0:00:29 > 0:00:33- Hello, and welcome to Animal Park. I'm Ben Fogle.- And I'm Kate Humble,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and we're out in the East Africa reserve with Honey,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37the female ostrich.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Now, you may think that she's not looking terribly well,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42but in fact, she's brooding her 18 eggs,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46which would be enough to make anybody exhausted, I'd have thought!
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Those eggs are expected to hatch any day now, and for all we know
0:00:50 > 0:00:53she may well be sitting on some chicks at this very moment,
0:00:53 > 0:00:54so we'll keep you posted.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58We've got lots of other stories coming up from the park,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and the house and the estate, including...
0:01:01 > 0:01:03The vultures go into a feeding frenzy.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06We'll find out what it's like to be the victim.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11The otter pups have finally learnt to swim,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15but they still like it best in the shallow end.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20And giant cockroaches, monster scorpions and blind mutant fish.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I'll be getting friendly with the stuff of nightmares.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29But first, we're going up to tiger territory,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32because Sona has a problem.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36He and Kadu have both now reached a grand old age.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39As two of the most elderly tigers in Britain,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42it's very important to keep a close eye on their health.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Keeper Bob Trollope has been looking after them
0:01:46 > 0:01:48ever since they were youngsters.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Most of the problems that they do get nowadays is age-related.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55You know, they're both in their twenties,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Kadu's 21, and Sona's 20,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02so, you know, in tiger years, they are very old-aged pensioners.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04At the moment, Kadu is quite well,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08she's only suffering from a touch of arthritis.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Sona, on the other hand, has a few ongoing problems,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17including a pancreatic disorder which is kept in check with medication,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20but now Bob's spotted a new problem.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Unfortunately, Sona is limping,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28so I think it's going to have to be a case of
0:02:28 > 0:02:33asking Duncan to pop down, just to check him over.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We're lucky, in a way, that we can get him to stand up,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and show us his claws, so we'll be able to assess properly
0:02:39 > 0:02:42whether he needs his claws trimming,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44or whether it's something higher up in the leg.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50With the tigers, any sign of lameness is particularly worrying.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54It was only a couple of years ago that Kadu almost died
0:02:54 > 0:02:56from a problem with her feet.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Tigers' claws never stop growing,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and if they don't wear them down by scratching, or climbing,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09then the claw can start to grow into the pad of the foot.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11That's what happed to Kadu,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15so the keepers and the vet had to knock her out with an anaesthetic,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and then trim back those ingrown claws.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Oh, this is really deeply embedded, that's really nasty.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Can you hold it up, please?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Unfortunately, the injury had become infected,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and that had turned to blood poisoning.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34That's going to be causing her severe bacteraemia.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35I think that's...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- That was embedded... - You can smell, it stinks.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41..what, three or four centimetres into her pad.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43But that wasn't the worst.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Halfway through the operation, the anaesthetic became too much for Kadu,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and she stopped breathing.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Is she breathing?- Only slightly.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57There's always a danger in using an anaesthetic,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and the more elderly the animal, the greater the risk.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08She isn't breathing, is she?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Anything there?- Yeah, slight.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Right, just keep doing that, every five seconds, all right?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Luckily, that time, she did pull through,
0:04:31 > 0:04:37but you can see why Sona's limp is being taken very seriously indeed.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41We'll be back later, when the vet arrives to investigate the problem.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51The proper word for a group of vultures is a venue,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and Longleat's new venue of ten African white-backed vultures
0:04:55 > 0:04:57are now well settled in their giant aviary.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Despite appearances, vultures can be rather camera-shy,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and they're particularly nervous when they're feeding.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09So, today we've set up a couple of remote cameras,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11to try to get some unique footage.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Lunch has just been put out, it's part of a carcass,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and we've buried a camera in a box right next to it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23There's another bolted to the tree directly above.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Now everything's ready,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and the keeper in charge of the vultures, Mark Tye,
0:05:27 > 0:05:32has joined me to watch the first live pictures from carcass camp.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37If we press the button so that we can see what image we've got,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41here's what we're getting, a couple of flies around there.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45So are you anticipating they're all going to come down at the same time?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Obviously, they're very shy. We've had to move that quite a long way.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53No, what would happen is, you will get a more dominant bird,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56will come and check it out first.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58You know, they can be quite wary,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01particularly if it looks like a body of an animal,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03they want to make sure that it's actually dead.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- Oh, look!- There we go.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16We can't really see them eating yet. I'm sure their heads will...
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Whoa, we can sort of see bits of wing.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Look at them all now.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- This is what I would call a feeding frenzy.- Yeah, definitely.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32So how long will it take them to polish off this whole carcass?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Probably ten minutes.- That quickly? - Yeah.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37They're very, very quick at clearing up.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40We've got a great perspective of the heads now,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- these bald heads that they're so famous for.- Yes.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Is there a reason that they're bald?
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Yes, well, obviously, what you wouldn't want in this situation,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51where you're pushing your head into the inside of a carcass,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55is getting all the sort of blood and mess all stuck in your feathers,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and if they had feathers on their head,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00that would happen, and it would be difficult to clean up.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Oh! Knocking into the camera,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05but they're not too worried about it at all, are they?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07I noticed a couple of them have pecked it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08It might look like an eyeball,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11that's one of the first things they tend to eat.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Is it? Really? Why, is that because it's a soft part?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It's a soft part, and it's an easy way to get in.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19And will they eat the bones as well?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22They'll eat small bones, but they won't digest these,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25they'll bring them back up in a pellet form,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30with hair and small pieces of bone, similar to an owl.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33We can't really see on this, but it looks like, from here,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35every so often one gets booted out of the back,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and then comes in and rejoins them.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Yes, obviously they can only fill so much into their mouth at one point,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and, you know, a stronger bird will come in and push someone out,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50and then they just literally have to wait their turn for a spot,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52and, you know, dive in there and get some more.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- So it's a bit like watching a game of rugby?- Yeah.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00I'm assuming that out in the wild they have a pretty important role.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Absolutely, I mean, you know, without animals like the scavengers,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06like vultures and jackals and hyenas,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10there'd be a lot of sort of rotting carcasses lying around,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13that would be a big sort of disease risk to the other animals.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18Vultures and that are there to clear up the mess behind everybody else.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20So absolutely vital for other animals.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Vital for the ecosystem, yeah.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Mark, thank you very much.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I think we can say that carcass-cam has been a huge success,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and thank goodness for vultures.
0:08:35 > 0:08:43Back in tiger territory, Sona the elderly male has been kept indoors for a couple of days' cage rest.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45He was seen limping on his front, right leg
0:08:45 > 0:08:50and now Duncan Williams, the vet, has arrived to find out what can be done.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52In the past, both Sona and Kadu
0:08:52 > 0:08:55have had problems with in-growing claws
0:08:55 > 0:08:57so Duncan's brought the clippers.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03But, as Head of Section Brian Kent knows, just getting a close look is not easy.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It's very difficult really.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10The bits of meat are just, you know,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13to keep them up so we can have a look at his claws as well.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17If we keep it like that you can always check on them so there's no problem
0:09:17 > 0:09:22because it's not easy to check their claws, you know, how can you get a tiger to show their claws to you?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26The only way to do it is to get them up on the cage with a bit of meat.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30All the big cats here have been trained to take meat chunks from a stick.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You see, that's getting close, that one's all right.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I don't think any of them are growing in, no.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44It's not as bad but he is still lame.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47He's probably just hurt his leg out there.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Sona's claws are not in-grown but they do need trimming.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Duncan's going to try something crafty.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57One!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- One! - LAUGHTER
0:10:01 > 0:10:03How many chunks you got?
0:10:03 > 0:10:08Normally the only way to cut a tiger's nails is when they're under anaesthetic.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13That's the worst one.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Good boy, come here.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Has he got an eye on you and an eye on me?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Now Sona's got wise, but Duncan has trimmed
0:10:27 > 0:10:29the two longest claws
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and he's satisfied with how the tiger's using his leg.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37As he'd been padding around the pens here he hasn't showed too much
0:10:37 > 0:10:42lameness at all so we'll probably get a better idea when he goes out.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46He's probably just injured his leg, he's probably just twisted it. Soft-tissue injury I mean.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I don't think... I'd be surprised if it's a long-term arthritis problem
0:10:51 > 0:10:53like we've got with Kadu, er, you know, just when you pull
0:10:53 > 0:11:00a muscle yourself, you're a bit sore for a few days and hopefully the rest he's had now will be sufficient
0:11:00 > 0:11:02to get him over it, really.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07It's a good sign that Sona is keen to get out after his few days' rest.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13We're just watching Sona walking out here and
0:11:13 > 0:11:16he's not looking too bad, he's not really showing too much lameness.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19He seemed quite tender when we...
