Episode 12 Animal Park


Episode 12

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Hello and welcome to Animal Park.

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-I'm Kate Humble.

-And I'm Ben Fogle.

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And this is the perimeter fence of the lion enclosure here at Longleat.

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Now, it's 12-feet high and designed to keep the large powerful cats safely inside.

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But what if the worst case scenario were to happen and a lion DID escape?

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Well, today in a special drill, Head Warden Keith Harris will be putting the keepers to the test.

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But will they stay calm or will they lose their heads? We'll find out later.

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In the meantime, here's what else is coming up on today's programme.

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There's a murder mystery to solve on Meerkat Mountain.

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And the investigation has uncovered a twist in the plot that's stranger than fiction.

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Lady Bath knows that people will be staring at her new portrait for centuries to come.

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So what if she doesn't like it?

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And down on the farm, the student vet is going to find out what's what at lambing time.

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But first, an emergency has been scheduled, and now the drama is about to begin.

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Well, it's early morning outside the lion enclosure here.

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As you can see, it's firmly closed up.

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I'm waiting for keeper Bob Trollope so that we can go out on patrol.

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Within the lion enclosure, count them, and something tells me one of them is going to be missing.

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The different areas and departments at Longleat are called sections.

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And already the staff in each section have begun their first jobs of the day.

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For some, that's feeding, while others start with mucking out.

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The keepers who look after the large carnivores have different priorities.

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A lot of their routine is concerned with safety.

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But there's going to be nothing routine about today, though so far everything seems normal.

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I've joined Bob Trollope as he does his usual rounds.

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So, Bob, obviously you do this every morning. We've just counted the wolves.

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-Yeah. The first thing we do every morning is a head count.

-Yep.

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-Obviously, as we are driving around, we do a fence check as well.

-Yeah.

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See if any trees or branches that have come across

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or any other unlikely thing that might have happened.

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Is that the biggest hazard then? A tree falling and crushing the fence.

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As you know,

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-the safari park is built in a wood...

-Mmm.

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..and no matter how well you trim the trees up,

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there's always a possibility that one might

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fall over or a limb might come down.

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That is always a worry, that's for sure.

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While Ben's out with Bob, I'm in position to follow the action in the safari park's nerve centre -

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the office of Head Warden Keith Harris.

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So as not to arouse suspicion at this stage, we're pretending to be here to do an interview about something else.

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You can tell it's the Head Warden's office because it's got the biggest chair. ..Morning.

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'The lion-escape drill has been kept secret from all the other staff,

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'so right now we're just playing along, waiting for the emergency to begin.'

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I'm glad that cameras are here because I can now prove that I do do some work.

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There's lots of paper and stuff about.

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'In the outer office, Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner is blissfully unaware of the impending crisis.'

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There's only three people that know about this and that's me, Brian and Keith.

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I've noticed Craig is coming nearer.

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-This is when I tell him what is actually going on.

-OK.

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-And, what we're doing is basically a lion-escape jail.

-Right.

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I'll let you know that all the lions are in.

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If anyone asks you or gets in contact with you, you've got to act just as surprised as we are.

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-OK.

-All right.

-Yep.

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-So, the first thing is to double check all the lions are in?

-Yes!

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-So, which pride is this we're going into?

-This is Charlie's pride.

-OK.

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Are they going to be surprised to see us?

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The fact is that me and Brian sneaked in yesterday evening and actually put them all in.

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-So, we know they're all there.

-LOUD GROWLING

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'Close up, you can really appreciate how dangerous these animals are.

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'Thankfully, since the safari park opened 40 years ago not one has ever escaped.

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'Now we're about to find out what would happen if one did.'

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-Are we ready for this?

-I'm actually quite nervous, even though...

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-A lot of planning's gone into this.

-We've been planning this for weeks.

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-Mm-hm.

-It's been so hard not to let things slip.

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-Craig, you hadn't got a clue about it, had you?

-Not at until this morning!

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That's good. That bodes well.

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Shall we make the first call?

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Er, 392, Brian.

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'Bob's first call is to his Head of Section, Brian Kent.

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'Brian is in on the secret, but all the correct procedures

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'must be followed to keep the exercise as real as possible.

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'And, of course, most of the other keepers have radios, too, so they can already hear what's going on.'

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I've checked all the Lions in the second and we have one missing.

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Could you have another look round just in case

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'one's got up a tree or something?

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'It's possible.'

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Yeah, I will do. We have had a pretty thorough search, but we haven't seen anything yet.

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All right, have another look again and give me a shout back.

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Give it five minutes and I'll make another call.

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'OK. So far, the situation is still in the hands of the lion keepers.

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'But very soon, it's going to turn into a full-scale emergency that will involve everyone in the park.'

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Meanwhile, down at Meerkat Mountain, the keeper in charge, Darren Beasley, has his own drama to deal with.

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Last year they brought in a new male meerkat to join

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their group of females, in the hope that they would soon start breeding.

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But for some unknown reason, that just didn't follow.

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And now something dreadful's happened.

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We've had a terrible time down here at Meerkat Mountain actually.

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Um, a few days ago, the meerkats started fighting amongst themselves.

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We thought it was a normal, hierarchical scuffle, cos they have these falling-outs.

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The alpha male and the alpha female keep everybody else in line.

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And it didn't stop. The fighting went on pretty much solid for well over an hour.

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We split them up and they were fighting through the barriers inside

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underneath the mountain in their night house.

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And even though we administered a bit of first aid and antibiotics,

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I'm afraid they basically murdered one of the meerkats - they killed one of their gang.

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A gang of meerkats is properly known as a mob.

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And although they look harmless, and even cute, these animals come from a tough neighbourhood,

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the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa, one of the harshest environments on earth.

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But now Darren has a mystery to solve.

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What was the motive for the murder, and will the killer strike again?

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The victim was male, so perhaps it was a courtship or mating ritual gone horribly wrong.

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When a little boy meerkat wants to chat up a lady meerkat, he basically will attack her.

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He will try and overpower her,

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if you like, to convince her that he's big and strong and she's got to do what he says.

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It may be in this case that this male,

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because it was a male that was killed, um... picked on the wrong girl.

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Squabbling and fighting is a normal part of meerkat society, as animals jostle for position within the group.

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The females are feisty, though it's usually the males who are the most confrontational.

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So, when the new male arrived last year, Darren introduced him to the girls slowly and carefully

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in order to avoid any trouble.

