Episode 4

In this episode, we discover if any of the park’s residents could use a rudimentary tool.

Longleat is home to a group of critically endangered western lowland gorillas, and keepers are always looking for new ways to enrich these intelligent animals. So, the keepers decide to find out if they will use a tool to dig out food. First, they drill deep holes in some logs and fill them with peanut butter. They then leave some sticks which could be used to dig out the tasty treat. But will any of the gorillas work out how to use the sticks? Later in the programme, wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin joins the keepers to push the experiment further with another feeder puzzle. But will the gorillas use their intelligence or their brute strength to access the hidden food?

On the other side of the park, the keepers have a brand new enrichment for another species. We’ve been following the journey of the park’s two hyenas since they arrived in 2018. It took two years before they would come close enough to let our crew film them, but with some clever tactics, the keepers have formed a close bond. Today, the keepers are trying to build on the animals’ new confidence with a shower. But how will they react to the sounds and sensations?

Elsewhere, Kate is helping out on vet rounds, and today they are focused on one of the heaviest flying birds – the pink-backed pelicans. He has a couple of injured toes, which must be very painful. Kate helps as the vet treats the condition and finds out what the long-term impact could be.