0:00:29 > 0:00:30BEEP! BEEP!
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Hello and welcome to a very special edition of Animal Park.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40- I'm Ben Fogle.- And I'm Kate Humble, and today we're celebrating
0:00:40 > 0:00:42the 40th anniversary of the Longleat Safari Park.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46The very first car load of visitors came through the gates
0:00:46 > 0:00:48on the 7th of April 1966.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52And now almost three-quarters of a million people, every year,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55come to visit the 400 or so animals that live here.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00We'll be bringing you stories from all over the park and some fantastic tales of the last 40 years.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Here's what's coming up on today's programme.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07We've gone back to the archives to dig up
0:01:07 > 0:01:11some extraordinary footage from the early days of the safari park
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and to find out why it was such a shocking idea.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20Lord Bath will be sharing some of his memories as he serves supper
0:01:20 > 0:01:22to Longleat's most famous residents.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25And in the gorilla house we've set up spy cameras
0:01:25 > 0:01:28to find out just what Nico and Samba
0:01:28 > 0:01:29get up to when no-one's around.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32That is amazing! Don't eat the camera, Nico!
0:01:33 > 0:01:38But first, there's a celebration going on at the front gate.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The press are here to meet Lord Bath as he commemorates
0:01:44 > 0:01:48the 40th anniversary of the opening of the safari park.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50There's a parade of vintage cars,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54all at least 40 years old.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Of course there's a birthday cake
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and, as you'd expect at an event like this,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01there's also a ribbon to cut.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Open!
0:02:03 > 0:02:09Back in 1966 when the gates were first opened, the world was a different place.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11People were astonished by the safari park
0:02:11 > 0:02:15because no-one had ever seen anything like it before.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18So now we're going to take a trip back in time
0:02:18 > 0:02:20to see how it all began.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24But we're starting even earlier -
0:02:24 > 0:02:28back in 1949 when Lord Bath's father, the 6th Marquess,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31was facing financial ruin.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34There were death duties of £18 million that had to be paid
0:02:34 > 0:02:42so he took the radical decision to open his ancestral house to the paying public.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Longleat was the first private stately home to do so in England
0:02:46 > 0:02:52but soon others followed and the 6th Marquess needed something new,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56something sensational to keep the visitors coming.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Years later he was asked where that new idea came from.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Well, I was approached by Jimmy Chipperfield, my partner, in 1964.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09He said he wanted to see me about keeping some animals here and I thought he meant a zoo.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14But, of course, he said, "Oh, I don't want a zoo like everybody else has got. I want to have a park
0:03:14 > 0:03:19"where the animals can roam free and the people would be in cages."
0:03:19 > 0:03:23That took me aback. I said, "You must give me a fortnight to think about it."
0:03:23 > 0:03:26During that fortnight I talked to a lot of people and they said,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30"I wouldn't touch it with the end of a bargepole. You'll only have 500 cars round."
0:03:30 > 0:03:34When they say that it makes you think. But then I thought hard.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I thought, "Jimmy's right. We'll get many more people."
0:03:37 > 0:03:40In the beginning, it was the lions
0:03:40 > 0:03:43that people came to see and there were plenty of them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:4650 were brought here from zoos across Europe
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and from game dealers in Africa.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52To many local people the thought of all those ferocious beats
0:03:52 > 0:03:56was horrifying. Tim Moore is the estate manager today.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57LIONS GROWL
0:03:57 > 0:03:59When he opened the safari park
0:03:59 > 0:04:02it was considered outrageous.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Um, I mean, the idea in the mid-60s
0:04:05 > 0:04:09of having lions running around in Wiltshire
0:04:09 > 0:04:13took a lot of understanding.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17And indeed it would anywhere if you were introducing, you know,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20large African carnivores to pastoral England.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And so it certainly caused a major stir.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28It was up to the safari park's first head warden to make sure
0:04:28 > 0:04:32that the lions didn't get out amongst the population of Wiltshire.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35He was an ex-Army mine clearance officer
0:04:35 > 0:04:39who'd been working with wild animals in Africa - Mike Lockyer.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44We had some basic knowledge of what animals would do
0:04:44 > 0:04:46but because nothing quite like it had been done
