02x12 - Down Under: Episode 12

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Secrets of the Zoo". Aired: July 29, 2018 - present.*
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02x12 - Down Under: Episode 12

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♪ ♪

Narrator: We know many
of taronga's animals

Via reputation.

The giraffe are seen
as gentle giants.

Lions are the kings
of the jungle.

And the seals are
the jesters of the sea.

(bellows)
keeper: Good.

Narrator: But often,
their public personas

Are far from reality.

And for one aussie animal
in particular,

Their global reputation

Couldn't be further
from the truth.

Tony: I love tassie devils

Because they have
a lot of personality.

People think
they're crazy, nasty things

That spin around in circles
and att*ck on sight.

In actual fact, they're
very shy, nervous animals.

They're great mums.
They're very protective mums.

They look after their joeys.

Some of them
are feistier than others.

Others are very shy.
They much prefer to hide.

You can go out bushwalking
and walk past a tasmanian devil

And you won't know it's there
because it will hide from you.

Just don't fall over
and bang your head.

Narrator: Keeper tony
has been working

With the tasmanian devils
for years

And loves to show people
there's way more

To these curious creatures
than you might think.

Tony: They're the largest
remaining carnivorous marsupial

In the world.

They're unique in that regard.

They're the primary carnivore
in tasmania.

They're incredibly
efficient scavengers.

If you've got a dead kangaroo
or sheep in the paddock,

Uh, along come four, five,
six tasmanian devils,

And they will clean it up
overnight,

So by doing that, um, they
prevent diseases from spreading,

And they recycle, too,
by pooing everywhere.

Narrator: Today tony is
simulating a carcass feed

For taronga's two tassie
devils, gunner and rosalie.

Tony: So, what I'm doing now,

I'm preparing
some kangaroo tails.

There's thick bone in there.

Gunner and rosie will eat
all of that, bone and all,

Incredibly powerful
jaw pressure.

Um, but I like to make it
interesting for them.

I like to spread it around, give
them a bit of a scatter feed,

So I'm cutting
some of the meat off.

Add my fingers to the diet.

Um, and I'll scatter it around
in the enclosure

So they have to spend a little
bit of time looking for it.

Okay, gunner.
There you go, mate.

♪ ♪

This is gunner, our male.

(crunching)

So, you're hearing the crunch
of an incredibly powerful

Jaw pressure
on the tasmanian devil,

About four or five times
more powerful

Than the strongest dog
you can think of,

So any bone that you can
think of in our body,

Gunner can eat it.

That's a kangaroo tail
that he's got there.

It's about that thick, the bone.

He can also eat up to percent

Of his own body weight
in one meal.

Narrator: It's easy to see
devils love their food.

Unfortunately,
the simple act of eating

Is also the biggest thr*at
to their survival.

Tony: As adults in the wild,

When they come together
to fight over food,

That's when aggression happens,

When they scream and shout
at each other.

Um, inevitably
there are puncture wounds.

Um, and that's when they pass on

The devil facial tumor disease
to each other.

It's a very nasty,
contagious cancer.

Unfortunately,
it kills the devils

Within five or six months,
maybe up to a year.

Devil populations have dropped
to less than percent

What they were
only years ago.

Narrator: So taronga
have jumped in,

Joining the fight
to save the devils.

Tony: Gunner is part
of an australia-wide,

And worldwide now,
insurance breeding program

To breed up a population
of tasmanian devils in captivity

In case they go extinct
in the wild.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga's vet team
deal with all sorts of animals

In the wildlife hospital.

Nurse: So glad you're asleep.

Vet: He looks fantastic,
doesn't he?

Nurse: , , .

Larry: That's the way.

Narrator:
But they also treat animals

In specially designed
surgical dens...

Kimberly: I want to
see her blinking.

She's not blinking yet.

Narrator: ...Or even
in their own exhibits.

Larry: You can see that this one
doesn't extend as far.

Narrator:
Sometimes their animals

Just need a quick once-over...

Larry: Just got a really good
image of her heart.

Narrator:
...Or an initial check

Before deciding
on their treatment...

Kimberly: His elbow
is moving fine.

Hello, gorgeous.

Narrator: ...So each day,
one of taronga's vets

Will hit the road and conduct
some house calls.

This morning, vet frances
is rostered on,

And her first consultation
is with the chimpanzees.

Lauren: How are you today?

Frances: Good.
So, we're off to see sasha.

Narrator: Keeper lauren
is concerned

That senior chimp, sasha,

Isn't being her usual
energetic self.

Lauren: It's really been
the last few days

She's just been really quiet.

It's not that
she's unable to move.

She's just moving at a slower
pace than what she usually does.

Sasha is one of the older
females in the group,

And recently we've just had her

Showing a little bit
more fatigue

And a bit more slower movements.

She's still eating okay,

But she is taking herself
to bed a bit earlier

And taking a bit more time
throughout the day resting,

Where the rest of the group
is still a bit more active.

Frances: And she certainly
does look like

She's trying to stay away from
everyone else at the moment.

Lauren: Yeah.

Frances: I'll just move up
a little bit.

Narrator: Close observation
of sasha over the next few days

Will be important.

Frances: How much does she eat?
How keen is she to eat?

Is she coughing, sneezing?
Is she doing anything else?

And that's going to give me
a little bit more to go on.

Obviously I can't touch her
or I can't listen to her chest

Or do any of those normal
sort of diagnostic things,

So it's really important
that, um, you know, we,

We use the keepers' close, um,
interaction with the chimps

To try and inform
our assessment of her health.

At the moment,
to do anything more,

We have to anesthetize sasha,

And that's a really big thing
to do for a chimp.

At this stage, I don't think
we need to do that.

We're going to monitor,

And we're going to wait
a little bit longer

And try and get
that extra information.

Narrator:
Frances' morning rounds

Are only just kicking off.

Frances: Chris, I'm just
making my way up the hill

To the reptile house
to see that green python.

I'll be there shortly.

Narrator: She's on her way
to visit a python

That has tree frogs
as roommates.

Chris: I'm about to duck in

And, uh, grab the green python

And bring him back out here for
frances to have a good look at.

It may be a bit tricky.

We'll see what sort of mood
he's in.

Narrator: But these frogs are
more trouble than they look.

(laughter)

While chris recovers
from his brush with death,

On the other side
of the reptile world,

Keeper stu is checking in on
one of his favorite lizards.

Stu: Hey, buddy.

This is naga. He's our
nine-year-old komodo dragon,

And he's got a real special
place in my heart

Because when we got eight of
these dragons in from overseas,

We were able to quarantine them
here at the zoo,

And I looked after
all eight of them.

And I was, uh, I was fortunate
enough to pick the one

That we wanted to keep
here at taronga,

And I picked naga,

Not because
he was the prettiest,

But he seemed to me
to be the smartest.

When I would ask for training
or conditioning,

He seemed to be the one
that picked it up the quickest.

Within the zoo,
a lot of the reptiles

Don't get a good rap
for having personality.

You know, people see the snakes
and the crocodiles,

And they're seen
as cold and emotionless.

And, and then you look
at this bloke here,

And he's dripping
with personality, really.

So, naga really is
one of my favorite,

And I know he's a favorite
of many of the keepers.

Reptiles are cold-blooded,
or ectothermic,

And humans are warm-blooded,
or endothermic.

Really all it means
is we generate our body heat

Internally through
the metabolization of our food.

These guys will use
an outside heat source.

They'll either
have to use the sun,

Or they'll have to use a rock
that has been heated by the sun.

He's just woken up.

He's sitting here
under his big, heated cave.

He's in a state of sort of
slowly warming his body up.

He's, he's not moving around
as quick as he could.

If we came in in the afternoon,
different animal,

He's lightning fast.

Narrator: Also regulated
by temperature

Is the komodo's appetite.

Stu: What this means is,
if he has a large meal,

He has to make sure
that he can keep his body warm,

Or that food will actually
rot in his stomach

And could k*ll him.

And that is the same
for all reptiles.

So, we've hit
the warm months now,

And it's time to give naga
a nice big carcass feed,

And after he's eaten that,

We won't offer him food
for probably close to days.

With the upcoming
carcass feed for naga,

There are a few risks involved,

And the main one is just
getting the carcass in place

Before naga switches onto it.

This mouth has over
razor-sharp teeth in it,

Close to ten millimeters long,

That are serrated
like a steak Kn*fe.

Soon as that touches meat,
it just slices it open.

So, we always have
several keepers in place.

One of them
will keep naga's attention

On the other side
of the exhibit

While I place
the carcass in place.

There is a danger element,
but it is controlled

And everyone involved
is very well-trained.

Narrator: The biggest problem
confronting the tasmanian devil

Is the facial tumor
that has decimated

Their wild population.

Taronga zoo has joined
a global effort

To try and understand
this tumor,

With their project led by
veterinary pathologist hannah.

Hannah: So, tasmanian devil
facial tumor disease actually

Refers to a very unusual type
of transmissible cancer,

In that they are actually
transmitted between animals

Like a tissue graft when
these animals bite one another.

In the early stages,
devil facial tumor disease

Presents as these small nodules
within the oral cavity,

Often around the canine teeth,
and they rapidly progress

To become these very large
ulcerating masses

And, in the later stages
of disease,

May extend to implicate
other parts of the face.

In this case, the eye and down
here, the entire lower jaw.

These devils really suffer.

Before it was observed in ,
the devil was quite robust.

They were not considered
endangered in any way,

But since then, numbers

Have actually plummeted
so precipitously

That the devil is now
an endangered species.

Narrator: Like a lot of people
that work with the devils,

Hannah has developed
a genuine affection for them.

Hannah:
They're very charismatic.

If you hear them at night,

They sound to me
like maybe a seal vomiting.

(screaming)

But they play
such an incredible role

Within the tasmanian landscape.

They're an apex predator,
they're a scavenger,

And the loss of the devil
from the tasmanian ecosystem

Would have a devastating impact.

Narrator: But thankfully
there is hope.

Hannah: So, there are
some great minds at work

On tasmanian devil
facial tumor disease.

Some people
are looking very closely

At the genome of the cancer,

And that information is
very critical towards designing

Either a treatment or a vaccine
that can prevent this tumor,

And then there's
the more practical work

Of actually breeding
these tasmanian devils up

To preserve
that genetic diversity.

Narrator: So, while hannah
and her team continue work

To eradicate the tumor,
down at the devil habitat,

They've just taken delivery
of the next best way

To preserve the species.

Man: Grab this one first, tony.

Tony: Yep. Yep.

Got a couple of new tasmanian
devils, regina and krieger.

They've come all the way
from western new south wales

From dubbo as part of
the insurance breeding program,

And they are going to contribute

Hopefully to saving the
tasmanian devil from extinction

Because there is still a chance
that they could go extinct.

All right.

Okay. Time to explore
your new home.

There he goes.

Man: Oh, there he goes.

He's going right down
to the back, by the looks.

Tony: I am not sure where,
where regina is,

But he'll find her pretty quick.

They'll find somewhere to hide.

It's a new chapter for us here.

We haven't bred
for a couple of years,

But now I'm quite excited

Because it's about
five or six months

Before the next breeding season,
so by this time next year,

Hopefully we'll have
some little, little joeys

Here at taronga zoo in sydney,
so let's watch this space.

Narrator: While sydney waits

For their baby devils
to arrive,

Out at dubbo, they've already
made a grand entrance.

Rachael: They're only little,

So they're going to be
a bit squirmier than an adult.

There they are. Hi!

Narrator: Taronga zoo is home
to a long list of creatures,

But one species hasn't really
taken center stage before...

...Until now.

James: We haven't done fish
historically at taronga zoo,

So this is very,
very new for us,

But, um,
it's been really exciting.

We have saratoga. We've got
two species of catfish,

Tandanus catfish
as well as salmon tail catfish.

We've got five archerfish,
as well as one glassfish.

So, as soon as guests
walk into the retreat,

They're greeted
by this beautiful t*nk.

It's really unique to have
these fish right on display

As people walk in the door

And be able to share
how unique they are.

Narrator: But adding fish
to a collection

Means keepers have to learn how
to manage and care for them.

But for james, that's all part
of the challenge.

James: So, while we care
for australian mammals

And we control the food they eat

And we look after the space
they live in,

For fish, we're controlling
the very oxygen they breathe,

So it's a constant battle
of trying to look after fish

And understand
exactly what they need.

Water is the lifeblood
of nature,

And no more here than at the zoo

Where we have platypus and fish
that inhabit water systems,

So we really need to ensure that
that water is healthy and clean

To make sure that the fish
are well looked after,

So we do that
through filtration systems

And making sure
that water is turned over.

We remove
the waste material from it,

And we make sure that it's
returning healthy, clean water

With plenty of oxygen in it
for the fish to thrive in.

Narrator:
And the way they do that

Is at the very heart
of the retreat.

James: So, here we have
our fish filtration.

So, this is where the water
from the t*nk behind reception

Comes down through the pipes
in the wall.

So, bag filters remove
the larger particles.

It then gets pushed
through a biological filter,

Which is full
of these plastic balls

Where we grow all the bacteria,

Which helps process
all that leftover material,

So whether it be
fish waste or old food,

That bacteria will eat that.

It then moves up
into the heater/chiller,

So depending on what temperature
we want the t*nk to be,

We can adjust that and keep it
at the perfect parameter

For our fish to survive
and thrive in.

It brings a lot of challenges
for myself,

But it's also exciting to share
how unique fish are.

Fish are often overlooked
as just household pets,

But they inhabit
all the world's oceans

And all the world's streams,
and it's really important

To show off the full ecosystem
of australia.

You can give people
a proper understanding

Of how diverse australia is.

Narrator: Now james is about
to add the newest species

To the wildlife retreat.

James: So, these are
the amazing short-finned eels.

They're australian native
freshwater eel.

So, right now,
the eels are in here

Just getting used to
the new water setting.

So, they're getting
used to the temperature,

They're getting used to
the water chemistry,

And this is where
we're going to move them from

Into their brand-new pool
outside.

Eels can survive
in a temperature range

From up to degrees

All the way down
to about degrees,

But they're most active
in the warmer range,

So we like to keep it
between and degrees here

So they have
a very luxurious life.

So, very comfortable eels.

And today we get to move them
into their brand-new home.

Narrator: Taronga's vet team
are always on the go,

And daily house calls
are all part of their routine.

Frances: Every day,
we do rounds outside in the zoo

And look at animals
that aren't in the hospital

That we need to check up on.

It's critically important
when we do these rounds

That we get the most information
we can so that we can make plans

For how we're going
to manage each animal.

Hello, chris.

Chris: G'day.

Narrator: And waiting patiently
for frances is a green python

With a mysterious abrasion
on the tip of its tail.

Frances: Hopefully the snake
will be in a good mood.

We work with snakes at the zoo
all the time,

Venomous and non-venomous.

We're very reliant
on the keepers knowing the mood

And assessing
the temperament of the snake

And holding them in a way that
the snake is not distressed,

But that it's safe for me
to look at it.

What a magnificent creature.

He looks in really good
condition, isn't he?

Chris: When I'm handling
this python,

And being a python,
it's completely non-venomous,

I don't really need to do much
to restrain or to hold the snake

Other than giving it
somewhere to climb.

Frances: So, we're looking at
the very end of the tail here.

I think he's had some trauma
to the very end of his tail.

Narrator: In the wild,

Green python
sometimes lure prey

By making their tails
seem like worms,

And that may be a clue
to this python's problem.

Frances: With him doing
that luring with his tail,

Could the frogs in there
latch onto his tail?

Chris: They could do,
they could do.

So, this snake lives with
five white-lipped tree frogs,

Which occur in the same habitat
in far north queensland,

But these pythons here
are very, very strictly

Mammal and bird feeders,
so there's no risk to the frogs,

But sometimes a frog may indeed
be jumping and reacting to that.

Frances: Just see that movement.

Chris: That movement.

Frances: So, there's no evidence

That the snake has got
ascending necrosis,

Which means dead tissue
starting to creep up the tail.

I'm pleased with that.

I'm happy that we leave him
alone and you guys just monitor.

Chris: Sure.

Frances: And we'll,
we'll touch base with you,

Say, in another ten days or so,

Um, and see how
he's going then.

Chris: Yep. Great.

Well, obviously we'd like to get
to the bottom of any injury

For any of our animals,

But with this snake here, he's
got to be one of our favorites.

We just want to make sure

That we're doing
everything we can for him.

Narrator: Last on
this morning's house-call list

Are the giraffes,

Where keepers have noticed
something suspicious

On the ears of ebo
and his mum, kito.

Jimmy: When we first
noticed them, frances,

They were more on the outer
of the ear and the top.

Frances: Just around the edges.

Jimmy: Yep.

Frances: These giraffe develop
these little gray, um,

Round lesions on the insides
and the outsides of their ears,

And we want to know
what those are.

So, I do think it looks like
there might be a couple

Of new lesions sort of on the
top of the back of that ear.

Jimmy: Yep.

Frances: Right where
the ear joins his head.

The sorts of things
that could cause that

Are either bacterial
or fungal infections.

Narrator: To determine the
cause of the skin irritation,

Frances will need
to get a sample,

But when you're dealing with
the tallest animal at the zoo,

It's an even taller order.

Fortunately, keeper jimmy
may have a solution.

Jimmy: Frances, what we've
been doing at the moment,

I don't know if this helps you,

But, um, we've been feeding ebo
and putting our hands in here,

Um, in the hope
to eventually touch his ears.

Is that going to benefit
you guys in any way?

Frances: That will
be really useful.

I want to be able to get
some samples from his ear

So we can look
under the microscope

And we can start looking,
are there any bacteria there

That we know can cause this sort
of issue or fungal infection?

So, we'll just try and work out

Whether we need
to treat it or not.

He's not bothered.

Jimmy: Yep.

Frances: Um, but we want
to know what it is,

So that would be great
if you can do that.

Jimmy: Perfect. We're onto it.

Frances: You just let me know
as soon as you think

That you're at the stage where
we can try and get some samples.

Jimmy: I'd say give us a couple
of weeks, and we're good to go.

Frances: Okay. Excellent.
Well, we'll get that organized.

Narrator: While the vet rounds
are over for another day,

Frances has left jimmy
with some important homework.

Jimmy: Good.

Narrator: To get that sample,
he's got a secret w*apon

He thinks
will get the job done.

Jimmy: I'll have
the sticky tape in my hand

Ready to put on his ear,
pull it off,

And then it goes off
to the vets.

Narrator: And it's not
going to be easy.

Jimmy: Giraffe are prey animals,
so it only takes

The slightest thing for them
to be, "what the heck is that?"

I'm expecting them to be nervous
of the slightest changes,

And this in my hand
is a slight change.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Up at reptile world,

Today is feed day
for naga, the komodo dragon.

Stu: So, naga's got probably
one of the widest varieties

Of food of any of the animals
here at the zoo.

It's all meat.

We feed him things like fish,

Mice, rabbits, beef, pork,

Horse, deer, anything, really.

Narrator: To simulate
how naga would eat in the wild,

Keepers have an ingenious way
of presenting food to him.

Stu: I'll start
stringing up this wire

If you keep
a good close eye on him.

Josh: Yep. Yep.

Stu: I've got, um,
a piece of wire

That I can string
across the enclosure

And put a,
put a piece of meat on it

That will actually move
when naga grabs it,

So it's not
a stationary food item.

Every time he grabs it,
it moves away from him,

And he thinks an animal
is trying to avoid him,

And he'll chase after it
with great vigor.

I've got josh here
just to help us out

Because naga is very keen
in the afternoons.

We've already put a few smells
around his enclosure,

A few blood smells to get him
keen, to get him alert.

In the wild, these animals
would pick up on a smell,

And they may walk
, , , hours

To go and find where that smell
is originating from,

So that's what we're trying
to recreate here.

We sprinkle the smell around.

We give him a time to,
to smell that, get alert,

Where's that item of food,

Before we actually introduce
the food item to him.

So, I don't really
trust him there.

He definitely knows
something's going on.

That's why we have to have
two people in here.

There's a bit
of a safety for me.

This is a big enriching
feed for him.

He hasn't had a feed like this
for a couple of months.

Yeah. A little bit more
for me, mate.

Josh: Yep.

Stu: Oh, if you can just
release the tension a bit.

This system is quite easy.

It's just two bolts that go in,

And we're going to hang the food
off this wire.

It'll hang down here,

And me and josh
will be able to pull it

From one side
of the enclosure to the other

While naga is chasing it.

I absolutely love feeding naga
these big carcass feeds

Because it gives him
the opportunity to display

All of those natural behaviors.

Yep. That's great.

Narrator: The table is set.

Stu: Do you want
to pull on that?

Yup. Yeah, I reckon
that's pretty good.

Narrator: Now it's time
for naga's main course.

Stu: Good to go.

Josh: Let's do it.

Narrator:
On her recent vet rounds,

Frances visited giraffe
kito and her calf, ebo,

To examine some black marks

That keepers noticed
on their ears.

Jimmy: Especially the left.

They seem to be getting
a little bit more prominent.

Frances: There might be
a couple of new lesions

Sort of on the top
of the back of that ear.

Jimmy: Yep. We know there is
definitely a problem there.

Um, ebo's is presenting
slightly different

To his mother's, kito's.

Kito's seems to be a little bit
more raised and lumpy.

His seems to come out
like little black dots.

It's almost like he's got
black chicken pox on his ears.

Narrator:
To make her diagnosis,

Frances needs samples
for the lab.

Frances: Jimmy's going to
work out a conditioning

So the giraffe allowing him
to touch their ears voluntarily.

And then what we're going to do

Is rather than having to do
anything that hurts,

We're going to try
with a piece of sticky tape

That jimmy can just touch
onto the ear.

That doesn't hurt at all,
but when it comes off,

It's going to take the
superficial layers of the skin

And hopefully give us
a decent sample.

Narrator:
Training starts today,

And keeper jimmy
has fine-tuned his strategy.

Jimmy: At the moment,
all I need these animals to do

Is to be comfortable with
my hand and the sticky tape.

And then my theory, I mean,
it's all good in theory,

Will be just to hold this
on their ear.

They should just put their ear
against, I'll pull it off,

I'll be able to put it
on a dish, send it to the vets.

They'll be able to go
and do their magic.

Narrator: Because giraffes are

Instinctively
flighty animals...

Renee: I'll do kito.
You can do ebo.

Jimmy: Sounds good.

So, guys, please don't
make any sudden moves

Up there at the moment.

Narrator:
...Jimmy and renee know

It's one slow step at a time.

Renee: Here, sweetheart.

Jimmy: Hi, buddy.

Renee: Hi.

Jimmy: Good boy.

Good boy.

Hey.

Renee: You're all right,
sweetie.

Jimmy: Here, buddy.

Here, buddy.

That's all right.
You're all right, buddy.

Ebo was very, very nervous,
at first, of the sticky tape.

He's still building up
his confidence.

Ebo's still drinking
milk from mum,

So training him is a lot harder

Than it would be
training another animal.

Renee: Is he feeding at all?

Jimmy: No.

(renee laughs)

When an animal
can still leave you

And go and get food
from somewhere else,

It's less likely to want
to be involved in the training.

Ebo goes, "the high-value
stuff's coming from mum's milk.

I'm going to go and have a drink
when I need it."

You can lead a horse
to water, ren.

Renee: Exactly.

Jimmy: With ebo today, I wasn't
as successful as I wanted.

I didn't get a sample.

Um, but that wasn't
the goal of today.

Today's goal
is a conditioning goal,

Um, so I just really wanted him
to get used to the sticky tape

And my hand being in the bowl.

Ebo, darling, good boy, come on.

Come back over here.

But kito
that renee was working with

Was coming leaps and bounds.

Renee: Hey, sweetheart.

Hi.

♪ ♪

So, she's letting me
touch her on her muzzle.

That's a girl. Good girl.

Jimmy: Kito, having hard veg,

She's more likely to do
what we ask her to do

Because all
the good reinforcement

And all the high-value stuff
is coming from us.

But I'd like to say today,

Renee had the easy giraffe
and I had the hard giraffe,

But at the end of the day,
we got where we wanted to,

And today's plan was just
to get them used to the tape.

Narrator: Training animals
takes time and patience.

Jimmy: So, yeah, if we can
get them to this stage,

We'll be right.

Narrator: And with kito
and ebo's ears

Not getting any worse,

The team is happy to wait
for the sample.

Jimmy: For us,
the worst thing to do

Would be to rush the training,

And the vets would agree,
the slower we take the process,

The more rock-solid
the behavior's going to be.

Whereas if I'd like, oh,
I really need to get this sample

Quick, quick, bang, bang, bang,
I'm going to lose that animal.

He's never going to want
to come near me again.

So, the slower
we make the process,

The better his future and
the end result's going to be.

Good boy, ebo, come on.

Here.

Narrator: Slow and steady
definitely wins the race.

Renee: You're all right,
sweetie. That's a girl.

Narrator: It's the mantra
that's embraced

Right across taronga,

Where animal welfare
always comes first.

One of a zookeeper's
most rewarding jobs

Is caring for new babies.

Rachael: So, ash, we're
just going to quickly go in

And see if we can lure mum out
with a little bit of food,

And if the joeys
are in a good spot,

Which I think they might be,

Um, we'll just have a real quick
look, see what we've got.

It's about time
that we need to find out

If we've got boys or girls.

Narrator: Today keeper rachael
and trainee ash are checking up

On the latest additions

To their vital tassie devil
breeding program.

Rachael: Our tasmanian devil
breeding facility

Was purpose-built for us
about ten years ago.

Um, in that time,
we've managed to produce

Almost close to devil joeys,
which is pretty spectacular.

If you want to be on the slide.

Ash: Yep.

Rachael: Just pull it open.
I'm going to lure her out.

And as soon as mum's out,

If you wouldn't mind
just dropping that slide

Back down again,
that'd be great.

Ash: Yep.

Rachael: Good girl.

So, while she's occupied,

We're just going to quickly go
in, have a check of the joeys.

Narrator: Keepers need to know

The sex of the devils
at the zoo,

And today is the very first
chance to see the makeup

Of the latest litter.

Rachael: So, this is the first
time they've been picked up.

Now, ash, when you pick them up,
um, they're only little,

So they're going to be
a bit squirmier than an adult.

There they are. Hi!

Um, so, what we'll do
is we'll just use the bag

To cover their head,
just like you do with an adult.

Oh, my gosh.

Come on.

Position. There we go.
Here's one.

Come on, little one.
Oh, my gosh.

Narrator: Even at this age,

These joey devils
could easily take a finger,

So keepers
must have their hands

As far away from those
powerful jaws as they can.

Rachael: Okay.

So, we've got one little boy.

Ash: That's so cute.

Rachael: Great.
I'm going to pop this one back.

Ash, do you want
to do the next one?

Ash: Yep.

Sorry, you guys.

Rachael: You might want
to come in on my left.

Ash: Yep.

(screeches)

Sorry.

Come on.

Rachael: Well done. Excellent.
So, a nice male.

Ash: We've got another boy.

Rachael: He looks good.
Looks in great shape.

We try and keep them
as wild as possible,

Which means that
we're very hands-off,

So when we do have to go in
and handle them

For health checks

Or any kind
of medical procedures,

They're usually
quite feisty with us,

But I think that's a sign
of a good and healthy animal.

(squealing)

Ash: I'll get rid of the bag.

Rachael: So, this one here
is a little female.

She looks great.
She looks amazing.

She's got a lot
of 'tude about her.

So, she'd be about seven
or eight months now,

And she's in amazing nick.

Great body condition.

(squealing)

Nice and feisty.
I might pop her back.

There we go.

So, we might leave it at that.

Um, let mum come back

And leave them
to go about their business.

Narrator: While these joeys
represent the future

For a species under thr*at,

For now, they're
just a bunch of kids

All competing for mum's time
and attention.

Rachael: These guys are getting
a little big for it now,

But when,
when devils are babies,

They like to climb around
on mum's back,

So all three of them right now
are trying to get on

And, and hang on to her.

And they're all fighting
to be able to get that lift

And that ride around.

I personally, I feel very proud
to be part of this program.

Um, it's not often that people
get to say that they've

Contributed
to something so significant,

Specifically for such an iconic
animal like our tassie devil.

Narrator: Keeper james
has been given the job

Of caring for
the newly introduced fish

At taronga's wildlife retreat.

And that includes releasing
four australian eels

Into the outdoor ponds.

But that's
easier said than done.

James: It just involves
a bit of catching

And a bit of handling,

And we'll get them out
to their brand-new home

Very, very soon.

Narrator: The term
"slippery as an eel"

Clearly exists for a reason.

James: They're really,
really slimy.

They're covered in that
protective slime coating,

And that makes it impossible
to get a good grip on them.

You're trying to predict what
movements they're going to do,

And because
they are so flexible,

They can spin on a dime,
so it makes it really hard

To predict where
they're going to go next.

And that's really
what I'm trying to do

When I'm bringing
the net in there.

Not trying to chase them
but almost trying to get them

To go into the net themselves.

Narrator: After a fair bit of
coaxing, finally some success.

James: So, this is one
of our freshwater eels,

And that slime coating,

You can just feel it,
even through the net.

You can see
that they've got their fins

Just left and right there,

And just before that,
they've got a set of gills,

And then they do breathe oxygen
through their mouth as well

When they are out on land.

Narrator: And its brand-new
home is calling.

♪ ♪

James: Doesn't want to go yet.

Off you go.

As you can see,
it head off into the water.

It's looking
for a dark place to hide,

So immediately
they want to find somewhere

That they feel safe
and secure in the pool.

Um, once they do find
a place to settle in,

As the sun goes down tonight,

That's when they'll
really start to explore

And to find where their food
can be found.

Narrator: With the first eel

Comfortably cruising
the retreat pond,

All james has to do now

Is repeat this frustrating
process three more times.

Today is naga's feed day,

And it's no ordinary snack.

Stu: Just watch
your fingers, mate.

We're about to do an enriching
carcass feed for naga,

Which is something
we don't do very often.

It's been a couple of months

Since he's had his last
enriching carcass feed,

And we're going to hang
this meat carcass off this wire,

Pull it from one side
of the enclosure to the other

To initiate a chasing
predatory response from naga.

The entire weight
of this piece of carcass

Would be around
three and a half kilos,

So this is
a decent meal for naga,

But he could
definitely eat more.

But this is
a good enriching feed.

He's going to have to really
work hard to get meat off this.

And that's,
that's the entire point of it.

Good to go.
Josh: Let's do it.

Narrator: Imitating nature
helps to keep

Naga's instincts sharp,

And naga is ready.

Stu: He looks very alert
this morning.

We've already just checked him,

And as soon as I pop my head
over the door,

He's turned straight onto me.

Eyes are focused on me,
big pupil.

He's, he's hungry.

So, what I'm hoping, mate,
when he gets in there,

I'm going to keep him
on the carcass

Whilst you get in
and get into position,

Then you can pull it
over to your side,

And then I can make my way in.

Josh: Okay, cool.

Stu: Cool. Let's put it in.

Josh: Naga is
a very powerful animal.

He's a very, very big lizard,

And he could do
a lot of damage to us,

So it's got to be in our mind
at all times

That he could inflict
harm upon us.

Stu: I'm just going to keep him
here for a sec.

Josh: Yep.

So, that's why me and stu,

We're going to communicate
to each other as best we can,

So we're going to make sure
that none of us

Are ever put in a situation
where we're in danger.

Stu: I'm there to protect josh
'cause I know his mum,

And she'd be very upset
if anything happened to him.

(josh laughs)

Josh: It's true.

Stu: Yep. So, he's,
he's locked onto it now.

You can see
that he's grabbed onto it,

And he's going to start
to use a sideways head movement

To saw that meat off the bone.

I'm going to let him take it
where he wants.

Josh: Take it where he wants?

Stu: Yeah.

Do you want to pull it
away from him?

Josh: Yep.

Stu: Yep.

Yes. Yes. Excellent.

I'm going to come in, josh.

Josh: All right, mate.
You're all good.

Stu: And then I might
bring him back over...

Josh: Yep. Sounds good.

Stu: ...If he's
ripping through it.

Josh: He's tearing it.

Stu: When he gets that bit off,
I'll, I'll bring him back over.

Josh: There you go.
You're good.

Stu: Let's make him run
a bit more.

Josh: All right. Do we want
to scoot him over to you first

And then scoot him
back over this way?

Get a lengthy run?

All right. Good.

Stu: Yes.

That's great.

That's perfect.

He's a -kilo lizard, so I'm
fighting against him constantly

To hold that in place,

And it's, it's also to keep the
carcass off the ground as well.

But this is what he's built for.

He's built to take down
large mammals

And to literally
tear them to pieces.

So, it might sound a bit morbid,

But this is actually
one of my favorite days

Seeing, seeing
these type of feeds.

We're going to have to watch
that he doesn't start

Trying to swallow
that piece of spine, man.

Josh: Yep. Yep.

Stu: So, the feed we're giving
naga today, this carcass feed,

We're not going to offer him
another item of food

For at least two weeks.

And I'd probably say
the next two feeds I give him

Are going to be a lot
less substantial to this.

Naga's really starting to slow
down, which is an indication to,

Uh, to me and josh that he's
really starting to fill up

And he's, he's literally
starting to get tired.

He's just exerted a lot
of energy eating this food.

Look at his stomach there.

Starting to distend
at the bottom,

Starting to hang
a little bit low.

I don't think he's going to go
on this for much longer.

We'll take it out of here
pretty soon.

Narrator: With the carcass
picked clean,

All that's left to do now

Is to break the news to naga
that dinner is over.

Stu: That's that touching him
on the head,

We're indicating to him,
no more food.

Okay. We can, we can leave.

I'll go first.
You've got the board.

Josh: Yep.

Mate, it was
absolutely fantastic

Watching naga destroy
that piece of meat.

And I was lucky enough
to actually find

A really decent-sized
tooth from him.

He'll often or not
snap a couple of teeth off.

It just goes to show that, you
know, of those little teeth

Can make light work
of a big chunk of meat.

Narrator: It's been a few weeks
since james released the eels

Into the wildlife retreat's
outdoor pond.

James: And they've settled in
really, really well.

And to have them conditioned to
come into the shallows like this

And be comfortable around people

This soon after being released
back into the pool is fabulous.

Narrator: They're so relaxed

That they're already
responding to basic training.

James: I've just given the eels
a cue by tapping this rock,

And that's to tell them

That food has just arrived
in the pool,

And they'll be on their way up
very, very shortly

To dine down
on their fresh tucker

Of mealworms and earthworms.

Here comes one.

There's another on the way, too.

As you can see as they come up,
they are a bit cautious,

So what we're hoping to see

Is them coming up
into the shallows,

So I'm conditioning the eels
so that guests in the future

Will be able to sit
on the rocks just as I am,

That people not only
observe the eels

But grow an appreciation
for them as I did.

Narrator: Adding eels
to taronga's collection

Has taken a lot of time
and planning.

James: The eel move
has gone really well.

I think they're
really settled here

At their wildlife retreat
at taronga,

And they're going to be here
for a long time to come

Educating people on how unique
and special eels are.

Narrator: But james
is such a fan,

He'd do it all again
in a heartbeat.

James: I think
they're beautiful.

I think they're really
special, these eels,

And I really hope
people see that as well.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Over at
the tassie devil exhibit,

Krieger and regina
are also settling in nicely.

Tony: There he is,
the shy little boy, krieger.

That's krieger over there.
Um, but this is great to see.

It's really important
krieger and regina,

They're moving around,

And it's a relief to see them
out and being confident.

They're not really hiding,
um, completely.

Narrator: And while
the thought of new joeys

Is what's driving everyone,

Tony is just as happy
to spend some time

With the oldest devil
in the group, gunner,

Whose feed time is actually
pretty similar to naga's.

Tony: Hey, gunner.
How are you going, buddy?

Going to have a feed?

Eh?

Up here.

That's a boy.

Do some work.

The tassie devil tug-of-w*r,
that's what I call it anyway,

It's like a form of enrichment.

In the wild,
devils are very solitary,

But they do come
together to fight over food,

And they can be really rowdy,
really aggressive.

But there's also
a lot of cooperation.

They help each other pull
and tug and rip food apart.

I'm mimicking that.

I'm making him work
for his food.

He's having to use his jaws.

He's having to get aggressive
with me and a bit annoyed at me,

Pull and tug
and rip at the food.

Come on, gunner.
You can do it.

Give us a tug.

So, it's a way
of getting to use his brain,

Getting to use his energy,
use his jaws,

And display
those natural behaviors,

Stop him from getting bored,

So we do it
at different times as well.

We don't do it every day.

Yeah, go that way, go on.

Give me a fight.

Ah, gunner.

He has an incredible strength
across his chest,

In his jaw, very broad skull,

So they're very powerful.

I'm told the strength
of an average adult human

When they're fully grown and
they're doing this tug-of-w*r,

And today I think
I'm more tired than he is.

Good boy.

Narrator: In addition
to his breeding successes,

Over the years, gunner has
given the public real insights

Into the secret life
of the tasmanian devil.

And for tony,
gunner has reinforced his love

For this threatened
yet magnificent species.

Tony: Have a look at that.

He's doing, he's doing
what I call chipmunking,

Which is when
they clean themselves up,

Which I think
is absolutely adorable.

This is why I can't see them
as an ugly, horrible animal.

I mean,
look how adorable that is.

You could just go in there

And give him a big cuddle,
couldn't you?

♪ ♪
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