Original subtitles

Some of the world's most amazing animals

are in danger of disappearing forever.

But through the efforts of zoos and conservation groups,

many species, like clouded leopards,

are hanging on.

Some, like the southern white rhino,

have even been brought back from the edge of extinction.

(♪♪♪)

There was quite a stir at the Newquay Zoo,

in Cornwall England,

when this red panda cub was about to be born.

The expecting mother, Sandy, was nowhere to be seen.

She'd disappeared for several days

and everybody had their fingers crossed.

So we were just waiting for the sound

and then when the keeper came up and said, "I can hear a squeak."

So, fantastic, we want to hear the second squeak the next day

to make sure.

But huge excitement in the zoo as soon as we realized

we had our first ever baby panda.

Even though they couldn't see what was happening,

the keepers were listening.

Ho, as they called the new born cub,

had finally arrived.

But he was born in an unexpected place.

Keepers had assumed

that his mom would climb into an elevated nest box

to give birth,

similar to how a female in the wild

would climb into a tree.

That didn't happen.

The weather had something to do with that.

In Europe it can get quite warm in the middle of summer

and that's a problem for red pandas

because they come from very much a colder climate.

So mom actually gave birth underground

because it was cooler down there.

Ho's now 4 months old.

His arrival was a big deal for many reasons.

First of all,

the zoo had unsuccessfully tried to breed a red panda cub

for 9 years.

Second, it's very difficult for red pandas to get pregnant,

because females are able to conceive

just one day out of a year.

Ho is also a star

because red pandas are an endangered species,

and he's the end result of a worldwide effort

to preserve these animals.

It's believed that there are only 10,000 or so

red pandas left in the wild.

Part of the reason for that

is how rarely these animals breed.

But another is that their habitat,

the cool, mountainous forests

that stretch from the Himalayas into Southern China,

is being cut down.

(♪♪♪)

There is some good news.

Red pandas in the wild

are getting some help from their neighbors.

The areas where they live,

certain parts of the areas where they live,

they overlap with giant pandas.

But the conservation efforts in the wild

are being concentrated in those areas.

The government of China

is trying to save their national treasure,

the giant panda.

And because they share much of the same habitat,

red pandas are being protected by default.

Two species,

both threatened in the wild, both solitary,

and definitely both adorable.

The word panda translates to "bamboo-eater",

which both of these animals love.

Sharing the name,

you'd think these two animals would be closely related.

But, they're not.

Red pandas are distinctive animals,

in more ways than one.

For centuries,

biologists have debated how to classify Ho and his kind.

At first they were thought to be part of the raccoon family.

Then, they were classified as part of the bear family,

as giant pandas are,

because of similarities in DNA.

But researchers think

red pandas diverged from both these animal families,

and so need to be in their own category.

Ho's immediate family keeps him close.

His mom, Sandy, watches his every move.

The baby is just coming out of the nest box

and he's coming out

and mom will actually sometimes push him back in again.

She doesn't like him coming out,

she wants to keep him nice and snug and warm.

But Ho's instinct as a natural born climber

is kicking in.

Pandas need to be good climbers to support their bamboo habit.

But they also live in the trees, and even sleep in them.

They're built for it, too.

With semi-retractable claws to grip branches

and long tails to steady them,

Ho still needs to practice climbing though.

So he does actually come out--

just fall off the branches, quite often.

But he's in a learning position at the moment.

How to use those claws, how to use the tail for balance.

Ho's other defense mechanisms are kicking in too,

although it's hard for the zoo keepers

to take him too seriously.

So you couldn't invent a better cuddly toy.

And he comes at you, he bumbles around,

and he falls off the branches

but he's absolutely determined that he's a big scary animal.

It's very difficult to get away from just how cute they are

and when this baby first came out of the nest box,

all the staff, me included I have to say,

desperately wanted to see this baby panda

because it's the cutest thing in the world

and, uh, yeah we're hard-nosed conservationists

but at the end of the day, if you see something like that,

you've got to love it.

It's fabulous.

Fabulous, indeed.

Ho may not know he's a celebrity,

but he's doing a pretty good job of living in the limelight.

Like two debutantes,

twin snow leopard cubs Malaya and Dania

were introduced to the public

when they reached the appropriate age.

For Malaya and Dania

that was about 4 months after their birth.

And like debutantes, everyone is anxious to see them.

Snow leopards are an endangered species,

and they're normally reclusive.

So seeing one anywhere is kind of a big deal.

Their birth wasn't a secret,

but the zookeepers at Brookfield Zoo

in Chicago, Illinois, wanted to wait

before the sisters made their debut.

The cubs needed time to bond with their mother,

a 5-year-old cat named Sarani.

It was worth the wait.

The youngsters are curious, extremely active

and easy on the eyes too.

They're kind of silvery,

they already have their black spots on their fur

and as they grow, they start to get fluffier.

Snow leopards are really beautiful.

The twins are clearly similar but not identical.

There are ways to tell them apart.

They're 20 and 21 pounds with Malaya being

just a little bit larger than Dania.

Their personalities help to distinguish them, as well.

Malaya is very confident, outgoing, exploratory

and she's kind of been that way since she was very young

and Dania is much shyer.

But both of them are testing boundaries.

And both are practicing for adulthood.

These little cubs start to play at a really young age

and in playing they learn a lot of the behaviors

they need as adults

and so what we especially see from these guys is that

they get low down like cats do and they stalk something

that they're treating like prey.

They do this with their mom too, they stalk her,

creep up on her, pounce on her.

Fortunately,

their mother seems willing to put up with their antics.

Sarani is a really good mom.

She's very watchful, very observant, very patient.

She's always on duty.

Malaya and Dania are curious

and seem to respond to the finer things,

like exotic smells introduced to keep their bodies active

and their minds stimulated.

We enrich them with scents and herbs.

Some of the perfumes are really attractive to cats.

They probably have

a natural product in them like some type of musk,

and some of the perfumes, you put 'em on exhibit

and they immediately respond to 'em.

Clearly, the cubs have a strong sense of smell.

Dania and Malaya's other adaptations for life

in the remote and rugged mountains of Central Asia

are easier to see.

Their coloration is adapted

to their snowy, rocky environment as well,

their whites and greys and blacks

and they can disappear right before your eyes

and be right in front of you in full view

and you may not see them.

And their legs and tail help them cope

in treacherous conditions.

They have very long back legs and shorter front legs

and allows them to negotiate very steep terrain,

it allows them to leap very long distances.

They can leap up to 30 feet,

they can ricochet off rock faces up to 30 feet as well,

so they have snowshoe-like feet, very broad wide feet.

Their tails really stand out

as a unique characteristic of the species.

They're nearly as long as their body,

so at least a meter long

and they're very thick and fluffy.

A perfect counter-balance to their bodies

while they bound around.

Visitors love to watch their stunts.

The zoo staff hopes that the public's appreciation

for these endangered animals might one day turn into action.

The cubs being out on exhibit is a great resource

for what we're up to here,

because we want to inspire people

to be conservation leaders

and we want to lead them towards valuing wildlife,

valuing nature and protecting it,

conserving it.

That's our ultimate goal.

This is Dudley Castle.

Well, what remains of it.

These walls once protected

noble English families from attack.

They're still guarding precious bloodlines.

But now it's animals under protection,

at Dudley Zoo, near Birmingham, England.

The zoo is on a mission to help save endangered species,

like these Sulawesi macaques.

These macaques are critically endangered in the wild.

They're losing their homes in the rainforests of Indonesia,

as trees are chopped down.

3,000 to 4,000 of them

are protected on a reserve in Sulawesi,

but those that range in the wild are treated like pests,

or hunted for their meat.

Still others are taken as pets.

The pet trade, the youngsters are quite cute,

so you can imagine some people would want them as a pet.

And they're kind of the main threats

that are faced with the macaques.

This little family is protected at Dudley Zoo.

They too have a castle...

...and a princess.

This is their little princess, Summer.

She's 5 months old.

She stands out in a crowd.

Both her skin and eyes

have yet to develop the color of the adults.

Male and female adults are jet black,

with striking reddish-brown eyes.

And their crests make them look like punk-rock primates.

Female macaques are much smaller than males,

and Summer will grow to be over 10 pounds.

For now, Summer's size and pale skin

are a signal that she needs bodyguards.

This symbolizes to dominant males in the group

to be aware that the mom has a youngster on her,

so if it's their offspring,

they'll keep a closer eye on them.

And the rest of the group will also protect them in a way.

And not so much aggression will be displayed towards them

because they've got this youngster.

Summer doesn't want for affection,

and is doted on by everyone in this family.

And she plays it to her advantage.

She's cheeky, she knows she's the youngest,

so she'll definitely try and get what she wants

and the rest of the group know that as well,

so they're kind of like, "Oh, you can have it."

One of the things Summer is learning to do

is forage for food,

even if it's only by watching mom.

Sulawesi macaques are fruit-lovers,

but will eat grasses, insects, birds, and here at the zoo,

pellets packed with nutrients.

But Summer still needs to nurse until she's about 1-year-old.

Her mom, Jasmine, is the center of her life,

and Summer clings to her most of the time.

When she lets go, it's not for long.

If you think in the wild that the danger

coming from every angle, so they need to be careful,

and so running back to mom is just that safety net

and then mom can keep her safe and covered.

That's just fine with mom.

Jasmine's quite a good mom,

and she'll give a little bit of freedom

in the sense that the baby's allowed to go far.

But she'll always keep a close eye on her.

Jasmine makes it clear to the group

that she's in charge of Summer.

Sulawesi macaques are constantly communicating,

and have many ways to do so.

They use sound, coos and chirps and other calls.

Researchers believe

that the calls can mean a number of things

including "Stay away."

And that even subtle gestures can encourage cooperation.

(♪♪♪)

They smack their lips,

which can result in a friendly interaction

between macaques in a social group.

And what looks like a yawn to us

might be a way of letting others in the group know

who's boss.

These macaques even communicate

with the hair on top of their heads.

The crest on the top of their heads

is more prominent in males

and it's more if they get aroused,

or asserting their dominance, they'll pull their crest up

and it's more of a stance towards the females

or other dominant males.

Communication is essential to maintain order.

Macaques work in groups.

They're highly social animals

that rely on other members of the group

for just about everything.

You've got the dominant male who kind of patrols the group,

keeps everyone in line.

If it's a big group and there's multiple males,

you've got males that work underneath him.

In the wild groups can have up to 90 members.

This group isn't quite that big.

But like wild groups, it's mostly female.

You've got the baby, obviously, Summer.

And you've then got mom Jasmine and you've got a few aunts.

You've got Poppy and Sophie as well.

So it's quite a female group.

You've got some youngsters in there as well.

It's a small group, but it's growing.

The number of young macaques in this family shows

they're thriving.

And if all goes well, in a few years

Summer will help carry on the precious bloodline

of Sulawesi macaques at the Dudley Zoo.

It's not every day you see rhinos come to be petted,

but things at the Monarto Zoo in Southern Australia

are a little different.

It's the largest open-range zoo in the country.

And even though the rhinos here roam over a large area,

they still come to their keepers,

especially for a little snack.

When it comes to hay and attention,

this little rhino eats it up.

Her name is Tundu,

which is Swahili for 'mischievous'.

She's very curious of lots of different things

and she's very active.

Although, she does have lots of times

where she does sleep and rest,

but you will see her charging around her exhibit

quite furiously.

She's only a couple of months old

and still very little,

but little is a relative thing for a rhino.

A newborn can top 100 pounds.

Tundu doesn't rely entirely on hay for her nutrition,

and her additional supplements are paying off.

Because at 2-1/2 months,

she's already more than 200 pounds.

Heavyweight for humans.

A featherweight for rhinos.

Her mother Umqali weighs a ton.

I guess people are always impressed by their size.

That's one of the main things that people, you know, say

when they see the rhinos is that they're so large

and they are, you know,

the males are around just over 2 ton.

Tundu is a southern white rhino, the largest rhino in the world,

and the biggest land animal after elephants.

Tundu and her family are a good news story.

After a century of protecting this species,

southern white rhinos have been brought back

from the edge of extinction.

While Tundu appears sweet and innocent,

the adults are big and fierce-looking.

And those horns could do some damage,

they can grow up to 3-feet-long.

There's a primary horn at the front

and a little secondary horn behind that one.

They use the horn for defense and for fighting.

It's a tool for the rhino to use.

Equip a body this size with horns like those,

and it's obvious they don't have many predators.

Nobody wants to mess with them.

Their biggest predator?

Us.

In the wild, the horns are their greatest defense,

but when it comes to human poachers,

they're a weakness.

In Asia, a single horn can fetch up to $300,000.

They're used in traditional medicine,

though scientists say they have no medicinal benefits.

Tundu doesn't have horns yet.

Just a bump for now.

But they'll grow in.

She'll never have to worry about poachers here at the zoo.

And thanks to strong conservation efforts,

the population of wild southern white rhinos

continues to grow.

You may be wondering

why these are called white rhinos

when they look grey.

It's because of their wide mouths.

It was a mispronunciation of the word 'weit'

which came across in Afrikaans as sounding 'white'.

So it was taken as the white rhino

but actually it refers to their lips, which are wide.

Those wide mouths are like lawn mowers.

White rhinos graze the African savannahs

and eat grass,

like some domesticated animals that are more familiar to us,

horses.

Horses are actually their closest living cousins.

They have identical digestive systems

that helps them break down fresh cut grass, and dried hay.

The rhinos at Monarto eat almost 45 pounds a day.

That's not the only thing

rhinos and horses have in common.

Just watch the way Tundu walks...

...and canters.

Like a little foal,

she started to run at 3-days-old.

They're both light on their feet.

When it comes to rhinos, that surprises people.

You know, they watch rhinos move and I guess they think

they're going to be sort of slow.

They can move quite quickly when they want to.

Even rhinos' ears are shaped like horses' ears.

They're cupped to capture and funnel sounds.

Both rhinos and horses have ears

that can pivot around like a sonar dish.

They hear better than they see.

But a rhino's most powerful sense

is its sense of smell.

So you'd think it might find a dung heap offensive.

While you and I might not like the smell,

it's how rhinos mark their territory.

This male is spraying the dung to make it clear

this patch of turf is his.

Females are protective of their territory too.

The females in this group kept watch over Umqali

when she was giving birth to Tundu.

We had a camera system set up,

so we could monitor signs of labor and the birth

and that sort of thing.

We came in the morning and there was a little surprise

that was waiting in the boma and that was Tundu.

Umqali's young daughter has grown by leaps and bounds,

but stays by her mom's side most of the time.

Mom will keep a close eye on Tundu

till she's at least three.

The zoo is equally protective.

With more rhinos being poached in the wild

than being born,

every new rhino at the zoo is cause for celebration.

We do use these guys a lot as ambassadors to educate people

about the plight of white rhinos in the wild.

We do even have tours where people can come in

and get up close and meet the rhino

and have that sort of personal experience

and that helps to educate and cement the message

of the white rhino.

Tundu seems to be enjoying her role as ambassador,

and all the perks that come with it.

(♪♪♪)

The birth of a baby animal is always exciting news.

But when it's a species that's endangered,

it's even more precious.

These babies are mini ambassadors

for conservation efforts,

and they're sweet reminders

of the incredible diversity of life on our planet.

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