Animal Park Catch up, Summer 2023: Episode 11 on BBC 2

Animal Park

Summer 2023: Episode 11

Over the years, Wolf Wood at Longleat has seen more plot twists than a soap opera, but last year it was struck by tragedy on another scale when the matriarch for the pack, Eliska, died. Ben was there in the summer of 2022 to witness the impact it had on the remaining wolves, who howled in sorrow when they realised Eliska was gone. As always, the keepers must look forwards, and now is the time to rebuild the pack. They have selected three females from which they plan to build a new group, but they must first establish who is the most dominant and therefore most likely to bond with a new male when he arrives. Luckily, they can call on the talents of wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin to observe the females. Hamza quickly gets an insight into the three females, using his long lens, but it’s when he installs covert cameras that he can determine who could be the new matriarch. \n\nOne of the keepers in Animal Adventure is having a tricky time with a North American tree porcupine called Fennel. Like Eliska, Fennel lost her partner, but the keepers are especially worried about her because they are not sure she is eating. She has also become very withdrawn. Zoologist Megan McCubbin attempts to help the team coax her out of her house and raise her spirits. \n\nOut on the safari, the camels are in fine form, so it’s the perfect day for Kate to head up and help them shed their winter coats. Huge clumps of their fur comes off in the summer months, but at the park, nothing goes to waste and that’s exactly the case today, as the pungent balls of fur are heading straight to the hyena enclosure as a form of enrichment to build their confidence. Once incredibly nervous, this pair of hyenas now love new things in their enclosure, but have never had camel fur before - what will Africa’s notorious scavengers make of these camel off-cuts?

Source: BBC 2

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