Episode 7

It’s a truly momentous occasion for the keepers. They have incubated and successfully hatched one of the world’s most threatened bird species – the critically endangered white-backed vulture. Two have hatched, but the park has never raised these chicks before, and very little is known about hand-rearing this species. It’s a huge test for the keepers. To begin with, they must feed them a specific diet five times a day to build up the precious chicks’ strength. But soon, they face a medical emergency and need to call in the vet team. One of the chicks seems to be dropping its wing and appears to be in a lot of pain. Only an x-ray will prove whether the wing is broken or not. If there is a fracture, the consequences could be devastating.

It’s also an extremely nerve-racking day for the giraffe keepers. Every summer, the giraffes are led out of their winter enclosure and released into the main reserve to roam amongst the zebra, wildebeest and ostriches. But this year, things will be a bit different as they need to pass a new exhibit which contains some of their natural predators – a pack of six African painted dogs. The keepers are so nervous about the giraffes’ reaction that our camera team has been asked to film it, so the keepers are wearing body cameras to capture every moment up close. How will the giraffes react?

Hamza Yassin is always on hand to help the keepers understand more about their animals, and with a new species at the park, his help is more valuable than ever. Today, using his wildlife camera skills and zoom lens, he’s helping the keepers check on the hand-reared ostriches. Are the youngsters behaving themselves, or are they just annoying the giraffes?