Animal Park Catch up, Summer 2024: Episode 6 on BBC 2

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 programme, Kate Humble and Ben Fogle were thrilled to meet Hazel and Monty – the first and second southern koalas to be born in Europe. Today marks another huge milestone as the keepers attempt to establish a new bloodline with Dennis. He’ll be mixed with females Maisie and Yani. With mating season soon to begin, the three koalas will need to move in together. But Yani has only ever lived alone, so has not met Maisie, let alone Dennis. The team has no idea how she will react to meeting another koala. First, the keepers introduce the females and are on high alert for any worrying behaviours such as ear flicking. This initial stage goes well, but before the girls start mixing with Dennis, there’s another hurdle to clear. Dennis, Maisie and Yani all need to pass a health check from the vet. Southern koalas are prone to poor health and diseases, so James the vet must ensure they are in good condition before any breeding can go ahead. A lot is riding on this check-up. If any of these endangered creatures show signs of ill health, they will not be given the green light to breed. Thankfully, they are given a clean bill of health, and the decision is made to mix all three. As the keepers ready themselves for the mixing, all eyes are on Dennis. Will he try to mate with Maisie or Yani? How will they react? And will a vital new bloodline be established?\n\nOver in Tiger Territory, there is a huge success story for global conservation. Amur tiger Yana has given birth after weeks of nervous anticipation. This is only the second time in the park’s history that a litter of rare and endangered Amur tiger cubs has been born. But the big question is: how many are there? Kate races up to find out. Later in the episode, the keepers take a vital step forward in their care. Up until now, they've only been able to observe the cubs from afar. Today, they must briefly separate mum from her cubs to perform quick health checks and change the bedding. Will the keepers have time to do their checks and even tell what sex the cubs are before getting them back with their ferocious mum?\n\nBen is with the cheeky macaques and their keepers. He’s helping to give them a good workout and test their agility, using an exciting and new method of enrichment. It’s a monkey lilo made from hessian, filled with barley straw. The macaques investigate, jump and float on them, but it’s not long before they work out how to rip them apart!\n\nElsewhere, zoologist Megan McCubbin is at Half Mile Lake to offer her expertise on the latest park conservation project. Can she find evidence of native Eurasian otters? And what can she tell by sniffing their poo?\n\nWildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin is always on hand to help the keepers understand more about their animals, and with a new species at the park, his help is more valuable than ever. The six African painted dogs are settling in well, and the keepers are getting to know their personalities and behaviours. Keen to understand even more, Hamza has rushed down with his specialist kit to observe the dogs during a carcass feed, but can Hamza figure out who is top dog?

Source: BBC 2

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