All language subtitles for Taronga s05e09 Little Penguin Rescue.eng

You don't get named one of the best
zoos in the world by accident.

And a view as magical as this
one is only gets you so far.

Good boy!

No, this last year, Team Taronga
have been busier than ever.

Boom! Whoo!

With their two zoos
now bigger than ever.

Come on, handsome man.
Let's go.

So this season,
we're taking you closer than ever.

(TRUMPETS)

And as their colourful residents get
ready to make some noise...

(TIGER ROARS)
Oh, my goodness!

..let us show you
exactly who's who in this zoo.

Just always be watching
who's who, who's where.

(BELLOWS)

On this episode...
Very weak.

..the race to save
this little penguin.

Someone's dog actually
sniffed him out.

Separated from its colony.

We found him under a rock.

The next 48 hours are critical.

He would die under
a general anaesthetic.

Tree gifts for everyone.

Good morning!
See if you like this, huh?

No, no. Not 'free'.

This one might be good for pulling
apart.

Tree!

The otters are lucky enough to get
some of this for their nesting.

And who am I?

They are shy. Really intelligent.
Very good escape artists.

Worked it out yet?

Half bear, half cat.
Smells like popcorn.

Oh, you'll just have to wait.

Taronga Zoo is globally renowned
for its location,

nestled on the shores of
one of the world's greatest harbours

in one of the world's
greatest cities.

And while that makes Sydney home

to some of the most exotic
animals on the on the planet...

Good girl, Mummy!

Its harbour is also
teeming with native wildlife.

But when cities
and wildlife collide,

catastrophe can strike.

This is a little penguin.

And he came in yesterday.
He's very weak and sick.

He's half his body weight.

So 560g. Should be a kilo.

So normally when a bird arrives,

if they're less
than half their body weight,

they really don't usually make it.

So he would have been moulting.

A moult is when a penguin completely
sheds its old feathers for new ones.

Penguins go through
a moult once every year.

It probably hasn't eaten
for three weeks now since

the start of the moult.

They have to grow all
those feathers out.

And while he's growing
those feathers,

he can't swim or hunt for fish.

For that three-week period,

they are very vulnerable
to dogs in particular, and foxes.

There's a moulting penguin
in the middle of nowhere,

that penguin is probably safe,

but in the urban environment
with dogs and foxes,

it is dangerous for little
penguins to be moulting.

They have trouble finding
safe burrow sites.

Someone's dog actually sniffed him
out and found him under a rock,

so it's best if they bring them
into the wildlife hospital here.

That way they can moult in safety.

It's too soon to tell if this
penguin has any internal injuries,

but right now, Libby's main concern
is his terrible body condition.

When you look at the weight,
you think, "Wow!"

This is actually a mixture of
electrolytes and a high protein,

easily digestible diet.

So I'm going to open his mouth

and I'm going to put the tube
right down into his stomach.

Warm fluids. That's exactly what he
needs at this point in time.

The tummies can hold quite
a few fish,

so they're a lot
bigger than you would imagine.

A healthy little penguin

can eat up to a quarter
of its body weight a day.

So we're just going to pop him
back into his cage now

because he's wriggling around.

While a belly full of
food is a good start,

this bird is still too sick to even
be properly assessed by a vet.

So the next steps for this little
penguin are going to be baby steps.

He's too weak to have
a general anaesthetic.

He would die under a general
anaesthetic at this point in time,

so he will stay
in intensive care, resting.

We don't want him expending
any energy that he doesn't have to.

It's just bed rest in the hospital.

You get warmth
and fluids and you rest.

I'm hoping that he'll just
keep putting on weight and survive.

But you just never can tell.

With around 5000 animals at Taronga,

there's always at least one
eagle-eyed critter

watching over every nook and cranny.

But it's not just
the animals keeping lookout.

Good morning, Taronga Zoo Security.

There's always somebody watching.
And that somebody is Steve.

I've got roughly about 2000 cameras.

It's his job to not only make sure
nothing gets in...

Kemiri!
..but that nothing gets out.

Kemiri!

Kemiri.

I see your face. Come on, let's go!

Good man.

Phew! No need to call on
Steve just yet.

This is one of our binturongs.

We have two living
here at Taronga Zoo.

I had never heard of a binturong
before I had worked with them.

They're definitely one of
the more unknown animals

we have here at the zoo.

They spend most of their life
up in the tree tops,

which makes them very, very
efficient climbers

and potentially very good
escape artists.

So we keep a close eye on that.

Well, to be fair,
STEVE keeps a close eye on that.

These guys are found in
forests in Southeast Asia

and are listed as critically
endangered in the wild.

So there's not all that
many of them left,

which is again, it just makes it
more special for them

to be here at the zoo.

They are shy, quite cautious,

really smart
and really gentle creatures.

Binturongs are famous for
one thing in particular.

They have a really
distinctive smell.

Some people say that it smells
like popcorn

and you can smell
them from a while off.

This tail is incredible.

They're one of only two carnivores

that have a prehensile tail

so he can hang from that tail.

They can almost effectively
stand on that tail.

So all in all, amazing climbers

and really intelligent animals.

So we mix up their
enrichment every day.

You can see I've got a yellow ball

that has some banana smeared on it,

which is some of his favourite food,

and he's essentially
going to have to figure out

how he's going to get
that ball to his mouth

and get the food
that he wants from it.

Let's just hope that's all he's
figuring out and not a WAY out.

You'll notice that some of
our trees have tree guards on it,

and they're on specific trees

that get a little bit
too close to our fence line.

Well, that's a red flag.

While the keepers, er, and Steve,

keep a very close eye on Kemiri...

I'm running out of grapes, buddy.

Taronga staff must also be on
the lookout for any unwelcome

guests trying to break in.

And that's Brian's department.

Do you have a reading
on that lower fence at the moment?

At the wildlife hospital...

He's VERY skinny.

..rehab coordinator Libby
recently took in

a weak and badly
malnourished little penguin.

He's very sick.

The bird was found on a beach -

alone, exposed and vulnerable
to dog and fox attack.

Very, very underweight.

You can see how
thin this bird is.

So we need to take it very slowly
and get some nutrition into him.

And that's exactly what Libby did.

The Penguin has now survived
the first critical 48 hours

and is hopefully strong enough for
a thorough veterinary examination.

We've got a little penguin that's
having a health assessment today

to make sure that he doesn't have
anything happening internally.

Apart from its weight,

the penguin doesn't appear
to have any obvious issues,

but looks can be deceiving.

A bird's bones
are hollow and so fragile.

Even a curious animal could
have injured it on the beach.

So we'll pop the little penguin's
face on the mask.

Thank you.

And we'll start to give
a little bit of gas.

You might need to turn him up.

Yeah, I'll just pop in some
anaesthetic.

That's up just a little bit to 4%.

Just to help him relax
and have a nice smooth...

smooth induction of his anaesthetic.

But the little bird is using every
trick in the penguin playbook.

Because penguins dive underwater,

they are obviously very good at
holding their breath.

And refusing to inhale
the anaesthetic gas.

So that natural reflex
can then kick in

while they're
having their anaesthetic.

So often we'll then just pop

the anaesthetic gas
up a little bit higher

and give them a couple
of assisted breaths to

really get that anaesthetic back in,

and then they tend to relax.

That's better. Nice and relaxed now.

I'm just going to
pop this down to 3%.

With the anaesthetic
now doing its job,

vet Adelaide can now
finally take a closer look

at this sick penguin.

Well, he's got some
little lesions.

You'll see it when...
Yeah.

He had one on that foot as well.

They certainly don't seem to be
causing him any, any troubles.

And I don't think they'll
impact his walking or his

swimming or anything like that.

All his joints feel like
they move fine around those areas.

So let's have a little
look at his eyes.

So I'm just having a look right
back through to the back of the eye

to make sure that all of the
structures of the eye look normal,

but he doesn't have any eye issues

that might need treatment
while he's here.

Just got a nice bright light
so I can see everything in there.

So that's a really nice pink colour.

Doesn't have any injuries
in his mouth that might

affect him eating.

While the physical examination
hasn't revealed

any major issues just yet,

it's still way too soon
to say if this patient

is out of danger.

So we'll do an X-ray of
him on his back,

and then we'll take another one
of him on his side,

because we can see some different
things on the different views,

and it gives us more of an idea

and get more of a sort of
three-dimensional idea

of what's going on.

We positioned the little penguin in
a way that's nice and symmetrical

so we can compare both sides.

X-ray.

So...

can't see any damage

to any of his bones or his joints,

which is good news.

Good news indeed.

Oh, what IS that?

Though the X-ray does reveal
one unexpected surprise.

Coming up...
What can I see?

..warning! Warning!
Warning. Do you copy?

A perimeter breach.

And that something
is quite something.

There's a big one over here.

Good morning, buddy!

It's no surprise

some of Taronga's residents,

like Kemiri the Binturong,

are natural-born Houdinis.

Amazing escape artists.

You know, they are amazing
at climbing,

so we keep
a close eye on that.

But there are plenty
of other animals

just as determined
to break into the zoo -

though, they have to get through
frontline Bryan first.

Today we're looking at
our perimeter fence line

and looking for fallen debris.

Vegetation growth that's
over the fence line.

We're looking for holes, problems,

anything we can
find on the fence line.

We've also got an electric fence
line that runs across the top of it.

So this is all a barrier
and a deterrent between

animals we want to keep in
and the ones we don't.

And the ones they
don't want to get in?

Foxes for starters.

Just getting around it.

It's, as I said,
28 hectares of fence line.

It's a big job.

Good morning, Taronga Security.

And helping share
that big job is Steve.

Thank you, mate.

Oh, yeah. And his 2000 cameras.

Can you please ensure the gate
is closed after you enter.

The eyes and ears of Taronga.

Our Taronga perimeter
electric fence is a fox-deterrent.

Something touches it, it will zap it
and it'll turn it away.

With so many animals here,

whether they're large, small,

even the uninvited,

Taronga doesn't play favourites.

They're committed to
keeping them all safe.

So, Brian, do you copy?

Copy that, Steve.
Get back to you soon.

Thank you.

So when any potential breach
is detected,

Taronga's response team treat each
and every one of them seriously.

Just have a look at
this fence line. What can I see?

Brian, to Steve in security.
Have you got a copy?

Mate, do you have a reading on
that lower fence at the moment?

A low voltage means
the electricity may be out,

and if the electricity is out,
then wily predators can get in.

Right, Steve?
Go ahead. Receiving.

Could you de-energise that lower
fence line for us, please, Steve?

Yeah. Copy that.

Brian has detected a breach.

Steve to Brian, confirming
that zone nine is off.

Copy that, Steve. Isolation.

Now for me, I'm now going to be
able to, easily and safely...

Ah. Did I say 'breach'?
I meant 'branch'.

Just a flick and she's gone.

There's a bigger one over here.

I know now it is turned off,
but still safely,

I'll just flick that over
the edge and it should just go.

Foxes. Foiled again.

The reason we removed the debris
is that it actually reduces

the voltage on the fence line.

The bigger branches across
all the lines cause the line

to actually short out.

Steve, we finished the work
down here at the fence line.

Are you able to
re-energise for us?

Yeah. Copy. Stand by.

This time, the breach...er,
branch is tiny,

but the potential risk to Taronga's
animal family is massive.

So Steve and Brian
are forever vigilant.

Advising you a current reading
is 7.3 thousand volts.

Copy that.

Each morning before opening time,

Taronga is buzzing with activity.
(CROWS)

And directly responsible for
a large chunk of that activity...

Come on, Pip!

..are the many and varied residents
of the Backyard to Bush Precinct,

which, let's face it,
is a bit of a of a circus.

The purpose of Backyard to Bush

is really to take
people on a journey

through all the different animals
that they might encounter

everywhere from their own backyard,

like lizards, different spiders,

and then our Australian
native animals,

and then brings
visitors through the farmyard.

Alright.

Hi, girls!
Wanna come out for a run?

All those different animals
equals a ton of different jobs

for the Ringmistress keeper.

Before I was working as a zookeeper,

I used to work
as an executive assistant.

Now I'm working outside.

I'm working with animals.

And as much as I loved my old job,

this is definitely
far more fulfilling.

Come on, boys.

In the mornings before the zoo
opened, boys, the goats

and the alpacas get to run
around the farmyard

and free-range for quite a while.

They're off to go and have
a bit of a play

while the keepers get
on with cleaning their yards.

Number-one job on
Parnee's to do list...

..number twos.

There's a lot of poo to
be raked and shovelled.

So, unlike the goats,

who make a lot of mess
in their yard,

the alpacas,
they actually use a latrine.

So they all use the same
spot to do their toileting.

And it's so much easier
than raking the goat yard

because it's all
in one nice, confined spot.

Task number two?

More number twos.

Gotta get it all looking spic
and span before the zoo opens.

The goats give us
lots to clean up.

They poop wherever they are

and it all gets collected

and gets composted.

In fact, there isn't much that
doesn't get recycled at Taronga.

A lot of it gets used around
the zoo in the various garden beds

to keep all the plants
looking beautiful.

So yeah, it doesn't go to
waste, that's for sure.

Coming up...
X-ray.

A shock discovery
that changes everything.

We found a microchip!

And this is what happens...
Want some endive?

No.

OK, that's alright.

..when you have your
own personal chef.

He's sometimes a fussy eater.

Hi, Widge!

At the Taronga Wildlife Hospital,

vet Adelaide is examining
a very underweight penguin.

Shall we take some X-rays?

Yeah, I'll just check.

The Taronga team are trying
to determine if he has any

internal injuries after being
found on a beach by a pet dog.

Penguins have trouble living
in the urban environment.

X-ray!

Dogs, in particular, can smell
a penguin from a long way away.

They have trouble
finding safe burrow sites.

Vet Adelaide has
spotted one very tiny

but incredibly important detail.

So there's just a little
microchip in here,

which will have a unique number

that the little penguin
can be identified from.

It's got a microchip?!
Yeah. So we found a microchip.

Yay!

We noticed it on his X-ray,

and then we scanned it
and got the number.

Great. I'll look up his records.

The discovery is significant

and also very helpful.

The microchip means this bird

has come into contact
with humans before.

So it's either a bird that's
been in care here,

or it's a bird
from the Manly colony.

So the Manly colony is a colony
of penguins that are very special.

They're an endangered
colony because their numbers

are dropping due to urban
disturbance,

so that colony is very
closely managed.

So one or two of those two things -

we'll look up the records
and find out!

I'm just checking his body
condition over his keel bone.

Um, he's still on the thinner side.

Shall we weigh him and have a look
at what his weight's...

Sure.

705.

The penguin has put on
just over 140g since it arrived,

but much of that
is the food in its belly.

He needs to be a kilo.

That may take quite a little bit of
time for him to reach that weight.

Calling this bird a buddy.

But I'm pretty certain
it's a female.

Looks like Mother Teresa
at the moment, don't you?

On a positive note after
a thorough examination,

there are no apparent injuries,

but Libby can see this penguin
is still far too unwell to release

and still in desperate
need of her constant care.

Penguins don't eat on their own
in captivity,

especially when
they're sick like this,

so you need to assist-feed them.

But as you can see,
I'm feeding quite well.

Is that yummy?

Now we're going to
let him in the water.

There you go.

Gonna have a swim.

So I just want to monitor
this penguin in the water.

Make sure she can swim OK.

She can manage alright.

She can get in and out
of her burrow.

If not, we'll need to take her up
to the wildlife intensive care.

She'll need to build up
condition and get fit before

she can go out into the wild.

Back at the Backyard to Bush,
it's everyone's favourite time -

meal time.

And while these kids
continue to butt heads,

carrying on like
a couple of goats...

Good morning, Pep.
Ready for your brekkie?

..over on the other side,
Keeper Pahnee is turning heads,

serving up a feast
to the local marsupials.

This is Pep. She is our quokka.

She is a very small marsupial.

She's kind of like
a very small kangaroo.

That's the way. Come on!

Pep has gotta be one of
the slowest eaters here at the zoo.

She does like to take her time.

Quokkas, in the wild,
they eat mainly vegetation.

And so here at Taronga,
we feed them vegetables.

They also get a get
a special pellet diet.

Make sure that they're getting
all the nutrients that they require.

We also provide them lots of
browse, lots of native leaves

and flowers so that we're
fulfilling that part of her

natural diet.

With Pep now fuelled and full of...
well, pep...

Was that a nice brekky?
Good girl, Pep.

All done.

..not everyone on Pahnee's breakfast
rounds just takes the food.

Some are real givers.

Chook! Chook! Chook!
Chook! Chook! Chook!

We've got our silky chickens here.

Hello. Good morning.

A lot of animals in the zoo have egg
as part of their diet.

So the silky's eggs go up there,

and they get included in
a lot of those diets

for other animals around the zoo.

It's all about keeping
Taronga sustainable,

using the resources
in the zoo for the zoo.

Good morning, Wedgie.

Though one other feathered
Backyard To Bush resident

has no intention of joining in
on this EGG-stravaganza.

This is Widgie, our emu.
He is a real character.

Would you like some breakfast?

Emus are obviously
a very large bird.

They're related to
ostriches and cassowaries.

They're able to survive
in most ecosystems and habitats.

Widgie's doing a little
more than just surviving.

I mean, that's what happens when
you have your own personal chef.

But it must be said he
has particular tastes.

No? OK. It's alright, bud.

Bye, Widge!

He is sometimes a fussy eater.

Is there any chance you
could bring some mealworms

down to Widgie for me?

WOMAN: Sure.

That's like a real favourite.

Thank you.

Mm. I mean, who could resist?!

Yeah, he's a lot of
fun to work with.

A nice treat, isn't it?

To work with these amazing
animals every day,

being involved in conservation work

and getting to help connect
people with wildlife and nature,

it's the best job in the world.

Coming up, what's REALLY involved...

It's about a thousand trees
we need on our plantations

to sustainably feed one.

..in feeding a koala?

That's a lot of trees.

And decision day approaches
for this little penguin.

She has to be really fit
to catch fish in the wild.

When a problem pops up at Taronga
no matter how small...

Easily flick. And she's gone.

..or tall, everyone pitches in.

We've been monitoring
this tree for about four years now,

and we've had concerns about the
tree's root system and its decay.

This once majestic old grey gum
is on its last legs.

So before it becomes a hazard for
the locals that live under it,

horticulture manager Ben
has marshalled the troops

and ordered a big trim.

One of the main things we want
to recycle out of this tree

is the leaf for the koala.

So when you do the cuts,

can you cut them approximately
two metre branch heights?

That's no dramas.
Yeah, we'll cut them down.

And he has big plans
for every last bit.

Sustainability is one of our
core values at Taronga,

so we try to live that through
our practices every day.

So is that the limb
he's going to start working on?

MAN: Yeah.

We'll aim to recycle
almost the entire tree itself.

Whether it'll be the furniture
for our habitats.

We use the branches for
perching within the zoo,

the actual trunks,

we use them for everything
from habitat inside exhibits

to furniture for the animals.

Virtually every leaf, branch
and log will be dispatched

to all corners of the zoo.

OK!

And keeper Amy has called first dibs

for the zoo's fluffiest residents.

So unfortunately for us, it was one
of the koala's favourite trees,

so it was cut down to size.

And today it's on the back
of the truck

for feeding out to our koalas.

So you can't get any
more local than that.

Local produce.

OK. You ready, Rez?
Yeah.

The sheer volume of browse
required

to keep Taronga's koala population
well-fed is extraordinary.

Good morning.
See if you like this, huh?

As you can see, madam is enjoying

the spoils of the Hort
team's labour at the moment.

It's a really, really difficult
task feeding our koalas.

So yeah, per koala,
it's about a thousand trees we

need on our plantations
to sustainably feed one.

So that's a lot of trees.
Sure is!

And with those numbers,

it's crucial to extract
every tasty last morsel

from every last branch.

So we make sure that
we respect every leaf.

It is the reason koalas
are in trouble in the wild.

Not enough food, not enough places
to put their bottoms on trees.

So it's really, really important

that we look after
the browse that we have.

Their huge appetites aren't
the only challenge Amy faces

when feeding her koala clan.

They're a little bit like us.

If you eat too much pizza,
you get sick of pizza.

So we're trying to give them at
least three choices of browse.

I'll deny I ever said this,
but almost as fussy as Widgie.

So the rest of this stuff that
they've eaten a lot of the leaf off

will go to other
areas around the zoo,

and we'll go
and feed some more mouths.

Three weeks ago, a little
penguin was brought into

Taronga's Wildlife Hospital,
critically underweight

and unable to feed on her own.

Hey, little girl!

Wildlife rehab coordinator Libby

has been monitoring
her intensively every day.

I'm splashing her to make her swim.

I want her diving
and swimming around as much

as possible at this stage.

And now we're building
up her fitness levels.

She has to be really fit
to catch fish in the wild.

She usually dives
when I splash her,

she dives under the water rather
than just swimming on the top.

So I contacted National Parks and
Wildlife and they

looked up their records.

And she's from Lion Island,

which is an island
colony of penguins,

which is not far from here.

If Libby can get this penguin
stronger,

the dream is to take
her home and release her.

But it's not guaranteed.

Sadly, not every rescued penguin
regains enough of their strength.

And that's when Taronga
rolls out plan B.

Fortunately for a lot of
penguins that come into our

wildlife hospital, if they have
an injury, that means they're

not able to evade predators
or hunt for their own fish,

that means they wouldn't have

a very good chance of surviving
out there in the wild.

But luckily, they're able to find
a home with us in our colony.

And one such lucky penguin
is one-flippered Juan.

So who was actually found
bobbing around in the harbour.

And he was missing a flipper

and he was actually out there for
so long he was covered in algae.

So he'd been out there
for quite a while.

So when he arrived at Taronga,
he went to our wildlife hospital,

and the amazing team there
took care of him for a while

and nursed him back to health.

And then he came down
and joined our colony.

I think, unfortunately,

Juan wouldn't have met a very nice
end out there in the wild.

Eventually he probably
would have starved to death,

or he could have been
taken by a predator.

He's able to swim around and move
around our habitat really well,

and he's able to feed with
the rest of our penguins.

He's having a much
better quality of life

here in our colony.

Nice one...Juan.

I'm not sure you want any more.

As for Libby's
still-recovering patient,

the jury's still out on whether
she'll be staying or heading home.

At Taronga, as an old grey gum
on its last legs is removed,

plans are being formulated

for every piece of the tree.

This one might be
good for pulling apart

and trying to eat some
of the ants inside of it.

Keeper Dannielle isn't interested
in the ants,

but she is about to give Taronga's
resident otters a tree gift.

This browse came from
the tree that was rotten

that they needed to cut down,

so the otters are lucky enough to
get some of this for their nesting.

They're a great pair.

They get along incredibly well

and they are really good
nest-builders.

In the wild, they will nest
along riverbanks.

While they're creating the nest,

they'll actually forage or search
for their own nesting materials.

And the really cool thing is

as the nest sort of naturally
decomposes,

the greenery that
they've put in there actually

creates heat.

Sounds cosy!

Pia and Ketut will definitely
love this browse.

We don't get browse like
this very often for them.

And neither does Konira
the Andean condor,

who'll be the fourth animal today
delivered a tree gift.

So we're hoping that she'll
use it as a bit of enrichment.

What I really want to see is her
using her beak and her feet.

Kind of like how she'd hold
down a carcass,

hold it down with her feet,

and then tear it up with her beak.

Should make for a bit of fun.

A bit of a flower-arrangement.

Just got to wedge it
in this crevice here.

Make it a bit tougher
for her to get out.

She is very strong,

so she should do it with
quite a lot of ease.

OK, cool.
She's going straight to it.

Inspecting it.
Having a little look around.

She's kind of standing right
in the middle of the browse,

hidden amongst all the leaves.

And she's actually preening
down her chest,

down her neck, under her wings.

Not really what I was
expecting to see at all...

..which is fine.

I mean, you can never predict
what an animal is going to do,

at the end of the day,

we can go in and hope
for what we want,

but it's not always
what they're going to do.

Here's hoping animal number five
will be a little more impressed.

Rehab expert Libby has been helping
a malnourished little penguin

get back on its feet.

I mean, flippers.

Very weak and sick.

Found by a concerned dog-walker,

the penguin was
critically underweight

and vulnerable
to dog and fox attack.

560g - should be a kilo.

So normally when a bird arrives,

if they're less than half
their body weight,

they really don't usually make it.

But after six weeks of Libby's TLC,
this little fighter has made it.

So it's a really big day for
a for a little penguin today.

She's going home to
North Curl Curl Beach,

where she was found under a rock.

Really weak.

Half her body weight.

And now she's perfect.

And she's really keen to go.

So she's going to be released
back into the wild today.

Hi!

What's happening? Oops!

Do you wanna come out here?

Going back in the ocean today.

Oh! Little girl.

That's it.

That's it!

Yay! Here we go.

I'm going to take her up into
the other building to weigh her.

This is exciting.

Seeing what her little
patient tips the scales at

will really show Libby
just how far she's come.

I'll just pop her in here.

If we're lucky, she'll stand
still and not jump out.

Although we can't be sure.

Oh, yay!

One... Ha!

In case you've ever wondered
what tipping the scales looks like,

that was it.

1.06 kilos. Look at that!

That's fantastic. She was 520g.

Oh!

I think she's keen to go.

So from 520g to 1.06 kilos.

So one kilo is the perfect
weight for her.

She's raring to go. Aren't you?

She's beautiful.

If you're very, very careful

and you do all the right things,
you can get them through to release.

Look at that view.
Yeah. So this is Curl Curl.

A lot of work from everyone in the
team to get her to this stage.

The whole hospital team, really?

The veterinary side, the rehab side.

It's been a long journey
for her, so I'm very happy

to get her back
out into the wild again.

And at Curl Curl
on Sydney's northern beaches,

wild it is.

Well, it's very rough today.

Um, sea's quite big,

so it'd be nice
if it was calm for us.

But it won't worry the penguin.

She'll just dive
under the waves.

Yeah. Look at this. You're home!

I love my job.

This part, releasing them back into
the wild is by far the best bit.

Look!

(LAUGHS)

Look at her! There she is!
Whoo-hoo!

So at the moment,
she's swimming down the beach,

making it look easy out
there in the rough surf.

But to her, this is home.

This is perfect.

And with one final
look back, she's off.

I've been doing wildlife rehab
for a very long time.

Many years. But every single release
is different for me.

And it's always wonderful.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah. Very special.

Next, the king of the jungle
steps up.

Here they come!

To show everyone how it's done.

That is some incredible
jaw strength.

Recently at Taronga,

horticulture manager Ben

ordered surgery on a giant,
decaying grey gum.

And so far, it's been
given a second life.

We can take it and feed it
to our animals,

knowing that it's not just going

straight into the trash
heap or anything like that.

And a third...

I think it's very beneficial
to them and their welfare.

..a fourth...

It's just something different.
Hopefully she enjoys herself.

..and now it's time for a fifth.

Today, we're bringing these
lovely logs in that we salvaged

from the tree that cut down

for the lions.

Hopefully, they really enjoy it.

OK, let's put this one on top.

Like this.
Yeah. So it's sort of...

Yeah.

Where do you want this one?

Maybe across the top with
these bits sticking out?

Yep.

So if we put it...

Try and get some height out of it.

Yeah.
That's nice.

That's nice.

This weight for a lion
is easy for us.

A little bit more challenging,

but lions are incredibly strong.

It's amazing seeing their power

and what they can actually do.

This is the first time that the
lions have had smooth-bark logs.

Different shapes. Sizes.

It's going to be really
interesting to see what happens.

Here they come.

Straight away,
they've noticed that pile

is different in this habitat
to what it was before.

Zuri is the most interested.

Not surprising.

Young female Zuri does have
a reputation

for being the most
curious of the big cats.

Oh, my goodness.

I cannot believe Zuri
is trying to pick up

that log in her mouth.

That is some
incredible jaw-strength.

Oh, Zuri!

The log's gone down the hill.

And like most annoying brothers,

Luzuko decides
he wants in on the action.

Luzuko is now picking up
the same log Zuri had.

He's really, really
looking up to his sister there.

Sorry, mate. Time's up.

Your sister logged on first.

I think those logs have been
an incredible success story.

Gone from the tree to the lions.

The otters have had a chance.

Nothing goes to waste here.

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