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Meet the rarest cubs in the world. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:04 | |
These baby Sumatran tigers offer real hope | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
for the future of their critically endangered species. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:13 | |
Hey, aren't you beautiful? | 0:00:13 | 0:00:14 | |
For their first four months, | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
they'll be growing up in a suburban Australian family home... | 0:00:17 | 0:00:21 | |
..where they'll be completely reliant on their foster dad, | 0:00:24 | 0:00:26 | |
tiger expert Giles Clarke. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:29 | |
I want people to fall in love with these cubs, | 0:00:29 | 0:00:31 | |
I want people to want to help us save them in the wild. | 0:00:31 | 0:00:34 | |
This is a unique and intimate look at the growing pains | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
of the most important captive tiger cubs on earth. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:44 | |
-In this episode... -I'm going to go home with her. | 0:00:48 | 0:00:50 | |
..when the cubs are born... | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
My heart is in my mouth. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:54 | |
..Giles takes on the toughest parenting job of his life. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:59 | |
It's hard work being a tiger daddy. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:01 | |
HE SNORES | 0:01:01 | 0:01:03 | |
And these tigers struggle through | 0:01:03 | 0:01:05 | |
the first crucial weeks of their lives. | 0:01:05 | 0:01:08 | |
They're both sick and I don't know why. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
Can this zookeeper from Middlesex give these superstar cubs | 0:01:13 | 0:01:17 | |
the start they need | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
and help save their species from the brink of extinction? | 0:01:19 | 0:01:25 | |
Giles Clarke is a zookeeper with a lot on his plate. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
It's too early for barking! | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
As well as two boisterous children... | 0:01:40 | 0:01:42 | |
You need to wake up! | 0:01:42 | 0:01:44 | |
-What's on the agenda at school today? -I don't know. | 0:01:45 | 0:01:49 | |
..a couple of dogs... | 0:01:49 | 0:01:50 | |
-Make sure he sits. -Sit! | 0:01:50 | 0:01:52 | |
-..and one of these... -This is my pet snake. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:56 | |
-Love you. You have a good day. -You, too. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:58 | |
-..he deals with some wilder creatures at work. -He's a wombat. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:03 | |
They do look like big rodents, don't they? Although they are small, | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
I've seen these guys knock over fully grown men. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:09 | |
Not me, no. I work with tigers. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:12 | |
Giles works with Sumatran tigers, and with less | 0:02:12 | 0:02:17 | |
than 500 left in the wild, they are critically endangered. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
Tigers are just, by their sheer definition, the most | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
awe-inspiring, amazing creature that I think has ever walked this planet. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:29 | |
He runs the Tiger Department | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
at Australia Zoo in Queensland, Eastern Australia. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:35 | |
And they have a special approach to managing the animals. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:41 | |
Do you like the kangaroos? You can feed them today. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:45 | |
The zoo's philosophy is that if people can see | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
and touch the animals, they will want to help conserve them | 0:02:47 | 0:02:51 | |
in the wild, and this includes nine tigers under Giles' care. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:56 | |
Apex predators weighing up to 130 kilos. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:02 | |
Like any animal, they have their good days... | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
Ah, there she goes! | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
..and they have those days where they've just woken up | 0:03:17 | 0:03:20 | |
on the wrong side of the straw. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
What's up, big fella? You're so grumpy. | 0:03:22 | 0:03:25 | |
But there is one special tiger here who could be forgiven | 0:03:26 | 0:03:29 | |
for having a few mood swings. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:32 | |
So, this is Kaitlyn, this is our expectant mum-to-be. | 0:03:32 | 0:03:37 | |
Look at the size of that belly! | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
Six-year-old Kaitlyn is just days away from giving birth to | 0:03:41 | 0:03:45 | |
the first Sumatran tigers ever born at the zoo. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
And Giles is watching her closely. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
Just going to go and take some blood from, um, Kaitlyn. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
So, just another routine check, monitoring her progesterone level. | 0:03:56 | 0:04:01 | |
So, I'm just putting the kit together, ready, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
so I don't have to mess about when we go in with her. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
A very relaxed Kaitlyn has allowed Giles to take blood | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
throughout her pregnancy. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
Good girl. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:17 | |
And the latest test shows her progesterone levels are dropping, | 0:04:18 | 0:04:24 | |
which is a good indication that the birth is imminent. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
What? | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
Giles is only able to get this close to Kaitlyn | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
because of the special hands-on relationship he has with his tigers. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:37 | |
I have contact with my cats, | 0:04:38 | 0:04:40 | |
because I truly believe that it gives them the best | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
quality of lifestyle that they could possibly have in captivity. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
We, as handlers, will go into the same area as the tigers, | 0:04:46 | 0:04:51 | |
where we will do various things with them, most importantly, | 0:04:51 | 0:04:55 | |
we can actually move all of those cats around, | 0:04:55 | 0:04:57 | |
which then even allows us to take them outside of our compound. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:01 | |
The reasons why we do these walks just speak volumes for themselves. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:06 | |
The cats love it and it really is about giving them | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
a whole variety of stimulus that they otherwise just normally | 0:05:09 | 0:05:13 | |
wouldn't get if we were to keep them in one enclosure their entire lives. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
So, this is Juma that we are walking this morning. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:20 | |
Juma is one of our oldest cats, | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
he is now nine and a half years of age, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:24 | |
so well and truly fully grown. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
Juma is one of the most laid-back individuals that we have. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
He never likes to be rushed, he is a very chilled-out character. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:35 | |
Giles started working closely with tigers in his teens. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:42 | |
So, yeah, the first time I ever walked a tiger was at a zoo, | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
when I was 16, back in England. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
I was hooked then, I knew I wanted to work with tigers, I knew that | 0:05:48 | 0:05:52 | |
I wanted to ultimately do what I do now, you know, | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
it's a dream come true. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:57 | |
Training to achieve this level of mutual trust starts | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
when the tigers are cubs and has to be continually reinforced. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:05 | |
So, ultimately, we want the walks to be really positive for them, | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
and so, we afford them quite a lot of freedom, | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
they get to generally go in the direction that he wants to go in | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
and do the things that he wants to do, but there is a very clear | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
understanding that he has to respect the handlers. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
We've got a certain set of not only voice commands, | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
but in techniques that we use through the leash that we can manage that. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:27 | |
There needs to be a certain level of understanding | 0:06:27 | 0:06:29 | |
and compromise on both parts. | 0:06:29 | 0:06:31 | |
I know, mate. This is what it is. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:38 | |
Going off-road now, so we're going bush bashing. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
Which is good for him. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:43 | |
It's not so good for us! | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
Kaitlyn has had to miss her daily walk. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
She has an appointment with Mel, the vet. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
We are doing an ultrasound today, we are probably only | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
days off the birth, so just looking for a really strong heartbeat. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:05 | |
The average size of a tiger litter is between two and four cubs. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:11 | |
Here we go! | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
Yeah, everyone has got their bets on, on the day, how many cubs | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
and, you know, how many boys, how many girls. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
So, we won't know until it happens. But it's pretty exciting. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:23 | |
Mel can't get close to Kaitlyn, as she doesn't have her trust, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
so it's down to Giles and his team to do the hands-on work. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:32 | |
-Let's have a look... -Straightaway, we're on a cub. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:36 | |
-I can see the skull, the spine. -Can't miss them any more. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:41 | |
That's awesome. OK. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:44 | |
So, you are actually seeing glimpses of the airway coming down, | 0:07:44 | 0:07:48 | |
then that's the heart there. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:50 | |
Stay still, mate. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
-There was two spines there, together, weren't there? -Yeah, there was. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
They are so big that they don't even fit on the screen any more. | 0:07:56 | 0:08:00 | |
Almost brings a lump to my throat to think that, you know, | 0:08:01 | 0:08:04 | |
these guys are going to be with us soon, you know, part of the family. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:09 | |
-Good girl. Hey, there's a little bit left if you want it. -Are you done? | 0:08:10 | 0:08:13 | |
Shall we call it quits? | 0:08:13 | 0:08:15 | |
KAITLYN BURPS Aww! Pardon you! Have a burp. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:19 | |
That's really funny! | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
-I was happy with what we saw again. -Yeah, it was cool. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
But this is no ordinary pregnancy. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
Kaitlyn's unborn cubs have global significance. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
In the jungles of Sumatra, tigers are a critically endangered species. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:39 | |
Fewer than 500 remain in the wild. | 0:08:39 | 0:08:42 | |
The main threat is poaching, for traditional medicine. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:47 | |
And at the present rate of decline, | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
the wild population could be wiped out within a decade. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:53 | |
So, the captive population represents an insurance policy | 0:08:53 | 0:08:57 | |
against extinction. | 0:08:57 | 0:08:59 | |
But there is a problem. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
So, if we look at outside of Indonesia, | 0:09:02 | 0:09:05 | |
if you were to look at all the Sumatran tigers in captivity... | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
originally came from 13 or 14 individuals. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:15 | |
There is only so many times that you can have combinations of | 0:09:15 | 0:09:18 | |
breeding those individuals before you start to get incidents of inbreeding. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:24 | |
But Kaitlyn is different. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:26 | |
She came from a zoo in Indonesia and represents a brand-new bloodline. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:32 | |
She is ranked number one in the world for captive females | 0:09:32 | 0:09:35 | |
outside Sumatra. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:36 | |
It means her future cubs will be royalty in the tiger world. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:42 | |
But they have yet to be born. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:49 | |
And it's been a long wait. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:52 | |
Tigers generally have a gestation period of about 100 to 110 days. | 0:09:55 | 0:10:00 | |
So, what we started doing, as of a couple of days ago, | 0:10:00 | 0:10:02 | |
on about day 95, was watching her throughout the night. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:08 | |
It seems to be getting harder and harder for her to get | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
comfortable to lie on one side for any period of time. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
There is a certain air, | 0:10:14 | 0:10:17 | |
I suppose, of feeling like you're just about like an expectant father | 0:10:17 | 0:10:21 | |
again, you've got that excitement and that anticipation, you know. | 0:10:21 | 0:10:25 | |
I want to know how many there are, I want to know what sex they are, | 0:10:25 | 0:10:30 | |
most importantly I want to make sure that Mum is going to be OK | 0:10:30 | 0:10:34 | |
and that she accepts them. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:36 | |
I don't think she is as excited as what we are as handlers, | 0:10:36 | 0:10:42 | |
she is taking it all very much in her stride! | 0:10:42 | 0:10:44 | |
And she is probably going to be very nonchalant | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
when the event happens, in comparison to us. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:50 | |
It is 9am at Tiger Base and Kaitlyn's contractions have started. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:08 | |
Giles speaking. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
Hey. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:11 | |
Um, it's close. Really close. It's imminent. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:16 | |
I'm going to go home with her, so I'll leave someone behind for her. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
-You want someone in there with you? -Mm-hm. -Right, cool, we can do that. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
OK. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:28 | |
I'm here at the moment because Kaitlyn's started to show us | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
signs of labour. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:32 | |
If things progress for a very long time, | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
if Kaitlyn shows us that she is in pain | 0:11:35 | 0:11:37 | |
and she's really struggling and that she can't actually give birth | 0:11:37 | 0:11:41 | |
to these cubs, then there's a chance that we might have to intervene. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:45 | |
Worst-case scenario that we would have to anaesthetise her | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
and do a Caesarean section. | 0:11:48 | 0:11:50 | |
Giles is so concerned about the safety of Kaitlyn | 0:11:50 | 0:11:54 | |
and her cubs that he is not going to leave her side. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:56 | |
But he is taking a great personal risk. | 0:11:56 | 0:12:00 | |
Although used to him, Kaitlyn is a powerful, fully grown tiger | 0:12:00 | 0:12:04 | |
and could behave unpredictably. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
Giles has a really close relationship with Kaitlyn | 0:12:07 | 0:12:09 | |
and I think he probably knows how to read her better than anybody else. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:14 | |
But in a circumstance like this, she's never given birth before, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
this is all new for her, | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
and instincts are going to come into play. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
We really can't predict whether she is going to get upset with him, | 0:12:22 | 0:12:26 | |
or whether she will totally accept him. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:28 | |
It could be a dangerous situation. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
But as the hours tick by, Kaitlyn seems to accept Giles' presence. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:36 | |
I'm pretty pleased with the way that she is going | 0:12:37 | 0:12:39 | |
and the way things are progressing. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:41 | |
She's very happy and comfortable to have myself | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
and the other handlers around, so that's a good | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
indication that we might be here for when she actually gives birth. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
So, I think at the moment, this is first-stage labour, | 0:12:54 | 0:12:57 | |
this could go on for quite a few hours, | 0:12:57 | 0:12:59 | |
