0:00:05 > 0:00:07It's beginning.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Hundreds of people are busy preparing the estate...
0:00:17 > 0:00:21For a new season full of challenges and adventures.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25LIONS GROWL
0:00:25 > 0:00:30Over one million people are on their way to see the ferocious...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33LIONS SNARL
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And the friendly creatures that make up the collection. Here you go.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44We're back this spring to show you exactly what it takes to look
0:00:44 > 0:00:47after over 1,000 different exotic creatures.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51From the excitement of each new arrival to every joyous birth,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and of course tragedy.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- So, please, join him...- And her, as we catch up with some old
0:00:57 > 0:00:59friends and meet some new ones this Easter.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We're going to invite you back to...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- BOTH:- Animal Park.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10We've been at the park to capture extraordinary moments, as the
0:01:10 > 0:01:16seasons change and the park springs into action after a long winter.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Coming up today...
0:01:18 > 0:01:22The park's lazy lions go bonkers for some boxes.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Someone's got stuck right into their box there.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We catch up with our old friend, Anne the elephant,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34and the animal osteopath who is determined to help her.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38It looks easy, but she's pushing quite a lot of weight against me.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43And tragedy hits the penguin colony, as a killer infection strikes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46They've hatched these birds out of eggs
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and they're dying in their arms.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59It's now over 50 years since the safari park opened,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03with the original aim of making enough money to keep this old
0:02:03 > 0:02:06house from descending into rack and ruin.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Over that time, they've bred and kept just about every animal
0:02:09 > 0:02:12imaginable, from tigers to leopards,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14chimpanzees, and you remember the elephants?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16I do remember the elephants.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Then there was the buffalo, even baboons.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19But in that time,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22there's one creature they've never bred until now.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Five years ago,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28cheetah arrived at the park for the first time in years.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32They settled in well, and last year we found out just how
0:02:32 > 0:02:36impressive the world's fastest land mammal really is.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Go, go, go, go, go!
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Go for it!
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Woohoo! Look at them go!
0:02:43 > 0:02:45That was amazing. They both ran for it straight away.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48That was so good. So, so good.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53But the big hope was that these incredible animals would breed,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55because cheetah are highly endangered.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Sadly, the keepers had seen no evidence of them mating.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Then, one morning last September, Wilma had
0:03:07 > 0:03:09a surprise for her keeper Laura.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14I went up to the house to do my morning checks, as usual.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16As soon as I opened the door,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Wilma came straight over and I just saw them on the floor behind,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22so I shut the door and radioed senior people,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and was just like, "There's babies! Oh, my God!"
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Wilma had given birth to three cubs,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31two boys and a girl.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It's the mother's job to raise the cubs, so father Carl
0:03:34 > 0:03:36was kept separate.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Team leader Amy installed cameras to keep an eye on them.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45- Aw, how cute are they? - They're so adorable.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I just love them. Just love them.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51It's great that we've finally managed to get them breeding,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55even though we didn't know they'd... she'd got pregnant.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Yeah, very sneaky.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05But there was a serious side to monitoring the footage, too.
0:04:05 > 0:04:1090% of cheetah cubs die within the first three months.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13In the wild, over half are lost to predators
0:04:13 > 0:04:17such as jackals and lions, but there and here in captivity,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21the pool of available bloodlines is so small that cheetah have
0:04:21 > 0:04:24very weak immune systems.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27The slightest infection can be fatal.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Before they were even a week old,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34it was clear one of the little boys was failing to thrive.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Unfortunately, after a couple of days,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41we realised that one of them was very weak and wasn't suckling,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45and hadn't actually eaten anything at all.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Intervening at this early stage could cause Wilma to abandon
0:04:49 > 0:04:51the other cubs altogether.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53All the keepers could do was hope that
0:04:53 > 0:04:56he would start to feed by himself.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It's very much touch and go, and until they're a month old,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02we don't know whether they're going to survive or not.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07The team knew the death rates were high, and sadly, in this case,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09they were proved to be true.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12We came in one morning and unfortunately
0:05:12 > 0:05:13he had passed away overnight.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19It has been stressful every single day, because, you know, it's
0:05:19 > 0:05:21always a worry that they might not make it past day one,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24day two, and you don't know what could happen, you have
0:05:24 > 0:05:27no idea what could happen, so I'm always worried about them, but...
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- Just taking each day... - As it comes.- ..day by day.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34But would those shocking odds claim another young life?
