Original subtitles

NARRATOR: You don't get named one of the best zoos

in the world by accident.

And a view as magical as this one

is only gets you so far.

Good boy.

No.

This last year, Team Taronga have been busier than ever.

Boom! Whoo!

With their two zoos, now, bigger than ever.

Come on, handsome man. Let's go.

So, this season, we're taking you closer than ever.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

And as their colourful residents get ready to make some noise...

(LION ROARS) Oh my goodness.

..let us show you exactly Who's Who In This Zoo.

Just always be watching who's who, who's where.

(SEAL BARKS)

On this episode into the lion's den...

It is something color="#00ff00">that I've never done before.

I am quite nervous.

..what to remember...

Ropes for the mouth.

Um, earplugs. Yep.

I borrowed your panty hose.

..When taking a 160kg cat to the dentist.

Get her to rest on here. Yeah.

The little potoroo, looking for love.

Four females color="#00ffff">and they've got one boyfriend.

Stuart has been popular with the ladies.

And Taronga's newest seal pup.

Eve might be tiny...

And your swimming less today, Little Miss.

..but she's still making a big splash.

Every day at Taronga Zoo,

there are thousands of hungry mouths to feed,

with every team member keeping a very close eye on their animals,

looking for even the smallest problem.

In you go. Good boy.

So, what happens when you do find a problem,

but it's inside a lion's mouth?

Lions are quite a popular animal at the zoo.

A lot of people come here to see our lions.

So, we have the seven of them.

Here she comes.

She heard her name.

We have mum, Maya, dad, Ato and their five cubs.

Maya is quite a well-respected member of her family.

So, all her cubs will often play with mum.

They might come and ride on her back.

Come and jump on her.

Oh, my gosh. She's got five cubs.

Maya's instant family of five

made their grand appearance at Taronga

just over two years ago.

Maya is a very unique lioness.

She has her sassy side, she has her feisty side,

and she also has her very calm side.

And the staff are experts on all of Maya's many sides,

which is why her keepers can tell when she's not her usual self.

We've actually noticed that Maya has a broken tooth.

So, in the wild, color="#00ff00">if she was to have a broken tooth,

it could lead to an infection, an abscess.

Worst case scenario, the lion could pass away.

But here at the zoo, Maya's in good hands.

Though it's not going to be a simple fix.

To get a good look at Maya's teeth,

it's quite a big process.

You can't just ask her to open her mouth

and stick your hands in there.

So, we have to anaesthetise her, and that always comes with risk.

To do that, color="#00ff00">we need to pole inject Maya.

It's the only way color="#00ff00">we can get a good look at it

and work out how to repair it.

If things go slightly wrong, it takes a long time to build

that trust again.

Georgia has been training as a dangerous animal keeper

for just under a year.

She's never injected a big cat before,

but Danielle, who's been mentoring her,

thinks Georgia's ready for the task.

Usually, it takes six months to two years of working

with a dangerous animal, such as Maya,

to build up that rapport, to pole inject her.

Georgia has four or five training sessions.

This is huge.

Danielle will be guiding Georgia every step of the way.

So, part of being a zookeeper,

you do get chucked in the deep end.

Uh, I have done hand injections

before for a lot of small carnivores,

but this is my first time for a large carnivore

and a first pole injection as well.

Once Maya is sedated,

the veterinary team can enter the den.

But it's critical the pole injection is delivered calmly,

quickly and accurately.

So, basically, color="#00ffff">uh, this is a practice one.

So, this is a blunt needle here.

So, if I uncap it there, it's completely blunt

which means color="#00ffff">it's not gonna pierce her skin.

But today, we're gonna practice with the cap on,

so it definitely won't pierce her skin.

Now, what we're gonna do is we're going to ask Maya

to drop down to the ground,

uh, and then we're going to touch her body with this,

and it's gonna be very similar to what's going to happen on the day

using the syringe.

While Georgia is practising with the pole,

Danielle will be at the pointy end,

rewarding Maya with some tasty treats.

So, right now, Georgia's chopping up

some training meat and color="#00ff00">she's doing different sized pieces.

So, she's doing some small pieces and some larger pieces.

Ideally on the day of the anaesthetic,

we only wanna use small pieces.

It's a delicate balance.

The reward keeps Maya in position.

But if she's fed too much meat,

it could risk her choking while she's sedated.

Once that pole goes in, if they feel it,

or if you're a little bit slow

or you get it in the wrong position, that's it.

And that's when the vets

will need to come in and actually dart her.

And that increases the stress level on her and also on us.

(LION GROWLS)

Taronga Zoo is a haven for all animals,

big, small, tall and not so tall.

Good morning, boys.

Whether it's four legged and furry,

feathered or scaled,

it's a safe place every one of the zoo's 5,000 animals

can call home.

Hey, Ollie.

And now, Taronga's newest addition,

a state-of-the-art home for the zoo's shyest critters,

is up and running.

Or should that be hopping?

So, this is nguwing nura, which means night country.

This is our nocturnal house, and about 90% of Australian mammals

are actually nocturnal.

So, this is the fantastic way of showing off some of the species

that even Australians don't know exist.

Night country is a series of linked habitats,

all purpose built to help these nocturnal animals thrive.

We've got a huge variety of species.

Actually, we've got bilbies, bettongs, potoroos, gliders,

the echidna and the platypus as well.

That's pretty special place.

Currently, we have five long nosed potoroos.

We have four females, and they've got one boyfriend.

His name is Stuart.

Um, Stuart has been popular with the ladies.

Um, and we're hoping for a few joeys soon.

So, we're going to keep our eye

on those pouches and hope for the best.

Long nosed potoroos are classified as vulnerable,

but recent efforts by Taronga Zoo

and Stuart are helping to tip the scales in their favour.

All animals in night country sleep when the sun is up

and forage for food at night,

which left the team at Taronga with a timely problem.

How do you watch over the animals during the day?

So, what we have in this building

is a full reverse light cycle.

So, it's actually light color="#00ff00">at night time and it's still light

when we come in the morning, which helps us with our cleaning,

helping us check on the animals as well.

And then what happens around 9am, it starts getting dark

and it's a gradual process.

By the time the zoo opens at 9:30,

it's fully dark and the animals are hopefully very active.

And when it comes to active animals in night country,

it's pretty hard to beat one special little platypus called Matilda.

You're not helping.

But it seems she's been a bit too active in her new home.

So, Tilly's moving out and it's back to the drawing board.

Some of the sharper edges are knock off.

Back at the African Savannah,

lioness Maya is a little under the weather.

Maya, one of our female lions, has a fractured tooth.

So, we suspect she's probably been feeling a little bit of pain.

If we don't fix any open roots,

infection can go up the middle of the tooth

and in the bone surrounding that tooth.

If that spreads through the whole body,

these things could become fatal.

(LION GROWLS)

Maya will need to be heavily sedated before she can be examined,

and that means she needs a perfectly placed pole injection.

What's going on? Hi, everyone.

Maya knows her cues, but for first timer Georgia,

these practise sessions are crucial

if she wants to get it right on the big day.

That one. Drop.

George's timing has to be perfect.

Faster! Hip.

Maya, hip.

Hmm. Let's try.

Hip.

When a keeper says hip, Meyer is trained to move in close.

But she's not responding to Georgia's unfamiliar voice.

Hip.

She's enjoying her rewards, but she's not cooperating.

So, if she's not doing it...

Mm-hm.

..I'll pull the meat away and call it again

so she tries to focus on you.

'cause she's dropping too fast. Too far away.

If it doesn't quite go according to plan,

Maya may not come back into that position

and we may not be able to pole inject her again.

And in that case, color="#ffff00">the vets will need to come in

with a dart gun and dart the anaesthetic into Maya,

and that increases stress levels on both staff and Maya,

and it means it will take color="#ffff00">a lot longer for her to go to sleep

because her adrenaline color="#ffff00">will be pulsing through her body.

Maya, hip.

Much better.

Maya is getting used to George's commands

and positions herself prrrfectly.

Touch.

Good girl, Maya. Finished.

So, at the end, color="#ffff00">she was in a good rhythm.

Mm-hm.

She was in a good position.

And you were injecting, well, pretend injecting in the right spot.

So, this training session didn't go as well as we planned.

It wasn't too bad, uh, color="#00ffff">but we're hoping that on the day,

there's a little bit less movement from Maya.

That way, it's more comfortable for Maya and for us as well.

We wanna get it right because we don't want the vets

to come in with that dart gun.

Uh, that will just completely deflate our relationship with Maya,

and we'll have to build up that trust all over again.

I feel very nervous at the moment.

This is a very nerve-wrecking experience and yeah, hopefully,

everything goes well.

So, fingers crossed.

Coming up...

Good morning, Little Miss.

..this little seal pup...

Oh, we don't bite it.

..has her first taste of swim school.

And nerves all round...

A bit of anxiousness, bit of...bit of excitement.

..ahead of Maya's visit to the dentist.

If you mess it up, you'll only get one chance.

So, you wanna make sure

that you dot your i's and cross your t's.

In the last 12 months...

Hello, darling boy.

..Taronga's two zoos have been bursting at the seams.

Hi, baby.

Their nurseries are all full of the latest additions...

My goodness me. 1.29.

..both big and small.

Well, you're being very brave.

And the time has come for these new arrivals to find their feet...

Ladies, this way, please.

..their feathers and their flippers.

Would you like some food?

Good morning, Little Miss.

Keeper Rie is getting to know Taronga's newest seal pup.

Hi. You wanna come over?

Today, our little puppy is just over three weeks old

and she's changed a lot in the last couple of weeks.

She doesn't have an official name, but she was born on Christmas Eve,

so it makes sense that we call her Eve.

She's got a great little legacy here at Taronga.

She's the third fur seal puppy we've had in about 20 years,

so she's still very, very special girl.

Her dad, Bondi, color="#00ff00">he's one of our rescued seals

and he was found on Bondi Beach about 12 years ago or so.

Her mum, Kiki, color="#00ff00">who is another rescued animal.

And she's also color="#00ff00">got a full brother, Kobe,

who just weaned off mum about three months ago

and we're really excited to see who she looks like

when she grows up.

She is a long nose or New Zealand fur seal.

She was born at around 3.5kg.

At the moment, color="#00ff00">she's weighing about 5.5,

which is pretty good weight to put on,

almost double the weight.

That's it, girl.

I'll get you some toys.

You think a seal would take to the pool,

like, well, a duck to water.

But for little pups like Eve, its one small step at a time.

Hey. How are you?

They aren't born color="#00ff00">with the capabilities to swim.

They do need to learn that skill.

So, here at the zoo, we need to entice a little puppy like this

to get into the waters to begin with.

Obviously, it's a new place, and sometimes new places

can be a little bit scary for them.

You love the water, don't you?

(CHUCKLES)

So, while mum Kiki is right at home in the deeper pools,

it's up to keeper Rie to let Eve dip her flippers

in some shallower water.

She will have a long life with us here,

and we want her to have,

you know, exposures color="#00ff00">to all sorts of different things

while she's little.

So, at the moment, we're just getting her,

A, confidence up in the water,

B, confidence around us and, C,

just giving her some exposure to different things.

But like any baby taking a bath...

Oh, dear. color="#00ff00">What have you done in here?

Oh, you pooed in the bath.

..accidents can happen.

It's silly.

I might just get the net, scoop it out.

Is that fun?

Morning poop in the bath.

I guess you color="#00ff00">only are three weeks old.

And my daughter used to do the same.

Be cleaning our hummus.

What's this one?

Oh, we don't bite it.

But for baby Eve, it's all a learning experience,

even if there is an occasional hiccup.

She's like, I inhaled it.

So, occasionally when they're learning to,

you know, be in the water, they do cough a little bit

just because color="#00ff00">she doesn't have the skills yet,

where she necessarily shuts her nostrils

and holds your breath properly when she's under.

Just like humans, when they learn to swim.

They're kind of learning

what they need to do in order to keep the water out of their mouth

and out of their nose.

Oh, dear.

This big cat, Maya, has a toothache,

and if left untreated, it could become fatal.

She might need surgery.

So, a team of Taronga keepers and hospital staff

are preparing to sedate her, so they can take a closer look.

Ooh! Righto.

Let's do a run through.

Vet nurse Annii will make sure Maya remains sedated

during the examination and any subsequent surgery.

Chocks. Yep.

That will be big enough for...

Mm-hm. ..two. Yep.

I've got a big one, just in case. Yep.

Ropes for the mouth.

Um, earplugs. Yep.

Uh, a new design. color="#00ffff">I borrowed your panty hose.

(LAUGHS)

I borrowed your panty hose.

Started prepping this room, I think about four days ago

but I still come in and I'm still adding things

and taking things out.

I've done so many of these,

but I still get color="#00ffff">the same kind of feeling of,

um, a bit of anxiousness, but a bit of excitement.

She's a-a dangerous animal, so you wanna make sure

that you dot your i's and cross your t's

and you have everything ready.

So, I think color="#00ffff">this is about the 150th time

we've gone over it, but I think we're OK.

Great. OK.

Line GA. Boom! Whoo!

A GA is a general anaesthetic that will be used to keep Maya

sedated and pain free during the procedure.

We do know that Maya has one broken tooth.

The keepers can see that she's got a fracture.

She probably is in a bit of pain.

And you can imagine if you had a broken tooth,

that would be quite painful.

So, we wanna fix her teeth as soon as we can.

We don't want her to be in pain.

We don't want her color="#00ff00">to have any trouble eating.

If she doesn't eat, then obviously, that's a huge problem.

If Maya stops eating, her health will quickly deteriorate.

I'm just trying color="#ffff00">to find the correct piece.

Surely. color="#00ffff">No, that's way too heavy.

No, that's, that's quite too heavy.

But keepers Danielle and Georgia are confident Maya's appetite

will still be strong today.

Gonna take a while to find the one.

Oh!

OK.

We're relying on a specialist dentist to help Maya

with her tooth issue.

He's a very, very busy man,

and he has an opening in his schedule.

So, we are grabbing that opportunity and running with it.

So, it's really important we get this done now.

With training over,

the time has come to pole inject Maya.

And it all comes down to Georgia

to administer her first ever big cat sedation.

So, we're about to do our pole injection.

Um and I am quite nervous.

And there's quite a lot at risk here.

Doing an anaesthetic,

uh, on a big cat especially is really daunting

because if you mess it up, you only get one chance.

And ideally, that whole injection just to go smoothly,

the first go, done.

Just triple checking all the drugs,

so we make sure we give the right stuff.

While the team make their final checks,

David the dentist arrives.

David, you come on in.

How you been? Yes.

I'm good, I'm good.

Which means they now move from preparation to operation.

I wanna just keep it to a minimum

with the people in the room when we're first starting.

Once she's stabilised,

I'll direct people to come in and out.

So, just bare minimum till we're actually

solid with her anaesthesia.

We'd have to be very careful when we're doing the big cats

because one of the risks color="#00ff00">is we don't want anybody waking up.

The tension is high.

But Kimberly, recently promoted to senior vet,

has total faith in her team.

Good. We're ready.

It's such a serious job.

We can have fun doing what we do,

but we are all very, very responsible.

Are you ready? I'm ready.

So, it's a bit of a volume,

but that's like with all the super concentrated stuff.

Yeah.

Uh, I'll just maybe loosen that.

So, just leave that on there loose, so you don't pull it off.

Yep.

Good luck.

Thank you, Kimberly. You can do it.

(GIGGLES) Thank you.

Coming up.

Matilda's move to her new home...

We've got to check your tail and your feet,

so we can make sure you're OK.

..gets off to a rocky start.

Hey, Maya.

And Georgia's big day arrives.

So, now you know how fast she is.

Yep.

And how fast do you need to be. Mm-hm.

As day becomes night in Taronga's newly opened night country,

the animals get busy except for one.

Matilda the platypus is nowhere to be seen.

Clean that down.

Scrub it down first. Mm-hm.

While Matilda, affectionately called Tilly,

was exploring her new home,

she injured herself on some rough, rocky patches.

Some of the sharper edges are knock off.

So, the tradies have moved in and Matilda has moved out.

We've got to check your tail and your feet,

so we can make sure you're OK.

The tail and back feet got slightly scratched up with brand new exhibit.

Because unforeseen at the times, you're not helping,

is that just the very brand new concrete

can be a little bit abrasive.

And so, she ended up with a few scratches

and things on her tail and her feet.

Yeah. See, that wasn't so bad was it?

Mmm?

Your (INDISTINCT).

Your tail's looking good and your feet are looking better.

Tilly's new home is sculpted out of mock rock,

which looks and feels exactly like the real thing.

But in little Tilly's case, it felt a little too real.

The zookeepers color="#00ffff">have marked certain sections

where the texture is a little bit too rough.

So, our job today is to smooth out this rough stuff

so that Matilda doesn't get abrasions on her tail anymore.

While rough rock would be unavoidable in the wild,

Taronga's keepers want this habitat to be perfect.

See the ticks like masses of ticks on it.

All those little dots, they are the ticks.

Found as a baby undernourished

and covered in ticks nearly a year ago,

this little platypus has already proven

just how resilient she is.

344.6.

So, you're up about 7g or thereabouts,

I think, from this time yesterday morning.

She received around the clock attention,

feeding and nursing her back to health.

Happy now, aren't you?

And now, Tilly is fit and healthy and holds a special place

in keeper Rob's heart.

Do you want some breakfast?

Yes.

When she came in,

she was less than half the size that she is now.

But now she's really energetic, healthy little platypus.

So, as soon as color="#00ff00">we get her new exhibit tidied up,

get those few little bits of rough concrete out of the way,

then she'll be back up there

and ready for everyone else to see and enjoy.

But for the time being,

Matilda is revelling in all the extra attention.

And making me very wet.

Hey, Maya.

The big day has arrived.

Big cat Maya has a date with the dentist,

and it's up to trainee Georgia to sedate this 160kg lion.

So, she's going to go down.

I'll ask for hip, and then I'll click,

and then we go straight into this.

And you do. ..you say the same words...

Yep.

..say touch like as if color="#ffff00">it's just a normal training session.

Maya knows she's about to begin another session,

but she doesn't know this time it's for real.

Maya.

It's Georgia's first ever pole injection.

Drop.

She needs to inject the full dose into Maya's hip

for the sedative to work.

Hip.

Touch.

So close, but not this time.

It's OK. color="#ffff00">We just bring her back.

So, now, you know how fast she is.

Yep.

And how fast do you need to be.

Mm-hm.

If Maya doesn't stay calm,

she might not respond to Georgia's cues.

Drop.

Hip.

Touch.

Is it all in? All in, Danielle.

Beautiful. Love that, Georgia. Brilliant work.

Great job, Georgia.

I'm feeling much more relaxed now.

Uh, the injection's done,

so now it's just the waiting game of her to go to sleep.

Now, it's Maya's turn to relax.

But a sleeping lion is still dangerous,

so the hospital team need to secure her quickly.

Once she's down and, um, vet says, like,

so we can go in, straight away, the cargo net goes on.

So, she's completely secure.

Someone's got the gas mask on her.

Um, so, we want to get her to a depth of anaesthesia,

so we can then put her on the stretcher in the van

and straight back down to the hospital.

Operation May is definitely in full swing.

It ain't our first rodeo,

but we always treat it like it's our first line GA.

But yeah, Maya is beautiful

and it's gonna be exciting to see her up close and personal again.

The sedative is doing its job.

WOMAN (VIA RADIO): Annii to Kimberly Vinette Herrin.

It was 8:53 and successful.

OK.

Do you want me reverse the van back?

Yes, yes.

So, the lion is down.

Well done, Georgia.

My hands are shaking.

So, we're going to end up

for the poking in through holding

'cause of where she is.

But holding is safe to enter.

Vet Kimberly looks for a blink response.

If Maya's blinking, she's definitely not sleeping.

I'm just gonna check her to make sure

she wasn't blinking before I approach her.

It's 9:13 now. Yeah.

We can go back around. There's no blink.

She's got no reflexes. So...

Kimberly enters the lion's den for one last check.

Yep.

Maya is out cold.

Yeah. Stretcher.

Now, it's time to get her to the hospital

as quickly and quietly as possible.

She's quite deep.

We can wrap this over.

But just in case she decided to wake up,

moving her quite quickly is definitely important.

If you need to roll her, that's OK.

On three, one, two, three.

It's heavy work.

One, two, three.

(LION GROWLS)

Oh, is that a bit of a growl?

No, there's a growl.

Two weeks and almost two kilos later,

Taronga's latest edition is growing up way too fast.

Come on, have your color="#ffff00">swimming lesson today, Little Miss.

It's a big day.

Young Eve, the newest baby from rescued seals Bondi and Kiki,

is graduating from toddler pool to her first taste of deeper water.

Wow. color="#ffff00">Super brave this morning.

Let the games begin, huh?

That's some zoomies happening.

Wow!

I don't know about you, but I think she likes it.

Today, we're taking her into our puffin pool

to get her to practise a little bit more swimming,

a little bit more diving,

and just build her general confidence.

Hey, Little Miss, color="#ffff00">feeling very confident today.

How's that breath hold?

For this little seal pup,

it's all about learning when to sink and when to swim.

Very excited.

They do need to learn that skill.

So, for this little puppy,

she loves things like kelp and feathers

and some na-native browse that we have.

But she also likes color="#ffff00">those colourful kind of toys.

So, by bringing those into the water with us,

we can help encourage her to come out into the pool,

but also into those deeper areas.

So, fun isn't it?

(CHUCKLES) You little swimmer.

This fur seal swim school is vital for a fast-growing puppy.

Now, just eight weeks old, Eve is getting stronger by the day.

But if she's rushed too quickly,

she could lose her confidence and trust in her keepers.

We offer them color="#ffff00">different depths of paws

and teach them to swim as they go.

So, build up their confidence in those spaces.

Can you get it from the bottom?

She needs to, color="#ffff00">you know, figure out her buoyancy,

be able to dive to the bottom

and then know where to get out of the pool safely as well.

You coming back in?

No.

So, right now, color="#ffff00">she's doing everything right,

which is really important for a safe swimming lesson.

And for keeper Rie,

the greatest reward is knowing that Eve

is not only learning fast...

She is such a little go getter.

She's a real little firecracker.

But she's also thriving in her new life here at Taronga.

She just throws herself into any new activity

and she's really bonding with us keepers,

which is something that's so beautiful to see.

So fun in there, isn't it?

Zoo staff are preparing to move Maya,

the sedated lion, for her dental appointment.

Beautiful. No, there's a growl.

But vet nurse Annii can hear some concerning noises.

OK, can you guys step out?

Maya is heavily sedated,

but Annii increases the anaesthetic gas

to send her into a deeper sleep.

Turn me on.

OK. Thank you.

OK. What service do you want?

Five.

She's pretty growly.

Uh-huh.

We're hearing color="#ffff00">a bit of a noise coming from her.

It sounds a bit like a growling sound,

but we want to just make sure

she's deep enough to be able to put her on the stretcher

and move her back to the hospital.

OK, Donna.

Happy, Annii?

I'm happy. Yeah. OK.

One, two, three.

Fabulous.

It's all hands on deck to move this 160kg lion.

We want to move her quickly

and efficiently to the hospital surgery.

Move that out of the way.

We don't want her out in the open for longer than we need to.

Her respiratory rate's, um, elevated just a little bit.

Yeah. OK.

Annii and Kimberly constantly monitor their patient.

Get her to rest on here.

Well done, guys. OK. She's big, isn't she?

Before he starts, David, the visiting specialist dentist,

has a very important question.

Do we have an anaesthesia time limit?

As long as she's doing well under anaesthesia, I'm happy.

OK.

I'm expecting this to be like,

you know, two hours or something more.

Excellent.

The longer Maya stays under anaesthetic,

the more it can risk causing damage to her heart.

So, the team will keep a close eye on her vitals.

OK, let me get out color="#ffff00">of the way of the professional.

Let's examine her mouth to see what's going on in here.

The upper left canine has got a fracture.

Complicated crown fracture, and the pulp is exposed.

A fractured crown and exposed pulp

means Maya could need root canal surgery to repair her tooth.

The lower left canine's got a pulp exposure as well,

I think, so it's two.

And just like that,

Maya's routine operation has become much more complicated.

The upper right canine I reckon is fractured

with a pulp exposure as well.

She's got three fractured canines with pulp exposures, I think,

most likely needing three root canals.

Challenge is time really.

Yeah, time because color="#00ff00">it's really difficult to do one,

yeah, root canal in a really big cat.

So, to do three in one anaesthetic is even more challenging.

The clock is ticking.

We just want to make sure her heart's working OK.

Some of the drugs that

she's on can cause a drop in blood pressure.

So, we just kind of just balance all the anaesthetic.

It's an hour since Maya was sedated.

And with not one but three root canals required,

it's likely she'll be unconscious much longer than they expected.

My goal will be to clean them all out...

OK. ..simultaneously,

I think, and try and get it all done in one go.

That'll be fantastic.

It's better for us color="#ffff00">to get it all done in one shot

than to have to anaesthetise her two or three times

to keep doing her teeth.

I'm taking the file color="#00ff00">and placing it inside the tooth,

and as it's spinning around, it's collecting all the infection.

So, the goal is to clean the internal surface of the tooth,

but also chemically clean it as well,

using the hypochlorite.

What's the time, please?

10:25.

10:25.

More than two hours in and the surgery

is nowhere near finished.

The anaesthetic drugs could start to affect Maya's heart,

so the team draw blood to assess her condition.

And that was our lab assistant.

She can look at the blood work right at the bedside,

so it just takes a couple of minutes.

The potassium starts to creep up and it gets too high.

It can cause problems with the heart rhythm,

and if it's super high, then it can cause,

you know, fatal heart changes.

Whether the operation proceeds all hinges on this result.

Tilly the injured platypus

has been recovering in the sanctuary,

while her new home

has had a few rough spots smoothed out.

But the wait might be over.

Our vet is coming color="#00ffff">to have a check of Tilly today,

um, in hopes that she would be returned to night country if,

uh, she's got the full, clean bill of health.

Yeah.

Oh, sweetie.

(CHUCKLES)

The ever curious Matilda, keen to explore her new habitat,

injured her tail on some rough rock.

And now that her home is repaired,

it's time to see if Tilly's tail is too.

So, she just had a bit of dermatitis

or skin abrasions in her skin.

But that looks like it's resolved.

It looks beautiful.

Fantastic.

It's a clean bill of health.

So, Sam can finally bring this playful little platypus back home.

Shot through the tunnel.

There's a good chance that she's already gone out.

And Tilly wastes no time settling back in.

She's out immediately.

With a waterfall, ledgers, logs, and a large lagoon,

Matilda has plenty to keep her busy and not a rough patch in sight.

The main changes color="#00ffff">that we've made to her habitat

is that we have filed back any point of concern that we had,

um, and then we've color="#00ffff">applied in multiple clear coats

to any rock surface that we feel that she was regularly using.

So, it's much softer and much smoother,

but rough enough color="#00ffff">that she's able to get a firm grip

if she's hauling herself out of the water.

We've actually just made a slight change to the log that's there,

so we're hoping that she would opt to use the log

because it is much easier.

We're kind of grateful that we've got the resources

and the skills to help a little platypus.

And with her fancy new home and constant care from her keepers,

this active little platypus can expect a long,

happy and energetic life ahead.

Now, almost three hours

into an unexpected triple root canal surgery,

the team are waiting on the results of Maya's blood tests

to tell them how she's responding to this lengthy anaesthesia.

What we worry about color="#ffff00">with the potassium going too high

is it can cause changes in her heart rhythm.

If it's really high, that can be, yeah,

quite serious color="#ffff00">and cause heart problems.

The results are in.

Potassium color="#ffff00">has just gone up a little bit,

but it's really still not in any kind of critical place.

The news is good.

Even though Maya has been sedated for a long time,

the anaesthetic isn't affecting her heart.

May I start again? You may. Yes.

The upper right tooth is the worst one.

All this black material is all infection coming out of the canal.

The upper left is the next worst.

So, when the tooth breaks, the pulp becomes exposed.

And then the infection travels inside the tooth

and then go out into the bone and cause an abscess.

With Maya stable, Annii takes a rare chance

to appreciate one of her favourite patients.

A bit partial to my big cats.

I love big cats, so it's amazing admiring

from afar and they look big from there.

But when you actually are this close and get to,

you know, feel the fur and the different consistencies,

how it's like a bit coarser around the ears.

But then you've got behind here and it's like cub baby soft fur.

It's beautiful.

And their feet pads, color="#00ffff">like, they're just, yeah, amazing.

It's kind of surreal actually.

Dave? Yeah.

Time. What do you reckon in another hour?

Yeah.

They're two teeth down and nearly four hours in.

And Maya's final tooth is proving to be unpleasant.

Oh, this is disgusting.

So infected this teeth.

Oh!

A lot of infection is coming out,

which is all this brown and black material.

So, each time I file it, it's just floating out.

And then a surprising discovery.

Yay. Look at that. What?

Not even the tooth fairy would see this one coming.

Uh, I have a look at this.

Oh, my god.

Nearly four hours into Maya's root canal surgery,

specialist dentist David finds himself in a sticky situation.

Oh, look at that.

Is that a stick... Oh, dear.

That is amazing.

Gonna get a photo. The stick in her tooth.

Oh, my god. Physical stick.

A stick inside. A stick.

Now, I'm happy.

I could feel it, color="#00ff00">but I just couldn't get it.

But now I've got it. What?

Excellent.

It is so unusual color="#00ff00">to have a stick inside your tooth.

I can't believe she's had all this going on and still eating...

Oh. . .like there's no tomorrow.

Oh wouldn't. Yeah. Yeah.

Like, it was us, color="#00ff00">would be as grumpy as anything.

While the stick's origins are a mystery,

it's likely to have been in Maya's mouth

for quite some time

and could have caused a very serious infection

if it wasn't removed.

She's been under anaesthesia now for about four hours,

which is quite a long procedure for a...for a-a zoo animal.

It's crucial to complete the surgery and wake Maya up.

Now, until the last step, we just need to do the fillings.

The fillings, like in humans,

are hardened or cured using the blue shade of light.

The team begin their preparations to return Maya to her den.

Hey, Grant, we're just nearly finishing up here.

Are you able to get here at about, uh, 12:50?

GRANT (ON RADIO): Yeah, we'll be down.

No dramas.

So, here's the tooth, we can see.

And we can see color="#00ff00">the internal part of the tooth,

which is the root canal is now completely filled

with the rubber-based material.

So, um, it's good news.

We've got three successful root canals today.

Mission accomplished.

One.

Two. Three. color="#ffff00">That's it, that's it, that's it.

Beautiful. Good. Great.

Most of the drugs will be fairly worn off,

so I think she'll probably wake up quickly.

For her keepers, Dannielle and Georgia, it's an anxious wait.

It's breathing really well.

Well, here she is.

Oh, honey.

She's actually recovered really well.

Bit groggy as to be expected.

But she is sleeping it off now.

And tomorrow, color="#00ffff">she'll be right as rain.

The next day, Maya, with a mouthful of fillings,

has enjoyed her first taste of pain free food,

and perhaps her sassy cat reputation

may be a thing of the past.

Now that she's got her teeth fixed,

maybe she won't color="#00ffff">have a feisty side anymore.

Hmm. Let's wait and see.

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