02x15 - Down Under: The Devil You Know

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Almost a year ago,
taronga zoo made history...

Lou: Looking really good,
so I'd say we are good to go.

Narrator: ...Sending
the first platypuses overseas

In half a century,

Bound for the other side
of the planet.

Destination: San diego zoo
and safari park.

Joining an already impressive
lineup of aussie icons,

The platypus have been an
instant hit in their new home.

Lori: Eve and birra have been
doing really, really well here.

They're settling in nicely,
and I think they're thriving.

And the first thing
that people should be aware of

Is that when they come in,
it's going to be dark.

Platypus are nocturnal and
to some degree crepuscular,

Meaning they're most active
at dawn and dusk,

So that's why we have

A dark environment in here

To kind of mimic when they would
be most active.

So, it seems like it's kind of
a fun process for the guests

To be able to look
and have to find where they are.

Um, and we definitely hear
a little bit of an uproar

From a group when they do
catch sight of eve or birra

And they're able to spot them.

Girl: Oh, right there!

Narrator: San diego zoo
has gone all out to make sure

Everyone gets a chance to see
these elusive monotremes.

Lori: In addition to the folks

That are able to come
and visit in person,

We also have the platypus webcam
so people can watch

At their leisure
from the comfort of their couch

And see what eve and birra
are up to.

The monitors enable us
to see where the platypus are,

And so I can see we have
somebody floating around

In pool c right now.

Um, based on our knowledge
of their behavior,

I can pretty safely assume
that that's birra.

Narrator: And the little
expats are also enjoying

Some unique
american hospitality.

Lori: Crayfish is
slightly different here

Than it is in australia,

So that was one of our bigger
concerns and, you know,

Our, our focal points
in the beginning

When we were preparing
to receive eve and birra

Was to make sure that
they were going to be okay

Eating the species of crayfish
that we have here,

But they, they
didn't skip a b*at.

They were very happy to adjust
to the american version.

This is their gorging season,
and so we're seeing

That they're going through
huge numbers of crayfish

In comparison
to what we had seen before.

Narrator: Keeper lori
is now fully at ease

Being one of the only platypus
keepers outside australia.

Lori: So, one important
component of our day

Is to check their nest boxes.

We check in here
to confirm their locations,

And if we did need
to handle them at all,

This is how
we would be doing it.

We don't tend to handle them
all that frequently.

When we do, it's typically

So we can check
their tail volume index,

Which is a key indicator
of their body condition.

But we do that
as infrequently as possible

Just for the sake
of their comfort,

So they don't feel
too manipulated by us,

And they're, they
know that they're free

To go about their business
without any impact from us.

Narrator: One of the main
reasons birra and eve

Traveled to san diego
is to breed.

Lori: So, this is referred
to as the earth t*nk,

Or sometimes we jokingly
refer to it as their flatio.

Um, it's about three feet
of dirt that, um, either,

But particularly eve,
can burrow in

And create natural dirt burrows
as they would in the wild.

We've also selected,
um, specific plants

That are native to australia

That they can use
for nesting material,

So eve, in particular, if she
were to want to build a nest,

She'd have everything that
she would need at her disposal.

There was definitely an enormous
amount of, um, responsibility,

I would say, and certainly
some degree of pressure, too,

To make sure
that we got it right.

So much research
to do ahead of time.

It involved
so much collaboration

For quite a long while
to make sure that we were

In the best possible position
to receive eve and birra.

Um, but, yes, it's definitely
not a responsibility

That we take lightly,

And we're all so grateful
to have the opportunity to,

To be able to do it.

Narrator: Just because
they've settled in

Doesn't mean larry
stops checking in.

Larry: Hi, meredith,
how are you?

Meredith: I'm great.

Narrator: After all,
there's so much

Riding on their welfare.

Larry: How are the platypus,
eve and birra, going?

♪ ♪

Narrator: The weird
and wonderful world

Of the reptile kingdom
is on full display at taronga.

They range
from the very familiar

To the very alien
in their appearance.

And sometimes they're
just downright confusing,

Like in this species' case.

Stu: Most people would see
this little guy here

And think straightaway,
"well, that's a snake."

In fact, this is the world's
largest legless lizard,

Known as a scheltopusik.

This is our male scheltopusik.

This lizard
is a subterranean species.

Being underground,
they can avoid predation

And they can have
a good supply of food.

They have a ferocious appetite.

The two we have here,
they are hungry all the time,

Especially the big girl.

If you have a look
at his body structure actually,

You may see a line that runs
all the way along his body.

This is an expansion line.

Gives them the ability
to expand their body

When they're having
a deep breath

Or swallowing
a large item of food.

And it really is just skin,

Which has folded
or concertinaed on itself

To allow it to stretch out
when it swallows something large

Or needs to take a deep breath.

Narrator: Not surprisingly,

People often confuse
legless lizards with snakes,

But there are a couple
of subtle differences.

Stu: When he sticks out
his tongue,

He has a big, broad,
fleshy tongue,

Not a forked tongue
like a snake,

So that's one of
the big differences right there.

The other difference
is he's got ear holes,

So he has external ear openings.

No snake in the world
has external ear openings.

Okay, this is our big
female scheltopusik.

One of the first things
you'll notice

Is they're different in color

And she's also
a fair bit bigger.

She's probably
to grams heavier

Than our male scheltopusik.

Narrator: With a male
and female in their collection,

Taronga's reptile team
naturally try to breed them,

But nothing about this lizard
has been a textbook experience.

Stu: This species here
was a very tricky one

To keep and to breed.

Narrator: The clues
to breeding them successfully

Lay in this strange
lizard's origins.

Stu: There's
your girlfriend back, mate.

These guys, being from eastern
europe, it gets cold in winter.

It gets so cold, it snows.

We don't get snow
here in sydney.

We're a temperate zone,

So even though we were cooling
this animal down in sydney,

It only got to about
or degrees celsius.

That just wasn't cold enough.

After doing more research, we
decided to get them really cold,

So we put them
in a couple of enclosures

And we literally put them
in a fridge on-site

And set that
to degrees celsius,

Started to warm them up
after two and a half weeks,

Put them together,
bang, we got mating.

Now, this is the result
of our successful mating,

Breeding, and hatching--
our young scheltopusiks.

Now, our female laid six eggs.

We got percent
hatching rate,

So we got six baby
scheltopusiks out of those.

We kept several of them
here at the zoo,

And the others were distributed
through zoos around the country.

So, this little guy
will be fully grown

In approximately
three to four years.

They have a longevity
of over years,

So they're quite
a long-lived reptile,

And we hope that
she goes on to breed

And, and have many babies
as well, just like her mum did.

This really was the result
of a lot of hard work

With a lot
of our reptile keepers,

And the day that
that first little head

Sort of hatched out of the egg

Was one of the most
excited times I've ever been

As a reptile keeper.

Being a little guy like this,

I don't want to keep him out
and exposed for very long,

So I'll put him back
into his shelter-pusik.

Narrator: And not too far away,
another reptile keeper

Is also getting things ready
for some new additions.

But every birth in this room
comes with the added pressure

Of saving an entire species.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sea lions
are astonishing animals,

And keepers
from the marine team

Love working closely with them.

Adrienne: To see them playing
and being a happy animal,

Um, it's just
such an amazing thing.

Narrator: But keeping them
healthy is a huge undertaking.

Their home needs
frequent cleaning.

Stephanie: We do
a lot of the cleaning

Before the guests arrive
just to make sure

That the exhibits
are looking good

And that the animals
are staying healthy as well.

Adrienne: Can we start
a pool drop

On the encounter pool, please?

Narrator: They need a constant
supply of fresh seawater,

And they have
a voracious appetite.

Krystal: Murphy, one
of our californian sea lions,

Is eating ten kilos of fish
in any given day at the moment.

Um, charlie, our big
male australian sea lion,

Is getting up to
about nine kilos of fish,

And depending on the time of the
year, that will change as well.

Narrator: But they are
an animal that responds well

To regular training...

Keeper: Good job, mate. Stay.

Keeper: Good girl.
Oh, sweetie. Oh.

Narrator: ...Making them
one of the easiest animals

At taronga to conduct
health checks on.

Keeper: Good girl. Good girl.

Nala's great
at this kind of stuff.

She's so comfortable and
trusting of all of our keepers

That it makes
this kind of procedure

Much easier for the vets.

Jacob: Murphy, this way.

Good job. Good boy.
All right, on your bed.

Narrator: And they seem
to have no fear...

Jacob: Nice turn. All righty.

Let's have a look
at those teeth, hey.

Narrator: ...With a trip
to the dentist, either.

Jacob: Today we're with murphy,

One of our
california sea lions.

Now, murphy is years old,
and he turns in December,

So this makes him
on the older side of a seal.

Um, so he's getting to that age
where we have to really, um,

Look out for things, especially
with his dental health.

So, murphy here, as you can see,
his teeth are quite black.

They're born with white teeth,
and as he started to get older,

They started turning
the darker color mainly due to

They don't have the enamel
that we have on our teeth.

They have a bacterial layer that
actually helps protect them,

So they might look a bit,
um, unhealthy--

(grunts)

Oh, yes. They may look
a bit unhealthy to us,

Um, but to a seal, that's
actually a healthy set of teeth.

So, as you can see here, I'm
able to brush murphy's teeth.

This is really important for us

To be able to, um,
inspect his teeth,

Not only that, but to be also
be able to brush them, um,

If they ever have any,
um, tartar buildup

Or a receding gumline as well.

It's important for us
to be able to brush them

And keep them nice and clean.

Actually enables us
to keep them healthier.

So, here we have another
little bit of a dental tool.

It's called a scalar pick,

And we use this to actually get
any buildup on murphy's teeth,

And we can actually
scrape it away.

So, you see there, we can
actually get in nice and close,

And with the sharp edge
of this scraper,

This little pick,
we can kind of scrape it.

Good.

All right, murph, let's go.
Good job, buddy. Go on.

Narrator: While there's no
problems with murphy's teeth...

Jacob: In you go

And a big fish.

Narrator: ...The next patient
in the dental chair today

Isn't so lucky.

Jose: Good boy, diego.

All right,
let's have a close look.

Jacob: One behind there, hey.

Jose: That's the one,
the broken tooth.

Jacob: It looks quite loose.

Jose: Yeah, just a second canine
in from that large front canine.

This, um, creates a problem

Because if it's got an exposed
nerve or it has an exposed pulp,

Which is the center
of the tooth, um,

That can actually
become infected.

That infection can then
lead into the bone,

Um, and that's certainly
not going to be

A good thing for diego.

So, we're going to
have to have a closer look,

Maybe, um, enquire with the
vets, see if they can come down.

So, yeah, let's investigate
and get to the bottom of it

Sooner rather than later.

Narrator: Birra and eve,
the two platypuses

Sent from taronga to san diego,

Have called america home now
for nearly months.

Lori: Eve and birra have been
doing really, really well here,

And I think they're thriving.

Narrator: But part
of the information exchange

Between the two zoos

Means that if san diego zoo
ever has a question,

Taronga is only
a short call away.

And what better resource
to have on standby

Than taronga's senior vet larry
and platypus keeper tony,

Who accompanied birra and eve
to san diego last year.

Larry: Hi, meredith.
How are you?

Tony: Hi, meredith.

Meredith: I'm great. It's good
to see both of you guys.

Larry: Yeah. How are the
platypus, eve and birra, going?

Meredith: The platypus
are doing great here.

Um, eve and birra have both

Been, um, adjusting great.

It's hard to believe
that they've been stateside now

For months.

Larry: I know, it's incredible,
hey, that time has just flown.

Tony: Did they enjoy
thanksgiving?

Meredith: Yeah, I'm sure they
got a turkey full of yabbies.

Larry: A turkey full of yabbies.

Tony: Yabbies, good.

Meredith: When we took a look
at birra most recently,

You will both be very happy
to know that he has,

Um, quite a robust tail

And he's been, uh,
taking full advantage

Of all of his, um,
california native crawfish.

Larry: So, meredith,
are they, are they a hit

With the zoo visitors?

Meredith: You know,
I, I think that the people

Of southern california
and beyond

Have been amazed to see them.

I think some of the,
um, typical things we,

We've heard,
um, are just, you know,

"oh, I'm so--I can't believe I
got to see a real-life platypus"

Or "oh, I kind of thought
it would be bigger."

Um, but I think,
on the general aspect,

Uh, we had lines, um, you know,
out the, out the exhibit

Waiting to be able to see them.

And it's, it's been really
exciting to see how people

Have taken a shine
to the platypus

In the way that we all have.

Tony: That's great.

Larry: Yeah. Oh, well, they're
such amazing, unique animals.

Tony: Thank you so much
for filling us in.

It just sounds so fantastic.

And, you know,
as you may have been aware,

It was a stressful time
for all of us.

Larry: It was a monumental
sort of, uh, event, really.

Meredith: It was a high-stress
time, I think, for all of us,

And it was just so worth it

When I get to, you know,
go see a guest

That gets to experience
a platypus for the first time.

We really appreciate
all your expertise,

And it's been wonderful
having, um, far away

But very close communication,
um, to help adjust.

Larry: Brilliant. All right.
Well, great to see you.

We've got, our day
is just starting here,

So, uh, we've got animals
to deal with.

Meredith: Yes, I hope
it's a wonderful day.

It was lovely seeing you.

Larry: Great seeing you.

Tony: Bye.
Larry: Bye.

Narrator: And while taronga
has relocated two platypuses

To san diego,

They may be about
to gain another,

As a sick and injured juvenile

Has been transferred
to the wildlife hospital.

Larry: Someone found it
on their property

Not far from wagga
in southern new south wales,

And it was found
on the bank of a river,

So they were concerned about it

And contacted
a local wires carer group,

Uh, who organized
to have it sent up to sydney.

Narrator: Larry performs
some initial checks

To find out exactly what shape
the platypus is in.

Larry: Our investigation
has revealed actually

That it's got
a nasty skin infection,

Um, how that came about's
a little bit difficult to know,

So we've started
on some treatment for that.

Narrator: But larry's main
concern is that this platypus

Should still be with her mum.

Larry: I think
this little platypus

Has not long emerged
from the burrow.

It's only about grams.

Um, it's still pretty small.

Narrator: So, if she's ever
going to be released

Back into the wild,
she must put on weight,

Which means she faces a long
and hard road to recovery.

♪ ♪

In a back room at taronga

Live some of the most precious
lizards on earth.

Lisa: We're in one
of the two quarantine facilities

That we have here
at taronga zoo.

It's home to
two very special lizards.

They can be quite fast,
uh, and hard to pick up.

This is a blue-tailed skink.

You can tell by his blue tail.

His isn't as vibrant as it
could be, but it's quite blue.

Sometimes, um,
when they're hatched,

It's really iridescent.

Uh, it's around about
centimeters fully grown.

They're a beautiful
little skink.

Narrator: And they share
this facility

With another little lizard

From the remote
christmas island region

Northwest of
the australian mainland.

Lisa: He has one.

So, this guy,
the lister's gecko,

Is a small gecko.

It only grows to maybe,
I guess, eight centimeters,

Depending on if it's a male
or female as well.

These guys have
the softest little pads.

They are very agile.
They're great at climbing.

Sometimes when they're scared

Or if there's a predator
chasing after them,

These guys have that unique
ability to drop their tail.

They're actually
a really cute lizard.

They've got a tiny,
little chiseled nose, I guess,

Which is pretty cute.

And all up at the zoo,

We have around at the moment
of the blue-tailed skinks,

And we're looking
at about geckos

At the moment
that we're housing,

And that's not including
all the eggs

We're starting to hatch, too,

So we've got a lot
to look after.

Narrator: And giving these
lizards the best possible care

Includes simulating
the steamy tropical weather

Of christmas island.

Lisa: Temperature
is the most critical

In this facility that we run.

We do keep it between
and degrees celsius.

It keeps them
at the perfect temperatures.

We mimic it all through the day

As if the sun's rising
and setting,

So we change it
throughout the day as well.

The other thing
that is so crucial to these guys

Is humidity.

We're trying to mimic that.

Spraying these guys daily
does that.

It raises the humidity,

Gives them droplets to drink

Like they would
on christmas island.

Narrator: The other secret
to raising these lizards

Is simulating
their food supply,

A complex task that requires
daily planning and attention.

Lisa: In the wild, they would
eat anything from ants

To crickets to spiders.

We don't have that luxury
at the zoo.

We have to feed them out
a, a quarantine diet,

So we get them
crickets ordered in.

So, this is our cricket room.

This is where all the crickets
are kept to feed out

The christmas island lizards.

So, these guys are
what we call weaners.

They feed
the blue-tailed skinks.

These are pinheads
that will feed the adult geckos

In the first half of the week.

These are what we call mini pins
that will grow up,

And by the second half
of the week,

Feed the adult lister's geckos.

Here we have an egging tray,

Which we collect every day,

And then what we do
is hatch our own crickets,

Which are tiny,

That will feed out the juvenile
hatchling lister's geckos

And even the blue-tailed skinks.

Narrator:
A lot of effort is required

To keep these lizards
thriving here at taronga,

But the harsh reality is that
this effort is the only thing

Keeping these two species
on the planet.

Narrator: Keepers
have just discovered

Californian sea lion diego
has a loose tooth...

Jose: All right,
let's have a close look.

Very nice.

Jacob: It's that one
behind there, hey.

Jose: That's the one,
just that second canine in

From that large front canine.

Narrator: ...So vet gabby
has been called down

To have a closer look.

Gabby: Hello.

Keeper: Hello.

Narrator: There's only one way

To be certain
of diego's problem.

Gabby: The biggest worry
is that bacteria

Get into the tooth socket,

And that's what we're
monitoring him for today.

We can tell that
by looking at x-rays

Of the bone
surrounding the tooth root.

So, his trainers
have trained him

To put a x-ray plate
in his mouth

So that we can get radiographs
of his tooth roots

To make sure that his bone's not
infected and nice and healthy.

Jose: Basically, it's going
to fit inside his, his jaw,

And, um, on the other end
is going to be a camera.

So, as funny as it looks,

It actually does do
a very good job.

Narrator:
Over the last few weeks,

Keepers have been getting diego
accustomed to the process...

Gabby: You just wrap it
around the front.

Jose: Oh. Thank you.

Narrator: ...By using
a highly effective

But very low-tech prop.

Gabby: This is
the dental x-ray camera,

And jose is going to hold
the film inside diego's mouth,

And I'm going to come up
from the other side,

Just like taking a photo,

And they've been practicing
with a mock-up.

Keeper: Oh, wow!

Gabby: See?

Keeper: Look at that.

Jose: We've made
an identical copy.

Obviously we have a very
expensive piece of equipment

With our x-ray machine.

We don't want to obviously
always bring that down,

So we make up what we believe
to be something similar,

Um, in a version that, you know,
obviously is going to create,

Um, something
that looks similar enough

That diego's probably
going to notice

A little bit of difference,
but, you know,

It's exactly the same
as what we're going to do.

Gabby: I think next time
you can just spray it

With some gold spray paint.

Jose: Well, you know, timeframe.

(laughs)

Good boy.

Narrator:
With the team all set,

Now they hope diego's training
will allow this x-ray

To go off without a hitch,

As the alternative involves
a high degree of risk.

Jose: It might mean
that diego needs to go

Under an anesthetic.

So, they can go into
what's called the dive response.

Their heart rate can
be consistently lowered,

And for a seal
that can't actually

Alter their own heart rate,

Then that means it can actually
be quite a negative experience,

So we certainly
don't want to go there

Unless we really,
really have to.

Good boy.

Ready?

Gabby: Yep.

♪ ♪

Narrator:
Down at taronga's retreat,

It's been five months
since miranda,

The juvenile platypus, arrived,

And the early signs
are looking good.

James: Let's say good morning
to miranda.

Narrator: The facility here

Is perfectly designed
to monitor her progress,

Which is vital when making
decisions about her recovery.

James: The cctv gives us
really great insights

Into what she's getting up to,

Not only in the box
but at nighttime,

So it records - .

It's really valuable
information.

A lot's unknown
about the species in general.

After she comes back
from the pool,

She'll often jump on her back
and she'll dry her back off

And she'll crawl
across the back of the towel

So it gets all those spots
that are hard to reach

And she can dry off thoroughly.

Lou: Do you want me
to get scales out?

James: Yeah, if you could
set the scales up for me,

That would be great.

Narrator: Over the months,

Keepers have been monitoring
her weight gain,

Which is a key factor
in whether or not

She'll ever be fit enough to be
released back into the wild.

James: She's good to go.

All right.

Into the bag.

Lou: All right.
You ready, james?

James: Yep. I'll just chuck
that lid on for you.

♪ ♪

(beep)

So, she's come up
at exactly grams.

Lou: Fantastic.

James: So, that's a, a huge
increase from when she arrived,

So I think she, what,

Was about to grams
when she arrived to us?

Lou: Yeah, she was tiny.
Teeny tiny.

James: We'll just have
a good look at her.

So, lou, do you just want
to check her bill for me?

Lou: Yeah, sure.
She's looking great.

That bill has grown so much.

James: She was found not long
after the bushfires,

So she was washed out
in floodwaters, we believe,

Um, and she wasn't able
to find enough food,

So she came in very light,
very emaciated.

She was missing a lot of hair.

She had some injuries
to her body.

Um, she also had
a fungal infection,

So right at the base
of her hair follicles,

Um, a fungal infection
was developing in there,

So the vets worked
for a long time to treat that,

And we continue treating it
here on section.

All right.

Back inside.

And she can make
herself comfortable,

And we're about to let her
back into the pool.

Lou: All right. Ready?

James: Ready to go.

Lou: There we go.
Miranda has access.

Narrator: Another important
part of her recovery

Is regular supervised feeding

So keepers can ensure she's
eating everything she needs

To gain that vital weight.

James: So, she gets
a diet of maggots, fly pupae,

Baby yabbies,
and, of course, mealworms,

Which are her favorite.

Typically they would find
invertebrates in the wild,

So we're just replicating
that diet for them.

Narrator: But unfortunately,
it's during these feeds

That keeper james
has noticed a problem,

One that could seriously
jeopardize miranda's release.

James: She currently is unable
to eat some food groups.

So, for yabbies,
she still struggles to eat,

Which normally we'd expect
a platypus to be able

To consume
an entire adult yabby,

Particularly at the size
she is now.

And that's not something
she's capable of,

So she currently doesn't
have that skill set

That she would require
in the wild.

Narrator: In a back room
at taronga,

Keeper lisa works tirelessly,

Offering a lifeline
to two tiny lizards.

Lisa: So, the blue-tailed skink
and the lister's gecko

Have been here at taronga zoo
for years now.

Um, they're both here

As an insurance population,
number one,

So what it does is ensures
that if something goes wrong

On christmas island,

That we will always have
a population still alive

Here at taronga zoo.

Narrator: These
individuals at taronga,

Along with
another smaller group

Quarantined
on christmas island,

Are all that remain
after a disease

Swept through
their tropical home.

♪ ♪

Karrie: This one's
incredibly severe.

So, this animal
was just emaciated,

And it had lesions all
throughout its internal organs--

Liver, kidney, spleen--
and then up around the teeth.

Assistant: Wow.
So, bone, muscle, organs.

Karrie: And we've got
large portions of the kidney

That are just replaced
with this bacterial infection,

So bacteria just taking over.

So, this is a critically
endangered blue-tailed skink.

And although we can only see
a small little ulcer,

When we look closer,

We find
that their internal organs

Are almost completely replaced
by this new bacterium,

So it's a devastating impact,

Both on individual animals and
on the population as a whole.

Now, we're not completely sure

What happened
to these reptile populations

And why the populations
just bottomed out.

The island is
a really fragile ecosystem,

And there have been
a lot of changes.

So, there's been wide-scale
phosphate mining on the island,

A lot of habitat change
and regeneration,

But we've also had
the introduction

Of a lot of different insects

And a lot of different
potential predators.

Narrator: One of the reasons

Why taronga is taking
this fight so seriously

Is if this disease was ever

To reach
the australian mainland,

It would be disastrous.

Karrie: Australia as a continent
has the biggest diversity

Of reptile fauna
of anywhere on the world,

So we're so lucky to have
so many reptiles,

But if this bacterium got
into the mainland populations,

It would spread very quickly
across the country

And across species,

So the population losses
could be quite devastating.

Narrator: Vet gabby
and sea lion keeper jose

Are about to conduct
an x-ray on diego,

Who has a loose tooth.

Diego's compliance
is paramount,

As the alternative
is a full anesthetic,

An extremely dangerous
procedure for this species.

Jose: Ready?

Gabby: Yep.

♪ ♪

Narrator: And just like that...

Gabby: Yep. Perfect.

Jose: Good boy!

Narrator: ...It's done.

Liz: So, this is an x-ray plate,

Which is what the image
was taken onto.

What I'm going to do is
put it through this processor,

And then the image will come up
onto the laptop screen.

And there we are.

Narrator: But unfortunately for
diego, it's not over just yet.

Gabby: We haven't quite got to,

We need to get
further down to the root.

It's pretty,
it's almost there, jose.

I just need to get further down
so the whole thing moves down.

Because we're trying
to get the root,

Not the crown, of the tooth,
we need to get the film

Pressed quite deep down the side
of his jaw, which is difficult,

Um, much easier
in an asleep animal

'cause no animal really
likes having that done,

So in order to get to the root.

So, I'm just going to try
to change the angle of the beam

To see if we can,
physics will fix it.

Narrator:
Animals are unpredictable

At the best of times,

So the team hopes diego
will willingly replicate

His previous behavior so gabby
can get the sh*t she needs.

Jose: Ready?

Gabby: Yep.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Reptile keeper lisa

Cares for two vitally important
lizard species at taronga.

Lisa: The blue-tailed skink
and the lister's gecko

Have been here at taronga zoo
for years now.

They're both here
as an insurance population,

Number one.

Narrator: And the only way
to ensure a future population

Is to have it grow larger,

And that's the most hands-on
part of this critical role.

Lisa: This is
a blue-tailed skink.

If I flip him over,

I can see that, what sex he is
and, ah, there we go.

I can see two hemipenes,
which reptiles have.

They have two penises,
so that tells me he's a boy,

And they popped out
quite easily,

So I think he's quite probably
a sexually mature boy

And he'll be ready
for our breeding program now.

I don't think there's anyone
else I know that sits down

And sexes lizards for a living.

Uh, it, it can take up
a part of my day.

Narrator: Once they're sexed,
lisa pairs them up

And hopefully
nature takes its course.

Lisa: So, these are
our lister's geckos.

They're set up in pairs.

So, I'm just trying
to find a gravid,

Which is a pregnant
female with eggs.

They are fast and agile.

It's quite challenging because
they are small enclosures.

So, here we have
an adult female lister's gecko.

She's mature.

♪ ♪

Two eggs
in a tiny belly like that.

It's, she's tiny, and they
fill up her whole belly.

For them to be that big
and that visible at the moment,

It means she's getting
quite close to laying

In the next week or two.

So, from when she lays them,
approximately days later,

That's when we're going to see a
little juvenile lister's gecko.

So, this little tacker
has the potential in one year

To have three clutches, which
would be six babies a year.

Narrator: With so many lizards
producing so many eggs,

Lisa is one busy surrogate mum.

Lisa: This is a juvenile
lister's gecko.

It's a hatchling.
It's only a few days old.

We're increasing numbers
every day,

And this is just proof
of increasing the numbers.

It's been a long journey getting
to all these little babies.

There's, there's so much work
that goes into it.

But at the end of the day,

This little guy
is representing his species.

He's in captivity,
but he's still representing

And giving us hope that one day

We'll get these little tackers
back into the wild.

Narrator: The importance of
this job is not lost on lisa,

Who knows full well that
through her role at taronga,

She's making
a massive difference

For these tiny lizards.

Lisa: Some days, you just forget
how crucial and important it is

To these two little guys.

You know, it's amazing.

You do forget your job
some days,

But then you sit back
and realize,

Wow, this guy, these guys
do not exist in the wild.

You know, they're in our hands.

We're, we're the carers, we're--

You know,
their fate is in our hands.

♪ ♪

Keeper: Morning. Hi, sweetie.

Narrator: Today is another
important day for miranda.

It's now nine months

Since taronga welcomed
the rescued platypus.

Lou: Fantastic. All right.

Narrator: She's off
to visit larry,

Who will perform
hopefully her final check

Before she can be released
back to the wild.

Larry: Haven't actually examined
her for a little while now.

Liz: A bit wriggly.

Larry: So, we just put
little miranda

In this little chamber here,
and we are feeding

The anesthetic gas
into the chamber,

And then she'll breathe that in

And just fall asleep
quietly in there.

Narrator: It's been quite
a journey for miranda,

Who likely
wouldn't have survived

Had she not been found
and brought to taronga.

Larry: It's a great
success story, actually.

She came to us during the height
of the bushfire crisis.

She was on death's door
essentially.

And she was very thin.

She had terrible skin disease,

And our keeping team
and nursing team

Put an enormous amount
of effort into her.

And, uh, she's recovering
really, really well.

Yeah, that's really good.

Narrator: And as larry
is about to discover...

Liz: I was going to say three.

Larry: Yeah, I think
it's more than three, actually.

Narrator:
...She's thriving as well.

Larry: So, you can see
her tail is quite plump.

When she first came in,

There was absolutely
no fat at all

And these two margin edges
of her tail,

You could push together
and just fold her whole tail up.

And now you can,
now you can see, you know,

I just can't get
those edges to touch,

So she's got quite a bit of fat
in that tail now,

Which is, which is
a great result, really.

The main areas which were
affected by the fungal infection

Were around her back here.

And it was really thick
and crusting the skin,

And it looks,
it just feels beautiful.

We're taking
a little sample of her skin

Because that's the only way
we can really confirm

If the fungal infection
has cleared or not.

Liz: Vacuuming a platypus.

Not something you do every day.

(larry laughs)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Larry: So, these are
the two samples of skin,

And, uh, I will divide them up,

And half will go
to our pathologist

To look at
the histology of the skin,

And then the other
will go to our lab for,

To be cultured to see
if the fungus is still there.

So, let's hope--it all
looks like nice normal skin.

Let's hope that
there's no fungus left

And we can stop her treatment.

♪ ♪

What we might do, liz,
is actually get some blood

Right here at the margin
of the bill.

Very tiny little eyes.

In fact,
when they're underwater,

Their eyes are just closed,

And they use that bill to detect
the electrical impulses

That are emitted
by their prey items.

So, they have no teeth.

Baby platypus do,
up to a few months of age,

But adults have no teeth,

And they just have these
grinding and cutting plates

In the mouth that allows them to
break up and grind their food.

Um, and then they have
these little cheek pouches

Just to the back here, uh, where
they store a lot of their food.

So, then these little
filtering structures here,

When they swallow their food,
they grind it up,

And then they just squish
the water out of the food.

Quite amazing.

Narrator: While the examination
of this curious critter

Shows her to be
in excellent shape,

When it comes to deciding
where she'll ultimately live,

There's a lot to weigh up.

Larry: Some big decisions had
to be made about little miranda

In terms of whether she would
be released back to the wild

Or stay in the zoo to contribute
to our breeding program,

And I suppose, given her history

Of this terrible
fungal infection,

Also because she came in
when she was very young,

She became habituated to people.

On balance, we felt that
her survival back in the wild

Was probably not going to be
percent necessarily,

And her value and importance
of keeping her

In our breeding program
was very significant,

And so the new south wales

National parks
and wildlife service agreed

That we keep her
here at the zoo.

Narrator: So, with her
final health check cleared

And her future now set,

All that's left is for miranda
to move out of rehab

And into her forever home.

Narrator:
Vet gabby has just taken

The second x-ray of diego,

The californian sea lion
with a loose tooth.

While she initially struggled
to get the right sh*t...

Gabby: We need to get
further down to the root.

Narrator: ...She's hoping
the latest x-ray

Will give her
the angle she needs

To make an accurate assessment
of his toothy troubles.

Liz: She was hoping
for a better angle.

We just needed to get
a little bit lower

So we could get
into the, um, the arcade.

And that looks like,
see how it's lower down here?

Because she was higher before,

But now we're lower
and where gabby wants to see.

That's it.

Gabby: Nice.

Narrator: The x-ray is good,

But unfortunately for diego,
his tooth isn't.

Gabby: Even though
it's really wobbly,

It's still held in place
by some gum,

And so what we're doing
is monitoring the bone

Around the tooth root

Because what can happen
is if you fracture a tooth,

And there is
a bit of a fracture,

Bacteria can get
down through the pulp

And then out through the root

And then cause
a lot of nasty bone infection,

So that's what
we're trying to monitor.

Narrator:
Despite how bad it looks,

Diego seems
completely oblivious

To all the fuss he's creating.

Gabby: He shows
absolutely no sign of pain.

He's amazing.

He's really comfortable.

You would never know that he had
a tooth loose in his jaw.

You would never know.

Narrator: And nor
would he ever know

That he's currently
undergoing treatment,

As this looks
a lot more like play.

Gabby: So, we've been talking

To a specialist veterinary
dentist in the u.S.,

And we wanted to know
if it was okay to get him

To play tug-of-w*r to try
to get that tooth to come out.

Um, and they were
very encouraging of that.

We're not too worried
about diego's tooth.

Nature's going to take
its course.

If this happened in the wild,

It would have to
take its course,

And time will tell.

It will come out eventually.

Just how long that is
we don't know.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Today is moving day
for rescued platypus miranda,

Who after nine months is
finally leaving her rehab area

And starting her new life

In taronga's expansive
wildlife retreat.

James: All right, let's see
how miranda's going today.

All right, we'll just
give you a check first.

Look at that lovely fur coat.

There is no sign of fungus
left now.

She looks in great condition.

Her eyes and ears
and nostrils are all clear

And beautiful and sweet.

As you can see, what amazing
condition she's put on.

She's enormous
compared to what she was.

Aren't you, little one?

So, this is a really exciting
next step in her life.

It's almost a new life
going up into the retreat

And seeing everything
for her first time.

It's going to be really exciting
for her and for me as well.

I can't wait to see
what she gets up to out there.

So, she's been given, been given

A clean bill of health
by the vets,

So she's ready to go,
and she's raring to go as well.

Narrator: And so are
the platypus team

Who are busy rolling out
the welcome mat

In preparation for her arrival.

James: And off goes miranda.

Off for a new life
at the retreat.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