0:11:19 > 0:11:25Just before Brian released him, with the excitement of opening the cage, he did start showing a little bit of
0:11:25 > 0:11:31tenderness and sort of collapsed on his leg but once he's got out it doesn't look too bad at all.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Again, on the stones he's not very happy
0:11:33 > 0:11:36but on the softer ground he's fine.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40We'll get Brian to increase... He's on a sort of anti-inflammatory,
0:11:40 > 0:11:46a little bit like a sort of aspirin, every day, he's actually on quite a low-maintenance dose at the moment
0:11:46 > 0:11:52so we can put it up to a bit more of a treatment level for a few days, so that'll certainly help.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Sona's walk is still a little stiff,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58but at his grand age that's only to be expected.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03We'll be following developments in the tiger house later in the series.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Down by Pet's Corner,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14part of the stable block has been developed into Old Joe's Mine.
0:12:14 > 0:12:21The subterranean theme means that this is the perfect place to exhibit nocturnal animals, like bats.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But now we've heard they've taken the idea a step further.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Ooooh! It's all a bit dark and spooky in here.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I'm in Old Joe's Mine with Old Jo...
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Hawthorne...- Thank you!
0:12:33 > 0:12:38keeper here. Now you've been doing a huge amount of work building up the exhibit, haven't you?
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- We have yes, yeah.- And I think these are the final beasties to go in, is that right?- They are, yep.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- They look fearsome. What are they? - These are imperial scorpions.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49The imperials are one of the biggest
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and you can see they've got those huge pincers at the front.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- Huge pincers, I'm very glad there's a lid on this box.- Yeah!
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Now, they're going to be living in this tank here, are they?
0:12:59 > 0:13:00They are, yep.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05- My worry, if I may say so, is that it is very dark in here...- Yes.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- It's a little bit chilly...- Yes.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11It looks a bit sort of, well, dank and moist.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Is that the right sort of place for keeping scorpions?
0:13:15 > 0:13:18It is, yes. These guys here like to have an area where they can go off
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- and be in the dark, and we've got a heat lamp in there so they'll have the warmth...- Right.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26..but they also like dark areas to go off and hide into.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31- So they're perfectly adapted...- Yeah. - ..for Old Joe's Mine.- Definitely.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34How perfect. Right, I'm going to give these... Where's lovely John?
0:13:34 > 0:13:36John, can I give you those?
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Present for you.- Thanks, John. - Can we see the rest of it?
0:13:38 > 0:13:43Course we can. We've got lots of other things adapted to these kind of conditions.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Right. Oh, look at this!
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Yes, these guys are very adapted to...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Every housewife's nightmare!
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Exactly, that was why we put them in a kitchen cupboard, yeah.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Those are, I think, the biggest cockroaches I've ever seen.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They are pretty big, yeah.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- Would you like to see one?- Well, I would actually.- Yeah? OK, then.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05They're sort of fascinating in a horrendous sort of way.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Let's get one out and have a look, then. Here, this is a nice one.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- There's one right on the door here. - Let's have this one.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15You are fearless, Jo. Shall I shut that just in case they all jump out?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18These come from South America. Would you like to have a go?
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- They just tickle your hand, they don't do any harm.- They are tickly.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And obviously they've got this reputation, cockroaches.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27The minute you say cockroach to someone, they kind of go, "Ugh."
0:14:27 > 0:14:30But it's just that they like hanging out in dark and dank places.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33- So again, perfect for Old Joe's Mine. - Perfect.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And in the exhibit here you've got all these sort of
0:14:36 > 0:14:39bits of fruit and things, presumably that's what they're feeding on?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41They will go around and eat...
0:14:41 > 0:14:46In the rainforest, where these come from, they'll actually go around doing a good tidy-up job.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52They'll eat all the old mulchy leaves, old bits of fruit, things that no other animals want to eat.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- There we are.- There we go.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58That's it. Nice and closed up. Right, what next?
0:14:58 > 0:15:04Right, these next things are actually adapted to living, over the years, in the dark, complete dark,
0:15:04 > 0:15:09- and these are the cave fish, blind cave fish.- They're blind?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12They are, yep. If you look at them, you can see that...
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- These come from caves in Mexico.- Right.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20And what's happened is obviously, over millions of years, these have actually, because they live in
0:15:20 > 0:15:24such dark conditions, they've never had to have any use for eyes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- So they've just lost their eyes altogether?- Can you see there's a place where the eye should be.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Yeah, you can see that it's almost like the shadow of the eye.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- That's it, and... - But no actual eyes.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Lack of pigmentation. You can see right through their bodies there.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43What's so amazing is you've got, you know, obstacles and things in here, rocks and stuff
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and, I mean, you'd think that if they were totally blind
0:15:45 > 0:15:49they'd just swim into them and end up kind of concussed at the bottom.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Well, that's why we've partly got them in here
0:15:51 > 0:15:55because if you know the workings of the bats, as you do, they're very similar.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00What they do is they actually bounce sound waves off the objects to find their way around.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Wow. So exactly the same as bats? - Yeah, exactly the same.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05How amazing. Did I see someone wiggle there?
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Yeah, I've got someone behind there. Can we have the rock in, please?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13What we're going to do now is lower a rock in and they'll come up to it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16They know instantly where it is, although they have no eyesight,
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and from the sound waves they are receiving off that rock they'll avoid the rock completely.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- That's incredible, let's just see... Ooh!- Ooh!
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Oh, yeah, it is...- They'll go up to it, they know it's there, but...
0:16:28 > 0:16:34You watch, they'll actually go away to avoid it now, they'll swim around it, very well adapted.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Jo, I think you've done the most amazing job, it's great in here now.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41A really, really good, interesting exhibit. Thank you very much.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- That's all right, thank you. - These guys are great!
0:16:47 > 0:16:51There's a baby boom on amongst Longleat's heard of Pygmy goats.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54All seven of the nannies were pregnant and so far
0:16:54 > 0:16:59three little kids have been born and are already running around.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03But it hasn't all been good news.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06For two of the mums things went very wrong.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Both Gee and Sunflower had stillborn twins.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Sunflower was put back out into the enclosure
0:17:14 > 0:17:16but now she's got another problem.
0:17:16 > 0:17:22This morning, Senior Keeper Bev Evans spotted that she's limping on her front left leg.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26She's called in Duncan Williams, the vet, to come and take a look.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29That's the problem there, look,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- she's had a bash.- Oh, dear!
0:17:32 > 0:17:35They seem to be pitching into her, you know, hitting her a bit.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I think she's been caught
0:17:37 > 0:17:40probably by the other one's horn or something.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44I think we'd better get her in, get her away from these others.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48We'd better clean this up and give her antibiotics, but that's quite...
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- That's quite nasty.- Quite a severe wound actually.- Right, OK.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Although the goats spend most of the time out in the enclosure,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00they do have their own pens next door to the giraffe house.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04While Duncan fetches his veterinary kit, Bev keeps an eye on Sunflower.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Sunflower's had a bit of a hard week unfortunately.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Yeah, she's obviously lost her twins on Monday and it's now Wednesday
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and she's quite severely lame as well on her front left,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19from what we think is a play fight gone wrong, as such.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23They play all the time and we've got some with horns, some without,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and we've never had any problems at all ever with that
0:18:26 > 0:18:30but I suppose if she's in a bit of a weakened state
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and someone's just caught her wrong with their horns,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36possibly her sister, Daisy, actually.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Yeah, it's just one of those things, it's just caught her badly.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45They're going to need more light so Sunflower's brought right out into the yard.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48For an operating table they've got a bale of straw,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51which also gives Sunflower something to chew.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Yeah, she still eats.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57It's a stress reaction, isn't it?
0:18:58 > 0:19:03The injection is a local anaesthetic to numb the area around the wound.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It's a massive wound, you can see. I mean, it's that sort of size and
0:19:10 > 0:19:13it's actually fairly fresh, I think.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17You know, Bev's only found her lame this morning, and I think...
0:19:20 > 0:19:24..it's obviously happened not that long ago, hasn't it?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28But because it's so fresh I'm a little bit concerned about
0:19:28 > 0:19:34this flap here because it is... it may have lost its blood supply,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36in which case that'll die,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39but we've got this massive sort of thing going up here.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41We can probably bring that back down.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Luckily you can see the skin's so elastic, even though we've
0:19:45 > 0:19:49got a huge defect there it will come together quite nicely.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55But before Duncan can try to sew it up he must make sure it's all perfectly clean.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00I've got to try and get all that hair off from the inside of the wound.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05It's not going to be 100% sterile, clean, but it won't be bad.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Just going to put a bit of this aloe cream on...
0:20:13 > 0:20:16to try and help the healing process.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24It's a tricky job to sew up such an irregularly shaped wound
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and it's going to take a while.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48And, when the stitches are finished, that's all the vet can do for now.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52We'll find out really if it heals. We'll have to wait and see really.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55In the next sort of week, ten days, we'll know really.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59So it's just down to quiet rest and time.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02We'll be back later to find out what happens to Sunflower.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Earlier this year there was great excitement in Pet's Corner
0:21:13 > 0:21:18when Rosie and Romeo, the Asian short-clawed otters, had two little babies.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22They were the first otter pups to be born at Longleat in thirty years
0:21:22 > 0:21:27so, needless to say, we've been following their progress pretty closely.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I'm down at Pet's Corner with keeper Rob Savan
0:21:33 > 0:21:36to catch up with Longleat's four resident Asian short-clawed otters.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Rob, how are they getting on? They look fantastic in the sun.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43They're doing really well. The little ones actually look the same size as Mum and Dad now.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It's almost impossible to tell the difference.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47- Yeah, very hard.- What's this hose?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49We're doing a bit of a clean-out.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Once or twice a week we clean the pond out,
0:21:51 > 0:21:56it gives them some nice fresh water, obviously makes it nice and visible for the visitors,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00but I was noticing when I was filling up the last couple of times,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03they're all playing, when it got to this level, just in the water.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08- In the shallows?- Yeah, we fill it up a lot higher than this
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and otters obviously you associate with swimming and being agile
0:22:12 > 0:22:13and they are very agile swimmers
0:22:13 > 0:22:18but they do prefer, and they confirm that this particular type of otter,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20the Asian otter, prefers shallower water.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Shall we see if we can entice them into the water?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26We've got some otter's favourite here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31Some shrimps and what we've also got down hidden in the water is a little camera
0:22:31 > 0:22:35so we might just get a slightly different sort of perspective.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- Who's that gobbling them all up, being greedy?- That's Mum and Dad.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I think the two little ones are just holding back,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I got a feeling they are a bit scared of the camera.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- Are they a bit shy of it?- I saw them in here a bit earlier on.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50They're hiding back, and Mum and Dad are used to it actually.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I wonder if I can entice them out?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Now, the youngsters, how old are they now?
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- They are just over nine months now. - Have we got names for them? - We have indeed, yes.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04We got a local school to name them, we went for some Asian names.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08They had a big list of Asian names to choose from because they are Asian short-clawed otters
0:23:08 > 0:23:11so I dug up some names off the internet
0:23:11 > 0:23:16and they were all really cracking names, but they chose Emico...
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- Emico.- And Arun. Now, Arun means "Of the Dawn".- OK.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And Emico means "Beautiful". I think we should call them all Beautiful.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- Very appropriate names. Rob, thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31I think you are onto a winner with the shallow water in here.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35They are good swimmers in the deep but they prefer the shallows.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39They love the shallow water, especially on a hot day like this.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Back in the goat pens, it's been a couple of days
0:23:50 > 0:23:54since Sunflower suffered a large wound in a play fight.
0:23:54 > 0:24:01Head of Section Andy Hayton has been keeping an eye on her and making sure she gets her medication.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03She's been locked in, away from the others so...
