All language subtitles for Inside Taronga ZOO s02e02

Sydney Harbour is home to one of the
world's most iconic zoos, Taronga.

Everyone stand as far apart as possible.

But never before... Make sure you've got
your mask on. ...has it faced a year

with its many monumental challenges.

It's really hard to see because I'm
fogging up.

Atta boy, Jim. Nearly home, mate. But
the teams across both of Taronga's

Open. ...meet every challenge head on.

And our cameras are there to bring you
every magic moment.

On this episode, one small step for
Jimmy Yu.

Good boy, Jim.

Nearly there, bud.

One giant step for Taronga. It's the
beginning of the migration, bringing all

the animals in to the African savannah.
Giraffes are going to be here soon. The

giraffe are on the move.

That's the boy.

I'm not going to hold it. But new keeper
Dan

is a very reluctant student.

There we go. We love Dan.

And Kimberly and Libby do everything
they can.

Let's check out the wing.

We're looking in here in the stomach
area for hooks, and there are no hooks.

that's great.

But is it enough to save this injured
pelican? This doesn't look good.

Zoos are always looking at ways to
enhance how they exhibit and care for

animal.

After five long years of planning and
construction, the curtain will soon be

lifted on Taronga's African Savannah
precinct.

Featuring multi -species exhibits
designed to be a little slice of Kenya

Sydney Harbour.

It's set to redefine what a 21st century
zoo is all about.

But there's much more to a new exhibit
than just the build.

It's the beginning of the migration,
bringing all the animals in to the

savannah. We've got zebra coming and
ostrich and kneecaps and fennec fox and

lions.

This is just the beginning of what's
going to be absolutely wonderful.

Good. Very good.

In order to move into their new
enclosure, Taronga's giraffe have been

for well over a year.

We often get told, can't you just put
them in the trailer and walk them up?

that all sounds great in theory, but
they're wild animals, and here at the

we try and keep them all as wild as they
can. We would like them to display

their own natural wild behaviour, so we
don't treat anything here like a pet.

But everything was suddenly put on hold
when the elder female 28 -year -old

Nyota became unwell and sadly needed to
be euthanised.

After three months grieving for Nyota,
the giraffe team have regrouped and are

now ready to move the two remaining
giraffe, Jimmy Yu and Zarafa, into their

enclosure.

Everyone stand as far apart as possible
so we can have a meeting.

I thought you were doing the version of
the hug.

So take two.

We don't want to rush anything and it'll
be better for the giraffe in the end.

If we're all calm and relaxed and just
doing things methodically and

efficiently.

We've been training for this for
probably the last 18 months.

So it's going to be a big relief today
when we finally get them up there.

I'll be taking the lead in terms of
instructing people where to go.

In charge of the move is head of
ungulate, Gabe.

He's counting on the month of training
finally paying off. You guys are all

amazing and trained the hearts out of
it.

So we've got this.

Let's do it.

Okay, and away we go.

The giraffe need to be moved before the
zoo opens, so there's no room for error.

Hey, where does heading down to the
giraffe barn to get started?

Good luck.

Thank you so much.

But it's crucial they remain calm.

Okay, deep breath, everyone.

If the giraffes suspect anything, the
whole operation is in jeopardy.

So if a giraffe is as excited and
anxious as we all are, we have to calm

energy right down and get back to normal
so they think it's normal routine all

around.

Taronga is home to 350 animal species.

But the best represented among them are
the birds.

A staggering 2 ,000 of our feathered
friends live at the zoo, two

of whom are Australian pelicans.

Morning, boys.

Hi, Iora.

Hey, Mum.

We've got two pelicans at Taronga Zoo.
We have Marnie and Iora, and they're

12 years old. We love working with our
pelicans. We're working on building up

their confidence.

Hi, handsome.

Go for a walk?

Our main goal is to enrich them. So
every day we like to do something a

bit different with them.

Very good.

Come on, buddy.

Probably the most fun things we get to
do with them is take them out for a

Because they get so much out of it.

Do you want to go for a run too? You
ready? Go, go, go.

It's great to see them get a bit of a
run up and get those wings flapping.

Yeah, it's a great time for them to just
have some new experiences.

Good boy.

Good boy!

So what you're seeing now is called a
pouch wobble, and it's during breeding

season. They get their real pink colours
going on.

It just signifies to females that
they're ready for breeding.

But that's not the main use for their
distinctive pouch.

That pouch is very elastic, so it's
really soft skin and quite flexible, so

allows them to scoop up lots of water,
lots of fish, because they're quite

opportunistic feeders. Basically,
they'll be flying around if they see a

of fish or anything near the surface,
and they can dive down and just take a

massive scoop, and that is a really
great way to get a lot of food nice and

quickly to fill them up.

All along the top there is really hard,
and on the edge of his bill is sort of

quite sharp.

They've got the hook on the end of their
bill as well. And that, again, is

really useful when they are trying to
catch their food and also for defending

themselves. So it is really sharp and
can do a fair bit of damage when they're

fighting amongst themselves or defending
themselves from predators.

Hey, buddy.

Unfortunately, the damage done to
pelicans by encounters with humans is

more common.

Here at Taronga, our wildlife hospital
will see quite a few pelicans come in

each year with different injuries to
them. It's pretty much always due to

interaction, like hooks into their bills
and damage to that beautiful pout.

Also sometimes fishing line wrapped
around, either closing their bill up or

around their feet.

So awful stuff like that, and that's
because they are interacting with humans

quite a bit.

With an average of 40 pelicans a year
coming into the hospital, it doesn't

long for another bird to be admitted.

This is the new pelican.

It's a big bird, very light.

Today, an injured and underweight wild
pelican has been brought in for some

medical attention.

Came in from Como boat ramp, and it was
really easily picked up at the boat

ramp. And it had a hook in the box, and
the carer just rang before to say she

found another hook.

So it's regurgitated two hooks in
transport to come here.

The most important thing, I suppose, is
the left wing's drooping really, really

badly. Okay.

Let's check out the wing.

Two hooks, a sore wing, and dangerously
underweight.

This pelican needs urgent help.

See? Oh, yeah.

Blood.

Giraffe are tall animals and we've got
two to move.

Giraffe, she's only about four and a
half metres tall. And then we've got our

big boy, Jimmy Yu, is 5 .7 metres tall.

Good boy, Jim.

Nearly there, bud.

Jimmy Yu is up first and he's making it
look easy.

All the months of training are finally
paying off.

As we're transporting...

We're keeping a very close eye on the
animal's behaviour and we pick that up

their overall body language, how flared
their nostrils are, the posture of their

ears. Just give us an idea of how
comfortable he is in that situation.

That's a boy.

Good boy.

That's a boy.

Having me on the back of the trailer,
even though he wasn't 100 % focused on

just knowing that familiar sound and
that familiar voice was a big comfort

him. Nearly home, mate.

With Taronga's tallest giraffe on board.

Jim, Jim. Jim, Jim.

It's crucial that Jimmy Yu's weight is
evenly distributed in the trailer.

So the thing from the back of our head,
giraffe's falling down in awkward

position.

Atta boy, Jim.

Truck's not been able to drive up the
hill properly because the wheels are

spinning.

Boy, Jimmy Yu, you're doing well, son.

You're all right, mate. Coming up a hill
with 1 .2 tonne of giraffe in a

trailer. He's always going to test the
laws of physics.

I don't want anyone behind him.

You're all right, Jim Jim.

This morning, the long -awaited move to
the new giraffe enclosure has begun.

Jim Jim.

And Jimmy Yu, the tallest giraffe, is on
the road.

This is the first time we've locked a
giraffe in this trailer, but it's

good now.

Good boy, Jim.

Watch his head, watch his head, Clint.

Jimmy, you really seem to push that
trailer to its limits.

There's a little bit of flex in the
walls, a few creaks and cracks that put

on edge.

This is the steepest bit.

But it actually turned out to be a slow,
steady move up the hill.

You're right, buddy, you're nearly home.

They may be on the home stretch.

But it's not over by a long shot.

As soon as I drove into this yard here
and we backed up... You recognise this

place?

The relief was... It was amazing.

It was a pressure off my shoulders. I
haven't slept in about two days leading

to this.

I'm free.

Perfect. That went like clockwork.

You were right, mate.

Off to Savannah.

You ready to go?

Yep. Jim, slide.

Hey, Jim.

That a boy.

Good boy, buddy. Good boy.

Good boy.

You all right?

Here, mate. No problem.

You all right?

But getting Jimmy U into the new
enclosure is another matter.

As a herd animal, he's not used to being
alone.

Jimmy U's come off the trailer, which is
fantastic.

And he's just paused on the unloading
ramp and checking things out,

Here, bud.

Here. Here. So although he used to live
up here, there's lots of new things, and

he wants to make sure this is safe
before he explores further.

Here he's coming.

Good boy.

That a boy.

Ultimately, we want him to go into his
new barn.

I'm right here with you, dude. Don't
worry. It's all right.

They're old saying two steps forward,
one step back. This giraffe is doing

He's going two steps forward to the barn
and investigating, realising it's a

safe zone. Then he's taking two steps
back, taking the pressure off himself.

Then he's going three steps towards the
barn.

We're not in a hurry.

You might notice that when you see a
giraffe sort of lift up its neck and

its head around,

that head throwing is a little bit of
stress that's it you're all right you're

all right besides the stress he's happy
and healthy um we're not in any hurry to

get him in that barn but my emotions
aren't finished yet because we've still

one to go this

is the large den of the cassowaries yep
this is where we put out their

morning food Learning how to care for
Taronga's 5 ,000 residents can take

of training.

So here comes Macca. She's our female.

And if you'll notice, she's a lot larger
than the male. So is that how you tell

the difference between them? Absolutely.

So come on in, Mac.

But when it comes to working in the
backyard to Bush Precinct, keepers need

learn to overcome one of the most common
fears on the planet.

I reckon five of you.

It's the most common fear that we know
of.

But as to why people are afraid of them,
everyone's got their own different

reasons. Yeah. Sometimes the look,
sometimes the way it's been moved,

because they've been brainwashed and
thinking that way.

There's no real sort of one reason.

Hey, Daniel. Hi.

Today, what we're going to be doing is
working with two of our staff members

here at the zoo, Parni and Daniel, and
we're going to just make them a little

bit more comfortable with working with
our spiders.

I've had a fear of spiders for as long
as I can remember. It's the legs. I

like the legs.

I've always wanted to overcome my fear
of spiders, especially now that I've got

small children. I feel like that I'm
instilling that fear in them.

Yeah.

nervous. I can feel my heart pounding.

My usual role here is actually working
with the farm animals. So I work with

goats and alpacas and chickens and
ducks. So all the cute, fluffy little

guess. But we also have a lot of
invertebrates on this section and I'm

be able to start working with some of
those, including spiders.

Oh my goodness, what am I doing?

Huntsman's favourite.

Check out this one.

Is it in there?

It's in there.

I can't see it.

Oh!

But don't worry, we'll build you up to
it.

We're going to start off, first of all,
with a little golden orb weaver.

Okay, they're alright.

They just hang in the corner and...
Yeah, more or less. I cannot guarantee

either of these spiders are not going to
bite you.

Okay. You've worked with animals long
enough, you know there's no guarantee.

but it is highly unlikely.

Yeah. Okay?

Also, if you were to get bitten by
either of these spiders today, at worst,

going to feel like a bee sting.

I'm not going to hold it. At no point am
I going to force you to do anything,

but I'm going to suggest you try some
things.

Okay?

So this is our female golden ore weaver.

And for an adult female, she's quite
small.

We've lost Dan.

Yuck. Yuck.

I can barely feel her. She's so light
and so gentle. So she can definitely

travel a lot quicker.

Sorry, Paul. That's okay.

I promise I won't let her get anywhere
near you. Hang here.

Okay.

That's it, Zarafa.

Taronga's giraffe are on the move. And
Zarafa has never been separated from

Jimmy Yu before.

She's quite worked up. We need to keep
it quieter.

She's a little bit older. She's a little
bit more challenging.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, beautiful
girl.

Richie, what's Jimmy doing?

That's it, Zarafa.

That's the girl.

Well done. Slowly.

Is that her moving around a bit in
there, guys?

Yep.

Good job, sweetie.

Hi.

But lucky for the giraffe team, after a
feisty start...

The Rafa's move goes off without a
hitch. That's it.

That's it.

Okay. And unlike Jimmy Yu... Slide.

She can't wait to check out her brand
new home.

You all right, sweetie?

When I first saw her coming out of that
trailer, it was just amazing.

Slowly, sweetheart.

That's a girl.

Oh, that was perfect.

Textbook. She walked out so confidently
and with such purpose. She knew exactly

where she was going, even though it was
a new exhibit. And it was just the

biggest sense of accomplishment.

So, yeah, one of the best days of my
career. Awesome.

Champion. They're locked in. We did it.

Well done, everyone.

That's it.

But the team can't relax too much.

In the coming weeks... Two more giraffe
will be joining Jimmy Yu and Zarafa.

Bottomless pits, that's what you are.
Bottomless pits, aren't you, hey?

And out at Dubbo, it's a move they've
never attempted before.

D -Day is arriving very shortly, and I'm
excited, but I'm also a little bit

nervous. It is the first mum and calf
move together, which is a really big

thing. Good girl.

Sydney Harbour is home to many wild
animals.

And this morning, an injured pelican has
been brought into the zoo's hospital

for treatment.

It's a big bird, very light.

It's already regurgitated to fishing
hook and has a drooping wing.

Let's check out the wing.

Vet Kimberley and hospital manager Libby
need to take a closer look.

Yeah, look at that.

Do you want to grab him and we'll have a
feel of that wing. And I suspect we

might anesthetise him today and take
some radiograph.

I've got the wing.

So his wing is actually drooping from
the carpus, which would be equivalent to

our wrist.

Okay, I'm going to lift it up.

This area feels thickened compared to
the other side. The

fact that it's thickened, it may mean
that he's had an injury there and it's

scarring up or he's...

had just some kind of trauma that's
caused it to swell.

I think we should probably x -ray him,
so we'll take him next door. All right,

think we need to anesthetize him because
he's vomited up the two hooks, and that

left wing is a little thickened. Okay,
ready, Lib? Yep, I'm ready.

Kimberly sedates the pelican before she
can intubate it for the procedure.

He's already relaxing. Is he? That might
be enough.

Here he goes.

See you on the other side.

Beautiful. Okay, I need one of you to
open the mouth.

So I'm intubating the pelican so we can
give him some gas anesthesia to get him

fully anesthetized. Or her.

Yeah, can you? Thanks.

I'm just going to change the size of his
tube.

That's better.

It's hard to intubate them.

There's a little piece of cartilage
that's right inside the glottis of

So it's hard to get around the side of
that sometimes.

And as soon as she's asleep, we can
start taking the x -rays.

Is that a bit better?

That's better.

We can start with the right lateral.

While vet Kimberly sets up to take some
x -rays, Libby takes a closer look at

the sleeping bird.

Have you seen his feet, Kimberly?

Yes, feet are kind of gross.

She's got some scabs on her legs as
well.

There's a bit of a laceration here, so
I'm wondering if that could be from a

hook or something as well.

You can see all these marks here, so she
hasn't been flying.

Indication that she's been struggling
for a while, walking around on her feet.

But this bird may have more problems
than just sore feet and wings.

I might even move her down a little bit
towards me, Deb. Yep.

First, I'm going to take x -rays of her
body to see if there are any hooks

inside her stomach. If there's hooks
inside her stomach, that's an indication

that we'll probably need to take her to
surgery.

Can everybody step out while we take the
x -ray, please?

We're looking in here in the stomach
area for hooks, and there are no hooks

there. So that's great. We don't need to
do surgery to retrieve hooks. I'm

really happy. Thank goodness.

Thank you for vomiting up those two
hooks.

Yay, no hooks. So now I'm going to focus
on the left wing.

While no more hooks is great news.

Take another one.

It's the next X -ray that has Kimberly
concerned.

Yeah.

So... This doesn't look good.

Every animal at Taronga gets excellent
care, including the

spiders. I can barely feel her. She's so
light and so gentle.

Down in the backyard to Bush Precinct...

Keeper Paul is helping Danielle and Pani
overcome their arachnophobia.

Is that a little bit of web?

There is a bit of web there, yep. As she
goes everywhere, she leaves a bit of

trail web behind.

It's in case she falls, she's not going
to plummet to the ground. Right.

Oh, there we go. Got her.

That's why she lets the web behind.

Well done.

You okay, Dan?

No.

Okay, I'm right.

You're right. Why don't you come and
touch my arm?

There you go.

What about those big bad seals you work
with? Put that on that hand.

What was the difference between that
hand and that hand? Because it's closer.

Try it again.

It's not standing at all.

Try it again.

There you go.

Okay. You see, it's quite relaxed. It's
not biting me at all.

Okay. It's definitely not jumping over
to try and get you.

But can it jump?

No, it actually can't jump.

It can fall off my hand. There's a
breeze blowing in my direction.

It'd have to be a gale.

Okay.

Party's turn.

Okay, party's time. I just want you to
get your hand on my arm, down to the

wrist. Okay.

Yep, just there.

Let's just wait.

Oh my goodness.

Okay, you've got her now. I've got her.

I've got her.

Now what you can do is with your other
hand, give her somewhere to go to.

Okay.

That's it. Oh my goodness.

Just remind me again, she can bite.

She can bite. I can bite. Doesn't mean
I'm going to. Okay. Okay.

And there you go. Oh, my goodness.

I can't believe it. Way to go.

Oh, wow. That's amazing. She's so light.

Yeah. Oh, far out, Mike.

How fast is your heart going?

It's pounding.

I can't believe I just did that,
actually. I'm really surprised that I

that.

Wow.

Now, this is where the real fun begins.

Okay. Okay.

Huntsman's favorite.

Oh.

With Jimmy Yu and Zarafa now settled in
to their new enclosure.

Giraffes are going to be here soon.

Keepers are preparing to welcome two
more giraffe from the breeding herd at

Taronga's Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

Oh, what have I got?

Num, num, num.

Out here at Taronga Western Plains Zoo,
we have our breeding herded giraffe.

It's a herd of 11 animals, so there's 10
females total out here.

The two giraffes bound for Sydney are
mum Keto and her calf, Ibo.

We have done quite a few giraffe moves
here at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, but

it is the first mum and calf move
together as well, which is a really big

Like the Sydney giraffe, Keto and Ibo
have had months of intensive crate

training.

But with Sydney's new savannah exhibit
about to be open, the move's been fast

-tracked. So this is our giraffe
transport crate that we have here. We've

kitted out, especially with some nice
soft bedding for them to lay down and

stand around in. We've also got all
their tasty treats hanging up, like

and a few pellets as well.

While keepers have been crate training
for months, the zoo's animal transfer

team... Oh, how good are we with the
giraffe transport arrangements at the

moment? have been planning every facet
of this move for just as long.

Oh yes, the giraffe are one of the
hardest species to transport.

They're so high!

You need a specifically designed crate
to be able to do it. It's engineered so

that the crate can get higher or lower
on the road. You can actually

heighten the crate so the animal may be
a bit more comfortable for its long

journey.

Today is a really big day. It's D -Day
for Keto and Evo. They are going to make

their big move off to Sydney this
morning.

Mum Keto has come in very easily. She's
often trying to encourage Evo to want to

come in herself.

He's been a little bit more on the
cautious side.

Both giraffes are now safely in the
trailer.

Very good.

Very good.

But keepers know that was the easy part.

While they're comfortable going into the
crate and being locked in, the process

of lifting the crate can give them a bit
of an uneasy, seasick sort of feeling.

That's our main worry, is how they're
going to react to the crane lifting the

crate.

With the crate now on the truck, Keto
and Evo's long journey to Sydney begins.

It's a really big step for these guys.

They're going to have a little bit of
adjusting to do, but I think they'll

settle in really well.

How do you think they'll go?

They're not going to come out of the
crate.

Because I've done such a good job.

Do you want to grab him and we'll have a
feel of that wing?

This morning, an underweight and injured
pelican was admitted after it had

regurgitated two fishing hooks.

We're looking in here in the stomach
area for hooks, and there are no hooks

there. So that's great. We don't need to
do surgery to retrieve hooks. I'm

really happy. Thank goodness.

With more hooks ruled out, Vet Kimberly
turns her attention to the drooping

wing. Yeah, there's definitely a problem
with the left wing.

This doesn't look good.

There's obviously been a previous
injury, and it's healing in an abnormal

position.

So this is the normal one over here.

You can see the different bones really
distinctly, but if you look at the left

side, you see a big white mass, and
that's bone trying to heal.

And it looks like this bone, which is
one of the metacarpal bones, was broken

and has healed in a bit of an angle.

So that's the area where the bird's wing
is drooping.

It may have already frozen in that
position, and if that's how it's healed,

the bird's unable to use the wing, it
may not be releasable.

So let's have a look at some other
views.

The team will do everything they can for
injured wildlife that have a chance of

survival in the wild.

Though Kimberly wants to take a few more
x -rays just to be sure.

And maybe if this bird's not doing well
in the wild, maybe that's why it's

trying to eat fish.

off of lines and getting hooked.

Did they say this bird could fly?

No, it was easy to pick up.

Oh, hello.

She's dreaming.

Hospital manager Libby has a real
fondness for seabirds.

And although the pelican is in a bad
way, there's definitely a lot of

here, she's looking for any signs that
this bird still has a fighting chance.

She's got new feathers. Yeah, that's
good.

These are all brand new.

It takes a lot of energy to grow all
those feathers.

You can see this one still has the shaft
on it. Okay, everybody step out again.

Despite the positives, the next X -ray
confirms Kimberly's worst fears for this

sick pelican.

That's not going to improve.

The giraffe have just arrived and we're
just starting to move.

After seven long hours on the road from
Dubbo, giraffe Kito and Ibo have finally

arrived at Taronga to join Jimmy Yu and
Zarafa in the African savannah.

They're in there together, they're super
calm and we're about to take them to

the new savannah and unload them.

We've got to hook all of the crates up
to cranes. They need to be lifted and

lowered into position before they can
actually be let out into the exhibit.

So that's always very nerve -wracking.
They're tall animals, the tallest land

mammals. They can kick out.

It's an anxious few minutes as the crate
hangs in mid -air.

Well, that affected it at the other end,
getting through the gates.

To fit through the zoo, the crate will
need to be moved off the semi -trailer

and onto a smaller truck.

We have to get this pretty much spot on,
on the tray, so that we can get through

the gate in the exhibit at the other
end.

With the team so close to the finish
line, they can't afford any mistakes.

It'll be alright.

Woohoo, they're on their way.

This box with the giraffe in it weighs
five tonnes.

That's a big load to deal with. And
they're tall, and they're moving around

there. So it's a lot to take into
consideration.

Well, they're starting to move back
there.

And the giraffe crates rocking don't
come a -knocking.

This is the exciting bit.

Keep it coming.

Am I looking, Gabe?

You might need to swing it.

Because you've got plenty of room on
that side, don't you?

The size of the crate is really pushing
the limits of what the zoo can handle.

How's that?

Yeah, keep going.

That's that chain link.

You're clear on that side?

Yeah, you're going all right now,
brother. We're in.

Thank you.

After a close shave through the gate,
Kito and Ibo are just one final crane

away from their new home.

We're very excited to have these two
giraffes here. It's a very different

setting. They'll be out to smell the
salt breeze off the harbour and see the

city in the background, and hopefully
they'll love it here.

With the crate now in place at the
unloading ramp, it's important the

unload at their own pace.

Hello.

How are you doing?

Yeah, she's at the door, which is good.

That's a girl.

In you go.

Good girl.

You're a jumpy little thing, aren't you?

That's it. You're all right, little man.

They are very comfortable in that box.

Hello beautiful.

You're heading out?

The Taronga Dubbo keepers have had the
crate in the yard for a long time and

young calf, that crate has made up a
huge proportion of his overall life and

think mum wants to stay where she knows
that he's safe.

Because the Sydney keepers don't have a
relationship with these giraffes,

There's no training they can fall back
on to tempt them out.

We have to wait them out, pretty much.

I was hoping to make it home for my
son's birthday dinner.

Looks like that's off the cards. Might
have to celebrate tomorrow night

I honestly forgot how stubborn they
were.

She's so light and so gentle.

Keepers Danielle and Parni are learning
how to overcome their arachnophobia.

Okay. That's it? Oh, my goodness.

To varying degrees of success.

I physically cannot stay still when
she's like that. Like, I have to leave.

So far, they've started small with a
golden orb spider.

Okay. But Paul is keen to move on to
bigger things.

Unfortunately, we don't have any small
huntsmen today.

Okay. And I would have preferred to use
a smaller one.

to get you into it. Me too.

But we do have our big girl here.

She's more of a scurrier, isn't she?
Yes. She can definitely travel a bit

quicker.

Oh.

She's got hairy legs. She does.

I'm going to see if I can get her onto
my hand.

Well, you know, she's not going to be
really keen to get onto my hand. No.

See, look at the feet. See how she's
touching?

Yeah, but she's preferring the dark.
She's preferring the wood.

Now, the interesting thing here is that
it takes through their feet. So for her,

my hand tastes very different to what
she's used to. It takes through their

feet? Yes.

Wow, I didn't know that.

So why don't we try the same as we did
with the golden orb, and use your hand

just here? Yep.

Okay.

Oh, my goodness.

Here we go.

Okay.

Okay, look at that.

Okay. How's the heart going?

Oh, my goodness.

How are you going out there, Daddy? I'm
good.

Is she under control?

Yeah, she's under control. All right.
Yeah, I can't even articulate it.

It's the way that she moves. It's all
her long legs.

It's just a fear if when she's not where
she's meant to be, and then she gets

lost, that she'll just turn up somewhere
near me.

Good girl. Yeah, I think it's about baby
steps, although that didn't feel very

baby, like a big step. But I think,
yeah, to keep on practising, keep on

exposing myself to holding the spider
and just building up my confidence.

You're doing well.

I'm serious. You are. You may not feel
it.

She's not moving.

It's when she'll move that I'll move.

Don't make her move.

There you go.

Under the circumstance of the limited
time we had, I think you did really,

really well. That's the closest I've
ever been voluntarily.

That's amazing.

I've worked with you. I've seen you as
fighters.

For me, that was a win.

I would like to get a little bit
further, but seriously, that was a win.

was really good.

And Parni, wow.

I'm just going to borrow your hat for a
minute.

Just give me this.

I'll take my hat off to you.

At the wildlife hospital, vet Kimberly
has thoroughly examined an injured and

underweight wild pelican.

Yeah, there's definitely a problem with
the left wing.

It doesn't look good.

And has had to make a difficult
decision.

We can't release her to the wild because
she's not going to be able to feed

herself and fend for herself.

It's probably why she's been eating fish
off of fishermen's hooks.

It's also probably why she's quite lean.

If this was a new injury, we might be
able to put it in place and fix it, but

it's old and it's permanently fixed in
an abnormal position.

The team are left with no alternative.

Unfortunately, we're going to need to
euthanize her because she's not going to

survive on her own in the wild properly.

And that's probably why her feet are
also in such bad shape.

She's been spending a lot of time on her
feet, I suspect.

All right.

Euthanising animals is so difficult for
all of us.

Unfortunately, we do see animals at the
end of their lives sometimes.

By the time someone actually gets hold
of the animal, then the injuries are

really awful.

And so our job then is to ease the
suffering of those animals. And the best

thing we can do for this animal is to
put her out of that suffering so she

be in pain anymore.

Very sad.

It's very sad.

We do a lot of crying. We do a lot of
crying.

So this is the euthanasia solution.

Got it?

Thanks.

Yeah, it's very quick.

She doesn't have a heartbeat anymore.

All right.

Yeah.

The team show great care and respect to
the very end.

We're very lucky in this profession to
have this as an option for animal

welfare. I can't imagine not having that
option for animals that are really

suffering.

No, you're going to be really going to
cry. Stop it.

We'll do a full post -mortem on her.
We'll actually look at how bad that wing

was to see if we can learn anything and
see what might have been a cause.

Yeah.

Research on this pelican, along with the
study of animals in Taronga Care,

will help to preserve the species in the
wild.

And as a conservation zoo, That's what
Taronga's all about.

Five years in the making at a cost of
nearly $60 million, and

Taronga's new savannah will soon be
open.

Designed as a multi -species precinct,
it aims to bring a little slice of

to Sydney.

Hello. Its very first residence, Jimmy
Yu and Zarafa have settled in nicely.

And after seven hours on the road, plus
a few crane lifts, the Dubbo giraffe

Keto and her calf Ebo have arrived to
join them.

This is a huge milestone for everyone
here at Taronga Zoo, but especially for

giraffe keepers. We've been working for
probably the last two years to get this

to come together, and it's nearly where
we want it to be.

That's it. Out you go.

But working with animals means things
don't always go according to plan.

You're a jumpy little thing, aren't you?
While the long journey from Dubbo to

Sydney went off without a hitch...
Hello, beautiful.

You're heading out?

When it came to unloading the giraffe,
Dubbo Keeper Simone's prediction was

on. They're not going to come out of the
crate.

Why do you predict they mightn't come
out? Because I've done such a good job.

Sydney keepers had to wait a full 36
hours for Keto and Ebo to emerge from

crate. It was two days before we were
able to lock Keto and Ebo out of

the crate and into their barn.

The Dubbo keepers did an awesome job of
conditioning those two giraffes to the

crate. They loved it.

Giraffes are normally pretty good with
introductions. They're a herd animal and

they like being with other giraffes.
This is Keto and she has settled in

well with our two giraffes, Zarafa and
Jimmy Yu.

Ebo is a very independent calf so he's
happy to be off on his own.

The last giraffe calf that we had here
was the dear old Leota.

who passed away recently. So it was 29
years ago.

Having something that small come into
their world, it rocked them. They were

like, whoa, what is that?

But they've been fantastic with him.

He is just adorable.

His coat is still...

That baby velvety calf coat, unlike the
coarse hairs of his mum, and his

octicones, those horns on his head, the
still soft baby hair, and oh, so

adorable.

With this giraffe herd now complete,
it's a new beginning for the African

savannah exhibit, which is starting to
come to life.

Having four giraffe in here now is like,
wow, this is going to be fantastic.

And there's more still to come. So we've
got zebra arriving next week, which

we're gearing up for. I think it's just
getting better and better.

To complete the migration, many other
African animals are on their way.

They'll be the quick and curious, the
fast and feathered,

and returning to the zoo after an
absence of five long years, the regal.

It's an exciting new chapter for all
these animals, and also for Taronga Zoo.