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Narrator: For the first time ever, we go behind the scenes

at Disney's animal kingdom theme park.

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that she might be pregnant.

Narrator: To meet the most unforgettable animals...

- And the team of devoted experts... - That was awesome! I'm psyched!

Narrator: Whose mission is to care for their lives, tell their inspiring stories,

and protect their wild habitats around the world.

The fun is just beginning. (Laughs)

(Theme music playing)

Narrator: The sun shines down on the harambe wildlife reserve.

A moment of Serenity for the 34 species that call it home...

Including this herd of 11 masai giraffes.

But out here, the peace never lasts for long.

Rory: Got all the giraffes running behind us right now,

all of the kids.

And that's Kenya.

Narrator: Keeper Rory has a soft spot for 11-year-old super mom, Kenya.

I've known her for four years and I would like to think

she thinks that we're best friends.

But she's a giraffe, so I don't really know

what's happening inside that head of hers.

Kenya's a great mom. Kenya has had four kids here at Disney,

three of them are still on property, one of them is over at the lodge,

his name is Maximus. And then Amira is Kenya's daughter.

And then this is Mara, Kenya's other daughter.

Narrator: The park has had success breeding masai giraffes just like Kenya,

with 11 born in just five years.

Giraffes are a vulnerable species, so every new individual

is important for the species as a whole.

Each giraffe has an absolute individual personality,

but Kenya, I... I just... I feel a connection with her.

Who doesn't love a best friend with a purple tongue?

Before coming here,

the animal training I did was all big cats.

When you start working with giraffes, it's like a totally different world.

Giraffes are a prey species.

So whenever there's something new or something weird,

the giraffe usually will pick up on it.

The Patience level is so much bigger, but I love it.

Narrator: And Rory better love it

because Kenya will take all the time she needs.

Rory: Kenya is a healthy giraffe, with some hoof issues.

She has had an issue for a long time where she has overgrowth

on her front hooves, particularly her front left.

Narrator: To help Kenya's hoof problem...

I'm gonna bring the tools.

Narrator: Behind the scenes, the team goes above and beyond

to create a special program for its giraffes.

Right now, a simple hoof trim requires sedation.

Dr. Dan: It's not the easiest thing in the world to anesthetize a giraffe.

It's a really big deal.

They're very big, there's risk involved there,

so if we can do all these hoof trims

without ever having to take a single medication

then that's the ideal scenario.

- Rory... - Narrator: So cast members

attempt something remarkable.

She is our first giraffe that we've trained

for voluntary hoof trims, um, ever in the history of animal kingdom.

Dr. Dan: Oh, this one might be good.

We've been trying over a long period of time

to get Kenya into this chute and put her foot on this block.

Narrator: If the team can pull this off with Kenya,

it could bring a hoof health revolution for the whole herd.

Dr. Dan: Let's do this one.

Narrator: But training this girl to just take a few small steps

has taken eight months.

Rory: I can't say giraffes are stubborn,

they're just really good at being giraffes.

They're not gonna do something that they don't want to do.

Dr. Dan: Giraffes tend to do things on their own schedule,

and so, this has been a slow process.

- Rory: Everyone good? - Dr. Dan: I'm ready.

All right, let's rock and roll.

Rory: Good morning, Kenya.

Hey, baby girl.

Narrator: Typically, there is one thing guaranteed to get a giraffe moving...

Rory: Food.

But today, mm, maybe not so much.

Rory: She's like, "what is going on here?"

Nicole: She's very aware of her surroundings,

so anything that's different, she kind of stops.

- Rory: We might be here a while. - Dr. Dan: I've got nothing but time.

Rory: Good girl, Kenya.

That's a good girl, come on.

Rory: Come on, look at all the food.

Rory: I saw that, a little glimmer in your eye.

Dr. Dan: Kenya, I implore you.

All right, last try, Dan's got two minutes, Kenya.

Dr. Dan: Look, she's toying with me.

Narrator: With Kenya unwilling to play along...

Rory: I think that might be all she wrote.

The team must figure out another plan.

- Rory: I think we're done. - We're gonna regroup a little bit.

Narrator: Back onstage in the land of Africa...

Out on the Savanna,

the biggest resident in the whole park wants his breakfast.

