1 00:00:00,950 --> 00:00:06,450 Australia is home to one of the world's most iconic zoos, Taronga. 2 00:00:07,250 --> 00:00:11,510 Stretching from the shores of Sydney's famous harbour, Hello everybody! 3 00:00:12,490 --> 00:00:15,990 to the vast western plain zoo in Dubbo. 4 00:00:16,210 --> 00:00:17,210 Come on girls! 5 00:00:17,410 --> 00:00:22,390 But in a world that's ever changing, Every single birth we have is vitally 6 00:00:22,390 --> 00:00:25,730 important. one thing always stays the same. 7 00:00:26,030 --> 00:00:28,270 There comes a time when you just have to let go. 8 00:00:29,260 --> 00:00:31,000 The love these teams have. 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,060 Two little lion cubs. 10 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,320 For the thousands of animals in their care. Good boy. 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,720 On this episode, let the games begin. 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:50,000 Oh, this is just the best part. A feeding time like no other at Taronga. 13 00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:51,980 It'd be something like chocolates for us. 14 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,500 And a first for this family of lions. 15 00:00:55,780 --> 00:00:57,120 Can't wait to see them eat it. 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:58,320 Me neither. 17 00:00:59,550 --> 00:01:03,770 Oh yeah, so if you can see their muscles working, you can really see them 18 00:01:03,770 --> 00:01:04,910 pulling on that carcass. 19 00:01:05,850 --> 00:01:11,110 Larry and Libby try to turn these unhappy feet... Not often you have to 20 00:01:11,110 --> 00:01:13,030 penguin. ...into happy feet. 21 00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:15,870 Penguins are actually quite tough little creatures. 22 00:01:17,950 --> 00:01:19,790 And a rare bird indeed. 23 00:01:20,250 --> 00:01:22,630 They are a challenging species to breed. 24 00:01:23,070 --> 00:01:25,610 Hair racing times at Taronga. 25 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,420 Just have a look at them. They're probably the most impressive cockatoo 26 00:01:29,420 --> 00:01:30,940 you'll see anywhere in the world. 27 00:01:31,220 --> 00:01:34,640 And her hair is nicer than mine too, so I'm a bit jealous of that as well. 28 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,440 Animals from every continent call Taronga's Tuzus home. 29 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:55,120 Having such a diverse collection of wildlife means they also have an... 30 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,540 extensive and ever -changing range of needs that must be accommodated. 31 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:03,880 They are mainly grass -eating rodents, and a single capybara can eat up to 32 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,440 kilos of grass in a single day. They've pretty much destroyed all the grass in 33 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,320 this exhibit. They've absolutely smashed it. 34 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:15,540 And a lot of that care falls on the shoulders of Taronga's talented and 35 00:02:15,540 --> 00:02:20,260 keepers. Looking after him well as he gets into his more senior years is a 36 00:02:20,260 --> 00:02:21,720 really important part of our job. 37 00:02:22,110 --> 00:02:26,810 While different keepers have different specialities, like the ungulate team. 38 00:02:26,990 --> 00:02:28,350 Good girl. Good boy. 39 00:02:29,090 --> 00:02:30,550 The carnivore team. 40 00:02:30,790 --> 00:02:31,930 Okay, Gunner, there you go, mate. 41 00:02:32,750 --> 00:02:34,090 And the bird team. 42 00:02:34,370 --> 00:02:35,370 Good boy, Echo. 43 00:02:35,890 --> 00:02:40,570 Good. One keeper, Paul, works across almost all of them. 44 00:02:40,850 --> 00:02:41,850 Hey, Eora. 45 00:02:42,310 --> 00:02:43,310 Good morning. 46 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,140 I think I'm one of the luckiest keepers at the zoo, actually. It's fascinating 47 00:02:48,140 --> 00:02:51,820 going from one section to another. You're always learning about different 48 00:02:51,820 --> 00:02:55,220 animals. And you go from exotic to native animals. 49 00:02:55,500 --> 00:02:57,300 And today, it's marine. 50 00:02:57,620 --> 00:03:01,320 And one of my first duties is to look after our pelicans. 51 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,460 Our two male pelicans are Iora and Marnie. 52 00:03:05,580 --> 00:03:09,880 And this is their feed time. Like any zoo animal, they're really expecting 53 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:11,040 things first thing in the morning. 54 00:03:11,390 --> 00:03:14,990 That's what I'm just about to do. Give them a feed and then get in and clean 55 00:03:14,990 --> 00:03:19,030 with them as well. They're absolutely fascinating animals, by the way. So it's 56 00:03:19,030 --> 00:03:21,590 bit of a thrill. Great way to start the day, too. 57 00:03:22,670 --> 00:03:27,170 Whilst pelicans are found right across the world, these two are native to 58 00:03:27,170 --> 00:03:30,770 Australia. Pelicans are probably one of my favourite creatures. They're really 59 00:03:30,770 --> 00:03:33,910 exciting. They're one of the country's most iconic animals. 60 00:03:35,090 --> 00:03:37,970 But look at their feathers. They're really quite beautiful with their lovely 61 00:03:37,970 --> 00:03:39,210 black and white colouration. 62 00:03:42,429 --> 00:03:46,850 So the fish I'm going to feed them this morning are a variety. That, for 63 00:03:46,850 --> 00:03:47,890 example, is yellowtail. 64 00:03:48,110 --> 00:03:49,750 Now I'll just wait until they get in position. 65 00:03:51,490 --> 00:03:55,270 So underneath their beak is that large pouch. They put their head underwater, 66 00:03:55,550 --> 00:04:00,630 and they can scoop up to around 13 litres of water into that pouch. The 67 00:04:00,630 --> 00:04:04,690 for us, the water leaks from it, and hopefully what's left is a fish or 68 00:04:04,690 --> 00:04:05,690 crustacean. 69 00:04:06,350 --> 00:04:10,230 Once they're nice and relaxed like that, I'm just going to give them the 70 00:04:10,230 --> 00:04:11,230 finished symbol. 71 00:04:15,290 --> 00:04:19,970 So now my job is to go down and do some husbandry and some cleaning with them. 72 00:04:20,029 --> 00:04:21,550 They're relaxed after their feed. 73 00:04:25,270 --> 00:04:30,230 So husbandry is where we take care of the animal's health. Now historically, 74 00:04:30,550 --> 00:04:33,870 seabirds suffer from something that's called bumblefoot. You can see that 75 00:04:33,870 --> 00:04:37,900 he's... feet look really quite healthy but bumblefoot has a bit of a growth 76 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:42,720 underneath the feet there and it can be quite painful we believe so one way in 77 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:49,340 which we care for our pelicans feet is to provide this this is tea tree 78 00:04:49,340 --> 00:04:54,080 mulch that's a part of the exhibit right around here so as the pelicans are 79 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,720 walking around the tea tree they're actually medicating their feet so we 80 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,180 that that's got some medicinal benefits for his feet 81 00:05:02,060 --> 00:05:08,160 So while Paul finishes up his husbandry work with a quick clean, right next door 82 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:14,480 it's roll call for the little penguins. 83 00:05:15,740 --> 00:05:21,720 So here at Taronga Zoo we've got 48 little penguins and they are the 84 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,480 all the penguin species that you find in the world. They're all really funny 85 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:26,480 little characters. 86 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:28,480 That's my finger. 87 00:05:28,700 --> 00:05:31,540 They've all got different colour leg bands and they've all got names as well. 88 00:05:32,060 --> 00:05:36,820 Keeping across all the detail is essential for these keepers. So we've 89 00:05:36,820 --> 00:05:41,920 double black, bacardi, black and orange, halloumi. We've got some that have been 90 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,500 bred here. We've got some that have come from the wild with different injuries 91 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:47,020 and haven't been able to be released. 92 00:05:47,260 --> 00:05:52,120 It provides more genetics for our breeding program and gives them another 93 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:53,860 at a life that they wouldn't have otherwise. 94 00:05:56,810 --> 00:06:00,770 This little one here, she looks little, but she's our oldest penguin. She's 22. 95 00:06:01,310 --> 00:06:04,970 The penguins in the wild usually only live till they're about seven or eight. 96 00:06:05,170 --> 00:06:09,890 She's been with us her whole life and she's still going well, still laying 97 00:06:10,510 --> 00:06:13,930 You can see when they're molting like this, they look pretty funny. 98 00:06:14,950 --> 00:06:18,870 The one thing all these birds have in common is they're local. 99 00:06:19,310 --> 00:06:24,010 So you find them out in Sydney Harbour and our wildlife hospital. 100 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,860 gets a lot of different animals in every year with different injuries, and they 101 00:06:27,860 --> 00:06:31,160 get a lot of little penguins. There are two little penguins at our wildlife 102 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,080 hospital at the moment that have come in recently. 103 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:38,900 One of them is a brand -new arrival, having just been brought in by a 104 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:40,200 member of the public. 105 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:46,500 Lib, what have we got here? A little penguin that came from Palm Beach on the 106 00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:47,500 weekend. OK. 107 00:06:48,250 --> 00:06:53,330 So the right thigh and then the top of its tail there. So I think what we 108 00:06:53,330 --> 00:06:59,770 do is actually anaesthetise it and give it a full, thorough physical exam. 109 00:07:00,390 --> 00:07:05,070 It looks quite pale looking at its feet and actually Liz from the weekend said 110 00:07:05,070 --> 00:07:06,070 it did look a bit pale. 111 00:07:07,410 --> 00:07:10,150 It is dragging this foot when it moves. 112 00:07:11,830 --> 00:07:12,870 Come on, buddy. 113 00:07:13,650 --> 00:07:16,570 Putting it to sleep is a job for vet nurse Liz. 114 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,500 who's well aware of the games these little penguins can play. 115 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,420 Penguins can be quite difficult sometimes to anaesthetise. 116 00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:29,520 Penguins dive underwater, and when they dive, they hold their breath. So 117 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,460 sometimes when they're being anaesthetised, they'll do the same 118 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,200 So at the moment, the bird's breathing nicely, but I just need the bird to 119 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,840 breathe a little bit more to take in the anaesthetic gas to go to sleep. 120 00:07:40,300 --> 00:07:42,180 He's getting there. He's getting a bit sleepy. 121 00:07:43,210 --> 00:07:49,050 He's got his eyes closed, which means he's going to sleep, but still flapping 122 00:07:49,050 --> 00:07:50,050 his little flippers. 123 00:07:50,250 --> 00:07:52,350 You just have to be patient with penguins. 124 00:07:53,550 --> 00:07:56,990 And finally, that patience pays off. 125 00:07:57,270 --> 00:07:58,430 The penguin's anaesthetised. 126 00:07:59,710 --> 00:08:04,550 That means Larry can start looking at this little penguin's extensive wound. 127 00:08:09,090 --> 00:08:12,050 Feeding time at the zoo comes in many forms. 128 00:08:12,670 --> 00:08:16,830 From lifting hay and leaves for all -day grazing... So we'll actually hang the 129 00:08:16,830 --> 00:08:21,050 leaves up here as well with the hay, and it stimulates giraffe eating out of the 130 00:08:21,050 --> 00:08:25,790 trees. ...to leaving a trail of snacks for the animals to find and enjoy. 131 00:08:26,230 --> 00:08:30,130 So it's lots of these little feeds, and as I spread it out now, they're going to 132 00:08:30,130 --> 00:08:32,730 have to smell to find that food. They're going to walk around the exhibit 133 00:08:32,730 --> 00:08:34,010 smelling for all of this. 134 00:08:35,309 --> 00:08:36,330 But today... 135 00:08:36,620 --> 00:08:40,919 Butcher Carlin and nutritionist Michelle have something new in mind for 136 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:43,120 Taronga's ever -growing lion pride. 137 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,080 Oh, that looks beautiful, Carlin. Nice and fresh, nice and fresh. 138 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,700 Nice one for safety, my friend, and let us go. 139 00:08:57,580 --> 00:08:58,940 Hey! How are you? 140 00:08:59,220 --> 00:09:00,179 Good, how are you? 141 00:09:00,180 --> 00:09:03,140 I'm very good. Look what we've got. Oh, wonderful. 142 00:09:03,460 --> 00:09:04,460 Where would you like it? 143 00:09:05,010 --> 00:09:07,650 We'll probably just bring it in here because it'll be going out in the 144 00:09:07,650 --> 00:09:10,730 very soon. It's a young lamb, so the bones are going to be soft enough that 145 00:09:10,730 --> 00:09:15,970 can really crush them, and even the little tiny cubs will be able to get a 146 00:09:15,970 --> 00:09:17,130 purchase on it. 147 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,420 I'm really excited about this because carcass feeding is really important, 148 00:09:21,540 --> 00:09:26,340 particularly for young animals. It gets them to use all of those muscles that 149 00:09:26,340 --> 00:09:30,460 would normally be used to take down prey items in the wild, and it helps to 150 00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:33,960 strengthen their jaw muscles and their neck and their shoulders. You can just 151 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,660 imagine as they're tearing that. You can feel the muscles that you're working. 152 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,360 It's prepared beautifully. It's open up, so there's lots of places for them to 153 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:46,240 hold on. We can have a cub on each leg. We might have mum grabbing at the spine, 154 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,600 but it's extremely important. for their, not just nutritional health, but also 155 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,260 for their dental health, for their muscles, for their skeleton, and also 156 00:09:54,260 --> 00:09:58,620 socializing. We really need them to grow up and get used to eating with other 157 00:09:58,620 --> 00:10:01,580 animals and eating with the other lions so that when they grow up and move to 158 00:10:01,580 --> 00:10:04,300 other prides, they'll be comfortable to eat with those as well. 159 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:10,260 Checking the lamb one final time before it actually becomes lunch is critical to 160 00:10:10,260 --> 00:10:11,500 avoid any injury. 161 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,520 Safety is the main game for this. We don't want it any sharp. 162 00:10:15,829 --> 00:10:18,290 Bones here to damage their their mouth or their teeth. 163 00:10:18,490 --> 00:10:22,810 We definitely don't want any real hard bones That's going to cause like that 164 00:10:22,810 --> 00:10:27,310 certainly phones that get stuck in their jaw and they can't close their jaw But 165 00:10:27,310 --> 00:10:31,470 this one's nice and clean. Definitely. Yeah, well this carcass feed is a first 166 00:10:31,470 --> 00:10:34,590 for these cubs It's also a first for Michelle. 167 00:10:35,390 --> 00:10:40,550 I Think I've ever been down here All right, so I'm thinking maybe if we put 168 00:10:40,550 --> 00:10:44,440 just around here in the grass So they don't kind of get the soil and stuff on 169 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,480 it. Yeah, that'll be good. But they couldn't drag it wherever they like. All 170 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,440 right, so maybe what we'll do is sort of splay it out there, Carlin. Yeah, we'll 171 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,220 keep it like... So that they can... Okay, you want to spread it or you want 172 00:10:53,220 --> 00:10:55,980 to... Yeah, because then... They can all grab a bit. Yes. 173 00:10:56,940 --> 00:10:59,700 That'll be good. We'll just pose it very nicely. Okay, good? 174 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,760 Yeah. So it's really good to do carcass feeds for lions because they are a 175 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,160 social cat. They're one of the only social cats, in fact. 176 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,500 But having mum and cubs together is very normal and natural, and this is exactly 177 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:12,760 what would be happening in the wild. 178 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:18,340 Time will tell if this will be the first of many such feeds for Taronga's lions. 179 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:26,660 Coming up, the tricks of making food time last longer. 180 00:11:26,980 --> 00:11:29,620 Remember, they're really strong animals, so I've really got to lock that in. 181 00:11:31,150 --> 00:11:34,270 And an audience with one very rare bird. 182 00:11:34,490 --> 00:11:37,610 They're probably one of the most beautiful and impressive birds you've 183 00:11:37,610 --> 00:11:38,610 seen. 184 00:11:42,450 --> 00:11:47,630 Paul is one of the very few keepers lucky enough to work closely with a huge 185 00:11:47,630 --> 00:11:48,790 variety of species. 186 00:11:49,430 --> 00:11:54,450 And today he's been assigned an extremely important task for one of the 187 00:11:54,450 --> 00:11:56,450 high -profile groups at the zoo. 188 00:11:56,830 --> 00:12:00,170 Well, this morning I'm working in the very important primate division. 189 00:12:00,890 --> 00:12:04,430 Providing food, water and shelter is always important for animals. 190 00:12:04,930 --> 00:12:06,370 Providing enrichment is another. 191 00:12:06,950 --> 00:12:10,250 Enrichment is where we stimulate the animals mentally. We give them problem 192 00:12:10,250 --> 00:12:11,250 -solving opportunities. 193 00:12:11,510 --> 00:12:15,190 As you can see, this is not making it terribly easy for the chimps to get 194 00:12:15,190 --> 00:12:21,630 food. Their food today, part of it, is the beetroot puree, but also some 195 00:12:21,630 --> 00:12:26,150 with sultanas. They're high -priced food items. But the chimps now have to work 196 00:12:26,150 --> 00:12:27,670 out how to get them out of these tubes. 197 00:12:30,670 --> 00:12:34,170 Like any section in the zoo, the primate department's really quite busy. 198 00:12:34,650 --> 00:12:39,590 But it's actually a fantastic challenge working across the zoo and in many 199 00:12:39,590 --> 00:12:40,590 different departments. 200 00:12:40,930 --> 00:12:45,530 Learning about the animals is something, but also trying to get in amongst them 201 00:12:45,530 --> 00:12:48,590 and remember what you're meant to be doing in that section is also very 202 00:12:48,590 --> 00:12:49,590 important too. 203 00:12:51,770 --> 00:12:55,110 You can actually hear the chimps in the background getting really quite excited 204 00:12:55,110 --> 00:12:56,110 by this. 205 00:12:56,490 --> 00:12:57,790 They're very observant. 206 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:02,400 They're a really wonderful exhibit, this one, actually. You can see there's all 207 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:06,040 the climbing structures, even places for them to escape from each other if they 208 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:07,360 wanted to, if there was a disagreement. 209 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:13,600 These locks and chains may look like overkill, but the reality is, without 210 00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:16,180 this enrichment would be over in seconds. 211 00:13:16,660 --> 00:13:19,300 Remember, they're really strong animals, so I've really got to lock that in 212 00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:23,820 because that's the sort of treatment that they'll be giving the enrichment 213 00:13:23,820 --> 00:13:27,740 items. They've got to try and work that around, and sometimes they hang off the 214 00:13:27,740 --> 00:13:28,719 top to do that. 215 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,780 Sometimes they come in from underneath, or as we've seen, they've also used 216 00:13:31,780 --> 00:13:34,560 tools, or even their fingers, to get the food out of there. 217 00:13:45,020 --> 00:13:49,700 And I guess it's just like the enrichment that we provide for the 218 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:53,860 a human enrichment for me. I think I'm very lucky and I'm very grateful for 219 00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:54,639 I do. 220 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:59,740 With everything secure, all that's left now is for Paul and the chimps to enjoy 221 00:13:59,740 --> 00:14:00,780 his handiwork. 222 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:03,420 Oh, this is just the best part. 223 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:13,600 Taronga Zoo is home to a great number of species of birds, but one of the most 224 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,360 striking is this punk rock -looking palm cockatoo. 225 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:19,240 Here we have Seisha. 226 00:14:19,690 --> 00:14:24,030 She is one of two female palm cockatoos that we have here at Taronga Zoo. 227 00:14:24,570 --> 00:14:27,710 Seisha is around 10 and Hoppy is around 6 years of age. 228 00:14:27,970 --> 00:14:30,470 As you can see, she is a very impressive species. 229 00:14:30,730 --> 00:14:34,150 Just look at the hairdo on her. It's probably the best mohawk that I've ever 230 00:14:34,150 --> 00:14:35,470 seen on any kind of bird. 231 00:14:36,270 --> 00:14:40,590 The only place that you'll find a palm cockatoo in Australia is in Cape York 232 00:14:40,590 --> 00:14:44,930 Peninsula, which is way up on the very tip of Queensland. It's the only place 233 00:14:44,930 --> 00:14:47,730 Australia they exist, right on that top triangle. 234 00:14:49,150 --> 00:14:52,450 And they are quite hard to see. They're quite an elusive species. They're very 235 00:14:52,450 --> 00:14:53,450 shy. 236 00:14:54,350 --> 00:15:00,150 In fact, they're so rare, Taronga is one of only two zoos in Australia to house 237 00:15:00,150 --> 00:15:04,230 them. So we're very lucky not only to be able to house them, but I feel very 238 00:15:04,230 --> 00:15:07,050 lucky and privileged to be able to work with them as well. They're one of my 239 00:15:07,050 --> 00:15:10,710 favourite species, and just look at them. How could they not be? They're 240 00:15:10,710 --> 00:15:13,730 probably one of the most beautiful and impressive birds you've ever seen. 241 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:19,440 And aside from the crazy mohawk, their other most prominent and fascinating 242 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:25,180 feature are their vivid red cheeks. You can just see the tip of Sasha's 243 00:15:25,180 --> 00:15:28,260 side pouches there, or her skin. 244 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:33,980 You can see that skin there on the side. So when she's really shy, she covers 245 00:15:33,980 --> 00:15:37,020 that with her feathers. But when she starts to get a bit more comfortable, 246 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,160 she'll actually expose those cheeks and the beautiful colour on there as well. 247 00:15:41,460 --> 00:15:43,320 So at the moment you can see that. 248 00:15:43,630 --> 00:15:48,990 Sasha here is getting quite excited so her crest is up and she's exposing those 249 00:15:48,990 --> 00:15:54,310 cheek patches that she has and when they get more excited it's usually a pale 250 00:15:54,310 --> 00:15:57,810 red colour but the more excited they get the brighter red that will go. 251 00:15:58,590 --> 00:16:03,470 So that's letting us know that she's either excited or really happy and when 252 00:16:03,470 --> 00:16:08,630 she's not showing us she's just either relaxed or she's not really sore or just 253 00:16:08,630 --> 00:16:11,210 very shy unlike Poppy who's very loud. 254 00:16:13,719 --> 00:16:17,860 So we've got the enormous beak that you can see here, so the largest beak of all 255 00:16:17,860 --> 00:16:18,860 the parrots. 256 00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:20,740 Their eyesight is very good. 257 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:26,140 They have to be able to find the pandanus nuts, so that's their favourite 258 00:16:26,140 --> 00:16:29,020 that they feast on in their natural habitat. 259 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,560 And that's why they've got such a powerful beak too. It's such a hard nut 260 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,260 crack that they use that really powerful beak to break in for those. 261 00:16:37,890 --> 00:16:42,630 Like a lot of animals at Taronga, there's a strong conservation reason for 262 00:16:42,630 --> 00:16:43,630 being here. 263 00:16:43,830 --> 00:16:46,350 So their habitat is under threat. 264 00:16:47,390 --> 00:16:51,230 As most cockatoos, they do require log hollows to nest in. 265 00:16:51,790 --> 00:16:55,510 Palm cockatoos are one of the only species that will actually build a nest 266 00:16:55,510 --> 00:16:58,090 within a log hollow, which makes them very unique. 267 00:16:58,550 --> 00:17:02,890 But the log hollows that they require aren't forming up there, so a lot of the 268 00:17:02,890 --> 00:17:06,589 trees are being cut down and their habitat isn't doing so good. 269 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,460 They are a challenging species to breed. 270 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,680 So to be able to say that we've been able to breed palm cockatoos would just 271 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:15,680 amazing. 272 00:17:16,540 --> 00:17:20,220 Just have a look at them. They're probably the most impressive cockatoo 273 00:17:20,220 --> 00:17:21,760 you'll see anywhere in the world. 274 00:17:22,900 --> 00:17:26,359 And her hair is nicer than mine too, so I'm a bit jealous of that as well. 275 00:17:36,490 --> 00:17:41,550 Down at the wildlife hospital, senior vet Larry is about to check the wound on 276 00:17:41,550 --> 00:17:42,770 rescued little penguin. 277 00:17:44,210 --> 00:17:47,370 It is quite pale, isn't it? Yes, it was pale when it came in. 278 00:17:47,870 --> 00:17:49,910 It is quite thin, this little bird. 279 00:17:50,330 --> 00:17:51,530 Poor body condition. 280 00:17:51,830 --> 00:17:53,550 It looks like it might be anemic. 281 00:17:54,250 --> 00:17:58,370 We know it has got some wounds, but just do a thorough physical exam on it. 282 00:18:00,370 --> 00:18:05,290 There's quite a nasty wound here, and that foot is a little bit thicker than 283 00:18:05,290 --> 00:18:06,199 that one. 284 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,200 Several wounds there. 285 00:18:07,380 --> 00:18:09,460 That was the one I was most concerned about yesterday. 286 00:18:09,900 --> 00:18:11,080 Yeah, that definitely is concerning. 287 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,920 It's obviously got some fairly significant wounds. 288 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,780 So yeah, it's certainly in a bit of trouble, this little guy. 289 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,520 So I'm just going to scan this little guy for a microchip. 290 00:18:23,580 --> 00:18:28,560 It is a wild penguin, but some of the wild populations around Sydney are 291 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:32,300 carefully monitored, and many of the birds do have microchips in them. 292 00:18:33,470 --> 00:18:37,330 We always check for the wild penguins for microchips and it doesn't seem like 293 00:18:37,330 --> 00:18:38,570 this one has a microchip. 294 00:18:38,930 --> 00:18:43,890 While Larry may not have found a microchip, he has found yet another 295 00:18:44,430 --> 00:18:47,910 So you see there's a tick just there and it's got another one there. 296 00:18:49,290 --> 00:18:54,210 Probably the most important and well -known tick in Australia is the 297 00:18:54,210 --> 00:18:59,710 tick, which can cause paralysis in many different species of animals, but 298 00:18:59,710 --> 00:19:02,390 particularly domestic animals, dogs and cats. 299 00:19:02,970 --> 00:19:05,390 I don't think this bird is affected by these ticks though. 300 00:19:05,890 --> 00:19:10,790 With some ticks collected for analysis, Larry turns his attention back to the 301 00:19:10,790 --> 00:19:11,790 injured leg. 302 00:19:12,190 --> 00:19:15,290 What we'll do now is clear away some of these feathers. 303 00:19:16,890 --> 00:19:20,590 Usually we try and pluck birds' feathers rather than cut them because if you 304 00:19:20,590 --> 00:19:24,650 pluck them, they grow back quite quickly, whereas if you cut them, they 305 00:19:24,650 --> 00:19:26,530 only come back when the bird molts. 306 00:19:29,710 --> 00:19:31,510 Not often you have to vacuum a penguin. 307 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:34,660 You can see the extent of that wound. 308 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:40,040 Definitely not a fresh wound. The tissue is very dry, very deep, but they do 309 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:41,140 heal well, these little guys. 310 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:47,300 A little bit difficult to know exactly what has caused this, but possibly a 311 00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:50,480 fish, a predatory fish or something like that has grabbed him. 312 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,320 You can see some rake marks on the rest of his foot here. 313 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,120 To suture this wound is not a good idea because there's so much dead tissue in 314 00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:00,720 there. So I'm going to treat it as an open wound. 315 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,620 This beige -y sort of putty, I suppose you can call it, or paste that I've put 316 00:20:05,620 --> 00:20:07,120 in there is the wound healing paste. 317 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,000 It keeps moisture in the wound and it sort of cleanses the wound. 318 00:20:11,420 --> 00:20:15,180 Because of the extent of that wound, we'll probably need several procedures 319 00:20:15,180 --> 00:20:18,840 clean all that up. I think the important thing now is to provide it with some 320 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:23,040 good supportive care, get it nice and strong, rehydrate it, give it some good 321 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,480 nutrition. There'll be several other procedures before that wound is dealt 322 00:20:29,860 --> 00:20:33,550 Next. Anticipation builds for Taronga's chimp. 323 00:20:33,770 --> 00:20:35,730 Oh, this is just the best part. 324 00:20:36,610 --> 00:20:39,930 And a first for this hungry pride of lions. 325 00:20:40,330 --> 00:20:44,090 This is play behavior, learning how to be a lion. 326 00:20:44,330 --> 00:20:45,750 She's just beautiful to watch. 327 00:20:50,190 --> 00:20:54,770 Today, Taronga's new lion pride is in for a special treat. 328 00:20:57,020 --> 00:21:01,780 Recreating how they feed in the wild, a 40 -pound carcass is being placed in 329 00:21:01,780 --> 00:21:02,780 their exhibit. 330 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:06,980 So they don't kind of get the soil and thick stuff on it. Enabling them to have 331 00:21:06,980 --> 00:21:09,300 their very first family meal together. 332 00:21:10,679 --> 00:21:15,160 It's really good to do carcass feeds for lions because they are a social cat. 333 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,640 They're one of the only social cats, in fact. They have to learn how to share 334 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,340 any food that's caught. And this carcass, it's a lamb instead of a zebra, 335 00:21:23,340 --> 00:21:27,340 it's not a huge carcass. But at the same time, our cubs are still only small. So 336 00:21:27,340 --> 00:21:30,120 as they grow, the carcasses are going to have to grow as well. 337 00:21:30,900 --> 00:21:36,700 As the cubs are still so young, unfortunately, Dad has to sit this one 338 00:21:37,530 --> 00:21:41,550 Only because this is probably a little bit too small to have dad included as 339 00:21:41,550 --> 00:21:45,210 well. Just that we've seen from Atto that he gets a little bit rough with the 340 00:21:45,210 --> 00:21:49,970 babies around feeding time. So we'd prefer this just to be restricted to mum 341 00:21:49,970 --> 00:21:51,370 her cubs for this stage. 342 00:21:52,090 --> 00:21:56,550 I think it's been prepared beautifully for them. I can't wait to see them eat 343 00:21:56,550 --> 00:21:57,550 it. We need it. 344 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,780 And just like in the wild, mum leads from the front. 345 00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:17,060 While it looks like she's taking it for herself, it couldn't be further from the 346 00:22:17,060 --> 00:22:18,060 truth. 347 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:24,460 Oh yeah, so if you can see, she's pulled the carcass away and she's pulled it 348 00:22:24,460 --> 00:22:28,220 out so that all of her cubs are safely in the shade. She's not stupid, so she 349 00:22:28,220 --> 00:22:29,400 wants them all to eat in the shade. 350 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:38,220 It's really great because it's exactly what we wanted to see. We've got a cub 351 00:22:38,220 --> 00:22:44,100 each leg, and they're really pulling at it and playing tug -of -war with it and 352 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:47,860 trying to get pieces off, which is exactly what we wanted to see. 353 00:22:48,260 --> 00:22:52,280 And you can see their muscles working. You can really see them pulling on that 354 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:53,280 carcass. 355 00:22:54,479 --> 00:22:58,880 together and eating so closely, it means that they're comfortable eating in 356 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,320 close proximity, and that's fantastic. That's good social behavior. 357 00:23:02,580 --> 00:23:05,620 So they're going to be good, polite lions when they're getting older. 358 00:23:06,980 --> 00:23:10,440 It's interesting to see that mom hasn't actually eaten anything yet. So she's a 359 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,740 really good mom. Maya is a very experienced mother, and she's obviously 360 00:23:14,740 --> 00:23:18,600 let those cubs eat from that carcass first, and maybe she'll come back to it 361 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:22,700 later. She's just alert and taking care of her cubs as she should be. 362 00:23:23,290 --> 00:23:27,730 But whilst Maya's a good mom, she's also a hungry one. 363 00:23:30,390 --> 00:23:35,790 Okay, so it looks like mom has now taken that one leg piece for herself. 364 00:23:36,930 --> 00:23:39,430 But the cubs won't leave her alone to eat quietly. 365 00:23:39,710 --> 00:23:43,850 Because like any mother who goes and takes a bath or wants to do something on 366 00:23:43,850 --> 00:23:47,890 their own, the kids will always want to get in there and play. And it looks like 367 00:23:47,890 --> 00:23:49,410 they're getting very rambunctious with her. 368 00:23:50,700 --> 00:23:54,420 This is play behavior, learning how to be a lion. 369 00:23:54,740 --> 00:23:58,960 She's just beautiful to watch. Just to see her interacting with those cubs is 370 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,280 amazing, and to see her teaching them how to be a good lion one day. 371 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,020 They're going to be playing with this carcass for hours, and they're going to 372 00:24:06,020 --> 00:24:09,240 take little naps, and they're going to play, and then they're going to eat a 373 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:09,959 little bit more. 374 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:14,040 And at the end of it, I doubt they'll be able to find a skerrick anywhere. 375 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,520 I think that the entire carcass is going to be gone. Mom's going to eat those 376 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:18,700 big, long bones. 377 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:23,200 Those cubs are going to eat the ribs, and all of it's going to disappear. 378 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:24,780 So I don't think there'll be much to clean up. 379 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,800 As part of the nutritional program at the zoo, it's a huge success. 380 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,860 We're really getting everything that we want out of this carcass feed. 381 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:44,340 Up at the chimpanzee exhibit, they're also getting ready for a very special 382 00:24:45,820 --> 00:24:49,360 Keeper Paul has placed out some purpose -built enrichment tubes. 383 00:24:51,220 --> 00:24:55,800 And after hanging them up, it's time to see how they go down. 384 00:24:57,420 --> 00:25:01,680 Oh, this is just the best part. This is just exactly what we want to see. You 385 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,080 can see that in the activity now as they grab the tubes. 386 00:25:04,340 --> 00:25:06,040 They've all headed that way as well. 387 00:25:06,890 --> 00:25:12,390 The first point of interest that we really wanted to get to, our nexus to 388 00:25:12,390 --> 00:25:13,390 them feeding from it. 389 00:25:15,550 --> 00:25:19,090 Of course, amongst the screaming, amongst the yelling, there's obviously 390 00:25:19,090 --> 00:25:23,650 form of communication to telling the rest of the group that there's food out 391 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:26,470 about for them. This is what would occur in the wild. 392 00:25:26,670 --> 00:25:30,130 There's something that's excited one of them. The rest of the group would then 393 00:25:30,130 --> 00:25:31,130 come over to investigate. 394 00:25:31,980 --> 00:25:35,220 You can even see some of the youngsters getting involved as well. There's plenty 395 00:25:35,220 --> 00:25:38,220 of those pellets that are being spilt, but they're going to have to work a 396 00:25:38,220 --> 00:25:41,680 little bit harder for that puree, that lovely beetroot puree. 397 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:46,800 Beetroot is a pretty highly prized food item for them. They really enjoy that. 398 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:51,320 Pellets also provide another surprise too. There were some sultanas that went 399 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:53,280 there. Sultanas are like at the top of the tree. 400 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,500 It'd be something like chocolates for us. 401 00:25:56,940 --> 00:26:00,340 Chimps are very opportunistic and very observant animals. 402 00:26:00,540 --> 00:26:05,180 So they're finding all those little treats in there right now and licking 403 00:26:05,180 --> 00:26:09,020 digits, trying to find the really enjoyable stuff. 404 00:26:09,260 --> 00:26:12,400 And so, of course, the pellets they like, they're shaking that into their 405 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:19,580 Fortunately, those locks have helped us out a lot to keep them in place. 406 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,900 From our perspective as keepers, this is really a success for us. 407 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:26,920 Just what we want. Yeah, it's perfect. 408 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:32,520 Coming up... Come on, Miss. 409 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,380 ..introducing Dubbo's latest addition. 410 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,320 The birth was quite quick. We're never around for a birth. 411 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,740 Sabi, the black rhino. 412 00:26:40,940 --> 00:26:44,960 I might be a little bit biased, but nothing beats a black rhino birth. 413 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:52,710 Roaming the fast -open plain... is just another day at the office for the 414 00:26:52,710 --> 00:26:56,190 animals out here at Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. 415 00:26:57,110 --> 00:27:04,070 But whilst there's time for play, there's also time for work. 416 00:27:04,310 --> 00:27:09,250 Today, one of the zoo's most important residents is in line for a very 417 00:27:09,250 --> 00:27:10,250 training session. 418 00:27:10,630 --> 00:27:15,290 You get set up and then we'll go from there. Good girl, Bakeda. 419 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,320 Here we have Sabi Star. She's a black rhinoceros. 420 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:24,860 So the trick is to find out what mood she's in in the morning and what takes 421 00:27:24,860 --> 00:27:30,000 fancy. Sometimes it's a carrot, sometimes it's brows, other times it's 422 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:31,000 interaction with us. 423 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:32,319 You're okay, Miss. 424 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:33,320 You're okay. 425 00:27:33,620 --> 00:27:39,060 Being so endangered, Sabi Star's arrival was another feather in the cap of 426 00:27:39,060 --> 00:27:41,540 Taronga's successful rhino breeding program. 427 00:27:42,860 --> 00:27:44,240 So the birth was quite quick. 428 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,740 We're never around for a birth. They're quite secretive. So it was in the early 429 00:27:47,740 --> 00:27:48,740 hours of the morning. 430 00:27:48,780 --> 00:27:52,520 The calf was standing and suckling within an hour, so that was great to 431 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,600 that's one of the things we look for straight away. Is the calf able to 432 00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:00,420 Is it suckling? How long does it take to defecate? Is it building that bond with 433 00:28:00,420 --> 00:28:04,720 mum? Our conservation philosophy and management strategy here at the zoo is 434 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,100 every single rhino or individual is vitally important. 435 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:14,540 So although she's just one individual, she is an ambassador and represents the 436 00:28:14,540 --> 00:28:16,280 plight of her species in the wild. 437 00:28:16,620 --> 00:28:21,320 Whilst they celebrated her birth, they also know the clock is ticking if they 438 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,380 want to keep adding to Sabi's family. 439 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:28,040 We're in the middle of a separation session with Sabi and her mum. She's 440 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,520 hit eight months of age and it's something that we've been working 441 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,220 day since she was about a month of age. 442 00:28:37,150 --> 00:28:38,830 So we start off with a minute separation. 443 00:28:39,130 --> 00:28:42,370 We go to two minutes, three minutes, and now they're up to about half an hour. 444 00:28:42,450 --> 00:28:46,170 And we're leading up to a situation in the next few months where we will be 445 00:28:46,170 --> 00:28:49,370 to separate them comfortably for an hour at a time. 446 00:28:49,610 --> 00:28:53,830 And one of the reasons for that is we're trying to get Bikita pregnant again. 447 00:28:54,620 --> 00:28:58,780 So from a very early age, we build rapport with the rhinos, all on their 448 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:02,820 to make sure mum is comfortable. And if mum's comfortable, the calf mimics 449 00:29:02,820 --> 00:29:03,820 everything that mum does. 450 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,860 So Jake is down with Bakita, and they're both quite comfortable being 30 metres 451 00:29:09,860 --> 00:29:11,540 apart at the moment. We can shut the gate. 452 00:29:11,820 --> 00:29:16,880 So in the wild, a bull would approach the cow, who has the calf at foot, 453 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:21,340 about two years after the first birth. So we get the cow and calf comfortable 454 00:29:21,340 --> 00:29:22,340 with being separated. 455 00:29:22,890 --> 00:29:26,230 you know, up to an hour a day, we can bring the ball in safely. 456 00:29:26,670 --> 00:29:29,490 And mum is then concentrating on the job at hand. 457 00:29:29,750 --> 00:29:34,010 Hormones are kicking in. And the calf is learning the process from nearby, you 458 00:29:34,010 --> 00:29:37,870 know, relaxed and controlled environment with as little stress as possible to 459 00:29:37,870 --> 00:29:43,190 each. But after half an hour of being away from mum, Sabi's star is showing 460 00:29:43,190 --> 00:29:44,650 signs she's had enough. 461 00:29:46,110 --> 00:29:48,510 Yeah, she's not very settled at the moment. 462 00:29:49,410 --> 00:29:50,790 So I'm not very settled. 463 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,120 So we're going to bring Bakita back. 464 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:54,440 Jake? Yeah. 465 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:55,640 Want to come back? 466 00:29:55,660 --> 00:29:56,760 Let's go. Come on. 467 00:29:57,020 --> 00:30:01,720 Keepers know full well results won't happen overnight, but the ultimate 468 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:06,780 of another black rhino calf roaming these Dubbo Plains makes all their work 469 00:30:06,780 --> 00:30:11,400 worth it. I might be a little bit biased, but nothing beats a black rhino 470 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:12,159 or a calf. 471 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:17,440 And to have Sabi as a cow, as another female to add to the breeding program, 472 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:18,600 the cherry on top. 473 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:30,320 Back in Sydney, Keeper Paul is continuing his working tour of the many 474 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:31,420 of Tooronga Zoo. 475 00:30:31,900 --> 00:30:34,980 Today in the reptile department are feed days. 476 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:40,220 Now as a keeper who rotates from department to department, I have to be 477 00:30:40,220 --> 00:30:45,440 cautious about following and being consistent with what I do. 478 00:30:45,820 --> 00:30:48,220 In this exhibit we've got Phil Nick. 479 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,780 We've also got a blue -tongued lizard that shares the exhibit with them. 480 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,480 Now, I'm going to feed these animals, but I'm going to feed them live food. 481 00:30:56,460 --> 00:30:59,420 What we want to do is stimulate the animals mentally. 482 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:04,700 So mimic what would happen in the wild. And in the wild, these creatures would 483 00:31:04,700 --> 00:31:09,360 eat insects. And today, they're getting... Oops, there's a couple of 484 00:31:09,460 --> 00:31:11,300 but they're getting some crickets. 485 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,420 For humane reasons too, we only feed out invertebrates. So invertebrates are 486 00:31:16,420 --> 00:31:20,300 animals just like crickets, but also worms and grubs, animals that don't have 487 00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:21,300 backbone. 488 00:31:22,740 --> 00:31:27,420 It's nice and reassuring for the animal that we're all on the same page. So this 489 00:31:27,420 --> 00:31:31,480 is just how they're fed by all of the keepers. 490 00:31:31,940 --> 00:31:34,780 And as you can see, these girls are particularly hungry today. 491 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:39,740 And one of the reasons that they are particularly hungry, it's a warm day. 492 00:31:40,190 --> 00:31:44,950 Like, I'm perspiring now, but reptiles need heat to metabolise. 493 00:31:45,190 --> 00:31:49,870 Now, that's the way that they will digest their food. On the colder days, 494 00:31:49,870 --> 00:31:53,530 won't be as hungry because they can't really digest their food well enough. 495 00:31:53,890 --> 00:31:59,130 And all this eating has piqued the interest of another resident of this 496 00:31:59,570 --> 00:32:03,470 Well, as the girls were being fed, that aroused the male, and the male's just 497 00:32:03,470 --> 00:32:05,470 turned up. He's become very interested now. 498 00:32:05,690 --> 00:32:09,030 Now, male frill -necked lizards are larger than the females. 499 00:32:09,959 --> 00:32:11,900 So there he goes. He's a little bit slower. 500 00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:16,600 Compared to the girls, he's about as fast as a glacier. 501 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,240 Like the girls, they are all arboreal and found in the trees. 502 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:25,080 Although today, this one's on the ground. 503 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,000 We have to feed him in a certain way. 504 00:32:28,340 --> 00:32:30,540 Just show him the crickets from the front. 505 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,760 He noticed the cricket is on the ground. That cricket won't get away, 506 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:36,880 unfortunately, for the cricket. 507 00:32:37,930 --> 00:32:39,950 Oh, he's got it. There you are. Beauty. 508 00:32:40,550 --> 00:32:44,990 Although Paul's work brings him in close contact with many of the more exotic 509 00:32:44,990 --> 00:32:48,510 residents, he always has a soft spot for the local. 510 00:32:48,810 --> 00:32:52,490 I love my job here at the zoo. I really like showcasing Australian wildlife. 511 00:32:52,790 --> 00:32:56,770 You know, we're lucky to have it around us and there's a lot of really unique 512 00:32:56,770 --> 00:33:01,490 and interesting things about Australian fauna that we know as Australians are 513 00:33:01,490 --> 00:33:03,450 around us, we just don't know enough about. 514 00:33:06,670 --> 00:33:07,670 Still to come. 515 00:33:07,810 --> 00:33:12,790 Here you go, mate. Just why Paul is giving Fred flowers. I'm going to reward 516 00:33:12,790 --> 00:33:15,470 with that piece of grevillea that I cut earlier on. 517 00:33:15,810 --> 00:33:18,350 And a birdbath with a difference. 518 00:33:18,710 --> 00:33:22,850 He's having a swim before he has to have his general anaesthetic to treat this 519 00:33:22,850 --> 00:33:23,850 wound. 520 00:33:26,810 --> 00:33:31,550 Down at the wildlife hospital, Libby is preparing for some much -needed 521 00:33:31,550 --> 00:33:32,550 hydrotherapy. 522 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:36,400 Hello, little one. 523 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:39,700 What a sore leg. 524 00:33:40,740 --> 00:33:41,820 Ready for a bath? 525 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:47,620 So this is a wild little penguin that came to Taronga Wildlife Hospital with a 526 00:33:47,620 --> 00:33:48,559 leg injury. 527 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:54,060 It's a very severe injury on this leg. And as you can see, he's not moving that 528 00:33:54,060 --> 00:33:57,960 leg properly. He's not extending it out the back. 529 00:33:58,540 --> 00:34:03,270 And what I'm doing at the moment is He's having a swim before he has to have his 530 00:34:03,270 --> 00:34:05,430 general anaesthetic to treat this wound. 531 00:34:05,910 --> 00:34:10,489 It's important that he has a swim whenever he can. They love to be in the 532 00:34:10,489 --> 00:34:15,810 environment and it also helps the wound because it soaks the wound and it soaks 533 00:34:15,810 --> 00:34:20,730 the medication that has been put on the wound as well. So ready for his general 534 00:34:20,730 --> 00:34:24,659 anaesthetic. I'd like to make it bigger, but it would just mean he would expend 535 00:34:24,659 --> 00:34:28,880 more energy. And this is a sick bird. So this is a bird that's in bed, 536 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:30,739 basically, in a hospital situation. 537 00:34:31,219 --> 00:34:37,219 So he is extending this leg more than he was last time he was swimming. 538 00:34:37,460 --> 00:34:43,120 He's starting to pull that leg out a little bit further. Every day that he's 539 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,600 the water, he pulls that leg out a little bit further. So it's good. 540 00:34:47,300 --> 00:34:48,340 A good progression. 541 00:34:50,570 --> 00:34:54,429 This is a severe injury. It'll be a long -term treatment for this bird. 542 00:34:55,469 --> 00:34:59,950 Not just the treatment of the wound, but the rehabilitation afterwards to ensure 543 00:34:59,950 --> 00:35:01,970 that he has full function of that leg. 544 00:35:02,510 --> 00:35:07,710 Penguins are incredibly robust and great animals to work with because they seem 545 00:35:07,710 --> 00:35:12,870 to be able to heal and withstand lots of injuries, quite severe injuries that 546 00:35:12,870 --> 00:35:13,890 we've seen in the past. 547 00:35:14,450 --> 00:35:18,330 So he's been in the water now for 25 minutes. 548 00:35:19,230 --> 00:35:22,970 I take him out and dry him off a little bit, ready for his anaesthetics. 549 00:35:23,490 --> 00:35:28,410 With his wound all clean, it's time for Larry to check and see if this little 550 00:35:28,410 --> 00:35:32,310 guy will have any chance of being released back into the wild. 551 00:35:32,570 --> 00:35:33,990 Okay, let's look at this wound. 552 00:35:37,270 --> 00:35:42,780 As his very busy day draws to a close... Keeper Paul has just one more stop 553 00:35:42,780 --> 00:35:47,640 before he can put his feet up. I'm working in Taronga's Institute and 554 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,880 where we have these animals that act as ambassadors for the wild. And I'm going 555 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:55,520 to be looking after a ring -tailed possum and a tawny frogmouth. I'm just 556 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,540 to clip this grevillea flower right here. 557 00:35:58,860 --> 00:36:03,640 Ring -tailed possums really enjoy the nectar that comes from a piece of 558 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,640 grevillea like that. I think that's what we need. 559 00:36:09,900 --> 00:36:14,100 This is Grug, our tawny frogmouth. Tawny frogmouths are what are known as 560 00:36:14,100 --> 00:36:18,840 nightshards. They're not exactly owls. Their talons aren't as strong, but their 561 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:20,760 camouflage is extreme. 562 00:36:21,180 --> 00:36:24,320 And Fred, a ring -tailed possum. Both animals are nocturnal. 563 00:36:26,740 --> 00:36:31,860 Most of this actually is the ring -tailed possum food. We want to make 564 00:36:31,860 --> 00:36:37,100 get that up and make sure the place is really clean so that bacteria doesn't 565 00:36:37,100 --> 00:36:38,100 develop. 566 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:41,860 Looks pretty hygienic. 567 00:36:42,460 --> 00:36:48,520 Also the water, we've got an automatic water tap, so just to make sure there's 568 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,940 no algae to build, certainly in this warm weather. 569 00:36:52,540 --> 00:36:57,860 While their habitat looks great, it's how the animals look that Paul is really 570 00:36:57,860 --> 00:36:58,860 interested in. 571 00:37:01,780 --> 00:37:07,340 Fred is a ring -tailed possum. He was one of the over 1 ,000 native animals 572 00:37:07,340 --> 00:37:10,720 that... have been brought into our wildlife hospital every year. 573 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:13,380 I need to be really efficient with this check as well. 574 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:17,460 Fred's nice and responsive. That's just what I'm looking for. Also to check to 575 00:37:17,460 --> 00:37:19,260 make sure his eyes are nice and clear. 576 00:37:19,540 --> 00:37:22,680 And then finally, I'm checking his tail. 577 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:25,660 His fur is nice and clear. He's very responsive. 578 00:37:26,380 --> 00:37:30,940 And of course, his tail is doing the job that it's meant to do as well. We don't 579 00:37:30,940 --> 00:37:34,220 want to keep him out longer than necessary because being a nocturnal 580 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:39,120 We don't want them out in the daytime or the strong light either. So let's put 581 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:40,120 you back, Fred. 582 00:37:41,900 --> 00:37:44,300 Great job, and thanks for helping me out this morning, Fred. 583 00:37:46,180 --> 00:37:50,900 Because he allowed me to get involved in husbandry with him this morning, I'm 584 00:37:50,900 --> 00:37:54,460 going to reward him with that piece of grevillea that I cut earlier on. 585 00:37:57,300 --> 00:37:58,300 Here you go, mate. 586 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:03,200 We've also got a lot of browse, but some of this browse now is dry. 587 00:38:03,950 --> 00:38:04,950 Just like that. 588 00:38:05,270 --> 00:38:09,070 You can roll up a eucalypt leaf like that. If it starts getting crunchy and 589 00:38:09,070 --> 00:38:11,410 cracked, you know that it's no longer suitable. 590 00:38:11,850 --> 00:38:16,470 Rental possums, like Fred, like to chew on some of the eucalypt as well. I'm 591 00:38:16,470 --> 00:38:17,810 also going to change the brows. 592 00:38:18,370 --> 00:38:23,830 His workload is beyond hectic, and tomorrow he'll have a completely 593 00:38:23,830 --> 00:38:28,210 set of responsibilities, caring for completely different animals. 594 00:38:28,650 --> 00:38:32,750 But that spontaneity is exactly how Paul likes it. 595 00:38:33,100 --> 00:38:37,300 14 years I've worked at Taronga Zoo, and this is a world away from some of the 596 00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:41,040 other work that I've done over 30 years in the emergency services, like 597 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:45,560 firefighting and ambulance work. And some of those involve some pretty 598 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:49,860 days. So I found when I joined Taronga Zoo that even though there's a lot of 599 00:38:49,860 --> 00:38:53,480 hard work involved and you have to be very thorough and very careful with what 600 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:58,020 you do, it was a fantastic balance for my life. And that's worked very well for 601 00:38:58,020 --> 00:39:01,460 me. And of course, you see, I get to work with some fantastic animals. 602 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:06,760 You're doing something very worthwhile and means that I find life pretty 603 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,120 rewarding, actually, and very enjoyable. Yeah, it's great. 604 00:39:13,340 --> 00:39:16,800 Next, Judgment Day for this little penguin. 605 00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:19,260 OK, I mean, it's still an awful wound. 606 00:39:20,180 --> 00:39:22,260 There's a lot of healing still to go there. 607 00:39:26,380 --> 00:39:30,700 An injured little penguin that came into the wildlife hospital last week. 608 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:36,620 has just finished a pre -examination bath and is ready for Larry to assess 609 00:39:36,620 --> 00:39:37,940 badly injured leg. 610 00:39:38,860 --> 00:39:39,940 Hello. Hey, Lib. 611 00:39:40,220 --> 00:39:41,220 Hi. 612 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:46,200 Penguin just had a swim. Oh, good. But he's definitely extending that leg 613 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:50,080 than he did on Monday. He's put on 20 grams in three days. That's great. He's 614 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:51,540 looking much stronger, isn't he? Yeah. 615 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:56,700 While the bird's overall health has improved, Larry's hoping the same can be 616 00:39:56,700 --> 00:39:59,220 said for the nasty gash on his leg. 617 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:05,040 Okay, let's look at this wound. So we can see already that the tissue's 618 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:09,800 a lot cleaner and healthier, and it's not as dry as it was. 619 00:40:10,940 --> 00:40:12,800 I mean, it's still an awful wound. 620 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:19,040 There's a lot of healing still to go there, but definitely heading in the 621 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:24,840 direction. If this injury was on a different species of bird... 622 00:40:25,150 --> 00:40:29,530 the outcome is likely not to have been as good as it might be in this penguin 623 00:40:29,530 --> 00:40:32,670 because penguins are actually quite tough little creatures. 624 00:40:33,470 --> 00:40:38,430 They are great patients. They adapt quite quickly to the sort of hospital 625 00:40:38,430 --> 00:40:44,030 environment and I think that is also contributing to the improvement in this 626 00:40:44,030 --> 00:40:49,010 bird. Although there's been significant healing, the wound is still not ready to 627 00:40:49,010 --> 00:40:50,010 be stitched up. 628 00:40:50,470 --> 00:40:53,190 I'm so tempted to at least just pull that across. 629 00:40:54,250 --> 00:40:55,910 Maybe not today. I think it'll be premature. 630 00:40:56,110 --> 00:41:00,850 I'm sort of wondering maybe we can, at least maybe every second day, give him a 631 00:41:00,850 --> 00:41:04,690 swim. All right. Yeah. Because I think the swimming is definitely beneficial. 632 00:41:04,970 --> 00:41:07,390 Yeah. He's getting more movement. Yeah. 633 00:41:07,970 --> 00:41:10,450 And you know what would be great is if he could swim in salt water. 634 00:41:10,810 --> 00:41:13,870 Okay. Okay, great. That looks good. 635 00:41:14,530 --> 00:41:15,570 Yeah, very happy. 636 00:41:16,050 --> 00:41:20,370 The wildlife hospital staff are experts in treating seabirds. 637 00:41:20,670 --> 00:41:24,830 and the zoo's unique harbourside location is their biggest asset. 638 00:41:25,750 --> 00:41:31,750 There is a lot of benefit for him to have access to water psychologically, 639 00:41:32,130 --> 00:41:37,730 but also I think it'll benefit the wound, and particularly if we use 640 00:41:37,870 --> 00:41:43,390 normal seawater, so we have ready access, thankfully, to nice, clean 641 00:41:43,430 --> 00:41:45,530 So we'll just put the dressing back on now. 642 00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:53,080 So the little penguin has finished his anaesthetic and it's just waking up. 643 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:57,340 starting to move his limbs. Eyes aren't quite open yet. His body is a lot more 644 00:41:57,340 --> 00:42:01,700 muscle toned. So I'm just making sure that he's still breathing nicely, that 645 00:42:01,700 --> 00:42:05,200 he's showing good signs of recovery and that he also doesn't regurgitate any 646 00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:06,200 liquid or food. 647 00:42:06,300 --> 00:42:08,920 Went really well today. Happy with the little bird's progress. 648 00:42:09,340 --> 00:42:11,680 The wound's looking a lot healthier. 649 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,900 The tissue's looking a lot healthier. It's still a very extensive wound, but 650 00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:17,200 there's some good positive signs of healing there. 651 00:42:17,660 --> 00:42:20,620 It's a good start, but there's a long way to go. 652 00:42:21,060 --> 00:42:22,060 Hey, little buddy. 653 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:27,620 Yeah. But with Libby in his corner, he's one lucky little penguin. 654 00:42:28,220 --> 00:42:29,220 Hello. 655 00:42:29,740 --> 00:42:30,740 Welcome back. 656 00:42:32,100 --> 00:42:33,100 Oh, sweetie. 657 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:38,580 I'm happier than I was. I mean, it's an awful wound, but the wound's looking 658 00:42:38,580 --> 00:42:39,580 good. 659 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,820 It's very severe, a severe injury, but he's putting on weight. 660 00:42:45,570 --> 00:42:48,890 and he's a lot brighter and seems a lot happier. 661 00:42:49,150 --> 00:42:54,530 So this is going to be a very long -term treatment regime and rehab regime for 662 00:42:54,530 --> 00:42:58,470 this bird, but we'll give it everything we've got. And so I'm really hopeful. 663 00:42:58,550 --> 00:43:01,790 I'm really hopeful we can release this penguin back to the wild.