02x06 - Down Under: Episode 6

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Taronga zoo is home
to seven sumatran tigers.

Native to the dense
indonesian jungle,

Sumatran tigers
are excellent swimmers

And, as ambush predators,

They can run up to
miles per hour.

(growl)

Carnivore team keeper dannielle

Has been part of
the tiger team for years.

Dannielle: Here at taronga

We've built this special
series of habitats

To breed the tigers,

And it means that we can
house up to ten tigers.

So, we've got kartika
and her three cubs,

We've got the father
of the cubs, clarence.

And then we have grandma
and uncle of the cubs,

Jamila and kembali.

Narrator: With less than
sumatran tigers in the wild,

They're really in trouble.

Dannielle: Okay, so I've got
kartika and kem here.

Narrator:
So taronga's breeding program

Is part of a worldwide effort
to help preserve the species.

(hissing)

Dannielle:
Kartika is very important

To the breeding program.

She has successfully
bred three cubs.

So she's got tenga, female,

Mawa, female,

And pamanar, a male.

But now's the time
where she's thinking,

"I might like to breed again,"

And in the wild, it would be
natural around this time

For the mum to probably
look at ousting the cubs,

Saying "it's time
for you guys to move on."

Narrator: But the zoo
faces a problem.

While the tiger
breeding program

Is crucial
for species survival,

It has to be managed carefully.

Kimberly: At the zoo,
we have limited space,

So we can't always breed
everything all the time.

It gives the moms time
to raise their offspring.

Narrator: Kartika had
her first litter a year ago,

So the team have decided
to give her a hormone implant

To stop her
from getting pregnant

For the next months or so.

It's a procedure that involves
a general anesthetic.

Dannielle: Anesthetizing
a dangerous animal

Has a lot of
safety concerns for us,

And there is risk.

It's not something
that we take lightly.

It's really serious.

Kimberly: Doing the anesthesia
is difficult in the sense

That you have to
be able to monitor

When the tiger's asleep enough
to allow people to go in there.

Narrator: And that
responsibility

Falls on vet nurse liz...

Liz: It's all in there,

So if you should
need anything extra,

You can just call out to me.

Narrator: ...Who's come up
with an ingenious way

To make sure the gas
goes into the tiger.

Liz: This is her mask

That's going to go on her face
for an anesthetic.

One of our welders
actually made this.

So he had to make a fitting,

And then he had to
make it sealed on there--

A special design.

And, yeah,
that's just what we use now

For lions and tigers.

Narrator: To avoid moving
these dangerous animals

Around the zoo,

These procedures are conducted

In specially designed
surgical dens.

Liz: What we need to do

Is pack up the whole hospital
and take it to her.

So it's a lot of planning.

It's not just a matter of
taking the anesthetic machine.

We've got to take
all the equipment.

Getting full in there.

It's like going
on a holiday, isn't it?

Kimberly: I'm going
to go in the van.

See ya.

Narrator:
With hospital staff en route

And keepers on standby...

Keeper:
Dannielle to bec baldwyn.

Narrator:
...Only by working together

Will this dangerous procedure
go off without a hitch.

Dannielle: I'm thinking
about it all the time.

Many sleepless nights
leading up to an anesthetic

'cause you want to make sure

That you're safe,
your team is safe,

The tiger's safe,

And a great outcome at the end.

♪ ♪

Narrator:
Taronga's the perfect place

To exhibit some
of the marine species

That call australia's
coastline home.

(barking)

And the seals are a consistent
favorite for guests.

Jose: We have a mixture
of different species.

We've got
the californian sea lion,

The australian sea lion,

And then we also have
the new zealand fur seal.

Narrator:
As a conservation zoo,

Taronga aims
to educate the public.

Woman: So cute.

Narrator: They also
manage breeding programs...

Woman: Aw, she's getting sleepy!

Narrator: ...And are committed

To the rescue
and rehabilitation

Of injured wildlife.

Adrienna: Taronga have
a really long history

Of taking in rescued animals
and rescued seals.

At the moment, almost half of
our seals are rescued animals.

We probably get in
a rescued seal

At least every year.

It may be on a popular beach,

It's got extensive injuries,

And once they come on
to our site,

Our vets assess them and see
how bad their injuries are.

The main goal
for our rescued seals

Is to rehabilitate them
as quick as we can

And get them back out
to the wild.

And when release
isn't an option,

They do have the opportunity

To have a really long
and healthy life

Here with us at taronga.

So our rescued seals
that stay with us

Become ambassadors
for their species,

And they tell the story

Of the importance
of seals in the wild,

What they do
for the environment,

And what things are
impacting on their survival.

Narrator: All three of
taronga's long-nosed fur seals

Have been given
a second chance at life.

Bondi, keke...

Adrienna: Come on.

Narrator:
...And recent addition abel.

Adrienna: We think abel
is about four years old,

Or turning four this year.

He's a pretty chilled animal,
he learns really quickly,

He's very engaged
in his training sessions.

Lay down.

Over.

And he's actually
really confident

For such a young animal.

Well done.

Really motivated.
(laughing)

On his left shoulder,
he's got a pretty nasty scar.

That's lovely, mate.

Right here.

And that scar is likely from
a cookiecutter shark,

And these species of sharks
prey on sickly marine mammals.

So we find
cookiecutter shark bites

On stranded seals,
uh, dolphins, and whales.

In you go, mate.

Abel's doing really well now.

So he was really lucky
to be found early

And therefore to survive
that traumatic injury.

Good job.

Hey, where are you going?

Narrator: The seals
are a playful species.

Adrienna: You're leading
the conga line, are you?

♪ da, da, da, da, da ♪

Narrator: And keepers
get attached to them.

Adrienna: Come here, bon bon.

They all have
different personalities,

And you get to know
who they are.

Come on, bondi.

And they are all so different.

They're really funny,
and sometimes they're serious,

And sometimes
they're a little bit crazy.

I love them.

(bellowing)

This handsome boy is bondi,

And he is a rescued
long-nosed fur seal,

Or new zealand fur seal.

Bondi is probably
the funniest seal we have.

He really marches
to the b*at of his own drum.

He was found at bondi beach
about six and a half years ago.

He had a really nasty gash
on the left side of his body.

You can actually
see it there now.

We're unsure about
what caused that injury.

It could be a variety of things,

From a shark att*ck
to a larger seal,

Um, or even something
like a boat propeller.

So, he was in a really bad way,

And they didn't think
that bondi was going to survive

Because of the extent
of those injuries.

However, he did.

He's a miracle child.

Good boy.

In the water!

(grunt)

Nice work, bond.

Woo hoo!

Narrator:
Due to taronga's efforts,

These seals not only have
a second chance at life,

But also a chance to do
something really important

For their species.

Adrienna: Good job!

He does have
a little girlfriend, kiki,

Who is another one of our
rescued long-nosed fur seals.

(bellowing)

So hopefully,
there will be a little bondi.

That would be cool.

A little mini you.

(bellowing)

(shaking can)

Narrator: Every day
across taronga's two zoos,

Keepers work to
ensure all their animals

Are in peak physical condition.

Keeper: Alright, finished.

Tarryn: Good boy.

Narrator: At taronga
western plains zoo in dubbo,

Keeper tarryn
is focusing on the well-being

Of a very important
breeding male,

Dora,
the greater one-horned rhino.

Tarryn: We're about to do
a training session with him,

So this is a part
of their husbandry routine.

What we're going to be doing
is getting his feet up.

We need to check his feet daily

Just to make sure he's got
no cracks in his nails,

No abscesses forming,
that kind of thing.

We're also going to get him
to lean in nice and close.

This is just a way that we can
be quite tactile with him.

And the reason we would do that,

If he ever had any injuries,
we'd be able to treat them.

(click)

Good boy.

Lean in.

So it's just a general
check over of his skin.

So we're just checking
his eyes at the moment.

So, especially in winter,

They tend to get little cracks
around their eyes.

His are looking
pretty good right now.

Um, joel do you want
to walk him down this way

And we'll get those feet up.

Foot.

(click)

Good boy.

Just keep feeding him.

Alright, I'll grab that.

So just checking different
cracks and things.

His feet look pretty good.

So we just do
these daily checks,

So we do look underneath
just to check that everything

Is looking nice
and clean under there.

Narrator: While a visual
inspection is important...

Tarryn: Joel, can you just make
sure the scales are on for me?

You're already there?

Alright, are you happy
for me to send him?

Joel: Yeah, you're alright.

Narrator: ...Another way
to check an animal's health

Is to routinely
measure their weight.

Tarryn: He's at , joel.

Joel: Are you happy?
Tarryn: Happy, yep.

Joel: Alright.
I'm going to send him out.

Tarryn: Yeah.

We'd like to see him
around the to .

When he gets to two ton,

We kind of start thinking he's
getting a little bit too heavy,

But
is a great weight for him.

Good boy!

Nice work, mate.

Narrator: And while weighing
such a large animal

Was a relatively
quick and easy process...

Back in sydney,

Keepers are coming to terms
with the fact that smaller

Doesn't always equal easier...

Delvena: What's the maximum
weight capacity on this?

Adam: We're about to find out.

These are designed for cattle.

Narrator: ...As today, they're
hoping to get an updated weight

On their two giant
aldabran tortoises.

Delvena: We've got lance here
on this side

With the super orange
bumpy shell,

And we've got esmerelda,

Who's the oldest animal
that we have here at the zoo.

Wow.

Whaa.

Yes.

Are you going to get on?

Are you going to
get on yourself?

That's a little bit strange,
isn't it?

Good boy!

Let's get up here.

Here.

Come over this side.

This is very, very tricky.

This is the biggest animal
that I've had to weigh

Here at the zoo.

It's pretty exciting.

Come on, let's get up.

You've got this.

What's this?

It's a bit funny
to be enticing him with food

When we're just about
to weigh him,

But this is a yummy treat.

You've got this.

He's on there.

No.

Is there another foot?

We're all here. No?

Adam: Yeah, we...
We have a slight problem.

Delvena: We have
a slight problem?

Adam: We forgot to
turn the scales on.

(laughing)

So now we have to get him off

And weigh him again, so.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga is home

To three rescued
long-nosed fur seals--

Abel,

Bondi,

And keke.

(bellowing)

Jose: Keke is an -year-old
new zealand fur seal.

She came to us as a young seal.

When we found her,
she was in the harbor.

She was showing
some erratic behavior.

We think she may
have been hit by a boat,

And so she came in with
a suspected brain injury.

Narrator: While keke couldn't
be released back to the wild,

Taronga has given her
a second chance

Not only to live,

But to breed.

Jose: Last year, keke met bondi,

Our resident male
new zealand fur seal.

And we actually did see
a viable mating.

We haven't had a new zealand
fur seal pup in recent history,

So lots of excitement,

Um, the fact that we
potentially have got a pup.

Yeah, fingers crossed.

Narrator: Although they mated
six months ago...

Larry: Alright, let's...

Narrator: ...Today is the first
time that senior vet larry

Is able to get
close enough to keke

To conduct an ultrasound

And hopefully
confirm her pregnancy.

Jose: Keke generally
is quite a nervous animal,

So she's going to be
very aware of her surroundings.

We've done a lot of training

To get her to this point
that we're at today.

We've tried getting
different people in,

Doing different scenarios,

And hopefully
it will be smooth sailing.

Larry: She's good today?

Jose: Yeah, so she's been
working very well lately

So we've been aiming
to get to this point.

Larry: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jose: We've done a lot
of extra training,

So hopefully she's...

Larry: She's solid today?

Jose: She's solid today.
Larry: Good.

Jose: Famous last words,
obviously.

Larry: Well, fingers crossed.
Let's get going.

Jose: Stay.

Come on.

♪ ♪

Good girl.

Okay.

Larry: Okay, girl.

So just because
she's a little bit nervous,

Jose is going to hold

The ultrasound probe
against her.

Jose: Good girl.

Larry: So just really
like ruffle the fur

As much as you can, mate.

♪ ♪

Nothing there.

The problem is
we're not getting an image

Because of that layer of air
that's trapped under the fur.

Um, and she hasn't
taken her eyes off me.

Jose: Good girl.

Good girl.

Larry: Do you want to just
get her in the water again

So she's wet?

And then do you want me to try?

Jose: Yep.

Narrator: To survive
the freezing southern ocean,

Fur seals are equipped
with an inbuilt wetsuit.

Larry: Fur seals have
a double layer of fur,

And the layer
closest to the skin

Traps a layer of air
against the skin.

Can I just touch her?

Jose: Stay there, stay there.

Ready, we try again. Touching.

Larry: And unfortunately,

Ultrasound waves don't go
through air very well.

So we have to make sure
she's very wet

And we have to
ruffle her fur a lot

To try and dislodge that layer
of air against her skin

So we can see an image.

Jose: Good girl. Excellent.

Stay there.

Larry: Nothing.

The ultrasound waves
are just not penetrating

So we're actually
not getting an image at all.

I'm going to just feel.

Narrator:
Without a clear image,

Larry resorts to some
old-fashioned diagnostics.

Larry: To be honest, um,

Just looking at her
and just feeling like this,

I can't imagine that
there's a pup in there at all.

At this stage of her pregnancy,

She should have
quite a large pup,

And, um...

It just seems empty.

You can see that

She's got a very nice
little waistline there.

Jose: Yeah, she certainly
hasn't put on weight.

She's maintained weight.

Larry: Alright,
well, try again this year.

Jose: Yes.
Larry: End of this year.

Jose: Exactly. Good girl.

Larry: Alright.
Jose: Excellent.

Larry: Think we're done.

Jose: Bye, larry.

Larry: See you, sweetie.

Narrator: While there's
no seal pup arriving for keke

In the near future...

Larry: Okay.

Narrator: ...Taronga is about
to receive another fur seal

Under more urgent
circumstances.

Larry: It is only a little guy.

Narrator: Down at tiger trek...

Kimberly: I might
prepare the dart.

Narrator: ...The zoo
is getting ready to conduct

One of their most
dangerous procedures.

Kimberly:
Today we have an anesthesia

On a sumatran tiger
named kartika.

Kartika is nearly
nine years old,

And she's had her first litter
about, a little over a year ago,

And today she's getting
a reproductive implant.

We're going to
stop her coming into heat,

And then she can stay calm,
stay with her cubs, raise them.

Liz: , , .

Narrator:
And with so much at stake,

Both hospital and keeper staff
have left nothing to chance.

Liz: It is quite challenging

Because she is
a dangerous animal.

We have to be very careful.

We'll be putting some
shackles on her hind feet.

We have to be totally ready
for anything that could happen.

So she could go very smooth,

But also, you know,
something could happen.

She might, you know,
stop breathing.

So we have to be prepared

And have all our emergency
equipment available.

Dannielle: Okay, so we're
just going to take five

Before we start the ga.

When we're in there,

Everyone has to wear masks
because of covid for the tigers

And there's not enough room
to social distance for us,

So make sure you've
got your mask on.

Kimberly:
It's a dangerous animal,

So, you know, be cautious

And just remember that
sometimes with this drug,

The animals can
spontaneously arouse,

So we just want to make sure
the anesthesia is really solid

Before we go in.

Keeper: Yeah.

Narrator:
And giving the anesthetic

Is keeper tamara,

Who is doing her
first-ever tiger injection.

Kimberly: We've got
about . mils there.

Good luck, girlfriend.

Tamara: Thank you.

Kimberly:
Ha ha ha! You'll be fine.

She won't know.
She doesn't know you--

She's not suspicious that
you're going to be doing it.

It's loaded.

Woman: Good luck!

Woman: Good luck!

Tamara: We don't need luck.

We've got this.

(groaning)

Kimberly: This is
the only part of the procedure

Where I do get a little nervous.

Hopefully she'll get
the whole dose,

And then this drug combination

Can take about up to minutes
to have full effect,

So we may not know if she's
going to go to sleep fully

Until the minutes.

For me, this is the worst part.

Ha ha ha!

(click)

(laughing)

Adam: I thought I was heavy.

Narrator:
Keepers delvena and adam

Are attempting to weigh

The zoo's two giant
aldabran tortoises.

Adam: We weigh
all our animals here at the zoo

To ensure that they're healthy,

They're maintaining weight,
not losing weight.

It also indicates
whether, you know,

They have any internal parasites
or anything wrong with them.

So by weighing him, we can
look back in our records

And compare to make sure
that he's on track

Or, you know,
esmerelda is on track,

Just for their general health.

Just like you and I
weigh ourselves

Just to make sure
we haven't, you know,

Gone a bit crazy
over the silly season.

Delvena: What's this?

Narrator: After a false start
with lance...

Delvena: He's on there.

No.

Adam: We have a slight problem.

Delvena: We have
a slight problem?

Adam: We forgot
to turn the scales on.

(laughing)

Narrator: ...They're keen
to reset and try again.

Delvena:
What I'm doing right now

Is bringing lance
over to the scales

'cause he won't come willingly.

No one wants to know
their own weight, including him.

At the moment,

It's been quite difficult
to get lance onto the scales.

He did it once,

And now he's like, "nah,
don't want to do it again,"

But we do have esmerelda
coming in very, very fast.

It's like the speed
of light for her,

And if anything,
if she goes on first,

That might make it
a little bit easy.

She is the oldest resident
here at the zoo

And obviously the wisest.

She knows what's up.

Adam: So I have no clue
how heavy she is.

I can't remember
our last weight on her.

It's probably not right.

Delvena: Is she on?

Adam: Yeah, she's completely on.

Delvena: Are you on? Good girl!

Now you have to stay here
for a little bit.

. .

That is a very good weight.

Adam: You can see
actually how concaved

Her plastron is underneath.

Have you seen
underneath them before?

Have a look.

To get underneath
and have a look

Is really important as well.

So we have to take full
advantage of these weigh-ins.

Delvena: Carrot for you.

She's a delicate eater,
but watch how she bites.

This is a carrot.
They're pretty hard.

Imagine if that was your finger.

Narrator:
With esmerelda weighed...

Adam: Come on.

Narrator: ...They've decided
to take one last cr*ck

At getting lance
back on the scales.

Delvena: Alright.

Let's try and get you on.

Definitely slow and steady
wins the race.

Adam: Always slow and steady.

Never in a rush
with these animals.

They actually do move quicker
than you're led to believe.

It's just that
it's a little bit cool,

It's a bit later
in the afternoon,

So they start losing
their body heat.

It's not like we can just
pick him up and sit him on

Like if it was
a small tortoise, you know.

He's halfway on the scales,

And he's sort of
sitting up around,

I don't know,
it's looking like kilos,

Only he's halfway on.

So hopefully he decides
he's going to do it.

Otherwise we're going
to be here for a while.

Well, we're nearly there.

He's like
three quarters on. Come on.

Delvena:
You've got your foot up.

You've got this.
Come on, good boy!

Good boy, lance! Good boy!

Adam: Come on, fluffy.
Delvena: Ha ha ha!

Adam: You can do it.

Delvena: Come on.
Good boy, good boy, good boy.

Three out of four feet.

Not too bad, not too bad.

Adam: No, no, no, no.

Stay on.

Delvena: It's just one foot.

Adam: We are so close.

Delvena: Just one foot.

Adam: But now he's decided
that he wants to get off.

Delvena: Just a few toes.
Come on, what's this?

This way.

Come on.

No!

Ha ha ha ha!

Lance!

Adam: Looks like we're going to
have to try another day.

Delvena: You'll get more of this
if you turn around.

This has been, by far,

The hardest thing
that I've done here.

We might be here
for a little bit longer.

You've got
one minute to do this.

You are the fastest
tortoise in the world.

Yes, you are.

Narrator: Before kartika
can receive a hormone implant,

This cautious tiger needs
to be given a pole injection

To put her to sleep.

(click)

♪ ♪

Tamara: Done. Good girl.

All done.

Good girl.

Woman: All done.

Kimberly: What?

Keeper: Is that yes?

(cheering)

Tamara: I'm so nervous about it.
It looks like--

Kimberly: What? Fabulous!

You did get it all in. Wow.

That's very positive.

Narrator:
And since all the anesthetic

Went in to kartika,

Kimberly doesn't have to
wait long for the good news.

Kimberly: Go ahead.

Kimberly: Oh, my gosh.

Liz: That was quick. Awesome.

Kimberly: Okay, um, is it okay
for me to head in, then?

That was fast.

♪ ♪

This is fine.

She's right there at the door.

♪ ♪

She's having occasional blink,

So we can see
that her anesthesia

Is working really well.

Narrator:
But to be completely sure,

Kimberly applies a low-tech
but very effective way

Of checking if it's safe
to enter the tiger's den.

Kimberly: We're just going
to see if she reacts.

Good. I think she's
quite anesthetized.

Any reaction there?

Woman: No.

Kimberly: I'm happy.

You can stretcher
and anesthetic machine.

Narrator:
Satisfied that kartika is out,

The team
immediately get to work.

Kimberly: Okay, okay, cargo net.

I'll come behind you.

We need gas.

Just a little bit of blinking.

Woman: We'll move the table.
Kimberly: This is a big mask.

Woman: Annabelle,
she on . and liters.

Man: Ready.

Woman: Okay. Watch your step.

Woman: So, this way?

Kimberly: This is very slippery
where she's drooled.

Woman: Okay, okay.

Woman: With any
dangerous animal procedure,

We put these shackles
on their legs.

If by any chance
she was to arouse,

They're just
another level of restraint

So we have more time
to get out. Yeah.

Are we happy with that?

Kimberly: Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, that pulse is correct.

Are we happy
with the anesthesia?

Good job.

Now she's on the gas,

And we have a tracheal tube
down her airway,

So we're giving her
supplemental gas anesthesia.

Her jaw is really loose

So that's a good indication
that she's deeply anesthetized.

Happy to take that off?

Yep. Thanks.

Great.

She's gorgeous, isn't she?

She's in really good shape, too.
Like she's not fat at all.

Narrator: It's not often that
a big cat goes on the table,

So kimberly
takes the opportunity

To do a complete exam

To make sure there's
no other underlying problems.

Kimberly:
Just check all her paws.

Sometimes these guys
can get ingrown nails, so...

You guys happy with her weight?

Woman: Yeah.
Very happy with her weight.

Kimberly:
I love to check the nails.

Also, find it a lot of fun

'cause they hold
their nails in there,

And then you can push them out,

And that's how
they stick them out

When they want to use them
to capture things.

So, I'm just going
to do a dental exam

And see if any of
these teeth have problems.

A little bit worn
on the incisors,

But not too bad.

How old is she?
She's nearly nine, right?

She's a little over,
almost nine.

There's a bit of
a gray spot there.

Oh.

She's got a fracture here.

You see that tooth
that's loose there?

Woman: Oh, it's wibbly wobbly.

Kimberly: Yeah, see how wobbly?

Yeah, an infection in there.

Larry: It is only a little guy.
Yeah.

Narrator: Meanwhile
up at the wildlife hospital,

Larry has just taken delivery
of a badly injured fur seal.

Larry:
Seems very, very lethargic,

But still potential for
suddenly rousing and biting us.

So we'll just give him a little
bit of a gas anesthetic

So that we can
exam him thoroughly.

Woman: Hold that end there.

Larry: We will see.

Woman: He's responsive still.

Narrator: The seal is so ill,

Larry gets him on fluids
straight away.

Larry: So this little fur seal

Was brought in
by new south wales

National parks
and wildlife service officers.

It was hauled out of kurnell,

Which is just on
the south side of sydney.

But it's extremely lethargic,
very sick little seal

So we're going to examine it,

Try and work out
what might be going on.

(beeping)

So it's a boy.

His willy is just there.

Let's have a look
in the mouth, liz.

I'd say just looking
at this animal's teeth,

It's probably at least
two and a half years old.

So it's certainly older
than we, you know, you think.

Especially it's
a relatively small seal.

Narrator: The seal
is small for its age.

Larry: Can you hold
that eye open there?

Narrator: An indication

That it hasn't been able to
find food for quite some time.

Larry: Yeah.

Narrator: And his eyes
are concerning larry.

Larry: Sadly,

I've already got a bit of
an idea of what's going on here.

Let me just look
at the other eye.

So, this poor little guy

Has had major trauma to his eye.

See there?

Woman: That's terrible.

Larry: So, damage,
a ripped cornea,

And unfortunately this eye
is also in a bad way,

And so there's a terrible
cataract in that eye.

So this animal is blind,
essentially.

It's a real shame
because it really looks like

There may be nothing else wrong
with this animal.

Hard to know
what happened there,

But it must have been
a traumatic injury, I'd say,

Of some sort
that happened some time ago,

And, uh, he's probably been just
sort of hanging out out there,

Slowly getting
thinner and thinner

And got to the point now where
he's just very, very skinny,

Skin and bone.

♪ ♪

So sadly, not a good outcome
for this little guy

'cause we wouldn't,
he would not be releasable.

These eyes are, you know,
permanently damaged

And also
wouldn't even be an option

For keeping him in
permanent care here at the zoo

Because of not
being able to see.

So, another sad one.

Narrator: The decision
to euthanize an animal

Is never taken lightly.

But sadly, for this fur seal,

His wounds are just too severe.

Larry: These wildlife animals
that end up going to post-mortem

Provide a great opportunity
for disease surveillance,

So sad to lose
this animal's life,

But, um, we will get some
valuable information from it,

That's for sure.

Delvena: Alright,
another day, another weigh.

(laughing)

That was good.

Adam: Yes, that was amazing.

Now let's go weigh a tortoise.

Ha ha! Well, hopefully
we'll get him today.

Narrator: Two weeks after

Their first attempt
at weighing lance,

The giant aldebaran tortoise...

Adam: You alright?
Delvena: Yep, good.

Narrator:
...Keepers delvena and adam

Are back for another try.

Delvena: Teamwork
makes the dream work.

Adam: Let's see, 'cause I'm
about the same weight as him.

Delvena: Wow. Ha ha ha!

Adam: That's my covid weight.

(laughing)

Yeah, looks like, um, I'll be
eating salad for a while.

Narrator: Luckily for these
famously stubborn animals,

Salad is what motivates them.

Delvena: We have our
secret w*apon here today.

We've got bananas,
which is their favorite fruit.

We've also got some capsicum

And also some carrot as well.

Now, they're quite
driven by color,

So they will opt for the more
orange and reds and yellows

More than they will the greens.

I think that's why they like me,
'cause of my hair.

Adam: They seem to be working,
that's good.

Let's go.

Delvena: Step into my den.

Hello.

What's that?

It's a carrot!

But maybe if you come outside,
you will get your carrot.

Come on, let's go.

Almost there, lance. Good boy!

Narrator: While the carrot
got lance moving...

Delvena: Good boy.

Let's go.

Narrator:
...To get him to the scales,

Delvena needs to
pull out the big g*ns.

Delvena: What's that?
Adam: Look at that.

Make like a banana peel
and let's split.

Delvena:
Come on, lance, come on.

It's a banana,
it's your favorite.

It's so yummy,

And you'll get the rest of it
once you're on the scales.

Let's go.

So close.

Almost there.

You've got this!

Adam: He's actually coming
a lot faster than I anticipated.

Delvena: What about this?

What about this?

Come on, lance, you've got this.

Two feet up now.

Just two more to go
and a whole lot of shell.

Good boy, come on, come on.

So close. Good boy.

Oh, my goodness, are you all--
is he all on?

Adam: Check quick.

Delvena: Is he all on?
Let me check.

That's all feet.

Adam: Yep, he's all on.

Delvena: All on.

Adam: So now
we can get a weight.

Delvena: Oh, my goodness.

. .

Just under kilos.

Adam: That was
well worth the "weight."

Delvena: Ha ha ha ha!

Hey, adam,
it's time to shell-abrate.

(laughing)

Lance, you've done
such a good job.

Yes. Best job ever.

He even looks
pretty happy about it, too.

Are you happy?

Yes.

That's a little banana breath.

Ha ha ha ha!

Good boy.

Kimberly: We need gas.

Narrator: Kartika,

An important breeding female
at taronga zoo...

Woman: This way.

Narrator: ...Is undergoing
a general anesthetic

In the hope of slowing down
her breeding cycle.

Kimberly: Are we happy
with the anesthesia?

Narrator: But while
conducting a general exam,

Kimberly has found
kartika has another problem.

Kimberly: She's got a fractured
right carnassial tooth.

I'm going to have to probably
remove this piece of tooth.

Yeah, an infection in there.

Narrator: And for one of
the world's largest carnivores,

A broken tooth

Is something that needs
to be fixed right away.

Kimberly: So I'm taking out

That small front
fractured piece of the tooth

That we saw earlier.

So a nice slab,
nice slab fracture

Of what we call
the carnassial tooth,

A big, sawing, chewing tooth

That they have
on the upper side.

Um, and we're just putting
some pressure on that

So it stops bleeding.

She is a chewer somehow

Because she's got wear
at the back of her canines.

I think it's the gums
have just grown up

Over the hole in the tooth.

Liz: Well, that's good news.
Kimberly: Yeah.

After all that, I don't think
I need to fill it.

Narrator:
Now that the tooth is removed,

It's time for
the hormonal implant.

Kimberly: So we're
just preparing the site

Where we're going to inject
her birth control implant.

So it needs to go
under the skin,

And we're putting it
below the left ear.

This releases over time,

And in some of the tigers
in the past,

We've had this last
for up to months.

Wow, it's so thick.

I'm just going to
implant it slowly

And draw out the needle
as I'm implanting it.

Good. It's in.

Narrator:
With the tooth removed

And the hormone implant
in place,

It's been a successful morning

For kimberly
and the hospital staff.

Kimberly: It went really well.

Her anesthesia was fabulous.

She's in great condition.

We gave her
the reproductive implant,

But we found a broken tooth.

So she's got a bit of
an infection in her tooth,

And we took that out.

We're going to send the x-rays
to our dentist that helps us.

This is her reversal.

I'm going to give her
something to reverse her.

That should take about
minutes for her to wake up.

Okay, let's get everything out.

Here's the reversal dose.

Woman: Yep.

Kimberly: I think we can
leave her to finish recovering

As long as she stays
breathing well.

Let's go on out.

Narrator: While kartika will
recover from this procedure

In a few hours,

The keepers will need to wait
a full three weeks

To see if she can begin

To coexist with her cubs
once more.

Kimberly: She's not
quite ready to stand up.

I think we can leave her now

And let dannielle finish
watching her recovery,

And she'll watch her
throughout the day

And make sure she's okay,

And when she's back to normal,

She'll be able to feed her
and give her some water.

♪ ♪

Larry: So, this animal
is blind, essentially.

Narrator: The team at
taronga's wildlife hospital

Do everything they can

For sick animals
that come in from the wild.

Larry: So sadly, not a good
outcome for this little guy

'cause we wouldn't,
he would not be releasable.

Narrator: But some,
like this young fur seal,

Just don't make it.

Adrienna: Not all of the seals

That are rescued
and come into our care survive.

Unfortunately some of
the injuries that they have

Are really extensive,

And our vets have to make
the difficult decision

To euthanize when
they can't be rehabilitated.

Narrator: With so many seals
living on sydney's doorstep,

The chances of another
injured one being found

Are high.

Adrienna: Hey, bondi.

How are you, mate?

Narrator: And like always,

Taronga will be there

To give them
every chance of survival.

Adrienna: Oh, no. No!

It's really an amazing journey

To see these animals
first come into our hospital.

Oh, my goodness.

They're dehydrated and sickly.

They're usually a bag of bones.

Say goodbye?

And to see them thrive after
their injuries have healed,

To see them integrate back in

With all the other seals
that we have

And to see them start learning
and behaving like seals again,

It's just really nice to be able
to give them that opportunity

To have a second chance at life.

(barking)

Narrator: Kartika,
the female sumatran tiger...

Kimberly: I'm just going
to implant it slowly.

Narrator:
...Was given an implant

To help reduce
her need to mate.

Kimberly: Good, it's in.

Dannielle: Before the implant,

Kartika had these
surges in her hormones

That she wanted to mate
with the male,

And the cubs were
in her territory,

And she was asking them
to leave by growling at them

And showing them
a little bit of aggression.

If we didn't
give her that implant,

The aggression
may have escalated

And she might have caused
a slight injury to her cubs

In the process
of asking them to leave.

(birds squawking)

Narrator: But in the weeks
after the implant,

Dannielle has noticed
an improvement in behavior

From kartika.

Dannielle: Since the implant,

Kartika and her three cubs--
tanga, mawa, and pamanar--

Are living completely
harmoniously with each other,

Very comfortable
in each other's presence.

It means we can
keep kartika with her cubs

For at least
the next year or so,

And that's great for the cubs.

It will enable them
to be more social,

And then when they enter
the breeding program,

They'll have
a greater chance of success.

Narrator: And for dannielle,

Breeding success is one
of the most rewarding parts

Of working with the magnificent
but endangered sumatran tiger.

Dannielle: I have those moments
where you think,

Hey, I'm the only person
in australia pretty much today

That's worked
with seven tigers,

And three of them are cubs,

And it's just...Blows my mind.

I'm just so incredibly lucky

To have such an amazing career

And enjoy every moment.

I just look forward to going
to work every single day.

♪ ♪

(growling)

♪ ♪