0:00:29 > 0:00:33- Hello!- And welcome to Animal Park. I'm Ben Fogle.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37And I'm Kate Humble and I've just been royally upstaged by a parrot!
0:00:37 > 0:00:40This is Matilda, and Ben has got Sunday.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43They are Catalina macaws and if you watch this -
0:00:43 > 0:00:47they are incredibly dextrous with their beaks and their claws.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50They can get through peanuts in seconds!
0:00:50 > 0:00:52They can. Well, we've got lots more stories
0:00:52 > 0:00:56about the animals and the house, in today's programme, including...
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Romeo the otter has a problem in his mouth that could be life-threatening.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03He must see the vet,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06but he doesn't want to go.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10The rhinos like their mud nice and gloopy,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13but THEY don't have to worry about losing THEIR wellies!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15You've lost your boot!
0:01:17 > 0:01:22And Kabir is raising the roof over his cat flu injection.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26But the little cubs don't seem to mind.
0:01:30 > 0:01:36But first, we're going down to Pets Corner because there's a problem with one of the otters.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41The two new pups are now four months old, and they're both fine.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44But Romeo, their dad, has got something wrong with his mouth.
0:01:44 > 0:01:50The keeper in charge of the otters, Darren Beasley, has called in vet Duncan Williams.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54It's going to be difficult to get a close look in Romeo's mouth,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59but he has been yawning, so Duncan did manage to get a glimpse of the problem.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Poor old Romeo's got something stuck between his back carnassial teeth,
0:02:04 > 0:02:09which are the great big teeth that they use to crunch bones and stuff.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's right stuck between,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16you know, right across the top of his hard palate, so the poor chap can't shut his mouth properly.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20I think it'd be pretty disastrous if it happened in the wild, because
0:02:20 > 0:02:27maybe eventually it would loosen or free up, but it would certainly impede his eating.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Darren did say he did eat last night, but I find it hard
0:02:30 > 0:02:34to comprehend how he managed to chew up his food
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and get it into boluses that he could swallow.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42So I think if that happened in the wild, it might be fatal.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44So something will have to be done.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Romeo needs to go to the vet's surgery for a proper examination.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Now it's up to Darren to catch him - and that's not going to be easy.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58They really are the most aggressive creatures I have ever come across.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03And having worked with big animals and things in the past as well, these are a nightmare.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09Particularly these Asian short-clawed otters, their diet is
0:03:09 > 0:03:12basically shellfish, crabs, that kind of thing.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16And they have these massive grinding teeth at the back, these molars.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21And they have got several different grinding edges on them, unlike any other animal that I know.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24And I know of two incidents,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29where people have lost fingers - crushed - through otter bites.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32The gloves won't be any protection from crushing injuries.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37They're only good against cuts and scratches.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Hello. Face to face with my adversary.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48Romeo has been shut indoors, while his family are all out in the run.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53He hasn't been caught or handled since he arrived here when he was still a youngster.
0:03:53 > 0:03:59This could get rough, and will be noisy because, to all intents and purposes, Romeo is a wild animal.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Can I point out now the love I have for hand-reared animals!
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Tame animals, anyway! Tame animals, you can whistle, pick up, put in a box, and away you go to the vet.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Wild animals are great -
0:04:14 > 0:04:16but they do have their drawbacks.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Darren is planning to go in and try to shoo him into the carry-box, but Romeo has other ideas.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24He's out!
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Cage! Cage!
0:04:33 > 0:04:36OTTER SQUEALS
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Get a key! Get a key!
0:04:39 > 0:04:41He's got me.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49What's the point in having a plan?!
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Plans never work out!
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Mother Nature and random, I tell you!
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Basically, he did...come at me.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05He charged, so I took the opportunity to jump on him.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07They're designed to be very manoeuvrable!
0:05:07 > 0:05:13They are very agile hunters and he can basically almost turn in his own skin, which is what he was doing.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18So every time I got him around his head so he wouldn't bite me, he basically was twisting.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23So it's a lot of screaming, a lot of shouting for him.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29He's scared, you know. It's all right me - my heart's pacing and beating -
0:05:29 > 0:05:32but I know what's happening. I know it's going to be good for him.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36But he doesn't, he thinks this is his last day on the planet, bless him.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40But I'll make sure he doesn't get out in the van. That will be exciting!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42So we'll cover him to keep him nice and calm now.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46And we'll take him off and make him more better.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Though of course, that depends on exactly what the vet discovers.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52We'll be back when Romeo arrives at the surgery.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It's a big day for the lion cubs.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I'm up at the lion house with keeper Bob Trollope and Kabir's pride.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Bob, what's going to happen to the cubs today?
0:06:07 > 0:06:12What we're going to do is actually give them a vaccine against cat flu.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- So this is what people do with their domestic cats.- Yeah.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Where they can take them to the vet's.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Normally, they have to come here, or we can do this thing.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Right, OK. So how do you go about injecting a cub like Malaika?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26We'll get this into the meat.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Hopefully, Malaika will take it off the stick and get the dose.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Very clever. So this is why this training of taking the meat off the sticks is so important?
0:06:35 > 0:06:42It's very important. You know, it's much less hassle and stress than - a little bit's come out -
0:06:42 > 0:06:44than using a dart, obviously.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46OK, so shall I see if she takes this?
0:06:46 > 0:06:52That's ready now. You can tell she's really eager for that. There we are.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Perfect! Shall we give her one without medicine as a little treat?
0:06:57 > 0:06:58There you are, you clever girl!
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Yummy! That's it, she's vaccinated now for the next year.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09Perfect! OK, shall we see if her little half-sister, Jasira, is going to be quite as good?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Here she is. She's so playful.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14She's been really playful this morning, hasn't she?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16She has.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Right. Let's get ready.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Now, it doesn't matter that Jasira is a little bit younger?
0:07:22 > 0:07:28Well, they're already covered, but what we're actually doing is trying to get everyone in sync, as such.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So next year, they'll all do it together.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32Even though they have got cover.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- OK. Ready.- You're keen as well!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yep! There you go, girl.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41You've got to take yours off to eat.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46We've got to be absolutely sure that she will eat it. She's obviously tasted a little bit of...
0:07:46 > 0:07:49the medication, which doesn't seem to upset her.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52No. Very good.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Shall we see if she wants one without?- I'm sure she will!
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- Jasira! Come on, darling! Here you are.- Oh, another big bit!
0:08:01 > 0:08:04That's it.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06That was very easy!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Getting the vaccine into the cubs may have gone like a dream,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13but it's not going to be so easy with the mums, or Dad.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17For adults it needs to be administered as an injection -
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and they really don't like getting their jabs.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23We'll be back in the lion's den later on.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31There's nothing a rhino likes better than to wallow in some nice, gloopy, mud.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35In fact, it's an essential part of their skin-care regime.
0:08:35 > 0:08:42But this muddy patch in the rhino enclosure hasn't happened naturally, it had to be made by the keepers.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46And they're constantly trying to improve the design.
0:08:47 > 0:08:54I'm out in the new area with deputy head warden Ian Turner helping build a new wallow for the rhinos.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Ian, you didn't move out of the way there quick enough!
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So tell me a bit about this wallow?
0:09:00 > 0:09:02What's the idea behind it?
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Well, last time, we think it was too deep.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08It turned into a pond and there was too many stones in the bottom.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11So when they rolled in it, obviously, it was hurting the back.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14So we've got rid of all the stones and now we'll just fill it up.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18I've got the lads to pick up some clay from the hippo field
0:09:18 > 0:09:23to bring up here, which you can see, look, is nice and...
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Nice and gloopy. So are we going to try and move some of this pile over here?
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Yeah, we just need to move it out. Once the rhinos
0:09:29 > 0:09:33get used to coming in here, they'll spread a lot of it out themselves.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Is the idea that they use it a bit like a kind of rhino face pack?
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- Yes.- They use this stuff and put it all over their skin?
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Yes, so they can get literally covered from head to foot.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47It gets on the skin and it dries out in the heat.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51And then that flakes off and takes all the dead skin off.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And it's like exfoliating your whole body.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And this is a nice clay, isn't it?
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Yes, we are hoping, because the hippos have got such good skin, it works so well down there.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And as you can see, that is really
0:10:03 > 0:10:05nice and pliable.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- I see.- Imagine that.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13And the idea is that that will then dry out, will it?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Dry out. And when this rubs off, it takes all the dead skin off.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And does the skin really good.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Is this something that the rhinos are likely to use all year round?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- Whatever the weather?- They tend to use it more in the summer time.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Winter time not so much, because of the weather.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33But once they get used to
0:10:33 > 0:10:38a good bath like this, hopefully, it's going to improve their skin.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Their skin tends to go a little bit downhill in the winter time.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47We encourage them to use it all year round to make their skin really good.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51But it's good stuff, this, it's quite sticky, isn't it?
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- You're wallowing already! Do you need a hand?- That's not coming out.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- Give me your hand.- My foot might come up!- I think...
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I think we might need a bit of time to get out of here!
0:11:02 > 0:11:05You've lost your boot!
0:11:05 > 0:11:10This really is industrial-strength mud, so the rhinos should love it.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13And THEY don't have to worry about losing THEIR wellies!
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Romeo the otter has just arrived at the surgery.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27He's got something wedged or jammed in the roof of his mouth,
0:11:27 > 0:11:33so the head of Pets Corner, Darren Beasley, has brought him to vet Karen Grabham.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39He's very clever at putting his paws through, actually.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Right. So when did you first notice that he had a problem with his mouth?
0:11:42 > 0:11:46- Late yesterday afternoon he wasn't shutting his jaw properly.- OK.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49We thought it might be a tooth abscess or something.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54But he was eating pretty well normally, and acting pretty well normally.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59We thought we saw a glimpse of something like a stone, or something in his mouth.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01But he wouldn't open his mouth wide enough.
0:12:01 > 0:12:08Otters are quite aggressive, and Romeo is not a tame animal, so the only way that Karen is
0:12:08 > 0:12:11going to get a look in his mouth is to give him a sedative drug.
0:12:13 > 0:12:20It's a regular anaesthetic we would use for something like a cat.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24So, he's of a similar size, he's two-and-a-half kilos, so, you know,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28it's kind of cat doses that we'd use for him.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33So hopefully, that has gone into his muscle, and he's going to go to sleep fairly soon.
0:12:33 > 0:12:40This is the first time that Romeo has ever been anaesthetised, and deputy head warden Ian Turner
0:12:40 > 0:12:42has come along to record all the details.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47A few minutes later, Romeo is out for the count,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51so now we'll find out just what's happened in his mouth.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01- Oh, goodness me!- There it is. - OK. All right.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- Do you want me to hold him like a cat?- Yeah, that'd be great.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20It looks like - I don't know - a walnut shell or something like that.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Are you a nut expert?!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26I'm afraid I am - a bit sad, isn't it?! It looks like a piece of...
0:13:26 > 0:13:30could be walnut. I think the dots say almond, actually.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31It's probably an almond.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Of course, in the wild, they eat crabs and shellfish,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38they're going to get bits of shell stuck up there.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42In the wild, that would get infected and he could possibly die from it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Here, we've seen it, we've dealt with it,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and I'm sure he's going to be absolutely fine now.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52As long as he wakes up from this.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56He's not done any damage to his mouth. Everything looks intact,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00there's no broken teeth or anything, so his mouth looks pretty good.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Apart from he does have a bit of tartar on the teeth.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08But that's to be expected and that would happen in the wild as well.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13You can see that the teeth are pretty sharp, which is why Darren is being quite cautious.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15They can take your finger off.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18We've got records now of what's gone on.
0:14:18 > 0:14:25It's just to keep a close contact with the animals we've got, so everything can go back on his record.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Show his teeth, show his feet, which you can't get normally close to.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31But now we've got it all on digital camera.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35But now, while they've got him under sedation, they're
0:14:35 > 0:14:39going to take an X-ray - and it's got nothing to do with his mouth.
0:14:39 > 0:14:46Asian short-clawed otters in captivity are susceptible to a life-threatening ailment.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Last year it killed Johnny, the previous male otter in Pets Corner.
0:14:50 > 0:14:56Because he died so unexpectedly, vet Zoe Meedes did a post-mortem.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The general post-mortem was absolutely fine
0:15:00 > 0:15:05until we got to his bladder and found this stone sitting in there.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10And then, since then, having a read up on all the literature and things that are
0:15:10 > 0:15:15available on these little otters, it's a very common problem in captive short-clawed otters.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Bladder stones are formed from mineral deposits in the urine.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23They can be removed by surgery, if they're discovered at an early stage.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28With Johnny, his bladder was full of quite a pusy-looking urine,
0:15:28 > 0:15:35so I think, the stone sitting there for so long will have caused an infection in the bladder.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39And that may well have ascended up to his kidneys and caused his death.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44OK, so we're just going to have him lateral on that view.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Bladder stones show up clearly on X-rays.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51So, a little later on, we'll find out if Romeo is suffering
0:15:51 > 0:15:55from the same thing that killed poor Johnny.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Back in the lion house, I'm helping keeper
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Bob Trollope to give Kabir's pride their vaccinations against cat flu.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Unlike the cubs, the adults must be given the drug by injection,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29which will be delivered in a dart shot from a blow-pipe.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34Before that can be done, each of the lions needs to be isolated in a pen, on their own.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36It's a tricky manoeuvre.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39If I let Malaika back in with Jasira...
0:16:39 > 0:16:42you can open that one. Go on then.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Good girl!
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Go back with Mum. That's it. Go on!
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Go on, this way!- In you go!
0:16:51 > 0:16:53This way! What we've got to do is a juggling act.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58We've got one of the mums, we just want to get rid of...!
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Which isn't as easy as it looks, obviously!
0:17:01 > 0:17:02Which female is this?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04This is Luna. This is Jasira's mum.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09And is Luna the one that's been taking more of a maternal interest with both the cubs?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11She has. She's an extremely good mum.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Yendi is a bit more laid back!
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Very happy for Luna to do all the work!
0:17:18 > 0:17:23We're not being terribly successful here, Brian! Jasira thinks this is more of a plaything!
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And none of the adults seem to want to move.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Have you got any persuasion techniques up your sleeve?
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Well we can use the bucket to try to get the cubs in and hopefully, the mums back.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Come on, you two! Come on.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Now we've just got to try to get Mum.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49- OK.- So if you see the chance - oh, Dad! - there we go.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Come here! Come here!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Come on. Good boy!
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- Come on, fella!- There you are. Good boy. That's it, Kate, well done.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06So... Brian Kent is here as well, head of section.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10So Brian, you have a licence to use this, presumably,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15- this blowpipe?- Yes, you must have a licence otherwise you can't use one. - Right, OK.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21And the drug that's in this dart is exactly the same as what was injected into the meat for the cubs?
0:18:21 > 0:18:26- Exactly the same, yeah.- OK. So how do you go about doing this?
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Normally aim for a back leg, where you've got more muscle to aim for.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33But it's getting him to turn around in the right place.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Absolutely. Kabir!
0:18:35 > 0:18:40- Does this hurt?- Um...I wouldn't have thought it would hurt at all.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Any more than kind of us having a flu jab?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Basically. You know, it's a very light dart.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50I imagine it would be pretty quick as well.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Good boy. Good boy.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Well, he certainly felt it!
0:18:58 > 0:19:00He weren't too happy.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04I don't think he likes you very much at the moment, Brian!
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Now, can you tell from looking at the dart
0:19:07 > 0:19:10whether that has actually all gone into his system?
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I can't see at the moment - I need to get him up.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17But you need to see if the plunge has moved right down in the dart.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And presumably, you've got to get the dart out as well?
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That's the hard bit now.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But what we normally do is encourage him through to the other pen.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30As he's going through, Bob will push this door in.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36I mean, it might look fast on camera, but he stops as he gets near the dart.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Oh, OK. So he effectively scrapes the dart off through the narrow gap?
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Ah, very clever. Come on, Kabir!
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Good boy! No, don't lie down!
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Come on. Come on!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51He says, I'm not going to co-operate now!
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Oh, brilliant! Good shot, Bob! Fantastic.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00Now, obviously, he is looking very upset.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04And some people might wonder whether this is really necessary.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Is cat flu dangerous in lions?
0:20:07 > 0:20:12Oh, it's extremely dangerous, yeah. You could lose every cat we've got.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16- Really?- Yes.- Is it very infectious? If one gets it, can it spread round all of them?
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Yeah, it could spread round.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22That's why we do it as a precaution every year.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Right, OK. So we've got... Big Daddy is successfully done.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Just two more females to go.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Let's just check whether that dart has gone off.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36That's a successful one.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39That's a successful dart, brilliant. Well, good job, both of you.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44I know you've got the two females to do, so we've got our work cut out a little bit this morning.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- Thank you both very much indeed. - No problem.
0:20:54 > 0:21:01Along with all the more robust animals, Longleat is also home to some very delicate creatures.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The butterfly house was first opened back in 1986
0:21:04 > 0:21:09in order to show tropical species to the visitors.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Many years before that, there was another butterfly collection here,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17all caught from the wild by a keen young lepidopterist
0:21:17 > 0:21:22named Alexander Thynne - none other than the present Lord Bath.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I was a collector myself between the ages of
0:21:25 > 0:21:299 and 15, but they were strictly English species,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and none of these wonderful ones, which would have been
0:21:32 > 0:21:35far more exciting to have been chasing after!
0:21:35 > 0:21:40But it strikes me they don't run fast enough! They're easy to catch!
0:21:42 > 0:21:46When Lord Bath was young, the normal way to display a collection
0:21:46 > 0:21:51was to have your butterflies neatly pinned to card and properly labelled.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Nowadays people prefer to see their specimens on the wing.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05Today Lord Bath has come to renew his interest, with butterfly keeper Sophie Dunn.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Look, they're all over your clothes! Because you've got bright colours on,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11they love the bright colours and they come flying around!
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I smell right!
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Of bananas, was it?
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- Yes, rotten bananas, they love!- I've never seen these transparent ones.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Is that what you called lacewing?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Glass-wing.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Do you have any caterpillars crawling around?
0:22:27 > 0:22:32Yes, I can show you, if you come this way with me, we have... I think it's the bamboo it's on -
0:22:32 > 0:22:36the glass-wing chrysalis and caterpillar.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38I spotted it this morning.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41If I can find it now...
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Here we are. You can see.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46The time searching for the lost caterpillar!
0:22:46 > 0:22:50That's the chrysalis there and the caterpillar is on top of it.
0:22:50 > 0:22:56I think there was one here, do you see, on that leaf, it's just curling itself round?
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Into a ball?
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- Yes. Yeah. - To form the chrysalis there.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03So that chrysalis should be open in a couple of days.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And we have there our main species that we breed.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Breeding tropical butterflies is a tricky business, because
0:23:11 > 0:23:15most of them will only reproduce if all the conditions are just right.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19And each different species needs different conditions.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Derek has been in charge of the butterfly house ever since it opened.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Recently he's had particular success breeding the glass-wing,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33a species that comes from South America.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38They are plant specific. They won't breed
0:23:38 > 0:23:42unless they have got the right plant to lay their eggs on.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Once you've got them to that stage, they will lay their eggs
0:23:46 > 0:23:50and the caterpillars will rear up on that food plant.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55So the breakthrough came when Derek was able to find exactly the right plant.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Well, this plant here, Cestrum, which is a night-flowering plant,
0:24:01 > 0:24:08you come into the greenhouse of an evening and it's the most beautiful fragrance.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10During the day, it just looks like privet!
0:24:10 > 0:24:13It's invaluable for the caterpillars.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18They've also had great success at Longleat breeding owl butterflies -
0:24:18 > 0:24:22a species that will lay its eggs only on banana leaves.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26But many of the tropical varieties are impossible to breed here,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30and need to be brought in by specialist suppliers.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36When you get them in from the shop, they are all as chrysalises?
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Yes. What we do is glue them up and let them just fly away.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45But we just put them on to these green canes with normal glue, put them into the case,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50and every morning we water the case so that the steam comes through and keeps them warm.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53And when it's the right temperature, they break out.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56For example, this one here is just coming out.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It will be out like this one later today.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00They are a treat to see!
0:25:00 > 0:25:05- They are, aren't they? - I think it does look tremendously
0:25:05 > 0:25:08aggrandisised and beautified!
0:25:08 > 0:25:10It's most encouraging.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13You don't have to go to South America to see these.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18It would be lovely, actually, to see small British butterflies as well.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21With his interest in butterflies re-awakened,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Lord Bath is now considering ways to attract more of them to Longleat.
0:25:25 > 0:25:31Not the tropical sort, but our own native species - the ones he used to hunt as a boy.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Plans are afoot to create a butterfly garden.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38We'll meet Lord Bath later when he goes on a fact-finding mission,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and hunts down one of Britain's rarest butterflies.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Many of the animals at Longleat are threatened species, in danger of extinction in the wild.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59And quite a few are part of international captive breeding programmes.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05One of the most endangered species here are these Pere David deer.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I'm out in the new area with Head of Section Tim Yeo, and we've come down
0:26:09 > 0:26:15to see the Pere David deer, which is this little herd just over my shoulder here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17And these are incredibly rare, aren't they, Tim?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20They certainly were very, very rare.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Thankfully, due to a lot of help from man, of getting them
0:26:24 > 0:26:29and keeping them in large parks their numbers have come back.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32But how bad did it get?
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It got incredibly bad. Down to, I think, probably about 20 animals.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- Wow.- ..World population at one stage.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45And the 11th Duke of Bedford was very much responsible for bringing
0:26:45 > 0:26:48a few of those animals over to his park in Woburn.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53And they liked the habitat there and he re-established them, and now
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- he has several hundred, probably about 300.- Wow!
0:26:57 > 0:26:58So where do they originate from?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00They come from northern China.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04And they like a very wet, boggy area.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07So Wiltshire is perfect for them at this time of year!
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- Wonderful habitat!- So, when you say that they've come back
0:27:10 > 0:27:13with a lot of help from man, they've been kept in protected areas.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18Presumably, breeding programmes are very important?
0:27:18 > 0:27:20That's right, Kate. They certainly are for them.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26And this species, because of its... because they got down to
0:27:26 > 0:27:30very, very few world population - they are very, very interbred.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34But thankfully, so far, these that we have here
0:27:34 > 0:27:40don't seem to have shown any bad signs from interbreeding.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Are there any signs - cos at this time of year it seems to be
0:27:44 > 0:27:47classic deer-giving-birth time of year -
0:27:47 > 0:27:51any signs that any of your females are pregnant?
0:27:51 > 0:27:56Well, I'm very hopeful. We had one calf last year, two pregnancies,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58one didn't survive, unfortunately.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00One calf is there in the group.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04I see no reason why we shouldn't have another two at least.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- Will you keep us posted? - I certainly will.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08It would be very very exciting. Tim, thank you very much indeed.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11And we've got lots more coming up on today's programme.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16With a big family on the way, Trevor and Honey need a bigger nest.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The hunt is on for one of Britain's rarest butterflies.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26And we'll find out what the X-ray reveals for Romeo the otter.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35It's been a couple of years since young Trevor came to Longleat in search of love.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40After a whirlwind romance, he and Honey settled down to start a family.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46In no time, little Al came along, but now he's grown up and left home.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50So, has time taken the passion out of Trevor and Honey's relationship?
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Have they swapped the tango for a more sedate dance?
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Apparently not.
0:28:57 > 0:29:03I'm out in the East Africa Reserve with Head of Section Andy Hayton, and Trevor the ostrich.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Andy, what are we doing out today?
0:29:05 > 0:29:08We're going to put the eggs out today in the scrape here.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11The scrape being a nest, I suppose?
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Yes, the ostriches can't fly, so they nest on the ground.
0:29:16 > 0:29:22What they do naturally is to have a shallow depression, lay their eggs in there, and off they go.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27OK, now two things - first of all, surprisingly, ostriches are quite aggressive, aren't they?
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Which is why we've got all the cars around like this.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Yeah, the males can be extremely aggressive.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36Especially when you can see him, slightly now, his beak is pink.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40His legs are slightly pink. That's when he's in full-on breeding mode,
0:29:40 > 0:29:45- and he's quite protective, because she's laying eggs at the moment. - And that's...
0:29:45 > 0:29:48That's Honey, the female, yes. And they're extremely dim!
0:29:48 > 0:29:52- So they're really aggressive. - Is it true about their brain being the size of...?
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Their brain is actually smaller than the eyeball.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59So, you've got something that big and that aggressive, and that...thick!
0:29:59 > 0:30:02It's a really volatile combination.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05How come the eggs are all separate, anyway?
0:30:05 > 0:30:11- Why do they not build their own nest?- Well what we do here is, she will lay indiscriminately.
0:30:11 > 0:30:18She will lay eggs all over the place, all over the park. So what we do, from advice from other zoos,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20is collect the eggs up...
0:30:20 > 0:30:23- Can I pick one up?- Yeah, sure. - Wow, they're heavy.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26So we collect the eggs where she lays them all over the place,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29get about 10 or a dozen together, and put them down here.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32And then she will lay where all her eggs are.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37- And presumably these are dates that you've collected them?- Yes, these are all dates that they were laid.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Do I just put them anywhere? There's no specific order?
0:30:40 > 0:30:43She will juggle them around to how she wants them.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46And she can sit on this many eggs, can she?
0:30:46 > 0:30:52Oh, in a big nest, I mean, you will have a male with a harem of maybe up to half a dozen females.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- There could be up to 60-odd eggs in an nest.- In a single nest?
0:30:55 > 0:31:01But the most dominant female and the male will sit them. And she knows her own eggs - it's amazing.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05She keeps them in the middle to give them more of a chance of incubating.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- Isn't that incredible? - Amazing, yeah.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Now, these eggs, that is a solid shell.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12I mean, I they as strong as they feel in my hand?
0:31:12 > 0:31:16They say you can have a 16-stone man stand on one!
0:31:16 > 0:31:18No! And it wouldn't break?
0:31:18 > 0:31:20- And it wouldn't break. - That's incredible.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24- It's amazing.- And what gestation period are we talking about?
0:31:24 > 0:31:26- About 40 days.- OK.
0:31:26 > 0:31:32But what actually happens is, the female will sit them at night - during the day, sorry.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35And the male takes over and he does all the work at night.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37So Trevor will actually be...?
0:31:37 > 0:31:44Yeah, and when the youngsters are born, or hatched, Dad will do most of the looking after of the youngsters.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Mum's involvement in it is pretty much done then.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49And they will follow Dad.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53That's incredible. How long will they take once we've left here to come in and...?
0:31:53 > 0:31:58She will carry on laying for a while, and we normally get 16 - 20 eggs in there.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00And then she'll start sitting.
0:32:00 > 0:32:07And that's when incubation starts, is when she actually starts sitting on there regularly and doing her job.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10And Andy, what are all these twigs?
0:32:10 > 0:32:13All this kind of wood over here? What's all this about?
0:32:13 > 0:32:17We just did this, something different, just to give them a little bit of cover.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Possibly make them feel a bit secure. They can see all the way round.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- And it's a little bit of a windbreak as well.- Andy, thank you very much.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29Shall we leave the area and let them get to their nest?
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Lord Bath is planning to create a new garden at Longleat,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58specially planted to attract British butterflies.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So he and Sophie Dunn, a keeper in the tropical butterfly house, have
0:33:02 > 0:33:09come to meet Andrew George, five miles from Longleat, in order to find out more about what's involved.
0:33:09 > 0:33:15Andrew is an enthusiast who's devoted his extensive garden to butterfly conservation.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20It may look like an overgrown meadow - but that's just how they like it.
0:33:20 > 0:33:26Especially one of Britain's rarest - and tiniest - species, called "the small blue".
0:33:26 > 0:33:31They were more common, years ago, when Lord Bath was a butterfly collector.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34In my childhood I remember catching small blues.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Probably near Cley Hill, I can't remember now where I caught them, but that chalk soil...
0:33:39 > 0:33:44It could have been in the woods around, but then I haven't seen them for a long while.
0:33:44 > 0:33:45I don't know where they've all gone.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50The main reason that the small blue is now rare is because, like
0:33:50 > 0:33:54so many other butterflies, it must have exactly the right conditions.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57It can only live on one kind of plant.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01The small blue comes in and lays its eggs only
0:34:01 > 0:34:03on the flower heads of kidney vetch.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08Nothing else! It's the only thing it will lay its eggs on.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13And then the egg hatches and it burrows in to the seed head.
0:34:13 > 0:34:19Kidney vetch used to be found widely in sheltered grassland on lime-rich soils.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23But modern developments have reduced this habitat, and so the small blue
0:34:23 > 0:34:27- is in big trouble. - It lives in colonies
0:34:27 > 0:34:30and most of the members of the colony don't leave the colony.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35Even though they can fly way up into the air, they just stay in that one particular place.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Well, they know where their patch of kidney vetch is to be found!
0:34:39 > 0:34:43That is right, yes. Because the habitat is quite rare,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47because the places that kidney vetch like to grow
0:34:47 > 0:34:53are quite spread apart, the butterfly has a hard job jumping from one colony to another.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Especially if you realise it is tiny.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57It lives...
0:34:57 > 0:35:01a week, maybe, and in that time it's got to have mated,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04and then travelled somewhere else with kidney vetch.
0:35:04 > 0:35:10Would you know where your next three colonies of kidney vetch are around here?
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Well, I know of one. It's about four miles away.
0:35:16 > 0:35:23There's probably others that I don't know of, but that's the only colony I know of within four miles of here.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28This one has become - this is the largest colony in Somerset now.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31About five or six years after it was created.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34It may be the largest colony in Somerset,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38but Lord Bath and Sophie haven't spotted a single small blue yet.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43Time to get down to some serious butterfly hunting!
0:35:43 > 0:35:47A good tip is to look for warm sheltered spots.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51And to be able to recognise the plants that are important for butterflies.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55If you can recognise kidney vetch for instance, there's a good chance
0:35:55 > 0:35:59you might be in a place where the small blues are.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Look for the plants that the butterflies like.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13There's a very dense patch of the kidney vetch there. See, Andrew?
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- And there's a small blue.- Is there?
0:36:16 > 0:36:18No wonder they're hard to spot -
0:36:18 > 0:36:22the small blue is less than three centimetres across.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27They are obviously very small in comparison to ones I'm used to looking after in the gardens.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31But I do think it's brilliant that, it's more of a challenge...
0:36:31 > 0:36:34They just fly up to you in that contained environment,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37whereas here, they come here for the food plants
0:36:37 > 0:36:41and because it's such a good set-up, good environment for them.
0:36:41 > 0:36:48But whether it's indoors or outside, the key to success is to offer the butterflies just what they need.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51You can do the same thing in your own garden.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55By creating these south-facing mounds where the kidney vetch can grow.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I'll have to look around for my south-facing mounds!
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Plans for the Longleat butterfly garden are still at an early stage,
0:37:02 > 0:37:08but today's visit has certainly rekindled Lord Bath's enthusiasm.
0:37:08 > 0:37:15Oh, it is bringing back the days when I scrambled around, getting my scratches, yes!
0:37:15 > 0:37:17I'm not getting the scratches nowadays!
0:37:24 > 0:37:31Earlier, there was quite a commotion when Romeo the otter had to be caught in Pets Corner.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40He's out! Get a key, get a key! He's got me!
0:37:45 > 0:37:50He had to come to the vet's in order to have a fragment of
0:37:50 > 0:37:53nutshell removed from where it was stuck in his mouth.
0:37:53 > 0:37:59But now, while they've got him under anaesthetic, vet Karen Grabham is taking a couple of X-rays
0:37:59 > 0:38:04to find out if he's suffering from bladder stones - an ailment that plagues otters in captivity.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09X-rays!
0:38:09 > 0:38:12When they come out, they show that Romeo...
0:38:12 > 0:38:15is in the best of health.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19The X-rays are good, so we can go ahead and reverse him now.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And get him waking up.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Anaesthetics can have dangerous side effects,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and it's always best to minimise the time spent under.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32So Karen has a drug that should reverse the effects.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Come on, little lad.
0:38:42 > 0:38:48- There we are.- Good lad.- We'll take him back now, we'll give him
0:38:48 > 0:38:53a good afternoon's rest and watch him closely, and keep him warm and quiet.
0:38:53 > 0:38:54And then hopefully,
0:38:54 > 0:38:59he'll have a bit of food and we'll get him back with his wife and pups.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05He's the best dad. He's a wonderful dad.
0:39:08 > 0:39:13The next day, things are getting back to normal in the otter enclosure.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Darren has been trying to work out how the accident with the nutshell
0:39:16 > 0:39:20happened, particularly because the otters aren't fed almonds.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27That was what was stuck in the roof of his mouth. That came from one of these, obviously.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29There's the edge - look.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34And I think what's probably happened - talk about improbable -
0:39:34 > 0:39:39more chances of winning the lottery, I think, than this happening!
0:39:39 > 0:39:45Basically I would think a parrot's taken one of the nuts off of Rob to eat, they dropped it,
0:39:45 > 0:39:50a jackdaw or something has picked it up, or a bird has dropped it, in the enclosure here.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54And remember - these otters, they are designed for crushing bone and shell,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57so they've got these wonderful teeth.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01The chances of that nut being crushed to just the right size to fit
0:40:01 > 0:40:05in between the top palate, between the teeth, and not be too big and
0:40:05 > 0:40:10not get stuck, and not be too small and not get stuck - it was just the right size - must be billions to one!
0:40:10 > 0:40:15But welcome to Longleat and have a nice day! It's got to happen here, hasn't it?!
0:40:15 > 0:40:20With the odds of such a thing happening again being so small, they've decided that there's
0:40:20 > 0:40:25no need to deprive the parrots of their nuts, even if they do leave the shells lying around.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30When we brought him back from surgery, I put him in to rest for a few hours.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Within two-and-a-half hours, under two-and-a-half hours, he was up.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36He was a bit wobbly. He had a little drink.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Then eventually we let him out and he ate straightaway.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42So it must have been quite a relief to get that thing out of his mouth.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44He could go back to eating his big dinners.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49And today he's mixing with his partner and the babies,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52and everything's fine, so it's a good result.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13There you go, girl.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19We've come up to feed the sea lions with keeper Michelle Stevens and we've got one here...
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- Is that Celia?- That's Celia, yeah.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25- Particularly greedy! - She's a quite in-your-face sea lion.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28She likes her fish.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Is she just guarding over the food here?
0:41:31 > 0:41:33She wants all of the food, yeah.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38She likes to think she's the dominant sea lion, but she goes about it in the wrong way.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40She's too pushy with the other sea lions.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42It is incredibly noisy!
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Buster making a tremendous noise.
0:41:45 > 0:41:52Do they use these noises as a means of communication? Is this a warning?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Is he just saying, "Feed me!"
0:41:54 > 0:41:58That's basically just to get our attention.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Her pup - Celia's pup - she'll call her mother as well.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06It's very important just to keep in contact with each other over long distances.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08They have really got very good hearing.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13- They have?- They have, yes. - What about the smell?
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Would they know we had this fish here if they didn't see it?
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Yeah, I think so. It's pretty good.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22The whiskers are the most sensitive thing on their face.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25This is the last fish for you. Go on! There you go!
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Sadly that's the last fish and also that's the end of the programme.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36We'll catch up with the cubs as they face their latest challenge.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40To earn their supper they have to take on Mum and Dad.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45We'll find out why the chameleons like nothing better than to get caught in the rain.
0:42:47 > 0:42:53And there are health worries for Longleat's last two tigers, Sona and Kadu.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56So don't miss the next Animal Park.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:08 > 0:43:11E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk