Original subtitles

VIRGINIA GAY (NARRATES): 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...

(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.

(OTTER GROWLS)

On this episode, it's all in the numbers.

So, when she came in, she was a 108g.

She obviously couldn't fend for herself.

Deb saves the life of one little puggle.

Don't know what happened to mum.

It's a scary time for two red 'roos...

She's reacting to that a little.

..as their routine surgeries take a critical turn.

What is her temperature?

And incoming!

It's like watching dinosaurs run.

Three big birds land in the savannah.

Confidence is the best policy with these guys.

But after ten years away, will this triple-threat play nice?

They have seen the giraffes.

(THEME MUSIC)

Hidden in the lush bushland overlooking Sydney Harbour,

Taronga is home to some of Africa's shiest

and perhaps most iconic animals.

(LION ROARS)

Living side by side, these animals share a slice

of the zoo's African Savannah, albeit with a stunning water view.

600km away at Taronga's Western Plains Zoo,

the view might not be so blue but it's just as impressive.

And Keeper Jacob has just arrived from Sydney

to learn all he can from his colleagues in Dubbo

about their savannah experience.

Horror thing that can happen out here

is we potentially can get caught

in amongst interspecies dynamics.

The animals are interacting, of course, and...

Yeah. . .we become part of that.

Yeah.

And when, like, they're displacing each other or...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Of particular interest to Jacob is just how Dubbo's African animals

manage to mingle.

They're all free roaming and must work out for themselves

just where they fit in the pecking order.

One thing I think that's really interesting

is the group dynamics.

Obviously, there's a lot more space out here and a lot more animals,

uh, to have different social interactions

that they would exhibit in the wild as well.

Yeah, you'll have... It'll be set.

All the draft will be near and then the rhinos

will just barge into the picture.

No-one come charging over but they'll just...

They'll turn up. Yeah.

You know, they'll turn up without you even realising

'cause they're so quiet.

The zoo has six free roaming southern white rhinoceros,

including the mischievous eight-month-old Jabulani.

We've got four tubs there, roughly half in each.

Just tip and pour it in there.

Yep.

None of these animals prey on each other in the wild.

That's why they're grouped as they are.

But they're still quite wary

and the keepers have to be on their toes too.

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

Yeah. We're pretty good.

But things can sneak up out of nowhere.

For sure, yeah.

I'm a little bit nervous in some ways

just to see what it's like out here

'cause it's a different environment to what I'm used to

working with animals like

zebras and giraffe but out here it's routine.

Just like Sydney, out here, the free roaming rhinos,

zebras and giraffes get very familiar

with their keepers because of the trust built up.

So, here they are.

Awesome. Patiently waiting. They are.

So, our group here...

Who do we have?

So, we've got the whole...

All... these are all the adult females.

Yeah.

And then the-the five youngest calves.

And the keepers rely on the animals

to show their little ones the ropes.

Do you guys work very closely in with these guys or do the calves

just, kind of, like, to hang close to mum and...

I think they're still sort of trying to figure out

their relationship with us and taking the cues from the adults.

Some of them are becoming quite confident.

Little Wayo in particular. .. Yeah, for sure.

.. quite interested in this.

But, yeah, the two younger fellows that were born back in October,

they're still quite standoffish and...

Yeah.

..sort of just learning, trying to figure us out.

Yeah.

Giraffe numbers in the wild have fallen by 40%

in the three decades since Taronga's breeding program began.

But these insurance populations

are helping to protect this vulnerable species.

Yeah, we've had 60 calves born here.

So, we've never actually had five at once before.

So, a very, very special time but it has been...

Yeah, wow.

..a very, very successful breeding program.

Yeah. Come on.

Yeah, throw it further. Further away. That's it.

As Jacob's fact finding mission continues,

he's paying close attention

to how one particularly flighty animal

fits in with the rest.

There's constantly dynamics out here.

Because that animal will soon

be winging its way back to Taronga with him.

That is the new bird here.

Yeah, nice. He's confident.

He is confident.

Back in Sydney at Taronga's Wildlife Hospital,

a very unusual animal has just been rushed in.

A four week old echidna.

She was found just to the northwest of Sydney

in the place called Cumberland State Forest.

We don't know what happened to mum.

Someone has found her on the ground.

They realised that she obviously couldn't fend for herself,

so, they brought her into the-the zoo

for us to look after.

When she came in, she was a 108g.

She was just pink skinned, eyes were closed, ears were closed.

There was tiny little-little ball and based on her weight

and measurements, that she was about 35 days old.

This adorable creature is called a puggle,

which is the name used for a baby echidna or platypus.

Hello, you're awake. Hey?

And today, Deb has been given the naming rights.

So, I've called her Millie because I believe she's a female.

I have nothing at all to base that on,

because all their genitalia is internal.

So, you cannot look at an echidna and tell

whether it's a male or a female.

Because Millie needs round the clock supervision,

the zoo turned to Deb, one of their most trusted keepers.

Millie is actually my first puggle.

I have hand-raised all sorts of other animals

but I had never had the opportunity to raise a puggle before.

I'd always wanted to, so, it was a brilliant opportunity.

When it was offered to me, I grabbed it with both hands.

So, Deb is taking Millie home with her

to give her the best chance of survival.

She knows she'll need to call on all her years of experience

and like any baby, she also knows

the first few months are the hardest.

I can hear you moving around in there, young lady.

Come on, bugger. I know you want your meal.

(GROOVY MUSIC)

Can you lift it up?

Taronga's wildlife hospital team are constantly tackling

a huge list of cases...

Oh, watch out. Perfect. Pretty awesome.

..all with some pretty unique challenges.

One, two, three, pull.

But with literally thousands of animals to look after,

sometimes those challenges

can come from the least expected places.

Red kangaroos, Rusty and Pebbles are on the move.

They're being relocated from their old precinct

to the new Aussie habitat, Nura Diya.

But they're taking a small detour to the hospital first.

This is Rusty. She's a red kangaroo.

She's six years old and she is getting a check-up

for an ear infection she had about a month ago.

Red 'roo Rusty won't be going it alone.

Pebbles, come on.

Because today, it's double trouble.

Her almost identical best friend is also booked

into the clinic right next door.

This is Pebbles and this morning, she's going to have

a general anaesthetic to check her teeth

and potentially have a tooth extraction

because she has a chipped tooth.

Alright.

So, we're just gonna shift Pebbles in.

While the keepers move Pebbles to the holding yard,

vet Frances is nearby prepping to sedate her

for the next move to the hospital.

But anesthetising kangaroos can be tricky.

This is a pole syringe, which is basically

an extension of my arm in terms of delivering the injection.

And so, Bec's going to distract Pebbles

and I'm gonna quickly pop this injection

into her-her big thigh muscle there and then

we'll step back out the way and wait for her to go to sleep.

We're using a needle that doesn't bend very easily on purpose

because we want to deliver it quickly.

It's a sizable needle but it's in proportion to the muscle

belly that we're going for.

Just stay still.

And deliver it quickly, she does.

I think that went as well as an injection can go.

So, now, we back right out of her face

and let her just-just quietly lie down and-and go to sleep.

And just like the injection itself,

it doesn't take long.

Just have a listen. The little red 'roo is now sedated.

Frances checks her heart rate before moving her to the van.

She's got a little bit of murmur.

We wanna get her back fairly quickly because she's actually quite deep.

Pebble's heart murmur and the depth of her anaesthesia

are early signs she's having a reaction to the drug.

We wanna help carry, someone?

Please.

What started as a straightforward procedure has unexpectedly

become far more complicated.

Keep-keep pulling both corners of the towel.

Alright. Yeah.

Just give...

We're gonna take her straight back 'cause she's not breathing so well.

So, we'll expedite this.

I would really like this animal to have some oxygen.

She needs urgent attention.

Coming up, it's fuel time for Taronga.

Here they come.

The iceman cometh.

Oh, look at that.

And solving the puzzle...

Come on, Millie. ..of Millie the puggle.

She's a bit too big for this approach now.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

As a new day dawns, Taronga staff Brendan and Bailey

are already up and on a mission.

It's so early.

Yeah, it's time to wake up. It's pretty early.

The zoo is waking up as all the keepers

and all the other staff here at Taronga

are getting up and arriving on-site.

All the animals are starting to stir.

Ready.

Today, we're gonna head out to collect

some ice for the animals in our care.

It's already starting to feel quite warm.

It's projected to be in the mid 30s at least today,

so, this ice is just one way we're gonna be able to help

cool down our animals.

Let's do it.

Brendan is the zoo's Behavioural Husbandry Supervisor.

It's a bit of a mouthful but the job is simple.

Good boy.

It's up to Brendan to make sure all the animals

have all the stimulation they need to live happy and healthy lives.

It's a role he's only recently taken on and he's loving it.

I'm really lucky, actually,

to be in the role that I'm in right now.

I have a long history working with behaviour

and working with birds.

But right now, I'm in a position where I'm having daily opportunities

to do something that I maybe haven't done before,

that I haven't experienced before.

Why are we going out to get ice? What are we gonna do with it?

The ice is gonna be part of our

behavioural husbandry program for the day.

So... I mean, you know, about behavioural husbandry

training and enrichment to the animals.

Behavioural husbandry covers animal training and enrichment.

It's a process by which we go through

a series of steps to ensure that our animals

are displaying a whole breadth of behaviour.

It's all about finding ways to encourage animals to move,

think and act just like they would in the wild.

Today, we're primarily looking more so at some of the big cats.

Yeah.

The dingoes and maybe things like some chimpanzees.

Cool.

It's great, actually, because ice gives us

something different.

It gives the animals agency.

It gives them a different way to interact with the cooling device.

So, when you're looking for enough ice to cool a zoo,

there's only one place to go,

Sydney's world famous fish market.

Alright, boys.

Your ice is just in here in these really...

This big freezer. Lovely.

Got 0. 5 tonne for you.

I think that'll definitely be enough.

Yeah.

Once we pick it up, how long until it melts?

Just as long as you get it back to the zoo pretty quick?

Yeah, so, we're getting into the van...

Before it gets too hot.

..and we won't be chilling on the side of the road.

We get in the van and we go back.

You run. Yeah. Nice.

Alright. You go.

With their precious cargo out of the cool room

and melting by the moment,

Brendan and Bailey have no time to chill.

Just here, yeah.

Here comes the sun.

Here comes the sun. Look at that.

Melting already, Brendan.

That's perfect. Thank you. Perfect.

It's already starting to melt. Look at that.

As the temperature climbs,

all they have to do now is beat the traffic...

How are we going for time?

..in peak hour.

Yeah, we're doing pretty good for time.

Oh, wouldn't speak too soon, mate. This very slowly.

Good luck, lads.

Yeah.

At Taronga's Wildlife Hospital, Pebbles, the red kangaroo,

is being rushed into the clinic.

OK, we're going straight to the scales, Frances?

Yes, please.

To the scales, guys.

What started as a simple plan to look at her teeth

has become much more serious.

36.4kg.

Pebbles has developed a heart murmur

and is having difficulty with her breathing.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

OK, so, it's going to oxygen at the moment.

Do you want any ISO yet?

When I listened to her heart when she first went to sleep,

I could hear a little heart murmur.

Basically, all those drugs have kinda hit her

and her heart was making whooshing sounds.

We call that a heart murmur.

A kangaroo's large muscles

and metabolism can make sedation risky,

causing the unwelcome side effects

that Pebbles is currently experiencing.

Well, let's try 5.5. OK.

I'll have a look and see.

A tube is inserted into Pebbles' airway

to help her breathe while they investigate her heart.

Remember, it's just a sound that we're listening to.

And sometimes anaesthetics can make, you know, unusual sounds and so on.

She does still have a heart murmur

and so, we'll-we'll monitor that for now.

Did you listen this side, Natalie?

I did not listen on that.

Always listen in several spots.

It's a baptism of fire for visiting student vet, Natalie.

It's, um, Natalie's second day with us

and she's from the States.

I'm a fourth year vet student

at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Working on kangaroos is really exciting for me.

I have only worked with them once.

Definitely, like, a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Yeah. So, in that column ISO at 1.5.

Now that her breathing is being supported,

Pebbles' vitals are stable, which means everyone

can take a much needed breath.

Surgery tables are not made for awkward-shaped animals.

You know, it just takes a little bit of the pressure off...

Yeah. ..her muscles there.

Come out this side. Yep.

Gabi's patient, Rusty, the second kangaroo,

also sedated is arriving in the adjoining operating theatre.

And we're gonna get straight up on the table like this.

OK... Yeah, she's a little bit light.

But where the first kangaroo was too deep after sedation,

this one is not deep enough.

Rusty's quite light,

so, I'm just trying to get her stabilised

so, we can start doing the physical exam.

But at the moment, she's too...

She doesn't breathe very well and she's got a history.

Not breathing well under anaesthesia and if she doesn't breathe well

she doesn't inhale anaesthetic gas.

Nice respirations. Good.

So far so good.

Rusty appears to be inhaling the gas.

Over the last four weeks, staff have observed Rusty

regularly shaking her head, which tells Gabi

her ears might be giving her some trouble.

It...it's a little bit red right down the end,

like, right near her eardrum.

Oh, she's got actually a really red area.

I wish I could get a photograph down here.

Oh, she's reacting to that a little.

Did she do a head flick?

No, just sort of moved her ear a little bit.

See how she's pulling her ear?

(CHUCKLES) Yeah.

But then if I touch her eyes, so, she's not blinking?

Like, normally when they lighten up they blink

quite a bit or you can pinch their toes.

Cute little hands. Oh, yeah. She's pulling back.

Rusty's movement is a sign that she may not be inhaling

enough anaesthetic gas.

I may end up...yeah. How's her breathing?

Her breathing is good. Remaining 10 to 12.

She's just saying, "Stay out of my ear."

We may have to intubate her.

Keeper Jacob is on a mission.

Yeah, big bird.

He's visiting Western Plains Zoo Dubbo

for a hot date with some very big birds.

So, they get four tins of horse pellets

and then two buckets worth of loosen chaff

as well, twice a day.

Say hello to Taronga's incoming ostrich flock.

Oh, wow!

(CHUCKLES)

It's like watching dinosaurs run when they take off like that.

It's actually really... It's a bit surreal.

Three of these feathery giants native to Africa

are headed for Taronga's Sydney Zoo,

where they'll join the giraffes and zebras

in the savannah habitat.

They're actually going through a molt at the moment.

Yeah. OK. Alright. (CHUCKLES)

Jacob is here to learn what he can before the big move.

So, a lot of the times we'll come out here every morning,

we'll have a bit of a look out over the exhibit.

Mm-hm.

And we'll find feathers everywhere and that's quite normal.

So, they'll molt just as they're aging?

Yeah, usually, every couple of months

or so, they'll start to throw out a few more feathers

and develop their adult plumage.

Taronga's new flock are still quite young,

less than three years old.

You can see a significant height difference

between the chicks...

Yeah. . .and the adults out here.

Even on their feathers as well. Yep.

You can kinda see a little bit more uniform in their colour.

Yes.

In the wild, an ostrich might survive

30 to 40 years, a long time for a flightless bird.

So confident.

Yes. I love it.

And the reason they can live so, long?

Well, they're standing on it.

They've got really massive feet as well.

They've got really long legs but their toes are incredibly large.

They are, yes.

So, in the wild, you'll find that males

will protect their flock of females.

They'll use those large claws and kick out...

Kick out, yeah.

..towards, um, anything that might be causing

an issue for them and they can definitely

cause a lot of harm.

An ostrich is a prey animal hunted by big cats and hyenas.

So, it's pretty helpful that they're also

the fastest running bird on Earth

with a top speed of 70km/h.

They rely on this speed and their size to avoid an attack.

In terms of aggression from birds, particularly with ostrich,

a lot of the times, very similar with emus,

they'll try and stand taller than you.

Yep.

The males in particular, once they get nice and tall and big,

they will try and hold it over you.

Yeah.

So, just make sure you stay nice and confident with them.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Yeah, even just quite intimidating to look at.

You kinda just need to hold your ground a bit.

Yes, absolutely. Yep.

Confidence is the best. .. Yeah.

. .policy with these guys.

Um, if they think you're scared of them,

they'll definitely take it and run with it.

Yeah, for sure. For sure. (CHUCKLES)

It's really amazing getting to see ostrich for the first time.

I'm excited to get them back to Sydney,

so, I can work with them for once.

Yeah.

Jacob will be taking three girls back with him.

Luckily, they're quite a bit more docile than the boys.

So, if you want to, you can roll it out to them.

They, um, they should hopefully come over

and have a bit of an investigation towards it.

Yeah. You got that, sweetie.

This is an ostrich's version of a Tim Tam giving them...

Oh, here she goes.

There you go.

Lettuce seems to be a fan favourite.

Yeah, nice.

With the animals in Taronga's Sydney Savannah

more familiar with fur than feathers,

these three new guests might just cause a bit of a stir.

We don't work with a lot of birds on ungulates,

of course, so, getting ostrich into the mix

will certainly be a very interesting prospect for us.

In the wildlife hospital back in Sydney,

two vet teams are working side by side on two kangaroos.

That looks like a big bit of plaque or calculus

or something on there,

so, we might take an X-ray of that tooth.

One with tooth problems...

So, I'm just having a look down her ears.

..the other, a mystery ear problem.

Oh, she's got actually a really red area.

And it hasn't been smooth sailing for either.

Just waiting for her to take a breath on her own.

In Vet Gabi's room, Rusty with the sore ear

isn't responding well to the anaesthetic gas.

She's not breathing voluntarily.

Kangaroos can respond unpredictably to anaesthesia,

which can make even a simple procedure

far more complicated.

So, we're in a bit of a tight rope situation

but if she doesn't breathe in enough gas,

then she won't be going to sleep.

And her heart rate is quite slow. .. which can be due to

one of the medications we use.

We're gonna try and intubate her.

Gabi decides to intubate Rusty to help with her sedation

and her breathing.

Placing an ET tube in a kangaroo is not easy

but it gives us better control over her anaesthesia.

Holding her breath now. Mm-hm.

God, it's really hard.

Kangaroos, wallabies in general,

so, macropods are quite difficult to intubate.

So, I see her larynx now.

Their mouth doesn't open very wide

and their larynx is all the way back here.

So, like a dog or a cat, you can pop the tube in.

So, it's really easy most of the time.

(CHUCKLES)

These guys are really difficult. They're like a rabbit but bigger.

So, yeah, it can be quite hard to tell

if the tube's in the right place.

So, I'm just gonna take a quick X-ray

of her chest just to make sure the tube

is in her windpipe.

Just gonna take the room light off. Please, somebody?

Yeah.

(TENSE MUSIC)

It's in the right place.

The black means air and you can see her windpipe going all the way down.

Rusty's now, receiving the right mix of gas

but she's not out of the woods yet.

OK. Heart rate, 30.

Her heart rate is still dangerously low.

Yeah, we're gonna try and speed things up, guys.

I just have to get her awake because she's not very stable.

We will have a look down her ears with the scope.

I will try to get a sample.

It's really red down there.

Next door, Pebbles, who was having trouble breathing,

is now stable and Frances is trying to isolate

her troublesome tooth.

I think I underexposed that but let's see.

This one is the tooth that's broken off a little bit

but she's got a couple of other teeth that need attention.

One on her bottom left jaw and one on her top right jaw.

I'm gonna have to do some extractions there.

While Frances begins the extractions,

her kangaroo's vitals now start falling again.

OK. So, the temperature's dropped again.

It's on its highest.

We're as warm as we can.

We took a temperature probably 15 minutes ago

and it was a normal kangaroo temperature.

And now, during the procedure, her body temperature has dropped.

Animals can't control their body temperature

under anaesthesia and Pebbles is decreasing rapidly.

Maybe we get a big towel and drape

over her whole body as well?

Yeah. See if there's a big towel.

They need to warm her up.

Heart rate's just dropped down at 37.

It'd been 40, 42.

But now, her heart rate is falling too.

Can you get a manual heart rate to see if it's been affected?

What's the heart rate? Down to 36.

It's still quite low.

Come on, Millie. Here you go.

For months now,

one of Taronga's most experienced keepers,

Deb has been caring 24/7 for little Millie,

the echidna puggle.

Obviously, when an animal comes into care,

it's usually been through some sort of trauma.

Millie was only 35 days old when she was brought

to Taronga's Wildlife Hospital

and Deb's connection with her was instant.

The challenge is to get them to adapt to our food.

So, you know, you're-you're very tied to that animal

until, you know, basically weaning time.

Come on, bugger.

Three months have now passed and this little puggle

is thriving and her surrogate mum is stoked.

Millie has put on weight very well and she's growing

and doing all the milestone things that

we would like to see her do, brilliantly.

Get you weighed and get you some dinner, eh?

Gorgeous.

Echidnas are quite unique.

They're one of only two monotremes in Australia,

so, they lay an egg, which is very unusual.

They don't have nipples for suckling either.

Instead, they have milk patches on their skin.

OK. It's all ready for you.

Basically, the little puddle just slurps down it,

the milk oozes through the skin

and that's how they suckle from the mum.

There you go. That's better.

When she first started, she'd left out

of the palm of your hand because that's the closest thing

we've got to how she'd be eating off mum.

But now, that she's much, much bigger,

I'm transitioning her to eating out of a bowl

'cause she's, you know, a bit too big for this approach now.

There we go.

Now, you can stand up and do it yourself.

It's coming. Don't panic. There's more coming.

Big thing with echidnas is you can't just feed them

when you wanna feed them.

You have to make sure everything that she's consumed

has been properly digested.

Belly's getting pretty full, isn't it?

So, it'll take her probably four to five days at least

for that to get digested

and then she'll start looking to feed again after that.

That's what a little fat belly looks like

after we've had 330ml of formula.

It's the most gratifying thing to be able to take an orphaned

animal that, you know, we can raise until the point

where it's strong enough, healthy enough

and then to be able to release it back and survive in the wild.

Ready for your big day? Go out into the real world?

Millie will now live at Taronga until the day comes

for her to be released back into the wild.

I'll be a bit scared because, obviously,

I wanna know that she's gonna be-be fine

but it's the ultimate aim of what we...what we do.

So, you know, to see her go out into the wild

and be a normal echidna will be wonderful.

At Taronga's Wildlife Hospital, red kangaroo Pebbles' tooth exam

has taken a dangerous turn.

Her vitals are dropping rapidly.

What is her temperature? 'Cause she feels a bit hot.

Her last temp is 35.

35.2. 35.2, yeah.

She's not reacting well to the anaesthesia.

Still heart rate on 36. OK.

So, I just wanna go turn her down.

Let's turn her all the way, yeah, to one-one quarter.

Uh, OK.

We're going to tip her onto that side.

Mm-hm.

Uh, we're gonna give her some additional pain relief.

Put some meloxicam. Yep.

And just remember, like, she's got a heavy back end.

We'll just do slowly, legs under.

Come on. OK. OK.

Her temperature is good.

We've got it back up until 35 degrees, which...

35. 5 was it? Which is normal.

And her heart rate, we're just monitoring.

Pebbles' heart rate is still low but stable for now.

So, this tooth here

is the tooth that I'm concerned about.

So, finally, Frances can get back to pulling her teeth.

So, that first tooth

that's got all its roots out the way,

I'm working at trying to get it out.

Well... So, that's it there.

Tada! That's perfect timing.

You can see that it's got

only tiny little bits of root in there.

The roots basically get absorbed by the animal's body

and that should heal up quite quickly.

Right next door, Rusty, who was also

experiencing difficulties, is now stable.

So, Gabi is trying to discover just what is causing her sore ears.

I have a feeling that is ruptured.

Can you see up the top? Yeah.

Most chronic ear infections are rupture.

Really red down there.

I can't quite tell. .. Oh!

I can't quite tell if that is an intact eardrum.

Can't see any bugs down there, it's just inflammation.

And unfortunately, we can't put ear drops in her ears

like you can with a dog or a cat,

because they don't like it much either.

But a kangaroo just won't let you do that.

Just gonna apply antifungal and antibacterial ointment

and then we're gonna massage it in.

We put some topical therapy in her ears, which is long lasting.

Certainly should bring her some relief

because it's got an anti-inflammatory.

That's Rusty done.

But Pebbles has a way to go yet and her heart rate hasn't improved.

It hasn't jumped up since we've given her

part of her reversals, it's still quite low.

Creating ever-changing and stimulating environments

for Taronga's many animals is the number one goal

for everyone who works here.

Oh, no. No paws.

Hey, um, it's Brendan.

Just letting you know we're about five minutes out.

We're on the home stretch. There it is. There's the zoo.

There it is.

This is exciting, isn't it?

And on this scorching Sydney day, Brendan...

We're here!

..is hoping the 0.5 tonne of frozen fun

he has in the back of his truck stays frozen.

Success. Success.

Now, that we've got the ice to Taronga,

we're gonna start getting it out

to different animals across the site.

Not only are they different species

but they're also different individuals.

Brendan's plan is to mix up these animals' daily routine

and give them something

just a little bit different to think about.

First up, the chimps, who, let's face it,

are already pretty cool.

Getting excited already.

So, we're just chucking in some extra currents for them,

just a little bit of an extra little treat.

That'll be very interesting to see how they go.

There are 21 chimps in this community.

Here they come.

Some more curious than others.

OK. They're approaching it. Well, here we go.

We got some of...

Looks like Loli's down the front there

having a bit of a look.

Here comes Ceres as well with Cekiri, our youngest.

She's five months old on her belly there.

They're getting their faces right in there.

They're sticking their fingers in there.

They're picking up all those individual currents.

It's almost like a giant snow cone right?

You can go and pick all your different flavours.

They've got a cranberries on there, so, a cranberry flavour.

Cranberry topping. Yeah.

And whether it's lions, tigers, or bears...

Oh, my!

Brendan knows even a simple pile of ice

will change their habitats

just enough to give all these animals

an enriching experience.

What's great about this job is we can provide them

the opportunity to have more control over their environment

and control is important.

Control allows you to be mentally healthy.

And so, this is just one way that we can work towards that,

a positive mental state.

Can help you with this one.

Last but not least, everyone's favourite dingoes,

Kep Kep and Warada.

Oh, here they are.

Kep Kep. He spotted it.

What's that?

Kep Kep's trying to lick it. It's like a massive snowball.

Yeah. Oh...

Here we go. Look at that.

Look at me, guys.

I tell you what, this just makes me feel so good.

I can see their personalities.

I can see they're using their brains.

They're digging.

The natural behaviours are coming out.

It just makes me feel so, good seeing this.

It's all about giving every animal

their best lives, keeping them curious,

healthy, happy and...

Well, it looks like something else keeps catching Kep Kep's eye.

They found that real quick.

It seems any new addition is cause for canine curiosity.

Kep Kep, leave it.

(WHISTLES) Kep Kep.

Three female ostriches have just safely arrived at Taronga

and are busy settling into their new home.

That's it.

Keeper Jacob must now begin the task of introducing them

to their curious neighbours in the African Savannah.

What we're gonna do today is we're actually

gonna put some food out on the fence line for the giraffes

and that's gonna bring the giraffes over to that space

that the ostrich will be able to walk through.

Leila.

These big birds are adjusting to all the new sights,

sounds and smells of Taronga's Sydney Zoo.

Good work, girls.

And when it comes to sights,

there's no avoiding the elephant in the room,

which in this instance happens to be this 4m tall giraffe

staring straight back at you.

We're gonna bring some food out with us onto the paddock

and see if the ostrich are enticed to come on over,

making sure that they do have that space.

If they feel uncomfortable or even just want a little bit

of space away from the giraffes, they can access that.

Keeper Jacob has been slowly building trust

with these ostriches.

Hello, Leila.

Wimbo and Leila, the two smallest birds,

take their lead from Asali, the leader of the flock.

If Asali is relaxed, it's more likely

they'll all stay calm.

It's been quite long since we've had ostrich here

at Taronga in Sydney.

It's been over a decade.

So, it's really exciting to get ostrich back here with us.

I love these three girls.

They're really quite comfortable around us, which I like.

It is very... It is a bit Jurassic Park.

I love dinosaurs and birds are very, very closely related.

They've seen the giraffes.

There are four giraffes in Taronga's Savannah.

None of them have ever met an ostrich,

so, helping out with the formal introductions

is Giraffe Keeper, Jimmy.

Everyone thinks introducing

two different species together is quite easy.

It's actually not.

All the species on the Savannah are normally prey species,

so, they're always... their instincts to be quite,

um, nervous of each other and-and their surroundings.

The keepers have opened a gate dividing the two spaces

but they've left one rail in place just to be sure

the more curious giraffes don't get too close too soon.

'Cause as you can see, they're a little bit nervous there

just because giraffes are very big animals.

And even though ostrich and giraffes do cohabitate in the wild,

it's still a challenge

to just sort of integrate these guys.

Baby steps, eh?

Yep. That's all it is!

Despite being a little standoffish,

this casual catch up has been a real success.

And these giant birds are now one step closer

to feeling completely at home in their new home.

So, I think the giraffe and the ostrich

are gonna get along really well together.

We're probably going to see this be an ongoing process for months

and even potentially years as well.

This is a space that all these animals

are gonna live and hang out in,

so, that means they all need to build

and understand those dynamics between each other

and their groups themselves.

Coming up, as Rusty heads to recovery...

One, two, three. One, two, three.

..Pebbles continues the fight.

I'm trying to get it out.

Kangaroo mates Rusty and Pebbles were brought to the animal hospital

for two very routine procedures

but their visits have been anything but.

I have a feeling that is ruptured.

When I listened to her heart when she first went to sleep,

I could hear her little heart murmur.

Both initially suffered life-threatening reactions

to their anaesthetic.

What is her temperature? Because she feels that's hot.

She's not breathing voluntarily.

The good news is Rusty's infected ears

have now been treated and are on the mend,

so, it's back to recovery for her.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

She's just having her reversal for one of the medications

she had in the anaesthetic.

We're just gonna get everybody out so, that she doesn't wake up

and get a rude shock.

There's lots of strangers in her face.

She won't be feeling her best.

Meanwhile, back in the animal hospital,

Pebbles' low heart rate has been a concern.

Oh, wait there. She's not picking up, 42?

Yes. Yep.

But she started to respond to treatment.

So, Frances can continue with the last tooth extraction

without distraction.

I'm working at trying to get it out.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Ugly looking tooth cap, isn't it?

With the tooth out, Pebbles' procedure is finally over.

She is an older animal.

We may need to look at her teeth again

in a year's time or 1. 5 year time

just to check where everything is going

and...and...and we'll monitor from there.

The plan now is we're going to give her some

pain relief medication and then we're going to get her,

um, over to Nura Diya to her a new home

and wake her up there.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

The next day and the local residents

of Nura Diya are peacefully unaware.

Pebbles and Rusty are out of hospital

and have now moved in.

Pebbles.

Hey, Missy.

You are in zone today. Here we are.

Our almost identical duo are quickly

making a home for themselves.

So, both 'roos are settling in really well.

We've got Rusty here and she's been recovering fine.

So, we're not seeing any droopy ears

or her itching at them or any flapping,

um, of her head at all.

Pebbles here, as you can see, she's eating really well

since that procedure.

She's having no trouble with hard vegetables

or pellets or grass or anything like that

and has settled in nicely.

Love the scratch.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

You looking at me?

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