0:04:46 > 0:04:49we didn't know exactly would happen.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It was the unknown that was the thrilling bit. I was terribly excited.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It was a thing that I felt that I wanted to do.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59It was pioneering, it was experimental and it was going to be a lot of fun a lot of interest.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03The lion enclosure was surrounded by chain-link fence -
0:05:03 > 0:05:07army surplus from prisoner of war camps in Korea -
0:05:07 > 0:05:10but Mike wasn't convinced it would be secure enough.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14It was decided that we should do a night watch
0:05:14 > 0:05:19and so there were about 10 to 12 hours over a night period
0:05:19 > 0:05:23where we would patrol around the outside of the fence
0:05:23 > 0:05:26with big torches and guns and things.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30And, at that stage, there was a big double bed in the pheasantry
0:05:30 > 0:05:37and four of us fellows had to share that. It would take three if you, sort of, lie to attention.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41So you'd go out, do your two or three hours around the park,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45come back, get into the right-hand side of the bed, everybody moved over
0:05:45 > 0:05:49and the one who fell out on the left-hand side it was his turn to go on duty until he came back.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54In fact the fence did prove strong enough,
0:05:54 > 0:06:00so the most dangerous part of keeping 50 lions together was actually feeding time.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05In those days, they took in piles of meat loaded onto
0:06:05 > 0:06:08the open back of a vehicle so meals could get a bit rough.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11LIONS GROWL AND ROAR
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Since then, they've developed a much better of serving supper -
0:06:15 > 0:06:17the feed truck.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21It's less stressful for the lions and a lot safer for the people,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24safe enough even for a peer of the realm.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29It's 40 years since the safari park opened its doors to the public
0:06:29 > 0:06:34and today I'm embarking on a rather special journey through the lion enclosure
0:06:34 > 0:06:39in the company of none other than Lord Bath and deputy head of section Bob Trollope
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and we're going to be feeding Kabir's pride.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47- Lord Bath, are you looking forward to this?- Oh, I think they're lovely playful lions, aren't they?
0:06:47 > 0:06:52- I think there are no fierce ones. - A little bit of trepidation? Are you nervous at all?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Well, I'm anticipating that they're just nice cuddly creatures.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56BEN CHUCKLES
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Bob, are we, um, are we in safe hands today?
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Well, most probably the safest place is in here I would have thought.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08- OK, we can see that's one of the youngsters, isn't it?- That's Malakai, one of the youngsters.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11On the other side, Lord Bath there, that's Kabir, isn't it?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14This is the big male. There he is.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- So what are we going to do now? - Shall we try and feed Kabir?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19If Lord Bath wants to take the stick.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Push it through this hole here. Kabir!
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- Come on, mate. Come on. - See if he comes up.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Push it through there now.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Good boy.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29That's it.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Good boy.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- There's another one for you, Lord Bath.- You're grinning from ear to ear, Lord Bath.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40- How do you feel feeding...feeding the male through...?- I'm being very careful about my hand,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42making sure it doesn't go out with the stick.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- I'm not sure if he wants to come back.- There he is.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Of course, Lord Bath, the lions have become synonymous with Longleat.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51What is it about lions that people love?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55They are the king of the jungle. I think that is the great thrill.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58You are meeting eye-to-eye
0:07:58 > 0:08:02what is the fiercest of the jungle beasts.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07So the idea now, Bob, is to actually feed them on the move so that they chase behind us.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11What they will do is get their reward for actually chasing the food wagon.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Chuck it down now.- In the hole? - Yeah.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- There we go.- Who'll take that. - Kabir perhaps?
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Most probably.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23- Does he wait until he's completely full before he'll let anybody else touch...?- What he does,
0:08:23 > 0:08:28he tends to hoard a bit. He will try and grab as many pieces as he can.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32He's a bit of a greedy one, Kabir.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Now, bearing in mind that it's 40 years since the safari park's been open,
0:08:37 > 0:08:42did you ever envisage that it would last for this long and be as successful as it has been?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Of course we were...
0:08:44 > 0:08:52very much hoping and thinking, "It's been so popular at this opening time that this should last us a century."
0:08:52 > 0:08:55We were thinking that and we still are thinking that way.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58And, of course, you've brought joy to millions of people, Bob,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02through the years. There must have been many millions of people passing through.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- Yeah, undoubtedly. And hopefully many millions to come.- Absolutely.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13Every time we do feed ups it's everyone's favourite bit of the day I do believe.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Well, Lord Bath, thank you. Bob, thank you very much.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19LION ROARS
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Back in 1966, the safari park
0:09:22 > 0:09:26was such a new idea that many people didn't really appreciate
0:09:26 > 0:09:29how it worked and that could've been dangerous.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35The first head warden, Mike Lockyer, was very worried that one of the visitors would get hurt.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39People did very odd things.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42They'd, you know, open the doors,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45go around and get their Thermos flask out of the boot,
0:09:45 > 0:09:46even check their oil.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I mean, if they didn't actually see a lion,
0:09:49 > 0:09:50and lions are quite good at hiding,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53they thought, "Oh, there's none for miles around."
0:09:53 > 0:09:58So they'd quite happily get out, not realising that maybe, you know,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02ten yards away in a hollow there would be a lion sitting there.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10So Mike decided it was time to show people just what could happen.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11We did several things.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15We put luggage on cars because lots of cars used to come through
0:10:15 > 0:10:18with luggage on the luggage racks which was a bit vulnerable.
0:10:23 > 0:10:31And then we set up a stunt with a dummy, quite realistic looking - fully dressed with a coat -
0:10:31 > 0:10:38leaning over his car, and then just let the lions find it to see what they would do.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45And, of course, they grabbed the dummy and ran off with it.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50It was really quite dramatic to watch. It was a good publicity stunt, of course...
0:10:50 > 0:10:56but it also did rather show people what, what could possibly happen
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and it would make them think twice.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Mike's safety film must have done the trick because nothing like this has ever happened for real
0:11:03 > 0:11:09in all the 40 long years since the safari park first opened.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20The only animals in the park old enough to have been around in 1966
0:11:20 > 0:11:24are Nico and Samba - the Western lowland gorillas.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28They're both aged 46 and they've been living here for 20 years.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34But in all that time, there are some aspects of their behaviour that have never been seen.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40I'm at Gorilla Island and we're trying a little bit of an experiment here.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45We are going to spy on Nico and Samba, the two Western lowland gorillas
0:11:45 > 0:11:50who are tucked away in their cage here, and we're going to try and see what they get up to at night.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55So what we've been doing is... I'm just going to sneak gently in here, in case Nico gets cross.
0:11:55 > 0:12:02There's a camera right up here which will give us a bird's-eye view of Samba in her cage at night.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04So this is where she sleeps.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06There will be another one in Nico's cage.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10And, if I come back out, we'll see head of section Mark Tye.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11- How are you, Mark?- Hi.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We've got cameras here and lights.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17But these are infrared lights, so they won't be really bright,
0:12:17 > 0:12:23they won't disturb the gorillas, but it means that we can get shots, both in daylight and at night.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29And down here is all the recording equipment that will just buzz away throughout the night
0:12:29 > 0:12:31and can record for about nine or ten hours.
0:12:31 > 0:12:37So we SHOULD get... Well, have you any idea really what happens once you go home at the end of the day?
0:12:37 > 0:12:39No, none whatsoever.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I mean obviously we know very well what happens during the day and early evening,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45but once we go home, that's it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Presumably, are they entirely shut in at night?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Will it just be two sleeping gorillas, do you think?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55No. Because it's summer now, the weather's a lot better,
0:12:55 > 0:13:00we leave the door open at night so they can go out onto the island all through the night if they want to.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- Right. OK.- But one of the things is, we don't know if they do.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08Shall we just pop outside, because I know we've got all the stuff out here.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13We have put a camera out here in case they do come out, which is just there.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Again, those wires will be tucked away.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18And we're going to spread food out.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20I mean, would you normally feed them at night anyway?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Yes, we do put a lot of diet out for them at night.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27We scatter that around the island and, of course, they do have all the natural forage
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- that we leave for them too.- Yeah.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- So we should spread all these out... - Yeah.- ..get them ready for the night...- Yep.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38- ..come back and see what evidence there is in the morning.- Yeah.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- I'm really looking forward to it. - Me too.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Join us a bit later to find out what Nico and Samba get up to at night.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51When the safari park opened 40 years ago, one of the first animals to be brought here were the giraffes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The head warden at time was Mike Lockyer and he remembers when they arrived.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00The roof of the lorry had to be raised especially.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06I imagine to anyone locally seeing that, it was a thing they'd never have seen before in their lives
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and were probably unlikely to ever see again.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11It was quite an exotic, you know, sort of sight.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16And once the East Africa reserve was ready, the public could get a very close look.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22It was one big open space with giraffes, zebra, camels, Ankole cattle,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27ostriches and all sorts of things and all milling about with the public who were allowed
0:14:27 > 0:14:30to get out and walk around amongst them and picnic with them.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And most of the time this was no problem at all.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Just occasionally the giraffes would be spooked and take off
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and you might worry that somebody would get mown down.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Today, for the safety of the visitors and the welfare of the animals
0:14:44 > 0:14:47people need to stay in their cars.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Attitudes have changed enormously since the 1960s.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55With so many species endangered in the wild, there's a much greater emphasis on conservation
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and central to that work is breeding.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Every baby born here is good news for its species.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The deputy head of the East Africa section is Ryan Hockley.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09He's very proud of their record to date.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14We've been very lucky with the giraffe.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18The giraffe births, in particular, have just been fantastic over the years.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Obviously, now we have Century who is our 100th live birth.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So, er, that's a cracking, a cracking record.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And, obviously, the, er... Hello, Honey.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32..obviously the giraffes weren't one of the first animals here.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36It was all about the lions to start with, and the giraffes came a few years later.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41All across the safari park there are tales of breeding success.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46This was the first place in Britain to get African pink-backed pelicans to breed.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Mark Tye is in charge of them as well as the gorillas.
0:15:51 > 0:15:57The pelicans have been here sort of since the beginning, sort of since '66, late '60s anyway.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Um...but back in those days, I gather they just bought pelicans.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07When I first started here there were about three different varieties on this pond
0:16:07 > 0:16:14and all a complete mismatch and nothing had ever bred in the past, unsurprisingly,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19and, you know, the whole dynamics was wrong.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24But when Mark brought in a new group of pink-backs, something happened.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29All of a sudden there was this instant change in the birds' behaviour
0:16:29 > 0:16:34and they all started making nests and caught us completely on the hop because we didn't have a clue
0:16:34 > 0:16:37as to what we were doing with the pelicans, really.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42So we obviously did a lot of research and put things right for them,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44built these nest platforms,
0:16:44 > 0:16:49and since then it's not been easy, but, you know, we've had some good success.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And to date now, I think we've reared, I think it's 18 successfully.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55But success can take a while.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02In Pet's Corner they've been waiting three decades for their Asian short-clawed otters to breed.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08Finally, this year, Rosie and Romeo had two bouncing babies.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Darren Beasley had almost given up hope.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14I think sometimes when you work with animals and you try everything -
0:17:14 > 0:17:17you can change diet and you can change partners of the the animals,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21you get things perfectly right for love and it doesn't happen -
0:17:21 > 0:17:24you just want to throw your hands in the air and say, "Well, that's it."
0:17:24 > 0:17:28But it's at those times that you've got to take a step back and nature's an amazing thing,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30nature always looks after its own.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34No matter what YOU try to do, nature will do it and sort it in the end if you let it be.
0:17:34 > 0:17:3830 years is a long time to wait, but it was well worth it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42We'll have more about the park's breeding success later on
0:17:42 > 0:17:45when we meet some of Longleat's most famous babies.
0:17:49 > 0:17:5440 years ago they filled the woods with lions and let giraffes loose in the meadows,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57so, then, what were they going to put on the island in the lake?
0:17:57 > 0:17:59It was a puzzle for Mike Lockyer.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03At one stage they tried baboons on the island...
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and they all swam away, they all swam off.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11We knew they could swim but we didn't think they would probably go that distance.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13But, anyway, that didn't work.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19Then we had chimps, of course, because chimps really do not like water at all
0:18:19 > 0:18:22and they don't go into it unless they've got...
0:18:22 > 0:18:24a very, very good reason.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They were put on on a daily basis and taken off.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30We would put them in a boat, row over, put the chimps on the island for the day.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36The only funny incident about that that I remember is one day when the chap that was servicing the island
0:18:36 > 0:18:40looked round and the boat had gone and the chimp had gone. The chimp was...
0:18:40 > 0:18:44rowing back across to the mainland and the fellow was stuck on the island!
0:18:44 > 0:18:48It was quite amusing, the idea that the chimp had worked out, "This is what you do.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53"You get in and you unhook that bit of rope and off you go," and that's what it was doing.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It wasn't until Nico and Samba, the gorillas arrived
0:18:57 > 0:19:01that the keepers knew they had the right animals for the island.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05They've now been here for 20 years, but in all that time
0:19:05 > 0:19:09no-one has ever seen what they get up to when they're alone,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10until now.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I'm in the gorilla house with head of section Mark Tye,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19and yesterday we rigged up cameras all over the house AND outside
0:19:19 > 0:19:25to, well, spy on the gorillas at night, cos you've never seen what they get up to at night, have you?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28No. We know very well their day-to-day routine,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32but once we go home in the evening, we're in the dark. We don't know what they get up to.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37OK. Well the doors are left open at the moment because it's nice and warm
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- so they can go in and out, can't they?- Yes.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44They have a free run when the weather's nice and they can make use of the island at night.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- And you've put some food out, last thing.- Yes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52- Food is scattered around the island as we normally do.- Right. Shall we press "play" and see what happened.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57So we're looking, first of all, at one of the cameras mounted outside the house.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- Right on cue, there he is! Look at that! - KATE LAUGHS
0:20:03 > 0:20:07He thinks of nothing but food that boy. He's always the first to find it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- No sign of Samba yet. Shall we check indoors, see if she's there? - Why not?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13I'll just change over.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Well, she seems to be in Nico's pen.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Yeah, I'm not sure what she'll be doing in there,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24but she won't stay there for long once he walks in the door.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It does seem odd, I mean they have been together for so long
0:20:27 > 0:20:33that they don't curl up together at night. But it really doesn't seem to be the case.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35No. I know.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41Nico wants to be friends. I've seen that before and we've had them together in the pens during the day.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45He goes up and he wants to touch Samba and he wants to get hold of her sometimes,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- and he's quite gentle and nice.- Yeah. - But she doesn't want to know.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- She's having none of it. - Doesn't fancy him at all.- No.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- Now being kicked out by Nico into her own pen.- Yeah.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04He seems to have spotted the camera immediately. Looking straight at it.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10Yeah. Well, he's not silly and he's heard us working up in the roof and drilling holes through the roof.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- What...? Is he climbing? - He's coming up to have a look.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18Cos it's right hidden in the roof. It's only really a black hole as far as he's concerned.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- He's gonna have a look.- Wow!
0:21:21 > 0:21:24That is amazing! Don't chew the camera, Nico!
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- Look!- He's sniffed the camera, see if it was worth eating.
0:21:29 > 0:21:35- He wasn't particularly bothered by it?- No.- It was just potential food. - "What's that?" Potential food.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38KATE LAUGHS Didn't smell very good.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45This is from a little bit later on, obviously
0:21:45 > 0:21:49cos it's gone to infrared, black-and-white. It must be completely dark outside.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54- Samba...- Still messing with her bed. - Still messing with her bed, isn't she?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Just can't decide where she wants to be.- No.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- She does suffer from a bit of arthritis.- Oh, does she?- Yes.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05So lying in one position may be uncomfortable for her for any length of time,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07which is why she moves around a lot.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- Where's she off to? Looks like she's going outside.- Quite surprising!
0:22:14 > 0:22:18I didn't think once it got dark that they'd go out.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- Here she comes.- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22She's coming out.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Now, that, I mean, I don't know why she would've done that
0:22:26 > 0:22:28unless she's heard some noise out there.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35- Again, it's quite late. She'd have eaten well. It's not hunger that's gonna drive her out, is it?- No.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40If she heard a noise would it be likely Nico would come out too?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42He may do.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- Let's check on Nico. - Check on him I suppose.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50KATE LAUGHS
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- Yeah!- Look at him!
0:22:55 > 0:22:58He's completely zonked. MARK LAUGHS
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- Typical bloke.- It really is, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06And that's something you never see during the day.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- No.- He's always very dignified and sort of sat up
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and to see him just completely sprawled like that...
0:23:12 > 0:23:17It feels a bit naughty, doesn't it? I feel we really have spied on him - poor boy!
0:23:18 > 0:23:20- Thank you very much, Mark. - Thank you.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Since 1966, when the safari park first opened,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32the world's wildlife has taken quite a battering.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38For example, there are now less than a thousand Bactrian camels left in the deserts of Central Asia.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42So the eight that have been born at Longleat in the last five years,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45is a significant proportion of the world's population.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50The Pere David deer was actually extinct in the wild.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55But the captive breeding programme here and at Woburn were so successful
0:23:55 > 0:23:59that a herd was reintroduced to their natural habitat in China.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04And the Southern white rhino has recovered in Africa only after
0:24:04 > 0:24:08a great deal of conservation effort both there and around the world.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Deputy head warden Ian Turner is proud that over the last 40 years,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Longleat has played its part.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20We've had lots of babies. We've sent rhinos back to Africa. Ronnie went back to Africa.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23We've had rhinos shipped out to other parks.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27At one stage we even had three babies at the same time running about.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29That was quite good fun - seeing those about.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33They become quite friendly cos you can get quite close to them
0:24:33 > 0:24:37cos if the mums are quiet you can get fairly close to the babies.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42The female rhinos here now are not quite old enough to start breeding,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45but Ian's already looking forward to when they do.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50If you can get a successful breeding going and get babies it makes the whole job worthwhile.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Because you're getting babies born which is always good.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59You can get a hands on stuff and you get more involved with the animals
0:24:59 > 0:25:05and the whole thing brings a glow to everybody when you've got babies born whichever section it is,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09even if you're not working the rhino section and there's a baby rhino, it sends a buzz round the park.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Ever since it opened in 1966,
0:25:12 > 0:25:17conservation and breeding have been central to the work of the safari park.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22It's a role that's become more and more important over the last 40 years
0:25:22 > 0:25:25as head warden Keith Harris knows.
0:25:25 > 0:25:32I think it's nice that we've, over the years, from breeding giraffes, for instance, rhino,
0:25:32 > 0:25:37the pink-backed pelican is another success we've done here.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43We've got the flamingos. So the next step is, "Can we breed the flamingos?"
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Over the 40 years, there been these steps and I always find the next one's as exciting as the last one.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Because, you know...
0:25:51 > 0:25:56to be able to have these animals living happily and breeding here I think is wonderful.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Best memories of the whole place was the fact that it was an entirely new venture,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05nobody had done this, so everybody that was here
0:26:05 > 0:26:09was excited, there was great camaraderie
0:26:09 > 0:26:15and everybody was really trying hard to make it work. They wanted it to be a success and indeed it has been.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30We're almost at the end of this 40th anniversary programme,
0:26:30 > 0:26:36but before we go, Kate and I have got just enough time to catch up with the latest arrivals -
0:26:36 > 0:26:38yet another threatened species.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42We're up in Pets' Corner with keeper Jo Hawthorn
0:26:42 > 0:26:46- and Sydney and Adelaide - the Parma wallabies.- That's right.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I can't believe the change, Jo, cos when they first arrived,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- there's no way we'd get this close to them.- No, not at all.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56We've just gradually been coming in here -
0:26:56 > 0:26:59a bit each day with browse and the pellets.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Being very patient and getting down to their level.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04They've gradually been getting nearer and nearer.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09How likely are we to get to them today? We've got some pellets. Would they come up us?
0:27:09 > 0:27:13They love the pellets and know we're not gonna frighten them, so they're nearer now,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16so hopefully it's just patience.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- If I throw one out let's see. - That's fine. He'll take one.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Every now and then I notice, Jo, of course he's not going to do it now I'm sure,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- they do a little trembly thing. - They do.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30That's just...not fear as such
0:27:30 > 0:27:34but "I'm quite anxious. I want to come over for the pellet but..."
0:27:34 > 0:27:36KATE LAUGHS
0:27:36 > 0:27:42- It's just like you and me - that bit of reserved...- Yeah, not quite sure.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- Are they proving popular with the visitors here?- They are. They're so cute, aren't they?
0:27:46 > 0:27:51- They are gorgeous.- People see our other wallabies at the top of the park
0:27:51 > 0:27:56and then come down and see these guys that are much smaller and they've kinda fallen in love with them.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- They're great.- Let's see. We'll try one more attempt.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05- No. I think he prefers me throwing them than coming over.- I think so. I think so.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07- Well, Jo, thank you very much.- OK. - Thank you.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Sadly, that's all we've got time for on today's programme.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16I'll be down by the lake to meet the new sea lion pups.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23Lord Bath dishes the dirt on his great-great-great-great grandfather.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Told you a bit of a lie.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And Kate's in for a surprise up in the Lion House.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32We'll have all that and more, next time on Animal Park.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk