02x03 - Down Under: Once a Cheetah, Always a Cheetah

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Out at taronga
western plains zoo in dubbo

There's room to roam,

And due to the limitless space,

Animals can be kept
in larger herds.

But there's one
very special herd

That fulfills
a very important role.

Native to the mongolian plains,

The takhi are the world's
last true wild horse.

Fiona:
Takhi's the mongolian name;

"spirit horse" is basically
what it comes down to.

These guys are
the spirit of mongolia.

They're an ancient horse, and
they're just an amazing animal.

They are very different
to domestic horses.

These guys have
more chromosomes,

So more genetics
than a normal horse.

A normal horse would have .

These guys have .

They are entirely
their own species.

They're very hardy animals.

They have to exist in a country

That has a very wide range
of temperatures,

Goes down to minus .

But it also gets quite warm
because it is a desert area.

Narrator: In the s
takhi numbers in the wild

Dwindled down to around
only individuals,

Putting them on a direct path
to extinction.

But breeding programs in zoos

Have brought them back
from the brink.

Fiona:
Taronga western plains zoo

Have played a huge role in this
re-introduction program.

We sent back seven animals
in the mid-nineties.

They were released in the wild
in mongolia.

They've successfully bred.

We're years down the track,
they're still breeding.

It's brought the numbers up
to around , animals,

And they're doing really well.

This group of takhi,
they're very important.

We've got animals
on exhibit here,

All made up
of mothers and foals.

Narrator: Like all wild animals
at the zoo,

Keepers and vets need to be
especially careful

When working with the takhi.

Fiona: They will kick, and you
do not want to be in the way

Of those animals kicking.

Narrator:
Unlike domestic horses,

Hoof maintenance requires
a general anesthetic,

And today senior vet benn
is administering it.

But from a distance.

Benn: Baccara is
our subject animal today.

We are going to target her
with an anesthetic dart,

So that she becomes
anesthetized,

And then we'll be able
to access her

To do some reparative work
on her feet.

Narrator: Takhi usually wear
their hooves down naturally,

But some will grow
at a quicker rate than others,

Which can cause big problems
if left unattended.

Benn: It's a pedicure
for an animal

That has evolved to negotiate
its life standing on one toe,

A pedicure
for a one-toed beastie.

Herd animals are very sensitive
to the perception of risk

Around being isolated
and targeted.

I mean, that's how they avoid
predation in the wild.

Narrator: It's important
that the herd

Doesn't suspect anything's
out of the ordinary.

So approaching the yard
is a stealth mission for benn.

♪ ♪

And with all near identical
takhi in the holding area,

Benn has to be sure
he gets the right one.

Taronga has a long and proud
history of conservation.

And one of the main ways
it achieves this

Is through
its breeding programs.

Some species are bred
to increase the numbers

Of an animal doing it tough
in the wild.

But sometimes they're bred

To stop a group of animals
from turning on each other.

♪ ♪

Nat: Squirrel monkeys
are from south america.

They are found in peru,
they're found in bolivia,

They're found
across the amazon basin.

They're small monkeys.

They weigh around grams
for females.

A little more for males.

They're brightly colored.

They're this gorgeous yellow.

They have different shades,

Some are lighter,
some are brighter,

And they move around the forest
canopy with no issues at all.

They're really agile
little monkeys.

Here at taronga zoo we have
female squirrel monkeys.

Squirrel monkey society
is female dominated.

So the females form
the core of the troop,

And they only allow males
into that troop

When they're in breeding season.

And this is
the first breeding season

That they are all
sexually mature.

And we're going on now
several years

Without a male in our troop.

And we risk the breakdown
of the female group.

So for the social dynamics
in a squirrel monkey group,

Females should breed,
they should raise offspring,

And in breeding season
they should mate.

Narrator:
And to ensure the success

Of this important
breeding season,

Taronga has imported
two males from new zealand

Who are just ending
their quarantine period.

Nat: We have vivo and vanpia.

Vanpia is years of age.

Vivo is nine.

Vanpia has bred before,
vivo has not.

This is all uncharted
territory for him.

So hopefully he takes the lead
from vanpia

And is quite confident
with the females.

Here, vivo.

Narrator: In order to strike
while the iron is hot,

Keepers are introducing
vivo and vanpia

To the females straight away.

But like all introductions
that happen at taronga zoo,

Animal welfare comes first.

Georgia: So I'm
just getting ready,

Doing our final checks for today
because in just a few moments

We're about to introduce
our females to our males.

(screech)

There is a potential
for some fights.

Female squirrel monkeys

Can be very aggressive
animals at times.

That's why I'm just checking
all of this shade cloth.

It's in place to stop anyone
falling into the water.

Squirrel monkeys can swim,
but they're not the best at it.

So we just want to make sure
that we can help them

Stay out of trouble
if we need to.

That's also why
I'm in these waders.

So in case anyone does fall in,

I'm ready to jump in
and help them out.

Nat: All right, boys,
ready to go.

Slide.

Narrator:
Let the monkey business begin.

Nat: And here they come.

Narrator: And from one
breeding program to another,

Taronga has a real focus
on boosting numbers

Of their big cats.

(growl)

And one species they've had
great success with

Is out at dubbo,

Where you'll find the fastest
feline of them all.

♪ ♪

Jordan: Probably the most famous
fact about cheetah,

Everyone knows
they're very, very fast.

They are the world's fastest
animal on four legs,

And their body is just
superbly designed for speed.

♪ ♪

They've got that really big
barrelly chest,

Which really, really large lungs
live in there.

So those nasal passages
connect up to those large lungs,

Pump the oxygen
through their bodies.

They've got a really long,
flexible spine.

The flexibility in that spine

Allows them to take
a really large stride.

They cover a lot of ground
whilst they're running,

And they've got
that really long tail as well.

That beautiful long tail
they'll use like a rudder.

Narrator: Like most cats, they
like to laze in the sunshine

And warm up their
distinctive spotted coat.

Jordan:
Each cheetah, they reckon,

Has about between ,
and , spots on their body.

If you were to shave a cheetah,

They're spotty
underneath as well.

Narrator: And unlike other
carnivorous cats,

Keepers are able to move around
in the exhibit

With the cheetahs.

Jordan: Compared
to the other predators

Like lions and leopards,

They kind of are on the bottom
of the pecking order

When it comes to carnivores,
I suppose, in africa.

For example, if a cheetah
was to go out in the wild

And catch something to eat,

If a lion or a leopard

Or a pack of wild dogs or hyenas
come along,

Cheetah % of the time
will choose flight over fight.

They're quite timid,
they're quite nervous animals,

Quite wary.

Definitely not
overly aggressive.

They will generally
just leave their food

And let the other predator
take it.

Narrator:
Because of habitat loss,

Cheetahs are vulnerable
in the wild.

So breeding programs
like the one at dubbo

Are crucial for the survival
of the species.

Jordan: We were actually
the first zoo in australasia

To breed cheetahs.

That was back in .

And since then we've bred
cubs here at the zoo.

Um, so we're one
of the main breeding programs

In the australasian region.

So at the moment we're just
in our behind-the-scenes area

For some of our cheetah.

In this yard we've got halla,
who is one of our king cheetahs.

Uh, she is years old.

She was born here.

Narrator: Despite their
many breeding successes,

It doesn't mean that everything
always goes to plan.

Jordan: You're okay.

Narrator: In an effort
to boost the numbers

Of taronga's bolivian
squirrel monkeys...

Nat: Here are the girls.
Georgia: Yeah.

Narrator: ...Primate keepers
are introducing

Two new males...

Nat: Here, vivo.

Narrator: ...That have just
cleared quarantine

And are raring to go.

Nat: So vanpia and vivo
are in den one.

So in a minute we'll put them
out, we'll let them settle.

(screech)

Narrator: Breeding season
for squirrel monkeys

Is a pretty crazy time,
as both males and females

Go through some
significant changes.

Nat: The really interesting
thing about squirrel monkeys is,

Because they're
seasonal breeders,

The females are hardwired
to breed at this time of year

And males go through what we
call, um, becoming fattered,

Where the males have
this surge of, um, hormones

That cause them to,
to increase in size.

So they can increase in weight
by up to grams

During the breeding season,

Particularly in their torso,
their upper arms,

They become like bodybuilders.

Narrator:
And with all these changes,

The initial introduction
can get a bit fiery.

Georgia: There is a potential
for some fights.

Female squirrel monkeys can be
very aggressive animals.

Nat: Nat to laura,

I'm gonna send aiaka
and pinky out now.

Narrator: So to avoid
too many scuffles...

Nat: All right, girls,
play nice.

Narrator: ...They're releasing
the females two at a time.

Nat: Vivo and vanpia
are going to be introduced

To our two most
experienced females.

They happen to be
our two oldest females,

They're pinky and aiaka.

All right, guys.

Our hope is that we have

Two very confident
male squirrel monkeys

And that we see mating.

I mean, that would be amazing
if we saw mating today.

All right, boys, ready to go.

Out ya go, good luck.

And here they come.

♪ ♪

Narrator: And once the boys
find the females,

They take a real liking
to the oldest, aiaka.

Nat: So the boys
are doing really well.

Their vocals are soft.

The girls are responding well

And positively
to their approaches.

So we're seeing
some really nice behaviors

That we hope will be
conducive to breeding.

♪ ♪

Laura: So we've got one female

Who's being pursued
by the two males.

So that female is aiaka.

I don't know that the boys
know what they're doing.

Nat: They need to back off.

Laura: They need to back off
a little bit.

I'm very surprised at vivo,

That he's been as dominant
as he has been.

I was kind of expecting him
to hang back a little bit.

Nat: I thought
he'd go to ground.

Laura: Yeah, but he's been
a little bit full on.

Nat: Any introduction,
especially with a species

That we know can have
very large bouts of aggression

In their natural history
and natural behavior,

We are nervous that the boys
will overreact,

And then the girls will
respond with aggression.

We're worried that the girls
will overreact

And the boys will go to the
ground and they'll be harassed.

So it can go either way.

Narrator: And while today's
introduction went smoothly,

Unfortunately some
of little vivo's advances

Didn't impress everyone.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

At taronga's
western plains zoo,

Senior vet benn needs to do
some emergency work on baccara,

The mongolian wild horse
with a hoof problem.

But first he needs
to tranquilize her.

(pop)

♪ ♪

With the dart finding
its target, benn and the team

Now need to wait for the
tranquilizer to take effect.

Benn: Baccara has had her dart,
um, and she's now progressing

Through the stages
of anesthetic induction.

Narrator:
The team watch on anxiously.

They need to make sure baccara
doesn't hurt herself

While keeping the herd
as calm as possible.

Benn: We're administering
anesthesia

To an individual
within a group,

So in the context of a herd,

And trying to manage

The collective
psychological wellbeing

Of the group as well.

Narrator: But the herd
is sensing something.

Benn: See the other horse
is getting impatient with her.

Her behavior during
this induction event

Is really, really unnatural,
and they're perceiving that.

♪ ♪

(neighing)

♪ ♪

You can see that
of all the animals out there

She is sort of aimlessly walking

And the other members
of the group

Are getting a bit
impatient with her.

Typically a takhi
that's just been dosed

With anesthetic dr*gs by a dart

Will develop
a stiff kind of proppy gait,

Their herd mates will start
to become suspicious of them.

That's a real herd instinct
to dispel the abnormal animal

Or the weak link in the chain.

During that induction phase

My role is to steer her about
and keep her safe

And make sure she didn't
bump her head on a wall.

Wild horses have the potential

To do themselves and each other
a huge amount of damage.

This is her.

You can see she, she's not
really seeing me now.

Narrator: So benn moves
to the next step:

Blindfolding baccara, which
will assist the anesthesia.

♪ ♪

Benn: Righto.

Narrator:
With baccara almost down,

The keepers clear the yard
of the other takhi.

Benn: Out you go.
Come on.

A key part of a good outcome for
an anesthetic event like this

Is to manage the psychological
wellbeing of the group.

The group remembers this all
as being a calm event,

Calm begets calm.

And the good thing
about this way

Is if the group remains calm,

Then their collective memory
of these kinds of interventions

Is a calm one.

She'll have no memory of it
because she's affected by dr*gs.

So as the minutes tick by she
becomes deeper and deeper,

More profoundly affected
by the anesthesia.

And eventually
she'll fall down for us.

Narrator: The squirrel monkey
breeding program

Got off to a flying start.

Laura: Who've we got over there?

We've got vivo and pinky
hanging out together,

And vivo is way more interested
than I thought he would be.

Nat: The boys
are doing really well.

We're seeing some
really nice behaviors

That we hope will be
conducive to breeding.

Keeper: Is this the one?
This one with aiaka?

Narrator: But the keepers
from the primate team

Have noticed some alarming
behavior in the past few days.

Nat: If you look at the videos

It looks like it all
went very smoothly,

But I think once the girls
were no longer receptive,

Then the boys had
a bit of a hard time.

You can see here
vanpia pushes his luck.

So he's pushing
his weight around,

And then the girls say no.

The girls decide that no,
no, that's too much.

And we're going to mob you and
we're going to push you away.

And so he now needs to retreat,
which he does,

But if you're working up there

And you hear
those aggressive vocals

Then you need to go and watch...

Keeper: Yeah, of course.

Nat: ...What's going on.

(screeching)

Narrator: But today vivo may
have been a little too frisky,

And keepers found him
lying on the ground

With an unusual injury.

Larry: Poor little vivo looks
like he's got a fractured jaw.

You can see it's moved up
to the side a bit there.

His jaw is not able
to close properly,

But there'll be some further
work that needs to be done

In terms of investigating
what's going on.

Narrator: Vivo is an extremely
important breeding male,

And larry is anxious to see
just how badly he's injured.

Larry: There is definitely
a fracture in the bone,

Which is just this part
of the jaw here

Called the ramus
or the mandible.

Just up there, which is
a very odd sort of place,

Um, you know, to see a fracture.

Uh, interestingly he does have
a wound inside his mouth

That sort of almost
corresponds with that position.

Um, his jaw may actually be

A little bit
like dislocated as well.

It's pushed over
to the side like that.

So I think that's a result

Of some, a fracture
just, just here.

Quite an unusual injury
and a surprise.

But, uh, this is the nature of
the, of, of work here at the zoo

Is that, uh, it's all
full of surprises.

Any day where you
can be confronted

With any, any challenges.

And this is certainly
a challenging one for us

And for little vivo.

He's waking up.

So you're just gonna pop him
straight back in there.

Narrator: Another problem larry
and the keepers are facing

Is that squirrel monkeys
are social animals

And can't be kept away
from the group

For extended periods of time.

Laura: Taking him out of the
group completely is a big deal.

So we did want to try and avoid
that if we could possibly.

So we're just keeping them
under close obs

Over the next day or so.

Narrator: But larry needs
some answers, and quickly,

Before vivo can return
to his friends.

Larry: It would be good

To, to get some, some more
detailed information

On exactly the nature
of the fracture

Or the problem in his mouth,

Because with the x-rays I can
see something's going on there,

But it's, we just don't have
that, that sort of detail

And there's a lot of bones
superimposed on, you know,

That, uh, just can't see exactly
where the problem is

And the, and the type
of fracture that's there, so.

Narrator:
Knowing they have to move fast,

The mri is booked for
first thing tomorrow morning.

♪ ♪

Taronga western plains zoo
at dubbo

Is home to australia's

Most successful
cheetah breeding program...

Jordan: There you go.

Narrator: ...But sometimes even
the most experienced teams

Suffer setbacks.

Jordan: So this is siri,
uh, she's five years old.

She is one of our
hand-raised cheetahs.

So she was born here in dubbo.

Um, and she was actually
a singleton cub.

Her mum unfortunately
did not raise her.

So we stepped in
and hand-raised siri,

And hand-raised animals can be,
occasionally,

It can negatively affect
their breeding

Because they don't really know
maybe how to act like a cheetah

Or how to act
around other cheetahs.

And siri had no siblings
that we raised with her.

So we actually got
a little puppy,

And we raised siri
and the puppy together.

(growling)

Because we were
hand-raising siri,

We were obviously quite
hands-on with her.

So the puppy sort of
filled that gap.

The puppy was siri's sibling,
I suppose.

(chirp)

They could play together.
They could stalk together.

They could run around together.

They could snuggle up
at night together.

All those things that meant

That we could take
a little bit of a step back

And she wasn't so reliant on us,
and it paid off amazingly.

Siri has become such a
well-rounded, beautiful animal.

(purring)

I don't know if you can
hear her purring.

It's just a beautiful sound.

It's obviously
a very content sound.

It sounds like a motor,
sometimes.

(cooing)

(laughs)

Cheetah make
the most amazing noises.

They can't roar
like other big cats.

They're actually not considered
a true big cat,

Like lions and tigers can roar.

Um, cheetah don't have
the, um, the voice box

To be able to roar,
but they do instead purr.

They make quite a number
of little chipping noise,

Chirping noises, yipping noises,
stutter barks,

All these amazing
little, little sounds.

But the purring
is probably my favorite.

♪ ♪

All right.
Come on, sweetie.

Hey, siri.

Okay. I'm ready.

Happy?
Good girl.

At the moment we're just doing
a training session with siri.

We do this with
all of our cheetah,

It's a hundred percent
voluntary,

And we're just training her
for hand injection,

For vaccinations, anesthetics,

Anything like that
that they might need.

Touch.

It's just a much more
stress-free way

To do these kinds of things.

(click)

Touch.

Traditional ways
would be darting,

Um, which is quite stressful.

Touch.

As you can see
I'm using a pen now

Just to sort
of simulate the needle.

And then on the day

That the actual vaccination
or injection happens,

They're just so used
to being in here,

So focused on their food,
that they don't even react.

So, um, they're
wonderful patients

Helping us look after them,
that's for sure.

It's just made everything
much more stress-free,

And she's going to leave now.

Normally I open it up for her,
but she decided to...

Is there more food in there?

Narrator: Keeper jordan loves
all the cats she cares for,

But siri definitely holds
a special place in her heart.

Jordan:
She's just so affectionate.

How can you not have a bond
with an animal that you helped,

You know, hand-raise

And have known
since they were so young?

There you go.

Good girl.
All finished.

She's just got
such a kind nature.

Every day you come in,
if you're feeling a little down,

You just have to go in and siri
will come up to you for a pat

And you hear her purring,
and how can you not love that?

(purring)

Narrator:
It's early morning at the zoo,

And while it may remain quiet

Until they officially open
in a few hours' time,

The wildlife hospital
never closes,

And it's already shaping up
to be a busy morning

As staff prepare to take
injured squirrel monkey vivo

Offsite to his ct scan.

Liz: I've got some equipment
ready for him.

Um, so we actually have to take,
um, equipment with us

To the specialist center.

So we're gonna
anesthetize him there.

This is his little face mask

That we'll be using
to anesthetize him with.

So pop that over
his nose and mouth.

And we've got some
little, tiny et tubes.

So they're very, very small
because he only weighs around,

I think he's just under
a kilo in weight.

So he's got
a tiny little airway,

So he could be taking this
tiny little size-two tube,

Which goes down your airway

To keep you, you know,
your respiration going.

Larry: I'm just gonna take
a couple of little skulls

With us, um, to the, uh,
specialist center

Where we're doing
the ct scan this morning.

And I think it will be useful
for the radiologist

To actually see this as well.

Narrator: While a ct scan
is a fairly common procedure,

That doesn't make it
any easier for the keepers,

Who struggle to hide
their true emotions.

Laura: Yeah, we've been
through a lot with him.

Right from the start

When we knew we were getting
these two boys,

There's been a lot
of challenges,

A lot of hurdles to overcome.

Every step of the way we seem
to be thrown curve balls

With these particular two males.

It's been a massive challenge,

But it's meant that they kind of
get into us a little bit.

Both of the boys, vanpia and
vivo, are very special to us.

We spend a lot of time
with them, um,

Getting them through
the challenges

That they've been through.

So having him in this situation
is a little bit scary.

Larry: Will you sit there
and talk to him, laura?

Laura: I will. Yep. Yep.

We'll have a conversation.

Larry: Yeah.

Liz: Got everybody,
got the squirrel monkey.

Narrator: Concerned for vivo's
welfare and that of his group,

Zoo staff are hopeful
that today's procedure

Throws up no new challenges.

Liz: So we're just about
to get vivo's face out.

Laura's gonna restrain him, and
his little face will come out,

And we're going to put
the mask on to anesthetize him.

Got him?
Laura: Yep.

Liz: A bit more.
We just need to move him up.

Laura: I got him.

Liz: Good boy.

Yeah, yeah, so you can let go.

A hot little body.

Larry: Just put a little tube
down his airway,

And that will keep him asleep
while the ct scan's being done.

Liz: What's he on? ?

Larry: He's on %, laura?
Laura: Yeah.

Liz: Can we pop that back
a little bit? The machine?

♪ ♪

Larry: All right.
Brilliant.

Narrator:
With vivo in position,

The procedure begins.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sarah: We did one
of his whole body.

And now we're just doing
really fine detailed images

Just through his skull.

'cause that's what we're
looking for,

The potential mandible fracture.

This is his little head
coming through now.

So we're interested
in looking at his mandible,

And we can see
there is a fracture.

Um, and it's also looking
dislocated.

Larry: Yeah, it's completely
offset, isn't it?

Sarah: Yeah. It's just,
it's strange-looking, larry.

It's like it's...

Larry: Yeah. Yeah.
It looks like...

Sarah: ...In chronically
in two pieces.

Larry: ...It's been there
for a while.

Sarah: What I'll do, larry,
is I'll just make some pictures,

And then we'll compare
with the other side,

What his normal structure is.

Larry: Okay.

Sarah: This is his normal side.

So we'll just use the normal
side as a comparison.

So this is
the obvious abnormality

Is that ramus fracture.

Larry: I mean, it doesn't look
like a fresh injury,

That's the thing.

Sarah: And you can see
how mal-aligned he is.

So these canine teeth
should sort of match up.

Larry:
There's really two injuries.

The fracture in the bone
and the dislocation.

And it looks like the fracture

Is actually not necessarily
a new thing.

To do anything surgically
with the injury

Would be extremely difficult,

And the result may be worse
than what we've got now.

Narrator:
It's mixed news for vivo.

While he doesn't
need surgery...

Liz: Hey, vivo.

Gonna shut that now.

Narrator: ...He'll need to be
monitored closely

In the coming weeks as his jaw
hopefully realigns naturally.

Larry: You alright
walking him up?

Laura: Yeah.

So vivo is going to go
back into a den.

He'll be on his own,
but he can have contact

Through the mesh
with the rest of the group.

The introductions
can get a little hectic

And a little aggressive.

So we need to really closely
monitor the behaviors

Before we look
at putting him back in.

Look. Who's that?

Narrator: Although vivo is now
back with his brother vanpia...

Laura: Good boy.

Narrator: ...The real test
is to see if the females

Will accept him.

If not, taronga
face the reality

That this entire important
breeding season may be a waste.

Nat: The alternative
is that vanpia and vivo

Came out of the group
until next breeding season,

Which is a long period of time.

So we'd be talking months
out of the group.

So now we just watch
and we just hope.

(screech)

Narrator: Ensuring
the health and wellbeing

Of all animals across the zoo

Is the most important job
of vets and keepers alike.

♪ ♪

Enrichment programs
are tailor-made

To keep animals challenged
and engaged,

Whether they're the largest
animal at taronga

Or one of the smallest.

(chirping)

♪ ♪

Today keeper grey
from west virginia

Is taking a special feathered
friend out and about.

Grey: Alright, griff,
let's go for a walk

And see what we can see.

See who's out today.

Narrator: Eight-year-old
griffin is a lesser sooty owl.

He came to the zoo
as a rescue chick,

And grey hand-reared him.

This morning they're taking
in the sights and sounds

Of the zoo together.

Grey: Look at the turtle.
Not so sure about that.

Bringing griffin out here

Gives him a chance
to explore the world,

See things he doesn't normally
see on his day-to-day life.

A bit enriching, just to get
to see what else is out there.

Sometimes he sees things that
he might interpret as food.

Sometimes he sees things that he
might interpret as a thr*at.

And sometimes those threats
are only perceived

Because he's not used to them.

So for instance this turtle
can be a very scary thing

Because he doesn't actually know
what that turtle is.

He's interested in it, but he
wants me to keep my distance

So that he doesn't have to be
too close to it.

Look at it.
It's looking at you.

You can see now he's starting
to sway a little bit.

His wings are coming out
from his body,

And that's a defensive posture.

He's making himself look bigger

So that he can look
intimidating and scary.

Um, but also it's a precursor

To potentially wanting
to take flight.

So I know that when I see
that behavior,

I'm not going to push him
any further.

I'm not going to make them
get closer

To this ferocious owl-eating
turtle that exists.

Um, I want him to be
comfortable.

This walk is all about him

And it's supposed to be
positive for him.

So I want to keep him
at that range

Where it's interesting

And something he's really
wants to keep an eye on,

But not something that's going
to be scary for him.

How's the turtle?

That's pretty cool.

Let's see what else we can find.

What do you think? You want
to take a trip to africa?

♪ ♪

Oh, griffin, there's
a giraffe right there.

You haven't spotted it yet.

Look right there.

What's that?

Being out in this environment,

Everything is going
to catch his attention.

Things that he sees,
motion of the animals,

Of the trees blowing
in the breeze,

Of the people walking around,
the sound of the birds,

Everything is being
picked up on, um,

And evaluated in his brain

To find out exactly what
is around him.

I can tell he's a little bit
more edge by his body posture,

But also very much by his feet,

By the way they feel
on my glove.

If he is seeing something that
he's thinking might be food,

His grip is going to tighten up
and I'm going to feel that.

If he's seeing something that
seems like it might be scary,

His grip is going to loosen up

So that he has
an easy access to fly.

And I'm wearing the glove

Because of the power
in these feet.

They are some
of the most impressive

k*lling machines out there.

They have those incredibly long,
sharp talons.

If he wanted to right now,
he could drive that

Straight through my finger.

It's an incredibly
powerful w*apon.

Luckily we get along
pretty well.

Narrator: A quick swing by
the chimps is next on the list.

Grey: See the chimpanzees?

Narrator: But despite
griffin's warm welcome,

They don't look
that thrilled to see him.

Grey: There's so much going on
in this exhibit

With the chimpanzees.

They're all, so many of them
all around,

And he seems to be
picking out each of them.

He seems a lot more relaxed
than he was with the giraffes.

I don't know if it's because he
thinks I look like a chimpanzee.

So they're not that foreign,
but he's definitely interested.

I like to get griffin out
in the zoo whenever I can.

Mostly it just helps
stimulate his senses.

It gives him a chance

To be outside of the area
he normally exists in.

It's really a great form
of enrichment for him.

Narrator: But you get the sense

Grey gets as much out of these
walks as his feathered friend.

Grey: He's a really great
mate to have.

He's always happy to hang out,
to spend some time together,

And he doesn't talk too much.

He's a really good listener.

It's a pretty spectacular view.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga's
western plains zoo is home

To a breeding herd
of mongolian takhi.

With under ,
left in the wild,

The health of every horse
is crucial,

And today mare baccara is
having some hoof work done.

The procedure needs to happen
under general anesthetic.

Benn: Baccara has had her dart,
and she's now progressing

Through the stages
of anesthetic induction.

So as the minutes tick by,
she becomes deeper and deeper,

More profoundly affected
by the anesthesia,

And eventually she'll
fall down for us.

Narrator: Benn gets baccara
on oxygen straight away.

Benn: So she's just getting
some intranasal oxygen.

Narrator: Then he and nurse jo
need to work quickly

To stabilize the anesthesia.

Benn: Now I'm just locating
a jugular vein,

And we'll put an intravenous
catheter in there

And we'll run
a fluid solution in there,

And that will enable us
to maintain venous access.

And we'll also continuously
administer a muscle relaxant,

Which will improve the quality
of the anesthesia.

Narrator: While it may look
like a lot of effort

For a hoof trim,

This type of work is vital for
this valuable breeding female.

Benn: She's just an animal
whose toes

Are a little bit predisposed
to growing overlong.

We provide abrasive substrates

And a few other preventative
measures to help with that,

Which tends to keep the reminder
of our group under control,

But she's an individual
that just seems to require

A bit of a trim
every now and then.

How are you going, jo,
are you happy?

Jo: Yeah, she's good.

Benn: So like hair and human
fingernails and toenails,

The hoof is keratin.

So it's a modified skin.

So we've got the hoof wall

On which the animal
bears its weight,

The hoof is a big capsule and
it grows down from the coronet.

This wall just
basically elongates.

And, um, if it gets too long

It starts to exert
unnatural forces on itself.

It's about making sure

That the foot remains
in good balance.

And to ensure that we're not
sort of called upon

To deal with disaster feet
that, uh,

That could have been prevented
at the outset

With a little bit
of standard podiatry.

Narrator: This nail salon
for wild horses

Runs on a lot of skill
but some pretty basic tools.

(whirring)

Benn: This is an angle grinder

With a special attachment that's
designed for horses' hooves.

Yeah, that's the smell
of burning hoof.

The nipping creates
the basic shape of the foot.

And then the rasping
just takes away the rough edges

And tidies up the job.

If you picked up a wild,
free-ranging takhi's foot,

Then these are the dimensions
and the angles

That you would like to see

Because you know
that that's a healthy foot.

She's a ferrari again.

Narrator: With baccara's
tune-up complete,

Benn administers the reversal
drug to wake her up.

Benn: This animal
will be on her feet

And ready to rejoin her group,

Probably wondering
where the last hour went,

And go out there and have
a nibble on some grass

And a bit of hay.

These are very,
very precious animals.

We're talking very limited
numbers in the wild,

Very limited numbers
in human care worldwide,

And every single individual
is absolutely precious.

So we need to invest to ensure

That their health
is managed optimally...

(takhi grunts)

...And that they're absolutely
in tiptop shape

To contribute to
the next generation of takhi.

Narrator:
And after a quick recovery,

She's back safely
with the herd.

♪ ♪

Benn: Very good.
Thank you, everybody.

Love a good takhi.

♪ ♪

Narrator: It's been six weeks
since squirrel monkey vivo

Has been reunited
with his troop,

And keeper nat is amazed
at his recovery.

Nat: Good boy.
Hello, vivo.

There we go.

Let's have a look at your jaw.

And we have girls for company.

Vivo did sustain
a significant injury to his jaw.

We were worried about
putting him back in the group.

Oh, good boy.

You're a good boy.

Nothing wrong with your jaw.

Look at it.

It continues to improve.

The alignment is getting better.

He's able to eat corn.

He's able to pull husks
off the cob.

He's able to eat hard vegetables
like sweet potatoes.

So we're really happy
with his progress.

You're looking good, vivo.

(squawk)

Narrator: And it's not
just his recovery

That has keepers
over the moon...

As outside on the island
there's plenty more

For the primate team
to be happy about.

Georgia: This here is inca.

She's got a distended belly,

Which means that
hopefully she's pregnant.

Still a little while to go,
but it's excellent news.

We're very thrilled.

It means that we've done
our job right.

It means that the boys have done
their job right as well.

So, um, hopefully
everything will pay off,

In a couple months we should see
babies running around.

This one just
in the middle here,

She's getting
a little bit porky,

But that hopefully means
that she's pregnant.

So got a little baby
growing in there.

That's being rude, just wait.

This is the product
of our introductions.

So that's what we
did this all for

Is new offspring,
new genetic lines

And breeding opportunities
for our group as well.

So fingers crossed we've got
quite a few of those girls

With babies on the way, so yeah.

Nat: We're going to be watching
those abdomens

And then we're going to be, um,

Really closely monitoring
the births of these new babies.

If we get
squirrel monkey births,

It will be fabulous for taronga

And it will be fabulous
for the region.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