Animal Park

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle have been bringing us amazing stories from the park for over 20 years, and in that time we have met countless animals who have achieved legendary status. In this episode, we celebrate those animals and the ones that will become legends of the future - one such animal is Thorn, the giraffe. Many of the keepers have cared for Thorn for over a decade and in that time the 5.5-metre giant has possibly done more to ensure the future of his species than any other animal - fathering an astonishing 29 Rothschild giraffe calves. But now 23, age is tragically catching up with Thorn. The vet team have arrived to take an x-ray of his feet because they fear that arthritis is taking hold, and the medication he is on is seemingly becoming less effective. As the results of the x-ray are revealed, the keepers are rocked to see that the condition is worse than they thought. They now face an impossible decision on his future, having built such strong bonds with this giant of the park. Zoologist Megan McCubbin has a busy day ahead of her with two very different creatures. Out on the lake, she is charged with trying to determine how many of the Californian sea lions might be pregnant. It would be an impossible task had the keepers not trained the animals so successfully. With a whistle, they are able to get the sea lions to reveal their nipples and tummies, both vital areas of interest when determining if they are pregnant. She then races over to the Cuban crocodile enclosure to try something very different - encouraging their natural killer instinct. Having created a floating raft of natural materials and hidden food within it, will the crocs strike with their famously ferocious attack? Also today, Ben hosts a birthday party for the wolves, and wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin attempts to capture the experience of being attacked by a pride of lions with a specialist bit of kit.