her just feeling small contractions and being a bit uncomfortable, | 0:12:59 | 0:13:03 | |
a bit huffy with her breathing. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:06 | |
Then, it's not until we see her do those real big efforts again | 0:13:06 | 0:13:09 | |
that I think we'll call that second stage, | 0:13:09 | 0:13:11 | |
then we will be keeping a close eye on the time. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:14 | |
It's now four o'clock in the afternoon | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
and Kaitlyn has been in labour, on and off, for the last five hours. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:21 | |
We've just finished a period where there was | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
a couple of hours of not really much activity. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:26 | |
She's just getting to the point now where | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
she is having some pretty regular and strong contractions. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
Kaitlyn is entering the advanced stages of labour. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
SHE GRUNTS | 0:13:37 | 0:13:39 | |
Good girl, well done. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:41 | |
Copy. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:47 | |
'Copy. So, when she has a contraction, it's time to emerge.' | 0:13:48 | 0:13:54 | |
-Good stuff! -Don't touch it! | 0:13:54 | 0:13:58 | |
This is the amniotic sac, which means there is a cub on the way. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:03 | |
A cub with the sac just burst around it. Now we can see a face. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:09 | |
KAITLYN GRUNTS | 0:14:11 | 0:14:13 | |
Here we go, mate. | 0:14:18 | 0:14:20 | |
Come on, lick it. Lick it, lick it, lick it, lick it. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:33 | |
The sensation of Kaitlyn's licking should trigger the cub's lungs | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
to start working. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:40 | |
-Giles, is she licking that? -Yes, she is now. -Yup, OK. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:44 | |
It has gasped three times, but it's not breathing properly yet. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:48 | |
'Copy, Giles.' | 0:14:48 | 0:14:49 | |
Her licking it will stimulate it to breathe. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:52 | |
Yeah. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:53 | |
HE EXHALES | 0:14:53 | 0:14:55 | |
I still feel like we should get in there and give her a hand. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:58 | |
'Copy, Giles. Leave, please leave.' | 0:14:58 | 0:15:02 | |
She's licking its face. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:03 | |
She needs to clear whatever liquid is in the mouth. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
That is just leave her be for the moment. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
It's been two minutes, and although the cub has made some | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
weak attempts, it still hasn't started breathing properly. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:17 | |
It's gasping. It's not breathing. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
OK, it's breathing. One, two, three breaths. Four. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:29 | |
Good girl! You did so well. She did very well. There we go. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:36 | |
She knows what to do. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
CHEERING | 0:15:47 | 0:15:48 | |
So the cub just made its first ever noise, a little squeal-out to Mum. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:54 | |
Mum looked surprised if anything. | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
He's a beautiful ten-minute-old cub. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:04 | |
That's incredible, isn't it? Man, my heart was in my mouth. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:08 | |
That's a good girl. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:11 | |
For a first-time mum she's doing an amazing job, | 0:16:11 | 0:16:13 | |
and it's really hard just to sit back here and let her get on with it. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
She's starting to have contractions | 0:16:19 | 0:16:21 | |
in preparation for the second one to arrive. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:25 | |
There's the sac you can see coming out. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:27 | |
-Well done. Good girl. -Number two! -Doing so well. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:33 | |
Good girl! Well done. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:37 | |
There we go. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
CHEERING | 0:16:39 | 0:16:41 | |
This one's come out kicking and screaming! Good girl! | 0:16:43 | 0:16:47 | |
This is absolutely amazing. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:50 | |
Absolutely amazing. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
It's two males. And Kaitlyn is allowing Giles to share the moment. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:59 | |
One's up and about. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:01 | |
You're so good. You're so amazing. Good girl. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:17:12 | 0:17:14 | |
But six hours later | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
and the initial excitement has been replaced by anxiety. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:26 | |
While energetic cub number two is drinking well, | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
the first-born has yet to latch on to Kaitlyn for milk. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
And fearing the worst, Giles decides to intervene. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:41 | |
He has no idea how Kaitlyn will react, | 0:17:46 | 0:17:49 | |
so fellow handler Dave is on hand in case things go wrong. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
WHISPERS: Thanks, man. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:13 | |
Both cubs are now drinking | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
and the immediate danger has passed. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
I feel drained, emotional... excited... | 0:18:25 | 0:18:30 | |
But the global importance of these two cubs for the future | 0:18:35 | 0:18:38 | |
of their species means nothing will be left to chance. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:43 | |
Next morning, and the cubs are doing well. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
There we go. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
Two little boys! | 0:19:03 | 0:19:04 | |
They are a healthy 1.2 kilograms each. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:10 | |
And as the days roll by, | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
the cubs continue to thrive under Giles's watchful eye. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:23 | |
We try and spend a little bit of time with them every day. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
It's really important, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:27 | |
because from day one we've been building a bond with them. | 0:19:27 | 0:19:31 | |
And the fact that they just get used to hearing my voice | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
and the sensation of being touched and picked up is really good. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:38 | |
His eyes are still completely closed. This is day eight, but... | 0:19:38 | 0:19:41 | |
-It's usually between six and 12. -Yeah. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
Are you going to stay still for just a second? | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
Wow! | 0:19:47 | 0:19:49 | |
-See? They are growing. -That's 200 grams again in the day. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
That's fantastic. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
So they are only 12 days old | 0:19:54 | 0:19:55 | |
and they've already doubled their birth weight. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:58 | |
The stronger and bigger you get, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:00 | |
the better your chance of survival in the wild. | 0:20:00 | 0:20:02 | |
I just noticed that one little eye was open. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:06 | |
Which is awesome. You can see me now, sort of. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:09 | |
Well, you can see a shadow anyway. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
For the first couple of weeks they're not going to be able | 0:20:11 | 0:20:13 | |
to focus properly. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:15 | |
Like a human baby it takes a few weeks for the eyes to adjust. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
Two weeks later, the cubs are growing stronger | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
and it's time for Giles to give them names. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:28 | |
If you look at the two of them together, | 0:20:28 | 0:20:31 | |
this little chap has more of a continuous stripe going | 0:20:31 | 0:20:33 | |
along this way, whereas this one is a bit more broken, like a spot. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
So we're calling this one Spot for the time being, and this one Stripe. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
He tends to have a bit more of a feisty character than his brother. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
He's going to be a challenge, I can see already. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:47 | |
CUB SCREECHES | 0:20:47 | 0:20:48 | |
See what I mean about being stroppy? Aren't ya? Yeah. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
That's good, you've got spirit. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
KISS | 0:20:54 | 0:20:56 | |
This is the one we are calling Spot. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:57 | |
This little chap was the first one born and he was the one that, | 0:20:57 | 0:21:01 | |
for the first couple of hours, we were worried about. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:03 | |
He had a tougher time. Didn't you? | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
He's nearly the same weight as his brother now. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:08 | |
Despite their good health, life for young tigers is precarious. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:13 | |
Globally, over a third of captive-born Sumatran cubs | 0:21:13 | 0:21:17 | |
won't make it to adulthood. | 0:21:17 | 0:21:19 | |
You need to relax, like your brother. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:21 | |
Giles has made a difficult decision to safeguard the cubs' future. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:26 | |
You're going to pass with flying colours, buddy. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:29 | |
He's going to hand-raise them himself at home, | 0:21:29 | 0:21:33 | |
so he can give them 24-hour care. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:36 | |
And Mel the vet has come to check if they are healthy enough to leave. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:40 | |
The heart sounds really good. Steady beat, no murmurs. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:44 | |
And he's so relaxed! | 0:21:44 | 0:21:47 | |
We're starting off with such robust, healthy little cubs. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
They're not too young. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
They've already got so much strength in them. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
The cubs will be vulnerable to illness | 0:21:57 | 0:22:01 | |
until they are around six weeks old. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:03 | |
So Giles has got to keep a close eye on them round the clock. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:07 | |
There is an awful lot of pressure, you know. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
First and foremost, there is pressure | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
because these guys are so important to not only us here at the zoo, | 0:22:13 | 0:22:18 | |
but also to the breeding programme. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:20 | |
Potentially, a lot of eyes around the world are watching | 0:22:20 | 0:22:23 | |
what we're doing and making sure we do a good job. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:26 | |
We'll give it a good go, eh? We'll give it a good go. You're so funny! | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
Hand-raising the cubs will also prepare them | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
for their future lives at the zoo. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
These guys are never going back into the wild so, for me, | 0:22:37 | 0:22:41 | |
the fact that we hand-rear these guys, | 0:22:41 | 0:22:43 | |
they're going to be much, much better adjusted animals | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
and, ultimately, much more suitable for a life in captivity. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:49 | |
At home, the family TV room has been transformed into a nursery. | 0:22:55 | 0:23:02 | |
Remove the spare bed out. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:04 | |
And wife Kerri is bracing herself for having tiger cubs in the house. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:12 | |
Hopefully, nothing will get trashed. Maybe the walls... | 0:23:12 | 0:23:16 | |
maybe chewing on the windowsill, but hopefully nothing else! | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
There's things I know they are going to want to get into, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:24 | |
and some things you're resigned to the fact that you're going to have | 0:23:24 | 0:23:28 | |
a bit of damage, a bit of sacrificing maybe, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
and some things I'm going to keep my eye on | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
and make sure they don't get into. But generally they should be OK. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
But Kerri's bigger concern is exactly who is going to | 0:23:36 | 0:23:41 | |
be on call to look after the new house guests. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
How are you going to wake up in the middle of the night? | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
-Either with your help or I'm going to have... -My knees and elbows? | 0:23:47 | 0:23:50 | |
Yeah, that's right. Some gentle persuasion. | 0:23:50 | 0:23:53 | |
"Honey, the babies need feeding!" | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
Or we're going to have to set several alarms. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:58 | |
He'll be OK. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
It'll be fine. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
The next morning, preparations are getting under way at the zoo. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:14 | |
-We'll get her. -OK, you tell me when she's gone. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
Giles is going to be taking the cubs home today, and the handlers | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
have devised a strategy to help make the move go smoothly. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:26 | |
They are going to take Kaitlyn for one of her daily walks | 0:24:26 | 0:24:29 | |
so she isn't there when the cubs leave. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
It might help to make the transition a lot smoother for her. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
He just wants to keep the noise away from Kaitlyn. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:37 | |
The more stress we can alleviate, the better. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:40 | |
Let's get you out here and then we'll talk to you when we get home, eh? | 0:24:40 | 0:24:44 | |
Good boys. We'll see you at the other end. | 0:24:47 | 0:24:50 | |
The cubs will eventually see Kaitlyn and the other tigers again | 0:24:53 | 0:24:57 | |
after they return to the zoo in a few months. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
I won't lie, there is | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
a twinge of sadness after seeing just how dedicated Kaitlyn is. | 0:25:06 | 0:25:11 | |
And obviously she's going to come back off her walk | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
and have to come to the realisation that her cubs are no longer there. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:20 | |
But then she'll get on with life, | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
and that's exactly what they would do in the wild. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
Cubs being killed or taken by other predators happens all the time, | 0:25:24 | 0:25:29 | |
and they are incredibly good at adapting | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
and getting on with it quickly. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:34 | |
It starts here. The cubs are doing really, really well. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:38 | |
They are fit, strong, healthy. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:39 | |
You can see little glimmers of their personalities start | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
to shine through in the last few days. It's going to be good fun. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:46 | |
It's going to be hard work. I think it's worth it. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
Giles's children are still at school, | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
giving him a chance to settle the cubs in. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:00 | |
To help that process, he's made them a den-like enclosure | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
and brought home something with Kaitlyn's scent on. | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
I'm just going to put some of this straw...into the box... | 0:26:06 | 0:26:12 | |
Again, just so they've got a bit of familiarity, | 0:26:13 | 0:26:17 | |
with the sensation and the smell. CUB SCREECHES | 0:26:17 | 0:26:19 | |
It's OK! | 0:26:19 | 0:26:20 | |
There are two excited members of the family | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
who won't be meeting the cubs just yet. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:26 | |
BARKING | 0:26:26 | 0:26:28 | |
I think Ruby and Caesar know you're here now! | 0:26:28 | 0:26:32 | |
There we go. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:34 | |
OK, little guys. You hang out in there for a while. | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
You're off. You're so mobile. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
It's OK, boys. | 0:26:41 | 0:26:42 | |
Lodger and zoo volunteer Joe has been eagerly awaiting their arrival. | 0:26:44 | 0:26:49 | |
Last night I was like a little kid waiting for Christmas. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:54 | |
It was like Christmas Eve and I wanted to go to sleep | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
so today came quicker, but I was too excited so I couldn't sleep. | 0:26:57 | 0:27:01 | |
Literally like a little child. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:05 | |
Such a boy! They look very comfortable. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:08 | |
It's good that they're happy in terms of, you know, | 0:27:08 | 0:27:11 | |
they're fast asleep, they're not stressed. | 0:27:11 | 0:27:14 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:27:14 | 0:27:16 | |
With the cubs settling in, the real work is about to begin. | 0:27:16 | 0:27:20 | |
OK. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:21 | |
I've also got a bag of formula and it's as close as it could | 0:27:28 | 0:27:33 | |
possibly get to Mum's milk without actually milking Mum. | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
It's a huge moment for me. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
This is the first batch of what will be hundreds of litres | 0:27:38 | 0:27:42 | |
of milk that we'll make up over the next six months or so. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:45 | |
This is an actual purpose-made milk replacement formula for tiger cubs. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:51 | |
It's very high in fat content, but it also has pretty much everything | 0:27:51 | 0:27:55 | |
else that they need in this crucial part of their development. | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
All those different trace elements and vitamins. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:01 | |
You've got no idea as to how much, either in length of time or quantity, | 0:28:01 | 0:28:07 | |
that she is feeding them, because they fall asleep on her all the time. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:12 | |
So it might look like they're suckling for two hours, | 0:28:12 | 0:28:15 | |
but the majority of the time they're fast asleep | 0:28:15 | 0:28:18 | |
and they've either fallen off the teat or they're not even suckling. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:21 | |
-What do you reckon it tastes like? -I've tasted it before but it's very bland. | 0:28:21 | 0:28:25 | |
-No, you can't drink any. -It doesn't taste very nice. -GILES LAUGHS | 0:28:30 | 0:28:33 | |
Giles is going to be feeding the cubs on demand, | 0:28:33 | 0:28:36 | |
but he has no idea if the cubs will take to the formula milk. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:40 | |
Let's get started. I'm pretty excited. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:47 | |
He's going to try easy-going Spot first. | 0:28:48 | 0:28:52 | |
Good boy. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:53 | |
How're you feeling? | 0:28:56 | 0:28:58 | |
Obviously, this is the absolute first time they've ever experienced... | 0:28:58 | 0:29:02 | |
the bottle, the teat or anything, | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 | |
so I'm not expecting them to be over-interested in it. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:11 | |
Here we go. Good boy. Come on. | 0:29:11 | 0:29:15 | |
Eh? There we go. It doesn't taste like Mum, does it? | 0:29:15 | 0:29:20 | |
It's not too bad, is it, buddy? | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
Not too bad. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:33 | |
Spot has barely touched the milk, | 0:29:36 | 0:29:38 | |
and highly strung second-born Stripe is even less keen. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:42 | |
HISSING | 0:29:42 | 0:29:44 | |
Goodness! | 0:29:44 | 0:29:45 | |
HISSING | 0:29:46 | 0:29:48 | |
No? | 0:29:52 | 0:29:53 | |
They're still really just getting used to having us around. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:04 | |
Not quite ready, are you? | 0:30:04 | 0:30:06 | |
Tonight is going to be a long night. But that's fine. | 0:30:06 | 0:30:09 | |
That's totally what I was expecting. | 0:30:09 | 0:30:10 | |
We're going to let you rest and we'll come back. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:14 | |
Back at the zoo, handlers Dave and Geoff have been monitoring Kaitlyn. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:23 | |
When we took the cubs, we thought maybe she'd show | 0:30:25 | 0:30:27 | |
a bit of anxiety and want to know where they are. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:31 | |
At the moment she just seems more interested in just hanging out and | 0:30:31 | 0:30:35 | |
maybe going for a walk and enjoying the company of the handlers and... | 0:30:35 | 0:30:39 | |
It'll be good to see how she goes on the next few days, but it's definitely a good sign. | 0:30:39 | 0:30:43 | |
Obviously, the happier she is, the happier we are as well. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:46 | |
For anxious Giles, it's reassuring news. | 0:30:46 | 0:30:50 | |
OK, thanks, buddy. OK, see you. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:53 | |
It's such a relief. It's certainly a very good first step. | 0:30:53 | 0:30:57 | |
It's not just about the species or about conservation. | 0:30:57 | 0:31:00 | |
Those individual tigers matter and their individual welfare | 0:31:00 | 0:31:04 | |
and their needs. | 0:31:04 | 0:31:05 | |
And she's definitely fairly settled, fairly happy, | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
so it's looking really good. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:09 | |
It's 4pm and eight-year-old Kynan has rushed home from school | 0:31:09 | 0:31:14 | |
to meet the new house guests. | 0:31:14 | 0:31:16 | |
-Hello! -Hello! | 0:31:16 | 0:31:17 | |
-Awwwww! -Oh, how cute! | 0:31:17 | 0:31:20 | |
Aren't they cute? | 0:31:22 | 0:31:24 | |
It's love at first sight, too, for Kerri and daughter Alicia. | 0:31:26 | 0:31:31 | |
She didn't want any more brothers or sisters | 0:31:31 | 0:31:34 | |
-but these ones are different. -GILES LAUGHS | 0:31:34 | 0:31:36 | |
This one here is Spot. | 0:31:38 | 0:31:40 | |
Spot was the first one born and was smaller at first, | 0:31:42 | 0:31:46 | |
but now, believe it or not, he's bigger. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:49 | |
He's cute. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:52 | |
-Come on, play with me. -No! THEY LAUGH | 0:31:54 | 0:31:57 | |
We are going to put him back, OK, guys? Because I want them to rest. | 0:31:57 | 0:32:02 | |
Because the most important thing for the next two days | 0:32:02 | 0:32:05 | |
is that I can get him on the bottle. | 0:32:05 | 0:32:07 | |
And once they are feeding, you can have all the cuddles | 0:32:07 | 0:32:10 | |
and strokes and patting and photos you want. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:13 | |
Although he looks very happy. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:15 | |
I'm giving him a head massage. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
There we go. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:23 | |
It's a bit surreal, actually, to have them back here | 0:32:23 | 0:32:26 | |
and to think that we are right at the start of this amazing | 0:32:26 | 0:32:30 | |
next couple of months in the process of watching them grow | 0:32:30 | 0:32:34 | |
and having them at home and being part of the family. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
It's exciting. | 0:32:37 | 0:32:39 | |
It's 8pm and Kynan has found a replacement for the TV. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:44 | |
What are you doing? Don't keep waking them up. | 0:32:45 | 0:32:50 | |
He's going to sit and watch them. | 0:32:50 | 0:32:52 | |
I don't mind if you want to watch them, just don't wake them, OK? | 0:32:52 | 0:32:57 | |
You're very cute. | 0:32:57 | 0:32:58 | |
But it's been six hours since their last milk from Kaitlyn, | 0:33:01 | 0:33:04 | |
and if the cubs don't feed soon they could dehydrate. | 0:33:04 | 0:33:08 | |
They might be getting a little hungry now, which would be good. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:11 | |
So Giles is going to try dream-feeding the cubs, | 0:33:11 | 0:33:15 | |
giving them milk whilst they are still asleep. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
Don't wake up. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:19 | |
You guys are going to be hard work, aren't you? | 0:33:31 | 0:33:33 | |
I thought it was going to go so smoothly. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:38 | |
Steady... | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
Steady... | 0:33:40 | 0:33:42 | |
But suddenly they get the idea. | 0:33:42 | 0:33:44 | |
Good boy! There we go. Good boy. | 0:33:45 | 0:33:49 | |
OK, have a break, have a break. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:52 | |
Wow! | 0:33:52 | 0:33:53 | |
I'm sweating! | 0:33:53 | 0:33:55 | |
That's awesome. | 0:33:55 | 0:33:57 | |
I didn't expect it so quick, so that's amazing, the fact | 0:33:57 | 0:34:00 | |
that we've already got our first feed into them only six hours in. | 0:34:00 | 0:34:04 | |
That's a really good start. That's a really good first step. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
And once the cubs start drinking... | 0:34:12 | 0:34:14 | |
..there's no stopping them, | 0:34:15 | 0:34:17 | |
which is proving a little tiring for tiger daddy Giles. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:22 | |
They're feeding several times a day. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
Ten past two. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
Guzzling down over half a litre each daily. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:33 | |
-Are we going to feed them? -Mm-hm. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:36 | |
But luckily for him, this has become a family operation. | 0:34:38 | 0:34:42 | |
-Awwww! -Aw, rub it for good luck. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
Not that Kerri seems to mind. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:47 | |
"Oh, my belly is so gorgeous. Rub it." | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
Let's leave them to it. | 0:34:52 | 0:34:54 | |
LOUD SNORING | 0:34:54 | 0:34:56 | |
KERRI LAUGHS | 0:34:57 | 0:35:00 | |
Mr Mum! Now he knows what it feels like to be a mum. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:03 | |
After ten years of marriage, | 0:35:05 | 0:35:07 | |
Kerri's got used to having tigers in their lives. | 0:35:07 | 0:35:10 | |
-Hello. -Hello. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:15 | |
Uh...life with tigers is a little bit different - living with the Tigerman. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:21 | |
It's good. Kinda feels a bit surreal at the same time. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:25 | |
You sorta think...it's normal, but it's not. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:29 | |
-LAUGHING: -Not for anyone. | 0:35:29 | 0:35:31 | |
I run a zoo, so I don't need to work at one. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:33 | |
My house is a zoo. | 0:35:33 | 0:35:34 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:35:34 | 0:35:36 | |
Giles' parenting duties go beyond simply feeding the cubs. | 0:35:43 | 0:35:47 | |
They need his help at the other end, too. | 0:35:47 | 0:35:49 | |
-What we're going to do now... -Is poo them. -Yes, poo them. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:55 | |
-Is he the naughty one? -They're both being a bit naughty. | 0:35:56 | 0:35:59 | |
Kerri's helping, but Giles is at the business end. | 0:35:59 | 0:36:02 | |
What would happen is Mum would normally come along and lick them... | 0:36:02 | 0:36:06 | |
..and that makes them go to the toilet. | 0:36:08 | 0:36:11 | |
Yeah, she licks them on the bottom. | 0:36:11 | 0:36:13 | |
-Phew! Big pop-off. -Oh! Phew...! | 0:36:13 | 0:36:16 | |
It's like milking a cow. | 0:36:19 | 0:36:20 | |
-Oh...reckon we've got half a litre... -Slipping... | 0:36:20 | 0:36:23 | |
Ah, hang on, let's see if we can get a poo going, please. | 0:36:23 | 0:36:27 | |
-Oh... -Oh! | 0:36:27 | 0:36:28 | |
-It's always very... -Runny. -Runny. | 0:36:31 | 0:36:33 | |
Cos all he drinks is milk. | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
-More weeing. -What is it with you and the weeing? | 0:36:36 | 0:36:39 | |
KERRI LAUGHS | 0:36:39 | 0:36:40 | |
The cubs are barely three weeks old, but they're already showing | 0:36:44 | 0:36:48 | |
a marked difference when it comes to being handled. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
Yeah, this is awesome! | 0:36:51 | 0:36:52 | |
First-born Spot was held by Giles to latch on to Kaitlyn | 0:36:52 | 0:36:56 | |
when he was just hours old | 0:36:56 | 0:36:57 | |
and since then has reacted well to his touch. | 0:36:57 | 0:37:02 | |
Once you start being tactile with him, he responds really well, | 0:37:02 | 0:37:04 | |
like here, look, he's... | 0:37:04 | 0:37:07 | |
He's lying on his back, got his little belly in the air. | 0:37:07 | 0:37:10 | |
Yeah, Stripe's...Stripe's a little bit more aloof. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:14 | |
Ooh... | 0:37:15 | 0:37:16 | |
The cubs are now a month old. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:29 | |
It's now almost two weeks since Giles brought them home | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
and, like any new parent, | 0:37:32 | 0:37:33 | |
he's starting to get a bit ragged around the edges. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:37 | |
I'm starting to feel a bit sleep-deprived, um, and... | 0:37:37 | 0:37:41 | |
sort of running on my spare cylinder at the moment. | 0:37:41 | 0:37:45 | |
But it's a small sacrifice to pay, really, | 0:37:45 | 0:37:47 | |
to make sure things go well, you know? | 0:37:47 | 0:37:50 | |
Like, I'm so pleased with the way they've been progressing, | 0:37:50 | 0:37:54 | |
how easy it was to get them on the bottle. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
There's been no dramas, no-one's...you know, | 0:37:56 | 0:38:00 | |
got the runs because of the formula or anything like that, so... | 0:38:00 | 0:38:03 | |
I think today's going to be a good day. | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
It's going to be another slog, though, | 0:38:06 | 0:38:08 | |
because he and the cubs have got to go back to the zoo for the day. | 0:38:08 | 0:38:13 | |
Spot and Stripe are having their first vaccinations, | 0:38:16 | 0:38:19 | |
to boost their immunity. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:21 | |
They've been away from Mum for a couple of weeks, | 0:38:22 | 0:38:25 | |
so they're not getting any of those antibodies coming through | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
the milk any more. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:29 | |
So that means we need to vaccinate them. | 0:38:29 | 0:38:31 | |
It's exactly what you would do with a domestic cat or domestic kitten. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:36 | |
And effectively, they won't even feel it, the needle's so small. | 0:38:36 | 0:38:38 | |
All right... | 0:38:38 | 0:38:40 | |
-Oh, oh... -All done! -CUB SQUEALS | 0:38:40 | 0:38:44 | |
-Oh-ho-ho! -Give him a rub. | 0:38:44 | 0:38:45 | |
Basically, we're asking the immune system to have a big reaction to this, | 0:38:45 | 0:38:49 | |
-so it can take it out of them a little bit, but... -Yeah. | 0:38:49 | 0:38:52 | |
..hopefully not too much. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:54 | |
So they'll be in tiger daycare, in the capable hands of Jeff. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
OK, guys, have a little sleep, now. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:01 | |
That's a good idea. | 0:39:01 | 0:39:02 | |
Next door, there's ten adult tigers to look after. | 0:39:07 | 0:39:11 | |
Many take part in the zoo's daily tiger show. | 0:39:21 | 0:39:25 | |
Here we go! | 0:39:26 | 0:39:28 | |
Whoo! That deserves a round of applause. | 0:39:28 | 0:39:30 | |
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
The tiger team aren't shy about using it as an opportunity | 0:39:35 | 0:39:39 | |
to engage the public with saving wild tigers in Sumatra. | 0:39:39 | 0:39:42 | |
Though, with so many other causes vying for attention, | 0:39:44 | 0:39:48 | |
it's not always easy. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:49 | |
But the stakes couldn't be higher. | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
It's not just saving the Sumatran tiger. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:57 | |
It's what they represent to me as well, | 0:39:57 | 0:39:59 | |
because if we can't save something as magnificent and as charismatic | 0:39:59 | 0:40:03 | |
and as popular as the tiger, | 0:40:03 | 0:40:05 | |
how do all those other endangered species even share half a chance? | 0:40:05 | 0:40:09 | |
Giles is hoping that the cubs will be a powerful new force | 0:40:11 | 0:40:14 | |
in the ongoing struggle to save their species. | 0:40:14 | 0:40:18 | |
The most important aspect, from my perspective, | 0:40:20 | 0:40:23 | |
is that we've got these amazing, tiny little beings at the moment, | 0:40:23 | 0:40:27 | |
but they're going to be such an amazing draw card to the zoo, | 0:40:27 | 0:40:30 | |
which is then going to have the on-flow benefit of the fact | 0:40:30 | 0:40:33 | |
that we can get the message out there about how endangered they are. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:38 | |
Giles has an appointment with marketing manager Emma | 0:40:38 | 0:40:41 | |
to see what she's come up with. | 0:40:41 | 0:40:43 | |
-Hey, how you going? -Good, how are you? -Yeah, good. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:47 | |
So, this is what the creative looks like at the moment, | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
from "Our Cubs Are Coming!" point of view. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:53 | |
We've done whole-page takeovers on digital campaigns. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:56 | |
So, the third element of the campaign is all about conservation. | 0:40:56 | 0:41:01 | |
I think we can build a pretty strong conservation campaign. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:04 | |
-The reason we're doing all that is because of this. -Absolutely. | 0:41:04 | 0:41:08 | |
It's important to be realistic and say, | 0:41:08 | 0:41:10 | |
"By the time it's 2020, tigers could be extinct, | 0:41:10 | 0:41:12 | |
"so by the time your kids grow up, | 0:41:12 | 0:41:14 | |
"they may never see a tiger in the wild." | 0:41:14 | 0:41:16 | |
..tiger cub, so when we're shooting that TVC, | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
we'll need a photographer there... | 0:41:18 | 0:41:20 | |
Emma's plan is to raise awareness of their plight | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
with a big media launch. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
-I did set up a national television opportunity with the Today show on Channel -9. Yeah, yeah. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:31 | |
So Stevie Jacobs is going to be around on that day, | 0:41:31 | 0:41:34 | |
so...could he hold the cub? | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
He could be there. I wouldn't let him feed, but he could be there | 0:41:37 | 0:41:41 | |
with myself or a handler, we could be talking about a feed or whatever. | 0:41:41 | 0:41:45 | |
-How are you feeling? -Exhausted. I really am. | 0:41:45 | 0:41:48 | |
Like, four hours' sleep last night, four the night before, | 0:41:48 | 0:41:52 | |
three the night before that... | 0:41:52 | 0:41:54 | |
-Yeah. -I'm going to go home and sleep, soon. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:56 | |
-Thanks, Giles. -See you soon. | 0:41:56 | 0:41:59 | |
Giles looks pretty tired. It's the most exhausted I've ever seen him | 0:41:59 | 0:42:03 | |
and he is actually one of the hardest workers | 0:42:03 | 0:42:05 | |
I know on the planet. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:07 | |
That's a big load on his shoulders | 0:42:07 | 0:42:09 | |
and it's a really important mission for him in his life, | 0:42:09 | 0:42:12 | |
so this means a lot to him. | 0:42:12 | 0:42:13 | |
Despite the pressure, for Giles, back home with the cubs, | 0:42:17 | 0:42:21 | |
there's no doubt that it's worth it. | 0:42:21 | 0:42:23 | |
CUB SNUFFLES | 0:42:24 | 0:42:25 | |
Yeah, we hear ya. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:27 | |
This is the calmest he's been for a while, eh? | 0:42:27 | 0:42:29 | |
I can't imagine...not, you know... | 0:42:32 | 0:42:35 | |
..having a world without tigers in the wild. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:39 | |
To me, it has got to work. | 0:42:40 | 0:42:42 | |
God forbid if it ever does happen and tigers do become extinct in the wild, | 0:42:43 | 0:42:47 | |
I certainly want to be able to put my head on the pillow at night | 0:42:47 | 0:42:51 | |
and think to myself, "Well, you know, I did everything I could, | 0:42:51 | 0:42:55 | |
"I gave it my best shot." | 0:42:55 | 0:42:57 | |
You know...wouldn't be able to live with myself | 0:42:57 | 0:43:00 | |
unless I thought I'd done everything I could. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:02 | |
OK, you are super relaxed, aren't you? That's just ridiculous. | 0:43:05 | 0:43:08 | |
It's 10am, | 0:43:15 | 0:43:16 | |
and while it's an ordinary day at the zoo for the adult tigers, | 0:43:16 | 0:43:19 | |
things have taken a turn for the worse with Spot and Stripe. | 0:43:19 | 0:43:23 | |
Overnight they've fallen ill. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:27 | |
Giles has rushed them in to see Mel, | 0:43:27 | 0:43:29 | |
but in the last hour they've deteriorated. | 0:43:29 | 0:43:31 | |
CUB RETCHES | 0:43:31 | 0:43:32 | |
OK, OK, OK... | 0:43:35 | 0:43:37 | |
Oh. | 0:43:37 | 0:43:38 | |
CUB RETCHES | 0:43:43 | 0:43:44 | |
Oh, dear. | 0:43:46 | 0:43:47 | |
They're both sick. | 0:43:57 | 0:43:59 | |
And I don't know why. | 0:43:59 | 0:44:01 | |
They were just being normal... | 0:44:04 | 0:44:07 | |
and then Spot was sick, | 0:44:07 | 0:44:10 | |
and now Stripe has got exactly the same. | 0:44:10 | 0:44:15 | |
I'm thinking of every... | 0:44:15 | 0:44:17 | |
situation, scenario that in the last 24 hours... | 0:44:17 | 0:44:22 | |
I feel responsible. | 0:44:23 | 0:44:25 | |
It's something that I've done or not done, or not overseen properly, | 0:44:25 | 0:44:30 | |
that is causing them to be sick, and that makes me feel gutted. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:36 | |
My fear is that ultimately whatever it is could lead to them... | 0:44:37 | 0:44:41 | |
..becoming much, much worse, and then, you know, | 0:44:43 | 0:44:46 | |
the consequences of that could be dire. | 0:44:46 | 0:44:48 | |
Just looking at that colour. It's still nice and pink. | 0:45:02 | 0:45:05 | |
All right, buddy. | 0:45:05 | 0:45:07 | |
Their hydration's still fine. | 0:45:07 | 0:45:10 | |
That's the most important thing for a young animal at the moment. | 0:45:10 | 0:45:14 | |
CUB RETCHES | 0:45:16 | 0:45:17 | |
Oh, poor buddy. | 0:45:17 | 0:45:19 | |
Is that just more bile? | 0:45:20 | 0:45:21 | |
-No, nothing came up. -Nothing. | 0:45:21 | 0:45:24 | |
CUB RETCHES | 0:45:24 | 0:45:26 | |
They don't sound very good, do they, even? | 0:45:26 | 0:45:28 | |
No, it sounds horrible. | 0:45:28 | 0:45:29 | |
So, what do you think, Mel? | 0:45:31 | 0:45:32 | |
Some sort of infection, or something? | 0:45:32 | 0:45:34 | |
I reckon the vaccine's probably pushed them over the edge | 0:45:34 | 0:45:37 | |
a little bit. | 0:45:37 | 0:45:38 | |
And something that they otherwise would have coped with | 0:45:38 | 0:45:40 | |
-has just been a bit too much to handle... -Yeah. | 0:45:40 | 0:45:43 | |
..on their bodies. | 0:45:43 | 0:45:44 | |
If you're happy with their hydration, which I am, | 0:45:48 | 0:45:50 | |
-that's - miss a feed. -Yeah, I think miss a feed. | 0:45:50 | 0:45:52 | |
-And see what they're doing at lunchtime. -Yeah. | 0:45:52 | 0:45:55 | |
If they start vomiting more and losing a lot of fluid, | 0:45:55 | 0:46:00 | |
then young animals can get dehydrated more quickly. | 0:46:00 | 0:46:04 | |
Worst-case scenario, if they start getting a bit - | 0:46:04 | 0:46:07 | |
tenting in their skin, or their gums feel a bit dry, | 0:46:07 | 0:46:10 | |
we can give them sub-cut fluids. | 0:46:10 | 0:46:12 | |
I'm hoping we don't need to go down that path. | 0:46:12 | 0:46:14 | |
I'm not even worried about the programme, or... | 0:46:16 | 0:46:21 | |
The species is, you know... so important, | 0:46:22 | 0:46:26 | |
but all I care about at the moment is these two as individuals, you know? | 0:46:26 | 0:46:29 | |
It doesn't matter how... | 0:46:29 | 0:46:31 | |
what position they were ranked or anything else, there. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:34 | |
All right, buddy. | 0:46:48 | 0:46:49 | |
All Giles can do is stay at their side | 0:46:51 | 0:46:53 | |
and hope that they come through it. | 0:46:53 | 0:46:55 | |
Two hours later and the cubs have finally stopped vomiting. | 0:47:07 | 0:47:11 | |
Hey, you little munchkin! | 0:47:18 | 0:47:19 | |
"I don't feel well." | 0:47:19 | 0:47:21 | |
They come looking for the affection. | 0:47:23 | 0:47:25 | |
It's the same with our adults, you know? | 0:47:25 | 0:47:26 | |
They're very affectionate animals, and they love the attention. | 0:47:26 | 0:47:30 | |
You can see these two, at times, seem to be comforted by it. | 0:47:30 | 0:47:34 | |
When they see that you're in here, and they come next to you, | 0:47:34 | 0:47:37 | |
and you can tell, when you stroke them in certain spots, | 0:47:37 | 0:47:39 | |
their eyes close and they look like they're enjoying it. | 0:47:39 | 0:47:43 | |
It's the end of the afternoon, and the cubs have stabilised. | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
But it's now been 12 hours | 0:47:55 | 0:47:56 | |
since Spot and Stripe last took any fluids. | 0:47:56 | 0:47:59 | |
Time to try them on a little milk. | 0:47:59 | 0:48:02 | |
So, I've got 50ml in the bottle. | 0:48:02 | 0:48:04 | |
I have no intention of giving them the 50ml, I've just done that | 0:48:04 | 0:48:07 | |
so I can cover myself, they don't suck much air. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
Dude, dude, dude! | 0:48:17 | 0:48:19 | |
I know you're hungry, but that is ridiculous. | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:48:24 | 0:48:26 | |
OK... | 0:48:26 | 0:48:29 | |
Oh, goodness me. | 0:48:30 | 0:48:31 | |
CUB SCREECHES | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
Dude, don't worry about telling me off, just suck your bottle. | 0:48:36 | 0:48:39 | |
OK, everyone needs to take a breather. | 0:48:39 | 0:48:41 | |
CUB SCREECHES | 0:48:41 | 0:48:43 | |
Dude, I don't want to start this again. | 0:48:48 | 0:48:50 | |
Good boy. | 0:48:50 | 0:48:52 | |
Easy, easy. | 0:48:52 | 0:48:53 | |
Easy! | 0:48:53 | 0:48:54 | |
I think they're feeling on top of the world! That was very intense. | 0:48:54 | 0:48:59 | |
Good boy. | 0:48:59 | 0:49:00 | |
Good boy. OK. | 0:49:00 | 0:49:02 | |
This one here's Stripe. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:05 | |
He's actually being remarkably more behaved than his brother Spot. | 0:49:05 | 0:49:11 | |
Spot nearly took my hand off. | 0:49:11 | 0:49:14 | |
OK, that's all you're getting, dude. Goodness! | 0:49:14 | 0:49:16 | |
Thought I'd never be so happy to see someone possessive. | 0:49:19 | 0:49:22 | |
Without jumping the gun or tempting fate, | 0:49:24 | 0:49:27 | |
I definitely feel that we're out of the woods now. | 0:49:27 | 0:49:32 | |
You can see just... CUB MEWS | 0:49:32 | 0:49:33 | |
Rowr! | 0:49:33 | 0:49:35 | |
..how enthusiastic they are for some food. | 0:49:35 | 0:49:40 | |
I'm just elated, is the only way I can describe it. | 0:49:40 | 0:49:42 | |
Like - they're like different cubs, aren't they? | 0:49:42 | 0:49:45 | |
In comparison to six hours ago. | 0:49:45 | 0:49:47 | |
I just felt desperate, you know? | 0:49:47 | 0:49:49 | |
See how they are now. | 0:49:50 | 0:49:51 | |
The little boys. Little boys! | 0:49:53 | 0:49:56 | |
Good boys. | 0:49:58 | 0:50:00 | |
Pretty happy now. | 0:50:00 | 0:50:01 | |
Two days later | 0:50:11 | 0:50:12 | |
and Giles is able to bring them home again for the first time, | 0:50:12 | 0:50:15 | |
with a little help from son Kynan. | 0:50:15 | 0:50:17 | |
Hello, Spot. | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
Come on, we can get... | 0:50:19 | 0:50:20 | |
SPOT SQUEALS Hang on! | 0:50:21 | 0:50:24 | |
Dad, I think Spot's hungry. | 0:50:28 | 0:50:30 | |
-You think he's hungry? -Yeah. | 0:50:30 | 0:50:32 | |
Well, he is, cos he's trying to suck on that ring. | 0:50:32 | 0:50:34 | |
He might be teething. | 0:50:34 | 0:50:36 | |
They like to chew on things - like any baby, | 0:50:36 | 0:50:39 | |
when their teeth start coming through. | 0:50:39 | 0:50:41 | |
You can't put it into words, you know, | 0:50:41 | 0:50:43 | |
considering 48 hours ago how sick I thought they were, and, you know... | 0:50:43 | 0:50:49 | |
Oi! Don't start doing that. | 0:50:50 | 0:50:51 | |
CLAWS SCRATCH | 0:50:51 | 0:50:53 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:50:53 | 0:50:56 | |
THEY CHUCKLE | 0:50:56 | 0:50:58 | |
And, since they recovered, | 0:50:58 | 0:51:00 | |
their appetite has returned with a vengeance. | 0:51:00 | 0:51:02 | |
Like, even when I've had them fast asleep, and you just pop a bottle | 0:51:03 | 0:51:08 | |
into one of their mouths, and the other one hears the slurping noise | 0:51:08 | 0:51:12 | |
and wakes up, and he's like, "Where is it, where is it? | 0:51:12 | 0:51:14 | |
"I know I'm missing out." | 0:51:14 | 0:51:16 | |
We already had one or two little hissy fits, | 0:51:16 | 0:51:20 | |
when it comes to potentially sharing, so... | 0:51:20 | 0:51:23 | |
Ahh, my God, that's so cute! | 0:51:23 | 0:51:26 | |
Yeah, it doesn't look like they could hurt a fly, eh? | 0:51:26 | 0:51:30 | |
They definitely know, A, our voices, but B, they're very vocal. | 0:51:30 | 0:51:34 | |
They let you know when they're not happy. Don't you? | 0:51:34 | 0:51:37 | |
Fu-fouff! Fu-fu-fouff. | 0:51:37 | 0:51:38 | |
Don't you? | 0:51:38 | 0:51:40 | |
Very happy, aren't they? | 0:51:46 | 0:51:47 | |
Over the next week, Spot and Stripe go from strength to strength. | 0:51:50 | 0:51:54 | |
Eurgh... | 0:51:54 | 0:51:55 | |
CUB FARTS | 0:51:55 | 0:51:56 | |
BOTH: Eurgh! | 0:51:56 | 0:51:58 | |
Now a hefty 6kg each in weight, | 0:51:58 | 0:52:01 | |
in the wild they'd be starting to explore the outside world. | 0:52:01 | 0:52:05 | |
At the moment, they're not even five weeks of age, | 0:52:05 | 0:52:07 | |
and you can see just how rapidly they're growing, | 0:52:07 | 0:52:11 | |
but how much more they're engaging with the environment around them. | 0:52:11 | 0:52:14 | |
They're starting to chew on everything | 0:52:14 | 0:52:16 | |
that they can possibly get in their mouths. | 0:52:16 | 0:52:18 | |
Including us! KYNAN GIGGLES | 0:52:18 | 0:52:19 | |
What's he doing? | 0:52:19 | 0:52:21 | |
Sucking your belly fat? | 0:52:21 | 0:52:22 | |
It's not just their mouths that are developing. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:27 | |
They're really following things with their eyes now - | 0:52:27 | 0:52:30 | |
like, their eyesight is obviously getting better and better every day. | 0:52:30 | 0:52:34 | |
Not going to be quite so cute in a couple of months' time, though. | 0:52:36 | 0:52:39 | |
They're growing fast. | 0:52:39 | 0:52:40 | |
And they're going to get naughty. | 0:52:40 | 0:52:43 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:52:43 | 0:52:44 | |
A week later, and their immune systems are healthy and robust. | 0:52:44 | 0:52:49 | |
Now six weeks old, | 0:52:49 | 0:52:51 | |
the cubs have reached a milestone in their development. | 0:52:51 | 0:52:54 | |
Look at these. You ready? | 0:52:54 | 0:52:55 | |
KYNAN LAUGHS | 0:52:57 | 0:52:58 | |
Look at those canine teeth. | 0:52:58 | 0:53:00 | |
-Oh, damn! -Oh, damn! | 0:53:00 | 0:53:02 | |
-I think they're going to hurt now, aren't they? -Yeah. | 0:53:02 | 0:53:05 | |
Look at the size of them. | 0:53:05 | 0:53:06 | |
-That's just the very top. -Ahh... | 0:53:06 | 0:53:08 | |
And they're going to get much bigger. | 0:53:08 | 0:53:11 | |
The cubs are getting their milk teeth, | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
and in a few weeks' time they'll have all 28. | 0:53:13 | 0:53:17 | |
These needle-sharp teeth add a whole new dimension to their play. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:21 | |
What we've got to be mindful of now, | 0:53:21 | 0:53:23 | |
and you've got to start to be careful of, | 0:53:23 | 0:53:26 | |
is that they start to bite and really chew things now. | 0:53:26 | 0:53:29 | |
But sometimes they get possessive, | 0:53:29 | 0:53:31 | |
and that means that he's going to want to keep whatever it is. | 0:53:31 | 0:53:35 | |
Then he starts grunting, he'll go... HE GRUNTS | 0:53:35 | 0:53:37 | |
You know, and he wants to tell me off, cos he thinks it's his, | 0:53:37 | 0:53:40 | |
and his ears start to go flat, and he uses his paws, | 0:53:40 | 0:53:44 | |
and he's holding on as tight as he can, | 0:53:44 | 0:53:46 | |
and that means he's starting to just get a little bit naughty, | 0:53:46 | 0:53:49 | |
a little bit cheeky, like he thinks it belongs to him - | 0:53:49 | 0:53:53 | |
when clearly it's attached to my hand. | 0:53:53 | 0:53:55 | |
And it's actually mine. | 0:53:55 | 0:53:57 | |
So, we need to be careful. | 0:53:57 | 0:53:59 | |
When he starts to do it, | 0:53:59 | 0:54:00 | |
you need to come, you need to tell Daddy straightaway, | 0:54:00 | 0:54:03 | |
-because at the end of the day, they are still tigers. -Mm. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:06 | |
They're not like a cat or a dog. | 0:54:06 | 0:54:08 | |
But the arrival of new teeth means teething pains... | 0:54:12 | 0:54:15 | |
CUB SCREECHES | 0:54:15 | 0:54:17 | |
CUB SQUEALS | 0:54:17 | 0:54:19 | |
..and a lot of complaining. | 0:54:23 | 0:54:25 | |
Mostly to Giles. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | |
OK. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:28 | |
SCREECHING CONTINUES | 0:54:29 | 0:54:31 | |
CUB SCREECHES | 0:54:33 | 0:54:34 | |
Boys! | 0:54:34 | 0:54:36 | |
Shh! | 0:54:36 | 0:54:37 | |
It's like the terrible twos. | 0:54:37 | 0:54:39 | |
It's giving me a headache. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:42 | |
SCREECHING CONTINUES | 0:54:44 | 0:54:45 | |
Boys, enough! | 0:54:45 | 0:54:47 | |
He tries making a "chuffing" noise at them, | 0:54:47 | 0:54:50 | |
as he knows their mother would. | 0:54:50 | 0:54:51 | |
But it doesn't help. | 0:54:53 | 0:54:54 | |
I'm going to turn the music on and drown you out. | 0:54:56 | 0:54:59 | |
SCREECHING CONTINUES | 0:54:59 | 0:55:00 | |
The tantrums couldn't come at a worse time. | 0:55:02 | 0:55:04 | |
It's the live national TV spot today, | 0:55:04 | 0:55:07 | |
and Giles' first chance | 0:55:07 | 0:55:09 | |
to get the public to fall in love with the cubs. | 0:55:09 | 0:55:11 | |
SCREECHING CONTINUES | 0:55:11 | 0:55:13 | |
..so, a little bit grey today, | 0:55:15 | 0:55:17 | |
a few showers about, but they should clear... | 0:55:17 | 0:55:20 | |
But right now, even Giles is finding it hard to love them. | 0:55:20 | 0:55:24 | |
About to explode. | 0:55:24 | 0:55:26 | |
SQUEALING Hang on! | 0:55:28 | 0:55:31 | |
They were so naughty this morning, they just wanted to play | 0:55:31 | 0:55:34 | |
and fight, and it'll just be the first time we've exposed them | 0:55:34 | 0:55:39 | |
to the public and the media, so this is quite a big thing for the zoo. | 0:55:39 | 0:55:43 | |
Certainly a big thing for the cubs. | 0:55:43 | 0:55:46 | |
I'm trying to meet everyone's wants and needs, | 0:55:46 | 0:55:49 | |
but most importantly I've got to try and make sure | 0:55:49 | 0:55:51 | |
that I keep things calm and stable for the cubs. | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
Giles has learnt a few tricks over the last six weeks. | 0:55:55 | 0:55:59 | |
(Hey, boys.) | 0:55:59 | 0:56:01 | |
There. How's my boys? | 0:56:01 | 0:56:04 | |
And the best trick is that milk and a cuddle calms everything down. | 0:56:04 | 0:56:08 | |
I know. | 0:56:08 | 0:56:10 | |
Good boy. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:11 | |
Mm, good boy. | 0:56:14 | 0:56:16 | |
OK, we're about 90 seconds. | 0:56:16 | 0:56:18 | |
And just in time, too. | 0:56:18 | 0:56:20 | |
-Thanks. -We're about to go on air. | 0:56:20 | 0:56:22 | |
It's the cubs' big moment | 0:56:22 | 0:56:24 | |
and Giles' chance to push the crucial conservation message home. | 0:56:24 | 0:56:28 | |
We've got a very special moment here, we've got the tiger cubs | 0:56:28 | 0:56:32 | |
that were born on the 22nd of August here in Australia Zoo. | 0:56:32 | 0:56:35 | |
These are the most beautiful things I have ever seen. | 0:56:35 | 0:56:39 | |
Giles here has been hand-raising them over the past five weeks. | 0:56:39 | 0:56:43 | |
He was actually present at the birth. | 0:56:43 | 0:56:45 | |
Mate, you must have the best job in the world. | 0:56:45 | 0:56:47 | |
Oh, it's incredible. I couldn't dream of doing anything else now. | 0:56:47 | 0:56:50 | |
So, these guys are critically endangered as a species. | 0:56:50 | 0:56:52 | |
What will happen to them when they get a little bit older? | 0:56:52 | 0:56:54 | |
They'll obviously become part of the breeding programme. | 0:56:54 | 0:56:57 | |
Oh, well, this is where I have to swallow the big lump in my throat, | 0:56:57 | 0:57:00 | |
and the fact that these guys are probably eventually going to go off | 0:57:00 | 0:57:03 | |
to other institutes around Australia to be part of the breeding programme. | 0:57:03 | 0:57:08 | |
-Giles, thank you very much. -Oh, my pleasure. | 0:57:08 | 0:57:10 | |
Really, really happy to be here | 0:57:10 | 0:57:12 | |
and have our first look as the tiger cubs come out and play. | 0:57:12 | 0:57:15 | |
Karl and Lisa live on the Today show at Australia Zoo. | 0:57:15 | 0:57:18 | |
Hooray! Thanks, guys. | 0:57:18 | 0:57:20 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:57:20 | 0:57:21 | |
They've been perfect. They've been really, really good. | 0:57:23 | 0:57:25 | |
They're really happy, you know, they're clearly very inquisitive | 0:57:25 | 0:57:29 | |
and enjoying their new surroundings, so it's gone really, really well. | 0:57:29 | 0:57:33 | |
I never feel like I say enough on those things, but... | 0:57:33 | 0:57:36 | |
the main reason | 0:57:36 | 0:57:37 | |
or the only reason they're in captivity is to generate support | 0:57:37 | 0:57:40 | |
for conservation efforts, | 0:57:40 | 0:57:42 | |
and there's no point doing any of this type of stuff | 0:57:42 | 0:57:45 | |
unless, you know, we really focus on that. | 0:57:45 | 0:57:48 | |
I want to drive the conservation message home. | 0:57:48 | 0:57:50 | |
But anyway, we'll get there. | 0:57:50 | 0:57:52 | |
It's been a intense couple of months for Spot, Stripe and Giles, | 0:57:54 | 0:58:00 | |
but the journey's only just beginning. | 0:58:00 | 0:58:03 | |
Next time... | 0:58:07 | 0:58:08 | |
the cubs have toddler tantrums... | 0:58:08 | 0:58:11 | |
Boom! | 0:58:11 | 0:58:13 | |
Ow, that was my leg! | 0:58:13 | 0:58:14 | |
..and learn to stalk... | 0:58:16 | 0:58:17 | |
No! | 0:58:17 | 0:58:19 | |
Caesar will bite you! | 0:58:19 | 0:58:22 | |
..while Giles is confronted by the horrors of tiger poaching | 0:58:22 | 0:58:26 | |
in Sumatra. | 0:58:26 | 0:58:27 | |
Literally on the other side of the river there's wild tiger. | 0:58:27 | 0:58:30 | |
It doesn't feel quite as safe as what it looks! | 0:58:30 | 0:58:33 | |
Whoo! | 0:58:33 | 0:58:34 |