Animal Park Catch up, Summer 2021: Episode 1 on BBC 2

Animal Park

Summer 2021: Episode 1

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle return to Longleat Safari Park for another sun-drenched summer series following the extraordinary lives of the exotic animals and the keepers committed to help them. \n\nJumba the lion has a worrying infection in his tail, so the keepers and the vets must work together to find a solution fast. When the park first opened in 1966, very little was known about lions from a veterinary point of view, but since then the team have made an enormous contribution to the worldwide understanding of exotic species. When Rich the vet has to amputate Jumba’s tail, it’s not just a first for him, it’s the latest extraordinary procedure to support the welfare of animals at the park. \n\nKate marvels at the huge herd of eland, but also finds out why there have been a few more babies this season than they were expecting. Ben gets the extraordinary opportunity to observe the troop of bachelor gorillas. In the wild, they spend much of their day foraging for food, so to try to recreate this behaviour the keepers have a plan involving some chopped vegetables and broom heads. Jean Johansson helps cool down the South American tapirs, who would normally stay cool under a rainforest canopy, and finds out how parrots react to the heat of fiery chillies that they might find in the wild. \n\nThere’s also a new member of the Animal Park family: wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin is focusing his specialist zoom lenses on the behaviour of the park’s amazing animals. Today he is with the macaque monkeys. Can he identify the dominant member of the group and help the keepers understand the latest hierarchy?

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Animal Park

Animal Park

Summer 2022: Episode 7

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle return to Longleat Safari Park for another spectacular summer series following the fascinating stories of the exotic animals and the keepers who look a ...

29-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2022: Episode 6

Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are back for another sunny summer series following the remarkable lives of the exotic animals at Longleat Safari Park, and the keepers who care for the ...

28-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2022: Episode 5

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle return to Longleat Safari Park for another glorious summer series, following the incredible stories of the exotic animals and the keepers who look afte ...

27-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 10

Every year, visitors to Longleat Safari Park get to see thousands of exotic creatures from around the world, but three years ago a native species made an entrance like no other! ...

26-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 9

Along with feeding all the animals at Longleat Safari Park, the keepers need to keep an eye on their mood, behaviour, love life and, of course, their health. And that’s be ...

25-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 8

The keepers at Longleat Safari Park are getting to know three very special new arrivals – cheetah brothers Adjani, Temba and Lunis. They have a vital mission: to make a lo ...

22-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 7

It’s a truly momentous occasion for the keepers. They have incubated and successfully hatched one of the world’s most threatened bird species – the critically ...

21-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 6

One of Longleat Safari Park’s biggest achievements to date has been the work put into the crucial breeding programme of the endangered southern koalas. Previously on the p ...

20-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 5

Ben and Kate discover the importance of the keepers understanding every aspect of the lives of their animals, and in tiger territory, that’s more vital than ever. For the ...

19-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Animal Park

Summer 2024: Episode 4

A celebration of some of Longleat's legendary animals – in particular, Thorn the giraffe.\n\nMany of the keepers have cared for Thorn for over a decade, and in that time, ...

18-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes