01x02 - Tampa: Bear Necessities

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

JASON: Alright, so,
we gotta watch out

for gators around here.

Spring is in the air,
and a great sign of that

is you'll start hearing
the male gators bellowing

and we get to start
feeding them again.

Hi, everyone, welcome to our
American alligator feeding.

In Florida, we have
a very large population

of American alligators,
and they are protected.

Believe it or not, though,
these alligators haven't eaten

for the last
four to five months.

During the winter months,
they actually do not eat.

Because of the colder
temperatures

they could actually
harm themselves

because the food won't digest.

It'll sit in their stomach
and potentially rot.

First feeding of the year,
so they should be pretty hungry.

We have trained them to learn
that if they line up

and stay in the water,
we will feed them,

and that training
also comes in handy

if we need to do any medical
or wellness checks.

But these are large,
dangerous animals,

so hopefully, they remember
to stay in the water

and don't come out
and try and grab it.

Alright!

Good job, gators.

See, they totally remember
what's going on.

SPENCER: (laughs) Oops.

JASON: There he goes.
We're out of food.

Spring is in the air. (laughs)

(bell rings)

DR. RAY: It's springtime
in Florida.

The whole veterinary team,
including myself,

we're looking for every
opportunity we can

to get outside of the clinic
and go see the animals.

The animals feel it, too.

You can just sense it.

They feel something's
in the air.

DR. LAUREN: This time of year in
Florida is absolutely stunning.

We're surrounded by such
beautiful wildlife:

amazing Florida panthers
or the beloved Florida manatee.

We also have all these
amazing babies,

whether it's zoo babies
or wildlife.

And unfortunately, we end up
getting orphaned black bear cubs

that need our help.

♪ ♪

Right now, we're preparing to
receive a little black bear cub.

This is a young bear cub
that's been orphaned

around eight weeks old or so,

and it's being brought to us
by Florida Fish and Wildlife.

DR. RAY: Oh, my God,
he is a little guy.

DARCY: He's really, really tiny.

DR. RAY: Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh.

DARCY: We have a research
project in the area,

so we knew where the mom was

and we noticed that she wasn't
sitting on her den.

DR. LAUREN: Oh, my gosh,
he is so cute.

DR. RAY: That's the smallest one
we've had since I've been here.

DARCY: It had been
alone in the den,

going without food and water for
eight days, crying for its mom.

DR. RAY: Come on in,
we'll check him out real quick.

(whimpering)

DR. LAUREN:
Without intervention,

this baby bear
could be left to die,

so we're gonna give it
everything we've got.

DR. RAY: Alright, kiddo,
let's just check you out.

Come on, kiddo.

There we go.

DR. LAUREN: Ah, he's so tiny.

DR. RAY: Pull that towel
out there, too, please.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, absolutely.

DR. RAY: Come on, buddy.

You guys did weigh him,
you said? Already?

DARCY: Yeah.
DR. RAY: Okay.

DR. RAY: Oh, wow. Okay.

Any bear cub less than pounds
is a very high risk animal.

So this guy being this small
is an exceptional risk.

Their odds of surviving
are not good.

He is bony.

(whimpering)

DR. LAUREN: When's the last time
you tried to feed him?

DARCY: Two hours ago.

DR. LAUREN: Two hours ago.

Sometimes we don't know
why mama bears

will not return back to a den.

Maybe the mother
got hit by a car,

or encountered some type
of trauma out in the wild.

In this case it's
really heartbreaking

that this cub is so young

and absolutely dependent
on his mother,

so he really needs that milk,
and when the mom's not there,

that can have a really sad
outcome for him.

So this is a really
unfortunate case.

DR. RAY: Let's just get him
some fluids.

DR. LAUREN: Okay.

He's definitely emaciated,
so there's concerns

that he's getting dehydrated

and then that can, you know,

subsequently lead to
a lot of issues.

I am just gonna give him a
little, like mils of saline.

DR. RAY: That's fine.
That's fine.

Just restore his hydration.

DR. LAUREN: They're so young.

The immune system is
not fully developed.

This is such a precarious
time for them.

(yelps)

DR. RAY: Oh! You're okay.

Let me know if
you need anything.

(yelp)
DR. LAUREN: Oh, I'm sorry.

DR. RAY: It's okay, bud.

(scream)

Lungs are healthy.

(screaming)

DR. LAUREN: Oh, my word.

All done, all done.

(scream)

(cooing)

DR. RAY: Oh, there you go.
That's a nice little coo.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah.

DR. RAY: I like hearing that.
That's good.

He can't do anything
on his own just yet,

so he looks like he's gonna need
a little bottle for a while,

so it'll be kinda like daycare.

DR. LAUREN: Oh, my gosh,
I'm just trying not to pet him.

He's so cute.

Everybody that participates
in rescue and rehab

wants the animals to remain
out in the wild.

That's the goal,
that's our mission.

There's this misconception
that as veterinarians,

all we do is cuddle
and pet things all day,

and while I wish that
were absolutely true,

and sometimes it is,
I can't pet this little bear.

I can't cuddle him and name him,

'cause it's just not
in his best interest.

DR. RAY: I'm gonna
take him home.

Every three or four hours
through the night

I'll offer him a warm bottle
and see what his response is.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, yeah,
sounds good.

DR. RAY: Right now, I'm not
thinking about his release.

I have to think about just
saving his life, first of all.

Alright, you can go to sleep.

(cub moaning)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

ASHLEY: Hi, guys!
This is Pierce.

She's our African
crested porcupine.

She's doing a little bit
of running around.

Now, I don't want you to worry
about her sh**ting her quills.

She cannot sh**t the quills
off her body.

MELINDA: I don't know who enjoys
the animal mingles more,

the animals or the guests.

ASHLEY: This is the same kind
of thing that your hair

and your fingernails
are made out of it.

It's called keratin,
so it's just modified hair.

MELINDA: This is an opportunity
for the animals

to come out and play

and people get that up close
and personal experience,

which is super cool.

NATASHA: Is he tall, friends?

BO: Yeah, he is really tall.

NATASHA: He is pretty tall.

MELINDA: Not all animals
are suitable for mingling

with guests, but the ones that
are we call animal ambassadors.

You ready to meet people?

And some of our
animal ambassadors,

they truly are rock stars.

They're gonna love you.

Everybody loves you.

Hi, guys.

SAMANTHA: Look at this animal.

MELINDA: You wanna
check him out?

He's doing somersaults.

His name is Silvio and
he's a little anteater.

So you see he's got these big
claws, that's for climbing.

Is he pretty cool?

SAMANTHA: Very cool.

MELINDA: Silvio is
a southern vested tamandua,

so he's also known as
a lesser anteater,

but there's nothing
lesser about him.

He's just little.

See, it looks like
he's wearing a little vest.

WOMAN: (laughs) Yeah.

MELINDA: Silvio looks like
a little teddy bear,

but he's not a teddy bear.

You can sit close
but don't touch, okay?

He's got really sharp claws and
you see how he grabs with them.

He gets to really show people
what an anteater is all about.

They can eat about
, ants a day, so.

JENNIFER: Wow!

MELINDA: Ants stick
to his tongue,

and he sort of slurps up
most of his food.

So I've been working with Silvio
since he arrived at the zoo

in and he was just
a tiny, itty bitty, little baby,

and he's about
eight years old now.

Come on, let's go over here.

Their life span,
maybe to on average,

so, so he's getting up there,
for sure.

I love him.

I always call him
my little heartbreaker,

because if anything ever
were to happen to Silvio,

I know he's gonna break a lot
of hearts here at the zoo,

especially mine.

You're one of my best friends.

A stinky friend,
but still, that's good.

(cub screams)

DR. RAY: I hear an angry baby.

RYAN: Oh, yeah, yeah.

(scream)

DR. RAY: Good morning,
little boy.

(scream)

Okay.

(scream)

RYAN: No, it's not okay.

None of this is okay.

DR. RAY: Last night I was up
all night with this little bear.

He was a fussy little fuzz ball.

He's much more active
this morning.

He's vocalizing, yeah,
and he's a little fighter.

RYAN: Four pounds, . ounces.

DR. RAY: We were very close
to losing this little bear cub.

He would have not survived
if not for the intervention

and the support
that we gave him here.

RYAN: Roar.

DR. RAY: My biggest concern
is that his stool sample

has got sand and thorns in it,
and those are problematic.

(moaning)

RYAN: Aw, this smells funny.

DR. RAY: He's gonna be squirmy.

Easy, easy, easy.

My guess is that once
the mom bear was gone,

this little cub
was getting hungry.

He was actually
starting to starve,

so he's grubbing, you know,

whatever he can ingest
in the bottom of that den.

A little guy this age, he's not
gonna be able to digest that.

His system is designed
to digest milk.

Clear.

Immediately, I want
to check on his belly.

So I want to work him up,

take x‐rays and see what's
really going on in there.

Alright, you got him?
Can you keep him like this?

I'm gonna look at
these real quick.

(howl)

RYAN: He's howling.

(howl)

DR. RAY: Thorns are especially
concerning to me,

because the sharp edges to them

could cause a lot
of different trauma.

They could go from
puncturing his GI tract

to actually just scraping it,
and he could be bleeding.

DR. RAY: This little cub
is four pounds,

and this is absolutely
the smallest cub

that we've ever managed here.

(whining)

I'm kinda concerned that
while he's in his den,

waiting for his mom to
come back, he gets hungry,

he's just gonna start
to root around

and just consume little thorns.

So I just wanna make sure

none of that's still
lingering in him,

because he's not adapted
to eat that kind of stuff yet.

Now, a lot of his intestines are
kind of bunched up on one side,

so that's a little unusual.

You know, he's got
a lot of gas in there.

That's not surprising to me,
for a baby.

That's what I would expect
from an animal getting formula.

So that's all encouraging.

There's nothing in there
that concerns me.

I think he's in good shape.

Okay, kiddo.

You look good.

(cub crying)
I know, I know, I know, I know.

After this exam, I don't have
any obvious concerns

about his health.

Now it's just,
can I raise a wild bear?

(groaning)

RYAN: Okay,
time to put you back.

(groaning)

I know, I know, I know.

(crying)

♪ ♪

ASHLEY: For us in Team Africa,

springtime is
a really exciting time.

It's almost like a delayed
Christmas for us,

because that's when all of
our little baby marabous

start to hatch out.

Marabou storks do very, very
well here at Zoo Tampa.

We have one of the highest
success rates of any zoo around.

We, as hands‐off as we are,

will sometimes have to go
and handle those eggs,

just to make sure

that everything is going on
okay inside,

and for us that means
taking them out briefly,

doing a quick check
on those eggs

and putting them back
as soon as we possibly can.

Good job, mama.

ALICIA: There you go.

ASHLEY: For us as keepers

prepping for the arrival
of these babies

keeps us very, very busy.

Nice.

Will and Kate's eggs at
this point are two days late,

so that's a little weird.

Marabou storks are definitely
unsung heroes in my opinion.

We have some folks that say that
our marabou storks are ugly.

I do not think
that is true at all.

I think marabou storks
are super cute.

I love that they're inquisitive
and that they're curious,

and just how cooperative they
are in the parenting process.

The male and the female
take an equal part

in making sure those chicks
are raised to adults.

You ready for this? It's
kind of a grody thing, but...

WOMAN: Yeah.

ASHLEY: So the diet that
I'm prepping for right now

is a little gruesome,
but it is pretty important,

and what I'm doing right now is
basically just baby‐proofing,

so making sure everything is in
nice, bite‐size little pieces,

things that are very small
and easy to digest.

These are animals that
are primarily scavengers.

They're gonna be going after
any sort of leftovers

that are out on the savannas.

And we do baby them
a little bit,

'cause obviously out in Africa,
marabou storks are not getting

all the nice fish
that we give them.

ALICIA: Will and Kate
are royalty, right?

ASHLEY: That's right.

Well, with all these eggs
floating around,

I'm really hoping that soon
we get those little hatchlings

into this world.

I can't wait for you
to meet them.

Fingers crossed, everybody.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

JAIME: Hi, Sandy!

(squawking)

I know.

Let's see if those
skunkers are up.

It's spring,
they should be waking up.

Come on, Sandy!

Skunkers!

Come on, skunks!

Yay, a skunk.

Here at Zoo Tampa,
springtime is nice,

then it starts to get
really hot. (laughs)

Hi there.

I'm just getting some enrichment
ready for the skunks.

This time of year,
they tend to live underground.

They go through
a wintering behavior.

(screech)

Hi, Mia.

Hi.

We have nine skunks total.

There's mom and dad,
which are Mia and Marcellus,

and then they have seven kids.

The mom and dad are de‐scented,

but the kids all have
their scent glands.

(poof)

(laughter)

Skunks can spray about feet.

It would hit you. (laughs)

They know us,
they won't usually spray,

unless they feel threatened
or they get surprised.

(screeching)

Oh, no, that's not nice.

I always love the skunks.

Now that they're waking up,

I always feel very
Snow White‐esque

when I'm in there, 'cause they
always come over and greet you

once springtime comes.

Alright, skunkers.
Bye. I'll see you later.

I'm glad you're waking up.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(ducks quacking)

DEVON: Riley is our only
ring‐tailed lemur

that we have currently
at the zoo.

He's one of our newer animals.

He came from up north.

He was previously kept
in an indoor habitat,

so I think Riley is definitely
liking Florida so far.

He loves eating
grapes and banana.

He's just an all around
adorable, awesome lemur.

He's still really itchy

and there's a little bit
of hair loss on his left leg.

We came in and saw that Riley
had really wrinkled face

and was very itchy.

I am worried that he's just
feeling uncomfortable.

The wrinkles on the face is

something that I've
never seen before,

and it definitely made me
a little bit worried for him.

So we're gonna take Riley up to
the hospital and do some testing

and hopefully we'll get
a better picture

of what's happening with him.

Hi.

DR. LAUREN: Hi, Riley.

Sorry, sweet man.

How has he been the past couple
of days, with his skin?

DEVON: Itchy.

DR. LAUREN: Super itchy? Okay,
DEVON: Yeah.

DR. LAUREN: So Riley has just
moved to Florida from Minnesota.

It's possible that all of his
swollen eyes, his itchy skin,

is all related to Florida spring
and all of the pollen.

But I definitely want to look

to make sure there's no fleas
or even mites

that could potentially
be causing itchiness.

Alright, I'm just gonna
give him a look over.

COLLIN: So that was
the hair loss

we were noticing
on his tail here.

RYAN: Yeah.

Did Lauren see that, too?

COLLIN: Yeah.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, and I can, you
can kind of see it throughout.

Now that we have Riley
under anesthesia

and I can really get hands on

and take a really nice,
close look,

I think Riley is irritated
all over his body.

He's just itchy everywhere.

On his head, on his face,
on his arms.

You can definitely see evidence

of where he's been
scratching and licking.

Oh, yeah, and you can definitely
see it under his eyes,

he's really scraped himself raw.

RYAN: Alright,
what do you wanna do?

DR. LAUREN: I'm gonna do
a skin scrape, yeah.

RYAN: Scrape.

DR. LAUREN: He's definitely
very gooey.

RYAN: Capital G, it's
a professional term, gooey.

DR. LAUREN: Gooey. (laughs)

So what I'm doing,

I'm just roughing up the skin
a little bit,

and I'm just taking my slide and
just kinda pressing it.

I can look for, you know, signs
of infection, bacteria, yeast.

I'm trying to find
an underlying cause.

And then I'm gonna do another
procedure called a skin scrape

to actually look for
any potential mites.

'Cause mites live deep
within the skin.

The mites are very,
very contagious.

DEVON: I hate seeing poor Riley
go through this.

He's totally taken my heart.

DR. LAUREN: Riley,
our new ring‐tailed lemur,

we definitely need to try
and see if we can find out

why he's so itchy.

I'm looking for mites.

Kind of looking through
a lot of schmutz and hair

and trying to see if anything's
moving or clinging onto it.

So, I don't see mites.

DEVON: Okay.

DR. LAUREN: I definitely think
environmental allergies

is a top contender.

DEVON: Okay.

DR. LAUREN: Allergies are
a part of Florida living.

We are surrounded by beautiful
palms and vegetation,

but the downfall of that is just
all the pollen in the air.

Poor boy.

Yeah, so I get allergies, too.

Fortunately it doesn't come with
the hair loss, like Riley has,

but it's not fun,
so I can totally empathize

with what Riley's going through.

I really want to make him
feel better.

DEVON: Could that explain
the wrinkles on his face?

DR. LAUREN: The wrinkling
on his face

is 'cause his skin
has thickened up.

DEVON: Okay.

DR. LAUREN: It's a response
of the skin

when it's been irritated.

Unfortunately, this isn't gonna
be a rapid, quick diagnosis.

Environmental allergy cases
are very challenging.

Anyone that has an allergic dog
can tell you that.

There's still a couple
of tests pending.

I'm gonna start some
treatments on him,

but I do need that
other information.

DEVON: Hi.

COLLIN: That's a serious wobble.

DEVON: Yeah. Before,
he's just like...

DR. LAUREN: He's like,
"Guys, I'm fine."

It's okay, Riley.

Aw, sweet boy.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(screeching)

SUSAN: They look like
they're ready.

COLLIN: Hello, guys.

SUSAN: The sloths
are really fun,

but these guys move
really, really slow,

so this training is
extremely important

for an animal like that.

You got the bell with you?

COLLIN: Yep, I have the bell.
SUSAN: Cool.

COLLIN: And so I'm gonna
stand out here and...

SUSAN: Okay.

COLLIN:
...they should come to me.

(bell ringing)

Chloe! Fabio!

(bell ringing)

SUSAN: They're looking.

In springtime,
we start to teach them,

in any event,
let's say a hurricane,

to recognize the bell,
come out through the chute,

and meet Collin on the inside
of the aviary.

COLLIN: I think Chloe's
making a line for it.

SUSAN: (laughs) Good job, Chloe.

Florida, especially
in the summertime,

storms will pop up
almost every afternoon,

and some can be pretty nasty.

COLLIN: Good girl.

Chloe is definitely the most
motivated out of the two.

It would be great to have
a sound they could come to,

and that way we will know
for sure they are safe.

SUSAN: I mean, for a sloth
that was pretty quick.

COLLIN: Yeah, and that's about
as fast as you'll see her move.

SUSAN: (laughs) Yeah.

COLLIN: Chloe tends
to sh**t out first.

Fabio's hit or miss
at this point.

(bell ringing)

I prefer the term
very unmotivated.

(laughs)

(bell ringing)

Fabio looks like he's
hanging upside down

and sleeping at the moment.

(laughs)

SUSAN: We only have like two
months till hurricane season.

♪ ♪

(grumbling)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

DR. LAUREN: This bear cub's
been with us

for about two, three days now.

So he's so young, he's still
supposed to be with his mom,

and basically, we're trying
to be a surrogate for her.

(whimpering)

(whimpering)

(chattering)

(chattering)

One of the things that we
want to be very mindful of

is just him not being used
to human voices, human scent.

We're gonna try to keep it
to a minimum,

so I'm just gonna be
quiet and be patient

and hopefully he'll have
a good feed this time.

(squeal)

Oh, so frustrating.

(whining)

(whining)

(chattering)

Alright, I think we're all done.

You feed him, burp him,

and then I have to stimulate him
to defecate.

This is a normal behavior that
his mom would do in the den.

This is definitely
a glamorous part of the job,

rubbing a little bear butt
to make it poop.

(laughs)

And it pooped all over me.
(laughs)

I'm used to poop, I'm a vet.

You know, it takes a village
to raise babies,

so it's no different
for us here at the zoo.

♪ ♪

JANE: Hi, Riley.

DEVON: He's so friendly.

Hi, you want a bite?

DR. LAUREN: How has he been?

DEVON: Itchy.

DR. LAUREN: Still really itchy?

It's been about a week
since Riley had his work‐up.

We started him on a course of
different types of medications.

DEVON: I don't know if
you see on his legs,

some of the hair's
a little bit shorter.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah.

DEVON: And the top of his head
look like it's thinning to me.

DR. LAUREN: I agree, yeah.

DEVON: We've seen
some improvement,

but he's still
really, really itchy

and his face is still wrinkled.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, it's 'cause
he's been scratching.

DEVON: Yeah.

DR. LAUREN: Poor boy.

I feel really bad for Riley,

'cause I just know that's
gotta be so uncomfortable,

and I think the antihistamines
are helping just a touch,

but not really providing him
the relief that he needs.

What I'm really considering,
moving forward,

is an allergy medication

that will help modulate
his immune system.

DEVON: Okay.

JANE: And if there were
anything in his diet

that he might be allergic to,

because his diet did change
when he got here.

DR. LAUREN: You know,
dietary allergies can show up

at any point,
and so I would consider

that differential as well.

You know, with his work‐up
we did have some blood

that we were able to send out,

to look for any type
of food allergies.

So, until I get
all the tests back,

you know, I'm gonna make
some modifications

to his medications, but there's
more work to be done.

JANE: Alright, Riley.

DR. LAUREN: Hopefully
we can help him out.

(chirping)

(chattering)

♪ ♪

MELINDA: Silvio.

Hey, bud.

Hey, you ready?

You gotta go to the doctor.

Time to go get an exam.

Huh? Look.

So, Silvio has a little bit
of arthritis.

It was in the beginning stages,

and so we're just trying to find
out if it's gotten any worse.

Let's do this.

So far, we haven't really
noticed a ton of changes

in his behavior.

Oh, my goodness.

ASHLEY: I just want to play.

MELINDA: Check it out,
you just want to play.

He's just as active as he was
when he arrived as a little guy.

You got Popeye arms.

ASHLEY: He does have
Popeye arms.

MELINDA: He does have Popeye
arms. Look at those arms.

But it makes me pretty nervous,
so I'm just fingers crossed

that it's just sort of levelized
and hasn't changed at all.

He's very stinky this morning.

I think he's upset he didn't
get his breakfast yet.

DR. RAY: Yeah.
That makes us all cranky.

Silvio is quite
the stinky little guy,

but honestly,
tamanduas and stink,

you know, that musky smell,
they go hand in hand.

This is how they're
supposed to be.

They just have this presence
that you can pick up

before you see them sometimes.

Topsy‐turvy, come on, dude.

Alright, you guys got this?

ASHLEY: It's time
to go to sleep.

MELINDA: Time to sleep.

DR. RAY: We'll do
his radiographs,

get some bloods going.

MELINDA: Being really close
to this animal,

obviously it's always gonna
make you a little nervous

watching him go down,

but it'll help us figure out
what's going on.

DR. RAY: Upsy‐daisy.

MELINDA: Sleepy man.

DR. RAY: Alright, buddy.

SAMANTHA: Okay, sweetie.

DR. RAY: Has he lost
some weight recently?

ASHLEY: His weight's been
pretty consistent.

MELINDA: His weight's
been the same.

ASHLEY: He feels bonier.

DR. RAY: Is he less active,
do you think?

ASHLEY: No. No.
DR. RAY: No, okay. Alright.

DR. RAY: He just feels a little
leaner than I remember. Yeah.

♪ ♪

MELINDA: Oh, x‐rays.

(beep)

SAMANTHA: You doing okay?

MELINDA: I'm okay. I just
want to make sure he's okay.

SAMANTHA: He's doing great.
DR. RAY: He's okay. He's good.

MELINDA: It's the beeping.

The beeping!

SAMANTHA: Beeping is
a good thing.

MELINDA: It's fast,
it's slow, it's fast.

DR. RAY: They can be stressful,
I get it, so, no, I understand.

MELINDA: That's our little man.

Obviously, animals, just like
people, they're gonna age.

And whether it's a snake or
a tarantula or an anteater,

it's always gonna be
really tough.

You just don't know,
is it gonna be good news?

Is it gonna be bad news?

It's a roller coaster,
every time.

DR. RAY: Wow.

MELINDA: What is that?

DR. RAY: That's new.

♪ ♪

DR. RAY: Wow.

MELINDA: What is that?

DR. RAY: That's new.

Actually some of his spine,
the vertebrae,

they're actually starting
to get eaten away.

To me that would explain
some of the weight loss.

ASHLEY: Can you‐‐is that,
like, worse than it did before,

with his last work‐up?

DR. RAY: That's a lot worse,
actually. It is, yeah.

MELINDA: It looks like some
of the arthritis in his spine

has spread and his spine is
deteriorating in some places,

so we'll just have to see
what we can do to treat that.

DR. RAY: Alright.

SAMANTHA: So I feel, I found a
couple of enlarged lymph nodes.

DR. RAY: Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

One of the most difficult
responsibilities I have

is delivering bad news
to the keeper staff.

The bond that forms between
the zoo staff and their animals

can be very, very strong.

When one of their animals
becomes sick or hurt,

it can be devastating.

Several of his lymph nodes
are big,

you can actually feel that one,

just right in there,
it's like a pea.

MELINDA: Oh, yeah.
ASHLEY: Yeah.

DR. RAY: When you see multiple
lymph nodes blown up like that,

yeah, you have to start
thinking about cancer.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Silvio is a,
he's a beloved member

of our zoo community here,

and so when we start
to think about

devastating processes like
cancer, it hits all of us.

Melinda has a very special place
in her heart for Silvio.

She raised him.

They are very attached
to one another.

MELINDA: Alright, buddy.

DR. RAY: It's gonna hit her
harder than I think any of us.

(beeping)

MELINDA: It wasn't exactly
what we wanted to hear.

He just has a lot of issues,
and they're getting worse.

He's gonna be a heartbreaker,

but they're all heartbreakers,
so, every single one of them.

DR. RAY: Looks like we got
a little bit of a sample.

It's not much, but we'll send it
to a pathologist,

to see anything that would
resemble a cancer cell.

ASHLEY: He's gonna
have some honey.

MELINDA: He's gonna
get some treats.

I'm gonna get him a bunch
of ants and termites.

Gonna have a little
insect buffet.

Ugh!

DR. LAUREN: I know.

He'll be okay.

MELINDA: Yeah.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

DR. RAY: Our bear cub has been
with us for over a week now,

and he's turning into
a little bear.

His legs look longer.

He's kinda in a gangly,
awkward phase.

His strength is good,
his health is great,

but he needs to get
to ten pounds

and he needs to eat on his own

before we can take
our next step.

DR. LAUREN: You're good.

DR. RAY: Hang on, buddy.

Ra‐ra‐ra!

DR. LAUREN: You know,
I definitely want him to move on

to a wildlife park, where
he will have the opportunity

to be with other bears

and hopefully regain
some of the instincts,

so he can go back
out to the wild.

But at the same time
I'm just a little bummed,

'cause he brings joy to us.

He's . pounds.

DR. RAY: . pounds, oh,
ten's our magic number, so.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, yeah,
almost there.

DR. RAY: So we're almost there.

DR. LAUREN: I think he'll
be there like in an hour.

DR. RAY: In an hour. (laughs)

I think now he's just angry
and wants his breakfast.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, he does.
Angry bear.

DR. RAY: Alright, come on,
buddy, let's go back and eat.

For all practical purposes
we've hit the first criteria.

He's at his weight.

It's very exciting for us,

that's one of his huge
mile markers,

but he's not quite
in the clear yet.

He has to start eating
solid foods on his own,

and not be dependent
on people bottle feeding.

Come on, big bear.

DR. LAUREN: He's been
munching a little bit.

(cub cries)

DR. RAY: There you go.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, he's starting
to eat the solid.

DR. RAY: That's awesome.

No, that's a great sign.

DR. LAUREN: Mm‐hmm.

DR. RAY: He thought about me,
but he went back to food.

DR. LAUREN: I'm always taken
aback by the state of Florida,

like right where we live

we're surrounded by
such beautiful wildlife,

and I've seen black bears
out in the wild,

and it's amazing when you know
that you can be a participant

on part of that equation of,

hey, I can help
rehab this animal

and release them back out,

and you know you're
participating in their success.

DR. RAY: That just
really encourages me,

so we'll give him a few more
days, maybe another week.

He may turn into
a wild bear just yet.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

JANE: Alright, I'll hold
the ladder for you.

DEVON: Okay. Thank you.

DEVON: Ready?
JANE: Ready.

DEVON: Today we're giving
the orangutans

some kids' non‐toxic
bubble bath.

It's really fun for them.

It's melon flavored,
so they like to eat it.

It changes up their environment.

It's something unexpected.

It's really enriching for them.

This is my favorite, when Randee
gathers all the bubbles.

(laughs)

All the orangutans do different
things with the bubbles.

It really depends on
their personality

and how curious they are.

Topi's investigating.

(laughs)

JANE: There she goes.

DEVON: Randee likes to gather
as many bubbles as she can hold

in her hands and takes them
kind of to a corner

so Deedee, or anybody else,
doesn't steal them from her.

Uh‐oh.

JANE: Oh, right, she's got it.

DEVON: They're hilarious
with the bubbles.

Each and every one of them,

it's fun to see how they
interact with them.

It keeps them stimulated.

It gives them something
to investigate.

They're a really curious animal.

That was a success.

JANE: It was.
They like to have fun.

DEVON: Yeah.

♪ ♪

ASHLEY: Looks like
we're gonna have some...

ALICIA: Food.

ASHLEY: Yeah, some people
creeping on us.

Hey, buddy.

ALICIA: See who's on
the nest right now.

ASHLEY: Looks like Mr. William
is up on the nest right now.

ALICIA: I see Kate back there.

ASHLEY: Yeah, she's making
her way back.

So she's seen us and she knows
that food is coming,

which is perfect.

That's gonna get us in
a really good position

to check on the eggs.

ALICIA: I can't wait.

ASHLEY: These little eggs are
definitely a few days delayed

at this point.

Hi, guys.

It's not a huge concern,

but it's something
I'm really curious about.

Every time we go out there we're
looking for some sort of sign

that these babies are ready
to emerge into the world.

And what we're doing
is we're listening,

because when those babies
are ready to come out,

they're gonna start pipping,

or making a little hole
through that egg,

and they're gonna
start being vocal

and starting to move
that egg around.

Alrighty, let's see, let's see.

ALICIA: Oh, my goodness.

ASHLEY: Looks like Mr. William
is up on the nest.

That's gonna get us in
a really good position

to check on the eggs.

Hi, guys.

Alrighty, let's see, let's see.

ALICIA: Oh, my goodness.

Oh, my goodness!

ASHLEY: I know!
Look at that little dinosaur.

There you go peanut, good job.

We have one little baby hatched
out of Will and Kate's nest.

My tastes are a little eclectic.

I do find little marabou
to be super cute.

They are just these little
naked Muppet‐looking things.

They're really funny.

ALICIA: So tiny.

ASHLEY: Very tiny,
but this little guy's

gonna grow really, really fast.

ALICIA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: He or she.

Will and Kate are named
after the royal family.

To continue that tradition, what
we've done with this little baby

is we've named it Markle.

Now we do have a plan
on if it turns out

that this is a little boy,
just shorten it.

He can be called Mark.

Looks like that chick's
starting to pick up

some fish that he found.

Fantastic.

That's exactly what
we should be seeing,

so this is absolutely perfect.

Marabou do try pretty hard

to keep their nest pretty clean
of food debris.

You can see right there,
he's going through the nest,

he's looking for all the things
that he missed earlier.

ALICIA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: And he's gonna
go ahead and clean it up.

ALICIA: Gets a little dirty.

ASHLEY: Parenting's a dirty job,
but he does it well.

And they're gonna work together
to raise this baby.

You'll see a lot of
really good cooperation.

ALICIA: Oh, my goodness.

ASHLEY: Good job, mama.
And there he goes.

ALICIA: Bye, baby.
ASHLEY: Good job.

(birds squawking)

(cub squealing)

LEANN: Oh, I hear him already.
Was that him?

DR. LAUREN:
You hear him screaming?

LEANN: I think so.

DR. LAUREN: Yeah, through that.

LEANN: Oh, my goodness,
you've gotten bigger.

DR. LAUREN: Hey, bud.

LEANN: We're going on
a road trip, buddy.

DR. LAUREN: Today we are moving
the little tiny bear cub

over to his new home.

LEANN: You wanna check it out?
You wanna touch it?

DR. LAUREN:
He's being transferred

over to another facility.

This is a state wildlife park
that specializes

in preparing them for release
back out into the wild.

DR. RAY: If you want to just
open it, he may come right...

LEANN: He may come right out.
There you go.

DR. LAUREN: There you go.

DR. RAY: Okay?
DR. LAUREN: Yeah.

DR. RAY: Alright.
LEANN: Alright.

DR. RAY: The change
in this little bear

has actually been dramatic.

He came in, you know,

I always describe him
as a little dishrag.

Four pounds, soft and squishy,

and we just,
just not very healthy.

Today this little bear's weight
is close to pounds.

To see him almost triple
his body weight now,

he's eating blueberries,
some strawberries.

We haven't had to give him a
bottle for quite some time now.

It's time for him to move on.

LEANN: Sorry, bud.

(cub cries)

DR. LAUREN: Goodbye. Good luck.

(crying)

LEANN: He's feisty, isn't he?

DR. LAUREN: Mm‐hmm.

It's really hard to say goodbye
to this little bear cub.

From the day he came in,
this little bear was emaciated,

he couldn't walk on his own.

It was like having an infant.

(crying)

Got a screaming toddler
in there.

(laughs)

LEANN: Ready?

You need to take a nap.

(cries)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

DR. RAY: The bear rehabilitation
holding areas in h*m*

are isolated from people,

and that's the biggest goal
right now.

Now, we're really just
kind of stepping away.

We don't want him to associate
with people anymore.

LEANN: Alright, bud.

DR. RAY: I'm an optimist

that I think we can
get this bear cub released.

But I'm also a realist.

I know there's a lot of other
challenges ahead of him.

He's got a long time
that he has to grow up,

and then develop
into a little bear.

TRICIA: Yes. Hello.

DR. RAY: You guys got the bear
den all set up? Alright, cool.

TRICIA: Yeah, we have
everything set up for him.

DR. RAY: Alright.
LEANN: Very nice.

DR. RAY: Perfect. Perfect.

This next step for this
little bear cub is huge.

There's a whole wall that
exposes him to the world.

He can see the trees,
he can see the sun.

He knows when it's getting dark.

He'll be able to feel
and sense the rain

and hear the thunderstorms.

Alright, I'm good
when you guys are.

LEANN: Ready for the door.

TRICIA: Alright,
opening the door.

DR. RAY: That's good.

This is him stepping
out into the world

that we want to get him back to.

Come on, big bear.

Come on out and see the world.

DR. RAY: Alright, I'm good
when you guys are.

LEANN: Ready for the door.

TRICIA: Alright,
opening the door.

DR. RAY: This little guy
came from a bear den.

This is the most of the outside
world he's ever seen.

Come on, big bear.

Come on out and see the world.

There you go.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

As I watch this little,
you know,

wild Florida black bear cub take
his first steps in this process

that, you know, we're
undertaking to get him released,

I, I'm encouraged and
I think he's gonna do well.

Alright, go ahead and start.

LEANN: Yeah, you can
close the door.

DARIN: Fully clear?
LEANN: Yeah.

DR. RAY: All good.
TRICIA: You're good.

DARIN: Okay.

DR. RAY: Very nice.

Am I proud?

I'm very proud.

There's no shame in being
attached to the animals

that you take care of.

I don't think there's
any shame at all.

I get attached
to all my patients.

You guys turn him
into a wild bear.

I take a lot of pride knowing

that we all had an important
part in this day,

in this little guy's life,

and this is why we all do
what we do here at Zoo Tampa.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

DR. LAUREN: Hey, Riley.

DEVON: Come down.

DR. LAUREN:
Today I'm gonna catch up

with the animal care team,

visit Riley, our extremely itchy
ring‐tailed lemur.

He looks much better.

TIFFANY: He's got a few
wrinkles left, but...

DR. LAUREN: Mm‐hmm.

TIFFANY: Nothing like it was.
DEVON: Yeah.

DR. LAUREN: You know, initially
my thought was that

he just was very allergic
to his new Florida spring

and all the pollen in the air,
but to our surprise,

we did find that there was
something else going on.

Riley is allergic to bananas.

I don't think it's
the underlying cause,

but it's just kind of ironic

that a primate would be
allergic to bananas.

I think as long as he's got
grapes in his life,

I think he'll be okay.

TIFFANY: He's like, "Just keep
bringing on the grapes."

DR. LAUREN: We'll keep watching
him, keep on his medication,

and I think we're
on the right path.

DEVON: I know,
I'm out of grapes.

(laughs)

DR. LAUREN: Oh, my gosh.

(grumbles)

MELINDA: Alright.

Time.

Hi, oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh, what are you doing?

What are you doing?

Oh, you roly poly.

So Silvio's diagnosis
is not awesome.

Some of the results just came in

and it looks like
there is cancer there.

Long‐term prognosis is not good.

Oh, my gosh!

So it's just best for us to
really just let him hang out

and live out the rest of his
life in comfort and playtime.

Lunch.

Delicious mush.

Lots of extra honey.

What do you think?
Oh, yeah, that's the good stuff.

Oh, delicious.

So with Silvio's
cancer diagnosis,

that means that we are going to
retire him from his public job,

but that doesn't mean we're
gonna take it away from him.

You're a mess. Look at you.

It's very important to him
to have that interaction,

so we'll be doing a lot of
playtime behind the scenes,

and honestly,
I can't imagine my day

without a little
Silvio playtime.

Ready?

Alright, time for bed.

Your afternoon siesta.

Working with animals,
it's always gonna be hard,

but you know, this happens
and then you just toughen up

and you say, "Alright,
we're gonna do this."

We're gonna enjoy him
as long as he's here.

DR. RAY: So when we have animals
that live so long in our care,

you have to expect some
of these challenges.

It's a hard thing to deal with,

but at the same time it's sort
of a backhanded compliment,

you know, that
this animal has lived

a very long, productive,
full life.

I think it is a testament
to the care and the quality

of the people here at Zoo Tampa,

and we extend that care
to all the animals,

whether that's
a Florida manatee,

a Florida black bear,
the list goes on.

We're fighting for the future
of all these amazing animals.