02x14 - Down Under: Slithery and Sweet

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: One of the most
dramatic differences

Between taronga zoo in sydney

And taronga western plains zoo
in dubbo is space.

And keeping
all those animals healthy

When they're spread out
over almost hectares

Demands a different approach
to veterinary care.

Benn: Domestic animal vets
in the city

Tend to see small animals.

A rural vet, a large component
of their practice is hoofstock.

Many of those patients are seen
in situ, out on the properties,

Looking at their animals
in the context

Of the groups
in which they live.

You know, they're looking
at herds of animals,

Thinking about herd health,

Which is a significant part
of what we do.

Narrator: And today,

That's exactly what
senior vet benn is doing.

Benn: I'm working as a vet

In the context
of an open plain zoo.

Some days,
going on morning rounds

Is just like going on safari.

Narrator: And keeping
with the safari theme,

This morning, benn is checking
in on a recent addition

To the african animals
precinct.

Benn: Brooke.

Brooke: Hey, benn.

Benn: How are you going?

Brooke: Good, how are you?

Benn: What do you say?
There he is.

Brooke: He's pretty cute.

Benn: Well, he looks
pretty nice on spec.

Brooke: Yep, so he's
four days old now.

Benn: Yep. Okay. No worries.

And, gee, it looks like mum's
attending him really well,

And he's sticking by her,
isn't he?

Brooke: Yeah,
she's really confident.

Um, he is her seventh foal,
so she's pretty,

She's pretty well attuned
as to what goes on.

Um, so we came in
in the morning on the Sunday,

And she was really clean.

Benn: Yeah.

Brooke: We couldn't find
any placenta.

Benn: Oh, okay, no worries.

Brooke: He was really clean
and up and moving,

So we assume that
she gave birth pretty early

In the early hours
of the morning.

Benn: Yep.

Brooke: Um, being
that experienced mum,

She's cleaned everything up
pretty well.

Benn: And they're all
as relaxed as can be.

Just another day, just another
foal for the rest of them.

Our zebra group
is managed naturally.

The stallion runs
with the, with the mares.

Um, he serves the mares, they
fall pregnant, they give birth,

All within the context
of the herd,

And that's just
the way we want it.

You know, we want these animals
to develop naturally

And to acquire all of
the life lessons that, that,

That go towards making them

A behaviorally normal,
content zebra.

Narrator: From one
herd animal to another,

But there's a lot more riding
on successfully breeding

This lot than the zebras.

Benn: Scimitar-horned oryx
are a desert-adapted antelope

That are critically endangered,

In fact, have been extinct
in the wild, um,

Up until recently when,
when some small groups

Were reintroduced
into their range states.

Narrator: Benn's dropped by
at oryx keeper roger's request.

Benn: G'day, rog.
How's it going?

Roger: Good, how are you?

Benn: Yeah,
very well, very well.

Narrator: Roger has asked benn

To check on the body condition
of the herd.

He's worried they may
be enjoying the good times

A little too much.

Benn: Gee, it's looking
green up here.

Roger: It's easy at the moment.

This time last year,
it was horrendous up here.

Um, it was probably
more, more desert-like

Where oryx would naturally
occur, but, uh, this year,

We've had to think about diet,

Specifically
just due to weight gain.

There's so much grass and
natural forage up here for them.

We've, we've cut back
all supplement feeding,

Um, bar some pellets,
which is focused on their zinc.

Benn: But their body condition
from here looks great.

Roger: It's almost
too good, isn't it?

Benn: Yeah, a little bit.

Well, they're certainly
maintaining

Their individual
distances today.

Roger: Vets always give
every animal in the zoo

A little bit of a nervous edge.

Um, I know we all know
you guys love animals,

But the animals don't
necessarily all love you.

(benn laughs)

Narrator: With his morning
paddock rounds complete,

Benn heads back
to the wildlife hospital,

Where one of taronga's most
important patients is waiting.

Jane: We're x-raying
the little ones as well?

Benn: Uh, yeah.

Narrator: Down at the
backyard to bush precinct,

A small herd of taronga's
more domesticated animals

Are about to embark
on a little adventure.

Parnee: Got some
nice treats for you.

So, this is
our beautiful alpaca herd.

We've got three boys.

They are all five years old.

We have cartouche,
who's the white one here,

And he's the biggest of them.

Um, the little black one
in the middle, that's aragon.

And then the brown one there
is scaramouche.

There you go, cartouche.

You are being so well-behaved.

Alpacas come from
south america originally.

Um, they're actually
really unusual species.

They're quite exotic.

Um, but believe it or not,

They're members of a family
called the camelidae family,

Which means that
they're related to camels.

People are often really
surprised to hear this,

But when you have a look
at the shape of their neck

And their beautiful big eyes
and their muzzle,

You can really actually see

A resemblance
between them and camels.

Narrator: The other big thing
they share with camels

Are their feet,

And today they're
putting them to good use.

Parnee: I'm going to take
the alpacas for a walk

Down the hill.

I've got cartouche
with a halter and lead on.

The other two alpacas,
scaramouche and aragon,

Are going to be following along.

I'm just going to let them
free-range,

And we'll see what happens.

Really great enrichment
for them.

So, this is just part
of their routine,

Part of what we do with them
on a day-to-day basis,

Making sure they're getting lots
of really great opportunities

To express
their natural behavior.

Simon: Good boy.
There we go. Good boy.

Parnee: Here come your boys.

That's it. Come on,
we're going down the hill today.

This way.

Once scaramouche and aragon

Realize that we're coming down
to the concert lawns,

They tend to take off ahead
of us and race down to the grass

So they can start grazing.

Okay, are you ready
to go for a run?

That's the way. Off you go.

Simon: Good boy.

Parnee: Whee! Good job.

Simon: Love it
when they do that.

Parnee: Bringing
the alpacas down here

Is a real highlight for us.

We love just getting to observe
them, watch their behaviors,

See how they're interacting
with each other

And just see them really
enjoying themselves down here.

It's really relaxing for us,
too, to just get to sit back

And enjoy the alpacas.

Simon: It's the best part
of their day.

Parnee: Yeah, definitely.

Simon: A lot of people
with farms or small holdings

Often use alpacas
just to keep a lookout

For things like foxes
and feral dogs as well.

They're really alert,

So they really keep an eye
on what's going on,

And they've become really bonded

With the animals
that they're with as well.

Narrator: While the alpacas
enjoy a final bite to eat

Before they call it a day,

Out at dubbo,
two of their camel cousins

Are enjoying their final meal

Before they start the long
journey to join them in sydney.

Glenn: This is
a pretty momentous occasion

Because there hasn't been camels
at taronga for such a long time.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Narrator: The animal kingdom
in all its glory

Is well-represented at taronga.

But for color and diversity,

You can't go past
the world of birds.

Across both its zoos, taronga
exhibits bird species.

Keeper: Come on, buddy.

Narrator: That's around
, individual birds.

Keeper: Hello, buddy.

Hi, handsome!

Narrator: And in one aviary,

Keeper leanne is hoping
to add a few more.

Leanne: So, we're just in one
of our breeding aviaries here

That has our pair
of, uh, swift parrots.

Narrator: Taronga is one
of only a handful of zoos

That breeds the critically
endangered swift parrot.

Leanne: The swift parrot
is a native species of parrot

In australia.

It's a small species.

They're a green parrot,

But they have a beautiful
red mask on their face.

They're what we would say
is a nomadic species,

So they breed in tasmania,

But they will come
to the mainland

To forage for food
in the off-season.

They rely upon the blossom
of eucalypt trees,

Mainly the tasmanian blue gum,
which is what they nest

And eat upon
during that breeding season.

Narrator:
The ongoing destruction

Of the swift parrots'
natural habitat

Means there are only about
, birds left in the wild,

So breeding programs
like taronga's are critical

For the survival
of the species.

Leanne: So, at taronga,
we have nine swift parrots here.

We have three breeding pairs
and three juveniles

From one of our successful
breedings last year.

Narrator: Breeding birds
in zoo care

Is notoriously challenging,

And it's complicated
by the fact

That their reproductive organs
are internal.

Leanne: It's important for us
to be able to know

The gender
of our swift parrots, um,

So that we can put
future pairings together

And make sure that
we are doing it correctly.

We don't want to put, um,
two females together

Or two boys together
because we won't get the success

That we've had so far.

Narrator: And the way the vets
work out the sex of the parrots

Is truly bizarre.

Larry: G'day, how are you?
That's right.

All right, ready to go?

Narrator: Taronga zoo
is a conservation society...

Keeper: Watch out.

Narrator: ...And breeding
programs are at the heart

Of almost everything they do,

But it's not limited
to just the cute animals.

Paul: These are
our banded huntsmans.

We've got one male
and one female here.

This one here is our male.

I'm going to put our male
and our female together today

And hopefully have them mate.

It's not without its risk

Because if we don't
do things just right,

She may just decide to eat him.

It might be
that she's just hungry

And he's small enough
to be a food item.

It might be that he hasn't
approached her in the right way.

You know, if you don't say
please in the right way,

It's all over and done with.

Narrator: Adding
to this spider's anxiety

Is the fact
it's all new to him as well.

Paul: This one
hasn't bred before.

He is mature,
he's ready for it,

But this will be
his first time breeding.

And one of the problems he's got

Is it's a very steep
learning curve.

If he doesn't get it right,
that's it for him.

He doesn't get a second chance.

This is just one of those things

That he is, he is going to have
to learn about the hard way.

There you go, little guy.

Good luck.
You're going to need it.

Narrator: The daring deed
is so hazardous to the male

That paul gives him
every chance to get out alive.

Paul: The, the black mesh
I've got in there

Is just to give them
a little bit more sort of cover.

If she does get
a little bit over the top

And he needs to get away, it
just gives him somewhere to go.

Just gives them both
a better sense of security,

Which also means they'll be
a little bit more relaxed

And more willing
to mate as well.

So, now it's time
for our female.

She's also mature,

And this will also be
her first time in with a male.

So, uh, hopefully she's going
to be well-behaved for him.

Fortunate enough,
she's actually got a cricket

In her mouth there,
so she won't be as hungry,

Therefore less likely to want
to have lunch with him.

I'm actually feeling
pretty confident with it today.

We've had a pretty good
success rate, actually.

We've only had a couple
of instances where our females

Have decided to get
a little bit overanxious,

But because she has
just had something to eat,

It just makes our chances
just that little bit higher.

Okay. Here we go, little one.
Please be kind to him.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

So, they're both
in together now.

They're nice and close,
which means that the chance

Of something happening sooner
rather than later is higher.

If you're looking
at the spider now,

You'll see there's two
what look like shorter legs

At the front there.

They're the pedipalps.

Now, for the female,
they're more used for helping

Sort of guide food
into the mouth area,

But for the male,
he'll actually use those

To help pass the sperm from,
from him to the female.

Narrator: But after an hour
of not much happening,

Paul decides to give them
some privacy.

Paul: But it really is now
just the waiting game.

To sit back, wait,
and keep our fingers crossed

That he impresses her
the right way

And she's not going to eat him.

Good luck, you two.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga zoo in sydney
is about to welcome a species

It hasn't housed in ten years.

Alan: One bale to go.

Narrator: And preparations
for their new home

Is in full swing.

Tracy: We're very excited.

We haven't had camels
for a while,

And this exhibit
has suited us well.

It was a bull elephant exhibit,

Then it was our temporary
giraffe exhibit for two years.

Now it's going to be
our camel exhibit.

They're coming
from our sister zoo in dubbo,

So they've got
a little bit of a trip,

But camels are
very stoic, docile animals,

And I'm sure they'll take
that trip in their stride.

Narrator: And out at dubbo,

Keeper glenn is doing
a last-minute check-in

On this intriguing animal
before their big trip.

Glenn: So, we have four camels
here at the zoo.

We have one male
and three females,

But they're not
a breeding group.

They're just an exhibit group.

And the main reason for that

Is camels in australia
breed very, very well.

There's close to a million
of them in the wild,

In the interior of australia.

And it is even considered that
we now have more wild camels

In australia than
any other part of the world.

Narrator:
Camels were introduced

By early explorers
in the s,

As they were perfectly
adapted to withstand

The searing temperatures
of the outback.

Glenn: Things that camels have
that enable them to adapt

In such a really hot climate,
number one is their hump.

The hump is a storage reservoir,
mostly of carbohydrates

That they can use when there's
no water or no food source.

They have a very soft pad
on their toes,

Which enables them to walk
across very sandy area as well.

But it's also tough enough
that it can withstand

Walking over very harsh
rocky area as well.

And then also, too, they have
beautiful long eyelashes,

Which helps them
in the dust storms.

Narrator: Camels have
also evolved to live

In cooler climates as well,

Making them one of the
hardiest animals at the zoo.

Glenn: If you look closely
at them right now,

You will see that
they're actually molting,

So they're going
from their winter coat

Into their summer coat.

And so they almost look like
a bit of a bedraggled mess,

But this is
really important for them

To come down
to that really fine hair

That they've got
all over their body

So that then they can cope

With the very hot summer
temperatures we have here.

Narrator: But it's
not just the weather

That camels have adjusted to.

Glenn:
Taronga western plains zoo

Historically
had african elephants.

We ended up in a situation

Where we just had one lone
african elephant remaining.

Unfortunately,
we couldn't introduce

Any of the other elephants
to her,

And so therefore keepers decided
that these two individuals

Would possibly be the best
candidates to introduce her.

Took approximately six months
for us to achieve our goal,

And we got all three of them
going, running together

Daily for about seven years.

Narrator: Now two of these
camels, ras and storm,

Are about to run off
in a different direction.

Glenn: They're about to head
down to taronga zoo sydney,

And this is
a pretty momentous occasion

Because there hasn't been camels
at taronga for such a long time,

And by taking
these animals down there,

Hopefully we're able to, uh,

Not only showcase what camels
are and what they look like

But also educate.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga zoo
aims to increase

The number of swift parrots
in the wild

Through its extensive
breeding programs.

But first the team must solve
a perplexing problem,

Working out whether each parrot
is male or female.

Leanne: You don't want to put
two females together

Or two boys together
because we won't get the success

That we've had so far.

Narrator:
And the only way to do this

Is a rather invasive procedure.

Larry: G'day, how are you?

All right, ready to go?

Today we're going to do
some surgical sexing

On some swift parrots,

And that means
we're going to put

A little scope just inside them

To see what sex they are
because obviously the gonads,

The testicles and the ovary,
are internal in birds,

So the only way to tell
is to look inside.

So, we just give them
a little bit of gas anesthetic.

Narrator: Larry uses a tiny
laparoscope for the job.

Larry: It's got
a light source and a camera,

So we can see the image

On the, on the screen there
quite nicely.

And basically I make
just a little hole

In the side of the bird,
um, and pop this through,

And we actually always go
in the left side.

And the reason for that
is that in most bird species,

The females only have an ovary
on the left-hand side.

So, it's a very simple,
minimally invasive procedure.

So, just a little nick
in the side there.

Narrator: And the bird's
unique anatomy

Helps larry see
the organs clearly.

Larry: So, the scope goes in.

So, you can see I'm looking
through this very fine membrane,

Like cling wrap,
that's the air sac membrane.

Birds have several air sacs
inside them,

And it's, it's part of their
amazing respiratory system

And also keeps them very light.

And because all their organs
are separated by the air,

We can just see straightaway
what sex this bird is,

And I can see the testicle
clearly there, so a male.

♪ ♪

Beautiful little birds,
these guys.

This little guy
looks pretty healthy.

Narrator: Banding will assist
keepers with breeding.

Males get a band on the right
leg and females on the left.

But with such little legs,
it's fiddly work.

Emily: And you want to make sure

You're not
putting it on too tight

Or too loose because
both can cause problems.

And also in the process
of putting it on,

You also have to be careful

That you're not injuring
the bird's leg.

Larry: Should we just
get a weight on it?

How much is that?

Keeper: . .

Larry: . grams.

All right, well, we'll just
wake this little guy up,

And then we can have a look
at the next one.

Narrator: While every bird
will help build numbers...

Liz: So, I have
one male swift parrot here.

He's just about awake.

Keeper: Thank you.

Narrator: ...Studies have shown

That there are fewer females
in the wild...

Larry: All right, liz, we've got
the next one here lined up.

Narrator: ...So the team
are hoping this next one

Restores the balance.

Larry: There you go.

Liz: Okay.

Narrator: With an area
of nearly hectares,

Taronga's western plains zoo
in dubbo requires

A different approach to
animal welfare than in sydney.

Senior vet benn has finished
his morning rounds

Inspecting the herd animals
in dubbo's vast paddocks.

But back
at the wildlife hospital,

There's a never-ending supply

Of animals
needing benn's attention.

Benn: So, we're all good
for the plains wanderers, jane.

Um, I touched base
with mark this morning.

He's on track to deliver
those birds to us at : .

We'll get hospital rounds done

Before those plains wanderers
get here.

We see over
individual native animals

That are in trouble,
sick or injured,

That are presented to us
by members of the public

Or by our registered
wildlife carer colleagues.

Jane: So, underneath
we've got the two turtles...

Benn: Yes.

Jane: ...With
the shell fractures.

I might grab one of those out.

Benn: Yep.

Jane: Um.

Benn: By virtue
of our veterinary expertise,

That really positions us
to detect emerging diseases,

Health problems,
conservation threats and issues

And really play an important
role in conservation of species

And maintenance of biodiversity
in the central west.

Narrator: And nowhere
is this premise more accurate

Than with one of taronga zoo's
most important species,

The plains wanderer.

Benn: Things are so dire
that it was decided

To remove some birds
from the wild

To establish contingency
populations in zoos,

And, and today we're, um, we're
health-checking some chicks

That have been hatched
from a pairing

Of wild-caught birds
and their father.

They represent a significant
proportion of plains wanderer

Left on the planet.

His body condition is ample.

I would call him
three to four out of five.

Narrator: The plains wanderer

Has been decimated
by foxes and cats,

And taronga is now
the only lifeline

Between these tiny birds
and extinction.

Benn: So, the zoo-based
breeding component

Of the recovery project
has a really big role to play

In ensuring that, given
the ongoing current decline

Of the species in the wild,
that there will be

Individual animals remaining
available to be re-released

Into, into habitat
that it has been secured

And that the plains wanderer
will persist into the future.

Stretching. That's it.

This is the actual sire of
the, of the clutch of subadults

That we'll be looking at
in a minute.

So, he's a wild-caught
founder bird.

That is he's a, you know,
he's, he's responsible

For establishing the foundation

Of the, of the zoo-based
breeding program.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Jane: We're x-raying
the little ones as well?

Benn: Uh, yeah.

Narrator: The hatchlings
are only two months old

And are a testament
to the great work

That taronga is doing
to boost the numbers.

But the smaller the patient,

The harder it is
to work with them,

So benn needs total focus.

Benn: They are challenging
to manipulate and particularly

Where sampling, blood sampling
and other sampling is required

Because their structures
are all so small,

So tiny little bird,
tiny little blood sample,

And very conscious of that.

What feels like a tiny little
volume of blood to you or I

Could be life-threatening
to a bird like this.

These animals are small,
and they're shy,

And they're quiet,
and they're unassuming

But, but really
very, very precious.

And, and, uh, and,
and it's an enormous privilege

To be working
towards their conservation.

Narrator:
With this exam complete,

Benn's final appointment today
is another aussie animal

Facing huge problems
in the wild.

But this one is
nowhere near as delicate

As the plains wanderer.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Back in sydney,
paul has paired up

A couple of banded
huntsman spiders

In an effort
to boost the numbers

Of these creepy crawlies
at the zoo.

But breeding spiders
is not an exact science,

So he's keen to keep checking
in on the female huntsman

To see if there's
any development.

Paul: One of the problems
you've got

Is even though
the spiders get mated,

There's no real way to tell
how long it's going to be

Until they actually
lay their egg sac.

They can go months
without laying.

And that's where things
get a little bit tricky for us

Because we have to sort of
say to ourselves,

"did they mate? Do we have to
put them back together again?"

And of course with that,

You have the risk
of the female eating the male.

But this one here, it's
exactly what I'm looking for.

Just a couple of days ago,

She's laid
a lovely egg sac for us.

I don't want
to disturb her too much.

There she is.

So, this is the, the egg sac.

It looks like
a nice little white pillow.

And inside that sac,

There's going to be
a couple of hundred little eggs

Just waiting to hatch out
sometime in the next few weeks.

And that's where
the real fun begins

Because once they hatch out,

We then have to catch up
all those little babies

And put them into little
individual containers

To grow them up.

It also makes it a lot easier
for us to feed them.

But as you can imagine,

When you got a couple hundred
little babies in there

All going
in different directions,

It can get really exciting.

The egg sac
is just made out of web,

So the spiders are able to make

All sorts
of different kinds of webs

Depending upon their purposes.

And they have a special kind
of web they use

To make the egg sac out of.

It's not particularly
sticky at all.

It's actually
surprisingly tough.

Matter of fact,
spiderweb in itself

Is an extremely strong material.

It's, it's almost leathery
to get into it.

Narrator: Surprisingly,
the huntsman spider

Is quite maternal
when it comes to their eggs.

Paul: So, she doesn't
incubate the eggs

Like a chicken would,
as an example.

Okay, they don't sit on their
eggs and then keep them warm

For the young
to develop and hatch.

All she's doing
is protecting the egg.

She doesn't want anything to,
uh, to get anywhere nearby

Because there's a lot
of things out there

That they would love
to eat that.

Inside this egg sac,

There's going to be a couple
of hundred little babies

Just waiting to hatch out.

Most of those out in the wild
are not going to survive.

Most of them become food
for all sorts of other things,

Even each other,

So that's one of the reasons
why a lot of our insects

Need to have so many youngsters,

Because the vast majority
will end up dying

Or becoming food before
they become sexually mature.

It's a numbers game.

Narrator:
And to improve the odds,

Taronga breeds multiple
spiders simultaneously.

Paul: So, we've had some
great success with this one

But also with these two here.

Potentially between the three
of them that we've got here

That have already
got the egg sacs,

We could have over little
babies running around the place.

And that, for me at least,
this is just as important

As any other animal
we've got here in the zoo.

We keep this room
at a fairly constant temperature

And a fairly constant humidity,
so we're pretty certain

That we're going to get
some success with this

In a few weeks.

Narrator: As sydney wakes up,

Across the harbor at
the soon-to-be camel exhibit,

Keepers alan and tracy
are putting the final touches

On ras and storm's new home.

Tracy: Have you worked
with camels before, alan?

Alan: Yeah, many years ago.

Tracy: We're making
a lovely, comfortable bed

For our two latest arrivals,

Which will be coming in
early this afternoon.

Uh, we're very excited.

We haven't had camels in the zoo
for a little while.

They are very, uh,
entertaining to work with.

They're very intelligent.

So, this is pine shavings.

It's what we popularly
use for a bed

Because, um, unlike straw,
the animals don't eat this.

I think we've pretty well
got the job done here.

Nice big clean bed
for our two new girls.

Alan: Some of my best work.

Tracy: Camels have got
such great personalities.

I'm really looking forward
to meeting them

And finding out what,
what these girls are like.

Narrator:
With the stage now set,

It's time to welcome
the guests of honor.

And keepers are hoping to avoid
a repeat of the last animals

That were transferred
from dubbo...

Gabe: Hello, beautiful.
You heading out?

Narrator: ...When a giraffe mum
and calf took hours

To come out of their crate.

Glenn: So, we're just
giving them a minute.

There's no need to rush.

We've been, um, traveling for
like five, nearly six hours now,

So, yeah,
we're not on the clock.

We're just letting them be calm.

I'd much rather them be calm
than upset and stressed

And, and all the rest,

So we'll just give them
a minute. Yeah.

Slowly, girls.

(thudding)

Slowly.

Slowly, girls.

Narrator: Thankfully, this time
it was only four minutes

Before the camels decided
to stretch their legs.

♪ ♪

Tracy: They seem to have
very calm disposition,

Very calm demeanor.

You wouldn't have think
they'd just come from a drive

From the country
into the big city.

They seem very laidback.
They're eating already.

So, I'm really thrilled
that they're so calm and placid.

So, lachie, one of our
wonderful dubbo keepers,

He's just walking them around

To orientate them
to their new exhibit.

It's just a good way for them

To be able to see
all the boundaries.

They're going to be introduced
to where their water is.

They're going to be shown
their other food sources

Just so that we know
that when we leave them here,

They are going to be
very comfortable

And feel a bit at home.

Narrator: But it's
a bittersweet moment for glenn,

Who now has to say goodbye.

Glenn: We brought
brushes for you.

There's lots of hair there
to be...

Keeper: ...Brushed off, yeah.

Understand.
Completely understand.

Glenn: All right.

Keeper: Okay, cool.

Glenn: I will miss them
because, um,

I like working close-up
with animals like this,

And now that they're here,
I'll find that very difficult.

Um, but I'll definitely
come and make sure,

Take the time
to come and visit them.

Narrator: But happily,
he's leaving ras and storm

In good hands.

Tracy: Because they're so calm,

We are going to let them have
the whole exhibit tonight.

We're not going to leave them
locked in holding,

And over the next few
coming days,

We'll be getting used to them.

They'll be getting used to us.

And so I can see this is
going to be the beginning

Of a great friendship between
two camels and the keepers.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Narrator: Back
at the wildlife hospital,

Larry is still going strong
trying to determine the sex

Of these critically endangered
swift parrots.

Larry: These are three animals

That we've actually bred
here at the zoo,

Which is a great result,

But very difficult
to tell the difference

Between the males and females.

Obviously if you're pairing
birds for breeding,

You need to know
that they're opposite sexes.

And in some cases, we might want
to move birds out to other zoos

For breeding programs elsewhere.

And, of course, in that case,
you want to know

That you're sending the specific
sex to another institution.

I can see
the testicle clearly there.

Narrator: The first bird
was a male.

Larry: All right, liz, we've got
the next one here lined up.

Narrator: Now the team
have their fingers crossed

That this little one
is a female.

Larry: Pop its little head
in the mask.

I'm going to guess.
I reckon it's a female.

Liz: So do I.

Larry: I don't know why.
I just feel it's a female.

Liz: Yeah.

Narrator: And as larry knows,

There's only one way
to find out.

Larry: All right.
So, ha ha, we're spot-on.

It is a female.

I can just see
a little structure.

It looks like a bunch of grapes

Just sitting
just underneath the kidney.

I can actually see
what's called the oviduct

And the ligament of the oviduct,
which is going over the kidney,

Which confirms without doubt
that this is a female.

Also an opportunity
to quickly look around

And see what else
is going on in there.

And we can get
a good look at the lungs.

And in fact, uh, moving,
moving a little bit

Towards the head of the bird,

We can actually see
the heart b*ating. See that?

So, it's a good opportunity
to actually assess

The health of the bird as well.

We don't stitch the wound,
either, actually.

We just spray a little bit
of antiseptic on there

And leave it open.

(parrot screeching)

Okay, number three.

Our final swift parrot
for today.

Liz: Sounds like a boy.

(larry laughs)

Larry: Let's have a look.

Just pop the scope inside
like that.

It's a girl,

So nice little ovary there.

That's that. Done.

Narrator: The vets
have done their job.

Larry: Two girls and one boy.

Narrator: Now it's up
to these three to do theirs.

Narrator: After a long wait,

Keeper paul has
finally had success

Breeding his beloved
banded huntsman spiders.

Paul: After they've been mated,
we don't know how long

It's going to be
until the egg sac is laid

And even sometimes a bit
sort of iffy as to how long

Does it take for that egg sac
to start hatching.

Narrator: All up,
it took around weeks

From the introduction
to the pitter patter

Of thousands
of little spider feet.

Paul: So, here we have

All our little baby
banded huntsmen spiders,

Which is what we've
been waiting for.

But I've managed to get
the vast majority of them

Here into our jar,
which is great news.

So, mum's not in the jar here
with all the youngsters.

I've actually had to remove her

Because she's very protective
over these eggs and her babies,

So if I'm trying to do
anything with them at all,

She gets very fiery and, uh, I
just might get a bit of a bite.

Now, these spiders,
they're not endangered,

But by being able
to breed them ourselves

Means that we don't have
to take them out from the wild,

Which is a really good thing.

We can be self-sufficient here.

Unfortunately, not all of these
will make it to adulthood,

Which is one of the reasons the
spiders do have so many babies.

A lot of them will be eaten
by each other

And even just doing simple
things like shedding their skin.

So, being invertebrate,
they've got an exoskeleton.

As they grow, their skin
doesn't grow with them.

And even sometimes they
can have problems with that,

So a lot of these will probably
just naturally die off.

But what I'll need to do

Is I have to actually
start separating them

And put them
into little individual jars

Where I can look after them
a little bit more intensively.

Narrator:
It's a triumph for paul,

And no amount of unease
from arachnophobes

Is going to take that
away from him.

Paul: The whole process,
going from the mating

All the way
through the hatching,

There's so many things
that can potentially

Go wrong along the way.

To, to many people, you know,
breeding our spiders here

Is not really such a big thing
and it's not as spectacular,

Shall we say,
as a gorilla or an elephant.

But for me, this is just one
of the best things

That could have happened today.

Really great.

♪ ♪

Narrator: Taronga's
western plains zoo in dubbo

Operates a state-of-the-art
facility for breeding

The endangered tasmanian devil.

And on benn's last call
today on his rounds,

He will be doing a final health
check on a couple of joeys

Soon to be transferred
to another breeding facility.

Benn: Good morning.

Rachael: Hey, benn, how are ya?

Benn: Very well.
How about yourself?

Rachael: Very good. Thank you.

Benn: You ready to go?

Rachael: Yeah, absolutely.

I've got them locked
in their nest boxes.

Benn: Okay.

Generally, I want to make sure

That their body weight
is stable,

That their body condition
is good,

That there are
no obvious injuries,

There's nothing that might
preclude their coping

With a transfer to another zoo.

Rachael: Shall we pick her up
and have a good look?

Benn: Yeah, please.

Rachael: She's a little cranky.

I don't blame her,
we've woken her up.

Narrator:
When handling a devil,

Keepers must be
extremely careful,

As this is one animal whose
bite is worse than their bark.

Benn: So just, um...

(screaming)

...Just really
examining her behavior.

This is really,
really appropriate.

So, she's in, she's, she's
feisty, her eyes look good.

Um, her body condition's great.

All right, mate,
run her into a bag,

And we'll get a weight
on her and make sure

That her, her body weight's
been stable and, uh...

Rachael: Go on there.

You know, we don't want
to make friends with them.

We want to do the best for them

And keep them as wild
as they possibly can be,

So we try and make
the whole process

As quick and easy as possible.

We pick them up,
have a good restraint on them,

Um, and then pop them in a bag,
get a quick weight,

And let them go before
it becomes too stressful.

Benn: . kilos, rach.

Rachael: Great.

Benn: I think she's good to go.

♪ ♪

Rachael: Woo-hoo!
That's one down, one to go.

Benn: All right.

♪ ♪

All right, mate.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

He's in good shape.
He's heavy.

Rachael: He's a big boy.

Benn: He's got a good layer
of subcutaneous fat,

And that will stand him
in good stead

For, uh, subduing a female.

Rachael: Great.

Benn: He's got a nice pair
of testes hanging down.

That's a very important part
of his breeding future.

So, today we can confirm
that he's in good shape

And ready to go.

It's really very exciting that,
that today we're sending away

These two animals
that we got to know as joeys

Off to another institution

Where they will be
paired up with mates

And produce their own joeys
in turn to ensure that, um,

That, that tasmanian devils
persist into the future.

Rachael: Woo!

Narrator: As benn farewells
these two little devils...

Rachael: Great.

Benn: Thanks, rach,
that was great.

Rachael: No worries.
Thank you.

Narrator:
...He'll be back tomorrow

Caring for another
group of animals

And continuing
the job he loves.

Benn: I've been here
for years now.

As you can imagine,
my job's diverse

And no two days are the same.

Narrator: It's springtime
in sydney,

And in taronga's
swift parrot aviary,

Keeper leanne is watching
over every breeding pair.

Leanne: We're coming
into the breeding season

For the swift parrots.

We have nest boxes
in the aviary,

So we're just checking
the nest box

To make sure and see
if they've been using that box.

I've seen the male displaying
to the female from the outside.

And we can see that they've made
a nice little scratching

In the middle of the box there,

So hopefully that means
they're giving each other

A bit of a lesson
in the birds and the bees,

And hopefully
baby swift parrots very soon.

Narrator: And before long, this
nest box contains five eggs.

Leanne: It's very exciting,

And it's really important
that these chicks are born.

Narrator: But leanne
knows better than most,

You can't count your chicks
before they hatch.

Leanne: So, mum sits on those
eggs for roughly three weeks.

It's normal for not all
of those eggs to be successful.

Narrator: Leanne also knows
all she can do now

Is to make sure she feeds
and waters the breeding pair

And wait.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

And finally
she has good news to share.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Leanne: We've had three chicks
hatch out of five eggs,

Which is an amazing number,

And they've recently emerged
from their nest box.

So, you can see mum here
with some of her bubs.

At first glance, you would
think that they're all adults.

They all look like
they're the same size,

But those are
actually youngsters,

Um, so they grow really quick.

Once they fledge from the nest,

Um, and they have
their first flight,

They're almost
the same size as mum,

So not much growing
happens after that point.

We've got mum on the left,

And that's one of the juveniles
on the perch there to the right.

And you can tell
by the color of its eyes.

So, mum has that
yellow-golden-colored eye,

Whereas the juvenile
has that black-colored eye.

Eventually, once they mature,

They will go
that same color as mum,

But at first glance, that's
the way we tell them apart.

At the moment, they're in
what we call a weaning phase,

So you'll see mum
stick very close.

She's feeding them
at the moment,

But weaning is when she starts
to kind of teach them

How to eat solid foods
on their own,

So she's essentially
teaching them how to bird.

In probably
another three weeks' time,

They'll be fully independent.

Narrator: Swift parrots
now number at taronga,

And with every
successful clutch,

Keepers learn more and more

About the best ways
to breed them.

Leanne: Swift parrots
are very tricky to breed,

So the fact that we've cracked
the code on that is amazing

And not once now, but twice,

So this is our second
successful clutch.

Um, so we had three last year,

And now we've got
three again this year,

And that's an amazing
accomplishment for us.

Narrator:
And each fledgling's arrival

Heralds a brighter future

For this critically
endangered species.

Leanne: We can actually spread
genetics around to other zoos

And ensure that this population
is healthy and it can grow

And that we have
a secure number of birds

That can potentially be
released back into the wild.