Â鶹Éç

We discover how the keepers are going to great lengths to keep us all safe from an invisible killer.

Longleat has become a centre of excellence for the breeding and care of one of Australia’s most celebrated animals, the Southern koala. Now a male and a female have both been born in Koala Creek, the first of their species to be born anywhere in Europe. Good news travels fast and now they have another animal in their care, Yani, a female, who has joined the collection from Hong Kong. But there is a problem. Hong Kong is an area known to have cases of rabies, and it is the keepers’ responsibility to protect us all and their animals from this potentially lethal disease. For five months, the keepers must wear protective suits as they care for Yani on a daily basis. With such a lethal disease potentially on the park, everyone has everything crossed for the results of today’s vet check.

It’s not just exotic animals that excite wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin. He’s just as passionate about native species. He joins Animal Park veteran Ian Turner for a vital audit of the creatures that live deep in the woods. They discover insects of all different shapes and sizes, and find evidence of fallow deer and even beavers. Will it be enough to prove that the woodland is an ecosystem bursting with life?

Elsewhere, zoologist Megan has joined the vet on their rounds, visiting a series of creatures great and small in the family farmyard. A goat, a turkey and a sheep all need a check-up, but they’ve got to catch them first.

And the lions get a new and exciting enrichment that involves water! But will they make a splash?