All language subtitles for Taronga s06e05 Baby Boom.eng

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

VIRGINIA GAY (NARRATES):
They say don't ever work

with babies or animals...

(MONKEYS COO)

..but what
if they're baby animals?

Oh, no.

It was
only born this morning.

On this all new season...

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

..welcome back to the ever
changing world of Taronga...

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

..where you'll witness things
you never thought possible.

You can
actually hear her breathe.

And meet new faces...

Oh, hi, buddy.

..you'll never forget.

So good.

It's time to discover...

Oh, my god.

..exactly who's who in this zoo.

(TIGER ROARS)

On this episode...

Their talons can just pop
straight through skin like butter.

This eagle has landed.

There's
a big swelling here.

Now, the race is on...

He's
on a knife edge.

..to see if this majestic bird
will ever fly again.

We may have to make
a really difficult decision.

All aboard...
(MONKEYS COO)

It's
really, really special.

..destination,
Spider Monkey Island.

Not
many people can do this.

Whoo!

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

And...

Incoming.

(CALF THUMPS)

Now, that's what you call
making an entrance.

When
the calves are born,

it's about a 2m drop to the ground
to the start of their life.

(THEME MUSIC)

There isn't a day goes by that
Taronga's two wildlife hospitals

don't have some kind of weird...

The hook is halfway
down the animal's neck.

..wonderful...

Upper
left canine's got a fracture.

..or wild patient admitted
through their doors.

Bit of a wriggler.

And today in Sydney,
they really don't come much wilder.

We have a white-bellied 00:02:05,759
of the
public with a drooping wing.

It was found about
six weeks ago now.

The eagle was being treated
at another vet hospital

before coming to Taronga
for specialist care.

They found the fracture
and unfortunately by that stage,

there had been
some healing of the wing

and it
was a bit late for surgery.

The bone fracture had already
started setting at an unusual angle.

So, the big question is,
will this sea eagle

be able to fly again
and return to the wild?

Today, we're gonna 00:02:42,759
whether we think with the
degree of healing

it's likely that
he will be able to fly.

Alright, let's just go down
and catch it and see.

I'm
just going to peek and see.

So, he is holding his left wing
a little bit unusually,

that's
his injured wing.

Transporting a bird of prey
like this to the treatment room

for some X-rays does come
with certain challenges.

I'm not gonna worry
about anything else,

um,
except for the feet.

The beak is nasty but I can
handle a bite from the beak.

It's the feet I don't want on me.
(CHUCKLES)

When they do clamp down on you,
the strength is phenomenal.

Their talons can just pop
straight through skin like butter.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

We're gonna need 00:03:32,920
(UPBEAT MUSIC)

Alright.

Alright,
alright, alright, sweetie.

OK.
Let's go, little snappy.

Alright. Oh, yeah. My darling.
OK. Wing.

You're happy with how the wings
are? Alright. Yep.

I'll
support this and carry this.

We'll go this way.

Yes. Just here.

Without a healthy wing that
can handle the aerial manoeuvres

required for hunting prey,

it's unlikely this bird
can survive in the wild.

Today's assessment
will help determine

what its future is.

Just keep his little
nostrils covered

so that
he breathes in the gas.

It's really important with birds
that their bones heal

almost perfectly 00:04:39,479
Nice and asleep.

OK. 138...98%.

Based
on this eagle's injuries,

the chances of us finding
that the fracture's

healed well enough for release
to the wild are quite slim.

In
the worst-case scenario,

if we find that the bird
is unlikely to fly,

we may have to make a really
difficult decision.

We would
be looking at euthanasia.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

It's a beautiful spring morning
on Sydney Harbour.

And as Taronga's residents wake
and welcome the day...

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

..Taronga driver Paul
is already up, up and away.

I work as a truck driver
for the backyard crew

here at Taronga Zoo.

It's
a very diverse job.

There's
no two days the same.

Every day offers
something a little different,

and today is, well, no different.

Priority
is supplying,

you
know, in excess of probably

2,500 different animals
food every day.

Whether you're a senior vet
here or a truck driver

or whatever role you are here,
we all work for one mission.

The
animals are our number one,

and we all have a great
passion for them.

This
morning, we're heading out

to the markets across
the Harbour Bridge.

In a new world full
of fast food delivery,

Paul's mission today is to collect

one of the strangest
drive-through orders

from the Sydney fruit markets.

How
are you, my friend?

Good, brother.
How are you?

I've come back 00:06:28,519
Yeah.
All good to go.

All good?
Yep.

I will take the pallets off first.

Yep.
Yep. Thanks, mate.

My job is to pick up four pallets
of what we call pineapple tops,

which is considered as a bit
of a delicacy for our elephants.

While these pineapple offcuts
might sit well on these pallets,

they don't sit too well
on the palate,

if you know what I mean,
unless, of course,

you're a 2-tonne elephant
with a sweet tooth.

Whoo-hoo. 00:07:01,999
See
you next week, brother.

Me and the elephants
will appreciate that.

We'll see you next week,
OK? Yes.

See
you next week, Brother.

Meanwhile, back at Taronga...

Alright. So,
some nice big chunks for Daiyu.

Keepers Bec and Molly are also
preparing to pander to some smaller,

but no less hungry residents,

red panda cubs, Khyana and Keisho.

So, we'll just be weighing
Khyana today?

Yeah. Yeah.

And then we can slot it
into our graphs.

But little do these cubs know...

Prep some breakfast.

..this mealtime is going to
come with some rather

unexpected activities.

Cubbies, station.
Let's go, cubbies.

When spring is sprung,

it's not just the season
for flowers.

It's also baby time,
and I do mean baby time.

Hi.

And while the keepers
at Taronga's Western Plains Zoo

let their newest additions
get to know their mums...

Hey, Mum.
Just a quick peek.

..there are still plenty
of these little bundles of joy

that require that extra
special attention.

Definitely
the highlight of my job

is getting to be able
to come on the island

with these 00:08:22,679
Hi, everyone.

We've got 15 spider monkeys
on the island right now.

You guys are desperate
for attention, hey?

(LAUGHTER)

Stop. We
have four baby spider monkeys.

So, yeah,
big baby boom happening.

Oh, my god. (CHUCKLES)
She's doing it.

Right now, we're just playing
with the two-year-olds.

We have four two-year-old
females right now.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

And we're just building
rapport with them.

So, their mums actually are very
happy letting us play with them.

It
kinda gives them a break.

While it is called playtime,
this important interaction

is actually all about building trust

and it began when these babies
were close to one year old.

We're able to play with
all the two-year-olds very well.

They're
very keen to do it.

Hi, baby. How's it going?
How's it going?

You can even see some 00:09:23,079
like,
playing with us as well.

So, they get quite playful up
until a certain age.

(SPIDER MONKEY SQUEAKS)

So, I've been here 00:09:35,359
But when I came in, these guys
were still very much on mum's back.

But
since I've been here,

they've just gotten
more and more playful.

You can see that they're very happy
to-to take...get away

from
mum now and be on their own.

The two oldest are even now
being able to go across on the ropes

that
have joined the island.

So,
that's really exciting.

The very first time that we
see them get big enough

that they can take themselves over
without having to be with mum.

The spider monkey babies,
their favourite game

is probably
mostly climbing you.

We do try and discourage
this as they get a bit older.

As babies, we kinda let them
get away with it a little bit more.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

Surfing. Whee!

But, yeah, swinging them,
when we do play with them,

we don't like to hold their
tail or their hands.

We kinda let them have the choice
to wrap it around us,

and then we swing them
with our palms open.

OK, I'm getting dizzy.
(CHUCKLES)

(SPIDER MONKEY SQUEAKS)

It's really, really special
to be able to spend time

with these critically
endangered animals.

Not many people can do this.
Stop biting her tail.

So rough.

It hurts.

It's definitely a highlight
of my day every day

to get
to play with these guys.

While these spider monkey mums

are clearly happy to leave the child
minding to the keepers...

Touch.

..across the zoo,
there are some other mums

that aren't quite so keen.

Pouch checking a quokka
is pretty tricky.

If I do it wrong,

our quokkas are known
for throwing their joeys

out of the pouch
and abandoning them.

(DRUMBEATS)

Our elephants eat 00:11:04,919
We feed the elephants
about eight times a day here.

Have you ever wondered

what an elephant's
favourite meal is?

This is the best part
you wanna see as a keeper.

And...

X-ray.

..all hands on deck.

The
radius is a bit displaced.

..to try and save
this eagle's life.

I don't
want him to be in pain.

In Sydney,

driver Paul is still heading
back to Taronga

with a truck stacked full
of elephant treats.

You see the elephants
eating the pineapple tops,

it's almost like a-a kid eating
an ice cream.

So, the elephants, you know,
certainly-certainly enjoy that.

And while they're going to have
to wait just a little bit longer,

breakfast has arrived
for Taronga's red panda family.

Come
in! Good morning.

So, first thing, we're gonna ask
both cubs and Daiyu,

who's mum, to come down
to a particular station.

So, we've got Daiyu here,
which is mum.

So, normally, 00:12:09,119
so she's made it a little bit
different this morning.

What I might do is just give her one
piece to say thank you for coming.

And then I'm gonna
ask...Keisho down here.

Keisho, come on, buddy.
You're late. (LAUGHS)

Good morning.

Keisho and Khyana don't know it yet.

Just gonna move 00:12:35,080
But there is an ulterior motive
for today's fruity feast,

though we'll need a bit
of background first.

Red pandas, you would find
in our Himalayan regions,

so
Nepal, even like India.

Out in the wild, they're actually
listed as endangered.

They could be anywhere as little
as 10,000 of them left in the wild,

which
is pretty scary.

Every red panda that's born
is pretty much a little miracle.

Wanna show us your tummies?
Ready? Up nice and high.

Good job, guys.

Red panda breeding,

there's pretty much
one day of the year

that our female
is receptive to the male

and is actually
in oestrus and ovulates.

That means an adult female

can only get pregnant one day
in the entire year,

which is why this brother
and sister team are so special.

Taronga are actually part of
a global red panda breeding program,

so it'll
be really cool to see

these guys go up and participate
in that breeding program

and do all of the important jobs
for those wild populations.

Keisho and Khyana
could be transferred to another zoo

at any time to do that important job

with two other red pandas.

I'll hold Keisho here
if you want to, Molly,

take Khyana over for her
weighing this morning.

Good.

But first, they'll need to pass
a series of tests,

and it's study time.

Good.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

Over at the Wildlife Hospital,

vet Adelaide has sedated a wild
white-bellied sea-eagle

that was brought
in after being found unable to fly.

He's intubated.

The large bird of prey
has a fractured wing,

but no-one knows how it happened.

Today's assessment
will help to determine

what its future is,

whether it will potentially
be released

if the fracture's healed
extremely well,

or whether it's more likely
to stay in care.

But if he can't fly
even a short distance,

the zoo won't be able to continue
caring for the eagle.

I'm having a feel 00:14:41,959
The fracture 00:14:47,610
I can feel where
a fracture callus has formed.

It is
quite a big fracture callus.

Mm-hm.

A callus is where the bone
thickens around the break

to try and stabilise the fracture.

There
is a little bit of crepitus.

Crepitus is where you can feel
almost like a crackling sensation

where those bone ends
haven't met perfectly,

which may just be if the fracture
ends haven't completely healed yet.

We'll see what it looks
like on the X-rays.

We'll now take an X-ray
of the damaged wing.

X-ray.

And we'll see how well it's healing,
if it's affecting the elbow at all.

So, this is our-our normal wing,
our-our undamaged wing,

and on the other wing, 00:15:45,639
There's a fragment
that looks like it's

not even within the fracture callus,
which is a worry.

We can see on our X-rays
that the bone ends

haven't healed together perfectly
and that will likely impact flight.

I think the chances of him
flying well are fairly slim

just because it has
healed-healed quite poorly.

Based on the X-rays, this bird
is definitely not appropriate

for
release to the wild.

(TENSE MUSIC)
(SOMBRE MUSIC)

Well, shame.

Shame.

Shame.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

We need that fracture
to have healed well enough

for his
flight to be appropriate.

While options are running
out for this eagle,

no-one wants to give up on him yet.

So, vet Adelaide asks senior vet
Kimberly for a second opinion.

So, this piece that's 00:16:45,119
Whether that will come good or
not, it's hard to say.

What
do you think, Adelaide?

Should we give it
some more time to see?

I'm happy
to explore those chances

and then we can be 100% sure
that he can't fly.

For now, the majestic bird
lives to fight and hopefully,

fly another day.

But we need to be
realistic that this bird

may
not come back to flight.

Yeah.
(SOMBRE MUSIC)

Mm-hm. OK.

(TENSE MUSIC)

At Taronga Western Plains Zoo
in Dubbo,

keeper Lou is bringing flowers

to a couple of somewhat nervous
new mums.

Come on, girlies.

There we are. Hi.

You could say some Australian
natives for some Australian natives.

Our quokkas over in Western
Australia are cast as vulnerable.

And that's why
these two little cuties

are so important.

Hi. Ms Djinda.

This is Djinda. 00:17:54,879
She's actually got a special
little secret for us today.

She has
a little joey in the pouch.

Now, over here, we have Murruwa
who has come to join us,

and Murruwa 00:18:06,999
in
her pouch as well.

Quokkas carry their joeys

deep in the pouch
for around eight months.

Can we see our baby?

And while keeper Lou needs
to keep track of each of them,

it's easier said than done.

Pouch checking a quokka
is pretty tricky.

It's a vulnerable position
for our mums to be in.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

If I do it wrong, our quokkas
are known for throwing their joeys

out of the pouch
and abandoning them.

Just gonna encourage
this little bubba.

So,
they need to fully trust

that I am not going to put them
in a dangerous position.

Quokkas, as cute as they are,

will sacrifice their babies
so the mum can escape a predator.

Touch.
There we go. Good girl.

So, his head is on this side
and his bum is on this side.

So, we've got 00:19:02,479
And then
her hands are a bit cold.

And if mum does push
its joey out too soon,

even in a calm setting like this,

it's unlikely to allow the baby
back into the pouch.

I've been working on pouch
checking with our quokkas

for approximately
eight months or so.

So, we started very slowly
in just getting them

comfortable
with my presence.

Good job.

And just getting comfortable
with me feeling their bodies

and
being in their space.

Are
we still drinking?

Whoa! Good girl.

Touch.

And then we slowly worked towards
feeling their bellies

and
then touching their pouches.

That is his tail.
Good girl.

Once we start to see them
popping out

and
discovering the world

and learning
new things every day...

Oh, my gosh, your baby!
Your baby's so cute.

..it's, um, 00:20:06,839
being able to see that and know
that we've done a good job.

And
mums have trusted us enough

to watch their progress
and watch their development

from
inside the pouch.

While it looks like
these two little joeys

will soon make their way
out of the pouch

on their own terms, there are
some baby animals at Taronga

that come into the world
a little more...

(CALF THUMPS)

..abruptly.

At Taronga's two zoos,
all the animals

are given every opportunity

to express
their natural instincts...

(LAUGHS)

They're getting their faces
right in there.

They're sticking their
fingers in there.

..including one of the zoo's,
quite surprisingly,

smartest species...

birds.

(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

Hey, Uma.

Hey, little one.

So, this is Uma.

This
is our Bush Stone-curlew.

Bush Stone-curlews are found
in all states of Mainland Australia.

They're
not found down in Tasmania.

You often will hear these birds
before you see them.

(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

They were often referred
to as wailing woman bird

by some of the early colonialists
that came.

(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

Yeah, it would be 00:21:33,519
that
for the first time.

(LAUGHS)

While singing does come easy
for Bush Stone-curlews,

that's not all they're good at.

Hi.

Birds like Uma are some of the
world's most intelligent animals,

and they thrive best when given
plenty of mental stimulation.

This morning, we are going
to do some training with her,

acclimatising 00:22:00,439
and hopefully, have her
in our free flight presentation.

Taronga's free flight section
is just another way the zoo

caters to its animals'
natural behaviours,

giving its birds like Uma the chance
to interact with the world.

That's if keeper Chris
can get her there.

You know what they say about
never teaching an old dog new tricks

is completely
flipped on its head.

This bird, she's very quick
to pick everything up

that we seem to be asking her,
which is really quite cool.

So, here, what I'm doing
is asking Uma to leave the box

and saying thank you
and coming back to the box.

Perfect.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

Perfect.

The free flight section

doesn't just cater
to feathered residents like Uma,

it's also where a wildlife rescue
like the injured sea-eagle

might find a new home
if it's strong enough.

The fracture 00:23:11,440
11 weeks ago, the vet team
had little hope

the bird could be released
or even fly again.

That's
where we have the fracture.

But they wanted
to give it every chance.

Give
it some more time to see.

And now, with so much time past
for the wing to heal,

it'll be vet Gabi assessing
the eagle's progress.

We'll just put some lignocaine
on his glottis.

So, then we'll intubate it.
Great.

It's been 00:23:38,319
for a few weeks.

I'll just get up
the old radiographs.

Mm-hm.

We're just trying to see today
how well it's healing.

If Taronga's team of vets
believes the sea-eagle

could fly even short distances,

then it may have a home
in the free flight section.

His
elbow feels thickened,

but it's got good flexion
and extension.

Oh, I just felt something
then on the way back.

Yeah.

There's a big swelling
on the outside here.

Alright, let's get some radiographs.
OK.

Three, two, one.
Yeah.

These new X-rays will reveal
how well the fracture has healed

and whether to continue
the bird's rehabilitation.

He's on a knife edge.
X-ray.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

Everyone's really rooting
for him to do well.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

The thought that we may
have to euthanise him today,

no-one wants that.

It's awful.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

(LIVELY MUSIC)

When breakfast is over,

you'll find most
of Taronga's residents

chilling in the warm springtime sun.

I think she's
living her best life today.

But not all.

There is one certain species
with a rather large belly to fill.

And to fill that belly,
it takes a rather large delivery.

So, we feed the elephants
about eight times a day here.

This is their second
feed of the day.

And for every second feed,
they get pineapple tops.

These pineapple offcuts
have travelled a long way

to get to Taronga,

and the final leg of that journey
is now up to trainee keeper, Bailey.

So, these pineapple tops
come from Far North Queensland,

so they're pretty much a byproduct
of pineapples

that
you buy in the supermarket.

So, those
pineapples grow on top,

and this is the byproduct
of the plant underneath.

And it's a great way to reduce
the waste of these

from out the farms.

Hey, Bailey. 00:25:43,679
So, if you can hang up the hay nets.
Yep.

I'll
hang up the pineapples.

Alright. Perfect.

So, we're just gonna
set them up now.

Our elephants here,
they came from Thailand.

And
over in Thailand,

they used to eat these
pineapple tops a lot.

Just gonna pop one here.
Gonna pop one.

So, we're
pretty much doing that now

and keeping that tradition
going for them.

And going and going
and going for them

because Asian elephants eat

around 150kg of food
every single day.

Because elephants
are such an intellectual

and
cognitive species,

it's really important for us
to keep them enriched.

So, just by simply putting them
in these hay nets,

it's just gonna make it
that much harder for them

to really
work and dig them out.

So, it's gonna really get them
to stretch their trunks out,

using all those muscles
pulling apart these pineapples.

To make it that little bit
much harder for them,

we're gonna hang them up
really nice and high.

Let's send them out.
Let's do it.

It doesn't take Tang Mo and Pak Boon

too long to sniff out
their giant goodie bags.

Here she goes.

That's it.
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

This is the best part
you wanna see as a keeper.

The animal is actually coming out
and using the enrichment.

You
can see the elephants.

It's such an effort for them
to actually get those pineapple tops

out of the nets,

using their trunks to really
stretch out and rip them apart.

So, just putting those pineapples
in that nets,

while
it might seem simple,

it makes such a difference
for the elephants here.

Such a great way
to see them challenged

and using their minds to really
do different things.

Definitely means everything to me
to be able to put in the work

and
to set these things up,

bring in new ideas
and think of new stuff,

and then
to go out and execute it,

like, it's just such a buzz
to see all your work come together.

And while the elephants enjoy
the fruits of Bailey's labour...

Good job, guys.

..Taronga's red panda cubs
have polished off their breakfast.

I'll hold Keisho here
if you want to, Molly,

take Khyana over for her
weighing this morning.

And are about to start
some practice in preparation

for a very important call
that could come at any time.

Alright.

Our red pandas are actually a part
of our global breeding program.

Good.

If we do get that call up that
they need to go and help out,

then we'll definitely have them
as ready as they can be.

Now that Keisho and Khyana
have both turned one,

they could be transferred
to another zoo

to breed with another
pair of red pandas,

which means they'll both
need to be well practised

at assisting their keepers
with some crucial health checks.

Very
inquisitive, our pandas.

And we all know how easy
that is with a one-year-old, right?

Were you wanting to work
on some of Khyana's

ultrasound
training this morning?

Yeah,
I'll do a quick session.

Yep.

When she joins a breeding program,

female cub, Khyana,
will be asked to present her belly

for an ultrasound
to check on her pregnancy.

Anything
new is always exciting.

Good girl. 00:28:58,999
They love new things,
as you can see.

So, introducing
novel items like this,

which will then be used 00:29:06,039
Tug it.

While there's lots of focus on food,

the belly presentation, not so much.

So,
while these sessions

are almost just like play
for these guys,

it's good timing for us
to introduce these behaviours

so that once they're older
and we wanna do ultrasounds on her,

she'll
be ready to go.

Good girl.

Well, Khyana,
if eating was part of the training,

you'd pass with flying colours.

Not so sure about
the ultrasound practice, though.

So, I'm just gonna measure
Keisho's kind of nose

to the
base of his tail length.

I put his food in there just so
it has his nose down that way

so it gives me the full length
of his spine.

I go right to the base of his tail,
right to the tip of your nose.

Good boy. Stop.

You've grown 3cm 00:29:58,999
Good job.

An adult red panda's body
can grow up to around 63cm long.

So, little Keisho, hmmm...

..not so little Keisho,
has almost reached his full size.

We've got the length 00:30:20,320
Beautiful. OK. There we go.
And 39cm.

So, that's the same.

Awesome.
That's the same.

So, that's telling us that he's
kind of grown in length,

but hasn't put on any kind
of extra fat deposits

or anything like that around
those-those rib cage areas.

So,
that's perfectly fine.

Well, Keisho's looking pretty trim.

So, that's a plus
in his breeding book.

And what about Khyana?

So, it's really important
when we're weighing to make sure

that
tail is getting weighed too.

There's a lot of weight
in that tail.

So, we have a nice little
cue, touch,

just to let them know
that we're touching them.

So, now we're looking at 3.82
which looks pretty good.

I
think we got our weight.

So, I'm giving a nice big reward,
and that's her done.

Even at just a year old, Khyana
has almost reached her adult weight.

Come on, lady. Keisho.
Come here, buddy. Come here.

Not surprising, considering
how much she loves those treats.

You stay there.

So, with practice over, albeit
with some admittedly mixed results,

just how did our dynamic
panda duo do?

If at any point, we do get that
call to say that they need to go

and help out 00:31:35,679
we've got the diet down pat,
that's for sure.

(LAUGHTER)

Alrighty, miss.
I'm all out of treats.

Hey, girls.
How you going?

Taronga's baby boom...

They
come to say hello.

..is in full swing.

Giraffe calves rely on their mums
for pretty much everything.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

At the Taronga Wildlife Hospital
in Sydney,

a sea-eagle's future hangs
in the balance.

We're
going into this with,

you know,
a degree of trepidation.

The bird's broken wing

hasn't healed well enough
for the eagle to be released.

He's still very much a touch
and go animal.

And 11 weeks into its treatment,
the team are deciding

whether to continue what has been
a very long rehabilitation.

X-ray.

If we find 00:32:31,519
that are gonna cause problems
in the future

or if
he's ongoing discomfort,

we'll have to probably
consider euthanasia.

(TENSE MUSIC)

No. No.

I
don't think he's a goer.

(TENSE MUSIC)

There are some things
that have improved

and there's some things
that don't look great.

The actual fracture has healed,
but he's got changes

that I think are not consistent
with him living a comfortable life.

I'm worried that the bone
is gonna rub on that bone.

There's also the risk that he'll
develop arthritis in that elbow.

It's-it's... 00:33:11,439
Oh, yeah. Mm-hm.

..like that's just gonna.
.. Yeah.

.
.be rubbing on that.

Although the fracture has healed,

the deformed bone
is close enough to the elbow

that it might cause more pain
in the joint.

Have a feel of it.

I'm gonna have a feel of it.
Yeah.

It's
not clunky though, yeah?

No, no.

And while the X-rays
are the vet team's

best tool to assess the fracture,
they aren't conclusive.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

I think he's
got really good extension,

and it feels pretty solid,
except his wing droops.

There's an occasional clunk,
which may be that radius.

Even though no-one
wants to actually euthanise,

if...if...if you're faced
with an animal

that's
gonna have ongoing pain,

that's-that's no life
and it's not...

It's poor welfare.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

It's now clear the wing
will never heal properly.

Let's see, 00:34:33,160
And a drooping wing is a sign
the eagle might be in pain.

But you think if he was really.
.. Yeah.

..really painful, 00:34:38,959
Mmm. It'd
be like a flinch almost.

It'd be like a... 00:34:43,399
Like it's just that
he's showing other signs

that
don't match the radiographs.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

The big fracture
of the ulna is healed.

The
radius is a bit displaced.

I think we should just give him
another couple weeks,

maybe
get him into the big aviary.

Yeah,
and have him on pain relief.

A move to a larger aviary
will encourage the eagle to use

its wing more regularly
and will help the vet team assess

if it actually is in any pain.

He
might be a good ambassador

and we can use him to educate
people about sea-eagles

and
birds in our area

if he could fly enough without
it being a painful situation.

I'm conflicted.
Yeah.

'Cause I want to give
him that chance

but I also don't want him
to be in pain.

No, of course.

I'm sure he'd like to be given
a chance I think if we asked him.

(CHUCKLES)

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

Meanwhile, there's
still plenty to celebrate

as Taronga's baby boom
is in full swing.

(CHUCKLES) Stop.

And in Dubbo, some exciting news
is spreading across the savannah.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

A couple of proud mamas have
their keepers bursting with pride.

Hey, guys.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

We're super excited here
in Taronga Western Plains Zoo,

Dubbo, that we've just 00:36:33,140
new giraffe
calves into our herd.

Hey, girls.
How are you going?

(SOFT MUSIC)

Hello.

Our three-week-old's name is Miguu,
which means legs in Swahili.

He's
very, very tall for a baby.

We were really fortunate enough
to be able to see him be born.

His mother, Mvita, actually chose to
give birth in our holding facility.

And Miguu made his grand entrance
into the world

about
2:30 in the afternoon.

And mum delivered
that 50kg bundle of fun...

(CALF THUMPS)

..with all the grace you'd expect
from a 4.5m land mammal.

When
the calves are born,

it's about 6ft or 2m drop to the
ground to the start of their life,

which is quite abrupt,
but it has been shown that

that is actually what kick starts
their cardiovascular system

at the beginning of their life,
which is super cool.

Hey, girls.

(LIVELY MUSIC)

Hello, Asmara.
What are you doing?

Have
you come to say hello?

The mother of our second
calf is Asmara,

and her little one's
only four days old

at
the moment and is a girl.

Currently, she doesn't have a name,
but we are working on it.

Good girl.

Giraffe calves
aren't overly confident

when
they enter the world.

They do rely on their mums
for pretty much everything.

But it's not just their mums

who take care
of these long limbed little ones.

We are
lucky enough here in our herd

that
we have a matriarch, Tuli.

She's 27 years old,

and she actually provides 00:38:15,439
So, a lot of the times if the mums
are taking a step back,

Tuli will step in.

And Tuli's services
are set to be in high demand

because more big news
has just dropped in Dubbo.

I'm super excited to say
that overnight

we've just had another calf
born into our herd

that now makes three calves
in just four weeks,

which
is super exciting.

Our newest calf has only just been
standing now for about three hours,

so
it's still very wobbly,

still realising
how long its legs are.

And so, yeah, it will just continue
to get more confident

as the weeks go on.

It's judgment day for this big bird.

Sometimes,
it's hard as a vet

to make
that decision to euthanise.

(TENSE MUSIC)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

One, two, three.

It's several weeks now since Uma,
the Bush Stone-curlew,

has been training
to leave her aviary.

I'm gonna try and open
this door, see what she does.

So, she can take part
in Taronga's free flight experience.

Hey, Uma. 00:39:33,060
Oh, too-too ready.
Out she goes.

Today, we're gonna have Uma,
the Bush Stone-curlew,

in our free flight birds
presentation here at Taronga.

So, we're hoping that it all
goes according to plan.

But of course, 00:39:46,599
you never really know
what you're gonna get.

Alright. You ready?

Hey. You ready? Alright.
Let's do it. Come on, Uma.

Uma.
(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

Taronga's free flight section

gives its birds an opportunity
to fly and roam...

Welcome aboard, sir.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

..outside their own habitats.

And it gives visitors an opportunity
to learn a little more

about these highly intelligent
animals, including...

Drumroll please.
(DRUMROLL)

Uma.

Uma?

Uma?

Oh, OK. I give up.
Over to you, Chris.

Owls
aren't the only birds

that are out hunting
in your backyard.

In fact, one of Australia's
lesser known predators

is hunting
under cover of darkness.

Her name is Uma.

She's a Bush Stone-curlew,
and though you might not always

get to see these birds, 00:40:58,360
(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

Often
seen standing perfectly still

or even
lying flat on the ground,

this bird used to be 00:41:12,399
but unfortunately, their numbers
have had a massive decline.

And with a perfect appearance
as spectacular as it was brief...

Thank you, Uma.
Thank you very much.

..this little curlew
can call it a day.

Great job, Uma.

Well done, my friend.
You did so good today.

Good work.

Oh, I'm so happy.
Hey, she did really well.

But of course, that's the whole,
you know, fun of this job.

Hey, we're-we're always balancing up
where the reinforcement is,

what's she gonna do again,
what's she not gonna do again,

so it's all really cool to watch
and watch her grow.

While keeper Chris is clearly
happy with Uma's progress...

That was perfect.
Uma, you're a star.

(BUSH STONE-CURLEW CALLS)

..another bird's progress
and future is about to be decided.

This rescued sea-eagle arrived
at Taronga several months earlier...

(TENSE MUSIC)

..with a badly fractured wing...

So, he is holding his left
wing a little bit unusually.

..with little chance of surviving
in the wild.

I think the chance of him
flying well are fairly slim.

The vet team
decided to give it time to heal

with the hope for a new life
at the zoo.

I think we should 00:42:35,119
maybe
get him into the big aviary.

And now, the time has come
for vet Kimberly to decide its fate.

Sometimes, it's hard
as a vet to make that decision

to move forward 00:42:51,799
And with a seagull, it's been...it's
been a very hard one to decide.

(WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE SQUAWKS)

We know it's got problems
in the wing,

but
can it live a comfortable,

happy life as an ambassador
for its species

as part of the collection
in the free flight?

I've actually just gone down
to look at the sea-eagle.

I
wanted to assess it.

It looks really good down there.
It's flying.

It doesn't
seem bothered by it.

(WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE SQUAWKS)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

We're in this business
because we care.

We
care about the animals.

As soon as it's trained to go
to the keeper's glove,

that'll be OK for our free
flight presentation.

If the bird is coping
and we can manage it,

if we can give it a good life here,
I wanna try to do that.

(WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE SQUAWKS)

The vet team has done it.

After three long months,

this majestic sea-eagle
can now finally call Taronga home.

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