Bridget: All right, here he comes.

(Dramatic music playing)

Bridget: There he is, in all his glory.

He's obviously the biggest and oldest male that we have.

(Trumpets)

So, yeah, he's humongous. (Laughs)

Narrator: And where five-and-a-half-ton Mac goes...

Others follow.

Bridget: So here we go, yeah, okay, so we have jabali walking up now.

Oh, we have tsavo coming up.

Our kind of hierarchy is,

Mac's first, obviously, he's the biggest, largest, oldest.

Underneath him is tsavo, you know, he's the next oldest, next biggest,

and then jabali kind of follows in at the bottom.

Narrator: At feeding time, elephants here chow down on hay and grass.

A bull Mac's size can eat up to 300 pounds a day.

And Mac makes the rules at this breakfast table...

Bridget: Mac has a bubble around him, that's his space right now.

They're communicating right now, we just can't hear it.

So, he's basically already told these boys

that this is where he's going to be eating for a little bit.

So don't come in this bubble just yet.

Narrator: But some rules are made to be broken.

Bridget: Tsavo's approaching Mac, in the center of the yard.

Tsavo's a little bit more courageous, you could say.

He knows that there's some more green stuff, some goodies, closer to Mac.

He's cautious, he's kind of reaching his nose out

to sort of see where Mac's at...

Testing the waters to see what kind of mood Mac's in.

We'll see how close he wants to get to Mac.

Pretty brave.

And apparently, it's not worth it... (Laughs) ...So he'll keep moving on.

Narrator: Mac wants to enjoy his meal in peace.

But the boys have other plans.

Bridget: We're at the sparring point already this morning. (Laughing)

(Grunts)

Bridget: It can look really intense but they can handle it, basically.

Mac regulates a lot of what happens out here,

so if that gets a little too rough,

he might take a step or two in that direction and maybe break it up.

(Trumpets)

Narrator: And enough's enough.

Bridget: Oh, Mac's moving a little bit.

(Grunts)

Bridget: Here we go. Yeah, Mac's approaching a little bit.

He's basically telling the boys to move off.

Just that little step or two from Mac, and the little boys kind of moved away.

Just little stuff like that, they're communicating with each other.

Tsavo and jabali are learning different social cues,

and physical cues, and growing up, and learning around Mac,

how to be a bigger bull.

Narrator: Mac may be the model patriarch,

but he does have a few miles on the odometer.

And today...

Michele, whenever you guys are ready, I have Mac.

Narrator: He heads backstage for an inspection by Dr. Ryan.

Dr. Ryan: The check-up for an elephant

involves the same thing as it would for a person

or, you know, your dog or cat.

We just really need to get a good overview of how they look, how they move.

Hey, bud.

Dr. Ryan: Elephants are a little challenging

just because of their sheer size.

They let you know when they're not very comfortable

with what's going on, so you have to be really careful.

Narrator: First up, a check of the cooling system.

Female voice: Mac, ear. There, good boy.

Dr. Ryan: All right, going up.

Female voice: Good boy, Mac.

Dr. Ryan: There's a whole bunch of visible blood vessels

that can give me some ideas about blood pressure,

they use these blood vessels to increase blood flow to their ears

to help blow off heat. So cool.

Really, we're not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

- Can I touch his tail? - Female voice: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan: He's got a couple broken off hair shafts here,

but they look fine.

Female voice: Mac, foot!

Foot health is incredibly important in elephants.

Most people don't realize

that if you look at the elephant's skeletal structures,

is they actually stand up on their toes.

Narrator: A balanced built-in suspension system

makes it possible.

Dr. Ryan: There is a large cushion under their foot,

so that cushion absorbs a lot of the shock.

Female voice: Mackie, more foot!

- Dr. Ryan: Thanks, bud. - (Woman laughs)

Dr. Ryan: You walk around, you're that big and you have toenails,

you're gonna knock 'em, and... And Nick 'em,

and crack 'em every once in a while.

You know, if you look, my nails aren't perfect.

- He needs a manicure. - (Woman laughs)

Narrator: The exterior checks out. Now for a look under the hood.

Dr. Ryan: All right, let's move on to Mac's mouth.

Female voice: Mac, trunk.

- Good, steady. - Dr. Ryan: Very good.

Female voice: Good boy.

Dr. Ryan: If you can see in this thing up here,

that little hole there, that's not supposed to be there.

- Female voice: Good boy. - Dr. Ryan: I don't know what that is.

Narrator: The spot has Dr. Ryan stumped.

Dr. Ryan: We'll figure out how to get a better look at it.

Narrator: Backstage, off the Savanna...

It's take two for Kenya.

As she attempts a first for the park's giraffes,

a voluntary hoof trim.

Can I have a Kenya, please?

Narrator: Despite months of trying, the team won't give up.

Rory: Good afternoon, Kenya. Let's rock and roll.

All right, you can do it. You got it. Show your stuff, honey.

(Groans)

- Hey, Nicky? - Nicole: Yes, sir?

You want to go up on the platform and just see what's going on?

Narrator: With Kenya refusing to come out for food,

plan b means bringing the food to Kenya.

Nicole: Yeah, this is easier, huh?

Narrator: Voila!

You're drooling. You getting some of the drool, Dan?

- Dr. Dan: Something's hitting me. - Rory: That's Kenya.

Dr. Dan: It's kinda like when a bird poops on you, it's good luck.

Rory: When she hears that noise, she knows that she is doing a desired behavior.

We pair it with food, so that she knows,

"oh, I'm doing something good, I'm going to get food."

- It's all about positive reinforcement. - Nicole: Exactly.

Narrator: This might be the big moment.

Nicole: You want to take some food from Rory? Look, he's got more.

Narrator: One small step for Kenya could mean a giant leap

for the park's giraffe herd.

Rory: Yes! Great job, girl. You're doing great, I am very proud of you.

Narrator: She finally hits her Mark, right next to Dr. Dan.

Nicole: Even if she puts her foot on there for a second, I'd be happy.

Oh my god, we're gonna give her all the food.

Left.

Didn't quite get it on the box.

Left.

She is giving it a lot of effort, she's coming really close...

You know what to do, come on.

- Left! - Dr. Dan: Yeah, come on, you got this.

Yep. Now roll it over.

Rory: I'm kind of holding my breath because I want her to finally nail it.

You are so close.

Dr. Dan: Hey, there we go. Let's take that.

Okay, I'm gonna do some stuff here.

She's letting me really work to get the entire abnormal part

of her hoof off of there.

Kenya doesn't feel what I'm doing at all.

She can feel that something is happening,

but the material that I'm taking off of her hoof isn't alive.

It's the equivalent of your fingernail or your hair.

Who the best giraffe?

Dr. Dan: Let's end it.

- That was awesome. - Nicole: That was...

- Rory: That was incredible. - Nicole: Incredible.

Rory: Good job, Dr. Dan. Good job, Kenya.

- That was awesome. - Nicole: Finally!

I'm psyched. I'm psyched!

People have no idea how much goes on behind the scenes here.

I'm pumped. (Laughs)

This is a big deal because at Disney,

this is the first time we've been able to do this on any of our giraffes.

Nicole: From where we started with Kenya, to now being able

to curl her foot up on that block is... Is a huge monumental, um, achievement.

- Nice work. - I'm super excited. Thank you.

It's a momentous occasion.

I wanna toss it like confetti, is that something we can do?

(Birds chirping)

Narrator: Out on the Savanna, the young bull elephants frolic,

fancy free.

- That's because big boss, Mac... - Female voice: Mac, trunk.

Has an appointment backstage with Dr. Ryan.

Female voice: Good, steady.

Narrator: He's found something unusual inside the big guy's mouth.

Dr. Ryan: He's got a defect in his palate.

- I've got the light shined right on it. - Female voice: It's like...

Dr. Ryan: It's like a little pocket that seems to have collected

some food material.

That little hole there. That's not supposed to be there.

Huh, that's interesting.

Female voice: Good boy.

Dr. Ryan: I want to wash it out, 'cause he had a bunch of food stuck

on his palate.

- Will he let you hose him? - Female voice: Mm-hmm.

Let's do that.

Narrator: But there's no need to offer a hose to someone with a hose of his own.

Female voice: Boy, trunk. Good open, Mac. Steady.

Dr. Ryan: We'll figure out how to get a better look at it.

Narrator: Getting a good look requires quick thinking...

And the help of the camera crew.

Dr. Ryan: I think, uh, a gopro on a stick is in our future.

Are... are you guys okay with that?

Narrator: Hopefully, this patient isn't too hungry.

Dr. Ryan: You guys won't be upset if he eats it, right?

- Male voice: No. - Okay.

Okay, Mac, you ready? Good boy, mackie, stretch.

- All right, Mac. Good stretch. (Laughs) - Female voice 2: Yeah.

Female voice 1: Good boy. Mac, trunk. (Laughs)

Narrator: And now, time to open wide.

Female voice 1: Good boy, mackie. Good. Open.

Female voice 2: All right, Ryan, just tell me where we need to go here.

- Female voice 1: Good, open. - Dr. Ryan: Okay, come forward.

- Female voice 1: Good boy, Mac. - Dr. Ryan: Okay, stop.

Move to his left a little bit,

- and then towards his nose. - Female voice 1: Good.

Female voice 2: Anything, Ryan?

Dr. Ryan: What I can tell is there... That pocket up in there,

it's got some stuff packed in it,

so there was little pieces of hay sticking out of it.

Female voice 1: I think we're gonna lose him.

Dr. Ryan: That's okay. That was a great look.

It's kind of hard to say what it is at this point,

but it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all.

So, uh, we need to investigate it a little bit more to...

To figure out what's going on.

- Look at that. - (Woman laughing)

Dr. Ryan: Look at how much I just gave you.

Right? See?

- Dr. Ryan: I'm a really nice veterinarian. - Female voice 1: He's really nice.

Narrator: At sundown, the park takes on a whole new life.

And the animals roam under a whole new light...

While guests head out on a sunset safari.

Like every other intricately designed environment here...

From ancient Asian temples...

To lush African forests...

Expert habitat designers, along with the Disney imagineers,

bring it all to life.

Joe: We're trying to keep you inside a world of story.

We just want you to feel like the experience is kind of weirdly real.

Narrator: Their latest creation could mean a new dawn for sunset viewing.

It looks just like a tree...

But it also provides an animal friendly ray of light.

Kyle: Elephants are super important for our guests to see,

they love seeing the elephants.

The elephants aren't incredibly visible out on the safari at night

so what we've ended up doing

was making this thing look like a palm tree.

Looks super real, that's great. You guys have done such a good job.

A lot of things at stake here.

This is the first time we've ever done this.

This is, I think, one of the coolest fake trees that has ever been built.

Narrator: More than a year of work went into creating a tree

that looks natural.

Steve: This is all stainless steel,

and all the steel has been coated with epoxy and sculpted,

and then the moss, the lichen, those are all paint treatments.

These are the stainless-steel mesh palm fronds.

This has a translucent character to it so it feels more organic.

What differentiates animal kingdom is the safety of the animals as well,

so making sure that the whole pole is high enough

that the elephants, they don't get light shined in their eyes

is super important.

Narrator: Tonight brings the make or break moment...

To the latest addition to the sunset safari.

Kyle: We've put all this work into this beautiful piece of nature

and then we want it to be essentially hidden.

So, hopefully, all that pays off tonight.

Narrator: Not far from the Savanna...

(Train whistles)

Narrator: Sits a corner of the park where guests can get up-close

- to some of its cuddliest critters. - (Goats bleating)

Narrator: It's known as the affection section.

Some of these residents are rescues, enjoying a safe and cozy new home.

(Bleats)

One favorite fowl is popcorn, the frizzle chicken.

Lisa: Popcorn's been here for about a year.

Poor popcorn was just found in a parking lot.

We don't really know much about her background except for that.

(Soft music playing)

Lisa: When popcorn was brought here, she was in rough shape.

When I saw her, my heart just broke for her.

She was super comfortable around people, but when she met the other chickens,

the color drained from her face and she hid under my arms.

So, best guess is that she was a discarded pet.

But our flock accepted her and now she gets the best of both worlds,

she knows how to be a chicken and she still loves being around people.

So, it really doesn't matter if you were born here

or if you're a rescue. Every animal gets the same love and care

here at Disney's animal kingdom.

Narrator: But now popcorn has her keepers worried.

Lisa: Popcorn started to present signs of illness about two days ago,

and upon examination, the vets found out that they needed her to get surgery today.

(Intense music playing)

Dr. Ryan: Popcorn has an issue with her reproductive tract.

Uh, essentially what's happened is the egg has partially developed,

it got stuck in there, and if an egg gets stuck in the reproductive tract,

it can make, uh, chickens extremely ill.

Narrator: The team must correct the problem by removing

her reproductive organs.

Major surgery like this requires help from Dr. Geoff.

Popcorn's very special to me.

Uh, I was here when she arrived, and it was just a great connection for me.

She'd had a really hard life,

and we just had the opportunity to make her life wonderful.

Narrator: In popcorn's time of need,

one member of her Disney family flies to her side.

Lisa: They've decided that we would bring orange over here,

orange is our rooster, and take blood from him

in case we needed to do a blood transfusion.

So, thank you, orange, for the donation.

Dr. Ryan: It's a fairly complicated surgery.

Just take a nice breath.

Chickens are somewhat fragile anesthetic patients.

Uh, they can be a little unpredictable in how they respond.

Lisa: I'm really nervous right now,

because my little friend here is going in for surgery,

and every time someone goes in for surgery, it's risky.

Female voice: Ready.

Dr. Ryan: It's a little tense.

Dr. Geoff: Ryan and I are just clamping the blood vessels.

So far, so good.

Narrator: Dr. Ryan and Dr. Geoff now move forward

with the delicate procedure.

Lisa: Trying to be very cautiously optimistic,

but I don't really want to get my hopes up too much.

Dr. Ryan: We have her oviduct and uterus out.

Not having a reproductive tract won't affect popcorn at all.

If anything, it'll make her life a little bit easier

because she'll no longer lay eggs.

Narrator: With brave little popcorn's surgery a success,

the team wakes her up.

There she is.

Dr. Ryan: Good morning.

Are you thirsty, girl?

Popcorn's better. Thank you, Dr. Ryan.

Dr. Ryan: You're welcome.

Lisa: I feel a huge amount of relief,

but there's still hurdles ahead as she recovers.

(Monkeys chattering)

Narrator: Long after the park closes,

the spotlight turns to the Disney imagineers.

Steve: Just bringing in the light pole now.

Narrator: Their brand-new palm tree light is ready for installation.

Kyle: We've done a lot of work to prepare for this,

we've been waiting such a long time for this to happen.

Steve: Now we're going to put it up, so we'll see how this goes.

With any luck, everything's perfect.

They're gonna use that machine with a strap just to lift it up.

Let the machine do the work.

It's just a delicate thing right now with all those branches out.

Narrator: With the 5,000-pound tree suspended in mid-air,

the team must lower it precisely into position.

There it goes.

Narrator: Once secured, the palm light

will be able to handle hurricane force winds

of up to 180 miles per hour.

Steve: It's now installed, bolted down.

Male voice: Looks great, right? Looks like a real tree.

Narrator: Last but not least, the team positions the light

to just the right angle.

We want everybody to have a good time, and be able to see all the animals.

But the reason why I'm out here is that it also has to be enjoyable

for the elephants.

Kyle: We've done extensive testing, to make sure

that the elephants are going to be okay with the lights.

Our color temperature really mimics the sunset,

so it really helps with the animals at night.

Male voice 1: Can we angle that light down

so it lights the top of the palms a little less?

- Male voice 2: Okay, yeah. - Male voice 1: All right.

We're adjusting the angle that the light hits the yard,

and we're gonna play with the intensity,

we're gonna make it a little brighter, a little darker.

Male voice 2: Okay, I gotta go more left.

I'm happy with the spread. Much better.

Now it's just to see if the elephants like it.

Yeah, bring 'em out.

Kyle: Nothing so far.

Okay, I can see movement.

Narrator: Herd boss Mac ventures out first.

Kyle: That's what I'm looking for, perfect.

Narrator: And as always, where Mac goes...

Others follow close behind.

Kyle: It's been a long night.

Super happy that we've got the habitat finally lit up.

Rick: It's a huge undertaking here at animal kingdom,

just to make sure that the elephants have what they need.

Very happy with that.

Narrator: At the affection section...

Almost a week has passed since brave little popcorn's procedure.

- Male voice: Good girl. - Yay! Oh my god, she looks great.

Narrator: And now keepers want to show her off to guests.

Adriel: This is popcorn.

We named her popcorn, obviously, she kind of looks like

a little kernel of popcorn, right?

So, we're doing her final recovery check here,

to make sure she is ready to go back home and be back with her flock.

Dr. Ryan: See if she'll should stand up.

Her attitude's great, she's doing fantastic.

You know, she doesn't mind it when you give her some scratches

if you give her some scratches in the right place.

She looks really good. Looks like she's recovered nicely.

Narrator: She's had some time to get back on her feet,

and now Adriel returns popcorn to her feathered friends.

Adriel: She's a really big part of our flock.

It'll be really amazing to see them reunited.

You're back home. Good girl.

She's looking great.

So, we'll just try to let one out of the door

- at a time. - All right. I'll try my best.

- All right, here comes buffalo. - Adriel: Buffalo.

Biscuit. Hi, good morning.

I know orange is one of her biggest fans.

All right, here comes orange.

Adriel: Excited to have your old flock back together?

- Male voice: All the girls. - Adriel: There's all my ladies.

She's back to her normal behavior.

I'm thinking it went really well. I'm happy with the result.

It's fabulous, it's really awesome to have her back.

Narrator: This morning, Dr. Ryan returns backstage

to check on the unusual hole in Mac's mouth.

Female voice: Mac, stretch. Good boy.

Narrator: And this time, he brings some high-tech gear.

Dr. Ryan: I'm gonna look with this first.

Narrator: A state-of-the-art thermography camera.

Dr. Ryan: His armpits are warm.

- Good boy. - Yes. Snuggle up in an elephant armpit.

Narrator: This specialty camera will reveal

if Mac's mouth is giving off excess heat, a potential sign of inflammation.

Just trying to see if there's any changes in the heat signature

of his hard palate.

Narrator: There's no obvious cause for concern,

but Dr. Ryan still needs to be sure.

- Female voice: Good open, Mac. - All right, you ready?

Ready.

Dr. Ryan: I have a really good view of it right now,

it looks like just a little expanded pocket,

- but it looks exactly the same. - Female voice: Good boy, Mac.

Dr. Ryan: It looks all nice and smooth, it's not inflamed.

Okay.

Elephants, and animals in general, just like people,

you know, they're not all built the same,

and they have little variations on normal.

I don't think it's causing him any discomfort whatsoever.

Female voice: Are you done?

No, you have to give me the bucket, though. Like, it's...

Thank you.

Dr. Ryan: All hail the king.

Narrator: Now that Mac's got the all clear,

he can return to his day job

on the Savanna, reigning as king of the herd.

But he doesn't just keep the boys in check.

As the park's only breeding bull,

he's responsible for creating the next generation.

And today, big Mac has a date.

Steve: Kianga is our up and coming matriarch

so she's very important to this herd for the next generation.

Narrator: If Mac does become a dad, for the fourth time,

it's more than just great news for everyone at the park.

Because they face threats of poaching and habitat loss,

Mac plays an important role for elephants all over the world.

Steve: Mackie's just eating his shredded wheat.

Now we're seeing interest from kianga, that's a big, big change in behavior,

her being that confident with Mac.

Narrator: But right now...

Mac has other priorities.

Steve: Mac's giving her kind of a bit of a standoffish look.

Narrator: But kianga does not give up easily.

Steve: Nah, s he's not taking no for an answer.

What you see right now is a definition of interest.

That determination, that's pretty impressive.

(Orchestral music playing)

Steve: Look at that, that's insane.

He's being incredibly patient.

She's pestering, even when he's given her signs

to go away, she continues. Oh, here we go. (Laughs)

But she's doing everything she can.

That behavior is just, "look, I'm being totally submissive."

Narrator: And that means kianga wants some romance.

This could mean a second date.

And ultimately, promising news for the species.

Seeing kianga's relationship with Mac blossom is super exciting.

Even if he doesn't breed this round this is all, like, super cool

for building relationship and building confidence.

Kianga's learning how to interact with Mac.

So, it's up to them.