Episode 11 Animal Park


Episode 11

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Hello and welcome to Animal Park. I'm Kate Humble.

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And I'm Ben Fogle, and this WAS Hamish,

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-before he disappeared into my jacket.

-This is Scamp.

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They're ferrets. There are ten of them here at Longleat, and very entertaining they are.

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They seem to want to... There's one there, recording sound.

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-If you can't hear us, blame the ferrets.

-What are you doing?

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All I can see is a little tail sticking out.

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-We're always invaded when we come in here.

-We are. They've all left me now.

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We've got lots of stories about the animals

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and the house here at Longleat. Here's what's coming up today.

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The lion cubs have been playing too rough, and now both of them have injured a leg.

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The farmer went to market

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to buy some little pigs, but can he train them to play football?

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1-0.

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And don't be fooled by their comical appearance. Hippos are deadly.

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But first we're going up to lion country, where Kabir's two daughters are growing fast.

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Malaika is now four and a half months old, while her half sister, Jasira, is six weeks younger.

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At this age, they're concentrating on the skills

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every lion needs to survive - hunting, stalking and fighting.

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Keeper Bob Trollope is spending a lot of time watching them

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because learning to be a lion can be a dangerous business.

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We do like to keep an eye on them when they're fed because Kabir can be a bit aggressive over food.

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He is a very powerful animal, plus the fact he's ten times bigger

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than the little ones at the moment.

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Even if he just sat on them, he'd do a lot of damage.

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At feeding time, it's important to Kabir to feel that he's got

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the lion's share, though, of course, there's always plenty for everyone.

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Our cubs are such great time-wasters.

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We spend hours just watching them.

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It's great to watch them because they're

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picking up the skills they would use in later life in the wild.

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They're in deepest Wiltshire at the moment so they don't actually need those skills.

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But they are great time-wasters.

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It just amazes you how bold

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and courageous they can be.

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Something as...

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normal to us as a tree

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is a mountain for them to climb.

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They will chase each other around, jump on each other.

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Greatest thing to play with at the moment is Mum's tail.

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It is great fun. They do what any small kitten would do at home -

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play with virtually anything.

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But these kittens already weigh four times more than a fully-grown cat,

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and all this play is really part of their education.

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The mums - Luna and Yendi - help the cubs practise their fighting skills.

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They play quite rough at times.

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I've just noticed that Malaika has got a bit of a limp.

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Do you intervene too soon or let nature take its course

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and heal naturally? Why intervene?

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You might put her through more stress

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by getting in and catching her and having a look around.

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They are designed to take a certain amount of, um...

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..punishment from the bigger lions.

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Bob needs to keep Malaika under close observation

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because that limp could be nothing, or it might be a serious problem.

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We'll be back to find out later on.

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Out in Africa, the lion might be the king of the beasts, but he's not the most dangerous.

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Every year, more people are killed by another, far more frightening creature.

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Surprisingly, it's a herbivore.

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I have to confess I'm feeling a little bit nervous.

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I'm here with head of section Mark Tye in the hippo field, and the hippos, several tonnes

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of what is supposed to be the most dangerous animal in Africa standing only a few metres away, Mark.

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Is this a good idea?

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Probably not!

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But we'll have a go at it anyway!

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We've come to feed them.

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We rarely see them out. Usually, they're either in the wallow or in the lake.

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We're lucky today, it's quite a sunny day, and the weather's

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warming up a bit, so they are coming out to graze in the field more now.

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But they are still being fed by us, so they are quite keen to come over and get something to eat.

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-OK. Given that they might get angry if they're not fed, I think I better start. Hay.

-Yep.

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Pull that out. There we go.

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-Half a bale.

-OK.

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What do you do, just spread this out?

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-We shake this up in a line along here.

-OK.

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Right.

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There we go. That's fairly well...

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shaken up now.

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We do have to shake it up well because they are quite fussy eaters.

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-Any bad, lumpy hay they tend to just tread into the ground.

-Really?

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They're a pair of madams really.

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I have to say...

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You're getting nervous!

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I'm slightly speechless only because you hear so many stories about hippos.

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Even though they only eat grass, and they're not going to attack us

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to feed on us, but what I've been told is that you never get between a hippo and the water.

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-Which is exactly where we are.

-Yeah.

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It is probably the worst place to be

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because if a hippo gets frightened, its safety net is water.

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So it will always run to water for itself to feel safe, and if anything gets in its way, too bad.

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Just get trampled into the mud..

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-Plain and simple.

-But presumably we're not being stupid here.

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They know this routine, they know you...

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And also we've got the vehicle right next to us, which obviously we can get into.

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Sometimes, when it's in the middle of winter, they do get extremely close, and that can be a bit of fun.

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When you have to rely on the other person to tell you when to run,

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you literally put the food out without looking.

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Just quickly doing it.

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They're fantastic to look at.

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I'll just get this other food so we don't hold them up too much longer.

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So, they get... Is it horse nuts?

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Yes. They get about 12 kilos of horse cubes.

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It's half a bale of hay and a few bananas and a bit of cabbage as well.

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For an animal of that size, they don't eat very much.

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That's true actually. Shall I sprinkle these...?

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-Just sprinkle that along the top of the hay.

-OK.

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How many tonnes are they?

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It's difficult to know an accurate figure,

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but we've always thought between two and a half and three tonnes each.

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They are quite big. When you look at them, one them's stomachs is

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-dragging along the floor.

-Yeah.

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You do look at them and the thought of them being fast is ridiculous.

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They've got short legs and enormous bodies.

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Is it true they can run up to...?

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25mph, easily. Very easily.

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-Through thick mud as well, which is quite scary.

-That is scary.

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Right. That's all out.

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Should we get back in the vehicle?

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Yeah. They won't come much closer with us here, so if we get back in and pull up the road a bit

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-then they'll probably come on over and eat.

-OK.

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We'll get out of their way, and join us in a little bit to see Spot and Sonya having their lunch.

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Quite a few of the people who work at Longleat live in the nearby village of Horningsham,

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where many of the properties are still owned by the estate.

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At Mill Farm, Steve Crossman has raised cattle for over 22 years.

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He's an active member of the local community, and, for the past five years,

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he's been in charge of fundraising for the village fair,

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an event attended by Lord Bath himself.

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Every year, Steve tries to come up with something innovative, and

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one notorious fundraiser included stripping off for a nude calendar.

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But Steve's putting his pin-up days behind him, and this year he's going back to a farming theme.

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We decided to have a guess-the-weight competition this year, and it would be pigs.

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That's the latest scam. We think piglets will be a success because everybody loves piglets,

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so on the day they'll have their own pen and no doubt they'll be entertaining, as well as

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bringing some money into the village, hopefully.

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Steve thinks he's onto a winner, but he's not sure how Charlie, his three-year-old sheepdog, will react.

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It will be interesting when the pigs arrive. He's never

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seen a pig, as far as I'm aware.

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So what his reaction will be, I'm not sure.

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But it'll amusing, knowing Charlie.

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21, 21, 22...

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The guess-the-weight competition is only a few weeks away,

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so, in a bid to find the perfect piglets,

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Steve's visiting Salisbury market,

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where over 500 animals are auctioned every week.

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When it comes to cows, Steve's got a wealth of experience, but he's a novice at picking prime porkers.

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There's always that element of risk. I'm not a pig farmer, I know very little about pigs.

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I know what they're meant to look like.

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I was always told never to buy a pig with too much hair on it.

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I'm not 100% certain what the reason is behind that,

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but that was one thing I've been told to look out for.

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There are over 70 different breeds of pig in the world, and several types are up for auction here.

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The biggest breed in Britain is the large white,

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which can reach up to seven feet long and weigh nearly half a ton.

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Steve's looking for something much smaller, like these Landrace piglets, a common commercial breed.

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They're a nice even bunch. They're obviously being weaned.

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They'd fit into my little pig sty just right.

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So, um...

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strong possibly is I might be looking at this.

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Rather than just one pig, Steve wants the public

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to guess the weight of a whole litter for his competition.

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But right now, he needs to see off the competition here.

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I think I've spotted one of my main competitors if there is such a thing.

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The chap behind me, over my left-hand shoulder in the pen, with the cap on,

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he's been in and out of every pen, so he does look as if he's obviously a very interested party.

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He might be my main competition, so think I'll have to put the squeeze on him in a minute, get rid of him!

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INAUDIBLE

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And a half. 27 and a half...

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All done at 28.

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Yep. Good move.

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A little bit more than I wanted to pay for them.

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But competition was hotter than I expected.

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Been a successful day. Happy with that.

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Steve's got his eight piglets for £28 apiece.

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But now he has to get them home.

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They're funny little things. They're very difficult.

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Very difficult to manoeuvre.

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We've got to work out a route for them which is easy for them

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and easy for me to remember where they're going to!

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Come on, piglets.

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Currently light on their trotters, the piglets only weigh around four stone each,

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but Steve will fatten them up by the time of the village fair.

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Go on, piggers, get on.

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Go on. Go on.

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Go on. Get on. Whoa.

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Well, this is going very well.

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Look at this. There you go, easy as that.

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In you go, pigs.

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Look at that.

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Marvellous.

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I'm a natural pig farmer. There you go, see.

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Dead easy.

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Steve's happy, but how will Charlie the sheepdog get on with the little piggies back at the farm?

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We'll find out later on.

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I'm up at the hippo field with head of section, Mark Tye, and earlier, I thought

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we took our life into our hands and got out with the hippos very close by and spread out their food.

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We've just pulled away a little bit to give them a bit of space.

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-Who's this who's come up to the food first, Mark?

-This is Sonya.

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She's the larger of the two, and as you can see, she positioning herself over the top of the food.

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She is looking quite proprietorial.

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-"This is mine, and you're not getting near it."

-Very much so.

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Poor old Spot's just standing there going, "Right.

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"How am I going to get round this one?"

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Also the fact she is slightly more nervous.

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-Of us?

-Yes. So she's a bit reluctant to come forwards,

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although she is looking like she'll squeeze round now.

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A little bit shier, but, having said that, neither of them are to be trusted.

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We've had certain times in the past where you think

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you're far enough away from them, and then you realise you're not.

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-Really?

-They move so quickly.

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They are extremely wild. There's nothing tame about these two at all.

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Even though they've been in captivity for 30 years, they are most definitely not at all tame.

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They came here aged two years old and were put into this environment.

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And other than seeing people around, people putting their food down, they've very rarely been locked away

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for anything, because we have the mud wallows, which is much better for them than any concrete house.

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So it is a wild, natural sort of state they live in.

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The boat's going past here making quite a noise.

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They look completely unconcerned by that, so they've obviously got used to that.

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Yes, they've got used to the boat,

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-although they don't like the boat if it gets too close to them.

-Yep.

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The sea lions they've had to put up with.

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Yes. That's something you'd never get in the wild -

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hippos and sea lions in the same environment. But they get on OK?

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Yes. It started off I think it was in the late '80s with Lindy, I believe, who, when she was a baby,

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decided that hippos were good fun to play on.

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They were like a mobile island that she could stop on around the lake.

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And all the others have picked it up.

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Initially, the hippos didn't like it and got stroppy.

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In the end, they probably thought, "There's not a lot I can do about it,"

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so they just put up with it.

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I love their kind of mud lines around the middle there.

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Presumably, in the hotter weather they spend more time completely covered in mud, do they?

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In the summer when it's hotter, they spend most of their time in the water.

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They literally stay in the water in the lake all day long and come out at night to feed in the field.

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They use the wallow more in the winter.

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The wallows they make over there, they can just completely submerge themselves

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and sometimes you don't even know they're in there

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-and all you see is just ears and eyelids and that's it.

-Popping out.

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They're great. Thank you very, very much indeed.

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A great treat.

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We shall leave Spot and Sonya to enjoy the rest of their meal.

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Back in Lion Country, the keepers have been watching Malaika, the eldest cub, closely.

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It's been a day since she was spotted with a limp,

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and now Bob Trollope has been able to get a close look.

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There's a small cut on Malaika's shoulder.

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In fact, it's already begun to heal

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so the best bet is to just leave it alone.

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Meanwhile, Malaika's younger sister, Jasira, is also causing some alarm.

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She may be a little too bold for her own good.

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Jasira's very good at climbing trees

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and not very good at getting down them at the moment.

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To Mum, that would be just a simple bound down.

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But not to Jasira.

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She is the most adventurous one out of the two

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and she's into everything. Climbing up trees and logs and things

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is all part of her learning process.

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She's learning now that it's easier to get up than it is to get down.

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To us, I suppose, it's just a little jump

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but to something that small, it's quite a way.

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It must be a good eight, nine, ten feet off the ground.

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If she fell, obviously, she could do a lot of damage to herself.

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But if she just...

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used a bit of common sense

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and reversed down, it would be a lot easier.

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When a cat gets stuck up a tree, it's traditional to phone for help.

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I'd love to call the fire brigade up just to get her down to see what their faces look like.

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But I don't think we'd be allowed to.

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Having completed today's exercise in tree climbing,

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Jasira is now practising the art of stalking prey.

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As you can see, she's sort of stalking Dad

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before trying to take him down.

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Hunting techniques, this is.

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She's just sort of grabbed a mouthful of...

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belly hair or mane.

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He's quite relaxed about it.

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He'll give her a bit of a growl but that'd be about it.

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Out of the two, Jasira is much more courageous than Malaika

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and she doesn't mind to go out there and give

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Kabir a tug on the mane or play with his tail, where Malaika's a little bit more

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guarded against it, a bit more, "I don't know whether I should or not."

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A couple of days later, just when Malaika's leg had got better,

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Jasira was spotted limping.

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Unlike her sister, there was no visible injury to the leg,

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and the problem was slow to improve.

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So the next time vet Duncan Williams was doing the rounds, Bob called him in.

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GROWLING

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Oh, shush, shush, shush.

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It's the one between...

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-GROWLING DROWNS SPEECH

-Oh, shush!

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The family has been shut in the lion house.

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Kabir's not happy about it, but it's best for Jasira.

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I was wondering - it's hard to tell with them -

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whether she's got a little bit of swelling on that joint.

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I suppose overenthusiastic playing, a bit of boisterous...

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So how long's it been going on, Bob?

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Three or four days.

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Initially, she had a limp

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and then the following day she was just holding it up,

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didn't want to sort of move about on it much.

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In the ideal world, we'd have her in at X-ray it and see what's what.

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We can't do that because of having to separate her from Mum.

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We'd have to take her to the surgery, knock her out

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and transport her, so it's quite an undertaking.

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She's pretty lame on

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left fore.

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I think it's probably just a sort of

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soft tissue injury as opposed to a fractured leg

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or anything like that, because she is improving after a couple of days.

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She's putting a lot more weight on it than when it first happened,

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so I think it's a sort of...like a sprain or something like that.

0:21:310:21:35

Bob's already done the right thing by keeping her, cage rest,

0:21:350:21:40

so she's not putting too much pressure on it.

0:21:400:21:42

She's not having to go outside and keep up with her mother.

0:21:420:21:46

She's using the bad leg now when she's playing there

0:21:460:21:50

so I don't think it can be too serious.

0:21:500:21:52

So, for now, Duncan's going to leave a course

0:21:540:21:56

of anti-inflammatory medication for Bob to give Jasira.

0:21:560:21:59

If her leg isn't better in a couple of days, they'll have to consider more serious measures.

0:21:590:22:05

We'll be back later to see what happens.

0:22:050:22:08

A few weeks ago, I was up in the park trying to

0:22:130:22:16

figure out how many of their seven female pygmy goats were pregnant.

0:22:160:22:20

It was hard to tell by eye.

0:22:200:22:22

But today, on his rounds, Duncan the vet has brought along some hi-tech equipment.

0:22:220:22:27

I'm up at the giraffery where head of section Andy Hayton, senior warden Bev Evans,

0:22:290:22:34

and safari park vet Duncan Williams are scanning the pygmy goats to find out if they're pregnant.

0:22:340:22:39

Judging by the noises, I think they are.

0:22:390:22:41

Duncan, have you just spotted that...

0:22:410:22:43

-Yes.

-..there is...

0:22:430:22:46

-Is that it there?

-You see there?

0:22:460:22:47

That's it - the spinal cord.

0:22:470:22:49

Right.

0:22:490:22:51

What sort of age do you think that is?

0:22:510:22:53

Well, this is probably about four months now.

0:22:530:22:56

Probably due in about a month, five weeks' time.

0:22:560:22:58

Bev, I know that this was a pygmy goat that you weren't actually sure whether or not she was pregnant.

0:22:580:23:04

-That must be pretty good news for you.

-Definitely.

0:23:040:23:06

Are there any preparations to do?

0:23:060:23:09

Just keep an eye on their weight, feed them closer to the time,

0:23:090:23:12

make sure their udders are coming down OK, make sure they're in good health,

0:23:120:23:16

-and then just let them get on with it, really.

-Fantastic.

0:23:160:23:19

Duncan, is this important to get a scan and just check on health?

0:23:190:23:24

You saw the spinal cord there. Is there anything else you can check?

0:23:240:23:28

One thing Andy wanted to know really was how many babies there are.

0:23:280:23:32

Unfortunately, we're scanning them a little bit too late to do that.

0:23:320:23:36

See? The baby's actually too big for the screen.

0:23:360:23:39

-So there could be another?

-That's right.

0:23:390:23:41

If we'd done them earlier, the whole uterus would've filled the screen

0:23:410:23:46

and we would've seen two individual...or whatever.

0:23:460:23:49

So I could look around, find another baby,

0:23:490:23:51

but it might be this one from a different angle.

0:23:510:23:54

So I couldn't say for sure, at this stage, if there's more than one.

0:23:540:23:58

Andy, obviously one of the things, if we'd done it a bit earlier, we'd be able to tell if there were twins.

0:23:580:24:05

But it's possible that they could have triplets. Is that right?

0:24:050:24:09

Well, you can in sheep.

0:24:090:24:11

I know that can incur problems for Mum looking after them.

0:24:110:24:14

-As they can't produce enough milk.

-Exactly, yes.

0:24:140:24:17

It's just another tool in our back pocket to make sure that we look after these things properly.

0:24:170:24:23

See those lumps there and the movement there?

0:24:260:24:29

That is definitely a pregnancy.

0:24:290:24:31

I think that's the foetus again.

0:24:340:24:37

-Right, this is, um...

-This is G.

0:24:390:24:41

This is the last of our patients, is it?

0:24:410:24:43

-Why G?

-Well, we have Ali and G, so it's Ali G.

0:24:430:24:47

VET: That could be the foetus's heart, see that?

0:24:490:24:52

Pumping over there?

0:24:520:24:55

It's gone out of focus, but there was definitely...

0:24:550:24:58

-Yeah.

-Do you know what part of the body that is?

0:24:580:25:01

Probably just a back leg. You can see both legs there.

0:25:010:25:05

The black stuff's the fluid around the baby, you know...

0:25:050:25:08

-Amniotic fluid?

-That's right.

0:25:080:25:10

I remember that from biology. So that's positive for all of them?

0:25:100:25:14

-All seven, yes.

-Well, congratulations, if I can say that.

0:25:140:25:18

You've got a real smile on your face, a real proud smile.

0:25:180:25:23

-They're your little babies, really.

-Yeah, kind of.

0:25:230:25:27

Thanks very much, guys.

0:25:270:25:28

And we'll keep you posted on the progress of the pygmy goats.

0:25:280:25:31

Now it's time to meet the ancestors.

0:25:350:25:38

Over the course of this series, Alexander Thynne, the seventh Marquess of Bath, has volunteered

0:25:380:25:43

to lead us back through the branches of his family tree, to visit some of his most influential forebears.

0:25:430:25:50

It's a task for which Lord Bath is well qualified.

0:25:520:25:55

Not only has he lived here most of his 74 years, surrounded by family lore and legend,

0:25:550:26:01

but he's also recently published his own memoirs

0:26:010:26:04

featuring many stories of the ancient Thynne dynasty.

0:26:040:26:09

Today we're going back four and half centuries, to when it all began.

0:26:090:26:14

It was John Thynne who first brought the family to Longleat.

0:26:140:26:19

He was born the son of a common farmer, and ended the master of one of the grandest palaces in Europe.

0:26:190:26:25

And in Tudor times, you didn't get on by being Mr Nice Guy.

0:26:250:26:30

"John Thynne was a typical specimen of the new Protestant breed of rapaciously acquisitive,

0:26:320:26:39

"ruthlessly determined, shrewdly self-interested men on the make within the Tudor court."

0:26:390:26:47

John left the Shropshire farm of his birth

0:26:470:26:51

to seek his fortune at court.

0:26:510:26:53

He got a job working for the Duke of Somerset, who himself

0:26:530:26:56

had achieved power and wealth as the brother of Jane Seymour, one of Henry VIII's wives.

0:26:560:27:03

By the time Elizabeth I came to the throne,

0:27:030:27:06

John Thynne was also a wealthy man.

0:27:060:27:09

"Sir John may have been an uncouth, domineering, formidable rogue of ill-gotten wealth, shrewdly cunning

0:27:090:27:18

"and essentially ruthless, but he was now emerging as an eminent Elizabethan."

0:27:180:27:25

He was nicknamed John The Builder.

0:27:290:27:31

One of his most lavish projects was to oversee the construction

0:27:310:27:35

of a sumptuous new palace in London

0:27:350:27:38

for his master, the Duke of Somerset.

0:27:380:27:40

But before Somerset House was even finished,

0:27:400:27:43

both of them were arrested and thrown into the Tower of London.

0:27:430:27:47

In Tudor times, the politics of court was a deadly business.

0:27:470:27:51

His enemies said enough things for him to be thrown into the Tower for embezzlement.

0:27:510:27:58

They executed the other one, Somerset, and they let him off.

0:27:580:28:04

And he was a rich man.

0:28:050:28:08

After that, Sir John spent a lot less time in London,

0:28:100:28:14

and devoted more of his energies to his country estate, Longleat.

0:28:140:28:19

Originally, there was a priory here, but Henry VIII confiscated it

0:28:190:28:22

at the time of the Protestant Reformation

0:28:220:28:25

and sold the property off to the highest bidder.

0:28:250:28:28

Sir John bought the priory and the surrounding 60 acres for just £53.

0:28:280:28:34

A few years later, the old church buildings were

0:28:340:28:36

destroyed in an accidental fire, but they'd never been good enough for Sir John anyway.

0:28:360:28:42

He was becoming wealthy very quickly,

0:28:420:28:46

and then I think he learnt the lesson that, um...

0:28:460:28:51

court was a dangerous place where you tended to lose your head if you stayed there too long,

0:28:510:28:57

so, having bought the plot of land here at Longleat,

0:28:570:29:01

he retired here and spent the rest of his life,

0:29:010:29:05

from his mid-fifties onwards, building this palace.

0:29:050:29:11

It was the first Renaissance palace, or it could be called that, in England.

0:29:110:29:16

So John The Builder was again planning a very grand house,

0:29:160:29:20

despite the fact that, in Tudor times, ambition could so easily cause a chap to lose his head.

0:29:200:29:26

We'll find out what happened later on.

0:29:260:29:29

I'm in Pets Corner with my favourite bird, and almost my favourite keeper, Rob.

0:29:320:29:38

Thank you very much. Why "almost"?

0:29:380:29:40

Now, Nelson isn't usually to be found in this part of Pets Corner, is she?

0:29:400:29:45

No, we've created a new play frame for her.

0:29:450:29:48

She used to spend her days on the back of our parrot show seating,

0:29:480:29:52

and although it's nice for her there, we given her some nice perches...

0:29:520:29:57

She likes it on the seating, but she's sat on metal railings a lot of the time.

0:29:570:30:02

It's her choice, because she can go where she wants.

0:30:020:30:05

But we wanted her to be sitting on these nice thick branches and giving her a variety of things to do.

0:30:050:30:11

And also, this is near our entrance to Pets Corner, so she's an instant hit because she's so popular.

0:30:110:30:18

She is gorgeous. Remind me what sort of parrot she is?

0:30:180:30:22

She's a Moluccan cockatoo, sometimes known as a salmon-crested

0:30:220:30:25

because of these beautiful salmon-coloured feathers here.

0:30:250:30:28

But she originated from the Moluccan islands just above Australia.

0:30:280:30:33

That's what gives her her name.

0:30:330:30:34

She was called Nelson accidentally!

0:30:340:30:37

I was going to say, a SHE called Nelson! What happened?

0:30:370:30:40

Before she came to Longleat, her previous owners didn't know the sex of her, because with parrots,

0:30:400:30:46

you can't sex them by looking at them, so they assumed it was a boy and called it Nelson.

0:30:460:30:51

It sticks, and we call her Nelly, really.

0:30:510:30:53

And she is particularly soppy and friendly, isn't she?

0:30:530:30:56

Very. She loves attention. She does get a bit overcrowded.

0:30:560:31:00

Sometimes when she's been on the seat

0:31:000:31:02

and she gets overcrowded by the little ones,

0:31:020:31:05

this is also a good idea, it gives her space.

0:31:050:31:07

We can put a barrier across

0:31:070:31:09

and choose who comes and sees her during the day.

0:31:090:31:13

Well, it's great to see that she has got her own area all of her own.

0:31:130:31:17

It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?

0:31:170:31:20

Rob, thank you very much indeed.

0:31:200:31:22

We've got lots more coming up on today's programme, haven't we, Nelson?

0:31:220:31:27

There are babies on the way for the eland antelope, but Mum's got a problem.

0:31:270:31:33

Down in Wallaby Wood, the youngsters are popping up everywhere.

0:31:350:31:39

And Bob has to rely on bribery to get a close look at Jasira's bad leg.

0:31:410:31:46

Back at Mill Farm, the piglets Steve Crossman bought

0:31:520:31:55

for his "Guess the Weight" competition at the village fair

0:31:550:31:58

have had a couple of days to settle in.

0:31:580:32:00

Charlie's very taken with them, if slightly wary.

0:32:000:32:05

Every morning he goes in, and...

0:32:070:32:08

they've got a friendship going, to be honest.

0:32:080:32:12

It's quite nice. Quite strange, really.

0:32:120:32:15

I'll open the door and he can go on in and see if he can rouse them.

0:32:150:32:19

He's never quite sure what to make of 'em.

0:32:230:32:25

Go on!

0:32:250:32:27

"I'm not too sure what they are, they're not too sure what I am."

0:32:300:32:34

Go on, Chas.

0:32:340:32:36

Go on, off you go. Go on!

0:32:360:32:39

Here we go.

0:32:420:32:43

Charlie doesn't try and scare 'em or do anything, and they...

0:32:450:32:50

and they sort of...hoover Charlie with their noses and little snouts.

0:32:500:32:54

I don't think he understands or even knows what they are.

0:32:580:33:01

He can't quite make 'em out.

0:33:010:33:03

Cos pigs tend to...

0:33:030:33:04

They're quite quiet, and all of a sudden, they'll grunt or moo quite quickly.

0:33:040:33:09

I suppose Charlie's natural instinct is to herd 'em.

0:33:090:33:12

But he ain't quite sussed out what to do with a pig yet.

0:33:140:33:18

Charlie may be confused, but the pigs probably aren't.

0:33:180:33:21

These highly intelligent creatures are rated by many scientists

0:33:210:33:26

as the third brainiest in the whole animal kingdom.

0:33:260:33:29

Only primates and dolphins are brighter.

0:33:290:33:32

To stay healthy and keep on growing, pigs need both mental and physical stimulation,

0:33:320:33:38

so many pig farmers use enrichment techniques, like those used by

0:33:380:33:42

keepers at the safari park, to keep their animals alert and lively.

0:33:420:33:46

It's given Steve an idea.

0:33:460:33:49

I understand that the pot-bellied pigs at Pets Corner

0:33:490:33:53

are given various activities and things to play with,

0:33:530:33:57

so I'll probably pop down and have a chat with Darren and find out what he uses,

0:33:570:34:03

and see if anything would fit in more of a commercial setting.

0:34:030:34:07

The head of Pets Corner, Darren Beasley, looks after lots of animals,

0:34:110:34:17

but Bruno and Blossom, the Chinese pot-bellied pigs, are two of his favourites.

0:34:170:34:21

Darren's cared for them since they were piglets.

0:34:210:34:24

I love pigs. You can relate to these.

0:34:240:34:27

You can talk to 'em.

0:34:270:34:29

They're like dogs, dogs and cats.

0:34:290:34:32

I'm sure if they were not quite so smelly and a bit smaller, I'd have one running around the house.

0:34:320:34:37

When you get home, he'd bring the paper and your slippers.

0:34:370:34:40

Over the years, Darren has found all manner of activities to keep

0:34:420:34:47

the pigs occupied, teaching them everything from football to fetch.

0:34:470:34:51

Steve is hoping for some advice.

0:34:510:34:53

-Morning, Darren.

-Hello, Steve. All right?

0:34:550:34:57

I am.

0:34:570:34:59

So this is the famous pigs?

0:34:590:35:00

This is them. This is Bruno and Blossom. The terrible twosome.

0:35:000:35:05

If you want to do a bit of enrichment for your pigs like we do with ours,

0:35:050:35:10

there are a few things we could do.

0:35:100:35:12

The easiest thing is firstly to think like a pig.

0:35:120:35:15

-That's easy, my wife says!

-I smell like a pig!

0:35:150:35:17

You might smell like it, and I think like it. They rely on their noses,

0:35:170:35:22

so we use the fact that they like smelling stuff,

0:35:220:35:25

so I use a little titbit that smells nice as a reward.

0:35:250:35:28

We just try and think of things to challenge them. Bruno, come here!

0:35:280:35:32

Bruno! Here. Come here.

0:35:320:35:34

He hung his boots up a long time ago. We haven't done this for a long time.

0:35:340:35:39

Bruno, can you heel? Heel!

0:35:390:35:41

How long did it take you to manage him to do that?

0:35:430:35:46

That was a few weeks, but it's persistent.

0:35:460:35:49

You've got to do it all the time.

0:35:490:35:50

Bruno, sit! Bruno, sit.

0:35:500:35:52

The idea is, it's challenging that noggin. It's challenging that brain.

0:35:520:35:56

You obviously spend a lot of time training them.

0:35:560:35:59

Mine won't have the contact that these pigs have had,

0:35:590:36:02

but what can I put in there that will stimulate them and make their days a bit more interesting?

0:36:020:36:07

This is the most basic form of enrichment, a bit of plant life, a bit of rotten log or something.

0:36:070:36:13

If you chuck it into their pen or enclosure,

0:36:130:36:16

they'll chew it up, root around in it and love it.

0:36:160:36:20

They'll eat it or they might just chew the bark off.

0:36:200:36:23

It's good for their teeth and tummies at the same time.

0:36:230:36:25

A tyre or a lump of wood or a bit of rotten log,

0:36:250:36:28

something that smells different.

0:36:280:36:31

Anything you can do in the enclosure that breaks up that routine

0:36:310:36:34

of the day and gets the brain active will help them pile on the pounds.

0:36:340:36:40

Thank you very much indeed.

0:36:400:36:42

-Cheers, mate.

-I shall go home and experiment.

0:36:420:36:44

Each year about a quarter of a million visitors take the tour of Longleat House,

0:36:530:36:58

and the staff are keen that everything should be displayed in tip-top condition.

0:36:580:37:03

But with over a hundred rooms to look after,

0:37:030:37:05

it's a challenge just to keep it all clean,

0:37:050:37:08

especially when so many things here are so valuable, and so delicate.

0:37:080:37:14

I'm on my way to the Music Room in Longleat House

0:37:160:37:19

to meet house steward Ken Windess and his wife, cleaning supervisor June Windess,

0:37:190:37:24

to help out with the cleaning process of the more delicate items in the house.

0:37:240:37:29

-Hi, Ken, how are you?

-Not so bad, Ben, thank you.

0:37:290:37:32

-I assume it's chandeliers that we're cleaning today?

-Yes, very much so.

0:37:320:37:36

And it literally involves taking it apart?

0:37:360:37:39

-Yeah, there's one of the pieces.

-Shall I take that?

0:37:390:37:41

-Yes, please.

-I assume it's a fragile piece.

0:37:410:37:44

-What's that made of?

-That's crystal.

0:37:440:37:47

And how many pieces of crystal are there on that chandelier?

0:37:470:37:52

-Upwards of 400 pieces on there.

-And every single piece has to come off?

-It does.

0:37:520:37:57

How often do you do this?

0:37:570:37:59

We do this annually if we can.

0:37:590:38:01

It depends on our workload, but we do it yearly if we can.

0:38:010:38:05

And how many chandeliers in the house?

0:38:050:38:07

There's four chandeliers in the house.

0:38:070:38:10

-That's a lot of cleaning.

-It is.

0:38:100:38:11

Can I ask how old this one is?

0:38:110:38:13

It's comparatively young. It only came into the house in 1982.

0:38:130:38:17

Lady Virginia,

0:38:170:38:20

the late Marquis's wife, had it installed.

0:38:200:38:23

I'll take this on to its next process. Hi, June.

0:38:230:38:27

Hello, Ben.

0:38:270:38:28

I assume this is what has to happen next?

0:38:280:38:31

Yes, what we do is take it,

0:38:310:38:33

-keeping it flat.

-I can see that it's covered in dust.

0:38:330:38:37

Yes. In here we have a solution of warm water and vinegar.

0:38:370:38:41

Is vinegar a good cleaning agent?

0:38:410:38:43

Vinegar cuts through grease and dust very good, and it leaves a nice sparkle.

0:38:430:38:48

The only thing we have to be careful with

0:38:480:38:50

is that we must rinse it off very well,

0:38:500:38:53

otherwise it could tarnish the wires holding the crystals together.

0:38:530:38:57

Is every individual piece the same?

0:38:570:39:00

No, they're all different,

0:39:000:39:03

so we learnt from an early stage to have a graph.

0:39:030:39:08

So is every individual piece unique?

0:39:080:39:10

Yes, every piece is different in some way.

0:39:100:39:13

You have an oblong there, a round there, and a teardrop.

0:39:130:39:18

You've got another round, but a different top to it.

0:39:180:39:21

Then you've got another one. And then a different shape again there.

0:39:210:39:25

So you're not putting it into the substance itself?

0:39:250:39:29

No, just gently wipe over, and then put them into the rinse bowl

0:39:290:39:34

and give them a really good rinse,

0:39:340:39:37

because it makes the crystal sparkle and stops the wires tarnishing.

0:39:370:39:41

-What's the next stage?

-Onto the paper towel.

0:39:410:39:44

Shall I do that? I'm always the first to volunteer for the drying.

0:39:440:39:47

Everyone either loves the cleaning process or the drying.

0:39:470:39:51

-I don't like getting my hands wet. Shall I dab it?

-Pat it dry, yes.

0:39:510:39:54

Is it important to get all the moisture off?

0:39:540:39:57

The wires should be all right, but as long as we've got the vinegar off so it doesn't tarnish.

0:39:570:40:02

We always know when we've got it nice, cos you can see the sparkle.

0:40:020:40:07

Let's see if we can see that.

0:40:070:40:09

-See?

-Oh, look at that.

0:40:090:40:11

That's looking great.

0:40:110:40:13

-So that's gone full circle now.

-That's ready.

0:40:130:40:17

Shall I take that back without putting my grubby paw prints on it?

0:40:170:40:21

Ken, you were observing from a distance.

0:40:210:40:23

Shall I pass that back to you?

0:40:230:40:25

And you'll clip that back into place?

0:40:250:40:27

That's going back into place, from whence it came.

0:40:270:40:30

Back up in the lion's den, Jasira, the youngest cub, was seen limping,

0:40:410:40:46

and has been on a course of anti-inflammatory medication for a couple of days now.

0:40:460:40:51

Keeper Bob Trollope has an easy way to administer the dose.

0:40:510:40:55

What's this?

0:40:550:40:56

Oh, yes, you're up for it, aren't you?

0:40:560:40:59

If I can get a little chunk.

0:40:590:41:02

Don't give her too much to start with, cos I want to make sure...

0:41:020:41:06

Come on, darling. Good girl.

0:41:060:41:09

Just put a bit in and see if she wants it.

0:41:090:41:13

Oh, yeah. Good girl.

0:41:130:41:16

All the lions have been trained from an early age

0:41:160:41:19

to take meat chunks for just this purpose.

0:41:190:41:22

It's the lion equivalent of the old spoonful-of-sugar trick.

0:41:220:41:25

Good girl.

0:41:250:41:28

Up, up.

0:41:280:41:30

It's obviously better than having to inject them or dart them.

0:41:300:41:35

It's something that we do on a regular basis anyway,

0:41:350:41:39

not only this sort of medication, but deworm her and things like that.

0:41:390:41:46

It's such an easy way, and they get pleasure out of it rather than being stressed, so we're happy in a way.

0:41:460:41:52

If we can get them at an early age like this to do that, then in later life when they're that age,

0:41:520:41:59

it works wonders.

0:41:590:42:00

Stand up. Good girl.

0:42:000:42:02

Now we can see your feet.

0:42:020:42:04

And that one. Come on. Good girl.

0:42:040:42:07

There you are.

0:42:070:42:09

Come on, let's have a look. Oh.

0:42:090:42:12

There's obviously no pain in her foot.

0:42:120:42:16

We're lucky that they are quite quiet.

0:42:160:42:20

Come on, good girl.

0:42:200:42:22

That's it. Let's see if there's anything on there. ..Is there? No.

0:42:220:42:27

Good girl. Good girl.

0:42:270:42:30

Today Jasira is being very trusting, so Bob can get a close look at that injured leg and foot.

0:42:300:42:36

Quite good. We've been able to see the pad, so we know it's not in the pad.

0:42:360:42:42

And she didn't seem too worried about me poking about on various parts of her leg.

0:42:440:42:49

When you get the chance, you've got to take it.

0:42:490:42:52

She's really up for it.

0:42:520:42:55

The fact that they are quiet and we can do this while...

0:42:550:42:59

that's it. Stand up a bit more.

0:42:590:43:02

Does that hurt?

0:43:020:43:04

Bob's pleased with what he's seen of Jasira's leg, but she's not all better yet.

0:43:070:43:12

What we just gave her is an anti-inflammatory.

0:43:120:43:16

Obviously, if there's

0:43:160:43:18

a sprain or strain, then there'll be some swelling.

0:43:180:43:23

That's probably through a knock or bump or something from one of the others.

0:43:230:43:28

She might have just jumped about and hurt herself.

0:43:280:43:32

Obviously, if that doesn't change in a few days, we'll have to get Duncan back in

0:43:320:43:37

and I imagine there'll have to be some sort of X-ray or whatever.

0:43:370:43:41

But we don't want to do that.

0:43:410:43:44

We'll find out what happens to Jasira later in the series.

0:43:440:43:48

There were great expectations last year, when a new eland bull

0:43:560:44:00

was brought in to join Longleat's herd of seven females.

0:44:000:44:04

The eland is Africa's biggest antelope.

0:44:040:44:07

When fully grown, the male can be six foot tall at the shoulder.

0:44:070:44:11

Unfortunately, their new bull, named Zambezi, was still quite young and nowhere near that height.

0:44:110:44:18

So although he was sexually mature, doubts were soon cast about his ability to do the business.

0:44:190:44:26

To cut a long story short, he just couldn't reach.

0:44:260:44:31

But a summer on the Longleat grass must have done the trick,

0:44:310:44:34

because we've heard that one of the females, Saphie, is now pregnant.

0:44:340:44:38

However, there was bad news too.

0:44:380:44:41

Kate's gone to investigate.

0:44:410:44:43

I'm out with safari park vet Duncan Williams and keeper Kevin Knibbs.

0:44:430:44:47

Kevin, I gather that there's a problem with one of the eland.

0:44:470:44:50

Yeah, we've noticed that one of the eland, Saphie, has a bit of a limp.

0:44:500:44:55

She's been limping for a couple of days. It's a bit better

0:44:550:44:58

but we've got Duncan in just to make sure it's nothing major.

0:44:580:45:01

Can you spot which one she is of these five here?

0:45:010:45:05

Yeah, she's actually the one right at the very back there.

0:45:050:45:09

-She's just put her head down.

-The one that's completely hidden from us!

0:45:090:45:13

Which foot are we looking at, Kev?

0:45:130:45:15

It's back right, mostly.

0:45:150:45:16

Oh, OK. It doesn't look too swollen from here, does it?

0:45:160:45:19

No, no. But she kind of walks a little bit funny.

0:45:190:45:23

-Right.

-A definite pronounced limp.

-Now, she's pregnant, is that right?

0:45:230:45:27

We believe so. She looks very heavily pregnant.

0:45:270:45:30

OK. Um, and is pregnancy

0:45:300:45:32

something that can make an animal walk in a slightly awkward way?

0:45:320:45:37

Like a heavily-pregnant woman often gets a bit wobbly and, er...

0:45:370:45:41

That's right. I think late pregnancy, they're certainly more prone to lamenesses.

0:45:410:45:47

The other issue, of course,

0:45:470:45:48

is that if it is an abscess or something in her foot,

0:45:480:45:51

we're pretty reluctant to knock her out

0:45:510:45:54

-while she's heavily pregnant.

-Of course.

0:45:540:45:56

What's the next stage, really?

0:45:560:45:58

What can you do to best ascertain what's wrong and what the best course of action is?

0:45:580:46:05

Well, you can see, she's not really showing the problems too much.

0:46:050:46:08

She's putting weight on it. But I'd like to see her walking.

0:46:080:46:11

If we can see her walking, Kev, walk past us, and just see how bad it is.

0:46:110:46:15

I think that would be the next step.

0:46:150:46:17

-Yeah.

-OK, so shall we pile into the car and let her out?

0:46:170:46:21

Is that best? Let her out into the park and then we can see what she's doing.

0:46:210:46:25

When we're in position, Tim Yeo opens the gate.

0:46:290:46:33

Now the eland should just walk out calmly, right past our windows.

0:46:330:46:39

She's always been the last one to come out.

0:46:390:46:41

When did you first notice it, Kev?

0:46:410:46:43

-Er, about two days ago.

-OK.

0:46:430:46:45

It was a lot worse than what it is now.

0:46:450:46:47

You know, this looks a lot better.

0:46:470:46:49

-Oh, it's got better itself?

-Definitely, yeah.

-Oh, OK.

0:46:490:46:52

She looks sort of a bit uneasy on it, doesn't she?

0:46:540:46:57

So it's definitely tender.

0:46:570:47:00

It's good news that it's getting better without any treatment.

0:47:000:47:04

But I think, as a precaution, if we give her a dart with the antibiotic - dissolve it

0:47:040:47:09

with the anti-inflammatory, like we've done in the past - we'll cover all options,

0:47:090:47:14

just in case there's an infection.

0:47:140:47:16

But I'd imagine, if it's getting better on its own, she's probably sprained it or something.

0:47:160:47:21

Or, like Kate was saying earlier, she's just uncomfortable from a heavy pregnancy.

0:47:210:47:26

-OK.

-OK, well, we'll keep our fingers crossed for the pregnancy, hope that

0:47:260:47:30

the antibiotics does the trick, and she remains comfortable and happy for the rest of her pregnancy.

0:47:300:47:36

Thank you both very much indeed.

0:47:360:47:38

Longleat House was designed to make a big impression.

0:47:460:47:50

That was important to Sir John Thynne

0:47:500:47:52

when he started building work in 1568, during the reign of Elizabeth I.

0:47:520:47:58

Today, Alexander Thynne, Lord Bath,

0:47:580:48:01

is the 13th generation of his descendants to live here.

0:48:010:48:05

In his memoirs, he's written about Sir John's architectural ambitions.

0:48:050:48:10

"It was a daring enterprise, in that it set out to build something

0:48:100:48:15

"in a style that had never yet been ventured upon British soil."

0:48:150:48:19

He was a member of the court,

0:48:210:48:24

he was...seeing his rivals... starting on

0:48:240:48:30

having grandiose buildings.

0:48:300:48:32

He was a newcomer and wanted a more grandiose building than they had.

0:48:320:48:38

So he made it his business

0:48:380:48:40

to see that the finest palace that had ever gone up in England outside royalty was his.

0:48:400:48:47

He was definitely a nouveau riche of that time and proudly

0:48:470:48:52

being a vigorous entrepreneur and a vigorous controller of everything.

0:48:520:49:00

News of the splendour of Longleat soon reached the court, and Queen Elizabeth I

0:49:000:49:06

decided to visit on one of her Royal Progresses through the West Country.

0:49:060:49:10

Fearing the expense of entertaining her, Sir John tried to put her off with a series of excuses.

0:49:100:49:16

There were diseases in the household.

0:49:180:49:22

There were, er...

0:49:220:49:23

Poachers were dangerous.

0:49:230:49:26

Every kind of excuse was put up there.

0:49:260:49:29

And for a while, she swallowed them.

0:49:290:49:31

But in the end, she just felt that she was being...

0:49:310:49:35

made a monkey of. So insisted, gave some very fierce words.

0:49:350:49:41

I think he probably knew from experience that if she felt things

0:49:410:49:44

were too good, she might sort of say, "Well, you owe that to me."

0:49:440:49:49

Um, but, er...she did get her way in the end

0:49:490:49:53

and then was lavish in her praise for his preparations for the visit.

0:49:530:49:57

Elizabeth was impressed, but kindly allowed Sir John to keep his fine house.

0:50:020:50:08

Through the centuries since, Longleat has continued to impress its many visitors,

0:50:080:50:14

whether they be kings, queens,

0:50:140:50:16

or experts on historic architecture, like Nick Molyneux from English Heritage.

0:50:160:50:21

I always am excited arriving here.

0:50:210:50:24

I think the arrival down the drive

0:50:240:50:26

is one of the great experiences of English country houses.

0:50:260:50:30

The approach that the visitor has today, as you come over the hill,

0:50:300:50:34

look down into the valley and see the house sitting there in this fantastic landscape.

0:50:340:50:38

Then you remember it's not a 18th-century country house,

0:50:380:50:41

as you first think it is, it's actually 16th-century.

0:50:410:50:44

And it's a very, very grand house for its date.

0:50:440:50:47

Um...and then, you come inside and this space is just a "Wow!"

0:50:470:50:52

For me, the great hall is one of the great spaces of its period in England.

0:50:520:50:56

Sir John did much of the design work himself.

0:51:000:51:03

And that's one of the enigmas of Longleat, that a man who started as

0:51:030:51:07

an uneducated farm boy could produce a building as significant as this.

0:51:070:51:11

So how do you rate Longleat amongst all the other European architecture that was going up?

0:51:150:51:21

For its period, it's one of the great houses of Europe,

0:51:210:51:23

certainly of England.

0:51:230:51:25

And, of course, Sir John was employing some of the best stonemasons around.

0:51:250:51:30

Although, as we know, he was quite keen

0:51:300:51:33

to have his own hand in designing the place as well.

0:51:330:51:36

One of the great features of the house - is the fact

0:51:360:51:38

that it's got a symmetrical facade,

0:51:380:51:41

which was a very new idea when he was here building.

0:51:410:51:44

Yes, well, I like the way, though, that once you get up to the roof

0:51:440:51:48

that it sort of certainly begins to get an originality

0:51:480:51:50

that isn't in the other houses. Individualism creeps in.

0:51:500:51:54

As we know, Lord Bath is particularly keen on individualism,

0:51:540:51:59

so he's recently created a private terrace garden on the roof.

0:51:590:52:03

Here, over 60 feet above the ground, on top of a house that boasts 99 chimneys,

0:52:030:52:09

the scale of Sir John's ambition becomes clear.

0:52:090:52:13

It could be called the first Renaissance house in Britain, or I don't know which one...

0:52:160:52:21

The first Renaissance palace.

0:52:210:52:23

Palace is fair - and certainly the best surviving one. We've lost one of the two of the royal ones.

0:52:230:52:29

Sir John Thynne died in 1580, aged 65, leaving 18 children to carry on the dynasty.

0:52:290:52:37

And the tradition of innovation continues today.

0:52:370:52:40

When Longleat opened to the public in 1949,

0:52:400:52:43

it was the first private stately home to do so in Britain.

0:52:430:52:47

And have a tradition of "got to be the first".

0:52:470:52:50

It's quite a good one - a difficult one - but it's good to have that prompting.

0:52:500:52:54

-I thought you carried on in that tradition.

-Yes, we have.

0:52:540:52:57

It's a difficult one to keep up now, but I think we've done not too bad on that tradition.

0:52:570:53:02

Lord Bath will be back with more tales of his illustrious ancestors later in the series.

0:53:020:53:08

Back down at Mill Farm,

0:53:120:53:15

Steve Crossman is putting Darren's Pets Corner ideas into practice, to keep his pigs stimulated.

0:53:150:53:21

Right, we'll pop this in and see how pigs react to it.

0:53:210:53:25

He's using a specially adapted feed ball, which makes the pigs work harder for their food.

0:53:250:53:30

Whether or not they'll be interested in it... I'll pop it down.

0:53:300:53:34

Pigs are known to fight and bully each other if they get bored,

0:53:340:53:38

so enrichment like this is important to keep them occupied.

0:53:380:53:42

You can see, the way they all came round it straightaway, and started playing,

0:53:420:53:46

they do need stimulation.

0:53:460:53:49

Nobody just wants to sit and eat and do nothing all day.

0:53:490:53:53

Not most people anyway, but even animals like to have something to do.

0:53:530:53:57

And you can see that the pigs are now really giving it some stick on this.

0:53:570:54:01

They've taken to the feed ball so well, it's given Steve an idea.

0:54:010:54:06

Can piglets be taught the beautiful game?

0:54:060:54:10

Right, we're going to try with a ball now.

0:54:110:54:14

I'll chip it in the back of the pen.

0:54:140:54:17

And as the team come out for the big game of football...

0:54:170:54:20

Here they come! Lead on.

0:54:200:54:22

..Oh, sorry, pigs!

0:54:220:54:24

On you go there, pigs.

0:54:240:54:27

There's the captain of West Ham.

0:54:270:54:30

Charlie's the referee, dressed in black.

0:54:300:54:32

Ooh!

0:54:440:54:46

One's had enough. He's tired out.

0:54:460:54:48

We've worn him out already.

0:54:480:54:50

Come on, Charlie, out the way.

0:54:520:54:55

One-nil! And the youngster's done it.

0:54:550:54:57

One-nil to the males.

0:55:030:55:05

Pigs, nil.

0:55:050:55:07

That's the end of their bacon.

0:55:070:55:09

Kate and I have come up to Wallaby Wood with head of section Andy Hayton,

0:55:240:55:28

to meet some of the 26 Bennett's wallabies that live here. That's not quite the right number, is it?

0:55:280:55:34

-There are a few more.

-Increasing every day. We're getting joeys popping their heads out the pouches.

0:55:340:55:39

Spring's on the way.

0:55:390:55:40

-So how long do they spend in the pouch before they're fully independent?

-Um...

0:55:400:55:44

It's about six months that they'll keep going back in the pouch.

0:55:440:55:48

But you see the poor old mums in mid-summer, and they've got this huge thing diving in the pouch,

0:55:480:55:52

and they're kind of wobbling around!

0:55:520:55:55

-I think the mums are glad to get rid of them after a while.

-I'll bet!

0:55:550:55:58

They can stop themselves breeding as well - if their diet's poor or there's a drought...

0:55:580:56:02

-They don't look short of food here!

-No, absolutely not. This is still their winter diet.

0:56:020:56:07

We give them a pelleted food - same as the majority of the animals here - for their supplementary diet.

0:56:070:56:12

And we give them some greens for winter when there's not much grass.

0:56:120:56:16

-But these things are quality little lawn-mowers.

-Are they?

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:56:160:56:20

-They just graze in the summertime?

-Yeah, it's like a golf course in here.

0:56:200:56:24

-We should all have one for our gardens.

-Yeah, absolutely!

0:56:240:56:26

We cut their food down in summer, because there's green grass here.

0:56:260:56:29

-They certainly look very healthy.

-They do.

-All I can hear is munching round me.

0:56:290:56:33

Well, Andy, thank you very much. That's all we've got time for on today's programme,

0:56:330:56:38

but we've got lots more coming up on the next Animal Park.

0:56:380:56:41

There's a murder mystery to solve on Meerkat Mountain,

0:56:410:56:45

with a twist in the plot that's stranger than fiction.

0:56:450:56:49

Down on the farm, the student vet is going to find out what's what at lambing time.

0:56:490:56:56

And we'll see what happens when everyone at Longleat is told

0:56:570:57:01

that a lion has escaped, and is running loose somewhere on the estate.

0:57:010:57:07

So don't miss the next Animal Park.

0:57:070:57:10

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd, 2006

0:57:190:57:22

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