0:00:03 > 0:00:06The meerkats are some of the most popular animals here at Longleat
0:00:06 > 0:00:10but following their story has been a heart-breaking experience.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12There have been many glorious births,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16but tragically many deaths here at Meerkat Mountain.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Everyone has their fingers crossed as their journey continues today.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Coming up - we go foraging
0:00:43 > 0:00:48for probably the most dangerous tortoise food in the world.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54The bats get in a flap during a fruit-feeding frenzy.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59And the new watering-hole is almost ready, but after all the hard work,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01will the animals actually like it?
0:01:03 > 0:01:04But first, Meerkat Mountain
0:01:04 > 0:01:09is one of the most dangerous places in the park.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The collective name for a gang of meerkats is a mob,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22which is appropriate after all of the violence and tragedy
0:01:22 > 0:01:25that's happened here in recent times.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- Hi guys.- Darren Beasley is the keeper in charge.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31His mission has always been to get them to breed.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33But, before that could ever happen,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37the mob had to become a settled and stable family group.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41We've been trying to get the meerkat balance down here right.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43It's been a real trial for all of the keepers.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48We brought in some new blood, we brought some from two collections.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Some girls and a single boy, a breeding male.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55It was a nightmare. There was fighting, there was squabbling.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59In the end, sadly, there was a murder, there was a fatality.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02They fought so bad that they killed each other.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Meerkats come from the barren deserts of southern Africa,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11a landscape so harsh the only rule is kill or be killed.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14But after that murder, the mob did settle down.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18An alpha male and female emerged as leaders
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and finally they began to breed.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Three pups from their first litter have survived
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and are now four months old.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It's taken years and tears and heartache,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32but we're there. Long may it reign.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Once there's an established alpha couple, there's no reason
0:02:36 > 0:02:38why they shouldn't just keep breeding.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47But at Meerkat Mountain, it seems that tragedy is never far away.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53When the next litter came, there were two pups, but one soon died.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55And the other was abandoned by her parents.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59So keeper John Reynolds took on the labour-intensive
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and emotionally charged task of hand rearing.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06He looked after the baby for five weeks
0:03:06 > 0:03:10and then the time came to try to reintegrate her into the mob.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I think she is ready to go back in with them now.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20She's old enough now, she's strong enough. She's healthy enough.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24She really needs to be back with her own kind. It's good for her.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I can only teach her so much. I can't teach her to dig in the ground
0:03:27 > 0:03:30or stand up on her legs. I can't teach her how to be a meerkat.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33MEERKATS CHATTER
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Don't need that any more.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43This is the moment of truth.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Will the mob accept the baby back or kill her as an intruder?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So far, this is looking good.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I'm absolutely thrilled. It's gone better than I could have imagined.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09They've taken to her like she was never gone.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It really is absolutely incredible.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21But sadly this early success was short-lived.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Nobody knows why or how it happened, but a few days later,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28John's little baby was found dead.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33But this wasn't the last drama on Meerkat Mountain
0:04:33 > 0:04:38because the alpha female is pregnant again and we'll be back soon
0:04:38 > 0:04:42to see what happens when the next litter of pups comes along.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The East Africa Reserve is a great place
0:04:54 > 0:04:57to see some of Africa's most incredible animals.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01The animals are free to roam and all exhibit natural
0:05:01 > 0:05:05herd behaviour, just as they would at home on the African plains.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08But one thing you can't get away from
0:05:08 > 0:05:11is that these animals live in Wiltshire.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17If you were looking for herd animals in Africa,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20a good place to start is around a water hole, like this one.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And it was while on a trip to Kenya that head of section Andy Hayton
0:05:26 > 0:05:31had the idea of bringing an extra slice of Africa to the West Country
0:05:31 > 0:05:33by building a water hole of his own.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Facing typically British weather, construction commenced.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40And it wasn't entirely straightforward.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53But the water hole did finally get completed,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57and now, with the sun shining, I've come up to meet Andy
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and hopefully get a look at the animals.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It is a glorious sunny day here at Longleat
0:06:04 > 0:06:09and I'm in the East Africa Reserve with head of section Andy Hayton,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and looking at your brand new water hole, Andy,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14which is clearly a triumph.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17The best garden pond ever, isn't it?
0:06:17 > 0:06:22It really is, it's just fantastic. The animals seem to like it.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23It's worked really well.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25We've turned all their water drinkers off now.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30They actually use this as their watering hole as we envisaged it.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And this is about as natural an environment
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- as you could give them presumably?- It's fantastic.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40They don't spend all their time here, but some lucky visitors
0:06:40 > 0:06:43will get a real good show when the giraffe come.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46They normally come up at midday-ish. And you get giraffe here drinking
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and zebra and ostriches.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52It's working exactly how we wanted it to work.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It's such a good show when they're all down here.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Absolutely. And presumably, that is the great draw of water holes
0:06:59 > 0:07:04- in the wild, it's a great place to see wild animals.- Absolutely.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09I mean, all the real classic lodges in Africa are by a water hole
0:07:09 > 0:07:13cos that's where the animals must come cos they've got to drink.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15We're just trying to replicate it as much as we can.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We've got a little bit of a stampede going on there! Exciting.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I love the way they move.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Fantastic. You don't see this in many other collections.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31We've got so much space that the giraffe can run at a full sprint.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35That is just a fantastic sight.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Absolutely wonderful. But they've now abandoned the water hole.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I wonder whether there is that instinct,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44because watering holes are great for predators, aren't they?
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Yeah, everybody gravitates to them, cos the predators know
0:07:47 > 0:07:50that the other animals are gonna come there, so...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53They were quite nervous when we first started using it.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56They were a little bit, is there a lion hiding behind that tree?
0:07:56 > 0:08:02Absolutely. It was good, and it looks so nice, when you have giraffe there!
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Thanks, guys! It really makes it feel
0:08:05 > 0:08:08like a little slice of East Africa.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10It's nice. It really is good.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15Congratulations. I know it's been a hard slog to get it done.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17But it really does look lovely.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I look forward to seeing crowds of animals around it
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- when they haven't all stampeded off! - When they come back.- Thanks, Andy.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Back at Meerkat Mountain, keeper Darren Beasley
0:08:40 > 0:08:43has just made a rather exciting discovery.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51SQUEAKING Can you hear the noise?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56One, two, three, four, five.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Five brand new babies.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And mum's been brilliant. She's been nursing them.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07They've had their colostrums, their first milk.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12Hopefully this is gonna boost our numbers again and it'll be a happy little meerkat mob.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16That's what we want. We'll leave them in peace now.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20In the wild, it would be very unusual for all five to survive.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24We always have this problem with any baby animal.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26We get all excited on day one.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But it's just the beginning of mum and dad's real hard work,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32so if they get it right like we know these guys can now,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36is that the older brothers and sisters will help out.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37Nice warm weather, they'll be out
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and like little teddy-bear miniature meerkats soon.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Touch wood, it's only the first few hours they've been born,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46but it's looking excellent. Ten out of ten.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51But Darren knows only too well when there's good news
0:09:51 > 0:09:55on Meerkat Mountain, bad news is often not far behind.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Inside the old stable block,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09there are animals that some people regard as quite scary...
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Bats.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14But as Ben's gone to find out,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18bats aren't bad at all, just misunderstood.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I'm in the bat cave with keeper Alexa Fairburn.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Alexa, it's breakfast time, is that right?
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Yes. They're very hungry.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29So how on earth do we go about feeding bats?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32These are fruit bats, so they get a variety of different types of fruit.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Apples, oranges, bananas, melon, mango, strawberries,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38anything we can get our hands on they eat.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Figs, they really like.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- Where do we do this preparation? - We've food preparation through here.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- We've got a little treat for them today.- What's that?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- It's different enrichment feeding device for them.- OK. Very good.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Which we'll be trying it out.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- And this is where we become chefs, is that right?- Indeed.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- It's just fruit that they live off? - Yeah, it's with us.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05In the wild, they would eat bugs and things like that, little plants.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06But in here they don't bother.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- It looks pretty finely chopped to me?- It is.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13We try to chop it quite finely otherwise they do tend to drop it.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17So we need it finely chopped or they'll drop it on visitors' heads.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19I'll show you my chopping technique.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And today they'll have an extra special treat?
0:11:22 > 0:11:23- That's right.- What's the plan?
0:11:23 > 0:11:27We've got a nice enrichment device we're going to put the food into.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Hopefully, we'll see flight muscles working, their chest muscles.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34We'll be able to see them clambering around.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- They would naturally squabble a bit for their dinner.- Fantastic.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- What do you think of my chopping? - Brilliant.- Nearly there?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42- Yeah.- Very good. We'll add that.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Alexa, we've got our finely cut fruit. What now?
0:11:48 > 0:11:52We put it in our nice new enrichment device for them.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- Can I step over here? - Of course you can.- How does it work?
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Just pour some of the fruit in, and then hopefully
0:12:01 > 0:12:04the bats will come in using the holes and their flight muscles
0:12:04 > 0:12:08and hopefully they'll come and have a nice old feed.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12OK. So presumably, we take a step back and let the bats come in?
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- We do.- To see the bats more clearly,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18we've rigged up a night-vision camera over the feeding basket.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24Now first thing is, how on earth do the bats know the food is there?
0:12:24 > 0:12:26They've got an absolutely amazing sense of smell
0:12:26 > 0:12:28so they smelt it the second we walked in.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31They use echo location as well,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35which is basically a series of clicks they use with their tongue.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38That tells them where objects are so they can avoid them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Alexa, we've got the first bat.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42What's it doing now?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45He's just smelling it now. It's got all different human smells on it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49He's just checking it out. He'll be able to smell all nice tasty fruit.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51He'll go up and tell the others it's there now.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Is that how they work?
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Yeah, normally one of them starts feeding
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and it sets all the others off.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- Will there potentially be a feeding frenzy in there?- Hopefully, yeah.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04OK, so we've got a couple in there now - it looks like three?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Three or four.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09You can see they're using all of their wings and everything like that.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They'll get right on in here and find their nice bits of favourite food.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15They're prettying agile, being able to crawl out of those holes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18They've got really strong flight muscles and chest muscles.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20You can almost see their claws.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23They've got little hooks on the end of their wing called a thumb.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25So how do they actually grab the food?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27With their teeth or with their little hooks?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29They'll use their teeth. With the finely chopped
0:13:29 > 0:13:34stuff like that, they'll stuff it all in their mouth and fly off.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Are they quite greedy, do they have quite an appetite?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39They do, yeah. They can eat 70% of their body weight every day.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- They really do eat an awful lot.- 70%?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It can be. Between 50% and 70%, yeah.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47That's a lot of fruit cutting!
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- It is a lot, yes!- They're all clambering out everywhere.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53This what it's all about, is it, to give them something new?
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Yeah, in the wild, they'd be foraging and feeding all of the time,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59finding new roost sites all the time.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Obviously in here it's a controlled environment,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04so we like to give them loads of enrichment ideas,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and different feeding techniques.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10For you, presumably doing a different feeding technique like
0:14:10 > 0:14:13this gives you a totally new insight into the bats' behaviour?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15You can see how much they move,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18how much their chest muscles do a lot of the work for them
0:14:18 > 0:14:21when they're using their wings and everything like that.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It's brilliant to see them moving around using themselves more agilely.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28So this is not only breakfast but a bat workout?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- Exactly!- Alexa, thank you very much.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34We'll leave the bats to their exercise.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42I am out in Wolf Wood, and I mean OUT in Wolf Wood,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44with Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Ian, this seems very, very unwise.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Usually we stay in the feed truck,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53but we're just here with our Land Rover. Why?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- We need tortoise food.- Tortoise food?
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- This is tortoise food.- Right. - Plantain, which we need to get.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01We haven't been able to do this
0:15:01 > 0:15:04for the last three or four weeks because of the wolf pups.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08The parents have got slightly better now and they're letting us do this.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12When you say a little bit better, what were they like before?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15You couldn't get on the grass. They would be over here now.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Straight away.- Quite aggressive?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22They're beginning in a slightly nerve-wracking way
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- to move around us!- Yes. - In a sort of pincer movement.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I'm just looking over there. So we'd better pick this fast.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Why is this good for tortoises?
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And surely it grows somewhere else in the park?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It does. But cos we haven't been able to do this
0:15:38 > 0:15:41for four weeks, I've been depleting the stocks elsewhere.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Now the wolves have quietened down, the ideal time to grab it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47What's so good about it for tortoises?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It's got all of the vitamins they need, perfect tortoise food.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We need to get this whole sack full?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- Yeah.- Blimey, that's quite a lot.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- I'll pick. You keep an eye on the wolves.- Go for the big stuff.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- The big ones. OK.- Bigger is better.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07So, I mean, presumably the wolves as you say are a bit more
0:16:07 > 0:16:12- relaxed now because the cubs are a little bit bigger?- A bit bigger.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- They're not worried about us doing anything to them.- Right.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19He says, with his fingers crossed!
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Now these are Canadian timber wolves. What would their prey be?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27They'd look for rabbits and stuff like that in the wild.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29They'd look out for moose.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So if you have a sick moose they'd follow it for 30 miles
0:16:32 > 0:16:35until it collapses and then they'll be on it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38We've got a pretty good amount there.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- How many tortoises have we got to feed?- Lots. We need more.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- OK.- Bring the sack over here.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47OK. So, is this a special treat for tortoises
0:16:47 > 0:16:52or something that you try and give them as often as possible?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- We pick dandylions, which are more or less going out of season now.- Right.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58And plantain as I say is a big one.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02We don't want to take too much cos we can get more another day.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- So that's a good sackful. All right? - OK. We're gonna run back in.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17So, mission successfully accomplished.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Now all we've got to do is go and feed the tortoises. Join us later.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35At Meerkat Mountain, the five new babies are now six weeks old.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39And it's a very special day for them and their keeper, John Reynolds.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41It's a lovely, lovely day today.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44We've decided we'll let the meerkats out.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47This will be the first full day they've been out.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50It's very rare for them to have five.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53We didn't expect all of them to survive.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57We've got the results now. We've got all five still living.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Absolutely incredible.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And now here they come!
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Meerkats don't start to get their adult markings
0:18:07 > 0:18:08until they're three months old.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13But they are born with those black patches around their eyes,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16which make them look like little gangsters.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21There's a large enclosure to be explored
0:18:21 > 0:18:24and plenty of mischief to get up to.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Already their personalities are starting to show.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Some are more adventurous than others.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48And, at the end of the day, they're all exhausted
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and ready to go back into their house under the mountain.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Eagle-eyed John has been watching them closely
0:18:54 > 0:18:57and has spotted that one has a minor injury.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02They've been bounding around, playing on the mountain,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05but unfortunately, one of them has hurt his eye.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09It's either got caught in a stick outside, or possibly fighting,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13so it's gone a bit sore. We're just going to put some medication on it -
0:19:13 > 0:19:18to clear any infections but also just for our peace of mind.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Meerkats identify each other mainly by smell.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So John makes sure he gets the mob's scent on his hands
0:19:25 > 0:19:27before he administers the eye drops.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Come on. Here we go.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36We don't want to pick them up unless we absolutely have to.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39But we're just trying to step in there before anything happens.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Are you all right?
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Over the next few days, John keeps a close eye on them.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57By watching their parents, the babies quickly learn
0:19:57 > 0:20:01to eat bugs and fruit, the staples of a meerkat diet.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Cos there are five brothers and sisters,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07there's a lot of rough and tumble at dinner time.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10From a young age in the wild, the babies would fight amongst themselves
0:20:10 > 0:20:13because they want more food, they want to be the strongest.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16In the wild, it would be survival of the fittest.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21In the barren deserts where they come from, food is very scarce.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25And an extra mouthful can be the difference between life and death.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Meerkat Mountain is a much safer place to grow up
0:20:28 > 0:20:31but it's not completely without hazards.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35One has had a fall and is limping. Although John's concerned,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39he knows it could be more dangerous to intervene.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41We'll keep a close eye on it for now.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44The next couple of days, monitor it and make sure it's all right.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46We'll try and do it from a distance.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49We don't want to go in there and pick it up every day.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It'll stress it out and stress the mum out.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56We don't want that. So we'll keep an eye on it and see how it goes.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01So far, the baby meerkats have only had a couple of minor injuries.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03But they still have a long way to go.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07We'll be back later as their difficult journey continues.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14I'm back with Deputy Head Warden Ian Turner.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18We're out in Pets' Corner with lots of hungry tortoises,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21a sack full of plantain, which you've washed, Ian.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Why did you bother to do that?
0:21:23 > 0:21:27To get the smell of wolves off it, in case they've marked it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Oh yes, of course, because wolves do scent mark a lot, don't they?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33That wouldn't be tasty for the tortoises!
0:21:33 > 0:21:35That's washed now.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- So we put this out, do we into these trays?- Into the trays.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43They're probably not going to eat so much today, because it's been cold.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47As well as being really good for them, is it a built of a favourite?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Yeah. It is.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53This and dandelions is probably their favourite two things.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56And apart from this sort of wild food you give them,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00what else is in important to feed tortoises to keep them healthy?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Literally the best you can do is get the wild stuff.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05By a long way.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Lettuce is not very good for them cos it's no goodness in it.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- Right.- Tomatoes is a bit of extra stuff you can do.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But literally, it's the wild stuff.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17From your garden, it's all natural stuff.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20You've got to get something which they'd naturally get.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I'm going to do a bit of a help here because one of my favourite
0:22:24 > 0:22:29tortoises, Winky down here, so called because he's a wheel
0:22:29 > 0:22:32instead of a back leg, haven't you, mate?
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I'm just going to help you over and see if you would like a go
0:22:36 > 0:22:41at this plantain which Ian and I picked at great peril to ourselves.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Is he impressed?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Oh, Winky, show some gratitude!
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Ian, thank you very much. That was indeed an experience.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Probably the most dangerous way
0:22:56 > 0:22:59to collect tortoise food there is in the world.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Just enjoy it and be grateful, you lot!
0:23:16 > 0:23:19At Meerkat Mountain, the mob are in mourning.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Although all five babies survived
0:23:22 > 0:23:25for two months and seemed to be doing well,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28there's now been some very bad news.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31A few days ago, Darren Beasley arrived to find that the baby
0:23:31 > 0:23:34with the poorly eye had died in the night.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38If that wasn't bad enough,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41the next day he discovered another of the pups
0:23:41 > 0:23:43had succumbed to a mystery ailment.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47One minute, everybody's really elated and really happy
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and swapping the cigars because we've got babies.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55The next minute it's all very sad cos nature can be so cruel.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We've lost of a couple of babies which is really quite sad.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03It's yet another blow for meerkat keeper John Reynolds.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05It was a shock to begin with.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09But we were absolutely devastated.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12But slowly we've got used to the fact that they've gone.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16We've got to get on with it and focus on the three that are still here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19John doesn't have time to dwell on these sad events
0:24:19 > 0:24:23because right now they're expecting a special visitor.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Lord Bath himself has come down to meet the meerkat pups.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37He's concerned to find there's now only three.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Can you be sure that it's not the parents killing them?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43We don't think it's the parents killing them,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47cos there'd be bite-marks and blood, things like that.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50We'll keep a close eye on the rest of these ones and hope for the best.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Yes. Hello.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Well now they've got this far, which is what, three months old?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Two months old now, nearly. About eight weeks.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03How good are the chances they'll reach adulthood?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07In another month or so, they'll be more or less self-sufficient
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and hopefully they'll all survive, the rest of them.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Hello! Do they nip?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16You wouldn't ever put your hand beneath and pick it up?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20No. Not without gauntlets, or for a very, very good reason!
0:25:20 > 0:25:25I think I'm liable to a surreptitious attack from behind!
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Of course, the meerkats aren't really little gangsters and bandits,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38despite the names that John's suggested for the three little ones.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40It has to be The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43It's just that they look so mischievous,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and despite all the tragedies,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49there's something about the mob that many people can identify with.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51We can relate to them, can't we?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Cos they're a family group. Everyone looking after each other.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I could spend hours in here.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58If I didn't have a real job to do and proper work,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I'd sit in for hours and watch and enjoy this.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04It's nice to have things to be proud of.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I'm really proud of this.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I really am.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23As the day draws to an end, the traditional rainy season
0:26:23 > 0:26:25descends upon Wiltshire's Wallaby Wood.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28And it's known around these parts as summer!
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Well, it's a very rainy, wet, windy end of the day, but Kate and I've
0:26:33 > 0:26:37come up to Wallaby Wood with a very wet head of section Andy Hayton.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Andy, the wallabies don't mind this weather too much.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42They're not too bad actually, Ben.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46They're really tough little animals, which is fortunate really.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49There are actually wild populations of wallabies in this country.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53There's some in the Peak District up in Derbyshire,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and there's some on an island in Loch Lomond.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58They've actually adapted to our climate pretty well?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Really well. These guys have got their breeding cycle going
0:27:01 > 0:27:05so all the babies come in spring so they get the really good weather(!)
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Like this, yeah!
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Now, they've obviously scattered around.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13In weather like this, do they tend to take shelter?
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Do they tend to sort of hide under trees or go into the house here?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Yeah. You will see a lot of that.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Plus, with this wind, you could hear yourself,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24the noise of it is quite ferocious.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26If you've got really good hearing like a lot of our animals,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30it really tends to spook them out cos they're being buffeted around
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and they can't hear possible threats and things like that.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38A lot of animals get a little bit spooked in this weather.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Rhinos, they'll get tripped out if it's rainy and windy.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43They don't really like it. In the years I've been here,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I've figured out it's not solely because it's wet and miserable.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Tell you what I worked out. They're quite clever cos, if we go around
0:27:51 > 0:27:56the corner here, sheltered from the wind is a very clever wallaby!
0:27:56 > 0:27:58That's where I want to be.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Exactly! Andy, thank you very much indeed
0:28:01 > 0:28:04for bringing us up to a wet, wild Wallaby Wood.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Sadly, that's all we've got time for on today's programme.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Here's what's coming up on the next Animal Park.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14The Longleat keepers head out to Africa where they join
0:28:14 > 0:28:19a mercy mission to save a whole pack of ferocious killers.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22The wolves in Wolf Wood have had a tough time of late.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26So how are the new cubs faring now?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28And it's feeding time for the tigers.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32- Down the hatch.- But they seem more interested in eating the car.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37- They go for the tyres. Hey!- So don't miss the next Animal Park.