0:24:03 > 0:24:07they're a herd animal, they always spend all their time together
0:24:07 > 0:24:11so I think she is, yeah, a little bit depressed, you know,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16she's had her leg slashed open by something or someone, you know, had a lot of trauma and stress,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18taken away from her mates,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22so it's not really a good week for the goat.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Duncan's going to assess it next Wednesday but we want to keep her away...
0:24:26 > 0:24:30If it was one of the other goats that clipped her, she's got a load of stitches in her leg now.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33If it happens again, that's the kind of luck that you get sometimes,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38it's going to tear the wound open so we want to leave her away for a good while,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40let that wound start knitting together,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and hopefully it won't happen again but we need to give her...
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It's weighing up her being on her own and a little bit miserable
0:24:47 > 0:24:53and the chances of her tearing the stitches out, and then you've got to go through that whole rigmarole
0:24:53 > 0:24:54of stitching her up again,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58which she doesn't need and we don't really want to do either.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08A week after Sunflower's original injury,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Duncan Williams, the vet, is back to see how she's doing.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Yeah.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18All right.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20That seems great,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23really pleased with that, see you put your cream on.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Sunflower's doing really well, she's...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Skin flap's healed up lovely,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31which, considering it was a bit contaminated at the time
0:25:31 > 0:25:36and there was horrible sort of... bits here, bits there, you know, flaps of it, we thought
0:25:36 > 0:25:41it might have damaged the... compromised the blood supply
0:25:41 > 0:25:46and cause it to sort of die off and slough off but, no, it's doing really well, so that's good,
0:25:46 > 0:25:52and I think really, you know, stick her out, I think, let her go down the bottom, fine.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Come on, Sunflower.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Now the best therapy for Sunflower is to be back with the herd
0:25:57 > 0:26:02so a little later on Senior Keeper Bev Evans has brought her out.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04She's been brilliant all the way through.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Through the stitching she had a local anaesthetic and she was just lying down and she hardly struggled.
0:26:09 > 0:26:15She's been putting weight on it near enough straightaway and, you know, exercising it, keeping it clean,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19she's done everything we've wanted her to do and she's looking fine now.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31We've come up to the rhino house to help with the end-of-day feed.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34We're here with Deputy Head of Section Kevin Nibbs
0:26:34 > 0:26:39and we seem to be feeding outside, Kevin, which is unusual. I thought the rhinos were shut inside at night.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Normally, but now we've got a new facility for the rhinos it seems a shame to lock them away at night
0:26:44 > 0:26:47They've got access to it all night, it's really good for them,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50it's a bit of a stimulus, they get to stay out during the night and...
0:26:50 > 0:26:56- So who's out here now?- We've got the two girls out today, this is Rosina, the closest to us, and Marashi.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- OK, so shall I just stick this...? - Yeah, if we have two piles...
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I'll do Rosina's pile. Here you are, Rosina.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And I'm going to pop this just through here, Kevin?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07- That's brilliant.- Just through that. - There's Rosina's food, her tea.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11- And just tip that over the hay?- Yeah. - What have we got in the bucket?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14It's just the night food, just a few horse pellets and a little bit
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- of additives for them, a few vitamins and minerals.- OK, perfect.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22And they're quite content and happy staying out here overnight?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- Presumably the weather's nice and warm...- They're very happy.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30They get sun on their backs for almost 24 hours a day now so it's really good for them.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35And obviously at night-time this is a controlled environment here and they're safe and happy?
0:27:35 > 0:27:40Yeah, it's a pretty solid barrier, there's steel everywhere, so it's pretty solid and they can't get out.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Fantastic! I don't think the two piles worked.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I think my feeding obviously went down rather better than yours, Ben.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48We can start on that one in a moment, Kate.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Kevin, thank you very much. Sadly that's all we've got time for today
0:27:52 > 0:27:55but here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Winky the one-wheeled tortoise has been in a bash.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Now she needs roadside assistance.
0:28:03 > 0:28:10We set up a special spy-cam to find out what the wolves make of an unusual pong.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16And we'll be there to greet the park's newest arrival on the very first morning of her life.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20So don't miss the next Animal Park.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2007
0:28:40 > 0:28:42E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk