02x08 - Down Under: Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: The taronga
wildlife hospital

Is one of the busiest places
at the zoo.

Kimberly: Let's pull him
over here.

Yeah. Sorry. Just pull him.

Narrator: While it services
all the zoo's residents...

Kimberly: I'm just going to do
a full exam on rodney.

Narrator: It also
accepts wildlife

From all over the country.

Larry: So this little fur seal
was hauled out at kurnell,

Which is just on
the south side of sydney.

Narrator: And a lot of these
are seasonal.

Some are injured
by bush fires...

Keeper: By the time we received
the first koala,

It was well into the evening.

Narrator: Or by storms...

Kimberly: He was found
in really high seas,

So, during a stormy time.

Narrator: And lately, as the
waters around sydney warm up,

They've seen an influx
of green sea turtles.

Larry: Wow.
Liz: Yeah.

Larry: A bit unwell.

Liz: When he first arrived,
he was extremely weak.

In fact, he looked almost dead.

So the only way
we could tell he was alive

Was by touching his eyes

And seeing that he could breathe
every now and then.

He was very limp and couldn't
hold his head up at all.

Larry: Whether it got snagged
in something, who knows?

Narrator:
The turtle is covered in algae,

Which is a sign
it's really struggling.

Libby: This is a very dehydrated
young turtle.

Healthy turtles scratch off
all the algae

And biota and the barnacles.

They use their claws
on their flippers,

And they also scratch themselves
on caves and rock crevices.

But very sick animals
don't do that.

And they're often floating for
a very long period of time.

Larry: So very sunken in,
very skinny.

Some, some barnacles there.

Narrator: These turtles are
doing it tough in the wild,

And larry and libby
are deeply concerned.

Larry: Very weak, very thin.

A normal, healthy turtle,
they'd be flapping around.

So, definitely very, very weak.

He's probably been sick
for months

And may not have eaten anything
for a very long time as well.

Libby: when we did it.
Yeah, .

Larry: There's a whole
range of problems

That will result in,
in a turtle as sick as this.

Disease, lots of parasites
that infect them,

Bacterial infections,
fungal infections

We see as well,
particularly in the lungs,

But sadly, probably
more common than that

Is things that are
a result of human activity:

Discarded fishing line,
fish hooks,

Plastic, of course,
and also boat strikes,

So getting hit by boats.

Turtles are diagnostically
pretty challenging,

As you can imagine.

Everything is encased
in this shell.

Narrator: One of the only ways
to look through

That thick shell is by x-ray.

Larry: Yeah, again,
with a healthy turtle,

This would be
more of a struggle.

Okay. That looks good.

A very important thing
is to look at the lungs,

And you can just see this
faintly air-filled structure

Here, but the lungs
are filled with air,

But probably not
as much as they should.

So there's nothing crazy
on the x-rays.

Libby: That's great.
Larry: Lungs look reasonable.

Narrator: With no obvious signs
of injury or infection,

The team decides to monitor
this turtle

Over the next few days,

Searching for a glimmer of hope
that it can be saved.

Libby: Yeah, turtles are
one of my favorites.

Very special animals.

Larry: They are really rewarding
animals to work with.

And one of the best things
I reckon

Is actually seeing them
released.

And it's wonderful.

So every one that comes in,
you know,

We really want to,
want to help them out.

And because their status
is endangered,

Each individual animal
is important.

So that's why we do put
a huge amount of effort

Into getting them right.

♪ ♪

Narrator: After months
of construction,

The animals are finally moving

Into taronga's
african savannah precinct.

The giraffe and zebra
have already settled in.

They were recently joined
by the meerkats

And the fennec foxes,

And waiting till last
to make its grand entrance,

The king of the jungle,
the african lion.

Well, two to be precise.

Louise: So this is our
brand-new lion enclosure.

This is going to be the home
of lwazi and ato.

They're two young male lions,

And they're coming
from victoria.

Narrator: It's been
five long years

Since taronga has had lions,

And head keeper louise
is hoping

They'll love their new kingdom.

Louise: It's such a big,
varied space.

This has got so many
different levels.

Rocky outcrops, fallen trees,

There's upright trees
that they can climb

If they really wanted to,

There's flat areas,
there's heated areas.

I mean, there's, you know,
wonderful little viewing spots

All the way along.

So people, no matter what
our lions are doing,

Everyone's going to get
such a great view of them.

Narrator: The exhibit has been
carefully crafted

With the big cats'
needs in mind

And views to make them
feel right at home.

Louise: I can actually see
a giraffe there right now.

So that means the lions
are going to have

An incredible view,
looking straight through

And getting to see some of the
animals that they, you know,

They would have seen in africa
in the, in the savannah.

So sydney harbour
is going to be like

A natural amphitheater
for these guys.

So I think that they'll hear it

All the way over
into the domain.

We certainly hear concerts
from the domain.

So now they're going to hear
our beautiful lions roaring

All the way over there.

Narrator: Elsewhere
in the savannah,

The ever-inquisitive meerkats

Are busy checking out
their new home.

And this morning,
keeper dannielle

Is doing the rounds to make
sure they're settling in well.

Dannielle: Morning,
little meeries. Back, back.

Hey, little guys.

Yeah.

You want your breakfast?

One.

Meerkats are really unique
little animals.

Every single one of them has
its own little personality,

Own little quirks, and it's just
wonderful working with them.

Hey, little meeries.

Narrator: Like all
of the savannah precinct,

The meerkat exhibit
is purpose-built,

With plants from
their native africa

And termite mounds packed full
of their favorite food.

Dannielle: Got some crickets,
which are little insects,

Into our termite mound.

There's a central area
that I'm putting them into,

And then the crickets
can slowly make their way

Out several little pipes.

And then--oh, there's one.

And they'll come out
of the termite mound

And then the meerkats can
find them and eat them.

Narrator: It's a busy morning
for dannielle.

Dannielle: Okay.

Narrator: Her next stop is
the new fennec fox exhibit,

Now home to zinder and zalika.

Dannielle: So there's some
digging over there,

Some footprints.

So they have been exploring
the exhibit everywhere.

We have seen zinder, our male,
come out during the day

And explore the exhibit
and actually rest out here.

But we haven't seen zalika,
the young female,

Come out at all during the day.

The fact that I've seen
all this digging today

Makes me think that
she's come out at night,

So she's becoming
a little bit more comfortable,

And hopefully over time she'll
become more and more comfortable

And we'll see her out here
during the day.

Narrator: Dannielle rakes
the exhibit every day.

It's mundane work,
but it's vital

So that the keepers can track
the fennec foxes' movements.

Dannielle: It enables us to see
what activity happens

From this point on,

Where they've been,
what they're doing.

Narrator: But it's not
all business.

To keep things interesting,

Dannielle also places out
little treats.

Dannielle: So I'm just hiding
some peanuts in the exhibit

So that when the fennecs
come out and they dig around

That they stumble across
some peanuts,

And I'm spraying
some perfumes around.

This is all part of
environmental enrichment.

So the idea is that
subtly making changes

To the environment,

So this is a scent change
and that's a food change,

And then it changes
the environment very subtly.

So when the fennecs come out,

It's always different
and interesting for them.

Narrator: Both fennec foxes
and meerkats are carnivorous,

But the savannah's
biggest meat-eaters

Arrive later tonight.

It's now almost a week
since this ailing turtle

Was brought into
the wildlife hospital.

Liz: He's gaining strength
by eating each day

And getting fluids.

Narrator: And vet nurse liz is
happy with its progress so far.

Liz: He's just had some food,
look, there you go.

Almost. He's hungry.

Narrator: While he's
slightly more active,

The turtle is still floating
on the surface,

Revealing an underlying problem
that needs to be addressed.

Liz: As you can
see him swimming,

He is slightly got his left side
up, which is not normal.

He should be able
to submerge quite deep,

But he's not really
got the strength

To be able to do that yet.

Narrator: Floating may indicate
that too much air

Is trapped under the shell.

To find out, vet frances calls
for more x-rays,

And the early signs
are concerning.

Frances: There's air
under pressure

In the animal's body cavity,
can't breathe properly,

And probably its guts
can't work properly.

It needs to come out

To keep the animal comfortable
at this stage.

And so that's going to be
the procedure today,

Is to introduce a needle into
that space where the air is

And suck the air out.

Narrator: Frances hopes
by removing the air

She'll give the lungs the space
they need to inflate properly

When the turtle breathes.

Frances: So I've suctioned out
a bit of air

From the left-hand side,

And I can see, although
it's better than it was before,

There's still quite
a lot of air in there.

So I think we need to go back in

And suck out
a little bit more air.

Because we want this
to really help the animal,

We want to make a difference
with what we're doing today.

So as the air is coming out,

The animal's plastron,
the bottom part of its shell,

Is moving in towards
the other side.

Narrator: Injured turtles
recover very slowly,

And frances knows this one
is in for the long haul.

Frances: So we'll take
that other x-ray.

So on this last x-ray I actually
think we've been successful,

At least temporarily, in getting
most of the air out of there.

There's a tiny little bit
of air down here,

But on the whole, the lungs
are much more inflated.

It's still got a long way to go,

But I think today's exercise
has really helped the animal

Make it easier
for it to breathe.

Narrator: It's a promising
start, but that's all it is.

Liz: He is still quite weak.

Still in his, I suppose,
intensive care

We've been giving him
with his fluid therapy

And antibiotics and things.

Frances: There's a lot of ground
to travel before he's at a point

Where we can be confident that
this turtle is going to be one

That can be rehabilitated.

Yeah. So let's get him
back into his pool,

And we'll get the keeping staff
to feed him.

Liz: Yep. We will do.

Narrator: Tonight is
a special one for taronga.

The lions will finally take
their place in the savannah.

Not surprisingly, moving a lion
is a complicated business,

And head keeper louise
is overseeing the operation.

Louise: And so all the dens
have all been hosed out.

This has been such
a long time coming.

I mean, five years
we've waited for this moment

To finally get to this stage

Where everything is set up,
everything's ready.

The beds are in, the locks are
on, the numbers are on the den,

You know, it's,
it's just brilliant.

I just, I can't wait
to see lions in here.

That's all we need now is just
to see some lions in here.

Deb: . .

Leslie: It's gone up
a little bit.

Deb: Feel it, it's definitely
warmer than that.

It's nice and toasty.

Narrator:
Keepers deb and leslie

Make their final den check.

Deb: It's looking really cozy.

It's a little bit cold
in sydney tonight.

It will be nice for them to come
into a nice, dry and warm space.

And there's multiple dens
that they can choose from,

So they can choose whether
they want to sleep here

Or somewhere else,
up on the top bed boards.

The choice is completely theirs.

Leslie: So that one
is definitely locked.

Secured.

The door is locked.

And we got a nice view
out across the harbor.

Deb: The harbor is pretty,
isn't it?

Leslie: It is, it's lovely.

Louise: Tonight I guess I'm
the one where the buck stops.

I'll be coordinating
all the teams of people,

Doing debriefings
and, you know, checking,

We do a stop for safety to make
sure that everyone does this

In a really safe manner.

'cause this is, you know,

While we've done this
a lot of times before,

This is the first time
we've done it

In this brand-new building.

(phone ringing)

Hello, louise speaking.

Hey, bonnie, how you going?

Really? Oh, my goodness.

minutes, everyone.
minutes away.

Excellent. Alright, well,
you guys drive safe.

Deb: So we've got
the cargo straps there.

Can we put the top rope...

Narrator: With the lions'
arrival now imminent,

There's just enough time
for louise

To make some final
mood adjustments.

Louise: So this is
a feline facial pheromone.

That's the pheromone
that cats use

When they rub their cheeks
on things.

So they rub their cheeks
on the lounge or on your leg.

This is designed
for a domestic cat,

But for our lions,
they're going to respond to it

Probably just as well.

So we're spraying it around

'cause we want them
to feel comfortable.

We want them
a sense of security.

So it's going to last for
about five or six hours

And, and help them settle in.

Narrator: minutes
to arrival now,

And the team gather
for a final briefing.

Every animal move
has unique challenges,

But with dangerous animals

There's absolutely
no room for error.

Louise: The procedure is
we're going to bring them in

Through the back doors.

Take the first lion all the way
down to den five,

Strap the box against the wall
so it's % secure,

And really good, clear
communication, slow and steady.

We don't, this is not
a race or a rush.

Larry: They are
dangerous animals,

So we do need to take
appropriate precautions.

So generally when we're dealing
with any procedures

On the big cats, we do have
a g*n person present

Just in case something
untoward happens.

Louise: We want to make it
as calm as possible.

So we need to keep the noise
down and just work.

Yes, swiftly, quietly, calmly,
and, yeah,

It all should hopefully
go beautifully to plan.

Narrator: It's been a few weeks

Since a very sick
green sea turtle arrived

At the taronga zoo
wildlife hospital.

Libby: It's very sad when
you see them like this.

So, we'll look after him

And get him back out
into the ocean again.

Narrator: And the vet team is
calling on all its experience

To restore
this turtle's strength

So they can eventually release
him back to the wild.

Larry: Okay.
Let's get that x-ray.

Liz: We're x-raying him every
day to monitor what the air

Is doing inside his body and how
much to suction out each day.

(suctioning)

Frances: So we'll do
one last set of x-rays.

Libby: Mm-hmm.

Frances: And then we're done.

Narrator: But there's
no time to rest,

As mid-exam, yet another
patient arrives.

Woman: A member of the public
found it

And took it to
australian seabird rescue,

And then they took it to a vet.

Kimberly: Okay.
So there's some records

From the veterinary clinic.

Narrator: If a turtle
is lucky enough

To make it back to the wild,

Often that's not
the end of the story.

There are plenty of repeat
visitors just like this one.

Kimberly: This turtle has been
seen several months ago

At a different veterinarian's
up the north coast.

It had some type of injury
to the top of the shell

And had air trapped
within the body cavity.

So the vets treated it,
released it.

The turtle has been
found again recently

Floating at the surface
of the water.

We'll never know what
actually caused the gash

On the top of the shell.

But it's very suspicious
that this could have been

A boat strike or a cut
from a propeller.

My worry about this guy
is that he was normal

And was released,
and now he is floating again.

So there may still be
a small leak in his lungs.

That's my biggest concern.

Narrator: It's after-hours
on a cool night in sydney,

But at taronga things are
really starting to heat up.

After a long trip, the truck
carrying the two young lions

Has finally arrived.

Louise: So the cats
have been in the boxes

For at least or hours.

And so this is probably
the longest

They've ever been separated
in their lives.

So we're keen to get them
out and unloaded

As quickly as possible
so they can stretch their legs,

Have some dinner, and settle
into their brand-new home.

Kumar: So I'm just guiding
a truck down

To where we're going to
unload it from the truck.

So we've got a bit
tight corners.

Louise: It's always
a bit nerve-racking

Because you want everything
to go really well.

But I'm, yeah, excited.
Can't wait to see them.

Narrator:
Because of the pandemic,

Taronga's team must take even
more precautions than usual.

Larry: Covid- has been
diagnosed in big cats

In america, tigers and lions.

So, of course we have to
consider that here as well.

We are still going to put them
in two weeks quarantine

As anyone else that
would be traveling

Would go into
two weeks isolation.

♪ ♪

It's quite a process of course
to get them out of there.

We're a little bit
of a distance away

From where they're going
to the lion den.

So the forklift will have
to take them down there.

Louise: At the moment
we're just arranging

To get one of the lions off.

We want to get lwazi off first.

We think he's gonna be
our bravest, boldest lion.

Hopefully he'll come
straight out of the box.

Narrator: When moving
dangerous animals,

Everything needs to be secured.

Nothing can be left to chance.

Man: Lift.

Take it down a little bit more,
go down.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Louise: Alright, so we're going
to take him in that way, then.

Narrator: When releasing a lion
from a crate,

Especially a restless one,

Everyone must play their part
and follow the plan.

Louise: So steady through
the doorways and we go straight.

Actually I'm going
to get squashed.

Stop, good.

So we've got to go
all the way in.

Man: All the way.

Keeper: It's very exciting.

I mean, we're all a little bit
concerned and making sure

That everything's
going to be going okay.

Hoping that he comes out
of the box well.

Louise: You can come slightly
more this way if you need it.

Narrator: The second last step
is to secure the crate

To the wall, so the lion can be
released into the adjacent den.

Louise: This is quite high,
so there's a gap.

So, six, six is locked
and external slide is locked.

Narrator: They've rigged
a rope and pulley system

To open the slide door
between the dens.

Now for the last
and most critical step.

Louise: We're going to open
the slide first. Okay? Yep.

Keeper: Can you tell us
when you're ready?

Keeper: So, den one is locked.

Louise: Happy that's locked.

Okay, d , . Alrighty?

Keeper: Yep.

Louise: Go.

Alright, guys.

(bang)
whoa.

Narrator: Taronga's
wildlife hospital has nursed

Its fair share of
green sea turtles lately.

And vet kimberly is now caring
for the newest arrival.

Kimberly: This turtle came in
several months ago

To a facility up north,
and he had this big gash,

But he also had some gas
in his body cavity.

They've done some really great
work to repair a lung leak

And get rid of that gas.

It's gone,
but we still have to deal

With the aftermath
of the shell wound.

Before he was released
the first time,

He had blood collected
from this site.

So there's a catheter in there,

And there was a small wound
that needed to be sutured up.

And that's all healing
really well.

Nice scab on there.
Nice turtle scab.

That's okay.
He's in good condition.

It's healed a lot
since he's been in care

From the initial time, but.

Woman: What do you reckon?

What do you guess the first
initial one was? Boat strike?

Kimberly: We'll never know,
but probably boat strike

Or something's hit him
from above, or a propeller.

It looks really typical
of a propeller blade to me.

Woman: It does, doesn't it?

Kimberly: But they can't talk
to us, so it's hard to know.

He's in really good
body condition.

You know, he's of a good weight.

He's got good musculature,
he's very bright,

But the problem could be
that there's scar tissue

Underneath his shell
where he's had that wound.

And I think that scar tissue
is part of the problem,

Because it's pushing
a bit on the spine.

Can you guys get the door?

Narrator:
The quickest way to check

Is to put the turtle
in a deep t*nk

To see if he can dive
to the bottom,

Which is where
he'll find his food

When he's back in the wild.

Kimberly: It's the moment
of truth for this guy.

We're going to put him in the
green tub and see how he goes.

We'll see if he floats.

Okay.

Go slow.

Ready, guys?

Alright.

♪ ♪

Well, I'm not too happy
with that positioning,

But let's give him a little bit
of time and see what happens.

What I'm seeing now is the fact

That he can't really get
his tail end down,

It's floating straight up.

And this is how he was found
in the water, in the ocean.

We can't release a turtle
like that, obviously.

If he's unable to get to the
bottom, we can't release him.

So his future
may not be so great.

Narrator: While this physical
examination is useful,

Only a ct scan will
tell the full story

Of what's going on
beneath his shell.

Kimberly: Here, where we can see
blue coming through,

That's the actual gash.

So it's quite a big injury,

And then it's running
right alongside the spine.

So we can actually see
damage to the spine.

So the damage
has probably occurred

From the initial injury,

And then as it was
trying to heal

And scar tissue formed
in that space,

It actually started to grow and
expand and push on the nerve.

I'm a little worried
that with that lesion

He's going to be a bit
too impaired to go back out.

I'm quite uncertain
about his, his future

For release to the wild.

Narrator: At taronga
it's very easy

To spot the star attractions,

But take a closer look,

And there's a whole lot
more to discover.

♪ ♪

Grace: Good morning. Hi, girls.

Narrator:
Institute keeper grace

Cares for the smallest primates
in the world.

Grace: Hello. Hi, darlings.

Narrator: Pygmy marmosets are
native to the amazon basin,

But they're very at home
at taronga, and on grace.

Grace: You guys hungry? Yeah?

Narrator: These hyperactive
little creatures

Are waiting for
their weekly weigh-in.

Grace: Good girl, luna.

I have here four little girls.
They're all sisters.

As you can see,
they are very keen

To do a weigh-in for me today.

One at a time.

Because they are so small,

It's very important that
we get a weight on them.

But as you can also see, because
of all of this fur lining,

It's hard to be able to tell

If they're really skinny
or overweight.

Sitting on my shoulder,

There's times when I can't feel
that they're even on me.

So the fact that they even
register on our scales

Is pretty amazing.

So by getting a regular weight
it means that I can make sure

That no one's getting
left out on food,

But also that we're maintaining
a really nice weight.

Okay.

Good girl, eva.

.

And while these girls
usually only weigh

Up to around about
just over grams,

Whereas our girls being in
winter and in a colder climate,

As well as having
an abundance of insects

That fly into this exhibit,

They definitely make
the most of that.

♪ ♪

Eva, your turn.

Good girl.

Good girl, eva.

Hang on. Pepita, off.

So our girls are very fast,
as you can see.

I've got to be really quick
with the numbers

Of when they are on the scales,

Because obviously they jump off
very quickly,

And I want to make sure I've got
a really nice, accurate number

Every time they get
on the scales.

Up you go. Good girl.

So this here is luna, and she is
weighing in really well today.

She's actually put on
a little bit of weight.

She has had a couple of meals
already today,

So that makes a lot of sense.

Narrator: These tiny
pygmy marmosets

Have big personalities,

And like other primates,
they live in a hierarchy.

Grace: Eva is our dominant girl.

She is our smallest,
but eva is our boss.

So she is the oldest
of all of these girls,

And she does whatever she wants

And the rest of the girls
follow suit.

They like to groom her the most.

She's like the big bossy sister.

Good girl, eva.

She's today.

So that's a really,
really nice weight.

Little lucia here, she's our
really cheeky, youngest girl,

And she really likes to be
the little parrot

On this pirate's shoulder.

Hey.

So what she's doing is seeing
what we've got next

For her favorite food items.

One of them is corn.

Nice little fresh
kernels of corn.

These girls absolutely
love them.

And if you kind of
think about it,

If you look at their body size,

A corn kernel is like
a big apple for them.

Isn't it?

.

Next up we have
beautiful pepita.

She thinks that she is the boss,
but she's definitely not.

So she's our biggest
and our gutsiest.

She likes to steal
from the younger girls.

Pepita has quite
beautiful colored orange

Around the outside of her eyes,

And that makes her stand out
a little bit more,

As well as being a bit more of a
bigger boned girl in our group.

This is lucia.

Narrator: While they may be
small and cute,

Don't be deceived
by their looks.

Grace: So you'll be able
to have a really good look

At those little claws,

Their very minute
and detailed little teeth.

You'll see how sharp they are.

They're like little
razor blades,

And they're used for
scraping out the bark

On an exterior of a tree,
it then fills up with sap,

And the animals can then
suck that all out.

So those little hands
and those very sharp claws,

You'll see that
they're quite long.

They are excellent for
gripping onto vines

And branches and trees.

Narrator: Finally the weigh-in
for these pocket rockets

Is complete,
and the scales don't lie.

Grace: The girls did steal
a few too many bites of food

Before I actually got them
on the scales,

Which means that
their scale weight

Is a little bit higher
than it should be.

But there's nothing
to worry about,

As I am going to weight them
all again next week like usual.

Narrator:
Over the past few weeks,

Kimberly has been
monitoring the health

Of this green sea turtle
with a spinal injury.

Kimberly:
You know who feeds you.

Narrator: And after watching
him in the deeper pool,

She has growing concerns.

Kimberly: When I feed him,
I want to see him

Actually getting down and
eating the fish with ease.

I don't want to see him
struggling

To get his hind end down.

See how he's floating a bit
with his tail up,

And he's not using
the hind flippers

To help him get down
and maneuver to the bottom.

But he doesn't have a whole lot
of use of those hind flippers,

And I think that's probably
because of that spinal injury.

So because he's still
quite tail up,

And he's not able to dive down
and get his food properly,

I'm really reluctant
to release him to the wild.

He's in really good condition
otherwise, he's really robust.

Narrator: Kimberly's main fear
is that he could not survive

On his own in the wild.

Kimberly: It's really sad,
but it would suffer.

He could, you know, struggle
to eat, lose a lot of weight.

We don't want him
to starve to death.

He could be easy prey for
a shark or something like that.

So his, his welfare
is important.

We don't want to put him
in a situation

Where he's going to fail.

Narrator: But for this turtle
she has another idea in mind.

Kimberly: We don't house them
here permanently at, at our zoo.

Some aquariums do house them,
and occasionally there's room

For, for another turtle
in the collection.

So we can see about that option.

But if we can't find
a place for him,

Then we'd probably have
to euthanize him.

Man: Keep going
a little bit more, go down.

Narrator: After nearly hours
on the road,

Taronga's two new lions have
finally arrived at the zoo.

Keeper: Happy that's locked.

Narrator:
But there was a problem

Releasing the first lion,
lwazi.

Louise: Alright, guys.

(bang)
whoa.

Man: Pulley's down.
Louise: What just happened?

Man: Ahh, the pulley broke, so
the cable tie that the pulley...

Louise: Oh, okay,
that's alright.

So we're going to just
have to lock that

And we're just going to put it
through the ring instead.

Man: Yep.

Louise: So we have to quickly
just re-rig the rope

Through the, the ring
that we've got set up.

Deb: Good boy.

Just me again.

Good boy, darling.

Oh, man.

Louise: You right, deb?
What do you need?

Deb: The hole on my side
is so slight.

Alright, alex,
are you going to go out?

I'm just going to
give that leverage.

Okay. Ready to take pressure?

Louise: Snap.

Um, ben, ben can give you guys
a hand as well

So we can get it open quicker.

Deb: Okay.

Louise: Ready.

Okay, nice and easy.

Nice work.

Keepers: It's okay.
It's okay. Good boy.

Keeper: Welcome. Hello.

Keeper: Good boy, darling.
Good boy.

Keeper: You're alright.
You're alright, buddy. Settle.

Louise: So I reckon let's
move him into den three.

Keeper: Good boy.

Louise: So that he doesn't
have to watch her.

Lwazi seems like
a really calm cat.

He came out of the box.

He was a little bit worried
when he first came out,

He's in a completely
foreign place,

But he settled in
really quickly.

Keeper: Divider three to four
is locked.

Narrator: With lwazi out
and stretching his legs,

It's time to unload
his brother, ato.

♪ ♪

Deb: Excellent. Locked.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Keeper: Oh, darling.

Louise: It is such a relief
that this is done now,

That we have the lions in,
that they're safe.

Hi. Hi, ato.

I bet it's a relief for them
to get out of the boxes.

Hey, ato.

Hey, got all these new people
staring at you.

It's been a wonderful night.

The teams worked
so well together

And, you know,
a really smooth operation.

Deb: Would you like
some chicken?

Leslie: What a good boy.
You hungry?

Deb: Yeah, he says,
"oh, I'm hungry, leslie."

Leslie: Good boy.

Deb: Nice.
Leslie: Alrighty.

Deb: Ready for your first
taronga meal?

Leslie: You ready, buddy?

Deb: Hello, sweetheart.

Leslie: Oh, good boy.

There's more.

Yeah, both of the cats
have eaten all of the food

That we've offered them.

That's a great sign that
they've already relaxed.

So our, you know,
our cat pheromone

That we added to the dens,

Hopefully that helped
a little bit as well.

They're just really gorgeous
lions, and we are so, so happy.

So pleased to have them here.

Going to give them
the best life we can.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Narrator: Two weeks
have now passed

Since lwazi and ato
arrived at taronga,

And they're finally
out of quarantine.

Louise: Lwazi and ato
are absolutely loving it.

They're settling into
their brand-new habitat

Just exactly as we expected.

They're exploring everything,
climbing on everything,

Running around, there's
footprints all over the ground,

And there's marks
where they're skidding,

Because they're
chasing each other,

They're stalking each other.

They're using every part
of their brand-new enclosure.

So I think they're pretty happy.

It makes me really proud that
that we've built them something

That is going to serve them
really well,

That they are going
to enjoy living in

And hopefully in the future,

Their cubs are going to enjoy
living and playing in as well.

Narrator: With the kings
of the jungle

Now in their rightful place,

It's time to open
the african savannah precinct

To the public.

Narrator: Taronga has had
a few green sea turtles

Come through
the wildlife hospital lately.

Libby: Covered in algae.

Larry: A bit unwell.
Libby: Yeah.

Narrator: While one
was very sick...

Liz: He looked almost dead.

So the only way we could tell
he was alive

Was by touching his eyes

And seeing that he could breathe
every now and then.

Narrator: ...And sadly
couldn't be saved.

Frances: Some of them come
into us just so sick

They're just never gonna make it
back out into the wild.

Narrator: The other
was very healthy,

But unfortunately couldn't be
released back to the wild.

Kimberly: I don't feel
comfortable releasing a turtle

That can't dive properly.

Narrator: But kimberly
was determined

To give him a chance,

And all it took was one call.

Kimberly: There you go.

I called the aquarium,

And we've been working with them
for years with marine turtles,

And we've actually sent one
over there about years ago

That's still living
in the aquarium.

We have really good relationship

With all the different
facilities around here.

Everyone's working on the same
page to help marine turtles.

So there are some
really good affiliations.

Just be very careful,
it's, this is...

Narrator: So today
is the first day

Of this little guy's new life.

Kimberly: So this is a big day
for this guy.

We're really lucky to have

This little lifeline
with the aquarium.

Narrator: After a long
and painful journey,

It's finally arrived
at its new home.

♪ ♪

Man: Show me, show me.

Woman: Who's a pretty lady?

Man: Oh, he is cute.

Narrator: Sydney aquarium's
team are turtle experts.

And they have the facilities
to care for this new guest.

Man: Oh, yeah,
she's proper floating.

Kimberly: It's gonna be here
for a little while

In these quarantine pools

While it acclimates
to this environment.

Narrator: Once the turtle moves
to the main aquarium,

It will take its place
educating the public

As an ambassador for its
species for many years to come.

Kimberly: Having this turtle
come to the aquarium

Does ensure its longevity.

The fact that it's here,
it's going to be fed,

It's got experts
looking after it,

And hopefully
it'll be really healthy

And live many, many years.

Probably longer than us.
For sure!

Man: Yeah, definitely,
definitely longer than us.

Kimberly: For sure. (laughs)

Narrator: After five years
of planning and construction,

The african savannah
is finally ready,

And the team are in early

Adding some
last-minute touches.

Emma: It's a really
special day today

Because we are opening
the grand savannah.

So kind of just like
moving into a new house.

You want it to look
really, really spectacular.

A bit like a housewarming,

So we want to make it look
spick-and-span.

You can see them watching
in the distance at the moment.

I think they know a little bit
of something's up,

And it is a bit
of a special day.

♪ ♪

Maz: Just getting
the exhibits ready

For the big reveal today
of our lions.

Quite exciting,
quite nervous as well.

Um, but, yeah, it's a great day
for us here at the zoo.

Narrator: The media
has arrived.

Janelle: It's like herding
meerkats at the moment.

So we're just waiting
for the finishing touches.

Cam, our ceo, is on his way.

Minister is here.

Almost time to go.

Gillian: So it's
very exciting today,

Because we have over ,
people coming into the zoo,

And we will do whatever we can

To get them in
as quickly as possible,

Even when we're looking
at sort of ,

All arriving at
the exact same time.

They've all woken up with
the exact same decision

To come to the zoo this morning.

We're ready to go.

So just confirming
the zoo is now open.

Man: Copy that. Thank you.
Have a great day.

♪ hey na na na, oo na na
hey na na ♪

♪ hey na na na,
oo na na hey na na ♪

(clapping)

Woman: Hey! Hey! Hey!

♪ ♪

(applause)

Cameron: Very warm welcome
to taronga this morning,

This crisp, clear morning.

We could almost be in kenya now,
couldn't we?

Rosemary: Having that small part
of africa in taronga,

In australia,
it makes us so proud.

Matt: So ladies and gentlemen,
by the powers invested in me

As the minister
for the environment,

Can I officially declare

Taronga's brilliant savannah
precinct officially open.

(applause)

You want to hold this?
How's that?

Yay!

(applause)

Narrator: With a little piece
of africa

Now settled at taronga,

It's mission accomplished
all around.

Louise: The boys are putting on
such a great display

For everyone this morning.

They're loving this enclosure,
so, yeah, I'm so happy.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