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But the group settled down in no time, and everything seemed to be going perfectly.

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So why did it come to end in a violent tragedy?

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Could there be another explanation?

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Darren has taken his investigation further to pursue a startling theory.

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Well, the one that passed away and been killed was a boy. We saw that.

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We caught all the others to check for injuries and check for wellbeing and stuff.

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We think we've got another male in here.

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Now that could prove to be a fatal error.

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When they arrived from another collection, we sexed them and put them in.

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Meerkats aren't the easiest things to sex, I know.

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But we thought we had all girls and just this one boy.

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So, what we do know is, we know that the one male that we know of had a transponder in,

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which is a tiny little microchip.

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It's a way of identifying animals. It gets injected under the skin at the back of the neck.

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A lot of dogs and cats have it now. It's a really good idea. So, Duncan, the vet, is coming in.

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We're going to use the transponder reader to see if any of the ones left have got a chip.

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If they have, we know that the male in here is our original male

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and the one that was actually murdered was an impostor or someone that shouldn't have been here.

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If one of the remaining meerkats DOES turn out to be male, then the fatal fight

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would have been natural behaviour to establish who was the alpha male.

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It could all be down to a tragic case of mistaken identity.

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We'll be back on Meerkat Mountain shortly when the vet arrives to solve the mystery.

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Back in Lion Country, keeper Bob Trollope is about

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to launch an emergency that could send panic across the safari park.

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It's only Bob, his head of section, Brian Kent,

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and Head Warden Keith Harris who know that this is a safety exercise.

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Everyone else is about to be told that a lioness has gone missing.

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Right now the deception is still brewing.

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Bob's going through the motions of double-checking the area normally occupied by Charlie's pride.

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What they call the "second section" of the lion enclosure.

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-'Any luck yet?

-No, not a thing. Definitely not in the second.

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'All right, I'll check the fence along by gate four in a minute.'

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-Brian's just going to do a perimeter check.

-Right.

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BRIAN'S VOICE ON RADIO

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-Who's he calling?

-He's calling Keith now.

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Right. So, this is when things are starting to get more serious.

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-Yeah. As soon as Keith's involved, it's a full-scale emergency.

-Right.

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'Brian has called in to talk to Head Warden Keith Harris,

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'but it's his deputy, Ian Turner, who comes on the radio.'

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I got a shout from Bob. There's a lion missing in the second. He's had a good look round,

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'and, um, can't find it. I'm just going along the fence by gate four at the moment.'

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So, that was Ian. Ian won't have a clue about what's...

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Ian doesn't know. Keith is making out he's being filmed just so it throws Ian a little bit.

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-OK.

-So, Ian is going to have to going there and tell Keith the news.

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A big banana split, I think it's going to be, but raw.

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-And then, um, it's...

-KNOCK ON DOOR

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Sorry, but we've got a lion missing in the second section at the minute.

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-Not this one that's...?

-I'll keep the radio on.

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-What should we do at this point?

-We'll just hang on. He's going to call Brian.

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'Because Ian doesn't know it's a drill, it's important for Keith and me to keep up the deception.'

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What's happened?

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I'd just got a call from Bob.

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There's a lion missing in the second.

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He's had a good look round, but can't find it.

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I'm along the fence line from gate four at the moment, just having a look.

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OK, well, give us a shout if there's a problem.

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Surely there IS a problem if a lion's out.

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Only between the fences at the moment.

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-OK. So, there's a double layer of fences?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

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A lion is a killing machine.

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-Yes.

-They're born to kill.

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-Um, and for one to escape, there's obviously going to be a lot of fear about.

-Mm-hm.

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It will be unnatural territory for the lion.

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-So, it's going to be frightened.

-Mm-hm.

-Um, for all we know, it could be hid up somewhere.

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-Mm-hm.

-Who knows?

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KATE: The safari park is now just one step away from a full-scale emergency.

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Brian Kent must check the perimeter fence one last time.

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If he finds a break or hole, the entire safari park will be told

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that there's a deadly lion on the loose somewhere on the estate.

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Meanwhile, there's a cloud of suspicion hanging over Meerkat Mountain.

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A young male's been killed in a fight.

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Head of Pets Corner, Darren Beasley, assumed that he was the new male

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who was brought in last year to join the all-female mob.

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But now the plot thickens, because they suspect that

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the new male is actually one of the three meerkats who are still here.

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The problem is that these meerkats look almost identical

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but there is one sure-fire way to identify the new male.

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They know he's got a microchip transponder inserted beneath the skin.

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Now vet Duncan Williams has arrived with his microchip reader.

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You're going to solve a real mystery for us.

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Regarding the big fight where we had a meerkat

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picked on and killed basically by one of the others in here.

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That shouldn't happen. There are various reasons why it may happen.

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When Val was health-checking the others, the remaining ones, we think we saw another boy

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which would explain a lot as we're meant to have one boy and the rest girls.

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Um, they're notoriously hard to sex.

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So, that's good.

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That's all three in here.

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So, we've separated the meerkats now.

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It's like putting your hand into a tiger pit, really,

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cos they're so vicious.

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All right, my love.

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That's it. Hopefully, we won't find any chips on this one.

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No, there's nothing there.

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That's a female. That is a female. Look at those teeth!

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They eat insects. Goodness gracious, what do you want teeth like that for?

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Incredible. Let's put her in there.

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Oh, I nearly fell in.

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Grab my ankles, Val, I'm going in.

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It looks a bit ungainly but...

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Nothing at all.

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-Superb.

-Now, there's just one left to try.

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If this one turns out to be the new male, it would explain why the fatal fight was so intense.

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In the wild, a conflict to determine the alpha male can easily turn into a battle to the death.

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-BEEPING

-You've got a chip already.

-You've got a chip already?

-Yep.

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So, in a way, that is good news.

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This means, this little feisty fellow is our original male.

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That explains a lot. That explains, the other one was an impostor.

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It obviously was a sub-adult when it arrived. We thought it was a female.

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It's grown up to a male and he's seen it off, but in, I'm afraid, the ultimate way.

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So, the mystery is solved.

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The victim was only a youngster when he arrived,

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which is what made it so difficult to spot that he was actually a male.

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As long as he was still a juvenile there was no trouble.

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But when he reached sexual maturity, he was driven to challenge the alpha male - with fatal consequences.

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We treated it, obviously, just after a fight when it was very badly injured, but...