0:05:40 > 0:05:45As the days slowly passed and became a week and then a fortnight,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49thankfully the two remaining cubs continued to thrive.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53They became known as Poppy and Winston.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Mum Wilma was instinctively doing all the right things -
0:05:56 > 0:05:59feeding, bonding and nurturing her little ones.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02She's just taken it on board so quickly and so well,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and she's an incredible mum, for a first-time mum, so incredible.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08This is the dream. This is what I live for every day,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and to know that she feels safe enough and trusts us enough
0:06:11 > 0:06:15that she thinks this is a safe place for her to bring up babies is
0:06:15 > 0:06:18amazing, it is so rewarding to know that we're doing a good job.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Now a month old, the keepers could finally take
0:06:21 > 0:06:24a breath and enjoy these special new arrivals.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Easter is here, and the park is bursting into life.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Today, as well as introducing you to the latest arrivals,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39we'll also be catching up with babies from last year.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- Look.- There we go. - I've fallen in love.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Kate's beginning down on the lake.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Last summer when I was here,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I timed my visit to Half Mile Lake absolutely perfectly,
0:06:50 > 0:06:56because there had been a new sea lion pup born just days before,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59so I'm out on the boat, on Half Mile Lake, with Amy,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- to catch up on that little one... - Hi.- ..who you called Roo, I gather.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- Roo, yeah. Baby Roo. - Baby Roo.- Baby Roo.- Why Roo?
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- She was a bit of a rascal for the keepers...- Right.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11..and she does like to bounce around quite a lot,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- up on the sea lion beach over there. - KATE LAUGHS
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- Is that her there?- Yeah. - Oh, my goodness, look at her!
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- She's looking lovely and plump and...- Yeah. Oh, very.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22..and very well. So Mum has obviously done a great job.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Yeah, Mum's done a brilliant job with feeding,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and she has Auntie Nancy who does a lot of baby-sitting for her.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Oh, does she? Oh, is that Dad there? SEA LION BARKS
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- That's Daddy, that's Buster, yeah. - Big Buster.- Proud Buster.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Oh, it's fantastic to see them. Are you doing a little bit of feeding?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- I am doing a bit of feeding.- OK.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Can I give you a hand? I love doing this.- Yeah.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- So, just literally just chuck one out?- Yeah.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Smelly sprats, just chuck them out, and hopefully...
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- Here we are. - ..it should prise them down.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Hoo-hoo!- There we go. - Here they come.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53SEA LIONS BARK All right then, there you go.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Now Roo, at the moment, is not showing any interest at all, is she?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01She is a baby, so she's very dependent on milk and sleep at the
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- moment...- Yeah.- ..but hopefully this time next year
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- she will be over here with these guys. - SEA LIONS BELLOW
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I mean, presumably that's where the relationship with her mum comes
0:08:10 > 0:08:13in, because her mum will kind of show her the ropes, will she?
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Yeah, and because obviously her mum comes to feed from the boat,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- she will trust that that is a safe thing to do...- Yeah.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22..and she will follow in her mum's footsteps.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- And her greedy dad's. - THEY LAUGH
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Here you are.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31In the eight months since I first met baby Roo,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33she has doubled in body weight.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39The rate of change in cheetah territory has been even greater.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Cheetahs are the fastest-growing of all cats,
0:08:42 > 0:08:47and by two months these two are already the size of a small dog.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49They are still feeding from Mum,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52but they're starting to pay more interest in what she's doing,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54so they're...When she's eating off of the floor,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57they'll lick what she's been licking, they'll eat off the bone.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58They won't eat too much,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01but they are starting to pay more interest in it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Their personalities are starting to develop,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and Laura thinks young Winston is the one to watch.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11He's the naughtier one of the... of both of them, really.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14He's quite cheeky, and he's already starting to...
0:09:14 > 0:09:17he's already starting to show that, he's trying to steal from Mum,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19as you can see.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21But she's really, really patient with him,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25which is really good. She is letting him steal a little bit.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Poppy is generally the more cautious of the two, but it looks like
0:09:29 > 0:09:34today she is taking her first big step to becoming a true carnivore.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37This is the first time she's actually started to take the meat as
0:09:37 > 0:09:38well, which is really cool.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40She's obviously been watching the whole time,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and has now just got brave enough to go and see.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Shockingly, in the last 100 years,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55the worldwide population of cheetah has dropped by 90%.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57The parents are both part of an international breeding
0:09:57 > 0:10:01programme, and were brought to the park from a special conservation
0:10:01 > 0:10:06project in South Africa, making our cubs extremely special.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The keepers at the park must do everything they can to
0:10:11 > 0:10:13protect Poppy and Winston.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Which is why, just like domestic cats,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20they too must have inoculations before they can go outside.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Lead keeper Caleb and the vet team have assembled at the
0:10:28 > 0:10:29cheetah house.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34The plan is to move mum across so she's a pen away from them,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37because obviously we don't want her to not be within sight of them,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40because they might, you know, panic a little bit,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43so we'll move mum across as calmly as possible,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45try and catch them, but as you can imagine,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47even at eight weeks old, these cheetah cubs are extremely
0:10:47 > 0:10:51fast and extremely capable of doing some damage.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55You're all right, sweetheart. Good girl. Well done.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59With Wilma safely in the next pen,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02it's time to try and get hold of the cubs.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05WILMA GROWLS
0:11:05 > 0:11:08(Hello, little ones.)
0:11:08 > 0:11:11All right, little ones. It's all right, it's all right.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Fence it in with the brush.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18CUB SQUEALS
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- You all right? you got it? - Semi-got it, yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Winston is first.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Holding him tightly by the scruff of the neck as his mother would is the
0:11:28 > 0:11:32best way to control him, but also to keep him as calm as possible.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34WILMA GROWLS
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Just push it down.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39All right, all right. All right, good little boy.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42All right, all right.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44CUB SNARLS
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Now it's Poppy's turn, the supposedly quieter twin.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It's incredibly strong. You can sort of feel its power.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55CUB CONTINUES TO GROWL
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It's all right, all right.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09All done, the cubs are quickly reunited with Mum.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14As soon as they've gone back in with Mum and they realise that Mum
0:12:14 > 0:12:16was there to protect them, they're completely calm again.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19They're almost going back to sleep in the back corner there now, so...
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Yeah, they're all fine now.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And we'll be back as Poppy and Winston begin to explore
0:12:24 > 0:12:26the great outdoors.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Joining Kate and I again this Easter is Jean Johansson.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38She'll continue to help the keepers find new ways to keep the
0:12:38 > 0:12:41animals at the park busy and well-fed.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Her first appointment is with a mob of nosy meerkats.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Looking after the meerkats can be a real challenge.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56They're fast and determined, which means getting them to spend
0:12:56 > 0:13:00time hunting for their food can be over as soon as it's begun.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So today we're going to try something to try and make
0:13:03 > 0:13:05feeding time last a little bit longer.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- Kat, what's the plan?- I've actually got an ostrich egg here.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Why have you got an ostrich egg?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13By giving them an ostrich egg, it'll hopefully make them work
0:13:13 > 0:13:14a little bit harder,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- so we've actually drilled some holes into this one.- Mm-hmm.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Oh, yeah, there's some mealworms in here.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20So we've got some mealworms in there already,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I've got some more if you fancy kind of putting some in for me.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- OK, we'll put some more in here. - Yeah, just one or two.- Yeah.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30So we want the food to be spread out more evenly, rather than
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- just for one, and you're hoping that this egg is going to do the trick.- Hopefully.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35- So what should we do? Place it down here?- Yeah.- OK.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Let's place it down for them. - Let's try and lure them out.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Will I...well, you give them your special call,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- I know you've got a special call. - I do indeed, yeah.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44..and I'll sprinkle round some mealworms.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48SHE WHISTLES
0:13:49 > 0:13:51You can see our little ones coming over now.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55There's something nice in there. There's something nice in here.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Oh, he's having a good go at that.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01We're really seen him working with that egg.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03His nose is going in the hole,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05so he can sense that there's a treat in there.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07You can see that already the little ones are kind of sussing
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- things out and sticking their... - They're starting to get used...
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Sticking their noses, to know that the smell is there.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14They're actually really, really good diggers,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17so with the egg being rolled around they'll be able to put their
0:14:17 > 0:14:19little claws in and hopefully pull out the mealworms.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22So it's really working. It's a great enrichment for them.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23They're very curious,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25I can see little noses going in all the holes there.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Naturally, meerkats would probably come across lots of eggs in
0:14:29 > 0:14:31the wild, so it's really nice to be able to mimic what they would
0:14:31 > 0:14:33naturally come across.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Not often they would find an ostrich egg, that they wouldn't get.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38It's really everything we wanted to see from this exercise,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and if they've got something like this to work with,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44naturally feeding and hunting for food will take a little bit longer.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Indeed, yeah, and that's exactly the result that we wanted,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49so it has...yeah, it's been awesome.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01Over 100 staff come to work each day to help care for over 1,000 animals.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06It's their job to work out what's needed to help them live
0:15:06 > 0:15:10a long, happy life, no matter how big the task in hand.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Last year, we told you the painful but thankfully now
0:15:15 > 0:15:18heart-warming story of Anne, Britain's last circus elephant,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22who came here for retirement, free from cruelty.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Since then, the keepers have remained committed to her
0:15:24 > 0:15:26rehabilitation,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and she's continued to surprise everyone with her progress.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31But it hasn't been easy.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Now in her 60s, Anne is one of Europe's oldest elephants.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45She had spent most of her life in the circus,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48leaving her traumatised and mistreated.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49She could barely lift her trunk.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56In 2011, she arrived at Longleat under police escort and soon
0:15:56 > 0:15:59moved into her own purpose-built retirement home,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03complete with large grass paddock, sandpit,
0:16:03 > 0:16:08pool, and most importantly a team of keepers dedicated just to her.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14They have worked tirelessly to improve her body and mind.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's beginning to pay off.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19She now has full use of her trunk
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and even seeks interaction with her keepers.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Have a good night. He'll get you tomorrow.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31But as the years march on,
0:16:31 > 0:16:36there's a serious yet familiar condition they must help her with.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Well, with Anne's age,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41the specific problems that we've got with her as an individual are
0:16:41 > 0:16:44her back legs, she is arthritic, we're aware of that.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47You cannot just get rid of arthritis, it's one of these things
0:16:47 > 0:16:50you've got to live with, but also you need to exercise as well.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52You need to get some movement in there.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53And Anne being Anne, she...
