Our Lives (2016) - full transcript

Cheetah mum Sia has just given birth
to her first litter of cubs.

Colchester Zoo curator Sarah Forsyth
is there

to welcome them to the world.

Right, number one.
You going to stay still?

CHEETAH CUBS SQUEAK

SHE LAUGHS
Yes, you can tell me off.

These five little furballs should
go on display to the public

in a few weeks' time...

..but the zoo is in lockdown.

No visitors means no income,

and it's unclear when they'll be
able to welcome the public back.



Over the last three months,

we've had
a very small number of staff in.

We've had no visitors,

and we've completely had the zoo
to ourselves.

And, for us, we've felt like
we've been in a bit of a bubble,

you know,
we've got our own little family,

we're all just seeing
the same people every day.

We've almost felt a bit disconnected
from the outside world as well.

Sarah lives on-site,

so right now, this secret sanctuary
is her whole world.

She's taking us into that world,

at the toughest time
in its history...

THEY TALK INAUDIBLY

..as she leads the zoo
through to reopening.



This job isn't
just a nine-to-five job.

It is a lifestyle, and I guess
it has kind of taken over.

I made the choice
not to have a family

because the zoo and the animals...

SHE LAUGHS
..they're kind of my family.

All of my nurturing is
taken out on the animals.

Yeah, the hard work starts
once baby's born.

I like to watch them growing up,

and I like to record them
growing up.

I've got hyena cubs in here,
I've got otter pups,

I've got two lots of cheetah cubs,

I've got three or four rhino calves
that we've had.

Sarah established the zoo's
successful rhino breeding programme,

and baby Lottie is
its latest arrival.

That's from the security cameras
in the zoo,

and that's actually
just as she's being born.

Despite a huge reduction
in staff numbers,

caring for the animals
must go on as normal.

Today is going to be the first day

that Lottie will have met
the giraffe up close and personal.

Obviously, they've seen each other
for the last six months,

but today they're actually going to
be in the same enclosure together.

Obviously giraffe have got
long legs,

big feet.

And rhino calves like running around
amongst their legs and their feet.

Even an adult rhino, potentially,

if it was kicked
by an adult giraffe,

it could be fatal.

You know,
they're huge animals, the giraffe,

they've got massive feet,
they're very, very powerful.

They're gentle, they're not
generally aggressive at all,

but we're very protective of Lottie,
we love her.

When we do mix first time,
if things just don't go to plan,

we're prepared to intervene
and separate if need to.

The team stand ready
with fire extinguishers,

the perfect tool
to distract a high-kicking giraffe.

I can see she's got
the devil in her eye already.

SHE LAUGHS
Is she going to charge after them?

Lotts!

Oi!

Basically a toddler
getting under your feet!

SHE LAUGHS
That's exactly what she is.

Lottie! See, I knew she would.

Yeah, I'm watching you.

Come on!

PEOPLE APPLAUD
Yeah!

The sea lions normally do
three shows a day

to a cheering crowd.

Despite the lack of an audience,

trainer Lizzie is keeping her pals
ready to perform.

SEA LION BARKS

That's her killer whale impression!

THEY CHUCKLE

Are you still managing to keep up
the training as often as possible?

We're trying to.

So, obviously,
some staff are on furlough,

so instead of all five sea lions

getting out every single day,

what we're doing is we're
kind of transitioning them.

So, some sea lions
kind of take it in turns.

Just so that we get
a really good look at them.

We've been focusing mostly
just on those health behaviours...

Yeah, of course.
..and keeping them fit as well.

Because if they're not going out
three times a day,

then obviously they're not using
as much energy.

And they're losing a bit of their
muscle tone as well, we've noticed.

So, they are all healthy,
but it is still nice to have them

do those fitness behaviours,
like the porpoising.

So, yeah, behaviours like that
you still know, don't you, Sydney?

LIZZIE LAUGHS

She says, "I'm not going
to forget that one, I love it!"

Do you think she's ready?

The moment we can say,
"Let's start doing displays again,"

she's ready to go?

Especially with Sydney,
she is a superstar.

So I definitely think she will
be ready for the audiences

when they do come back to the zoo.

She's very, very excited
to see everybody, aren't you?

The zoo is making the most
of no-one being here

and updating
some of the animal enclosures.

While the work is done,

the sheep and goats have been
holidaying together

in a grassy paddock.

Now it's time for them to go home.

With the visitors here,
we'd have to load up vehicles,

we'd have to do it
at specific times.

It would have to be
a well-oiled machine.

But Lisa, the head of section,
has come up with a brilliant idea

of "Let's just run the goats
through the zoo -

"right from the top
all the way to the bottom."

So we just run them all the way down
past sea lions, down past bears.

Right. Left to the lions.

Yeah.
And then round the back of farm.

And they're there.
And they're in. Yeah.

I think, with enough bodies
and encouragement, they'll be fine.

SARAH CHUCKLES
We don't need to run.

It's either going
to work perfectly...

Yep. ..or it's going to be chaos.

I'm going to go with perfect.
Good plan.

SARAH CHUCKLES
OK!

GOATS BLEAT

Come on then, guys! Watch out.

I don't know where they've gone,
Lis, but they're on the move.

So far, so good!

Come on!

Come on, guys! Keep going!

Oh, look!

We were checking for stragglers.
We were checking for stragglers!

SARAH LAUGHS

That would normally take me
about an hour to do.

I'd split the group up
into three or four

and put them in the horse trailer,
drive them down, let them out,

it's about an hour's work.

So, that took seven minutes.

Today is a big day for a recent
arrival at the L'Hoest's Monkeys,

where mum and baby have been
separated from the group.

So, baby's going to go up
to vet room now.

So we need to formally sex,
cos we haven't been able to see

if it's a girl or a boy yet,
so we'll be doing that.

And then we're also going
to microchip her as well.

So, we have a bit of a thing
at the moment

with regards to the name.

So, we're hoping this is a female,
and it's going to be called Sarah,

aka Sez, after our curator.

MONKEY SQUEAKS

THEY TALK INDISTINCTLY

If the baby is named after Sarah,

it will be the first time she has
had an animal named in her honour.

I'd like to know
whether it is a boy or a girl.

I know these aren't the easiest ones
to tell, though, are they?

No. Not necessarily, but...

Yay!

It's the news Sarah has
been hoping for -

baby monkey will be named
Sarah Junior.

Oh...

SARAH CHUCKLES

But wait a minute...

..vet John has spotted something!

Changed your mind?

CHUCKLING: Oh, no!

It's a boy.

You were supposed to be a girl.

Are you disappointed?
You've let me down.

I've always wanted
to work with animals.

I guess, as any kid, when you think
about working with animals,

you think of being a vet.

So I did work experience
in a veterinary surgery

and realised that wasn't
quite what I was looking for.

Come, Blue.

I went to college
and studied animal care,

and I just did not stop until I got
to the position I wanted to be in.

Sarah's determination saw her become
a zoo curator unusually young -

she was just 30.

In over a decade in the job, she has
never faced a time like this.

Come, Blue.

So, I think the three months
we've been closed,

we've already lost millions,

and that is what keeps us going
through winter.

I guess what I've really missed
is my friends and my family.

I see my family quite a lot
and haven't been able to do so

during this lockdown period.

On a tough day, coming down
to an environment like this

with this boy is
what gets me through.

You know, they say animals are
soothing, and absolutely they are.

And, yeah, I don't know
what I'd have done without him

during lockdown, to be honest.

ALARM BLARES

Living on-site means Sarah can be
there fast if there's an emergency.

There's five of us that live on-site

that are basically
the out-of-hours security team.

And all of our phones are
remotely connected

to all of the cameras
that are on-site

and all of the security alarms
as well.

Rhino horn is worth
more than its weight in gold

on the black market,

and European zoos have
been targeted by thieves.

ALARM CONTINUES TO SOUND

So, we were told
that we may be targeted as a zoo,

and our live rhinos
might actually be targeted.

So, instantly that same week,
we put a security alarm

on the rhino building.

Right, well, shutters are all down.

ALARM STOPS

Sarah's beloved rhinos
are safe this time.

So, these are cameras
directly into the rhino stalls.

So, they double up as security

so we can see into the building
where the rhinos are.

They're also very helpful
when I have a pregnant rhino,

and she's due to give birth.

SHE CHUCKLES
I can keep an eye on her.

I think my first rhino calf was
actually, um...

We managed to do that
through artificial insemination.

So that was a huge process.

We stayed here every night
for two weeks

waiting for him to be born.

You have a bond with them,
it's amazing.

And the adults,
they are so trusting.

I had to carry a rhino calf
in from the paddock one year

because it was born outside
in the middle of February,

and it was winter and it was cold.

And Mum just let me do it.

She trusted me enough with her baby,
it was just amazing.

It was just, you know,

one of my favourite moments,
I think of my career,

was me walking through the paddock
with a rhino calf

and Mum just looking back
every now and again going,

"It's all right, Sarah's got it!"
SHE LAUGHS

"She's fine."

You know, she just let me do it.

For three months, Colchester Zoo
has been stuck in a holding pattern,

with its gates closed
to the public.

But curator Sarah has just had
some surprising news.

Unexpectedly, the government has
announced that zoos can reopen,

and they can do it next week!

We've got about less than a week
to get ready for opening.

We need to open.

We're desperate to get visitors back
because we need the income.

You know,
we're running out of money.

We need income to be able to feed
the animals, pay the staff.

So I've now got to go round

and catch up
with all my heads of section,

find out where we're at,
how much work we've got to do,

and start making some plans
to get ready.

Hi, Sia. How are those babies doing?

Morning. You all right?
How are you doing? You all right?

How are they?
Yeah, really, really good.

Yeah, I've just been in
and done a quick clean.

Starting to hand-feed as well now.

Which is really nice.
Brilliant, that's really nice.

We've now had the news, we can open!
I know!

So, it's just to start thinking
about what we need to do

to get ready, really.

OK. What? In terms of these guys?

Well, no, your section in general.
Just generally? OK.

Well, there's a lot of grass
to be cut

and a lot of hedges to be trimmed.

Yeah.
Public areas are pretty horrendous.

A lot of windows to clean,
a lot of signs to clean.

And, in terms of these guys,
we've got their vaccinations to do.

Yes, so they are due
their first set of vaccinations.

No different
to domestic cats at home -

cheetahs, along with tigers,
lions, all sorts of cats,

still have to have
the same vaccinations

you would give your cats at home.

And then, after that,

they can go out
into the main enclosure with Mum.

HEDGE TRIMMER WHIRS

With opening day
just around the corner,

zoo staff are returning
from furlough

and getting busy
sorting out 60 acres of park.

Obviously, we are so excited
to see the gates open.

It's going to be quite emotional,

cos they haven't been opened
or used at all.

No-one's been going through them.

To see them open
and to hear cars coming in

and to hear visitors,
it's going to be a great day.

A big day.

It's not only the zoo's gardens
that are overgrown...

..after three months of closure,

the sea lion tunnel is
also looking a little furry.

All the time during summer,
the algae really does grow,

and we've been really lucky
with the weather recently.

So me and my colleague Kirsty

are going to be heading down

into the...under the water

and we're going to be cleaning
all the tunnel, all the windows

free from the algae.

So, while we're down in the water,

the sea lions won't interact
with us.

They are trained just to go and swim
and do their own thing.

So, all we'll do is go round,
clean the windows,

they won't interact with us
in these sessions

because it is purely
to keep the windows

and all the acrylic down there
nice and clean.

Sadly, only four of the five cheetah
cubs born in lockdown survived.

Getting them vaccinated so they can
go on display is a tricky job.

Hi!

All right. Steady, steady.

Steady, steady.

So, you're going to grab
and I inject, Chris?

You're happy with that? Yeah, sure.

CHEETAH CUBS SQUEAK

All right?

So, you can certainly tell
these are wil...wild animals!

SHE CHUCKLES

And this is just...

..a vaccination
that any cat would have at home.

And it's not painful,
it's just a subcut injection.

It doesn't hurt them at all,

but, of course, they're not
used to being handled at all.

Ooh, nearly got me.

CHEETAH CUB SQUEAKS
OK.

I know, baby.

There we go. All done.

OK.

OK, Helen. Last one.

Hey, Sia. I didn't hurt them,
I promise.

What happened?
SHE CHUCKLES

So, we've got four cheetah cubs.

Three of them are females,
and one is male.

Now, the staff are
really, really keen

to name the male Colonel Tom

after the gentleman who raised
so much money for the NHS.

Now, the three females,
we thought it would be really nice

to name them
with initials of N, H and S.

Again, just for us
to show our support

and our thanks to the NHS
for all the work they've done.

So, we've done a competition,

and we're just waiting to see
which name wins,

and then we'll have names
for our three females as well.

1.3.

And then you want six kilos of veg.

In the animal feed prep kitchen,

senior keepers Ang and Chris
are busy

sorting out the next round of meals.

OK, we've got...
An apple, an orange.

Chimp.

Let's go.

OVER RADIO: On my way.

The call's gone out that we've got
two chimps out at the moment,

so the team are now assembling.

We're going to be getting
our darting gear ready

in case we've got a situation
where we can dart.

And then we're going
to be getting ourselves out

once we're safe and ready to do so.

Chris, I think you go top
with your team on foot. Yeah.

The foot patrol search
from one end of the park...

Weapons secure.

..and a vehicle team
approach from the other.

Chris.

OVER RADIO: Sarah.

I just got a sight
outside Lemur Walkthrough.

OK, thank you.
We're coming down the main hill.

Animal escapes are rare,

and, fortunately,
this one is a drill.

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

HE PANTS

So, we'll just go straight in
with lethal.

Yeah. Happy?

We have to, every year,
take four of these at least

to be able to make sure
we know what we're doing.

Heading towards L'Hoest's.

Under the fake fur,

keeper Liam is putting on
a BAFTA-worthy performance

as Angry Chimp One.

HE PANTS

WOMAN: The bridge.

Do you want to just have
a quick look that way,

check it hasn't doubled on us,
Chris?

Our plan, of course, would never be
to actually shoot at an animal

unless we really had to.

It has to be the last resort.

MAN: Last two sightings out back.

There's some noise in here, guys.

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

When it comes to darting an animal,
sadly, it takes a very long time

for it to be able to become active.

Lemur Walkthrough,
and there's noise here.

Ready?

So, sadly, at that point,

we have to take the decision
to use lethal force.

OK. No, lethal.

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

One more shot, guys, let's have it.

Bang.

He's down.

That's one neutralised.

INDISTINCT TALK OVER RADIO

We're just heading
down towards train tracks.

All right, we'll leave that there,
and we'll go straight down.

Train tracks.

Yeah, let's take it.

While the weapons team
go after chimp two,

Liam has earned himself
a banana break.

Thank you. There it is. Guns up.

Rifle shot.

Backdrop. Go for it.

ANG: Got it. Down.

Lovely job.

MAN: Second chimp now neutralised.

Everyone happy? Weapons safe?

Nice one. Well done, everyone.

Thanks, Chris.

At last, Colchester Zoo is
reopening to the public today.

Hundreds of staff have had to learn
how to do their jobs

in a safe, socially-distanced way.

And a single-flow pathway has been
marked around the public spaces.

A bit of last-minute cleaning,
and everyone's ready.

This is a very big moment for us.

Three months
of having those gates closed,

and finally, today,
we get to open them.

So, we're nervous,
we're apprehensive,

but more than anything,

we're just thrilled
to be able to open the doors.

Look, there's cars
wanting to come in!

SHE CHUCKLES
How exciting! Let's go.

Hi!

SHE CHUCKLES

Hi, guys!
CAR HORN TOOTS

CAR HORN TOOTS
Hi!

ALL CHEER

Oh, we're at Colchester Zoo,
and it's amazing to be back.

Mum got one of the tickets
to be one of the first to come in.

Well, as you can see...
BOTH CHUCKLE

..I mean, she's 80 years old,

and she's been like a big kid
since she's heard.

Since she got the e-mail!
Honestly. Absolutely, honestly.

It looks like that guy touched
that guy, so he's it, isn't he?

It's nice to kind of start
doing a few normal things again.

And the zoo was always
our go-to place.

To realise that the zoo probably
came very close to having to close

through all of this,

and the fact that it looks
like they've survived...

It's been marvellous, you know.

Yeah, it's been very emotional.

Absolutely heart-warming,
it really is.

Confined to the zoo,

Sarah has had no-one to give her
a hug for the last three months...

..but with restrictions easing,
her parents,

and brother with his family,
are here to change that.

SHE LAUGHS

Hello, I'm allowed to hug you
as well! Isn't that amazing?

Yay!

Hi!

All this time!

Oh, it's been a very emotional day.

SHE LAUGHS

I'm amazingly proud. She's special.

She's worked incredibly hard,

and I think she's done
amazing things.

She never balks at anything,

she just stands up
and gets on with it.

There's Lottie.
There, you see her in the middle.

She's always been animal mad.
Always.

Ever since she started working
in the zoo...

..it's been rhinos.
Why is that, Sarah?

It's just since working with them.

Just, literally,
since spending time with them.

You've always had
an affinity with them.

And they like you, don't they?

BOTH CHUCKLE

You also got them breeding, though,
didn't you?

Yes.
Yeah, you did get them breeding.

Cos they weren't breeding,
were they?

They weren't breeding before, no.

Baby rhino Lottie
is on display for the first time,

and she's still learning that
it's best not to annoy the giraffes.

Lottie!

Lottie! Oi, behave yourself!

My mum actually goes and tells
her friends that she's a grandma

because the rhino calf
has been born.

Oddly enough,
it isn't any of the other animals,

it's just the rhinos.

The cheetah -
all beautiful and lovely.

But whenever you send the rhino,
you know, it's the rhino grandbaby.

SHE CHUCKLES
Bizarre.

We're obviously
as mad as each other!

I don't know.

Come on, Sia!

Finally, the cheetah cubs are ready

to make their first
public appearance.

So, the cubs will stay with us
until they're about 18 months old.

And then actually they will go
to other collections around Europe.

And then, hopefully, we maybe go on

to have another litter
at another time.

We're over the moon
that the zoo's open.

And it's a huge step forward,

but certainly we're not
out of the woods yet.

We just want to be optimistic
and look forward.

There's things I've had to deal with

that I'll take on
to future challenges as well,

but I don't think
we'll ever experience

anything like this again.

Hope not!
SHE LAUGHS

I hope we never experience
anything like this ever again!

Captain Tom's sisters
now have their names too.

In honour of the NHS,

the names chosen for the
three little girl cubs are Nova...

..Hope...

..and Star.