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it didn't survive.

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The injuries were too much.

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It died a couple of days later really.

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But, you know, we know why now, which is the main thing.

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Hopefully, we won't get any more.

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Fighting, most days, most weeks, is part of this hierarchical structure.

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It's the two top ones that want to breed and want to rule the roost.

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Everybody else is secondary. Nature says, as you get bigger and stronger, you're going to compete.

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In the wild, you might drive someone away or you might just live in, not harmony, but live knowing your place.

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Obviously here, the balance...

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Somebody somewhere decided that these two,

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they weren't going to live in peace and harmony and they both wanted to be top cat.

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And there can't be two top cats.

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But something good may come from these tragic events.

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Now that the hierarchy of the mob is stable, there's nothing to stop them from finally starting to breed.

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We have two unrelated females with an unrelated male, all of a good age.

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There shouldn't be any infighting now.

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They balance themselves out.

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I'd like to be having this conversation with you in ten years' time,

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saying we've got 40 meerkats here and we've a lovely colony. So, we'll just have to wait and see.

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KATE: 'Back in the safari-park office only a few minutes have passed

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'since keepers Bob Trollope and Brian Kent reported a missing lion.

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'Head Warden Keith Harris is now waiting for news that will confirm

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'everyone's worst fears - actual evidence of an escape.'

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I found several holes along the fence line. I'd imagine it's possible it could have got out of there.

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OK, Brian. We'll come straight there.

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'Could I have any available vehicles mobile?'

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So, there probably will be some very real panic going on now.

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There's going to be a lot of panic. People will be zooming in to an area.

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Now, O'Brien is down at gate four

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-where he's spotted a hole.

-Yep.

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I would imagine people will aim for that direction.

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Like everyone else, Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner

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doesn't know that this is actually an elaborate safety exercise.

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-A lion's gone missing...

-VOICE ON RADIO

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..and there's a lioness.

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Ian, can you grab the dart kit, please?

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-Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner is going to be going to get a...?

-Dart kit.

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He's the person that does most of the darting here.

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You always nominate a certain person to go and do a job.

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I'm just picking up the dart stuff, really.

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Yeah, OK.

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I'll take the pistol.

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We've had ones between fences before.

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Usually, it's if a tree's come down or something.

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I hope she's just...

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hiding somewhere, out of the way.

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If she's been bullied, that could be a reason why she's gone over.

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Which way do you think it's gone?

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-I think it's gone up that way. I'm not 100% sure, mind.

-OK.

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Well, if you follow what you think are the tracks along there, I'll have to give the gardeners a shout.

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-I'll go down to the junction in a minute.

-I haven't got out, being on my end.

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But I'd imagine it's gone that way.

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-293, Bob.

-Yes?

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Bob, can you put the rest of the lions in, if possible, please?

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I'll meet you down by gate four.

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Yeah, me and Craig, we've already done that.

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And there is definitely one missing.

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The rest of the lions are in. Definitely one missing.

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There's dog walkers out there. What does this mean?

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Well, we'd got to...

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get everybody mobile and get people like that picked up.

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Right.

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Tommy, I need everything shut down, mate.

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I've got a problem already. On the picnic area, there's a dog walker.

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We need him evacuated.

0:21:010:21:03

I need to stop all traffic. One of the biggest dangers at the moment is, we know she's out, we don't know

0:21:050:21:10

where she is but there's people walking on the estate already.

0:21:100:21:14

About 4,500 acres of the estate is open for public access.

0:21:150:21:21

But now everyone has swung into action.

0:21:210:21:24

Keepers, gardeners, security and house staff are all working together to lock down the whole place.

0:21:240:21:32

Darren Beasley has left Pets Corner to get to his emergency station at one of the gates.

0:21:320:21:37

-Hiya. If you go up there, they are a little bit tense up there, so...

-What's going on?

0:21:370:21:44

-I'm not sure, really. It's an emergency of some sort.

-OK.

0:21:440:21:47

Buster, Buster, this is Safari Base.

0:21:480:21:52

Um, we have an incident. I need...

0:21:520:21:55

immediate assistance, please.

0:21:550:21:57

We've got an animal that's escaped. We know it's a lion.

0:21:570:21:59

-I do need mobile, immediate assistance, please.

-Be careful.

0:21:590:22:03

We don't know where the lion is.

0:22:030:22:06

-All right?

-All right.

-If you can take a few people with you.

-OK.

0:22:060:22:11

Can you organise somebody at the safari office to close the gate and not let anybody through, Mark?

0:22:190:22:24

OK, there's just somebody. Yeah, OK.

0:22:240:22:28

So, they've closed the safari park as well.

0:22:280:22:30

They're shutting the gates, so that no cars can come down.

0:22:300:22:35

You want the least amount of people as possible to be

0:22:350:22:41

-wherever this lion might be.

-Mm-hm.

0:22:410:22:43

Bob, could you get to Heaven's Gate proper?

0:22:430:22:46

No, the top.

0:22:470:22:49

Make sure nobody comes through there.

0:22:490:22:51

I have to say, it's incredibly impressive.

0:22:550:22:59

This was only discovered about five minutes ago.

0:22:590:23:02

The whole park is mobilising very, very fast.

0:23:020:23:05

Yeah. The only thing is now, we've got to find the lion.

0:23:050:23:07

And when the lion is found, then the emergency will really go into top gear.

0:23:070:23:12

We'll be back to see what happens very soon.

0:23:120:23:15

For over 450 years, Longleat has been the home of the Thynne family,

0:23:370:23:43

dating back to Sir John Thynne, who built the house in the 16th century.

0:23:430:23:47

Since then, each generation has commissioned

0:23:510:23:53

at least one portrait of themselves, so that they could take their place on the walls, amongst the ancestors.

0:23:530:24:00

Last year, the official portrait of Lord Bath was painted by the noted artist Paul Benney,

0:24:000:24:07

and hung in the Ante Library where it would be seen by visitors at the start of their tour.

0:24:070:24:12

Lord Bath, an artist himself, was pleased with the result.

0:24:120:24:15

I think it's a good likeness.

0:24:150:24:18

I think it's got the air of not being too carefully dressed.

0:24:180:24:21

It's all a bit sort of ruffled up, as I normally am.

0:24:210:24:25

Um, and an expression different than the ones...the self-portraits I've done of myself.

0:24:250:24:33

So, it's all an addition to the array.

