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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 8

Behind the scenes with animals and keepers at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park. The giant pandas keep everyone on their toes, while monkey Dennis gets hurt in a fight.

Whether an animal is large or small, exotic or local, furry or feathered – it makes no difference to the keepers. Their passion for the job and commitment to conservation shine through.

We go behind the scenes with giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang, where every aspect of their lives is monitored, weighed and measured, and for whom nothing is too much trouble. Under the care of long-serving keepers Alison and Sharon, Tian Tian keeps everyone guessing as to whether she is pregnant, Yang Guang goes under anaesthetic for a full health check and their new enclosures have a grand opening.

Keepers Liam and Kirsty rush yellow-breasted capuchin monkey Dennis to the hospital for surgery after a spat between brothers and there’s an emergency call to action when a baby gelada baboon manages to slip onto the wrong side of the fence.

With conservation at the core of Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, staff from both locations work to bring together a pair of beavers and release them into the wild – but when Oban and Fiddich meet, will it be love at first sight?

And there is another unusual but important conservation project going on out of public view at Highland Wildlife Park. In a bid to save Scotland’s pine hoverfly, it’s a team effort to reproduce the species in captivity. Meanwhile, keeper Marc gets into the kitchen to cook up a strange soup to help hoverfly larvae survive in the wild.

58 minutes

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