0:00:05 > 0:00:09Longleat House is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture
0:00:09 > 0:00:14anywhere in the country, filled with unimaginable treasures, and exquisite beauty.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18But the house is on red alert, and one area has had to be closed off
0:00:18 > 0:00:22because one of the irreplaceable great ceilings is in danger of collapsing.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26We'll be bringing you the full story on today's Animal Park.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Also coming up today... the monkeys are getting a trifle picky about their food.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59And this man is known for working with African legend,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02George Adamson, and the Born Free lions.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07Now he has come to Longleat, what will he make of their pride?
0:01:07 > 0:01:13It's strange not to be able to go in there and play with them and stuff,
0:01:13 > 0:01:14because then I always did.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24But first, Longleat House is one of the very finest examples
0:01:24 > 0:01:29of Elizabethan architecture to be found anywhere in the country.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35The original building work was completed around 1580, but since then the house has continued to
0:01:35 > 0:01:40evolve through a whole series of alterations and renovations.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45For example, the grand staircase was added a mere two centuries ago,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49but the most spectacular changes were done in the 1870s,
0:01:49 > 0:01:56when the great Victorian designer JD Crace put in seven magnificent ceilings.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Inspired by the interiors of Italy's most sumptuous Renaissance palaces,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05these ceilings are widely regarded as Crace's masterpieces.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11But now one of them is in grave peril,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16something's just been spotted that shows there's a real danger of collapse.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21House Steward Steve Blythe is facing an emergency in the lower dining room.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Well, last Thursday was my day off.
0:02:24 > 0:02:31Late in the day, probably about four, five o'clock, I got a phone call at home from Ken to tell me
0:02:31 > 0:02:35we'd had a major problem in the house, failure with the ceiling,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and what had happened, one of the guides had looked up,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42noticed a gold bauble, you can see there's wire on it,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46it actually slid down it, it came through the roundel over here,
0:02:46 > 0:02:51it had dropped about an inch. So Ken very quickly got a ladder out,
0:02:51 > 0:02:56went up, and it more or less dropped off in his hand,
0:02:56 > 0:03:03but of course, we've got a major problem now because all of that area of the ceiling has loosened off.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08So this is a real shocker, it's real unfortunate.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12But this is not the first time there's been a problem with the ceiling.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Estate Manager Tim Moore remembers what happened 15 years ago.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23When I came to Longleat in 1992, we had an issue with actual movement on
0:03:23 > 0:03:28that ceiling, so we've always known the structure of the ceiling
0:03:28 > 0:03:32is a bit suspect. And then secondly, about two years ago,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36one of the ornamental plaster sections fell down.
0:03:36 > 0:03:43We got a specialist in who looked all over it, put the piece of plaster back, stuck it back,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and the general view at the time was,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48yes, the plaster was obviously of the age it is,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51but generally the rest of the ceiling wasn't in too bad order.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But if the structure was given the all-clear, why,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57just two years later, is there another emergency?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03In fact, Longleat House could be a victim of its own success.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Head Guide Claire Mound may have the answer.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12Come the summer, we were having between 3 and 4,000 people through the house every day,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17and one bank holiday, we actually had 6,000 people walk through the house,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and that is a lot of feet for the poor old house!
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Longleat's Curator of Historic Collections is Kate Harris.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30The real problem in the room is that the identical room above,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34which is the state dining room, the public can only stand on one
0:04:34 > 0:04:40particular spot as they come through the door, so all the thousands of feet hit exactly the same spot
0:04:40 > 0:04:45immediately above the door, and we're expecting to find, when we investigate further,
0:04:45 > 0:04:52that the fragile condition of the ceiling is following the track of the many feet above.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54We haven't got that confirmed yet,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56but that's what we're expecting to find,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59that it'll be almost a pathway of damage mirroring the room above.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05But right now, Steve and his team must take immediate action.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10The first thing was, we needed to seal this room off. There was the fear that something
0:05:10 > 0:05:17might drop down onto a visitor or one of the guides, so they closed the room off, and of course, we had
0:05:17 > 0:05:24to close the room above, because the vibration was shaking the ceiling, and that room remains closed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Until we know what's happening here, we really can't afford to have people upstairs.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I think it's a massive aesthetic loss to the house
0:05:37 > 0:05:40to have the public really unable to see this room properly.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43This is one of the most important things that we show.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46So as far as the interiors at Longleat go,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49it's what we lead with, so it's very important to us,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53and very important to the public's experience as they tour through the house.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Apart from anything else, the timing couldn't have been much worse.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02This year, the exterior roof is undergoing major repairs,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and the last thing they needed
0:06:05 > 0:06:08was an emergency conservation project inside the house.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14We've got the cost issues involved, the fact that, as you know, we're already halfway through
0:06:14 > 0:06:18a major repair for Longleat, which is renewing lead on the roof,
0:06:18 > 0:06:23and we've now got possible issues of very significant expenditure within the house.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26It is a concern, simply because, at this stage,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28we just don't know how big a problem it is,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30and it may be a very significant one.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35But the only way to know just how bad the problem really is
0:06:35 > 0:06:38will be to find out what's going on beneath the surface.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43We'll be back later when they try to get some answers.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Earlier in the series, Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner
0:06:55 > 0:07:01masterminded a plan to put one of the six million trees from the Longleat Estate into Monkey Jungle
0:07:01 > 0:07:05to make its residents a new and exciting feeding station.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Things didn't go exactly to plan, and the whole operation took over
0:07:10 > 0:07:1536 hours just to move the massive trunks into position.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Ben and I have joined Ian to put them to good use.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21So what have we actually got here, Ian?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23We've made some special cakes up for the monkeys,
0:07:23 > 0:07:29- and it's got all the normal stuff what the monkeys eat, banana, peanuts and apples.- Right.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33What we need to do is shove it into this Corsican pine tree we've made for 'em specially.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38We've drilled holes in, but the trouble is we need to do it quick, because the monkeys...
0:07:38 > 0:07:42It's not the greatest day weather-wise but we need to scoop this out and shove it in there.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Would it be fair to describe this as a "monkey trifle"?
0:07:45 > 0:07:46It would, yeah!
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- It looks very good!- I've got one, that does look good!
0:07:49 > 0:07:52So they will come racing over to this?
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Has the tree gone down well with the monkeys? Have they enjoyed it?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Yeah, and the reason why we're doing this is,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00instead of just putting food down, they've got to sit
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and have these perches where they can sit on and pick the food out,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- and if you look back, you've got one coming over straightaway.- Oh, wow!
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- They can't resist this! - They don't like this weather.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Should we just pull back and watch and let them come in and feed?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17On this tree, yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Yeah? OK, let's just pull back and away and yeah,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24in moments you've got the first one coming in, although rather lazily going...
0:08:24 > 0:08:26It's picking up the stuff off the floor!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Picking up the stuff off the ground!
0:08:42 > 0:08:46You're constantly coming up with ideas for them, do they really need it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Cos it's a huge enclosure with lots of natural trees for them to climb, and places for them to hide.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Why is new stuff so important?
0:08:52 > 0:08:58- They probably wouldn't need new stuff for us to do, because it's like being in the wild really.- Yeah.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01But this is just to keep 'em, because they've got all the young ones,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04it's always good to keep their minds active,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and have new stuff all the time, and this tree's gone down a treat,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09cos they've got all the perches. And look,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11instead of him shoving all that, he's...
0:09:11 > 0:09:13He's having to pick it out.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- He's picking all the peanuts out. - Oh, yes, he is!
0:09:15 > 0:09:19It must be incredibly satisfying to see them working away like that?
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Normally they'd take five minutes to eat, and this should take a couple of hours.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28That's brilliant, well we shall get down to putting this in the rest of the tree, but Ian, thank you
0:09:28 > 0:09:33very much, and congratulations on a real success. You're going to have some happy monkeys this year!
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Thank you very much.
0:09:38 > 0:09:44Earlier in the series, four keepers travelled deep into the Tanzanian bush to work with Tony Fitzjohn.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49Fitz, as he's also known, is a world-renowned conservationist
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and runs the Mkomazi Game Reserve
0:09:51 > 0:09:55where he's helping some of Africa's most endangered animals.
0:09:55 > 0:10:03For 17 years, Fitz worked alongside legend George Adamson, the Lion Man of Africa.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09Together they helped rehabilitate and save captive lions before releasing them back to the wild,
0:10:09 > 0:10:15stories that were told in the book and Oscar-winning film, Born Free.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20There we were, sharing the lives of these incredible predators, we just
0:10:20 > 0:10:25ran like mad things for nearly 20 years and didn't stop.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28During the trip, Head Warden Keith Harris
0:10:28 > 0:10:31helped in a project to release hunting dogs back to the wild.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35For him, working with Fitz was very special.
0:10:35 > 0:10:41I've read books and seen films, you hear stories, and it's been really great to work with him.
0:10:41 > 0:10:48And being out here again in the wild and getting amongst these animals, it's been great.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53So when he heard Fitz was visiting the UK, Keith wasted no time in
0:10:53 > 0:10:57offering him his first-ever tour of a safari park.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Tony?- Keith, what a treat! - Nice to meet you.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- Nice to see you again.- Sunny England!
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- Bit cold or..?- Yeah, a bit chilly.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08So can I get a tour, or are you busy today?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- Yep, hop in the car and we'll go and take you round.- Thanks very much.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Like so many visitors, Pets' Corner is the first stop.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Ain't they wonderful? Everyone should have some in their bathroom!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Here, the snakes are a bit more friendly that Fitz is used to.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34- Wow!- There we are, how about that?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I had, sort of, 11-foot black mambas in the house.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45This is great, with the rolling hills, it's beautiful.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Next, it's up to the East Africa Reserve, home to giraffe,
0:11:56 > 0:12:01ostrich and zebra, which should be like a slice of home to Fitz.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04They look in very good shape indeed. It's a very nice scene.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It's nice to know that what you see is what you get.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17If you've got to live in England, for a guy like me, this'd be perfect.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24In Tanzania, Fitz has built a sanctuary for the highly endangered and dangerous black rhino,
0:12:24 > 0:12:29where trackers follow them to ensure they're safe from poachers.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32At Longleat, techniques are slightly different.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36I just love this guy, herding the rhinos on the tractor.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38They almost look like sculptures, don't they?
0:12:38 > 0:12:42It's very strange for me to see white rhino.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44They're very placid.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I'd be rather nice to have some black rhino,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50because there'd be a lot of cars here with punctured doors!
0:12:52 > 0:12:56There's one final stop on Fitz's tour, and that's in lion country,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59where he's certainly no stranger to these big cats.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Join us later when Fitz heads straight into the lions' den.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Back in the Great House, there's a crisis in the lower dining room,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and Longleat's Curator of Historic Collections Kate Harris
0:13:21 > 0:13:26is worried that the bauble falling down is just the tip of the iceberg.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33I'm very concerned, because we thought we'd tackled this problem,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and it turns out to be a much more severe problem than we originally thought.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42And it's because it's unknown, whether we're going to have to take the whole ceiling to bits,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and put it back together again, and the whole issue of whether
0:13:45 > 0:13:48the plasterwork has reached the end of its shelf life,
0:13:48 > 0:13:54those are real unknowns at the moment, so we've yet to find out just how bad the news is.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57In order to get to the ceiling, and work out the root of the problem,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01House Steward Steve needs to ensure the room is completely clear.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04The table's laid with antique porcelain and silverware,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06which must be packed away safely.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Time to call in the professionals.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26There's hardly a thing on this table that's less than two centuries old,
0:14:26 > 0:14:33but June Windes and her army of cleaners are well used to handling such delicate and priceless items.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Once the room is clear, Steve can get to work.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50They're setting up a scaffold in order to examine the ceiling closely.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Ken Windes, June's husband, has been called in.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58He was the House Steward before Steve, and knows the building inside out.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Do you want to turn him here, Ken?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Yes, that way.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05First, they need to take down the roundel.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- Got him?- Yep, got him.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Behind it is the system of supports that holds the ceiling in place.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17OK, explain to me how this ceiling works, Ken.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Well, basically, what you've got here is a fletch beam,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22it was about 15 years ago,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26this beam failed, and the floor started to sag,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and they reinforced this beam with metal.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36So what they did is brought the beam back to its original position.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43They've actually strapped the ceiling supports to that beam,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46which means that what you're doing now is
0:15:46 > 0:15:49you're transferring any vibration from the floor above
0:15:49 > 0:15:51directly to the ceiling,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55rather than going through the intermediate beam system.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Which I think could have been a major mistake.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03So by strengthening the beam supporting the floor above,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06the ceiling below may have suffered.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08This is obviously where the concern is,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11you've got little cracks like this appearing, you see.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14This bit here is actually moving up and down,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and that crack is actually tracking right across there,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- look, into this area.- Yes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Some of these bulbs have vibrated loose.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26There's a good example. In fact,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30I'm going to go for it and take that away, in case it falls on somebody.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35For Ken, who's devoted a quarter of a century
0:16:35 > 0:16:39to looking after this great house, it's a very sad moment.
0:16:41 > 0:16:48It is heartbreaking when you find something like this that has been up there hundreds of years.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And you do get a feeling for the house as you live with it
0:16:53 > 0:16:59and...serve it, if you like, for quite a long time,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04so that when things start breaking to bits like this, then it is sad.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And it brings a lump to your throat in many ways,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17in the fact that, what's happening now, how far is this going to go?
0:17:17 > 0:17:21And what's more important is, how can we stop it happening?
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I'd like to think it was going to be here in another 400 years.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34It's going to take time and a great deal of careful investigation,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37before they'll know exactly what must be done.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Over the next few months, Estate Manager Tim Moore is going to have a lot to do.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It's a major problem -
0:17:45 > 0:17:49we don't know quite what our strategy's going to be.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52With this sort of problem, in conservation terms,
0:17:52 > 0:17:57cautious enquiry and really trying to check through detail is all-important.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03We're going to have to take it steady, to get the experts in, and then tease out a solution
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and a strategy, we don't know the cost implications,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10we don't know quite how far we've got to go with it,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14it's quite frankly an open-ended issue at the moment.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20We'll be back in the house later to follow how the crisis unfolds.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34One of the most popular sections in Pets' Corner is the collection of Siberian chipmunks.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Recently, six new faces were introduced to the group,
0:18:37 > 0:18:42with the hope that they would kick-start a new breeding programme,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and sure enough, the plan worked.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48The babies are now a few weeks old, and I've come along to meet them.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51I'm down at Pets' Corner
0:18:51 > 0:18:57with Head of Section Darren Beasley, and we are entirely surrounded
0:18:57 > 0:19:00by chipmunks, none of whom I recognise, I have to say!
0:19:00 > 0:19:03No, they're not long born, they're just coming out of their boxes now!
0:19:03 > 0:19:08And what pretty little creatures, with these gorgeous stripes on them.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Aren't they smashing? Obviously these are called whites,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13you see this little chap here,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17has still got the very faint brown stripes, so they're not albino, they do have colour
0:19:17 > 0:19:23pigment in them, but it's a recessive gene, so basically we can encourage this white colour to come forward
0:19:23 > 0:19:26by putting the right mums and dads in with the right colour history.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31Being this very pale colour in the wild wouldn't be a great survival mechanism?
0:19:31 > 0:19:36No, it'd be so easy for the predators to pick them off, because they'd stand out so well.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39I mean, naturally these Siberian chipmunks, as we know them,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42they breed a brown colour with sort of dark brown to black stripes,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46and really that is their camouflage, that's to break up their outline.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49You've had babies, they've all grown up together,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54can they stay together or do you start getting factions with males and females and fighting?
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Yes, you do have a dominancy, you do have a bit of fighting,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00but the name chipmunk is this "chip, chip", it's this calling noise,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05and it can be calling for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or it can be saying, "stay away."
0:20:05 > 0:20:08As we're going to expand - this is a very popular exhibit -
0:20:08 > 0:20:13we're going to expand this and spread our wings, so we want loads more chipmunks.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15It's a good mixture of stuff here,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18lots of seeds, monkey nuts, and fresh fruit.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22What sort of stuff would they be eating in the wild?
0:20:22 > 0:20:27They're opportunists, they will take leafy buds, they'll take flowers, they'll take small insects,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30we put a meat protein biscuit in here for that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34We give them a big selection of lots of nice things, and they'll choose what they like.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38A complete delight, Darren, thank you very much for introducing me.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Thank you.- And enjoy yourself, guys!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I don't think there's any doubt that they're going to do that!
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Back up at the house,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57the Longleat staff have been working round the clock to get the dining rooms back open to the public,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and Kate and I have run up to get the latest.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06We've come back into the house to the lower dining room to meet House Steward, Steve Blythe,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and to find out what the latest is, Steve, on the ceiling,
0:21:10 > 0:21:11and I've suddenly seen this bit!
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Yes, we needed to take this roundel down to have a look,
0:21:15 > 0:21:20to see what was going on, so we've had all the surveyors in,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23we've had all the architects in, and we're moving forward.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Kate our curator's been getting lots of information for us on
0:21:27 > 0:21:32the history of what's been happening with the ceiling, and that's all come together now,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35hopefully we're ready to move on, but a good bit of news is,
0:21:35 > 0:21:36the room's open again.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I was going to ask, is it the whole room? You've got some scaffolding over here?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44We've still got equipment in the room where we still have people
0:21:44 > 0:21:46coming in and having another look at this,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and what is this, and what would happen here.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- Where did this piece come from? - Up here. Where you'll see,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54we've got the huge hole in the ceiling at the moment.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00- Blimey!- Wow! How are you going to be able to minimise damage like this happening again?
0:22:00 > 0:22:06That's part of what we're doing at the moment, before we do the repair, we need to know what happened,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11why has it happened, and that's what the architects, the surveyors, are looking at, they'll report to us.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17and before we do any repairs, we'll be looking into the future and what needs to be happening in the future.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It's fantastic news that at least half the room's open.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Yeah, and of course we're all happy about it,
0:22:22 > 0:22:27and of course Lord and Lady Bath are very happy about it, that we've got visitors coming through.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- Well, Steve, that is fantastic news, thank you very much.- OK, thank you.
0:22:36 > 0:22:43Head Warden, Keith Harris, is giving Tony Fitzjohn his first ever tour of a safari park.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48But what will the apprentice of Mr Born Free
0:22:48 > 0:22:50make of Longleat's famous lions?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Wow! Look at this!
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Look at this lot, isn't this lovely?
0:22:56 > 0:23:01And there's two main breeding females in here, so presumably,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04your wild lions, they'd be scarred and...
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- Yeah, these are... It's all a bit strange to see them in such perfect condition.- Yeah.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13For someone who's dedicated their life to giving animals their freedom,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16this is an unusual experience for Fitz.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22It's quite strange, I've never been to a safari park before,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I've never been to Longleat,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28and I have seen animals in captivity, and I don't...
0:23:28 > 0:23:34I don't slam zoos, there is a place in this paved and civilised world of ours to...
0:23:34 > 0:23:38to have animals in captivity.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44I'm a bit surprised they look in such good physical shape
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and so relaxed and in such good mental shape for captive animals,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52but I'd rather have a jumbo jet waiting and pile them all in the back,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55but then, I know it's too old for most of them to go back.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Despite his love for lions, Fitz hasn't worked with them for some time.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05My last lioness was poisoned in the wild about two and a half years ago,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but basically, since I moved to Mukanazi,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I've not worked with the animals I love so much, which are lions,
0:24:12 > 0:24:19so everything I say here is tinged by the fact that these are the big love of my life, you know?
0:24:19 > 0:24:27It's strange not to be able to go in there and play with them and stuff, which is what I always did.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Do you fancy releasing these?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Why, is there a local village or what?!
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- It's an enclosure or... - Don't scare the locals!
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Pull straight down. - Pull it straight down.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Latch in there, and off they go.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Well, they didn't need much encouragement?
0:24:56 > 0:24:57- No, no.- And the big guy?
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Right, if you flick the catch over, he'll tell you off, but don't worry.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04LION ROARS
0:25:04 > 0:25:06And then just pull the slide.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Aww, good boy, good boy.- It's not really much of a telling off really!
0:25:12 > 0:25:16He was quite good today, I thought he was going to be a bit grumpier!
0:25:16 > 0:25:18And that's it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Well, I've put a few animals back into the wild,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26but this was the quickest programme I've ever been involved in!
0:25:27 > 0:25:32With the release of the pride done, Fitz's visit to Longleat is complete.
0:25:32 > 0:25:38But what does an African conservationist make of the work Keith and his staff are doing?
0:25:38 > 0:25:43I've always wanted to come to Longleat since it opened years ago and I heard about it, one because it
0:25:43 > 0:25:49was a lion park, and two, because it was England, be interesting to see, and I've never come.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It's very strange.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56I'm not meant to like animals in captivity, and I've spent my whole life setting animals free.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59I come here and talk to Keith and I see these animals,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02they're all cared about, loved so much,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05well managed and well run, and, kind of, where I come from,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07so much is being destroyed,
0:26:07 > 0:26:13so what I'm feeling is not what I thought I'd be feeling or should be feeling.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Now, this all sounds very silly,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18but it is a great privilege to be here too,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and I think everybody that comes here should feel that.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It's a very special place,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and I hope I leave here with some good friends and certainly some good memories.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Well, sadly, it's almost the end of the whole series,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44but before we go, Kate and I have come up to the Rhino House
0:26:44 > 0:26:46to say goodbye to Winston,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50and to thank Head Warden, Keith Harris, for another fantastic year.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51- Sad, isn't it?- It is sad,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54but it has been a really exciting year for Longleat,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57lots of new things coming in, lots of new animals being born.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02- That's right, we've had new tigers, warthogs, which I think they've been great fun.- Yeah.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04We've had all these births, so it's been great.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And even the older animals, like Winston, are still doing so well?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Great to see him still... up and about and...
0:27:14 > 0:27:18He got a bit down, but he's enjoying the spring and the summer now.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Absolutely. Well, Keith, thank you very much.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- Thank you.- We, I suppose, should pack our bags and go, shouldn't we?
0:27:25 > 0:27:30Whoa, no... The series has finished, but you two haven't, I'm sorry!
0:27:30 > 0:27:34You know this is going to be horrid, don't you? What is that!
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Winston needs his mud bath!- Why?!
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- There's one for you.- OK.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41This is... He's been in on the yard here,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43so he needs softness on the skin,
0:27:43 > 0:27:48you put cream on your face, here's Winston look, can you please...?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- I knew...- There's not many animals I'd do this for!
0:27:51 > 0:27:55- I've been called back to the office! I've got to go!- Brilliant!
0:27:55 > 0:27:59- Here you are, Winston!- OK, how are you getting on over there?
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Your mud pack to make your skin beautiful and soft.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05That really is it for us,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08we are obviously going to be here for a while...
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Don't even think about it, Fogle!
0:28:10 > 0:28:13We look forward to seeing you again soon. Bye-bye.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14Bye-bye.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Ready... three, two, one!!
0:28:22 > 0:28:24How did she do that?!
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:45 > 0:28:48E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk