All language subtitles for Taronga s02e02 New Neck in the Woods

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.

The teams across both of Taronga's
zoos... Open. ...meet every challenge

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

giraffes are on the move.

That's a boy.

Huntsman's favourite.

I'm not going to hold it.

But new keeper Dan is a very reluctant
student.

There we go. We're locked in.

Yuck. Yuck. And Kimberley 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 meerkat 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.

Definitely going all the way.

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

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 months of training
finally paying off. You guys are all

amazing and trained the hearts out of
it.

So we've got this. All right, 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, we're just 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 giraffes are excited and anxious as
we all are. We have to calm that energy

right down and get back to normal. So
they think it's normal routine all

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, Eora.

Hi, Mum.

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

12 years old.

We love working with our pelicans. We're
working on building up their

confidence. Hi.

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 walks.

Because they get so much out of it.

Do you want to go for a run too?

You ready? Go, go, go.

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,
then 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

interactions, 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 a 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 she regurgitated two hooks and
transported them here.

Yep. But the most important thing, I
suppose, is the left wing drooping

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.

Slide.

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

and we pick that up by 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.

Settle. 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 Tallit Giraffe on board.

Jim, Jim. Jim, Jim.

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

thing from the back of our head, giraffe
falling down in awkward positions.

Attaboy, Jim.

Truck's not going to have 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 is always going to

the laws of physics.

I don't want anyone behind him.

Coming up... We'll start the move back
there.

...how the shortest drive turned into
the longest wait. Hello, beautiful.

The five -minute move that took 36
hours. We have to wait them out, pretty

Plus, meet Danielle, the spider keeper
with a fear of spiders.

We've lost Dan.

Yuck! Yuck!

You're all right, Jim Jim.

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

Jim, Jim. 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 Yu really seemed 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 that 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're all right. Here, mate.
No problem.

You're all right.

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

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

Jimmy Yu's come off the trailer, which
is fantastic, and he's just paused on

unloading ramp and checking things out,
essentially.

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.

The old saying, two steps forward, one
step back. This giraffe is doing that.

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 alright.

You're alright.

Besides the stress, he's happy and
healthy.

We're not in any hurry to get him in
that barn, but my emotions aren't

yet because we've still got one to go.

This is the large den of the casseroles.
This is where we put out their morning

food. Learning how to care for Taronga's
5 ,000 residents can take years of

training. So here comes Maka.

She's our female.

And if you'll notice, he'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.

Arachnophobia, 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 they move, sometimes

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

legs. I don't 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, a little bit 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, 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

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 flies 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

try some things.

Okay?

So this is our female golden oil weaver.

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

We've lost Dan.

Yuck. Yuck.

So grey.

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. I know, just hang here. Okay.

That's it, Zarafa.

Taronga's giraffes are on the move.

And Zarafa has never been separated from
Jimmy Yu before.

You're 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, Biddle.

Hi, beautiful girl.

What's Jimmy here doing?

That's it, Zarafa.

That's the girl.

Well done. Slowly.

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

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're 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. Like, 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. Big bird, but very
light. It's already regurgitated to

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 radiographs.

I've got the wing.

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

our wrist.

Okay, I'm going to lift it up.

This area, it 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 its 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 wing.

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 a hook, 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.

What?

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, yeah. As
she goes everywhere, she leaves a bit of

trail web behind.

It's okay if you fall, you're 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? You put that on that hand.

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

Try it again. I'm just not standing at
all.

Try it again.

There you go.

Okay. You see, it's quite relaxed. It's
not biting 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. If there's a
breeze blowing in my direction, it

could... It'd have to be a gale.

Okay.

Party's turn.

Okay, Pani's turn. At this point, I just
want you to get your hand on my arm,

Daniel, the wrist.

Okay. Yep, just there.

And 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.

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.

How far is your heart going?

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

just did 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 herd of giraffes.

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

The two giraffes found for Sydney are
mum Keto and her calf, Ebo.

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 Ebo
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 Ivo'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.

So 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 why it's faking quite bad.

Getting hooked. Did they say this bird
could fly?

No, no. 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 scab in here.

She's looking for any signs that this
bird still has a fighting chance.

She's got new feathers.

Yeah, that's good.

So 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 positive, the next X -ray
confirms Kimberley's worst fears for

thick 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, giraffes Keto and Ebo 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 affects us at the other end.
We'll get in 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 gates 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 tonne.

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 giraffes stay struck and don't
come a knocking.

This is the exciting bit.

Keep it coming.

How 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.

All right.

Set that chain link.

You're clear on that side?

Woo, 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 able 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

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

and I 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

the cards. Might have to celebrate
tomorrow night instead.

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.

OK. 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.

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

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

OK. And I would have preferred to use a
small 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.

Look at the feet. See how she's
touching?

Yes, but she's preferring the wood.

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

hand. It tastes very different to what
you're used to. It tastes 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? Okay. And you just

put your hand just here. Yep. Okay.

Oh, my goodness.

There you 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 the fear if when she's not
where she's meant to be and then she

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, just keep on practising, keep on

exposing myself to holding the spiders
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 moves that I'll move.

Don't make her move.

There you go.

Under the circumstances 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
around spiders.

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.

This 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 alternatives.

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, but 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.

It's 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.

Now 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.

Next. You're heading out?

Taronga's stubborn new giraffe still
refused to budge.

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.

Its very first residents, 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...

beautiful. You heading out?

...when it came to unloading the
giraffe...

Dubbo Keeper Simone's prediction was
spot on. They're not going to come out

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 the 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 Nyota, 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 ossicones, those horns on his
head, there's still soft baby hair and

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.

In the new season, go behind the theme.

When a bit of monkey business.

Moving miles for monkeys can be very
aggressive.

Goes too far.

To do anything surgically would be
extremely difficult.

Having him in this situation is a little
bit scary.

How do you give a wild horse.

A manicure. They will kick, and you do
not want to be in the way.

Taronga. Who's who in the zoo?

Next Friday, 7 .30 on 9.