Episode 3 Animal Park


Episode 3

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Last year, a pride of lions here was given 24-hour access to their large outdoor enclosure.

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Now, the lions are settling in really well, but the keepers have no idea what they get up to at night.

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In the wild, of course, lions would be very active after dark, but

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in captivity, will they prowl around or will they stay tucked up in bed?

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So, on today's programme, for the very first time,

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the keepers are going to have night vision cameras to find out

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what this lot get up to and do the lions really sleep tonight?

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-Go on, girls.

-Go on.

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Also on today's show...

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Keeper Ian risks life and limb for the killer shot of Africa's

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deadliest animal.

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They wake up in the morning grumpy and they go to bed grumpy.

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Jean meets Animal Adventure's strangest resident.

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Wow! He's just completely turned into a little ball!

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How amazing is that?

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And what happens when an animal wants to explore outside

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-their enclosure?

-I've got cars coming in,

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so he knows that he's got a perfect opportunity. And there goes Dave.

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Since our return to the park last summer,

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we've been following the progress of Anne the elephant.

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She has three keepers and it's been their job to rehabilitate her

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after a long life in the circus.

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When she arrived, Anne could barely lift her trunk above her head,

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but thanks to daily games devised by her keepers, all that has changed.

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Today, Jean is catching up with keepers Luke, Ross

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and Kev to find out about their latest invention,

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which should deliver her a special treat today.

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-Hi, guys.

-Hi, Jean.

-How are you?

-We're good.

-What are you doing here?

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I know you guys are always coming up with new games for her,

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-so what's this?

-This is an enrichment that we call popcorn.

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Basically, it's a steel tube, we've cooked some popcorn up for her,

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and hopefully when we let Anne in, she can blow through the bottom and shower herself with it,

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or she can put her trunk up and suck it through the top. So it's just a way of enriching her, feeding her,

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in a different way. Elephants naturally browse anyway, they put their trunk in the air, and because

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Anne has spent a lot of time in her life just eating off the floor,

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a lot of the muscles kind of went a little bit weak in her trunk.

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-And now we've exercised it, she's getting really good use of it.

-Excellent. That's great to see.

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The plan is, feed the popcorn through the top and then

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Anne's trunk is going to come and blow the popcorn through,

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-so how much air does that take?

-It takes quite a lot.

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-An elephant, when it sneezes, can actually knock out a dog. It's that powerful.

-Wow!

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-So she's got a lot of volume in her lungs.

-That's amazing.

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-Hopefully, we're going to see that work perfectly.

-Absolutely, yeah.

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It's lovely to see her again. Come on over, Anne.

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Always at her own pace.

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-Moseying on over. How does she usually explore things?

-Usually, it's with the trunk.

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-Their trunk is their main piece of equipment.

-Nice to see you.

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The trunk does everything - smell, grab, pull, push.

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And I can see those little fingers on the end.

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She's an Asian elephant, so she just has the one,

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whereas the Africans tend to have two. You can see she's got one.

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-I can see that right there.

-It's sort of like a little lip.

-Hi, Anne. We've got a treat for you.

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We've got a treat for you, Anne. So, what will make her decide whether she goes up high or

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-down low?

-I think she'll get as much as she can from the top and then she

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knows there's more in there that she can't reach.

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Then she'll figure out about blowing the bottom, probably remember,

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-as she goes up.

-Up she goes.

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And that's great, because she swung right up there,

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-so she's using muscles inside the trunk.

-Yeah, exactly.

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Even though she's not using the device as intended yet,

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we'd like her to blow from the bottom, it is lovely to see her be

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able to get that trunk up there and use the control to get what she can.

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Oh, she's enjoying that popcorn. She got a right good handful of popcorn there and then again,

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just swung her trunk straight back up to get more. So that's great.

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Yeah, it's a big win for us three when we see her being able to

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control her trunk so high and for such a period of time.

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So it's a muscle that you really trained.

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Yeah, we just put things in place to promote her to just put that

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exercise in cos she's an old girl.

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If she can get away with not exercising, she will.

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She's doing well. And she's so intelligent.

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To remember that game, first of all, remember how it works.

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An elephant never forgets and we like to make things as fun as

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possible, so there's a memory of it, so hopefully all our devices,

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she'll remember how to play it cos it was fun for her.

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I can hear something being blown down the tube there.

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What's she doing?

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Well, she's blowing through the top cos now she's reached what

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she can, so she's blowing down to bounce it off the mesh and up.

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-Oh, very clever.

-Which works to a certain extent.

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She's pushing a lot of air down there.

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I've got some popcorn and some elephant snot on the end of my hand as well.

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-She's so precise and controlled in her movements as well.

-Yeah, she is.

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What we really want to see her doing is getting that trunk

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-underneath and blowing some popcorn up in the air.

-Yeah.

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And we'll stay here all day if we have to.

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Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long and our cameras were

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perfectly placed to capture the action.

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Yeah, nice.

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Well done, Anne.

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-BEN:

-Anne is constantly amazing her keepers, and enrichment

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devices like these are really improving her wellbeing.

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But on the other side of the park,

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there's another character who is just well annoying.

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I would describe Dave as being mischievous,

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at times a complete pain in the behind.

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I think he's a very cheeky chappie. Very intelligent individual.

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He can be a little bit of a tricky character, actually, at the moment.

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It's causing us a few issues here and there.

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Dave is being particularly persistent,

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in terms of being a naughty chap.

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So it's reaching the point where we do need to try and address it in some kind of way.

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So, who is Dave?

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He's not a wayward keeper...

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but, in fact, one of the thousand or so animals that live at the park.

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This is Dave.

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He's one of the park's Canadian timber wolves.

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In the wild, these iconic animals have seemingly endless stamina...

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..hunting and roaming across hundreds of miles of territory,

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surviving in complex pack structures.

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There are just three at the park currently and they

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enjoy 24-hour access to their large enclosure.

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But this small pack has a black sheep. And that's Dave.

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Here's Dave, just running along the road right now.

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Rachel is one of the keepers responsible for maintaining

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order in Wolf Wood. She knows Dave better than most.

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Dave is brilliant. They're each characters,

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but it's just Dave is the star up here, I would say.

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He will test you.

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He loves to play games with you at certain points where

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he just makes you try and make that one mistake and he's just got you.

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Dave's latest campaign is proving particularly problematic for Rachel.

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Like clockwork, at 3pm, naturally inquisitive Dave tries to explore

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the area outside his enclosure and thinks he's found a way to do it.

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Dave waits for cars to come into the section to make his move.

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He waits for his opportunity, he's so intelligent,

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he knows it's going to happen.

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If there's a gap, he's going to take it.

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But this is no laughing matter.

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The timber wolf enclosure is located at the southernmost tip of

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the safari park, close to the lions.

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Metal fences and strips of

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no man's land called a safety lock separate these predators.

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A skilfully manned system allows thousands of cars to pass

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through on the busiest days.

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Lock five to second section patrol.

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Is it possible to get a guard up here?

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I've got a couple of lions playing around.

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It's safe for now,

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but Tilly thinks Dave's getting a bit too close for comfort.

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It's very important that he doesn't get actually into the lock system.

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Dave in himself is dangerous,

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but he will rile up the other animals and, worse-case scenario,

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you can have them all converging on the same area,

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all getting very angry.

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Very, very serious.

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It's three o'clock in the wolf enclosure and Rachel is

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preparing herself for Dave's daily wander.

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As you can see, Dave is up, he's about.

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He's got the other two following him.

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You can just see by Dave's posture at the moment that he's like,

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"I'm thinking about it."

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Cheeky Dave's been biding his time until the park gets busy.

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I've got cars now coming into the section.

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So he knows that he's got a perfect opportunity.

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And this is where the fun begins, of trying to make sure you

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reverse back to create no space whatsoever for Dave to sneak down.

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I could drive at him,

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but he may sort of, like, make me make a mistake, like so.

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Getting in the wrong gear. Exactly what Dave's waiting for.

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Just a constant, like, game of chess, and as soon as I can,

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I will be trying to get him out of this little fence cos I'm

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holding up traffic at the moment. Yes, Dave. I can see you.

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And don't bat your eyelids at me cos you're not getting past. Please.

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Keep going.

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Drive.

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And then, hopefully, guide him out.

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He's again still adamant that he's getting down. Ooh.

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It's not good.

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I don't like this, Dave.

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Don't want to keep doing this.

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See, and then you've got members of the public and again,

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I cannot manoeuvre cos I've got people...and Dave knows.

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And I'm going to hit the fence, and there goes Dave.

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He's going down in between the cars because

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he knows that I can't stop him.

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Dave has left his enclosure and entered the lock.

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It's still a safe area, but it's one step closer to the lions.

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With Rachel watching his back, Declan heads out on foot to

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carefully coax Dave back into Wolf Wood.

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Hold up a little bit, wait for him to get on the road.

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I'm going to be driving across,

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so that I don't stop him going that way.

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And the only way he's going to go is up in through the slip fence,

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so I'm just going to hold off and do it like so.

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And chase him.

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By working together, they get Dave home.

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But one thing is for certain, Rachel and the team must come up with

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a strategy to try and encourage him to stay there.

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At the beginning of the week, we saw how a fatal disease,

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avian malaria, devastated the penguin colony.

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Treating the disease claimed even more lives.

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Of a colony of 34 birds, just seven survived.

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We've lost so many birds. It's so devastating.

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The penguin keepers, they've hatched these birds out of eggs and

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they're dying in their arms.

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Keepers worked around the clock to nurse the remaining penguins

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back to good health.

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And, with help from other collections,

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new birds started to arrive.

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And the park is rebuilding the colony with old faces and

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some new ones.

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I'm here with keeper Lucy. Lucy, we've got some penguins around us.

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-Yeah.

-We've got some food.

-Yeah, this is Pumpkin here.

-Hello, Pumpkin.

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She's always one of the first to come over. So you can hand feed her.

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There you go. How are they all doing now? How are they integrating?

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They're doing brilliantly. They're not like your average mammal where you need to spend weeks

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introducing, slowly getting them used to each other. They actually prefer the more, the better,

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cos they feel safer in larger groups. In terms of the new ones, they snap at each other, they'll

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shout at each other, tell each other off, but you don't really need to worry about it.

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You guys grow very attached. Do you have a favourite?

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-One of my favourites is probably this little one here. This is Princess.

-Hello, Princess.

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She's got a little bandage on her foot. She's just hurt her foot and we just have to keep it clean.

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She's one I've known since she was absolutely teeny tiny, so you do get very much attached.

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And what are hopes and aspirations for the future? Presumably that they'll actually find mates?

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Yeah, I would absolutely love for them to start bonding together, start showing

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a little bit of flirtation. The new ones have tried, bless them.

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You can tell which ones they are cos they're the ones hiding at the back a little bit.

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So far, originals aren't having it and they are just snapping at them and telling them to go away.

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We do however have this mated pair left. This is Readily and Peaches.

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They've been mated for quite a while. They're two of our

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originals, so we are hoping they'll start breeding in the future.

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We did have a mated pair join us from the other collection and that

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is Bruno, who is this one with the blue tag with the yellow bead on it.

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He is our very greedy boy. I'm surprised he hasn't run over and

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stolen all the fish already. His missus is quite far at the back.

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In fact, I think that's her waddling towards us right now.

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She's called Mars, and hopefully they'll be very good parents

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because Readily and Peaches haven't been the greatest in the past.

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They do like to leave their eggs unattended every so often.

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And we'd love to have a few more and build our colony up again,

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-so it looks a bit busier.

-Thank you, Lucy.

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Well, after the devastating news from last year, I'm thrilled

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to see that the future for the penguins here is looking so bright.

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Lions were the first animal to arrive at the park when it

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opened in 1966.

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They were the key to a potentially dangerous but also pioneering

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plan - semi-wild animals living in a drive through enclosure,

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deep in the Wiltshire countryside.

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Last year, we saw how the park was changing to create

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a new super enclosure for its famous lions.

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Two and a half kilometres of new fencing was installed at

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a cost of over £500,000.

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Lead keeper Caleb oversaw the lion move and

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has been monitoring their behaviour ever since.

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So, it's been roughly seven months since we've moved them across

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into their brand-new enclosure.

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They're still exploring it, to be honest.

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They're still climbing different trees and, yeah,

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they are absolutely loving it.

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They each can find a bit of space in their new enclosure to kind

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of do their own thing,

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so we're seeing a lot of different behaviour in that section

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compared to the other one, so, yeah, absolutely love it.

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At the end of each day, most lions in captivity are put to bed in their

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pens, but out in the wild, they would be highly active after dark.

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Instead of being locked in at night,

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these lions now have 24-hour access to a special night-time paddock.

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They constantly explore their enormous daytime enclosure,

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but the keepers have no idea if they venture out of their beds at night.

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Very often we hear as we're driving in in the morning or driving home,

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the lions roaring and things, so we kind of want to know what they get up to overnight.

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So, tonight, we're going to set up some cameras into the paddock and, hopefully,

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we're going to learn how much they actually use the paddock and

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what areas they use and just see what they get up to overnight.

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Cos it's sort of a burning question that we've always wanted to

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know the answer to, how much and what they do outside.

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Come, lions!

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Night vision cameras could also help keepers get

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a better understanding of pride dynamics.

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During the day, the two adult males, Simba and Klaus,

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rule over the pride.

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Klaus is last.

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So this is our big male. He's 210 kilos.

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He normally is the last one in.

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He just waits for the others to go in to make sure that they're

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all in and if there is any threat, he's to deal with it outside.

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At night, when their instincts are heightened,

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this behaviour could be even more extreme.

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With all the lions secured in their house,

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Caleb and Eloise can start rigging the enclosure with cameras,

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which they hope will also survive the night.

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The cameras are going to be protected slightly because

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they're in a metal box.

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But you never know what the lions are going to do, do you?

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Hopefully, we get something good, but...fingers crossed.

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It's morning, and Caleb and Eloise have come in early to find

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out if their cameras survived and if the lions left their beds.

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It's pitch black in the lion enclosure and only with

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infrared cameras can we see.

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But not so for the lions.

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So we've got all the lions running out.

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Their eyes appear to be glowing because of

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a layer of tissue at the back of the eye

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which helps reflect all available light,

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giving them superior night vision over us humans.

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Enzi's there, just staring directly at us.

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It is quite daunting to see a lion's face at night cos their eyes

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are so illuminated.

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Also clear is another clever lion adaptation.

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The reason lions have those white patches under their eyes is to

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reflect light back into their eyes so they can see even better

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at night-time. So when she's night-time hunting, the pray probably won't be

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able to see her because their vision's not as good.

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Whereas she'll be able to see everything a lot clearer.

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It's typically the lionesses that do the hunting in the pride,

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-while the role of the male is to protect.

-That looks like Klaus.

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Klaus in the pouring rain outside.

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And true to form, as the biggest lion in the park,

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Klaus lets everybody know who is in charge tonight.

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HE ROARS

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A lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away,

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telling any potential rivals to keep out.

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HE ROARS

0:19:200:19:22

He's definitely the most dominant thing around the park.

0:19:220:19:25

Definitely, yeah. It's nice to see him bellow,

0:19:250:19:27

see his whole body moving as he's roaring into it.

0:19:270:19:30

-It's great.

-It's great to see.

0:19:300:19:32

-Could watch these guys all day.

-Yeah.

0:19:320:19:34

-And all night.

-And all night now, yeah.

0:19:340:19:37

Just as they would be in the wild,

0:19:370:19:39

these lions are incredibly active after dark.

0:19:390:19:43

It means the keepers have a whole new challenge.

0:19:430:19:46

They now need to totally rethink how they enrich the lives of the

0:19:460:19:50

lions, not just in daylight hours, but 24 hours a day.

0:19:500:19:55

This is absolutely fantastic. The footage we've captured is brilliant.

0:19:550:19:59

We know what they're doing.

0:19:590:20:00

But we have a plan to try and get them more active overnight,

0:20:000:20:03

so we're going to put some enrichment out,

0:20:030:20:06

increase that activity and also see how they behave around feed

0:20:060:20:08

overnight too, cos during the day, we know what they're capable of,

0:20:080:20:11

we know what they do, so by putting some enrichment in overnight,

0:20:110:20:14

we might see a completely different hierarchy, we might see some different behaviour,

0:20:140:20:18

so we'll put something in for them to play with and then hopefully we'll get some results back.

0:20:180:20:23

Behind the magnificent Longleat House sits Animal Adventure.

0:20:300:20:34

Home to 52 different weird and wonderful species,

0:20:360:20:40

as Jean has been finding out.

0:20:400:20:42

When threatened,

0:20:420:20:43

some animals employ the most remarkable defence strategies.

0:20:430:20:47

And one of the more unusual ones comes from an animal just down here.

0:20:470:20:51

This is a southern three-banded armadillo and his name is Hansel.

0:20:510:20:56

So, Emily, show me what happens when you pick Hansel up.

0:20:560:21:00

-He should...

-Wow!

0:21:000:21:03

He's just completely turned into a little ball!

0:21:030:21:06

How amazing is that? What a fabulous structure!

0:21:070:21:11

-He's in there. Tell me about this.

-So, the shell's made up of keratin,

0:21:110:21:15

-which is exactly the same as our hair and our nails.

-Yes.

0:21:150:21:18

-So it's a really solid, solid shell.

-It is solid. It's quite hard.

0:21:180:21:21

These guys will curl up into a complete ball and nothing's going to get in there.

0:21:210:21:25

No, nothing's going to penetrate this and, obviously,

0:21:250:21:28

-this is something they do as a defence mechanism.

-Yeah.

0:21:280:21:31

What kind of animals would be preying on them?

0:21:310:21:34

So, in the wild, it's going to be big cats, like jaguars.

0:21:340:21:37

-I can't see even a jaguar penetrating him.

-No.

0:21:370:21:40

-I mean, he's very protected.

-It would be really, really tough.

-Tell me a bit more about his design.

0:21:400:21:45

So, he's got these really, really huge claws.

0:21:450:21:48

-Yes, I can see those there. So, is he a digger?

-He is a digger.

0:21:480:21:50

He does like to dig around.

0:21:500:21:52

What kind of things is he digging around for?

0:21:520:21:54

In the wild, these guys would eat lots of bugs and things

0:21:540:21:56

like that, so lots of things that are under the ground. These guys have an amazing sense of smell,

0:21:560:22:00

so they can smell things from really far away.

0:22:000:22:03

How does he know when it's safe to come out again?

0:22:030:22:06

It is their amazing hearing.

0:22:060:22:07

He'd be able to hear when there's nothing around.

0:22:070:22:10

So he'll wait for a while and then eventually, he'll uncurl,

0:22:100:22:14

ever so slowly. Double check and then off he goes.

0:22:140:22:17

Emily, this is one of the most amazing coats of armour I've

0:22:170:22:20

ever seen. It's just like a jigsaw.

0:22:200:22:22

Everything just fits together in this really perfect, impenetrable

0:22:220:22:26

ball, but I do wonder, does this get in the way of him walking around?

0:22:260:22:29

No. Not at all.

0:22:290:22:31

-Can I put him down? I'd love to see him walking.

-Yeah.

0:22:310:22:34

-If I go up this end, hopefully he'll run to you.

-OK.

0:22:340:22:38

Come on, Hansel.

0:22:400:22:42

Faster than I thought!

0:22:440:22:45

What an amazing little animal.

0:22:540:22:55

We see some huge predators in this park,

0:22:550:22:58

but that was a perfect little ball of defence.

0:22:580:23:00

With over 100 species of animal, there's

0:23:040:23:06

no shortage of characters in this park, but every now and then,

0:23:060:23:10

there's one animal in particular that stands out from the rest

0:23:100:23:13

of the pack.

0:23:130:23:15

Earlier, we met Dave, the Canadian timber wolf.

0:23:180:23:21

His daily attempts to head beyond the bounds of his enclosure

0:23:210:23:24

are tormenting his keepers.

0:23:240:23:26

Rachel and her team have come up with an ingenious plan to try

0:23:260:23:30

and deter Dave from going near the gates.

0:23:300:23:34

We're going to use his nose and sense of smell to see if we can

0:23:340:23:37

deter him from that by giving him a smell that he doesn't like that he's

0:23:370:23:40

going to associate with the fence and he will go, "You know what?

0:23:400:23:44

"I don't like that area any more, I'm going to avoid it."

0:23:440:23:47

In this experiment, Rachel's going to present Dave with smells that

0:23:470:23:51

she hopes will act as a deterrent - menthol oil and chilli powder.

0:23:510:23:56

Wolves have an incredible sense of smell,

0:23:560:23:58

capable of picking up an odour over two miles away.

0:23:580:24:02

The smells won't harm the wolves at all, but they may deter them.

0:24:020:24:05

Let's take them in and go and see what Dave does with them.

0:24:050:24:08

Three o'clock is fast approaching,

0:24:080:24:11

Dave's preferred time to head for the gates.

0:24:110:24:13

It's now a race against time

0:24:140:24:16

to prevent yet another of Dave's escapades.

0:24:160:24:20

The question is, will Rachel's deterrent actually work?

0:24:200:24:24

So, we're going to get our two, fingers crossed,

0:24:260:24:29

horrible smelling ones. I'm going to put them out first,

0:24:290:24:33

keeping an eye on Dave at the same time.

0:24:330:24:36

We're just waiting for the boys...

0:24:390:24:42

to see what they do.

0:24:420:24:44

It's no surprise that first on the scene is Dave.

0:24:440:24:47

Dave's the bravest. He's going in. He's going to have a look.

0:24:480:24:51

What is it? Is it safe to do so?

0:24:510:24:54

Dave's having a good sniff of chilli powder, making him sneeze.

0:24:560:25:00

Not 100% sure of that one.

0:25:000:25:03

But, no, doesn't like the old... Just saw his face then.

0:25:030:25:07

A bit of a reaction to that one.

0:25:070:25:10

Dave's sort of like, "No, don't like 'em, going away."

0:25:100:25:14

With Dave beating a retreat,

0:25:140:25:16

it seems Rachel may have found her suitable smell.

0:25:160:25:19

With the next wave of cars on their way and the gates about to open,

0:25:200:25:25

she must act fast.

0:25:250:25:26

Dave's heading this way. I'm heading back into the slip fence.

0:25:290:25:32

Going to get the menthol liquid out

0:25:320:25:34

and deter Dave from heading down, hopefully.

0:25:340:25:37

Now for the other side.

0:25:450:25:48

Got to be really quick. Bus is coming.

0:25:480:25:50

If this test works, the keepers will devise a more permanent solution.

0:25:540:25:58

By creating a temporary virtual blockade with the oil,

0:26:020:26:06

it should be immediately clear if it works or not.

0:26:060:26:09

As cars head into the enclosure, will Dave head down to the gates?

0:26:110:26:15

Dave got up and he was heading this way,

0:26:170:26:19

but he's now gone the opposite way.

0:26:190:26:21

He's just decided that he didn't want to come our way and he's

0:26:210:26:25

gone back to the others, as far away as possible from the slip fence.

0:26:250:26:29

I'm taking it as a win for myself.

0:26:310:26:33

Absolutely happy with that. Brilliant.

0:26:330:26:36

Since it was built in 2013, Ray Bay has bread many thornback rays,

0:26:480:26:53

which is good news because they're an endangered species native

0:26:530:26:57

to the British Isles.

0:26:570:26:59

Now, if, like me, you've ever found one of these washed up on

0:26:590:27:03

a UK beach, you may wonder what it is.

0:27:030:27:05

Well, I can tell you now

0:27:050:27:06

it's called a mermaid's purse, and this is an egg sack that belongs

0:27:060:27:10

to several species of shark and also ray found in British waters.

0:27:100:27:14

Now, I'm here with keeper Christopher to find out

0:27:140:27:17

a little bit more about these. So, these belong to ray. Is that right?

0:27:170:27:22

Yes, ray or skate.

0:27:220:27:24

Ray eggs are very similar, skates are also kind of this.

0:27:240:27:28

This is from the thornback ray.

0:27:280:27:30

Thornback rays is the ones that we have here. That's a few hours old.

0:27:300:27:34

-OK.

-It was laid in this pool over here by one of our large females.

0:27:340:27:38

So, first of all, why do you separate the egg sacs from there into here?

0:27:380:27:42

Just so that we can monitor them, keep an eye on them,

0:27:420:27:45

and then because the little babies will probably be

0:27:450:27:49

-a bit too vulnerable in there with the big ones.

-OK.

0:27:490:27:53

Now, you say you monitor them. How can you see what's going on inside?

0:27:530:27:56

-They're very dark.

-They're very dark, so here I've got a torch and basically,

0:27:560:28:00

if you grab one, and you light the torch underneath...

0:28:000:28:04

-Yeah, there we go.

-..you can see...

-We can see the silhouette.

0:28:040:28:07

There is the sort of...where the main organs are and then sometimes,

0:28:070:28:12

you can see it in very great detail.

0:28:120:28:14

How long is it then until these hatch?

0:28:140:28:16

-How long do they need for gestation?

-Between four and eight months.

0:28:160:28:20

And they're going to grow into pretty sizeable ray.

0:28:200:28:23

-How big will they grow?

-Between a metre and a metre and a half.

0:28:230:28:26

The female's a tiny bit bigger.

0:28:260:28:28

They take quite a long time to mature,

0:28:280:28:30

about eight years, they're sexually mature.

0:28:300:28:33

They're so beautiful, they're so peaceful, they're so gentle,

0:28:330:28:36

-and they're really lovely.

-If someone finds one of these on the beach, what should they do with it?

0:28:360:28:41

See if there is a little ray forming inside and if there is, you could put it back in the water,

0:28:410:28:45

but usually it means that it's an empty case.

0:28:450:28:48

Christopher, thank you so much. There you go.

0:28:480:28:50

Next time you find a mermaid's purse on the beach,

0:28:500:28:53

you'll know exactly what it is.

0:28:530:28:55

With 147 different species and over 1,000 mouths to feed,

0:29:030:29:08

what the animals eat can vary as much as the species themselves.

0:29:080:29:12

Jean is in the Batcave for the afternoon feed up.

0:29:150:29:18

-Hi, Perry.

-Hello.

-Wow! I can hear these bats making lots of noise.

0:29:190:29:23

-SQUEAKING

-What types of bats are they?

0:29:230:29:26

These are Egyptian fruit bats in here. We've got 42 boys.

0:29:260:29:28

Why do you only have boys in here?

0:29:280:29:30

Well, it's like a retirement home for them.

0:29:300:29:32

They're all getting on a little bit. They've come from other zoos.

0:29:320:29:35

And they're not endangered. So we don't need to breed them

0:29:350:29:37

and they get along a lot better in single sex groups.

0:29:370:29:40

I know that bats are frugivores and they can eat up to half of

0:29:400:29:43

the equivalent of their body weight every day,

0:29:430:29:46

so you must be continuously feeding them.

0:29:460:29:48

Yeah, they eat a lot of fruit and they need all that energy to

0:29:480:29:52

help them sustain flight, as flying does take a lot of energy.

0:29:520:29:55

So, what kind of things do they like to eat? What's their favourites?

0:29:550:29:58

Their favourites are bananas and mangos, but we're going to try something a bit different today.

0:29:580:30:03

Figs, plums and strawberries, so

0:30:030:30:05

it's going to be interesting to see how they react.

0:30:050:30:07

Should we do a little taste test, make them fruit kebabs?

0:30:070:30:10

-Would that go down well?

-Let's do it.

0:30:100:30:12

So are these some of the fruits that they would eat in the wild?

0:30:120:30:15

Figs, definitely.

0:30:150:30:17

Apricot as well, dates. They're not actually very fussy.

0:30:170:30:20

So we have figs here, plums here, and strawberries.

0:30:200:30:24

Which ones do you think they're going to go for?

0:30:240:30:27

I think figs. I don't think they're going to like strawberries.

0:30:270:30:30

And I'm not sure about plums.

0:30:300:30:32

We'll soon see. Plenty of food down here, guys.

0:30:320:30:36

BATS SQUEAK

0:30:360:30:40

Think he's sniffing out this strawberry.

0:30:400:30:42

Well, we've been joined by a couple more now and the figs and

0:30:440:30:48

strawberries seem to be popular.

0:30:480:30:50

-Yeah.

-He's just sniffing this out, thinking about trying a fig. Oh!

-No.

0:30:500:30:54

-Changed his mind.

-That's one he doesn't like.

0:30:540:30:58

This little guy is loving these strawberries,

0:30:580:31:00

but you weren't expecting that.

0:31:000:31:02

I was not expecting this at all, but he's really enjoying that.

0:31:020:31:06

When they're eating so much fruit,

0:31:060:31:08

there must be a bit of a mess in here.

0:31:080:31:10

Yeah, it's a constant clean-up job in here.

0:31:100:31:13

They produce guano,

0:31:130:31:14

which is actually a really important fertiliser.

0:31:140:31:17

It's actually used in some gunpowder as well,

0:31:170:31:19

so it's really special stuff.

0:31:190:31:20

So when you clean it up in here, can you make use of it?

0:31:200:31:23

Yeah, it's just used as fertiliser. It goes on fields.

0:31:230:31:26

What's he going to go for?

0:31:280:31:29

So he could be sniffing out this food,

0:31:290:31:31

deciding whether to go for strawberries or plum,

0:31:310:31:34

and there you go, he's gone for the strawberries again.

0:31:340:31:38

So that's why you do these taste tests, isn't it?

0:31:380:31:40

To find out which fruits they prefer.

0:31:400:31:42

Exactly, and it's teaching us as well.

0:31:420:31:45

Which is always good when it comes to working with animals.

0:31:450:31:47

Well, Perry, I think your taste test has been

0:31:470:31:50

a success because we all found out that bats love strawberries.

0:31:500:31:56

The park is home to many species that are deadly to humans.

0:31:590:32:03

But what many visitors don't realise

0:32:050:32:08

is that the most dangerous animals here

0:32:080:32:11

are the two hippos,

0:32:110:32:13

Spot and Sonya.

0:32:130:32:15

Despite weighing over a tonne and a half each,

0:32:150:32:18

these sisters are surprisingly fast and incredibly aggressive.

0:32:180:32:21

In their native Africa, the hippo is responsible for more human

0:32:230:32:26

fatalities than any other animal.

0:32:260:32:28

Our pair came here from Uganda in 1976.

0:32:320:32:35

Since then, everyone has kept well away.

0:32:350:32:38

Until now.

0:32:410:32:44

Today, keeper and animal park veteran Ian Turner is going

0:32:440:32:47

to try and photograph them like never before.

0:32:470:32:50

He's taken great shots of most of the animals on the park.

0:32:500:32:53

But there's one photo he still hasn't got.

0:32:530:32:56

Each winter, the hippos build a giant mud wallow.

0:32:570:33:01

They do it because mud helps stop their skin from drying out.

0:33:010:33:05

But for as long as anyone can remember,

0:33:050:33:06

they make their wallow deep in the bushes.

0:33:060:33:09

But this year, it's out in the open.

0:33:090:33:12

I've been here over four years and this is the first time I can

0:33:120:33:16

remember where we'll be able to see them clearly.

0:33:160:33:18

So this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity,

0:33:180:33:21

never to be seen again.

0:33:210:33:23

Normally, it's the place we can't see or get to.

0:33:230:33:27

You know they're there, cos you can just see the tops of them.

0:33:270:33:29

And you can usually see a bit of steam coming off of them.

0:33:290:33:31

But normally, it's right tucked away.

0:33:310:33:34

Having such a good vantage point is a rare opportunity.

0:33:360:33:39

But once inside the hippo enclosure, it's safety first.

0:33:420:33:46

Ian parks as close to the boat as he can.

0:33:480:33:51

One of the things about hippos - they look big and fat,

0:33:520:33:54

but they're fast.

0:33:540:33:55

They can probably run 30mph.

0:33:550:33:58

Which is faster than I can run, I'm afraid.

0:33:580:34:01

Ian wastes no time getting to the safety of the boat.

0:34:010:34:04

When he does get on deck, the view doesn't disappoint.

0:34:050:34:09

They're really good.

0:34:150:34:16

She's just getting up now, look.

0:34:170:34:19

Where we're looking now, you've got the two hippos,

0:34:250:34:28

perfect little mud wallow that they make themselves.

0:34:280:34:30

Normally, it's in the willow trees, so we can't see them.

0:34:300:34:34

So to see them in the mud wallow like this is absolutely fantastic.

0:34:340:34:37

And I'm pretty sure I've got some cracking shots already.

0:34:370:34:40

Normally, in the summertime,

0:34:430:34:44

they'll spend most of their time in the lake.

0:34:440:34:46

But in winter time, they spend a lot of time in the mud wallow.

0:34:460:34:49

And in the cold weather, it keeps them nice and warm.

0:34:490:34:51

So they will literally be covered from head to foot in mud.

0:34:510:34:54

At the moment, where they are now,

0:34:540:34:55

they've not buried themselves really deep.

0:34:550:34:57

They're just laying on the top cos it's a really mild day today.

0:34:570:35:01

I think they know we're in this boat, cos they can hear our voices.

0:35:010:35:04

They've done a bit of ear flicking and looking round and the hippo

0:35:040:35:07

has got up and changed position to get in a more comfy position.

0:35:070:35:10

So they know we're in here.

0:35:100:35:12

Hippos don't appreciate any invasion of their personal space.

0:35:120:35:17

If Ian was in a different spot,

0:35:170:35:19

he would almost certainly come under attack.

0:35:190:35:22

They're the most dangerous animal in Africa. Very territorial.

0:35:220:35:25

So this area is their area.

0:35:250:35:27

So they're very dominant. Definitely not to be trusted.

0:35:270:35:30

What hippos tend to do when they get frightened or aggressive,

0:35:300:35:34

they'll charge towards water, and they won't go round us,

0:35:340:35:36

they'll go straight through us.

0:35:360:35:39

So these two girls,

0:35:390:35:40

they wake up in the morning grumpy and they go to bed grumpy.

0:35:400:35:43

As a hippo should be. A grumpy hippo.

0:35:430:35:46

But today, these two grumpy animals have made Ian extremely happy.

0:35:460:35:51

It's over four years I've been waiting to get

0:35:520:35:54

a really good shot of the hippos in the mud.

0:35:540:35:56

And this is... They're right in the

0:35:580:35:59

middle of the open in this mud wallow. So, yeah, first for me.

0:35:590:36:03

Always amazing, always amazing, these animals.

0:36:030:36:05

Earlier, using special cameras, we were able to see for the

0:36:140:36:17

first time if the lions use their outdoor enclosure at night.

0:36:170:36:21

After seeing how naturally nocturnal the big cats are, senior keeper

0:36:270:36:31

Caleb has come up with a plan to keep the lions entertained

0:36:310:36:35

well into the early hours.

0:36:350:36:37

He's made a massive meaty treat for the lions.

0:36:390:36:43

But first, he must get it out of its container.

0:36:430:36:45

So we've created a massive ice lolly pop for the lions.

0:36:540:36:58

It's got two toys frozen into it,

0:36:580:37:01

and it's also got meat and other different things in there as

0:37:010:37:03

well to try and focus the lions' attention. And, obviously, with

0:37:030:37:06

it being ice, hopefully it won't melt too fast and it should

0:37:060:37:08

keep them in the same spot for hopefully six or seven hours.

0:37:080:37:12

With all the enrichment in place, night begins to fall on the park.

0:37:140:37:18

Yeah, as you can see, it's getting quite dark,

0:37:180:37:20

so it is imperative that we get out before it gets pitch black as well.

0:37:200:37:24

The animals are extremely dangerous at night and their behaviour

0:37:240:37:27

completely changes, so to get through the rest of the

0:37:270:37:30

reserve safely and out, we've got to time it just right.

0:37:300:37:33

Come in.

0:37:330:37:35

-ON RADIO:

-The lions are on their way out.

0:37:350:37:37

As the sun rises on another day, it's time to review the footage.

0:37:480:37:52

Last time, there was clear evidence Klaus ruled the pride despite

0:37:530:37:57

there being another male, Simba, in the group.

0:37:570:38:00

HE ROARS

0:38:000:38:02

During a feed, this should be even more clear.

0:38:020:38:05

I'm hoping to see some individual behaviour from some of the

0:38:060:38:09

characters that I'd expect during the day,

0:38:090:38:11

that we see them feed,

0:38:110:38:13

but also behaviours from some of the others that we don't see feed,

0:38:130:38:16

and just piece together a better understanding of the pride.

0:38:160:38:20

At night, we would struggle to see anything.

0:38:200:38:23

But this is what's happening under cover of darkness.

0:38:240:38:27

Oh, here comes Simba.

0:38:280:38:30

The lionesses are digging in, but surprisingly, it's Simba,

0:38:300:38:33

the less dominant male, who's the first male to investigate.

0:38:330:38:37

Oh, Jazeera just got... Yeah, just got it from Simba then.

0:38:410:38:45

ROARING

0:38:450:38:48

-Wow, that's incredible. Did you see her jump?

-Yeah.

0:38:520:38:54

While Simba has laid claim to the lollypop, Klaus,

0:38:570:39:00

who is normally dominant, is keeping his distance.

0:39:000:39:04

It is interesting to see just Simba left,

0:39:040:39:06

cos you'd expect Klaus to be, you know, just as involved if not...

0:39:060:39:10

He's slightly bigger than Simba as well.

0:39:100:39:12

It's just incredible how much of a space he's cleared around him.

0:39:140:39:18

They must all respect Simba quite a lot. That's what it goes to show.

0:39:180:39:22

SNARLING

0:39:230:39:25

-Oh, Klaus is...

-There he is.

0:39:250:39:28

SNARLING

0:39:280:39:32

Oh, that's a big fight between the two boys.

0:39:330:39:35

Simba...

0:39:360:39:38

-Oh.

-Oh, yeah.

-Simba's definitely...

0:39:400:39:42

He's actually hugging over the top of the whole ice block.

0:39:420:39:45

He's just like, "No, you can't have it. This is mine."

0:39:450:39:47

He uses his whole body to guard it from all the other lions.

0:39:470:39:50

That is incredible.

0:39:500:39:52

Klaus is kind of a bit confused, how he hasn't got what he wanted,

0:39:520:39:56

cos he normally gets what he wants.

0:39:560:39:58

Viewing the lions out of normal hours has given

0:39:590:40:02

a totally different dimension to pride dynamics.

0:40:020:40:05

It's interesting to see how they are when we're not there.

0:40:050:40:08

I honestly didn't expect Simba to be as controlling over it.

0:40:080:40:12

There was so many interactions between all the animals and

0:40:130:40:16

so much interaction around the ice block that I could watch it

0:40:160:40:19

ten times and still keep learning new things about individuals.

0:40:190:40:22

As we were watching it, we've learnt

0:40:220:40:24

a lot from it and it's given us ideas for the future as well.

0:40:240:40:27

It's almost time to end the show.

0:40:350:40:38

Ooh, this is a treat, to get this close to them, isn't it?

0:40:380:40:40

-It is a bit of a treat.

-Hello.

0:40:400:40:42

But before we do, I'm catching up with an old friend.

0:40:420:40:45

Now, there's one zebra that I am particularly fond of and her

0:40:470:40:51

name is Steph. And she has been here since I first started filming

0:40:510:40:57

in 1999, and she's still here.

0:40:570:40:59

-Isn't she, Dan?

-She is, yeah. Steph's still here.

0:40:590:41:02

But what age would she be now?

0:41:020:41:04

Steph's 24.

0:41:040:41:05

They wouldn't live that long in the wild, would they?

0:41:050:41:08

Probably not, due to natural predators and stuff, you know.

0:41:080:41:11

-I think our oldest one we've had here before was 30 years old.

-Wow.

0:41:110:41:15

-OK, so she's not the most vintage zebra you've ever had.

-Not here, no.

0:41:150:41:19

Now that she is a bit older,

0:41:210:41:22

is there sort of particular care that you have to take?

0:41:220:41:25

Yeah, so, as with most older animals...

0:41:250:41:26

Actually, this is Nola and this is Steph on your right,

0:41:260:41:29

so, Steph, come over and say hello.

0:41:290:41:31

Hello, Steph. Can I see if she'll take some nuts from me?

0:41:310:41:33

Yeah, of course you can. Just hold on tight.

0:41:330:41:36

-Good girl.

-She's quite keen for them.

0:41:360:41:38

So on that is some medication which is for arthritis.

0:41:380:41:43

OK, so she's getting a little bit creaky in her old age, is she?

0:41:430:41:46

-Yeah, yeah.

-Hello, Steph.

0:41:460:41:48

She's a bit slower than the rest.

0:41:480:41:49

Other than that, she's perfectly healthy.

0:41:490:41:51

She looks incredibly well.

0:41:510:41:53

-And she hasn't got any grey.

-No, no grey.

0:41:530:41:56

And she's had a number of foals over the years, hasn't she?

0:41:560:41:59

She has had a lot of foals, yes. She's still got some here now.

0:41:590:42:02

We've got Kabibi, who's her daughter,

0:42:020:42:04

and she's had foals as well, so she's got grandchildren as well.

0:42:040:42:06

So she's got grandchildren here.

0:42:060:42:09

As she is, you know, one of the great matriarchs of the park...

0:42:090:42:13

-She's one of our favourites.

-Do you think she'll live out her days here?

0:42:130:42:17

Yeah, yeah, as long as she's in good condition and good health,

0:42:170:42:21

then she'll be here for forever.

0:42:210:42:23

Well, Dan, it's always a real pleasure and

0:42:230:42:25

a real treat to be this close to them.

0:42:250:42:27

-You're very welcome.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

0:42:270:42:29

Well, sadly, that's all we've got time for on today's programme,

0:42:290:42:32

but here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.

0:42:320:42:35

It's the annual weigh-in for these mighty giants.

0:42:370:42:41

But how do you weigh a rhino?

0:42:410:42:43

I don't think he's too happy about having his weight taken today.

0:42:450:42:49

We discover the lengths keepers go to when they step in to raise

0:42:490:42:53

the animal orphans.

0:42:530:42:55

This isn't just a nine to five job, being a zookeeper, that's for sure.

0:42:550:42:59

And the vital TB testing continues across the park.

0:42:590:43:03

But what will be the outcome?

0:43:030:43:05

Obviously, we're hoping for a clear result and that TB's not an issue.

0:43:050:43:08

That's the hope.

0:43:080:43:10

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