0:24:330:24:36

Lord Bath is a colourful character and his wife, Anna, Lady Bath,

0:24:360:24:41

expected to see a little more of that in the portrait.

0:24:410:24:45

He's a real peacock. He dresses far more exotically than I do

0:24:450:24:50

and with more colours and more, more, more...

0:24:500:24:53

I'm not sure how to define it.

0:24:530:24:56

More in every way.

0:24:560:24:58

But now, artist Paul Benney has another picture to paint, because

0:25:000:25:03

having done the Marquess, it was felt he ought to do the Marchioness.

0:25:030:25:09

So it's Lady Bath's turn to sit for her portrait, in Paul's studio in West London.

0:25:090:25:13

This picture is a different kind of challenge.

0:25:130:25:17

To me, it's an elegant portrait.

0:25:190:25:21

Um, it's almost opposed to Lord Bath's painting, which is quite

0:25:220:25:28

flamboyant and dramatic and full of interest.

0:25:280:25:32

This one is quite sort of minimal and...restrained.

0:25:320:25:37

I kind of like that.

0:25:370:25:39

In choosing her outfit, Lady Bath has gone for a vintage classic.

0:25:390:25:44

It's an Yves St Laurent poncho from the 1960s.

0:25:440:25:49

When I meet somebody, if I don't know them, we sort of mooch around,

0:25:490:25:53

finding a place where the light will be good for them.

0:25:530:26:00

It's quite difficult in the studio. You've got skylights. You have to find the right spot.

0:26:000:26:05

That actually takes a long time and can be a bit trying.

0:26:050:26:09

A situation that didn't escape Lady Bath's attention.

0:26:090:26:14

'I noticed that the lighting was from way above the head which is not the most flattering lighting.'

0:26:140:26:19

I did tell him that last time we saw each other.

0:26:190:26:22

I thought that he made me look terribly, if not sad, as having the whole world on my shoulders,

0:26:220:26:29

which of course I do, but I don't want it to show.

0:26:290:26:31

I don't.

0:26:310:26:34

So, I said, I looked a bit sad to him in his portrait.

0:26:340:26:37

But the art of a portraitist is to put on the canvas something

0:26:370:26:41

of the character, not just the outward appearance of the subject.

0:26:410:26:45

And Paul is one of the most renowned painters in the field.

0:26:450:26:49

His portraits are done over several sittings and many months.

0:26:490:26:53

This particular portrait, I think, is...

0:26:530:26:56

of somebody...

0:26:560:26:58

about to get up and go.

0:26:580:27:00

And...Anna Bath is very much like that. She's always on the move.

0:27:000:27:08

Something that Lady Bath cannot deny.

0:27:080:27:10

How are we doing time-wise actually

0:27:100:27:12

cos I've got a flight to catch?

0:27:120:27:14

-So...

-Right.

-It's all right?

0:27:140:27:16

-It's not half past yet, is it?

-No.

0:27:160:27:18

'To me, when I'm painting somebody,

0:27:180:27:21

'it's somebody coming into my life for a short while

0:27:210:27:25

'who I, um...find out a lot about.

0:27:250:27:29

'and develop a relationship with.

0:27:290:27:32

'And, that part of it is always fascinating.

0:27:320:27:36

'The painting is a sort of...

0:27:370:27:39

'result of the time we spend in the studio.'

0:27:390:27:44

We talk quite easily, don't we?

0:27:440:27:46

-Yeah.

-And, um...no, I think it will be unnerving when you are...

0:27:460:27:53

a young girl. I had a portrait done of me when I was fairly young.

0:27:530:27:56

Then you feel very ill at ease.

0:27:560:27:58

The older you grow, the more... at ease with yourself and the world you are, I suppose.

0:27:580:28:04

The less self-conscious, I would say, you are.

0:28:040:28:06

There are people who just try and manipulate it

0:28:060:28:10

as it's going along because they feel like they can sort of...

0:28:100:28:14

put a little bit of spin on it, just a bit.

0:28:140:28:16

Anna's actually been very good and hasn't made too many comments about it.

0:28:160:28:22

Only today.

0:28:220:28:25

But when it's finished, what will Lady Bath really think of her portrait?

0:28:250:28:30

We'll find out later on.

0:28:300:28:33

Back in the safari park, the staff are all at action stations.

0:28:380:28:43

They've been told that a lioness has escaped.

0:28:430:28:46

Only the lion keepers Bob Trollope and Brian Kent,

0:28:460:28:50

along with Head Warden Keith Harris, know that this is actually a safety drill.

0:28:500:28:55

Where are you with that rifle?

0:28:550:28:58

Yeah, just going past the hippo field now towards gate four.

0:28:580:29:03

Keith is in charge now. We have to take our directions from him.

0:29:030:29:07

Obviously, if we see things that will

0:29:070:29:09

help him out, then obviously will do that.

0:29:090:29:13

What's happening now, we are doing a sweep of this area.

0:29:130:29:16

-Right.

-We've had a report that it was in what we call this hanging here, underneath the hill.

0:29:160:29:21

Quite good camouflage up here, in this lion-coloured...

0:29:210:29:25

The lion's coming in from our left, and he's going along that hanging.

0:29:250:29:29

OK, let's be optimistic here.

0:29:290:29:31

We find the lion.

0:29:310:29:33

-Then what happens?

-The first thing we have to is assess

0:29:330:29:37

whether it's either "dartable" or we've got to destroy the animal.

0:29:370:29:41

-Right.

-When I say "dartable", it's got to be in an accessible area we can get to.

0:29:410:29:45

-Right.

-In which case, we might chance darting it.

0:29:450:29:49

So, darting it would mean tranquillising it,

0:29:490:29:51

-and then you can move it back into the enclosure?

-Yeah.

0:29:510:29:54

Worst-case scenario, if you had to put it down -

0:29:540:29:58

in what circumstances is that?

0:29:580:30:01

If we believe there's a risk of it escaping further,

0:30:010:30:04

-or a risk to the public, then the animal will be destroyed.

-Right.

0:30:040:30:08

You wouldn't get out at this stage, still?

0:30:110:30:14

No. If you don't know where the animal is, then you don't get out.

0:30:140:30:18

It's as simple as that. Because, it could be down in that gully, and if we went marching off down there,

0:30:180:30:25

-guns in hand...

-Yes.

-..then you're making yourself vulnerable.

0:30:250:30:30

That's one thing you don't want to do.

0:30:300:30:32

It would be scared, frightened.

0:30:360:30:39

It would be more dangerous than normal, I'd have thought.

0:30:390:30:43

You just don't know where it would be.

0:30:430:30:45

It could be hid up, or run in sheer panic.

0:30:450:30:49

And keep running. And then suddenly stopping somewhere and hiding up. It could go for miles.

0:30:490:30:54

In fact, Brian knows exactly where the lion is hiding, because he put it there last night.

0:30:560:31:02

Now to find out how the team reacts.

0:31:020:31:05

Will they do the right thing to recapture the animal?

0:31:050:31:08

Brian starts the next phase of the exercise.

0:31:080:31:13

Yeah, found the lion, Keith.

0:31:130:31:15

-It's up here.

-OK, is it "dartable"?

0:31:150:31:17

Just about see it, yeah.

0:31:190:31:21

Somebody's spotted something, they reckon.

0:31:210:31:24

It might be a false alarm, but we've got to check it out to make sure.

0:31:240:31:28

-The lion's been found.

-If you can withdraw a minute. Ian's behind you.

0:31:280:31:33

'If everybody else just stands still for a minute, please.'

0:31:330:31:36

-That's Brian up there, isn't it?

-Brian's spotted the lion.

0:31:360:31:40

Keith has directed everyone to stand still.

0:31:400:31:43

Because, now we've spotted it, we don't want it to run off any further and potentially lose it.

0:31:430:31:48

I've worked here for 31 years.

0:31:520:31:54

It's the first time we've it physically had a lion out.

0:31:540:31:58

We've had them between fences, when we've had major storms.

0:31:580:32:04

These animals are used to vehicles. Does that make your job easier or more difficult?

0:32:040:32:11

Sometimes. It works both ways.

0:32:110:32:13

What we don't want is this lion to be scared and pushed away.

0:32:130:32:17

Brian is assessing the situation. We know we've got the darting equipment here.

0:32:170:32:21

Ian would have been making up a dart.

0:32:210:32:23

-'Is Ian on his way up?'

-Yep, Ian's just coming through now.

0:32:230:32:28

'So now the safari park is locked down, the lion is cornered

0:32:300:32:33

'and Ian is standing by in position to shoot it with a tranquilliser dart.

0:32:330:32:38

'Time for Keith to end the exercise.'

0:32:380:32:41

OK, Safari Base to a Safari Park.

0:32:410:32:44

OK, stand down now. We've caught the lion.

0:32:440:32:46

-'Thank you very much for everybody's assistance.'

-Let's reveal our lion.

0:32:460:32:52

It was exhausting...

0:32:570:32:59

and all...for that.

0:32:590:33:03

A cardboard lion.

0:33:030:33:05

Gets the old adrenaline going, doesn't it, eh?

0:33:050:33:08

-Did you know it was a drill?

-Not at all. No, didn't have a clue.

0:33:110:33:14

It seems like an elaborate joke, but, actually, this was a serious matter.

0:33:140:33:19

Yes, whether there are cameras here or not, this is the sort of thing we have to practise,

0:33:190:33:24

and this time we've involved everybody on the whole estate,

0:33:240:33:27

to see how the whole estate would cope in an emergency.

0:33:270:33:30

So, guys, can I quickly ask.

0:33:300:33:32

did you all realise that this was perhaps an exercise, or were you...?

0:33:320:33:36

-No, not at all.

-Really?

-We took it very seriously.

-Yes, of course.

0:33:360:33:40

Because I knew... We realised it was an exercise, but, even I...

0:33:400:33:46

-All the hairs stood up on my arms.

-Yeah!

0:33:460:33:49

What went through your minds?

0:33:490:33:50

Still pumping away there.

0:33:500:33:53

We jumped in the trucks, and...

0:33:530:33:55

we just followed the procedures and orders, and here we are.

0:33:550:33:59

Deputy Head Warden, would you mind coming and having a word with us, please?

0:33:590:34:04

Probably not the ideal way to start your day!

0:34:040:34:08

How do you feel about Keith at this precise moment?

0:34:080:34:12

What's so funny is, it never entered my head it was a test.

0:34:120:34:15

Not once. Because we've got a little bit of trouble with lions. And I thought, no, no.

0:34:150:34:19

And, literally, it's still going now.

0:34:190:34:22

-You are trembling, aren't you?

-I said to the other lot,

0:34:220:34:25

"That's the only way to do it. You can't let everybody know."

0:34:250:34:29

So, are you both pleased, as Head Warden and Deputy Head Warden, with how the operation went today?

0:34:290:34:35

We're going to have a debrief now and talk it over.

0:34:350:34:38

As far as I can see from what I was looking at, it went very well.

0:34:380:34:42

'The emergency ends with the recaptured lion taken safely into custody.'

0:34:420:34:47

-What a morning!

-It certainly...!

0:34:470:34:50

'Now the staff all over the safari park can go back to their routine duties,

0:34:500:34:54

'safe in the knowledge that if the worst WAS ever to happen, they would all know what to do.'

0:34:540:35:00

Still to come on today's programme...

0:35:270:35:29

The new portrait of Lady Bath causes quite a stir when it arrives at Longleat.

0:35:290:35:35

We'll be getting a bug's eye view of the world's most beautiful bugs.

0:35:350:35:39

And down on the farm, the student vet finds out just how the orphaned lambs get fostered.

0:35:390:35:46

But, now, in the West London studio of the artist Paul Benney, the last sitting is just coming to a close.

0:35:500:35:57

The new portrait of Lady Bath is almost complete, though the finishing touches are yet to be done.

0:35:570:36:03

-I will say, au revoir.

-You're going to get changed?

0:36:030:36:08

Shall I? Yeah. I'm frightened of catching the rush hour, you see.

0:36:080:36:11

I'm going to...finish off the...

0:36:110:36:15

hands - there's a little bit more to do on those.

0:36:150:36:18

Just a bit of tidying up, tickling it up a little bit.

0:36:180:36:22

I'm relatively pleased with it now.

0:36:220:36:24

As always with these portraits, I have to wait a long time

0:36:240:36:27

before I can actually really look at it and decide whether it's any good.

0:36:270:36:31

Normally about two years later when I can look at it, without...

0:36:310:36:36

me thinking, "Oh God, I should have done some little thing."

0:36:360:36:40

Right after I've just finished it, I'm always thinking I could have done this, could have done that.

0:36:400:36:44

But later on, you see it as a whole when you look at it again.

0:36:440:36:49

You can decide whether it's any good or not.

0:36:490:36:52

At the moment, I'm fairly pleased, yeah.

0:36:520:36:56

Back at Longleat, the portraits of the six previous Marquesses of Bath,

0:36:590:37:04

along with their Marchionesses, are hung together in one room.

0:37:040:37:09

But the present Lord Bath, the Seventh Marquess, is currently elsewhere.

0:37:090:37:13

The hope was that when Lady Bath's portrait is finished,

0:37:130:37:16

they could both come in here to take their places amongst the ancestors.

0:37:160:37:20

But there's a problem, as estate manager Tim Moore is only too aware.

0:37:200:37:25

We're in the breakfast room at Longleat, which is a room where most of the family

0:37:280:37:34

portraits are, with a sequence of the marquesses and marchionesses, from the first through to the sixth.

0:37:340:37:41

And, as you can see, there's not a lot of wall space left.

0:37:410:37:46

First, over there, with a wig, looking pretty learned.

0:37:460:37:50

Second, probably Knight of the Garter or something - a big and important portrait.

0:37:500:37:55

Third in this corner here.

0:37:550:37:57

And then we've got cracking picture of the Fourth.

0:37:570:38:01

And then Fifth over the fireplace.

0:38:010:38:04

And then Sixth, the present Lord Bath's father.

0:38:040:38:07

Tim hasn't seen the new painting yet, but he's very excited about it.

0:38:070:38:12

It's fantastic in a house like this, it continues a tradition.

0:38:120:38:15

But you know, footballers ought to be commissioning portraits flat out.

0:38:150:38:19

Anybody with wealth should be commissioning portraits.

0:38:190:38:22

They're just so much more special than photographs, photographic images.

0:38:220:38:27

And then you'd have a whole resurgence of portraiture.

0:38:270:38:30

There is quite a one. There are some good younger artists. I think that's a really good way to spend money.

0:38:300:38:35

So everyone's expecting great things from the new portrait of Lady Bath.

0:38:350:38:40

We'll find out just how it's received when it arrives at Longleat later on.

0:38:400:38:46

As well as the house and safari park,

0:38:520:38:55

the Longleat estate also includes several thousand acres of farmland.

0:38:550:38:59

And right now, it's lambing season.

0:38:590:39:02

Sheep farmer Simon Baggs is expecting 2,800 lambs to be born,

0:39:020:39:07

and many of the ewes will need a helping hand.

0:39:070:39:10

It's an enormous task, and this year Simon's recruited

0:39:100:39:14

Naia Knight, a student from the Bristol Veterinary School, to help.

0:39:140:39:19

I'm in my first year, so I've done two terms.

0:39:190:39:23

And I've got four years to go.

0:39:230:39:26

As part of my extra-mural studies, we have to do 12 weeks in the first two years,

0:39:260:39:32

so I'm doing three weeks on a sheep farm here, and learning basically sheep husbandry.

0:39:320:39:37

Lambing time is not just a matter of letting the ewes get on with it.

0:39:370:39:41

A couple of months ago, all these sheep were scanned to find out how many lambs they're carrying.

0:39:410:39:47

The problem is that ewes have only two teats.

0:39:470:39:51

In the ideal world, every sheep we want to send out wants to have two lambs.

0:39:510:39:55

So we have the ones carrying triplets, which are the threes with the red dots in here.

0:39:550:40:01

And then the singles are in the other shed.

0:40:010:40:04

What we can do then, when the singles lamb and the triplets lamb,

0:40:040:40:08

we can take a triplet off and put it straight on to a single ewe.

0:40:080:40:12

As it's unlikely for all the triplets to be born at

0:40:120:40:15

the same time as the singles, there's a holding pen for the extra lambs awaiting mothers.

0:40:150:40:21

This is our shepherdess that we use to feed the orphan lambs.

0:40:210:40:25

It's much easier than bottle-feeding them.

0:40:250:40:26

So, in here's a bucket of milk.

0:40:260:40:29

The machine keeps it warm. And they drink out of these teats.

0:40:290:40:34

We teach them to drink like this.

0:40:340:40:37

Hopefully, we'll orphan them off on to a single - a sheep that's only got one lamb.

0:40:390:40:44

And then they'll go out into the fields.

0:40:440:40:46

It remains to be seen whether mothers can be found for all the orphaned lambs.

0:40:480:40:53

Their survival depends on it, and it has to happen soon.

0:40:530:40:57

Now we're going to investigate a mysterious world,

0:40:590:41:03

as we find out about one of Longleat's most unusual collections.

0:41:030:41:09

The tropical butterfly house is filled with exotic species from all across the globe.

0:41:090:41:14

Because of their size, it can be difficult to appreciate these fabulous insects,

0:41:140:41:19

so we've invited wildlife cameraman Steve Downer to bring in his specialist lenses

0:41:190:41:24

and equipment to see if he can take us right into this miniature world.

0:41:240:41:29

In fact, we've set him a challenge, to show us the entire life cycle of the butterfly.

0:41:290:41:36

Fortunately, Longleat's own butterfly expert, Derek Longuet, has just spotted shot number one.

0:41:360:41:43

This is the first stage in reproduction, the mating of the owl butterfly.

0:41:450:41:50

Three or four days after this, they start egg-laying.

0:41:500:41:54

And then there'll be a series of eggs, they'll lay them in a chain down the rib of a banana leaf.

0:41:540:42:00

That's just what's happening nearby.

0:42:030:42:06

The owl butterfly gets its name

0:42:060:42:08

from the markings on the wings,

0:42:080:42:10

"eyes" to confuse predators.

0:42:100:42:12

We spotted her laying her first egg.

0:42:120:42:14

And now she's laying the second egg.

0:42:140:42:17

In many cases, she'll go on and lay a string of eggs

0:42:170:42:21

along the mid-section of the leaf.

0:42:210:42:24

We can get good shots with OUR camera,

0:42:260:42:29

but then Steve moves in to show what he can do.

0:42:290:42:32

These eggs are quite interesting.

0:42:360:42:38

They're not smooth like some I've seen. They're ridged.

0:42:380:42:41

-May I have a look?

-Yes, certainly.

0:42:410:42:43

The detail on that - the banding is so clear.

0:42:460:42:50

Eggs come in many different shapes and sizes,

0:42:530:42:56

but they all hatch out

0:42:560:42:57

within two to four days to reveal small caterpillars.

0:42:570:43:02

The front pads or legs are for propulsion.

0:43:020:43:06

They have a couple of sticky pads at the back,

0:43:060:43:10

which they use for grip.

0:43:100:43:12

These are interesting, they're swallowtail caterpillars.

0:43:120:43:16

At this stage, they look like...

0:43:160:43:19

small bird droppings.

0:43:190:43:21

These caterpillars eat almost continuously and grow very fast.

0:43:240:43:29

If a human baby weighing about nine pounds grew at the same rate,

0:43:290:43:33

it would tip the scales at 11 metric tonnes as an adult.

0:43:330:43:37

After two to three weeks of stuffing themselves silly,

0:43:400:43:43

the growing caterpillars develop a hard outer case

0:43:430:43:47

as they enter the pupal stage.

0:43:470:43:49

This does happen naturally in the butterfly house,

0:43:490:43:51

but Derek boosts the numbers with more pupae from the Far East.

0:43:510:43:56

It's another delivery of pupae.

0:43:560:43:58

Twice a week, I get pupa coming in to supplement what I'm breeding here.

0:43:580:44:05

It's just like Christmas.

0:44:050:44:06

It never loses its appeal and I never know exactly what's coming in and the selection.

0:44:090:44:16

Some beautiful chrysalis here,

0:44:160:44:19

that mimic a leaf insect, complete with pretend legs.

0:44:190:44:26

And little silver spots.

0:44:260:44:29

That warns predators to keep away.

0:44:290:44:32

And there we are, some of nature's jewels.

0:44:320:44:36

Pretty enough to be worn as earrings. Golden colour.

0:44:360:44:40

Nature's protection, that.

0:44:400:44:43

I think I can get some amazing detail from some of these.

0:44:430:44:48

Some of these that look leaves.

0:44:480:44:50

I can try some back lighting

0:44:500:44:52

and maybe see what's inside.

0:44:520:44:55

Maybe we can see details of what's inside the chrysalis.

0:44:550:44:58

The next stage is for the fully formed butterfly to emerge

0:45:080:45:12

from the pupa, but we may have to wait a bit for that.

0:45:120:45:16

It's quite difficult to know exactly when a butterfly is going to emerge from its case.

0:45:160:45:21

And I've often had to wait for a couple of days

0:45:210:45:25

for the emergence.

0:45:250:45:27

But luck is on our side.

0:45:310:45:33

Soon after Steve sets up the camera by the butterfly emerging cabinet.

0:45:330:45:38

There's one butterfly which has just emerged and I'm going to get

0:45:380:45:42

some really tight close-ups of its head and its eyes and its tongue.

0:45:420:45:47

Once they've emerged, the wings are folded and what's going to happen

0:45:520:45:56

over the next hour, is that the blood is going to pump through the wings

0:45:560:46:00

and they'll gradually expand until they're this size.

0:46:000:46:03

I've set up on a big close-up of its eye and its proboscis, Derek.

0:46:030:46:07

Do you want to have a look through the viewfinder?

0:46:070:46:09

Wow! That's amazing.

0:46:120:46:14

Butterflies don't bite and chew their food like we do.

0:46:180:46:22

Instead, they have a long straw-like feature called a proboscis,

0:46:220:46:26

which they use to drink nectar and juices.

0:46:260:46:29

When they're not using it, it coils up just like a garden hose.

0:46:290:46:35

I've never seen detail like that.

0:46:350:46:37

I mean, I'm obviously looking at them each day, but I'm speechless.

0:46:370:46:43

You can see where they get the strength in the wing, allied to the lightness.

0:46:500:46:56

That really is amazing.

0:46:560:46:58

I find all stages interesting, from discovering eggs,

0:46:580:47:03

caterpillars splitting their skin

0:47:030:47:06

and going on to the next stage of the cycle.

0:47:060:47:09

Coming in each morning and spotting something just about to hatch,

0:47:090:47:13

watching it unfold like a parachute. It's all magic.

0:47:130:47:17

Back in Longleat House, the new portrait of Lady Bath has arrived.

0:47:250:47:30

Estate manager Tim Moore has been looking forward to this for some time.

0:47:300:47:35

Yes, at last we've got it in the house, which is a thrill

0:47:350:47:41

because it's been such a long time since the project first started.

0:47:410:47:45

And...even better is we think we've got the right place to hang it,

0:47:450:47:51

but, of course, that'll depend on Lady Bath's views.

0:47:510:47:55

Where to hang the portrait has been a big problem.

0:47:550:47:58

There's no space for either Lord or Lady Bath in the Breakfast Room

0:47:580:48:02

amongst the other marquesses and marchionesses.

0:48:020:48:05

And there's no place for her next to where he's hung in the Ante Library.

0:48:050:48:09

Like husband and wife, the interest is in the association, isn't it?

0:48:090:48:14

There you are as a personality and then there you are with your partner, It's different, isn't it?

0:48:140:48:19

They're not a pair to be hung together, although they would, I think, hang very happily together.

0:48:190:48:24

I think, in some ways, they may be better apart, which is the suggestion.

0:48:240:48:29

So for now the new portrait is up in the room next door, the Red Library.

0:48:300:48:35

It was acting house steward Steve Blyth's idea to put it here.

0:48:350:48:39

It all goes, doesn't it? The red on the shawl goes with the wallpaper in the Red Library.

0:48:410:48:47

The frame goes pretty much with the ceiling and the gold,

0:48:470:48:52

so, yeah, built to hang there, I think.

0:48:520:48:56

Just hope Lady Bath's pleased with it, yeah, which I'm sure she will be.

0:48:560:49:00

Lady Bath has been away, so she hasn't yet seen the finished painting, in position.

0:49:010:49:06

But Lord Bath, who's an artist himself, has had a chance to appraise the portrait.

0:49:060:49:11

I think it's an excellent portrait,

0:49:140:49:18

but I'm slightly critical on the...the size.

0:49:180:49:22

I feel that with that figure there, it should have been a slightly smaller painting,

0:49:220:49:28

but I see the answer is it's made to match the one that was done of me.

0:49:280:49:33

I mean just shrink everything, the background down,

0:49:330:49:36

I think it would have been... I think it IS a lovely portrait.

0:49:360:49:40

But my feeling is she's... They've made her lost in space a bit.

0:49:400:49:45

But, now, what will Lady Bath think?

0:49:470:49:50

So, let's have a look at it all.

0:49:500:49:53

I can see it right from here, that it's just right, Steve.

0:49:550:49:59

It fits in just right. It's perfect, isn't it?

0:49:590:50:01

-It is. A perfect spot for it.

-Perfect. There's nothing to say.

0:50:010:50:05

You had a stroke of genius.

0:50:050:50:07

Stroke of luck.

0:50:070:50:10

Anyhow, well done, you.

0:50:100:50:12

Well, often genius is luck and luck is genius, who knows?

0:50:120:50:15

-Who knows? Maybe Einstein said that.

-Quite likely.

0:50:150:50:19

I'm happy. I'm relieved to find a place for it.

0:50:190:50:22

I'm relieved I don't have to do any more sittings because I came in from Paris, went to the sitting,

0:50:220:50:28

came down to Longleat and it went on for practically a year.

0:50:280:50:32

So, it's a lot of hassle and, as I say,

0:50:320:50:34

I thought there were plenty enough of souvenirs of me around the place.

0:50:340:50:39

But there you are. Now you're happy, yeah.

0:50:390:50:42

It's nice. Probably it makes me better-looking than I am, but that's good.

0:50:420:50:47

It's no harm. Why not?

0:50:470:50:50

Probably flattering a bit, but I don't know, you know, slightly.

0:50:500:50:53

I did tell him. I said, "I don't want to be savaged.

0:50:530:50:56

"Please make me look all right and if anything, better than I am."

0:50:560:51:00

Why not go down to posterity looking as well as you can?

0:51:000:51:05

But I don't know. He's a good painter.

0:51:050:51:07

Back at Simon Bagg's estate farm,

0:51:120:51:14

student vet Naia is looking after the lambs awaiting foster mothers.

0:51:140:51:21

Naia, we've just got a single given birth, so I think we can put one of these lambs on her hopefully.

0:51:210:51:26

Right, we'll tie his legs up.

0:51:290:51:31

The reason why we're tying them up now is so obviously when we've got the lamb all wet,

0:51:310:51:37

he doesn't run off, because he's older than the ones being born over here obviously.

0:51:370:51:42

So then she thinks it's sort of new-born.

0:51:420:51:45

Got to just orphan this lamb on so we need to...

0:52:210:52:24

HER lamb, we need to put in the bucket to get all the fluids,

0:52:240:52:28

so we can wash the lamb we're going to orphan off.

0:52:280:52:31

Just leave that one over there.

0:52:310:52:33

What we do now is put this orphan on to her. Cheers.

0:52:420:52:48

Just lie down now. That's it.

0:52:490:52:52

She's got to start licking now.

0:52:530:52:55

Now put her own...there as well.

0:52:590:53:01

Licking sort of cleans them because they're a bit slimy when they come out,

0:53:010:53:07

and she gets all that off their fur dries out and they warm up.

0:53:070:53:12

It's a bonding process. You can hear her making chuckling noises to them.

0:53:120:53:16

And she's smelling them, and they're getting to know her and that's how they bond.

0:53:160:53:21

She's quite a good one.

0:53:210:53:23

She'll be a good mum.

0:53:230:53:25

Basically, it's a really good sign that she's letting it suck

0:53:290:53:33

because if she wasn't going to accept it as her lamb,

0:53:330:53:36

she wouldn't be letting him suck from her,

0:53:360:53:39

like he's doing now.

0:53:390:53:40

Once it looks as though the lambs have been safely adopted,

0:53:420:53:47

they need to be protected against infection and disease with iodine and antibiotics.

0:53:470:53:53

The ewes are now left to recover for a day.

0:53:530:53:56

The lambs will get stronger, too, and bond with their new mothers,

0:53:560:54:00

with whom they now share a number, so they can be reunited if they lose each other.

0:54:000:54:06

All the lambs obviously that were in the pens 24 hours ago, they're in here.

0:54:060:54:11

So we're going to take these out to the field, so we've wrote down the ewe numbers

0:54:110:54:15

and we've got the lambs, put them in the top deck and we'll put the ewes in afterwards.

0:54:150:54:20

OK, so we've got to catch the lambs, then the ewes can go on up in.

0:54:200:54:26

But that could be easier said than done.

0:54:290:54:32

SHEEP BLEAT

0:54:320:54:35

BLEATING

0:54:350:54:38

BLEATING

0:54:500:54:57

Only 24 hours after an orphan lamb is introduced to its new mother,

0:54:580:55:05

it joins the rest of its playmates on the hills above Longleat House,

0:55:050:55:09

just as its ancestors have done for hundreds of years.

0:55:090:55:13

Thankfully, it's very unlikely that any lion will ever escape at Longleat.

0:55:230:55:28

But should it happen, after today's exercise, the staff now know what to do.

0:55:300:55:35

Well, that's the end of another day here at Longleat, but not any old day.

0:55:420:55:46

It was a fairly high-octane sort of day, wasn't it?

0:55:460:55:49

In all my years working at Longleat, I haven't seen such excitement,

0:55:490:55:53

but really impressive how everyone just pulled together basically.

0:55:530:55:56

I know, it was an incredible operation, given that, you know,

0:55:560:56:00

really nobody knew what was happening apart from a few key people.

0:56:000:56:04

-Exactly.

-It was a really impressive reaction. Everyone very quick, everyone working together.

0:56:040:56:09

-Makes you feel very safe.

-It really does. Let's just hope a real lion never escapes.

-Let's hope so.

0:56:090:56:14

Well, that is all on today's programme, but we've got lots more coming up on the next Animal Park.

0:56:140:56:19

It is time to declare the venue...open!

0:56:190:56:25

Lord Bath has a warm welcome for the vultures.

0:56:260:56:29

We'll see how they settle into their new home.

0:56:290:56:32

The great house has many secrets, and now he's retiring,

0:56:340:56:39

Ken the house steward must reveal all.

0:56:390:56:43

Don't use that in the event of a fire escape.

0:56:430:56:45

And two of the park's staff go to extraordinary heights

0:56:450:56:50

to help save the endangered mountain gorilla.

0:56:500:56:53

We'll have all that and more next time on Animal Park.

0:56:530:56:58

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006

0:57:300:57:34

E-mail [email protected]

0:57:340:57:38

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