Episode 3 Animal Park


Episode 3

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Hello and welcome to Animal Park.

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-I'm Ben Fogle...

-And I'm Kate Humble and we're in Pets Corner which has

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more animals than the rest of the safari park put together.

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Nearly 40 species and over 200 animals - and that's not including the ants.

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Some of them are rather familiar, like Marina the guinea pig,

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but some are a little bit more exotic.

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Like Nelson the Moluccan cockatoo. Aren't you gorgeous?

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We've got lots of stories from Pets Corner and all over the safari park today, including:

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Little Gertie's being groomed

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to within an inch of her life by her mum.

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Can the keepers stop the ear infection becoming fatal?

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Bob's Jeep has broken down in the lion enclosure.

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But no-one wants to get out and push.

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And, new house steward Steve Blythe lets us in on some secrets of the Great House.

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I love that! It's so James Bond!

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But first - the East Africa reserve is home to some of the park's most striking residents.

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The Rothschild giraffe.

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Over the years, the park has had a tremendously successful record of

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breeding giraffes with more than 100 calves born here in the past.

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Last year, 13 year-old Becky had a beautiful calf named Evelyn.

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Giraffes bond with their calves by licking them.

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But Becky would not stop licking Evelyn's ears and the calf developed an infection.

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Because the ears were so badly affected,

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mother and calf had to be separated.

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Vet Duncan Williams was called in and gave the baby giraffe a course of antibiotics.

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But despite all their efforts, head of section Andy Hayton

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came in one morning to find his worst nightmare.

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Little Evelyn had died.

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'It's a disaster.'

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It's a shame.

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It is a crying shame that you've got a lovely little female giraffe

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that was going to give us calves in the future

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and she was a nice addition to the group and you lose her.

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You always question what you've done,

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whether you've done the right thing.

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Vet Duncan carried out a post-mortem

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to find out exactly what had killed the baby giraffe.

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Basically, we've found what we kind of expected. She died from septicaemia.

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It probably got into her system,

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her heart, before the antibiotics were first administered.

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So while we've kept her alive for a week with antibiotics,

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it's just caught up with her and...

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unfortunately that's what finished her off.

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To lose a two-month old giraffe is very abnormal.

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Once they get past the first week,

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you generally think they're going to be OK.

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That was very abnormal to lose one of that age.

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I'm disappointed really.

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This year brought better news in the giraffery.

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Becky was pregnant again.

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Staff kept a close watch throughout her pregnancy and were on hand with

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a camera to film the first few hours of her new baby's life.

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Now, Gertie is three weeks old.

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To make sure all's well,

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keeper Ryan Hockley monitors her progress every day.

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The last thing we want is to go back into that

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boat that we were in last time. It annoyed us that we lost that calf.

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We certainly wouldn't like to fail a second time along the same lines.

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The only other option we've got if we find her starting to mummy

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away at those ears again is taking the calf away and hand-rearing it.

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That's not really our ethos here at the giraffery or at Longleat.

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We like mother-reared animals.

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We find them to be much better adjusted animals

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at the end of the day.

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Hand-reared animals never really seem to be the full ticket.

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So yes, we want her to rear it.

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But despite Ryan's best efforts, he's now spotted some swelling on the calf's ears.

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Because last time the infection was fatal so quickly,

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head of section Andy Hayton immediately calls in vet Duncan.

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It's slightly swollen.

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When did the swelling come up?

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In the past three or four days, I guess.

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From a personal point of view, I'd like to have a closer look.

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If Gertie's ears have become infected,

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her life too could be in danger.

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The safari park covers more than 310 acres and has seven miles of roads.

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Last year, almost 200,000 cars drove round them.

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The roads run right through the animal enclosures,

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so that visitors can get a good look.

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Keepers are posted at regular intervals to keep visitors safe.

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But today, it's one of the staff who needs their help.

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Keeper Bob Trollope is out with our film crew

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getting some shots of the lion cubs at play.

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But now they've got a little problem with the vehicle.

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It's quite embarrassing at the moment.

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We're in here filming the lions and my car won't start.

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They're all around us and I need some assistance.

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Seeing as you lot won't jump out and push it!

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It's obviously an electrical fault.

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I'll try it again.

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No, not a thing.

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This is all very embarrassing.

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We're in a situation where anywhere else you'd most probably be able to get out

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and push-start it or bump it yourself.

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But with our neighbours just here, you don't really want to do that.

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You could end up as lunch.

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Even though Bob works with the lions every day,

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he knows that if he were out in their enclosure,

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they could well attack and kill him as they would any other prey.

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We're perfectly safe at the moment because we're in the vehicle.

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But if anyone gets out, obviously it will trigger off a response from the lions.

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They would basically prey our movement

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and with us getting out, we're obviously fair game to them.

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So, the safest thing to do is for us to stay in here and let someone else get out.

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Yes, you can come over and rescue me if you want!

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Within minutes, head of section Brian Kent is on the scene, ready to tow the team to safety.

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But to get a tow rope on Bob's vehicle,

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someone's going to have to get out.

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I phoned the RAC, but they won't come in!

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Bob and Brian have practised the emergency procedure

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for this situation many times

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in case they have to rescue visitors.

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But they didn't expect to have to rescue each other!

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First, Brian drives the lions into a corner.

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Then with Craig Faggeter standing lookout,

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there's a chance to get the rope on.

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I don't quite know where all the lions have gone.

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I saw a few run over in that direction.

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Hopefully, Brian's moved all the lions...

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..and Craig's looking out that way and I'm looking out this way.

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I take it all the lions are over that side, are they?

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Are the lions over there?

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They're in the corner, Bob.

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-I really think they should get you a new truck, Bob.

-I do!

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There might be a bit of a jolt in a second.

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With the rope safely in place,

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the keepers manage to jump-start the jeep.

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The emergency procedure has worked perfectly.

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It was more embarrassing for me than anyone else I reckon.

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Now, we're fine now. I shall keep the engine running for a little while!

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The lions didn't even notice.

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You could have got out and push-started it!

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It looks like the lions will have to wait a little longer for their lunch!

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Amid almost 9000 acres of estate grounds

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stands Longleat's magnificent great house.

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One of the most important historic houses in the country,

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it was built more than 400 years ago in the reign of Elizabeth I.

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The vast building costs more than £1 million a year to run.

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It has 114 official rooms full of priceless paintings and antiques.

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In charge of all of this is Longleat's house steward.

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Ken Winders held that role for the last 14 years,

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but recently he decided to retire

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and handed over to his former deputy, Steve Blythe.

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Steve's had a few days now to settle in

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and already he's right at home in his new role.

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When I asked house steward Steve Blythe what his favourite room at Longleat House was,

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he said this one, right at the top of the house.

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I have to say, Steve, excellent choice, cos it's my favourite, too.

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A fantastic room.

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It's just got a very human feeling about it.

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There's something very warm about it.

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-It's lived in, it's family, it's lovely.

-It is lovely.

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I think books always help, though.

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It's one of seven libraries here - 40,000 books in the collection.

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-Wow!

-And here's just a few of them.

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They're amazing! So what was it about this room?

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When did you first come in here?

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My first week here, previous to me starting,

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there'd been some work going on here and the rooms were all stripped out.

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My first job was polishing the floors.

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So the first thing you did when you came to Longleat to work was to polish these floors.

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-Quite a job, I should think.

-Quite a job, but they came up so nice, it was lovely doing it.

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And was that what really made you think that you loved this room?

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We then put the room back together and it was, "Oh, wow!"

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Putting in the bits and pieces.

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It's full of surprises, isn't it?

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One of them is little hideaway storage areas.

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I love that.

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It's so James Bond!

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This is the size of my spare room, for heaven's sake!

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-It's just a little cupboard behind a bookcase.

-And more books!

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And more books.

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It's fantastic.

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As well as books, the library holds many family mementos.

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It's just a room full of everything.

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It's a treasure chest, isn't it?

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Here, for instance, we've got some stirrups.

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I didn't even realise that they did wooden stirrups.

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-Can I touch it?

-Children's stirrups.

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-That's incredible.

-They're fantastic.

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How amazing! Look at that.

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In here, we've got a knuckle-duster.

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-No, really?!

-It was taken off a poacher back in the 1800s.

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So this would have been worn on a... He must have had huge fingers!

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Quite a big chap, I would imagine.

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If he was that size, you'd think he wouldn't need a knuckle-duster!

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That's incredible! And they just kept it?

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Yes, so the gamekeeper was out there doing his job.

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Keeping it protected. And one other thing I love which is in the next room

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is, again, that very human thing.

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You forget in houses like this that real families lived in them and still do.

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Kids run around. It's the shell collection.

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Thousands of shells.

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Thousands of shells, but it's just something that all of us do.

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You go to a beach and you pick up shells.

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I love the fact that they've got that,

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and a little jar of cowrie shells collected by the sixth Marquis.

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-It's fantastic.

-A day out on the beach.

-Yeah, yeah.

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I'm so pleased you picked this room, Steve.

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My very favourite.

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-It is lovely, thank you very much for bringing me up.

-Thank you.

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Back over at the giraffery, head of section, Andy Hayton,

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has called in vet Duncan Williams to examine Gertie.

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They're worried because the baby's ears are swollen from being licked

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by her mother Becky and without treatment, they could become infected.

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Nobody's really seen Becky nibbling the ears.

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We think she's coming in at night.

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And when the calf sits down she's licking the calf's ears then.

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If she does go for them when she's upright and we're all here,

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the calf walks away quite unceremoniously, does not want it being done to her.

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So I think Becky's taking her opportunity when she can get it, which is even more annoying.

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This is the first time Gertie has been handled.

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It takes five keepers to restrain her so that vet Duncan can examine her and administer treatment.

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I'm just going to spray them and give her an antibiotic.

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She's split the two sides of the cartilage and there's a gap in it at the moment.

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It's just leaking. So the serumy stuff is not infected yet.

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But that's going to be the next stage.

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Down in three? One, two, three.

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Cleaned it up as best we could, put some local antibiotic on it and given her an antibiotic injection.

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Her last baby, Evelyn, she did the same thing with her.

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We lost the tips of both ears and they got so infected

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that she actually went into septicaemic shock and died.

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It's a real nightmare. We can't take the baby off her.

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She's got a natural bond there. But if her mother keeps doing this,

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we could have future problems.

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So we're being very, very vigilant.

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It's a big worry. It's history repeating itself again.

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It's infuriating more than worrying.

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"Why do you have to do this to your baby?", kind of thing.

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What we're going to do is treat it far more intensively than we did last time. We're just going to go for it.

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In the unfortunate circumstances that happened last summer, we lost the baby.

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We did hold back slightly cos we didn't want to stress the calf by grabbing it

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and pulling her around and things like that. It didn't work.

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During the day, the giraffes live outside in the East Africa reserve

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where keeper Katharine Kendall is on patrol.

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Becky takes every opportunity to try to lick the calf's ears with her 18 inch tongue.

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But Gertie is learning to be nervous of her mother's attentions.

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She's really, really feisty. She's very headstrong.

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She'll only do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it which is brilliant.

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She's put Mum in her place already.

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Mum will come up and try to groom her and maybe lick her ears

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and she'll shake her off straightaway. It's absolutely brilliant.

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At night-time, the giraffes move back into their house.

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The staff want to keep mother and calf together if at all possible,

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but this is when Gertie is in most danger.

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We'll be back to see if she can escape her mother's unwanted attentions.

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I'm down in the hot house at Pets Corner with keeper Val McGroover.

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We've come to help with the dental care for some of the fluffiest residents.

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So, Val, what's the plan and what's all this about?

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We've got 10 chinchillas in this enclosure and they live in here.

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They're rodents and rodents' teeth continuously grow, so they need to be worn down.

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So chewing away on nice bits of wood is an excellent way of doing it.

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-Brilliant, so can we open this up?

-Yes, we can.

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Is the plan to literally put this all around?

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-That's right, yes. We lay bits of sticks around the place.

-Right.

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We've already got some nice big logs in there.

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-Do they mind us being in here?

-No, they don't mind. They're used to people coming in and out.

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With a lot of animals, the more you handle them, the more you deal with them, the better they are.

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So they're used to us coming in and out all day long.

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Going back to their teeth - if you didn't distribute this stuff around their enclosure, what would they do?

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Right, if they don't have enough things to chew on,

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their teeth would grow and grow and they'd be deformed.

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Eventually they wouldn't be able to eat so they'd starve.

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It's so important to have these branches and things like that.

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-Have you just collected these branches from around the estate?

-Yes.

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Of course, we've a lovely estate here so we've got plenty of woods to choose from. You go for hardwoods.

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-OK.

-Softwoods would be poisonous.

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Where do we want to put these?

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If you direct me.

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Around this side?

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That would be nice, actually, by the window.

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Is it a healthy mix of male and female?

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-Yes, we have. We have got some castrated males in here.

-Right.

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We have a few females.

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Because we've got a nice group, we don't want to spoil that.

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-They all get on quite well.

-I don't know if the camera can see that pile of the chinchillas over there.

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Are they are social creatures? Do they enjoy each other's company?

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They do. They love to snuggle together.

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They come from the Andes, Chile, Peru, 3000 to 5000 feet up the mountain.

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They would go in little holes and things like this.

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Obviously, it gets quite chilly, that's why they've got all the thick fur.

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Also, snuggling up together helps to keep them warm.

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I have to ask, around the walls I can see lots of crumbling paint.

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Is that because it hasn't been decorated for a while?

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No, it was decorated not that long ago.

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Because they chew, they tend to test chew on things to see what it is.

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So they will chew on virtually anything that's going.

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You can see where they've been chewing on the thicker branches here as well.

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No, unfortunately, they've started on the walls as well.

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They are very sweet. Look at this one down here trying to escape.

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Well, Val, thank you very much for letting me accompany you in here.

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I think we should leave the chinchillas to enjoy their new wood.

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It's been a worrying few days at the giraffery

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where over-affectionate mum, Becky, is still licking her calf too much.

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Gertie's ears are swollen and there's a risk they could become infected.

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Now head of section, Andy Hayton, has been forced to take a difficult decision.

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We've actually split her away from her mum in the evenings now.

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She's in the next box to Becky.

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We believe Becky was doing most of the nibbling at night.

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So what we're doing we have to come in every night at 10 and we let mum in with the baby for half-an-hour.

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The baby feeds and fills up and then Becky is actually quite happy to come away from the calf.

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It seems to be working really, really well.

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Last time we did that too late.

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To make sure the ear doesn't get worse, vet, Duncan Williams, needs to give her more antibiotics.

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The staff must be careful.

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A fully grown giraffe can kill a lion with one kick and even a baby could cause a nasty injury.

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Being restrained might be a bit stressful for Gertie, but it is necessary.

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Every member of staff knows exactly what they have to do.

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-Are you all right?

-Yes, we're happy.

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Did anyone get caught with those front legs?

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-Not too bad.

-It doesn't hurt, actually.

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-I just wrapped mine around.

-You've got steel toecaps on though.

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I'll just do this under the skin behind her shoulder.

0:22:570:23:01

I'll do it where you are, Damian, if you just move back a wee bit.

0:23:010:23:04

Did you get any swelling after the last one?

0:23:060:23:08

-Oh, she felt that one.

-That's it, done. Ready.

0:23:080:23:11

OK. Ready. Just let her go. OK.

0:23:110:23:14

After the injection Gertie is allowed back with mum to feed.

0:23:170:23:21

Now that Duncan has had a closer look, he's pleased with her progress.

0:23:210:23:25

I gave her antibiotics against the infection.

0:23:270:23:30

The biggest thing, really, has been the change of management.

0:23:300:23:33

No-one's seen her licking it during the day.

0:23:330:23:35

It obviously happens at night. What they're doing, really, is

0:23:350:23:40

by separating them at night and then coming in the middle of the night and giving the baby a feed,

0:23:400:23:46

it's making a big difference and preventing this constant trauma.

0:23:460:23:51

That's what happened with the last baby.

0:23:510:23:53

The constant trauma we were unable to prevent

0:23:530:23:56

that caused her death, really.

0:23:560:23:58

If things carry on as they are,

0:23:580:24:01

she'll have a slightly

0:24:010:24:02

gnarled thickened ear,

0:24:020:24:04

but it will be virtually imperceptible

0:24:040:24:07

and obviously, we've got a healthy baby.

0:24:070:24:10

It's the news the keepers have been waiting to hear.

0:24:100:24:15

Gertie is out of danger.

0:24:150:24:17

It's a relief to know we're doing the right thing.

0:24:170:24:20

None of us like splitting babies away from mums at this early age.

0:24:200:24:24

It's infuriating that Becky does this to her calves and you have to take measures like this.

0:24:240:24:29

After last year's tragedy,

0:24:290:24:32

all the staff are delighted that Gertie's doing so well.

0:24:320:24:35

Evelyn was so quiet.

0:24:390:24:41

This one, she's a real fighter.

0:24:410:24:45

She's got a real attitude, this one.

0:24:450:24:47

The next one may be different.

0:24:470:24:49

You don't know. Everybody takes illness and pain differently.

0:24:490:24:52

I think Evelyn almost gave up. This one is better. We're doing well.

0:24:520:24:59

Another striking African species now living at Longleat are the massive Ankole cattle.

0:25:100:25:16

Native to the grasslands of Uganda and Central Africa, the Ankole are

0:25:190:25:24

adapted to tolerate extreme summer temperatures of up to 50 degrees.

0:25:240:25:29

Blood circulates through their large horns which act as radiators

0:25:300:25:35

to release the heat and cool the cattle down.

0:25:350:25:38

We're out in the new area with head of section, Tim Yeo.

0:25:410:25:45

We've come to have a look at the Ankole cattle which are truly magnificent.

0:25:450:25:49

-They are real show-offs of the cow world, aren't they?

-Very much, Kate.

0:25:490:25:55

All these different colours as well.

0:25:550:25:57

Presumably this big boy here is the bull, is it?

0:25:570:26:02

Exactly, Ben, yes.

0:26:020:26:03

This is Bobby the herd bull

0:26:030:26:05

and he has a wonderful time within this enclosure.

0:26:050:26:09

-All the rest of them are female in here?

-Not all of them, no.

0:26:090:26:13

We have a castrated male just over here with the large horns

0:26:130:26:16

looking straight at us.

0:26:160:26:18

Looking straight at us, right.

0:26:180:26:20

If he weren't castrated

0:26:200:26:24

would that mean that the two of them would fight?

0:26:240:26:26

Are they quite territorial about their females?

0:26:260:26:29

Very much so, Kate.

0:26:290:26:31

When he believes he can perhaps chance his luck

0:26:310:26:34

and take over the herd, he'll fight like nothing.

0:26:340:26:39

It may sound a strange question,

0:26:390:26:42

but if two males are fighting, is it down to the size of their horns

0:26:420:26:45

-or is it how they use them?

-I think it's weight, strength and size.

0:26:450:26:50

I mean, if they're equally matched,

0:26:500:26:53

they can go on for ages and ages, just pushing each other around,

0:26:530:26:57

and you cannot split them up.

0:26:570:27:00

I've tried it before. They'll go back together and just push and push.

0:27:000:27:06

Amongst the females, is there any ranking?

0:27:060:27:10

Do you have a top female and a lower female?

0:27:100:27:13

Or are they just totally equal?

0:27:130:27:16

No, there's a different pecking order within the group

0:27:160:27:19

and there is a hierarchy.

0:27:190:27:21

Some females are dominant over others, certainly.

0:27:210:27:26

That is always changing within the herd.

0:27:260:27:29

From time to time, it's changing.

0:27:290:27:31

These cows, these females can fight very aggressively.

0:27:310:27:35

Were looking at them now and they're quite placid.

0:27:350:27:39

But believe me, they will fight terrible, it's frightening to see.

0:27:390:27:43

It's hard to imagine, isn't it?

0:27:430:27:46

They all look very peaceful and very loving but they've got this hidden, aggressive nature.

0:27:460:27:51

That's women for you!

0:27:510:27:53

-I should end there!

-I think you should.

-Tim, thank you very much.

0:27:530:27:56

Sadly, that's all week we've got time for today.

0:27:560:27:59

Here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.

0:27:590:28:01

The time has come for Sienna the sea lion pup

0:28:030:28:06

to leave Mum and start her further education.

0:28:060:28:10

In the Great Hall, we'll see 10,000-year-old proof that giants once roamed this land.

0:28:120:28:19

And we'll be helping to install some disabled access ramps

0:28:190:28:23

because the tigers aren't as young as they used to be.

0:28:230:28:26

That's all coming up on the next Animal Park.

0:28:280:28:31

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:28:510:28:53

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0:28:530:28:56

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