Animal Park S19E03 - Episode 3

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle return to Longleat Safari Park for another glorious summer series, following the incredible stories of the exotic animals and the keepers who look after them. There have been many successful newborns at the park over the years, but today we find out why breeding programmes are not always easy.

There's a race to stop one of the park's most important breeding programmes from falling apart. Last year, the park joined a red squirrel breeding programme, and they have already had babies. However, those babies are already nearly adults, they're squabbling, and they can't live together. So they need to be separated. But you can't just catch a squirrel as it's too stressful for them, so the keepers have to make a plan. With the animals' safety at stake, this is one move that can't happen soon enough, but can the keepers do it without causing serious stress to the squirrels?

Also, could it be 'maybe baby' for one of the park's most endangered species? Kate meets a new female red panda, who has been paired to breed with a male. Kate sees that there are exciting signs that she could indeed be pregnant, and she helps the keepers weigh her. Meanwhile, wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin tries to confirm whether one of the other female pandas is building a nest high up in the enclosure's tree? If so, it might be a sign that she could also be pregnant.

Elsewhere, Ben is serving dinner to a pair of cold-blooded killers, the Cuban crocodiles, and he has brought ‘Croc Cam' to capture every bite. Zoologist Megan McCubbin continues to find out how the keepers in the park keep their animals entertained and in great condition. Today, she uses her skills as a former animal keeper to muck out the park's collection of Rothschild's giraffes and help identify whether a camel has a tooth problem.