother, was she looking after them as well?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Yep, yep.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18She was licking them with dedication, you know,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and very protective, yeah.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Is that normal, would you expect her to be that good first time?
0:25:25 > 0:25:30You never know with cats, but in this case she got three cubs,
0:25:30 > 0:25:35so it was very positive for her, and she adapt very well, yeah.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Now, the cubs were born about two months ago, and since then
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Gregory and the team have kept contact to an absolute minimum,
0:25:44 > 0:25:49just left them with the mum, but today we've got to pick 'em up, and that's for a very good reason -
0:25:49 > 0:25:53it's time for their vaccinations, a really important health check.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56But it's a little bit tense, little bit nervous,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59because they've had such little contact with humans
0:25:59 > 0:26:02we're not quite sure how they'll react, but we'll see.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Quite nervous now.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13This'll be a first, absolute first.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- And they try to hide.- Look at that,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22they're smaller than...
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Ah, look, look, look, look!
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Fantastic!
0:26:26 > 0:26:31But they're quite nervous, which is good - look at him snarling -
0:26:31 > 0:26:35because they're not used to humans at all, which is the way you want it to be, yeah?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38'They need to be handled correctly.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41'This is the way Mum would hold them, it doesn't hurt them at all.'
0:26:41 > 0:26:45There you go, that's a fairly miraculous handful.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Two Amur leopards,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54three, that's 10% of the wild population in our hands.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Right, here we go.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'First, Gregory wants to weigh them.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01'Now, how's that going to work?'
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Use your hand to open the bag.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05OK. Head first?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- Try head first.- Any which way.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10LION SNARLS
0:27:10 > 0:27:12C'est bien.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Never easy!- OK, back.- Back.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Look at her, little snarly thing.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Good, good, good, good.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- She's not happy, yeah? - She's not happy,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26but I think that's a good thing, yeah?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28There we go, well done.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31OK, I just had a thought, Gregory - putting her in is one thing,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33how am I going to get her out?!
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Look.- OK, are you ready?
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- 250.- Two and a half, 250 kilos, is that good?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- Yeah.- She's coming on nicely?- Yeah.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47First blood to Amur leopard.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Little bit of bleeding, but it's in a good cause!
0:27:50 > 0:27:53'This is the front line of saving species from extinction
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'because, without places like this and people like Gregory,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59'these beautiful creatures WILL disappear, forever.'
0:27:59 > 0:28:03You don't like this much, do you, you poor old thing? But it has to be done.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09'While I'm here with these feisty cubs, in Colchester hopes are high.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13'If all goes to plan, they too could have an Amur family.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16'Vicky is excited, but a bundle of nerves.'
0:28:17 > 0:28:22We've been watching Melina closely now for a few months to try and gauge her seasons.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25We're quite sure she's in season, We're mixing them today.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Absolutely anything could happen, so it was always going to be a risk,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31but I'm quite nervous, actually.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Melina and Sayan are powerful predators.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40Amurs only come together to mate, and if the timing is wrong it could be disastrous.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46But what can they actually do if one cat attacks the other?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51If they don't get on, we've got things in place like hoses,
0:28:51 > 0:28:56fire extinguishers. We can't go in to split them up so we're just going to be squirting things
0:28:56 > 0:29:00and shouting through the bars. It's the best we can do.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04If the worst comes to the worst, they bring out the big guns, literally.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05This is our darting rifle.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09It's not something that we like to use when you're putting cats together
0:29:09 > 0:29:14but it's just in case we have a situation where we feel things are getting completely out of control.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19Sometimes you put two cats together and they fight like cat and dog.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24'Everyone is in position, everyone's ready.'
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Let's just hope it all goes well today.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Hey, baby. Hey, baby!
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Good girl!
0:29:41 > 0:29:44OK, I'm just letting Sayan out.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47The trap's opening.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48OK, Sayan's gone.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50The moment of truth.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53(Oh, my God, it's so nerve racking!)
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Here we go.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Will they get along, or will it end in tragedy?
0:30:07 > 0:30:10(God, I can't believe they're in together.)
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Has Vicky got the timing right?
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Will these two virgins even know what to do?
0:30:23 > 0:30:24No.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Melina's quick to see Sayan off.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31No damage is done, but it can still go horribly wrong.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41After a long wait, Melina finally begins to show interest.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45She's more or less following him
0:30:45 > 0:30:48around the enclosure, checking out his scent.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51He's hiding away from her.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Sayan is obviously very nervous.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Even though Melina's starting to show all the right signs,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02it's too late, Sayan doesn't want to know.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05First she went for him and then tried to cosy up,
0:31:05 > 0:31:09he's having none of it. In fact, he just wants to get out of here.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Hello, baby boy, all right?
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Aww, I feel sorry for him.
0:31:19 > 0:31:24Because he's so stressed out, we're going to let him go through to his own enclosure tonight
0:31:24 > 0:31:28and just try again in the morning, but I do feel it lessens our chances.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33- Come on, Sayan, all right. - Vicky's desperately disappointed,
0:31:33 > 0:31:34but it's only the first attempt,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37and they're both very young and very inexperienced.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40I've got him in the tunnel, I'll take him to his enclosure.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Vicky's certainly not going to give up.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49Patience is a virtue ALL keepers must share, and hopefully that patience will be rewarded,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52because this would be the result.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Now, this is more than just a sweet little cub,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00quite fierce little cub.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05If you think about it, there's just 30-35 Amur leopards left in the wild
0:32:05 > 0:32:10so having three more - her and her two little brothers - is a crucial step forward
0:32:10 > 0:32:13in the conservation of these cats,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16and only a handful of zoos around the world
0:32:16 > 0:32:19have managed to breed these leopards in the last 12 months.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24So this is one of the rarest cubs in the world.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26But what does the future hold?
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Good, be fierce, that's what you need to be!
0:32:38 > 0:32:43In truth, these babies will never be released back into the wild.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44Growing up in a zoo,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48they'll soon be too accustomed and unafraid of humans to even risk it,
0:32:48 > 0:32:53but their children or grandchildren might just get that chance.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57There's an ambitious plan to take captive bred animals back to Russia
0:32:57 > 0:33:01and create a second wild population.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04They'll breed in huge semi-wild enclosures with minimal human contact.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09Any babies born will grow up in the natural environment,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13away from people, making them ready for a life in the wild.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23And a life in the wild is the hope for these orphaned baby elephants.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26I'm off to Kenya to see if it can be achieved.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31And we'll be catching up with the gorillas in London Zoo.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33They're having a baby after a 20-year wait.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38My next stop - Kenya, 4,500 miles from London
0:33:38 > 0:33:41and a world away from captive breeding.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44I'm here to meet another animal family,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47but a family with a difference.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52Just outside Nairobi is the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Orphanage,
0:33:52 > 0:33:53and I'm on the milk round.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Yes, you're right, they're babies' bottles,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05they're just very big babies' bottles.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11'Project Manager Edwin Lusichi wanted to become a priest.
0:34:11 > 0:34:16'12 years ago he decided to minister to an entirely different congregation.'
0:34:16 > 0:34:19(Look, running for breakfast.)
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Somebody's hungry!
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- You have to lift the bottle. - Lift the bottle.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- She's accepted me. - Yeah, she has.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Now, these are all orphan baby elephants.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45Their mothers have all died, they've either been killed or died of natural causes,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49so some of them had the most appalling start in life,
0:34:49 > 0:34:50but they're safe here.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58Most orphans have lost their mums to poachers supplying the ivory trade. It's still a huge problem
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and estimates put the numbers of adults killed
0:35:01 > 0:35:03as high as 4,000 a year.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10But the ambition is not just to keep these elephants alive, it's much greater than that -
0:35:10 > 0:35:15the hope is that they can return every single one of these orphans
0:35:15 > 0:35:16to the wild.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Recovery from the trauma is a long process,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28as Edwin knows only too well.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31They saw their mothers being killed,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34they saw their families being separated from them,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37and, since elephants have got a very strong memory,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39they will remember that for the rest of their life.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46It's not enough just to provide the physical care these babies need.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Some of them are stressed to an extent that they can die.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53- They can die just from so much stress?- And trauma.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57They need protection, they need care, they need love
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and this is what we provide to them.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06Edwin and his team have to become their family and earn their trust.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12In the wild, elephants live in family groups,
0:36:12 > 0:36:17and like our families they live, love and learn surrounded by others.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26So the keepers become mum, dad, aunty, uncle and most important, friends.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35These babies need 24-hour, 365-days-a-year care...
0:36:37 > 0:36:38Ow!
0:36:38 > 0:36:43..and they return that love in spades, even to a visitor like me.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51I know I should've got a hair cut,
0:36:51 > 0:36:56but I'd rather you didn't give it to me, please, by pulling!
0:37:00 > 0:37:04Mutara and I are establishing...
0:37:04 > 0:37:06quite a strong bond.
0:37:06 > 0:37:11'Mutara is one of the youngest orphans here, she's just seven months old,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14'and, just like human kids, she has her own security blanket,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18'which also keeps her warm.' Bliss.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22She's gorgeous, but the story of her early life...
0:37:22 > 0:37:24is absolutely tragic.
0:37:27 > 0:37:33Mutara was found alone by a roadside in northern Kenya.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36She was thought to be just seven days old.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Her mother was probably killed for her tusks,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and she was so weak she wasn't expected to survive.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02Here she is seven months on, perfectly healthy, loved
0:38:02 > 0:38:04and cherished.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Elephants have a similar life expectancy to us, and in the wild
0:38:10 > 0:38:13babies aren't weaned until they're around two years old
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and until then they rely totally on mother's milk.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21But, with no mothers around, finding the right sort of milk
0:38:21 > 0:38:25was a massive problem and threatened the whole programme,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28as orphanage founder Dame Daphne Sheldrick told me.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32I just can't remember how many died in my care.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37We tried this milk, we tried that milk, we got the analysis of elephant's milk
0:38:37 > 0:38:39from zoos, and it was high in fat.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Then we tried adding butter, cream, but that killed them quicker.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45And then I tried giving them just skimmed milk
0:38:45 > 0:38:49with no cow's milk fat and they lived longer, but they just wasted away,
0:38:49 > 0:38:54so then I knew it was a fat problem, and so then I went round looking
0:38:54 > 0:38:57for human baby formulas that had vegetable oils
0:38:57 > 0:39:01rather than cow's milk fat, and then we were on the right track.
0:39:01 > 0:39:0430 years of research and dedication paid off.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07The success rate with orphans has soared
0:39:07 > 0:39:10and has paid dividends for Mutara,
0:39:10 > 0:39:15who would almost certainly have died but for the success of the substitute milk.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18You must feel that it's been worthwhile.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Oh, you know when you go down there and you see them all romping around
0:39:21 > 0:39:27and growing up and so happy and normal and you remember how they were when they came in, it is.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33Breakfast over, it's playtime.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Team spirit, fantastic.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Basic skills, needs work.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Days are spent learning to be real elephants.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12The babies are becoming part of a herd for the first time.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17Elephants, you know, are very clever animals, and as they come in
0:40:17 > 0:40:19the baby ones will keep on following the big ones
0:40:19 > 0:40:23and see what the big ones are doing, and they learn from that.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31And if they really can't feed themselves and they don't want
0:40:31 > 0:40:35to join the big group, we can cut the leaves and put in the mouth.
0:40:36 > 0:40:42And the care continues round the clock. These are babies and babies need a safe place to sleep.
0:40:44 > 0:40:50We're behind the scenes now, all the keepers are out with the elephants, but just have a look at this.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54This is where all the orphans come at night, this is where they sleep.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Everyone has their own little place to go into, and here it is.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03That's the name, when they were born and where they were found, there.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08Down here, we've got a carefully cut midnight feast, just in case they get peckish,
0:41:08 > 0:41:09and come inside...
0:41:11 > 0:41:12..wonderful fresh straw.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16Wish you could smell this, it's a really delicious smell.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19And up here...
0:41:19 > 0:41:21is a bed, what's that all about?
0:41:21 > 0:41:26Well, the care goes on night and day. The keeper will sleep up here all night long
0:41:26 > 0:41:30and every three hours he'll get up and he'll feed the elephant.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35It's not the same keeper every time, they don't want them to get fixated on one particular human,
0:41:35 > 0:41:39so they take it in turns. But what a wonderful place to spend the night!
0:41:44 > 0:41:485pm, sun's going down, nearly time for bed,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51and I'm about to be given an amazing privilege.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58This is something I never dreamt I'd be doing.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05Mutara's getting ready for bed
0:42:05 > 0:42:08so she needs something to eat,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and now she needs a bit of love.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14She's just beginning to get sleepy.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33The blanket simulates the side of her mother...
0:42:35 > 0:42:39..just to help her feel comfortable and relaxed.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Very sleepy elephant,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56but she doesn't want to go to bed.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Just like trying to get my kids off.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23'One very happy, contented baby.' Good night.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28'But for Mutara, this place is just the start.'
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Fantastic!
0:43:35 > 0:43:40When she's two, the next part of her adventure will begin,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42just as it is for some of her friends.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44It's time to move on.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48The next stage of their journey is just beginning and we'll be
0:43:48 > 0:43:53joining them as they get closer and closer to life in the wild.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58At London Zoo, there's some really shocking news.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03Yeboah, the young male, has died. Brought from France as a mate
0:44:03 > 0:44:07for their three females, he became ill and very quickly slipped away.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11It's absolutely heartbreaking for keeper Iona Stuart.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Yeboah had a slight illness,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17it didn't seem like anything very important,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21but then...then we saw him produce blood in his urine and...
0:44:21 > 0:44:25and so it was decided we had to do a proper examination.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Next day, came to check on him early, stuck my head in
0:44:29 > 0:44:34and he had clearly not moved from where I'd left him the night before.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39Yeboah's heart had slowed right down to six and then four beats a minute
0:44:39 > 0:44:41and there was just nothing there, and he was...
0:44:41 > 0:44:45Essentially, he'd crashed then and they tried CPR...
0:44:45 > 0:44:47probably for about 50 minutes in total,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50at which point then he said that we lost him, he'd gone.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00It's like a person dying. It's had a huge impact,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03not just on me and Dan, who worked very closely with him.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08We miss him personally, we can see the response of the females, and that makes us sad as well.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13They're obviously incredibly stressed
0:45:13 > 0:45:16and unsettled by the whole thing, it's just devastating.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23An autopsy reveals that Yeboah died from diabetes.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28It's going to be hard for them all to recover from such a loss.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32We have to keep going, our job doesn't change, we have to do what we do best,
0:45:32 > 0:45:36which is look after the animals and make sure they're happy all the time,
0:45:36 > 0:45:41regardless of whether we, as humans, are sad or happy, that is all pretty irrelevant.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46We just have to make sure we're here working really hard for the animals.
0:45:46 > 0:45:51Yeboah's legacy WILL live on, because Mjukuu is pregnant
0:45:51 > 0:45:53with his baby.
0:45:53 > 0:45:59No chances are being taken with her health, and hopefully a new life will help to mend the broken hearts.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05For zoo gorillas, or for wild gorillas, there's nothing better in terms of enrichment than a youngster.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09I think if a young baby comes into the family,
0:46:09 > 0:46:13the way that changes the overall dynamic is amazing,
0:46:13 > 0:46:16so we're so excited, and it's just counting down the days now.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23As D-Day approaches, all is ready for a round-the-clock vigil.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28A bank of CCTV cameras will be trained on Mjukuu day and night,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31and it's night-time when the baby's expected to arrive.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38So Mjukuu Watch has started. Actually, this is night three,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42but no obvious signs of labour so we'll just keep watching.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47This could be a long wait.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02Never conventional, three days AFTER her due date
0:47:02 > 0:47:06in the middle of the day, Mjukuu is in labour.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10One of nature's true miracles is about to happen.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15She's a first-time mum, but she seems calm
0:47:15 > 0:47:18and hopefully instinct will get her through,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20and help isn't far away if she needs it.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53The first gorilla born at this zoo in 23 years.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58It's a beautiful baby boy.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Yeboah would be proud...
0:48:13 > 0:48:16..and Mjukuu seems to be a natural mother.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39You can work with gorillas for years
0:48:39 > 0:48:41and avoid any of what we've had here.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43We've had deaths, we've had illness,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46we've had now finally, fortunately, a baby born.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50It feels like it was against all the odds, we've had so much go wrong.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55So, yeah, it feels like a huge year, so much has happened, it's...
0:48:55 > 0:48:56all exhausting.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02The new arrival brings hope to this family.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06He'll enrich ALL their lives, not just Mjukuu's.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13And there's even more hope for the future.
0:49:13 > 0:49:18A new male has arrived - Kesho has come over from Dublin Zoo.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22He's being kept apart from Mjukuu for now to protect her and her baby,
0:49:22 > 0:49:26but he's getting on just fine with one of the other females, Effie.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30Who knows, maybe there'll be another happy event.
0:49:35 > 0:49:40Life is also changing for our orphaned baby elephants in Kenya.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44Until now, they've been totally dependent on their human family.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49Their mums have all been brutally killed, often for the ivory trade,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53but they're growing up. They have to learn to be independent
0:49:53 > 0:49:56and that means moving away from the nursery.
0:49:58 > 0:50:04Now, this is a journey those baby elephants have to take when they're about two or three years old,
0:50:04 > 0:50:08to move on to the next stage of their very eventful lives.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It's a long drive for the little elephants, but it's worth it.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23Ithumba is perfect elephant country,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26a great place to do some more growing up.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Head keeper Benjamin Kyalo
0:50:29 > 0:50:33came here with the first orphans nine years ago.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38- I can see somebody, yes?- Yes.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Yeah, here is one of the keepers
0:50:41 > 0:50:45- and he is being followed by Makena. - Fantastic.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Makena, come, come, Makena, Makena, Makena, Makena.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52Four years ago, Makena was just like Mutara,
0:50:52 > 0:50:56a tiny sad baby being nursed back to life in Nairobi,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58but just look at her now.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Something's instantly obvious,
0:51:01 > 0:51:03I'm not feeding down by my waist,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07but right up in the air - these are much bigger elephants.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Will she keep taking as much milk as we gave her, or...?
0:51:11 > 0:51:15- Well, it's only three.- Only three. - She's supposed to get three.
0:51:15 > 0:51:16Right, and does she know that she...
0:51:16 > 0:51:19- Yes, she knows, even she knows how to count.- Does she?!
0:51:19 > 0:51:23So if you give her less than three, then she will stay here
0:51:23 > 0:51:26until you produce the last bottle. She's very clever.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29All of them are very clever.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32That's not a bottle of milk, it's a camera!
0:51:35 > 0:51:39So, Ben, some of them stopped for milk and some of the orphans went straight past us.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44Yes, some of them went straight past because they do not take milk
0:51:44 > 0:51:46and they know this, they have been weaned off.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Things are definitely changing for the young elephants.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56So that's two massive changes right away.
0:51:56 > 0:52:02This is a much, much bigger orphan, obviously, and many of them here
0:52:02 > 0:52:06have stopped having milk, they've moved on to natural food.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08No, it's finished, you, there's no more.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11It's finished. It's finished.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16'These elephants still need to know that there's someone around when they need them.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20'But more and more they want to spend time with their friends, doing what elephants do,
0:52:20 > 0:52:24'and that's exactly what the keepers want them to do.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27'They'll be around, but not nearly so hands-on.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30'Adulthood is just around the corner.'
0:52:36 > 0:52:41'And I noticed another big change when it came to bedtime.
0:52:41 > 0:52:46'The orphans are still kept safe, a secure fenced enclosure
0:52:46 > 0:52:48'has replaced the nursery.'
0:52:48 > 0:52:51Makena, Makena, Makena, Makena, Makena, come.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Makena, Makena.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04So these much bigger orphans have come into the stockade
0:53:04 > 0:53:07where they'll be safe tonight, and they've got a lovely snack,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11and they're all just growling and grumbling together,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15but have a look round here, come round.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20See there? Now, those elephants are NOT in the stockade
0:53:20 > 0:53:24and they're not going to come into the stockade.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29Their journey to becoming wild elephants has begun.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45- So, Ben, these ones are about eight to ten years old?- Yeah.
0:53:45 > 0:53:50And they have made the decision themselves to go back to the wild.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53- You can't influence that, they just make the decision.- They decide.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57When the right time comes for them, don't worry, they just go.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00- They just go. - Yeah, we don't force them to go.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04They just feel that they can take care of themselves.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14One teenager who made that decision was an orphaned elephant
0:54:14 > 0:54:16filmed six years ago, Emily.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19She decided that the time was right to leave.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22But, and here's the million-dollar question,
0:54:22 > 0:54:27can an orphan really truly make the transition back to the wild?
0:54:27 > 0:54:32To find out, I'm heading to another part of Kenya to try to meet Emily.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Voi is the perfect location.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42It's got large and healthy wild elephant herds
0:54:42 > 0:54:45which the orphans can easily integrate into.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Joseph Sauni is the head keeper here at Voi,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54and he's showing me round his patch.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Joseph, that's a fantastic sight.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00I hope we can go on seeing that for many years to come.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03But these are wild elephants we're looking at now, completely.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07So how many wild elephants are there in this area, about?
0:55:07 > 0:55:10- Around 3,000.- 3,000, OK.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14And how many about have gone back into the wild
0:55:14 > 0:55:17that have been in your care?
0:55:17 > 0:55:20We have successfully released around 95 now, here in Tsavo East only.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25- 95?- Not on the north-hand side, here only in Tsavo East National Park.
0:55:26 > 0:55:31They are part of our extended family and we sometimes miss them,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34but they belong to the wild and they have to go back there.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37So we have a magnificent wild herd here.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Shall we go and look for the orphans?
0:55:40 > 0:55:43I think that's the best idea, to go and have a look at them,
0:55:43 > 0:55:45because we've not seen them.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48We don't see the orphan elephant, my day is not yet complete.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51Lovely! OK, no, it's... Yeah.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00Joseph is hoping we'll see Emily, but we've been driving for well over an hour now
0:56:00 > 0:56:04and still no sign, and then...
0:56:07 > 0:56:09So see, Emily.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14- Emily, there. - I don't believe it. They're coming!
0:56:14 > 0:56:17That's Emily there coming!
0:56:17 > 0:56:20You see this calf behind that second one?
0:56:20 > 0:56:24- Yes.- That's Emily.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- Hello. Emily's bouncing. - This is Emily here.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29By the vehicle, Emily. Hello, Emily.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32- Hello, Emily.- Emily. No Emily.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Emily, look at you.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37- Oh, that's my bag, Emily!- Emily!
0:56:37 > 0:56:40And behind is a little baby.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43Now who was the father of Emily's baby?
0:56:43 > 0:56:46This was a very big wild bull.
0:56:46 > 0:56:47- A wild bull.- Yeah.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51- Emily.- Emily!- Emily.
0:56:51 > 0:56:52Hello.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Hello, Emily. How are you?
0:56:55 > 0:56:57She's so special...
0:56:58 > 0:57:03..because she has had a calf with a wild bull
0:57:03 > 0:57:08and if anything tells you that she's really gone back to the wild,
0:57:08 > 0:57:13that's it, she's mated with a wild bull. Fantastic.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23I think that's fairly conclusive. That's Emily, who was an orphan.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27She's mated with a wild elephant
0:57:27 > 0:57:30and her baby now is fully wild.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32It works.
0:57:34 > 0:57:40Returning endangered animals to the wild is the ultimate dream, but for now
0:57:40 > 0:57:44the reality is often a life of safety and breeding in captivity.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50The dedication of Vicky, Dan and Iona,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53Linda and people like them all over the world
0:57:53 > 0:57:59keeps hope alive that the long-term future for all these amazing animals can be wild.
0:58:01 > 0:58:06Next time, I'll be looking at some more unusual animals...
0:58:06 > 0:58:11like the Tasmanian devil, suddenly on the brink of extinction,
0:58:12 > 0:58:16the mysterious aye-aye from Madagascar, and the cuddly toy
0:58:16 > 0:58:21that's come to life, the koala, and what a strange animal it turns out to be.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:42 > 0:58:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk