0:00:29 > 0:00:32Hello and welcome to Animal Park. I'm Kate Humble.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35And I'm Ben Fogle, and this WAS Hamish,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39- before he disappeared into my jacket.- This is Scamp.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43They're ferrets. There are ten of them here at Longleat, and very entertaining they are.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47They seem to want to... There's one there, recording sound.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- If you can't hear us, blame the ferrets.- What are you doing?
0:00:50 > 0:00:53All I can see is a little tail sticking out.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- We're always invaded when we come in here.- We are. They've all left me now.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00We've got lots of stories about the animals
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and the house here at Longleat. Here's what's coming up today.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09The lion cubs have been playing too rough, and now both of them have injured a leg.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13The farmer went to market
0:01:13 > 0:01:16to buy some little pigs, but can he train them to play football?
0:01:16 > 0:01:181-0.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24And don't be fooled by their comical appearance. Hippos are deadly.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36But first we're going up to lion country, where Kabir's two daughters are growing fast.
0:01:36 > 0:01:43Malaika is now four and a half months old, while her half sister, Jasira, is six weeks younger.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46At this age, they're concentrating on the skills
0:01:46 > 0:01:51every lion needs to survive - hunting, stalking and fighting.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Keeper Bob Trollope is spending a lot of time watching them
0:01:54 > 0:01:58because learning to be a lion can be a dangerous business.
0:01:58 > 0:02:07We do like to keep an eye on them when they're fed because Kabir can be a bit aggressive over food.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13He is a very powerful animal, plus the fact he's ten times bigger
0:02:13 > 0:02:15than the little ones at the moment.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Even if he just sat on them, he'd do a lot of damage.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24At feeding time, it's important to Kabir to feel that he's got
0:02:24 > 0:02:28the lion's share, though, of course, there's always plenty for everyone.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Our cubs are such great time-wasters.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37We spend hours just watching them.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45It's great to watch them because they're
0:02:45 > 0:02:50picking up the skills they would use in later life in the wild.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56They're in deepest Wiltshire at the moment so they don't actually need those skills.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58But they are great time-wasters.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It just amazes you how bold
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and courageous they can be.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Something as...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08normal to us as a tree
0:03:08 > 0:03:10is a mountain for them to climb.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14They will chase each other around, jump on each other.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Greatest thing to play with at the moment is Mum's tail.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24It is great fun. They do what any small kitten would do at home -
0:03:24 > 0:03:26play with virtually anything.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32But these kittens already weigh four times more than a fully-grown cat,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and all this play is really part of their education.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40The mums - Luna and Yendi - help the cubs practise their fighting skills.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47They play quite rough at times.
0:03:47 > 0:03:53I've just noticed that Malaika has got a bit of a limp.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Do you intervene too soon or let nature take its course
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and heal naturally? Why intervene?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03You might put her through more stress
0:04:03 > 0:04:06by getting in and catching her and having a look around.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09They are designed to take a certain amount of, um...
0:04:11 > 0:04:14..punishment from the bigger lions.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Bob needs to keep Malaika under close observation
0:04:19 > 0:04:23because that limp could be nothing, or it might be a serious problem.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26We'll be back to find out later on.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Out in Africa, the lion might be the king of the beasts, but he's not the most dangerous.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39Every year, more people are killed by another, far more frightening creature.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Surprisingly, it's a herbivore.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I have to confess I'm feeling a little bit nervous.
0:04:45 > 0:04:52I'm here with head of section Mark Tye in the hippo field, and the hippos, several tonnes
0:04:52 > 0:04:58of what is supposed to be the most dangerous animal in Africa standing only a few metres away, Mark.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Is this a good idea?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Probably not!
0:05:02 > 0:05:04But we'll have a go at it anyway!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06We've come to feed them.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11We rarely see them out. Usually, they're either in the wallow or in the lake.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15We're lucky today, it's quite a sunny day, and the weather's
0:05:15 > 0:05:19warming up a bit, so they are coming out to graze in the field more now.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24But they are still being fed by us, so they are quite keen to come over and get something to eat.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30- OK. Given that they might get angry if they're not fed, I think I better start. Hay.- Yep.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Pull that out. There we go.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Half a bale.- OK.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37What do you do, just spread this out?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- We shake this up in a line along here.- OK.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Right.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44There we go. That's fairly well...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46shaken up now.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49We do have to shake it up well because they are quite fussy eaters.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- Any bad, lumpy hay they tend to just tread into the ground.- Really?
0:05:53 > 0:05:56They're a pair of madams really.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I have to say...
0:05:58 > 0:06:00You're getting nervous!
0:06:00 > 0:06:06I'm slightly speechless only because you hear so many stories about hippos.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Even though they only eat grass, and they're not going to attack us
0:06:10 > 0:06:18to feed on us, but what I've been told is that you never get between a hippo and the water.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Which is exactly where we are.- Yeah.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It is probably the worst place to be
0:06:23 > 0:06:27because if a hippo gets frightened, its safety net is water.
0:06:27 > 0:06:33So it will always run to water for itself to feel safe, and if anything gets in its way, too bad.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Just get trampled into the mud..
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- Plain and simple.- But presumably we're not being stupid here.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42They know this routine, they know you...
0:06:42 > 0:06:47And also we've got the vehicle right next to us, which obviously we can get into.
0:06:47 > 0:06:55Sometimes, when it's in the middle of winter, they do get extremely close, and that can be a bit of fun.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58When you have to rely on the other person to tell you when to run,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01you literally put the food out without looking.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Just quickly doing it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04They're fantastic to look at.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I'll just get this other food so we don't hold them up too much longer.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11So, they get... Is it horse nuts?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Yes. They get about 12 kilos of horse cubes.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19It's half a bale of hay and a few bananas and a bit of cabbage as well.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22For an animal of that size, they don't eat very much.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25That's true actually. Shall I sprinkle these...?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- Just sprinkle that along the top of the hay.- OK.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31How many tonnes are they?
0:07:31 > 0:07:35It's difficult to know an accurate figure,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39but we've always thought between two and a half and three tonnes each.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44They are quite big. When you look at them, one them's stomachs is
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- dragging along the floor.- Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52You do look at them and the thought of them being fast is ridiculous.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They've got short legs and enormous bodies.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Is it true they can run up to...?
0:07:56 > 0:08:0025mph, easily. Very easily.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Through thick mud as well, which is quite scary.- That is scary.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Right. That's all out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Should we get back in the vehicle?
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Yeah. They won't come much closer with us here, so if we get back in and pull up the road a bit
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- then they'll probably come on over and eat.- OK.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23We'll get out of their way, and join us in a little bit to see Spot and Sonya having their lunch.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40Quite a few of the people who work at Longleat live in the nearby village of Horningsham,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44where many of the properties are still owned by the estate.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49At Mill Farm, Steve Crossman has raised cattle for over 22 years.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57He's an active member of the local community, and, for the past five years,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01he's been in charge of fundraising for the village fair,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04an event attended by Lord Bath himself.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Every year, Steve tries to come up with something innovative, and
0:09:08 > 0:09:13one notorious fundraiser included stripping off for a nude calendar.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19But Steve's putting his pin-up days behind him, and this year he's going back to a farming theme.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23We decided to have a guess-the-weight competition this year, and it would be pigs.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29That's the latest scam. We think piglets will be a success because everybody loves piglets,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34so on the day they'll have their own pen and no doubt they'll be entertaining, as well as
0:09:34 > 0:09:37bringing some money into the village, hopefully.
0:09:37 > 0:09:44Steve thinks he's onto a winner, but he's not sure how Charlie, his three-year-old sheepdog, will react.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47It will be interesting when the pigs arrive. He's never
0:09:47 > 0:09:50seen a pig, as far as I'm aware.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52So what his reaction will be, I'm not sure.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55But it'll amusing, knowing Charlie.
0:09:58 > 0:10:0021, 21, 22...
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The guess-the-weight competition is only a few weeks away,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09so, in a bid to find the perfect piglets,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Steve's visiting Salisbury market,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15where over 500 animals are auctioned every week.
0:10:15 > 0:10:23When it comes to cows, Steve's got a wealth of experience, but he's a novice at picking prime porkers.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28There's always that element of risk. I'm not a pig farmer, I know very little about pigs.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I know what they're meant to look like.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33I was always told never to buy a pig with too much hair on it.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I'm not 100% certain what the reason is behind that,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39but that was one thing I've been told to look out for.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45There are over 70 different breeds of pig in the world, and several types are up for auction here.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48The biggest breed in Britain is the large white,
0:10:48 > 0:10:53which can reach up to seven feet long and weigh nearly half a ton.
0:10:53 > 0:10:59Steve's looking for something much smaller, like these Landrace piglets, a common commercial breed.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02They're a nice even bunch. They're obviously being weaned.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05They'd fit into my little pig sty just right.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07So, um...
0:11:07 > 0:11:09strong possibly is I might be looking at this.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Rather than just one pig, Steve wants the public
0:11:13 > 0:11:17to guess the weight of a whole litter for his competition.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22But right now, he needs to see off the competition here.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I think I've spotted one of my main competitors if there is such a thing.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32The chap behind me, over my left-hand shoulder in the pen, with the cap on,
0:11:32 > 0:11:38he's been in and out of every pen, so he does look as if he's obviously a very interested party.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44He might be my main competition, so think I'll have to put the squeeze on him in a minute, get rid of him!
0:12:03 > 0:12:05INAUDIBLE
0:12:10 > 0:12:12And a half. 27 and a half...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24All done at 28.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Yep. Good move.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31A little bit more than I wanted to pay for them.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36But competition was hotter than I expected.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Been a successful day. Happy with that.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Steve's got his eight piglets for £28 apiece.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45But now he has to get them home.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49They're funny little things. They're very difficult.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Very difficult to manoeuvre.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53We've got to work out a route for them which is easy for them
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and easy for me to remember where they're going to!
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Come on, piglets.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Currently light on their trotters, the piglets only weigh around four stone each,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08but Steve will fatten them up by the time of the village fair.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Go on, piggers, get on.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Go on. Go on.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Go on. Get on. Whoa.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Well, this is going very well.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Look at this. There you go, easy as that.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27In you go, pigs.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Look at that.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Marvellous.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I'm a natural pig farmer. There you go, see.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Dead easy.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42Steve's happy, but how will Charlie the sheepdog get on with the little piggies back at the farm?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44We'll find out later on.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56I'm up at the hippo field with head of section, Mark Tye, and earlier, I thought
0:13:56 > 0:14:03we took our life into our hands and got out with the hippos very close by and spread out their food.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07We've just pulled away a little bit to give them a bit of space.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Who's this who's come up to the food first, Mark?- This is Sonya.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16She's the larger of the two, and as you can see, she positioning herself over the top of the food.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18She is looking quite proprietorial.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- "This is mine, and you're not getting near it."- Very much so.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Poor old Spot's just standing there going, "Right.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26"How am I going to get round this one?"
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Also the fact she is slightly more nervous.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- Of us?- Yes. So she's a bit reluctant to come forwards,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36although she is looking like she'll squeeze round now.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42A little bit shier, but, having said that, neither of them are to be trusted.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47We've had certain times in the past where you think
0:14:47 > 0:14:51you're far enough away from them, and then you realise you're not.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52- Really?- They move so quickly.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57They are extremely wild. There's nothing tame about these two at all.
0:14:57 > 0:15:04Even though they've been in captivity for 30 years, they are most definitely not at all tame.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07They came here aged two years old and were put into this environment.
0:15:07 > 0:15:14And other than seeing people around, people putting their food down, they've very rarely been locked away
0:15:14 > 0:15:20for anything, because we have the mud wallows, which is much better for them than any concrete house.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24So it is a wild, natural sort of state they live in.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27The boat's going past here making quite a noise.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31They look completely unconcerned by that, so they've obviously got used to that.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Yes, they've got used to the boat,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- although they don't like the boat if it gets too close to them.- Yep.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39The sea lions they've had to put up with.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Yes. That's something you'd never get in the wild -
0:15:42 > 0:15:46hippos and sea lions in the same environment. But they get on OK?
0:15:46 > 0:15:52Yes. It started off I think it was in the late '80s with Lindy, I believe, who, when she was a baby,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54decided that hippos were good fun to play on.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58They were like a mobile island that she could stop on around the lake.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00And all the others have picked it up.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Initially, the hippos didn't like it and got stroppy.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08In the end, they probably thought, "There's not a lot I can do about it,"
0:16:08 > 0:16:09so they just put up with it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15I love their kind of mud lines around the middle there.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21Presumably, in the hotter weather they spend more time completely covered in mud, do they?
0:16:21 > 0:16:25In the summer when it's hotter, they spend most of their time in the water.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31They literally stay in the water in the lake all day long and come out at night to feed in the field.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33They use the wallow more in the winter.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38The wallows they make over there, they can just completely submerge themselves
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and sometimes you don't even know they're in there
0:16:41 > 0:16:46- and all you see is just ears and eyelids and that's it. - Popping out.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48They're great. Thank you very, very much indeed.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50A great treat.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55We shall leave Spot and Sonya to enjoy the rest of their meal.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06Back in Lion Country, the keepers have been watching Malaika, the eldest cub, closely.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It's been a day since she was spotted with a limp,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and now Bob Trollope has been able to get a close look.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15There's a small cut on Malaika's shoulder.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17In fact, it's already begun to heal
0:17:17 > 0:17:20so the best bet is to just leave it alone.
0:17:21 > 0:17:27Meanwhile, Malaika's younger sister, Jasira, is also causing some alarm.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30She may be a little too bold for her own good.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Jasira's very good at climbing trees
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and not very good at getting down them at the moment.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42To Mum, that would be just a simple bound down.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44But not to Jasira.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48She is the most adventurous one out of the two
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and she's into everything. Climbing up trees and logs and things
0:17:52 > 0:17:55is all part of her learning process.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00She's learning now that it's easier to get up than it is to get down.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21To us, I suppose, it's just a little jump
0:18:21 > 0:18:24but to something that small, it's quite a way.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It must be a good eight, nine, ten feet off the ground.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33If she fell, obviously, she could do a lot of damage to herself.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35But if she just...
0:18:35 > 0:18:39used a bit of common sense
0:18:39 > 0:18:42and reversed down, it would be a lot easier.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48When a cat gets stuck up a tree, it's traditional to phone for help.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54I'd love to call the fire brigade up just to get her down to see what their faces look like.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56But I don't think we'd be allowed to.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Having completed today's exercise in tree climbing,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Jasira is now practising the art of stalking prey.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19As you can see, she's sort of stalking Dad
0:19:19 > 0:19:21before trying to take him down.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Hunting techniques, this is.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28She's just sort of grabbed a mouthful of...
0:19:28 > 0:19:31belly hair or mane.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33He's quite relaxed about it.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36He'll give her a bit of a growl but that'd be about it.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Out of the two, Jasira is much more courageous than Malaika
0:19:40 > 0:19:45and she doesn't mind to go out there and give
0:19:45 > 0:19:50Kabir a tug on the mane or play with his tail, where Malaika's a little bit more
0:19:50 > 0:19:55guarded against it, a bit more, "I don't know whether I should or not."
0:19:55 > 0:19:59A couple of days later, just when Malaika's leg had got better,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Jasira was spotted limping.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Unlike her sister, there was no visible injury to the leg,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and the problem was slow to improve.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12So the next time vet Duncan Williams was doing the rounds, Bob called him in.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15GROWLING
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Oh, shush, shush, shush.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20It's the one between...
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- GROWLING DROWNS SPEECH - Oh, shush!
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The family has been shut in the lion house.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Kabir's not happy about it, but it's best for Jasira.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35I was wondering - it's hard to tell with them -
0:20:35 > 0:20:39whether she's got a little bit of swelling on that joint.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I suppose overenthusiastic playing, a bit of boisterous...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So how long's it been going on, Bob?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Three or four days.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Initially, she had a limp
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and then the following day she was just holding it up,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57didn't want to sort of move about on it much.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01In the ideal world, we'd have her in at X-ray it and see what's what.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06We can't do that because of having to separate her from Mum.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08We'd have to take her to the surgery, knock her out
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and transport her, so it's quite an undertaking.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13She's pretty lame on
0:21:13 > 0:21:16left fore.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I think it's probably just a sort of
0:21:19 > 0:21:21soft tissue injury as opposed to a fractured leg
0:21:21 > 0:21:26or anything like that, because she is improving after a couple of days.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31She's putting a lot more weight on it than when it first happened,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35so I think it's a sort of...like a sprain or something like that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Bob's already done the right thing by keeping her, cage rest,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42so she's not putting too much pressure on it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46She's not having to go outside and keep up with her mother.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50She's using the bad leg now when she's playing there
0:21:50 > 0:21:52so I don't think it can be too serious.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56So, for now, Duncan's going to leave a course
0:21:56 > 0:21:59of anti-inflammatory medication for Bob to give Jasira.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05If her leg isn't better in a couple of days, they'll have to consider more serious measures.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08We'll be back later to see what happens.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16A few weeks ago, I was up in the park trying to
0:22:16 > 0:22:20figure out how many of their seven female pygmy goats were pregnant.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It was hard to tell by eye.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27But today, on his rounds, Duncan the vet has brought along some hi-tech equipment.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34I'm up at the giraffery where head of section Andy Hayton, senior warden Bev Evans,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39and safari park vet Duncan Williams are scanning the pygmy goats to find out if they're pregnant.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Judging by the noises, I think they are.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Duncan, have you just spotted that...
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- Yes.- ..there is...
0:22:46 > 0:22:47- Is that it there?- You see there?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49That's it - the spinal cord.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Right.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53What sort of age do you think that is?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Well, this is probably about four months now.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Probably due in about a month, five weeks' time.
0:22:58 > 0:23:04Bev, I know that this was a pygmy goat that you weren't actually sure whether or not she was pregnant.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- That must be pretty good news for you.- Definitely.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Are there any preparations to do?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Just keep an eye on their weight, feed them closer to the time,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16make sure their udders are coming down OK, make sure they're in good health,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- and then just let them get on with it, really.- Fantastic.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Duncan, is this important to get a scan and just check on health?
0:23:24 > 0:23:28You saw the spinal cord there. Is there anything else you can check?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32One thing Andy wanted to know really was how many babies there are.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Unfortunately, we're scanning them a little bit too late to do that.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39See? The baby's actually too big for the screen.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- So there could be another? - That's right.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46If we'd done them earlier, the whole uterus would've filled the screen
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and we would've seen two individual...or whatever.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51So I could look around, find another baby,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54but it might be this one from a different angle.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58So I couldn't say for sure, at this stage, if there's more than one.
0:23:58 > 0:24:05Andy, obviously one of the things, if we'd done it a bit earlier, we'd be able to tell if there were twins.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09But it's possible that they could have triplets. Is that right?
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Well, you can in sheep.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I know that can incur problems for Mum looking after them.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- As they can't produce enough milk. - Exactly, yes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:23It's just another tool in our back pocket to make sure that we look after these things properly.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29See those lumps there and the movement there?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That is definitely a pregnancy.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I think that's the foetus again.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Right, this is, um...- This is G.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43This is the last of our patients, is it?
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- Why G?- Well, we have Ali and G, so it's Ali G.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52VET: That could be the foetus's heart, see that?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Pumping over there?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's gone out of focus, but there was definitely...
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Yeah.- Do you know what part of the body that is?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Probably just a back leg. You can see both legs there.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08The black stuff's the fluid around the baby, you know...
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- Amniotic fluid?- That's right.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14I remember that from biology. So that's positive for all of them?
0:25:14 > 0:25:18- All seven, yes.- Well, congratulations, if I can say that.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23You've got a real smile on your face, a real proud smile.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- They're your little babies, really. - Yeah, kind of.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28Thanks very much, guys.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31And we'll keep you posted on the progress of the pygmy goats.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Now it's time to meet the ancestors.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43Over the course of this series, Alexander Thynne, the seventh Marquess of Bath, has volunteered
0:25:43 > 0:25:50to lead us back through the branches of his family tree, to visit some of his most influential forebears.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's a task for which Lord Bath is well qualified.
0:25:55 > 0:26:01Not only has he lived here most of his 74 years, surrounded by family lore and legend,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04but he's also recently published his own memoirs
0:26:04 > 0:26:09featuring many stories of the ancient Thynne dynasty.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Today we're going back four and half centuries, to when it all began.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19It was John Thynne who first brought the family to Longleat.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25He was born the son of a common farmer, and ended the master of one of the grandest palaces in Europe.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30And in Tudor times, you didn't get on by being Mr Nice Guy.
0:26:32 > 0:26:39"John Thynne was a typical specimen of the new Protestant breed of rapaciously acquisitive,
0:26:39 > 0:26:47"ruthlessly determined, shrewdly self-interested men on the make within the Tudor court."
0:26:47 > 0:26:51John left the Shropshire farm of his birth
0:26:51 > 0:26:53to seek his fortune at court.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56He got a job working for the Duke of Somerset, who himself
0:26:56 > 0:27:03had achieved power and wealth as the brother of Jane Seymour, one of Henry VIII's wives.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06By the time Elizabeth I came to the throne,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09John Thynne was also a wealthy man.
0:27:09 > 0:27:18"Sir John may have been an uncouth, domineering, formidable rogue of ill-gotten wealth, shrewdly cunning
0:27:18 > 0:27:25"and essentially ruthless, but he was now emerging as an eminent Elizabethan."
0:27:29 > 0:27:31He was nicknamed John The Builder.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35One of his most lavish projects was to oversee the construction
0:27:35 > 0:27:38of a sumptuous new palace in London
0:27:38 > 0:27:40for his master, the Duke of Somerset.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43But before Somerset House was even finished,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47both of them were arrested and thrown into the Tower of London.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51In Tudor times, the politics of court was a deadly business.
0:27:51 > 0:27:58His enemies said enough things for him to be thrown into the Tower for embezzlement.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04They executed the other one, Somerset, and they let him off.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08And he was a rich man.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14After that, Sir John spent a lot less time in London,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19and devoted more of his energies to his country estate, Longleat.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Originally, there was a priory here, but Henry VIII confiscated it
0:28:22 > 0:28:25at the time of the Protestant Reformation
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and sold the property off to the highest bidder.
0:28:28 > 0:28:34Sir John bought the priory and the surrounding 60 acres for just £53.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36A few years later, the old church buildings were
0:28:36 > 0:28:42destroyed in an accidental fire, but they'd never been good enough for Sir John anyway.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46He was becoming wealthy very quickly,
0:28:46 > 0:28:51and then I think he learnt the lesson that, um...
0:28:51 > 0:28:57court was a dangerous place where you tended to lose your head if you stayed there too long,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01so, having bought the plot of land here at Longleat,
0:29:01 > 0:29:05he retired here and spent the rest of his life,
0:29:05 > 0:29:11from his mid-fifties onwards, building this palace.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16It was the first Renaissance palace, or it could be called that, in England.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20So John The Builder was again planning a very grand house,
0:29:20 > 0:29:26despite the fact that, in Tudor times, ambition could so easily cause a chap to lose his head.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29We'll find out what happened later on.
0:29:32 > 0:29:38I'm in Pets Corner with my favourite bird, and almost my favourite keeper, Rob.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Thank you very much. Why "almost"?
0:29:40 > 0:29:45Now, Nelson isn't usually to be found in this part of Pets Corner, is she?
0:29:45 > 0:29:48No, we've created a new play frame for her.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52She used to spend her days on the back of our parrot show seating,
0:29:52 > 0:29:57and although it's nice for her there, we given her some nice perches...
0:29:57 > 0:30:02She likes it on the seating, but she's sat on metal railings a lot of the time.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05It's her choice, because she can go where she wants.
0:30:05 > 0:30:11But we wanted her to be sitting on these nice thick branches and giving her a variety of things to do.
0:30:11 > 0:30:18And also, this is near our entrance to Pets Corner, so she's an instant hit because she's so popular.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22She is gorgeous. Remind me what sort of parrot she is?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25She's a Moluccan cockatoo, sometimes known as a salmon-crested
0:30:25 > 0:30:28because of these beautiful salmon-coloured feathers here.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33But she originated from the Moluccan islands just above Australia.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34That's what gives her her name.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37She was called Nelson accidentally!
0:30:37 > 0:30:40I was going to say, a SHE called Nelson! What happened?
0:30:40 > 0:30:46Before she came to Longleat, her previous owners didn't know the sex of her, because with parrots,
0:30:46 > 0:30:51you can't sex them by looking at them, so they assumed it was a boy and called it Nelson.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53It sticks, and we call her Nelly, really.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56And she is particularly soppy and friendly, isn't she?
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Very. She loves attention. She does get a bit overcrowded.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02Sometimes when she's been on the seat
0:31:02 > 0:31:05and she gets overcrowded by the little ones,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07this is also a good idea, it gives her space.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09We can put a barrier across
0:31:09 > 0:31:13and choose who comes and sees her during the day.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Well, it's great to see that she has got her own area all of her own.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Rob, thank you very much indeed.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27We've got lots more coming up on today's programme, haven't we, Nelson?
0:31:27 > 0:31:33There are babies on the way for the eland antelope, but Mum's got a problem.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39Down in Wallaby Wood, the youngsters are popping up everywhere.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46And Bob has to rely on bribery to get a close look at Jasira's bad leg.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Back at Mill Farm, the piglets Steve Crossman bought
0:31:55 > 0:31:58for his "Guess the Weight" competition at the village fair
0:31:58 > 0:32:00have had a couple of days to settle in.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05Charlie's very taken with them, if slightly wary.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Every morning he goes in, and...
0:32:08 > 0:32:12they've got a friendship going, to be honest.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's quite nice. Quite strange, really.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19I'll open the door and he can go on in and see if he can rouse them.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25He's never quite sure what to make of 'em.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Go on!
0:32:30 > 0:32:34"I'm not too sure what they are, they're not too sure what I am."
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Go on, Chas.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Go on, off you go. Go on!
0:32:42 > 0:32:43Here we go.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50Charlie doesn't try and scare 'em or do anything, and they...
0:32:50 > 0:32:54and they sort of...hoover Charlie with their noses and little snouts.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01I don't think he understands or even knows what they are.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03He can't quite make 'em out.
0:33:03 > 0:33:04Cos pigs tend to...
0:33:04 > 0:33:09They're quite quiet, and all of a sudden, they'll grunt or moo quite quickly.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12I suppose Charlie's natural instinct is to herd 'em.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18But he ain't quite sussed out what to do with a pig yet.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Charlie may be confused, but the pigs probably aren't.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26These highly intelligent creatures are rated by many scientists
0:33:26 > 0:33:29as the third brainiest in the whole animal kingdom.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Only primates and dolphins are brighter.
0:33:32 > 0:33:38To stay healthy and keep on growing, pigs need both mental and physical stimulation,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42so many pig farmers use enrichment techniques, like those used by
0:33:42 > 0:33:46keepers at the safari park, to keep their animals alert and lively.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49It's given Steve an idea.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53I understand that the pot-bellied pigs at Pets Corner
0:33:53 > 0:33:57are given various activities and things to play with,
0:33:57 > 0:34:03so I'll probably pop down and have a chat with Darren and find out what he uses,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07and see if anything would fit in more of a commercial setting.
0:34:11 > 0:34:17The head of Pets Corner, Darren Beasley, looks after lots of animals,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21but Bruno and Blossom, the Chinese pot-bellied pigs, are two of his favourites.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Darren's cared for them since they were piglets.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27I love pigs. You can relate to these.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29You can talk to 'em.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32They're like dogs, dogs and cats.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37I'm sure if they were not quite so smelly and a bit smaller, I'd have one running around the house.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40When you get home, he'd bring the paper and your slippers.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47Over the years, Darren has found all manner of activities to keep
0:34:47 > 0:34:51the pigs occupied, teaching them everything from football to fetch.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Steve is hoping for some advice.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- Morning, Darren. - Hello, Steve. All right?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59I am.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00So this is the famous pigs?
0:35:00 > 0:35:05This is them. This is Bruno and Blossom. The terrible twosome.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10If you want to do a bit of enrichment for your pigs like we do with ours,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12there are a few things we could do.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15The easiest thing is firstly to think like a pig.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17- That's easy, my wife says! - I smell like a pig!
0:35:17 > 0:35:22You might smell like it, and I think like it. They rely on their noses,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25so we use the fact that they like smelling stuff,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28so I use a little titbit that smells nice as a reward.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32We just try and think of things to challenge them. Bruno, come here!
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Bruno! Here. Come here.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39He hung his boots up a long time ago. We haven't done this for a long time.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Bruno, can you heel? Heel!
0:35:43 > 0:35:46How long did it take you to manage him to do that?
0:35:46 > 0:35:49That was a few weeks, but it's persistent.
0:35:49 > 0:35:50You've got to do it all the time.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Bruno, sit! Bruno, sit.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56The idea is, it's challenging that noggin. It's challenging that brain.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59You obviously spend a lot of time training them.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Mine won't have the contact that these pigs have had,
0:36:02 > 0:36:07but what can I put in there that will stimulate them and make their days a bit more interesting?
0:36:07 > 0:36:13This is the most basic form of enrichment, a bit of plant life, a bit of rotten log or something.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16If you chuck it into their pen or enclosure,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20they'll chew it up, root around in it and love it.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23They'll eat it or they might just chew the bark off.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25It's good for their teeth and tummies at the same time.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28A tyre or a lump of wood or a bit of rotten log,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31something that smells different.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Anything you can do in the enclosure that breaks up that routine
0:36:34 > 0:36:40of the day and gets the brain active will help them pile on the pounds.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Thank you very much indeed.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44- Cheers, mate. - I shall go home and experiment.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58Each year about a quarter of a million visitors take the tour of Longleat House,
0:36:58 > 0:37:03and the staff are keen that everything should be displayed in tip-top condition.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05But with over a hundred rooms to look after,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08it's a challenge just to keep it all clean,
0:37:08 > 0:37:14especially when so many things here are so valuable, and so delicate.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19I'm on my way to the Music Room in Longleat House
0:37:19 > 0:37:24to meet house steward Ken Windess and his wife, cleaning supervisor June Windess,
0:37:24 > 0:37:29to help out with the cleaning process of the more delicate items in the house.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- Hi, Ken, how are you? - Not so bad, Ben, thank you.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- I assume it's chandeliers that we're cleaning today?- Yes, very much so.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39And it literally involves taking it apart?
0:37:39 > 0:37:41- Yeah, there's one of the pieces. - Shall I take that?
0:37:41 > 0:37:44- Yes, please. - I assume it's a fragile piece.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- What's that made of?- That's crystal.
0:37:47 > 0:37:52And how many pieces of crystal are there on that chandelier?
0:37:52 > 0:37:57- Upwards of 400 pieces on there. - And every single piece has to come off?- It does.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59How often do you do this?
0:37:59 > 0:38:01We do this annually if we can.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05It depends on our workload, but we do it yearly if we can.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07And how many chandeliers in the house?
0:38:07 > 0:38:10There's four chandeliers in the house.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11- That's a lot of cleaning.- It is.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Can I ask how old this one is?
0:38:13 > 0:38:17It's comparatively young. It only came into the house in 1982.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Lady Virginia,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23the late Marquis's wife, had it installed.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27I'll take this on to its next process. Hi, June.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28Hello, Ben.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31I assume this is what has to happen next?
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Yes, what we do is take it,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37- keeping it flat.- I can see that it's covered in dust.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Yes. In here we have a solution of warm water and vinegar.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Is vinegar a good cleaning agent?
0:38:43 > 0:38:48Vinegar cuts through grease and dust very good, and it leaves a nice sparkle.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50The only thing we have to be careful with
0:38:50 > 0:38:53is that we must rinse it off very well,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57otherwise it could tarnish the wires holding the crystals together.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Is every individual piece the same?
0:39:00 > 0:39:03No, they're all different,
0:39:03 > 0:39:08so we learnt from an early stage to have a graph.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10So is every individual piece unique?
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Yes, every piece is different in some way.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18You have an oblong there, a round there, and a teardrop.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21You've got another round, but a different top to it.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Then you've got another one. And then a different shape again there.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29So you're not putting it into the substance itself?
0:39:29 > 0:39:34No, just gently wipe over, and then put them into the rinse bowl
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and give them a really good rinse,
0:39:37 > 0:39:41because it makes the crystal sparkle and stops the wires tarnishing.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- What's the next stage? - Onto the paper towel.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Shall I do that? I'm always the first to volunteer for the drying.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Everyone either loves the cleaning process or the drying.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- I don't like getting my hands wet. Shall I dab it?- Pat it dry, yes.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Is it important to get all the moisture off?
0:39:57 > 0:40:02The wires should be all right, but as long as we've got the vinegar off so it doesn't tarnish.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07We always know when we've got it nice, cos you can see the sparkle.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Let's see if we can see that.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- See?- Oh, look at that.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13That's looking great.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- So that's gone full circle now. - That's ready.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21Shall I take that back without putting my grubby paw prints on it?
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Ken, you were observing from a distance.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Shall I pass that back to you?
0:40:25 > 0:40:27And you'll clip that back into place?
0:40:27 > 0:40:30That's going back into place, from whence it came.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46Back up in the lion's den, Jasira, the youngest cub, was seen limping,
0:40:46 > 0:40:51and has been on a course of anti-inflammatory medication for a couple of days now.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Keeper Bob Trollope has an easy way to administer the dose.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56What's this?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Oh, yes, you're up for it, aren't you?
0:40:59 > 0:41:02If I can get a little chunk.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Don't give her too much to start with, cos I want to make sure...
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Come on, darling. Good girl.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Just put a bit in and see if she wants it.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Oh, yeah. Good girl.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19All the lions have been trained from an early age
0:41:19 > 0:41:22to take meat chunks for just this purpose.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25It's the lion equivalent of the old spoonful-of-sugar trick.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Good girl.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Up, up.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35It's obviously better than having to inject them or dart them.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39It's something that we do on a regular basis anyway,
0:41:39 > 0:41:46not only this sort of medication, but deworm her and things like that.
0:41:46 > 0:41:52It's such an easy way, and they get pleasure out of it rather than being stressed, so we're happy in a way.
0:41:52 > 0:41:59If we can get them at an early age like this to do that, then in later life when they're that age,
0:41:59 > 0:42:00it works wonders.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Stand up. Good girl.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Now we can see your feet.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07And that one. Come on. Good girl.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09There you are.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Come on, let's have a look. Oh.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16There's obviously no pain in her foot.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20We're lucky that they are quite quiet.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Come on, good girl.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27That's it. Let's see if there's anything on there. ..Is there? No.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Good girl. Good girl.
0:42:30 > 0:42:36Today Jasira is being very trusting, so Bob can get a close look at that injured leg and foot.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42Quite good. We've been able to see the pad, so we know it's not in the pad.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49And she didn't seem too worried about me poking about on various parts of her leg.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52When you get the chance, you've got to take it.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55She's really up for it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59The fact that they are quiet and we can do this while...
0:42:59 > 0:43:02that's it. Stand up a bit more.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Does that hurt?
0:43:07 > 0:43:12Bob's pleased with what he's seen of Jasira's leg, but she's not all better yet.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16What we just gave her is an anti-inflammatory.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Obviously, if there's
0:43:18 > 0:43:23a sprain or strain, then there'll be some swelling.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28That's probably through a knock or bump or something from one of the others.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32She might have just jumped about and hurt herself.
0:43:32 > 0:43:37Obviously, if that doesn't change in a few days, we'll have to get Duncan back in
0:43:37 > 0:43:41and I imagine there'll have to be some sort of X-ray or whatever.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44But we don't want to do that.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48We'll find out what happens to Jasira later in the series.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00There were great expectations last year, when a new eland bull
0:44:00 > 0:44:04was brought in to join Longleat's herd of seven females.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07The eland is Africa's biggest antelope.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11When fully grown, the male can be six foot tall at the shoulder.
0:44:11 > 0:44:18Unfortunately, their new bull, named Zambezi, was still quite young and nowhere near that height.
0:44:19 > 0:44:26So although he was sexually mature, doubts were soon cast about his ability to do the business.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31To cut a long story short, he just couldn't reach.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34But a summer on the Longleat grass must have done the trick,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38because we've heard that one of the females, Saphie, is now pregnant.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41However, there was bad news too.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Kate's gone to investigate.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47I'm out with safari park vet Duncan Williams and keeper Kevin Knibbs.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Kevin, I gather that there's a problem with one of the eland.
0:44:50 > 0:44:55Yeah, we've noticed that one of the eland, Saphie, has a bit of a limp.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58She's been limping for a couple of days. It's a bit better
0:44:58 > 0:45:01but we've got Duncan in just to make sure it's nothing major.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05Can you spot which one she is of these five here?
0:45:05 > 0:45:09Yeah, she's actually the one right at the very back there.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13- She's just put her head down.- The one that's completely hidden from us!
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Which foot are we looking at, Kev?
0:45:15 > 0:45:16It's back right, mostly.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Oh, OK. It doesn't look too swollen from here, does it?
0:45:19 > 0:45:23No, no. But she kind of walks a little bit funny.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27- Right.- A definite pronounced limp. - Now, she's pregnant, is that right?
0:45:27 > 0:45:30We believe so. She looks very heavily pregnant.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32OK. Um, and is pregnancy
0:45:32 > 0:45:37something that can make an animal walk in a slightly awkward way?
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Like a heavily-pregnant woman often gets a bit wobbly and, er...
0:45:41 > 0:45:47That's right. I think late pregnancy, they're certainly more prone to lamenesses.
0:45:47 > 0:45:48The other issue, of course,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51is that if it is an abscess or something in her foot,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54we're pretty reluctant to knock her out
0:45:54 > 0:45:56- while she's heavily pregnant. - Of course.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58What's the next stage, really?
0:45:58 > 0:46:05What can you do to best ascertain what's wrong and what the best course of action is?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Well, you can see, she's not really showing the problems too much.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11She's putting weight on it. But I'd like to see her walking.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15If we can see her walking, Kev, walk past us, and just see how bad it is.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17I think that would be the next step.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21- Yeah.- OK, so shall we pile into the car and let her out?
0:46:21 > 0:46:25Is that best? Let her out into the park and then we can see what she's doing.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33When we're in position, Tim Yeo opens the gate.
0:46:33 > 0:46:39Now the eland should just walk out calmly, right past our windows.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41She's always been the last one to come out.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43When did you first notice it, Kev?
0:46:43 > 0:46:45- Er, about two days ago.- OK.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47It was a lot worse than what it is now.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49You know, this looks a lot better.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- Oh, it's got better itself? - Definitely, yeah.- Oh, OK.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57She looks sort of a bit uneasy on it, doesn't she?
0:46:57 > 0:47:00So it's definitely tender.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04It's good news that it's getting better without any treatment.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09But I think, as a precaution, if we give her a dart with the antibiotic - dissolve it
0:47:09 > 0:47:14with the anti-inflammatory, like we've done in the past - we'll cover all options,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16just in case there's an infection.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21But I'd imagine, if it's getting better on its own, she's probably sprained it or something.
0:47:21 > 0:47:26Or, like Kate was saying earlier, she's just uncomfortable from a heavy pregnancy.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30- OK.- OK, well, we'll keep our fingers crossed for the pregnancy, hope that
0:47:30 > 0:47:36the antibiotics does the trick, and she remains comfortable and happy for the rest of her pregnancy.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Thank you both very much indeed.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50Longleat House was designed to make a big impression.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52That was important to Sir John Thynne
0:47:52 > 0:47:58when he started building work in 1568, during the reign of Elizabeth I.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Today, Alexander Thynne, Lord Bath,
0:48:01 > 0:48:05is the 13th generation of his descendants to live here.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10In his memoirs, he's written about Sir John's architectural ambitions.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15"It was a daring enterprise, in that it set out to build something
0:48:15 > 0:48:19"in a style that had never yet been ventured upon British soil."
0:48:21 > 0:48:24He was a member of the court,
0:48:24 > 0:48:30he was...seeing his rivals... starting on
0:48:30 > 0:48:32having grandiose buildings.
0:48:32 > 0:48:38He was a newcomer and wanted a more grandiose building than they had.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40So he made it his business
0:48:40 > 0:48:47to see that the finest palace that had ever gone up in England outside royalty was his.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52He was definitely a nouveau riche of that time and proudly
0:48:52 > 0:49:00being a vigorous entrepreneur and a vigorous controller of everything.
0:49:00 > 0:49:06News of the splendour of Longleat soon reached the court, and Queen Elizabeth I
0:49:06 > 0:49:10decided to visit on one of her Royal Progresses through the West Country.
0:49:10 > 0:49:16Fearing the expense of entertaining her, Sir John tried to put her off with a series of excuses.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22There were diseases in the household.
0:49:22 > 0:49:23There were, er...
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Poachers were dangerous.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Every kind of excuse was put up there.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31And for a while, she swallowed them.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35But in the end, she just felt that she was being...
0:49:35 > 0:49:41made a monkey of. So insisted, gave some very fierce words.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44I think he probably knew from experience that if she felt things
0:49:44 > 0:49:49were too good, she might sort of say, "Well, you owe that to me."
0:49:49 > 0:49:53Um, but, er...she did get her way in the end
0:49:53 > 0:49:57and then was lavish in her praise for his preparations for the visit.
0:50:02 > 0:50:08Elizabeth was impressed, but kindly allowed Sir John to keep his fine house.
0:50:08 > 0:50:14Through the centuries since, Longleat has continued to impress its many visitors,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16whether they be kings, queens,
0:50:16 > 0:50:21or experts on historic architecture, like Nick Molyneux from English Heritage.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24I always am excited arriving here.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26I think the arrival down the drive
0:50:26 > 0:50:30is one of the great experiences of English country houses.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34The approach that the visitor has today, as you come over the hill,
0:50:34 > 0:50:38look down into the valley and see the house sitting there in this fantastic landscape.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Then you remember it's not a 18th-century country house,
0:50:41 > 0:50:44as you first think it is, it's actually 16th-century.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47And it's a very, very grand house for its date.
0:50:47 > 0:50:52Um...and then, you come inside and this space is just a "Wow!"
0:50:52 > 0:50:56For me, the great hall is one of the great spaces of its period in England.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Sir John did much of the design work himself.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07And that's one of the enigmas of Longleat, that a man who started as
0:51:07 > 0:51:11an uneducated farm boy could produce a building as significant as this.
0:51:15 > 0:51:21So how do you rate Longleat amongst all the other European architecture that was going up?
0:51:21 > 0:51:23For its period, it's one of the great houses of Europe,
0:51:23 > 0:51:25certainly of England.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30And, of course, Sir John was employing some of the best stonemasons around.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Although, as we know, he was quite keen
0:51:33 > 0:51:36to have his own hand in designing the place as well.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38One of the great features of the house - is the fact
0:51:38 > 0:51:41that it's got a symmetrical facade,
0:51:41 > 0:51:44which was a very new idea when he was here building.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48Yes, well, I like the way, though, that once you get up to the roof
0:51:48 > 0:51:50that it sort of certainly begins to get an originality
0:51:50 > 0:51:54that isn't in the other houses. Individualism creeps in.
0:51:54 > 0:51:59As we know, Lord Bath is particularly keen on individualism,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03so he's recently created a private terrace garden on the roof.
0:52:03 > 0:52:09Here, over 60 feet above the ground, on top of a house that boasts 99 chimneys,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13the scale of Sir John's ambition becomes clear.
0:52:16 > 0:52:21It could be called the first Renaissance house in Britain, or I don't know which one...
0:52:21 > 0:52:23The first Renaissance palace.
0:52:23 > 0:52:29Palace is fair - and certainly the best surviving one. We've lost one of the two of the royal ones.
0:52:29 > 0:52:37Sir John Thynne died in 1580, aged 65, leaving 18 children to carry on the dynasty.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40And the tradition of innovation continues today.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43When Longleat opened to the public in 1949,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47it was the first private stately home to do so in Britain.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50And have a tradition of "got to be the first".
0:52:50 > 0:52:54It's quite a good one - a difficult one - but it's good to have that prompting.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57- I thought you carried on in that tradition.- Yes, we have.
0:52:57 > 0:53:02It's a difficult one to keep up now, but I think we've done not too bad on that tradition.
0:53:02 > 0:53:08Lord Bath will be back with more tales of his illustrious ancestors later in the series.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Back down at Mill Farm,
0:53:15 > 0:53:21Steve Crossman is putting Darren's Pets Corner ideas into practice, to keep his pigs stimulated.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25Right, we'll pop this in and see how pigs react to it.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30He's using a specially adapted feed ball, which makes the pigs work harder for their food.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Whether or not they'll be interested in it... I'll pop it down.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38Pigs are known to fight and bully each other if they get bored,
0:53:38 > 0:53:42so enrichment like this is important to keep them occupied.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46You can see, the way they all came round it straightaway, and started playing,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49they do need stimulation.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Nobody just wants to sit and eat and do nothing all day.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Not most people anyway, but even animals like to have something to do.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01And you can see that the pigs are now really giving it some stick on this.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06They've taken to the feed ball so well, it's given Steve an idea.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Can piglets be taught the beautiful game?
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Right, we're going to try with a ball now.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17I'll chip it in the back of the pen.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20And as the team come out for the big game of football...
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Here they come! Lead on.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24..Oh, sorry, pigs!
0:54:24 > 0:54:27On you go there, pigs.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30There's the captain of West Ham.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Charlie's the referee, dressed in black.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46Ooh!
0:54:46 > 0:54:48One's had enough. He's tired out.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50We've worn him out already.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Come on, Charlie, out the way.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57One-nil! And the youngster's done it.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05One-nil to the males.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Pigs, nil.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09That's the end of their bacon.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Kate and I have come up to Wallaby Wood with head of section Andy Hayton,
0:55:28 > 0:55:34to meet some of the 26 Bennett's wallabies that live here. That's not quite the right number, is it?
0:55:34 > 0:55:39- There are a few more.- Increasing every day. We're getting joeys popping their heads out the pouches.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40Spring's on the way.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44- So how long do they spend in the pouch before they're fully independent?- Um...
0:55:44 > 0:55:48It's about six months that they'll keep going back in the pouch.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52But you see the poor old mums in mid-summer, and they've got this huge thing diving in the pouch,
0:55:52 > 0:55:55and they're kind of wobbling around!
0:55:55 > 0:55:58- I think the mums are glad to get rid of them after a while.- I'll bet!
0:55:58 > 0:56:02They can stop themselves breeding as well - if their diet's poor or there's a drought...
0:56:02 > 0:56:07- They don't look short of food here! - No, absolutely not. This is still their winter diet.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12We give them a pelleted food - same as the majority of the animals here - for their supplementary diet.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16And we give them some greens for winter when there's not much grass.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20- But these things are quality little lawn-mowers.- Are they?- Really?- Yeah.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24- They just graze in the summertime? - Yeah, it's like a golf course in here.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26- We should all have one for our gardens.- Yeah, absolutely!
0:56:26 > 0:56:29We cut their food down in summer, because there's green grass here.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33- They certainly look very healthy. - They do.- All I can hear is munching round me.
0:56:33 > 0:56:38Well, Andy, thank you very much. That's all we've got time for on today's programme,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41but we've got lots more coming up on the next Animal Park.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45There's a murder mystery to solve on Meerkat Mountain,
0:56:45 > 0:56:49with a twist in the plot that's stranger than fiction.
0:56:49 > 0:56:56Down on the farm, the student vet is going to find out what's what at lambing time.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01And we'll see what happens when everyone at Longleat is told
0:57:01 > 0:57:07that a lion has escaped, and is running loose somewhere on the estate.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10So don't miss the next Animal Park.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd, 2006