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

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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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We'll be getting up close and personal

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with some of the most beautiful insects on Earth.

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Wow, that's amazing.

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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.

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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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-What we're doing is basically a lion-escape drill.

-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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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...?

-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.

-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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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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That's it.

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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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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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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've balanced 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.

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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, Brian 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.

-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 own.

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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's 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've 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.

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

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

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

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But now everyone has swung into action.

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

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

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

-What's going on?

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

-OK.

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Buster, Buster, this is Safari Base.

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

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immediate assistance, please.

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

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I need mobile, immediate assistance, please.

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Be careful. We don't know where the lion is.

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-All right?

-All right.

-If you can take a few people with you.

-OK.

0:21:000:21:05

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

0:21:130:21:19

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

0:21:190:21:22

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

0:21:220:21:25

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

0:21:250:21:29

You want the least amount of people as possible to be

0:21:290:21:36

-wherever this lion might be.

-Mm-hm.

0:21:360:21:38

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

0:21:380:21:40

No, the top.

0:21:420:21:43

Make sure nobody comes through there.

0:21:430:21:45

I have to say, it's incredibly impressive.

0:21:500:21:53

This was only discovered about five minutes ago.

0:21:530:21:56

The whole park is mobilising very, very fast.

0:21:560:21:59

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

0:21:590:22:02

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

0:22:020:22:06

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

0:22:060:22:09

The safari park may be on high alert,

0:22:130:22:16

but for the thousands of acres of farmland that make up the rest of the Longleat estate,

0:22:160:22:21

it's business as usual.

0:22:210:22:23

Right now it's lambing season.

0:22:230:22:25

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

0:22:270:22:32

and many of the ewes will need a helping hand.

0:22:320:22:35

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

0:22:350:22:39

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

0:22:390:22:44

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

0:22:440:22:48

And I've got four years to go.

0:22:480:22:51

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

0:22:510:22:57

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

0:22:570:23:02

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

0:23:020:23:07

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

0:23:070:23:12

The problem is that ewes have only two teats.

0:23:120:23:16

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

0:23:160:23:21

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

0:23:210:23:27

And then the singles are in the other shed.

0:23:270:23:30

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

0:23:300:23:33

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

0:23:330:23:37

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

0:23:370:23:40

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

0:23:400:23:46

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

0:23:460:23:50

It's much easier than bottle-feeding them.

0:23:500:23:52

We teach them to drink like this.

0:23:520:23:54

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

0:23:540:23:59

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

0:23:590:24:05

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

0:24:050:24:08

Still to come on today's programme..

0:24:080:24:11

-Ian, where are you with that rifle?

-Just going past gate four

0:24:110:24:15

We'll find out if park staff can cope with the ongoing emergency.

0:24:150:24:18

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

0:24:180:24:23

And down on the farm,

0:24:230:24:25

we'll find out if the orphaned lambs can settle in and bond with their new mums.

0:24:250:24:32

But first...

0:24:320:24:34

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

0:24:340:24:38

They've been told that a lioness has escaped.

0:24:380:24:41

Only the lion keepers Bob Trollope and Brian Kent,

0:24:410:24:45

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

0:24:450:24:51

Where are you with that rifle?

0:24:510:24:54

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

0:24:540:24:58

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

0:24:580:25:02

Obviously, if we see things that will

0:25:020:25:05

help him out, then we obviously report that.

0:25:050:25:08

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

0:25:080:25:11

-Right.

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

0:25:110:25:17

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

0:25:170:25:21

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

0:25:210:25:25

OK, let's be optimistic here.

0:25:250:25:27

We find the lion.

0:25:270:25:29

-Then what happens?

-The first thing we have to is assess

0:25:290:25:32

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

0:25:320:25:36

-Right.

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

0:25:360:25:41

-Right.

-In which case, we might chance darting it.

0:25:410:25:44

So, darting it would mean tranquillising it,

0:25:440:25:47

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

-Yeah.

0:25:470:25:50

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

0:25:500:25:53

in what circumstances is that?

0:25:530:25:56

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

0:25:560:26:00

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

-Right.

0:26:000:26:04

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

0:26:060:26:09

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

0:26:090:26:13

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

0:26:130:26:20

-guns in hand...

-Yes.

-..then you're making yourself vulnerable.

0:26:200:26:26

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

0:26:260:26:28

It would be scared, frightened.

0:26:320:26:35

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

0:26:350:26:38

You just don't know where it would be.

0:26:380:26:41

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

0:26:410:26:44

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

0:26:440:26:50

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

0:26:520:26:58

Now to find out how the team reacts.

0:26:580:27:00

Will they do the right things to recapture the animal?

0:27:000:27:04

Brian starts the next phase of the exercise.

0:27:040:27:08

Yeah, found the lion, Keith.

0:27:080:27:10

-It's up here.

-OK, is it "dartable"?

0:27:100:27:13

Just about see it, yeah.

0:27:140:27:17

Somebody's spotted something, they reckon.

0:27:170:27:19

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

0:27:190:27:24

-The lion's been found.

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

0:27:240:27:28

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

0:27:280:27:32

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

-Brian's spotted the lion.

0:27:320:27:36

Keith has directed everyone to stand still.

0:27:360:27:38

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

0:27:380:27:44

I've worked here for 31 years.

0:27:480:27:49

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

0:27:490:27:53

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

0:27:530:27:59

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

0:27:590:28:07

Sometimes. It works both ways.

0:28:070:28:09

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

0:28:090:28:12

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

0:28:120:28:17

Ian would have been making up a dart.

0:28:170:28:19

-'Is Ian on his way up?'

-Yep, Ian's just coming through now.

0:28:190:28:24

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

0:28:240:28:29

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

0:28:290:28:33

'Time for Keith to end the exercise.'

0:28:330:28:36

OK, Safari Base to a Safari Park.

0:28:360:28:39

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

0:28:390:28:42

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

0:28:420:28:46

Let's reveal our lion.

0:28:460:28:47

It was exhausting...

0:28:510:28:53

and all...for that.

0:28:530:28:57

A cardboard lion.

0:28:570:28:59

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

0:28:590:29:02

-Did you know it was a drill?

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

0:29:050:29:08

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

0:29:080:29:13

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

0:29:130:29:18

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

0:29:180:29:21

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

0:29:210:29:24

So, guys, can I quickly ask?

0:29:240:29:26

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

0:29:260:29:30

-No, not at all.

-Really?

-We took it very seriously.

-Yes, of course.

0:29:300:29:34

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

0:29:340:29:40

-All the hairs stood up on my arms.

-Yeah!

0:29:400:29:43

What went through your minds?

0:29:430:29:44

Still pumping away there.

0:29:440:29:47

We jumped in the trucks, and...

0:29:470:29:49

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

0:29:490:29:53

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

0:29:530:29:58

Probably not the ideal way to start your day!

0:29:580:30:02

How do you feel about Keith at this precise moment?

0:30:020:30:06

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

0:30:060:30:09

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

0:30:090:30:13

And, literally, it's still going now.

0:30:130:30:16

-You are trembling, aren't you?

-I said to the other lot,

0:30:160:30:19

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

0:30:190:30:23

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

0:30:230:30:29

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

0:30:290:30:32

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

0:30:320:30:36

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

0:30:360:30:41

-What a morning!

-It certainly...!

0:30:410:30:44

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

0:30:440:30:48

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

0:30:480:30:54

After all that excitement, it's time for something more tranquil

0:30:570:31:02

over at the home of one of the park's least dangerous collections.

0:31:020:31:06

The tropical butterfly house is filled with exotic species

0:31:070:31:11

from all across the globe.

0:31:110:31:12

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

0:31:120:31:17

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

0:31:170:31:23

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

0:31:230:31:27

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

0:31:270:31:34

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

0:31:340:31:41

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

0:31:430:31:49

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

0:31:490:31:52

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

0:31:520:31:58

That's just what's happening nearby.

0:32:010:32:04

The owl butterfly gets its name

0:32:040:32:06

from the markings on the wings,

0:32:060:32:08

"eyes" to confuse predators.

0:32:080:32:10

We spotted her laying her first egg.

0:32:100:32:12

And now she's laying the second egg.

0:32:120:32:16

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

0:32:160:32:19

along the mid-section of the leaf.

0:32:190:32:22

We can get good shots with OUR camera,

0:32:240:32:27

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

0:32:270:32:30

These eggs are quite interesting.

0:32:350:32:37

Some are smooth, but these are ridged.

0:32:370:32:39

-May I have a look?

-Yes, certainly.

0:32:390:32:41

The detail on that - the banding is so clear.

0:32:440:32:49

Eggs come in many different shapes and sizes,

0:32:510:32:54

but they all hatch out

0:32:540:32:56

within two to four days to reveal small caterpillars.

0:32:560:33:00

The front pads or legs are for propulsion.

0:33:000:33:04

They have a couple of sticky pads at the back,

0:33:040:33:08

which they use for grip.

0:33:080:33:11

These are interesting, they're swallowtail caterpillars.

0:33:110:33:14

At this stage, they look like...

0:33:140:33:17

small bird droppings.

0:33:170:33:19

These caterpillars eat almost continuously and grow very fast.

0:33:220:33:27

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

0:33:270:33:31

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

0:33:310:33:35

After two to three weeks of stuffing themselves silly,

0:33:380:33:42

the growing caterpillars develop a hard outer case

0:33:420:33:45

as they enter the pupal stage.

0:33:450:33:47

This does happen naturally in the butterfly house,

0:33:470:33:50

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

0:33:500:33:54

It's another delivery of pupae.

0:33:540:33:56

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

0:33:560:34:03

It's just like Christmas.

0:34:030:34:05

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

0:34:070:34:14

Some beautiful chrysalis here,

0:34:140:34:18

that mimic a leaf insect, complete with pretend legs

0:34:180:34:24

and little silver spots.

0:34:240:34:28

That warns predators to keep away.

0:34:280:34:31

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

0:34:310:34:34

Pretty enough to be worn as earrings. Golden colour.

0:34:340:34:39

Nature's protection, that.

0:34:390:34:42

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

0:34:420:34:46

some of these that look leaves.

0:34:460:34:49

I can try some back lighting

0:34:490:34:51

and maybe see what's inside.

0:34:510:34:53

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

0:34:530:34:56

The next stage is for the fully formed butterfly to emerge

0:35:070:35:10

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

0:35:100:35:14

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

0:35:140:35:20

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

0:35:200:35:23

for the emergence.

0:35:230:35:25

But luck is on our side.

0:35:290:35:31

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

0:35:310:35:36

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

0:35:360:35:40

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

0:35:400:35:45

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

0:35:510:35:55

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

0:35:550:35:58

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

0:35:580:36:01

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

0:36:010:36:05

Do you want to have a look through the viewfinder?

0:36:050:36:08

Wow! That's amazing.

0:36:100:36:13

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

0:36:170:36:21

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

0:36:210:36:24

which they use to drink nectar and juices.

0:36:240:36:28

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

0:36:280:36:34

I've never seen detail like that.

0:36:340:36:36

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

0:36:360:36:41

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

0:36:480:36:55

That really is amazing.

0:36:550:36:57

I find all stages interesting, from discovering eggs,

0:36:570:37:01

caterpillars splitting their skin

0:37:010:37:04

and going on to the next stage of the cycle.

0:37:040:37:07

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

0:37:070:37:11

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

0:37:110:37:16

Back at Simon Bagg's estate farm,

0:37:360:37:39

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

0:37:390:37:45

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

0:37:450:37:51

Right, we'll tie his legs up.

0:37:530:37:56

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

0:37:560:38:01

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

0:38:010:38:07

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

0:38:070:38:10

We need to get all the fluids,

0:38:170:38:19

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

0:38:190:38:22

Just leave that one over there.

0:38:220:38:24

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

0:38:340:38:39

Just lie down now. That's it.

0:38:400:38:43

She'll start licking now.

0:38:450:38:48

Now put her own...there as well.

0:38:500:38:53

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

0:38:530:38:57

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

0:38:570:39:02

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

0:39:020:39:06

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

0:39:060:39:10

She's quite a good one.

0:39:100:39:12

She'll be a good mum.

0:39:120:39:14

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

0:39:190:39:23

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

0:39:230:39:26

she wouldn't be letting him suck from her,

0:39:260:39:29

like he's doing now.

0:39:290:39:30

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

0:39:310:39:36

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

0:39:360:39:42

The ewes are now left to recover for a day.

0:39:420:39:45

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

0:39:450:39:48

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

0:39:480:39:55

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

0:39:550:40:00

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

0:40:000:40:04

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

0:40:040:40:09

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

0:40:090:40:14

But that could be easier said than done.

0:40:180:40:21

SHEEP BLEAT

0:40:210:40:24

BLEATING

0:40:240:40:27

BLEATING

0:40:390:40:40

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

0:40:490:40:54

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

0:40:540:40:58

just as its ancestors have done for hundreds of years.

0:40:580:41:02

Those lambs wouldn't last long if a lion DID get loose,

0:41:110:41:15

though that's very unlikely.

0:41:150:41:17

But if it were ever to happen,

0:41:170:41:19

today's exercise shows that park staff are ready to handle the emergency.

0:41:190:41:24

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

0:41:310:41:34

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

0:41:340:41:37

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

0:41:370:41:41

but really impressive how everyone just pulled together basically.

0:41:410:41:45

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

0:41:450:41:48

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

0:41:480:41:52

-Exactly.

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

0:41:520:41:58

-Makes you feel very safe.

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

-Let's hope so.

0:41:580:42:03

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

0:42:030:42:08

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

0:42:080:42:13

Lord Bath has a warm welcome for the vultures.

0:42:170:42:19

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

0:42:190:42:22

Lion cub Jasira has developed a limp.

0:42:240:42:27

Good girl!

0:42:270:42:28

We'll find out if her treatment is working.

0:42:280:42:32

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

0:42:330:42:34

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-You're enjoying this!

0:42:340:42:38

And I'll be fulfilling my boyhood dream at full steam ahead on Longleat's narrow-guage railway.

0:42:380:42:44

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:42:440:42:45

THEY LAUGH

0:42:450:42:47

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006

0:43:200:43:22

E-mail [email protected]

0:43:220:43:25

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