0:16:53 > 0:16:56If she can get away with it, she won't do it.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00So it's just trying to do things like enrichment or put her scatter
0:17:00 > 0:17:03feeds that little bit further away so it just promotes her to
0:17:03 > 0:17:07exercise a bit more without her actually thinking that she's
0:17:07 > 0:17:10working hard for it, if you know what I mean.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Ross and the team have created a daily exercise routine to
0:17:15 > 0:17:18help rehabilitate and stretch her limbs.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23What we're after is for you to walk over that log without touching it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Can you do that?
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Let's see.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30They place logs for her to step over,
0:17:30 > 0:17:35encouraging Anne to lift her back legs instead of dragging them.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38So, as she walked in, she's quite slow anyway,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41but her front feet should go over pretty easy.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43There you go, Anne. Move up.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Like so.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49You can see the back legs, they kind of drag a bit, she kind of
0:17:49 > 0:17:52uses that log a little bit at the moment just to get her feet over.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Good go, Anne. Move on.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57What would make me happy would be her to hurdle it.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But unfortunately, being an older lady and an elephant,
0:18:00 > 0:18:01that's not going to happen,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05but what we're trying to aim for is for her to actually lift those feet
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and use those muscles to lift the feet off the floor, over the log.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11But I think that's going to take some time,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14but the more we do it, the better she'll get.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's a complex problem,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22so they've enlisted the help of an expert in the field -
0:18:22 > 0:18:26animal osteopath Tony Nevin.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30He's been treating humans and animals for over 25 years.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Clever technology allows him to begin his examination from
0:18:36 > 0:18:38outside the enclosure.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42This is an infrared thermal imaging camera.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It basically just reads the heat signature off living tissue.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Now, with Anne, we know she's got particular problems, and it's
0:18:49 > 0:18:54a nice way of looking at her without having to do really invasive tests.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Hot areas show up as red and white.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01They indicate a lot of blood flow, which can signify pain.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05While darker colours can indicate a lack of blood flow and
0:19:05 > 0:19:07potentially different problems.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Her trunk is really hot, which you'd expect,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12there's lots of muscles in that.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Her tail is perpetually cold, so from halfway down it's pitch-black.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19That's something we just want to keep an eye on,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22because you don't want her bashing the tail and it becoming injured,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25because she might not be able to feel it as well.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30But today it's the shoulder and hip muscles Tony's keen to work on.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33A little bit warm over the base of her...
0:19:33 > 0:19:36sort of where her spine and pelvis meet,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and this is one of the reasons why I want to get her lifting her
0:19:39 > 0:19:42back legs a bit more, so she's not just working that part of the
0:19:42 > 0:19:47back, she's actually flexing the legs a little bit more.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51With the problem area identified, Ross and Luke start getting
0:19:51 > 0:19:53her loosened up with a jumbo spa treatment.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00We use a pressure washer, so that helps with the muscles and stuff.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02It just means that we can get that blood flowing,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and if she's warmed up and we can really see then what we need
0:20:05 > 0:20:08to attack, if anything, if any problems,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11it shows up a bit more when she's had a nice warm bath.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Osteopathy involves the careful manipulation of muscles and
0:20:16 > 0:20:19joints to try and increase mobility,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23relieve muscle tension and enhance blood supply to tissues.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27By gently working like this, I can just work with her
0:20:27 > 0:20:31and see where she wants to lean.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34You've got 3-plus tonnes of animal,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36how am I going to be able to affect this?
0:20:36 > 0:20:39So you have to sort of think outside the box
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and use her weight to do a lot of the work.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Now I'm pushing up, effectively,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46into her left shoulder at the moment, she's leaning her
0:20:46 > 0:20:50weight here, she's taking the weight off the left front foot.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54What this does is it makes it easier for her to move about but also,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58at rest, she uses less energy cos she's not holding muscles as tight.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00It looks easy, but she's pushing quite a lot of weight against
0:21:00 > 0:21:04me and I'm locked against this post behind me.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06So I usually go away thinking, "Oh, that was quite nice,"
0:21:06 > 0:21:11and then the next day I'm a bit sort of achy in certain places.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13With the help from Tony and the keepers,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18the hope is that Anne will continue to thrive for many years to come.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Since Anne arrived here, we have seen her get a lot stronger,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26both physically but also mentally, the way she interacts with people.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30She's begun vocalising a little bit. Her skin, muscles,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33everything about her, she's eating well, her teeth are brilliant.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35She's just an absolute model patient.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37She's fantastic.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Last summer, we brought you the incredible moment
0:21:48 > 0:21:51when two red panda cubs were born at the park.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It was particularly good news, because red pandas have become so
0:21:54 > 0:21:58threatened in the wild they're classified as endangered,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01with less than 10,000 individuals on the planet.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03As we're discovering today,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07all the new babies here have been growing up fast over the winter.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- Hi, Sam.- Hi. - I was expecting wee babies.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- These all look pretty fully grown. - I know. They're growing so fast.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Hello.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17So, where's our babies, where's our cubs?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19This is Mum, and then we've got Dad in the middle,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21and this is one of our babies just here at the front.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- They're all exactly the same size almost.- They are.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26They're absolutely huge. They've grown very fast.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28So how can you tell which ones are the cubs and which ones
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- are Mum and Dad?- The cubs have slightly different facial markings,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- they're also a lot fluffier... - Mm-hmm.- So they have kind of like
0:22:34 > 0:22:37a baby coat, it's very fluffy and very cute. And as they get bigger,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39they'll moult that out and eventually look like the adults.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- So there was two girls born...- Yes. - What did you call them?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45This is Tika and the other one is called Pima.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Lovely girls.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48I know you were delighted when they were born.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- How important is it to get new cubs? - So important.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53These guys are endangered in the wild.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Anything we can do in captivity to boost the population is just
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- so important.- And these cubs will become part of a breeding programme.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Tell me how that works.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Yeah, that's right, so we're very lucky,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05we've got two little girls, females are very valuable for breeding,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07of course, so when these guys are about a year old,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10they'll go off to another collection and hopefully be matched up
0:23:10 > 0:23:12with boyfriends and hopefully continue the breeding programme.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Quite nerve-racking for me thinking of them going off,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- but really exciting as well.- Yeah.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It's lovely to catch up with them seven months on.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21You're doing well.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Last summer, I was also lucky enough to have a close encounter
0:23:35 > 0:23:40with one of the park's new babies, a hand-reared penguin chick.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Hello. Hello. Would you like to come here? Hello. There you go.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- There we go.- OK, so...- And hold it just under my arm like...- Yeah.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- So he's...- Oh, look!- There we go. - I've fallen in love.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- Hello. So, who have I got here? - So you've got Echo.- Echo.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55And I have got Ant.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Keeper Georgia and her team are responsible for this bustling
0:23:58 > 0:24:01colony of 34 Humboldt penguins,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05including 12 breeding pairs and seven young penguin chicks.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Would you say you have a pretty unique bond with these guys?
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Definitely.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12They talk to us quite a lot, they see us as their parents,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14effectively.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18But last September, tragedy struck.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Head of animal operations
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Darren Beasley was forced to close the doors to Penguin Island
0:24:24 > 0:24:28while its inhabitants battled a deadly disease.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35Some weeks ago, we found a very poorly penguin and it died,
0:24:35 > 0:24:40and the instant diagnosis for this particular bird was that it
0:24:40 > 0:24:42had a thing called avian malaria.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Now, lots of people know how dangerous it is for humans,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49but this particular malaria is specific to birds, and in fact
0:24:49 > 0:24:53penguins are one of the species that are very susceptible to it.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Harmless to humans,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02avian malaria is carried by mosquitoes and can be deadly.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Once a bird is bitten,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06its bloodstream is infected with parasites.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So in here we have Peaches and Penelope.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Unfortunately neither of them can keep food down at the moment,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21so we're providing them with small chunks or fish soup mixture.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Treating the disease has a severe impact on the immune system,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32making their resistance to other infections dangerously low.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We got rid of malaria more or less straight away in that first
0:25:35 > 0:25:39course of treatment, but the birds without the immune system are
0:25:39 > 0:25:42open to all the other bacteria and germs and things that are in
0:25:42 > 0:25:46the air, so one by one they had breathing difficulties or
0:25:46 > 0:25:48they had some fungus.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50And it's this horrible decline.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Their enclosure has become a ghost town.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Of 34 penguins, just seven remain.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06We've lost so many birds, it's so devastating, and to see your
0:26:06 > 0:26:09world sort of crumble around you and the heartbreak that causes, it's...
0:26:09 > 0:26:11it's been a pretty dreadful time.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You know, the penguin keepers, they've hatched these
0:26:14 > 0:26:17birds out of eggs, you know, they've hand-reared them, they've...
0:26:17 > 0:26:20day and night they've been feeding and rearing and watching them
0:26:20 > 0:26:22growing, and they're dying in their arms.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28For Georgia, every loss is heart-wrenching.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32I've spent the last four years with the penguins,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34and they're like my children.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39People do say, "Don't get too attached to animals,"
0:26:39 > 0:26:41but when you're working with them
0:26:41 > 0:26:45pretty much every single day of the year, it's very hard not to.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Georgia's closest bond was with Ant,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55the penguin chick she'd hand-reared since she was hatched.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00I've spent a lot of time and encouragement with Ant to start
0:27:00 > 0:27:03eating, so she can come and move in with the colony.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05And she's doing very well.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But Ant was one of the many who didn't make it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15I got very upset when, unfortunately,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I found Ant in the morning, so that's the...
0:27:19 > 0:27:21worst loss for me.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28Humboldt penguins mate for life, but only one breeding pair remains.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Most, like Princess, are now alone.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Princess has unfortunately lost her partner Eusebir,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40and also her baby as well.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44So unfortunately she's not had a good summer either.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47No-one can tell us how an animal feels,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but Georgia's convinced this colony has been gravely affected.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I believe penguins get sad, and they do bray and they do call for
0:27:55 > 0:27:59their partners a few days after they've lost them.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02PENGUIN BRAYS
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Experienced keepers like Ryan are on hand to support their
0:28:10 > 0:28:15colleagues who may be going through this for the first time.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19He was working with the giraffes in 2013 when a disease hit,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21claiming five of the herd.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25When you have an event like this, you know,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28an illness or sickness or bug, whatever, going through
0:28:28 > 0:28:32your animals, it is just a horrendous feeling.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37It's really difficult to keep coming in, day after day after day,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40when you really don't know what you're going to walk into.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Your focus has to naturally be on the ones that still,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48you know, have a chance of being saved.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Thankfully, I think with science on our side, you know,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56we've managed to sort of curtail it. I'm hoping we're through the worst.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00GEORGIA WHISTLES
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Good boy, Nick. Good boy.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Georgia is hopeful that her precious remaining penguins might
0:29:07 > 0:29:09finally be on the road to recovery.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12This is what we want them to be doing.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14This is natural behaviour.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Preening their coats, having a swim, and eating food out the water.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21And I get very excited every day now if another penguin
0:29:21 > 0:29:23has started to eat,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26so it's very encouraging signs that they're getting back to normality.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28We've got to pick ourselves up.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30We've got to say, "Right, there is a future,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34"you've got to look to next season and breeding, and we've lost
0:29:34 > 0:29:37"so many pairs and so many youngsters from pairs,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39"we have got to rebuild."
0:29:39 > 0:29:42So, you know, I've put the requests out to all our
0:29:42 > 0:29:46penguin friends in the UK and Europe, and I'm hoping that we will
0:29:46 > 0:29:49get birds from other collections and we will rebuild.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Earlier, we brought you some wonderful news -
0:30:01 > 0:30:04the arrival of the first cheetah cubs to ever be born at the park.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I went up to the house to do my morning checks.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09As soon as I opened the door,
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Wilma came straight over and I just saw them on the floor behind.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17I was like, "There's little cheetah babies! Oh, my God!"
0:30:17 > 0:30:22Twins Poppy and Winston are now five months old.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Now they've had their inoculations,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27it's only a matter of weeks until they'll come face-to-face
0:30:27 > 0:30:30with visitors' cars driving through their enclosure.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35As they become increasingly independent from their mother,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39it's important they keep well away from the cars.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Nice and secure.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43So Amy wants to encourage them to explore toys in their
0:30:43 > 0:30:45enclosure instead.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50We're all set up, so you've got rope ball up in the tree,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53we've got a larger tube and a smaller tube all set up around us.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57So we're ready to let them out. So...can't wait.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07The twins have never seen anything like this before.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11It's a huge first step into their life in the safari park.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15But will they dare to leave Mum and have a play?
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Winston's having a good old look. Poppy is as well, actually.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23They're quite level in their interest. They're sort of...
0:31:23 > 0:31:25scouting around and having a good look,
0:31:25 > 0:31:27not getting too close at the minute.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Quite happy to actually spread apart, they're not staying together.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34And Wilma's...Wilma's having a look, she's going for the tube.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37But it'll probably take a bit longer just to get their confidence
0:31:37 > 0:31:40of the new smells around it, just checking it out,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43making sure it's nothing that's going to do them any harm.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47There's nothing like a tantalising treat to encourage adventure.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50So Amy left some chunks of meat for them to find.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57Wilma has caught the scent and is showing her babies the way.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00She's found the meat, and the cubs have literally just ran up.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02This is really exciting.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04I think the little tube will help as well, because it's
0:32:04 > 0:32:07a bit smaller, so they can see out the other end a bit clearer,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10and hopefully they'll build their confidence in that one.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- Poppy's running through the tube. - SHE LAUGHS
0:32:13 > 0:32:16And one of them's just gone through the big tube as well.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Oh, this is great.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21And out the other side. Yay!
0:32:24 > 0:32:28It's not just the cubs' development that is significant.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31This is also an important day for mum Wilma.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Loosening the apron strings isn't easy,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38but she seems happy to allow her growing cubs a bit more freedom.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40She was the first one up there,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43but she's now relaxed and just letting them play.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46She's watching, she's having a good roll around as well, and they keep
0:32:46 > 0:32:48going up to her and just making sure
0:32:48 > 0:32:50they're OK to go back and play again.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52It's building their confidence all the time.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Great success.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Wilma's enjoying it, and both cubs are having a great time up there.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And it's great for us to watch. It really is great for us to watch.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02This is what we come to work for.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07The keepers will spend the next months testing
0:33:07 > 0:33:10a whole range of new ideas on these cats.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Some of the big cats have been at the park for 20 years,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18so the variety of enrichment ideas need to be huge.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20LIONS GROWL
0:33:20 > 0:33:24We've asked Amy to meet us over with some of the bigger, older residents,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28to find out why it's so important to keep those ideas coming.
0:33:28 > 0:33:34These guys trash a lot of things that you spend a long time making.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Oh, it takes us a very long time to make anything and...
0:33:37 > 0:33:39yeah, within a few minutes, they can destroy it.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41And obviously coming up with enrichment ideas is really
0:33:41 > 0:33:43fun, doing them is really fun,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46but it is very good for the animals themselves as well, isn't it?
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Definitely. Not just for their minds, stimulating their minds,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52but also for their muscles. It's very important.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Lions are quite lazy, so they're
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- sitting around, they're not doing a lot during the day.- Yeah.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59So it is very important to get them moving and get them using
0:33:59 > 0:34:03- their muscles.- So it's actually, effectively it's making them do a
0:34:03 > 0:34:06bit more for their food than just sort of lie around
0:34:06 > 0:34:09- and it be delivered. - Exactly. Exactly.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12LION SNARLS
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Well, Amy has challenged her team to come up with
0:34:17 > 0:34:21a completely new big idea that will encourage their natural
0:34:21 > 0:34:26hunting instincts, and Jean has headed over to see how it goes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Oh, wow! This looks amazing, Eloise!
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- Yes.- What a big operation.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Tell me how this is going to work today.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36So we've brought in lots of boxes, which we've filled,
0:34:36 > 0:34:37some which have got meat in,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40some have just got straw in with a little bit of blood as
0:34:40 > 0:34:42encouragement,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44and then just a couple of scattered pieces around as well.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47So most people would think of lions as being great hunters,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51you know, "king of the jungle", prowling around to find their food,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53- but they actually do a lot of scavenging.- Yeah, definitely.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56They're not actually that great at hunting.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59African wild dogs and cheetah are much better at hunting than them.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02So they will actually scavenge from the food that those animals can
0:35:02 > 0:35:05hunt and kill. Also hyenas, they'll scavenge from them.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08The only animal that they can't actually take meat from is
0:35:08 > 0:35:10leopards, because the leopards take the meat up the tree.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Hopefully they're going to smell this meat,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14- come bounding over the hill, and go for it.- Definitely.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17And of course we've also got our trusty log cam.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20That's going to be picking up all the action, so good luck.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28- Right, are we ready to go? - Yes, we're all good.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32- Oh, here they come now. - Oh, here they come.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Oh, what an amazing sight.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Some of the girls coming up and we've also got some...
0:35:37 > 0:35:38one of the big boys just behind them,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41so he's a lot quicker than normal.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48And someone's got stuck right into their box there.
0:35:48 > 0:35:49Pulled the box open.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52They're definitely going for the boxes quickly.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53LION GROWLS
0:35:53 > 0:35:56You said you've never done this before, so they wouldn't know
0:35:56 > 0:35:58what the boxes are, but they've just gone right in there.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Is that their sense of smell?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Yeah, they'll definitely be able to smell the meat.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06- Oh, Klaus is not happy. - Just fling a box into us.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10We've got Jimba jumping up now. Ohh! Ooh! Oh, not quite.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Good to see them using those jumping skills as well.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Oh, you can see Simba's getting a little bit aggressive.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Could that be a little bit of competition for food?
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Yeah, he's trying to figure out which is the best box to have.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30We've got this big box right here with quite a lot of meat in it,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32but for some reason none of the lions are going for it.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Oh! Is that someone coming towards it now? Just sniffing round it.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- In you go.- Although they are kings of the jungle,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41is what they get called, they are still very cautious,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44they do want to survive, they don't know what's going to be in that.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47So anything new, they're always a bit like, "What's going on?"
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Oh, look, they've knocked over log cam!
0:36:53 > 0:36:56So the fact that they're not getting into this box right away is
0:36:56 > 0:36:59delaying their feed a little bit, so that's good for them.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Yes, definitely.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03The day is more exciting for them,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06which is what we want, we want them to have an enriched day.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Normally they will sleep, but they might just keep scavenging
0:37:08 > 0:37:12because they might think there's more out there.
0:37:12 > 0:37:13And Tana's come back to this box,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16so she knows that there's definitely something in there.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- Yeah, that's good to see.- She's just a bit more cautious of it.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23- There you go, she's found a piece. - Oh, there, she got the prize.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24Well done.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27It's great to see this pride displaying some of the
0:37:27 > 0:37:30behaviours they would as scavengers in the wild.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Back now to Penguin Island,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41where the process of rebuilding the colony has begun.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46In the end, only six survived the outbreak of avian malaria,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50but other collections did answer Darren and Georgia's call for help.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54And now there are seven new mouths to feed.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59As soon as we got the penguins, we brought them in and mixed
0:37:59 > 0:38:02them immediately with our original penguins.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05We'll just let them settle in and get used to their new friends,
0:38:05 > 0:38:10leaving them alone to get used to their enclosure inside as well.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11SHE WHISTLES
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Until today, they've remained indoors,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18but the time has come for Georgia to try and lure them outside.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Hello.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Some of the new penguins are getting more confident,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26coming over to us and feeding from our hands.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29But they're not all keen to explore.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31I think it's going to take a while.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34It's going to take quite a long time to get them used to coming outside.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Bruno. Come on then.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39- SHE WHISTLES - Good boy, Django.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42They are very curious, penguins are, and they like to explore new
0:38:42 > 0:38:46areas, but it will take a while for them to pop their head outside.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Penguins! Come on!
0:38:49 > 0:38:51We've got Darwin.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Darwin's only a chick, so he's about nine months old now.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56He's very friendly.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Darwin. Come on then.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59You going to have it if I throw it?
0:38:59 > 0:39:01Catch it. Good boy.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04And Flower as well. She's a little bit delicate.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Flower's being brave.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09You going to come out?
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Yeah! Well done.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Well done.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18GEORGIA WHISTLES
0:39:19 > 0:39:22It'll be really interesting when it does come to breeding season,
0:39:22 > 0:39:24what will happen,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28because there are some original penguins that don't have mates.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31We do have more girls than boys, but that does give the opportunity
0:39:31 > 0:39:36to the boys to have a partner each, so that the males aren't fighting
0:39:36 > 0:39:39over females, however the females do fight over the boys.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45Whoever they end up with, the team are hoping that, for some of
0:39:45 > 0:39:50the breeding pairs, it will result in the tiny patter of penguin feet.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Once one penguin couple starts mating,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56it sets off the rest of them, so it'll get the ball rolling
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and hopefully they'll choose their set partners.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05With an expanding population to plan for,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09the penguin team once again have a future to look forward to.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14We've got a blooming good set of keepers here, you know.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18For them to be dragged emotionally through what they've been,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21to see them get through that and the strength that they have
0:40:21 > 0:40:23together, I'm really proud.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26As much as we'll always remember our original penguins, they were
0:40:26 > 0:40:28like our children and our grandchildren,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31we'll have that again, eventually.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
0:40:48 > 0:40:52One of the greatest privileges for Kate and I working on Animal Park
0:40:52 > 0:40:56over the years is when we're introduced to new baby animals.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00And today is no different, because we've come up to meet Amy
0:41:00 > 0:41:02- and these two magnificent cheetah... - KATE GASPS
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- Oh, my goodness! - ..Winston and Poppy.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Oh, look at them with their little Mohicans!
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Hello, sweethearts.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13- Now grumbling over here, is this Mum?- This is Mum.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15She's being very protective.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17I mean, they are fantastically protective, aren't they, as mums?
0:41:17 > 0:41:21Yeah, incredibly. She's been an absolutely amazing mum so far, yeah.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25The first time for her. Amazing that she's done so well.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27- So how old are Winston and Poppy now?- So they're five months old now.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Awww. And I love the fact that they've got these little Mohicans,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- and they last for quite a long time, don't they?- They do, yes.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- They are starting to go.- Awww. - Which is very cute.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- So which one's this one?- So this is Winston.- Hello, Winston.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- And is he the braver one of the two? - He is the braver one.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45And have they got very distinct personalities already?
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Yes, completely.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Winston would do absolutely everything...- Yeah.- But Poppy
0:41:50 > 0:41:52does...she does come over eventually.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- She will also follow Winston... - Right.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56..but he is always the first one to come over.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00I mean, from a sort of conservation point of view,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04cheetahs are very endangered in the wild.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Winston and Poppy are...
0:42:07 > 0:42:10really important to the future of the species, aren't they?
0:42:10 > 0:42:13They are. They are very important.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Mum and Dad Wilma and Carl both came from Africa,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- so we've be finding homes for them already, people want them.- Really?
0:42:18 > 0:42:21- They're that important that they'll carry on breeding.- And...
0:42:21 > 0:42:23I was going to say so you can carry on breeding from them.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27- This is a genetic line that they can help extend.- Definitely.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30I tell you what, I'm going to stay here and do a little bit of bonding
0:42:30 > 0:42:36with these absolutely gorgeous and incredibly important cats.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38You guys are the future. Do you know that?
0:42:38 > 0:42:43And you can all find out what's happening on tomorrow's programme.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46The team attempt to stop a killer disease in its tracks.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Most of the things in here will either jump on you or eat you.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52It's a huge undertaking.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Jean must perform a pedicure on the pygmy goats.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58But she's got to catch them first. LAUGHTER
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Oh! Who's that?
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Steady, steady, steady.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06And the park are on tenterhooks as a critically endangered calf is born.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09You just can't guarantee anything.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13There's all that and more coming up on the next Animal Park.