72 Cutest Animals (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - 72 Cutest Animals - full transcript

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NARRATOR:
Cute is in the eye of the beholder.

Revealing 72 of the world's cutest animals
is an eclectic list.

They're unique, possibly eccentric
with a touch of the unusual

and of course, totally adorable.

We explore a broad range
of the cutest animals across the world

and in the process,
define just how cute

even the quirkiest
of animals can be.

(TRUMPETING)

Loveable, totally huggable,
quite possibly not a safe option to do so,

however, you may find our first
adorable beast to be wildly irresistible.

(GROWLS)



I wouldn't want to cuddle one.
Especially an adult one, but the cubs,

they're up there in probably
the top 10 cutest animals around.

NARRATOR: A bold statement,
straight from the get-go,

but Luke Massey feels
he's well positioned to back this up.

Last summer I went up to Finland
just below the Arctic Circle

where in summer,
it's actually 24-hours daylight

and there's a huge population of bears.

When your filming,
you're pretty much silent,

so the bears, I'm sure they can
smell me and they might spot me

but as long as I'm not approaching them
they go about their business.

And European brown bears
aren't that aggressive.

They're not like the big American grizzly,
so you're pretty safe most of the time.

NARRATOR: There are around
16 subspecies of brown bear

native to different regions
across the globe,



but not all of them are the ferocious
carnivore you might have imagined.

LUKE: Brown bears will
mainly forage, I mean they do hunt,

like grizzlies up in Alaska and Canada,

you see them hunting salmon
on the salmon run

and then go charging through the water

and dive on a hapless salmon
as it's on its way to mate.

So most of them,
actually you'd be surprised,

they eat a lot of grass

and they go for the fresh shoots
and berries and stuff.

So you've got these huge animals
and you think,

"Whoa, they take down anything."

But actually, they're eating grass,
fruits, berries, nuts, stuff like that.

NARRATOR: But that iconic image
of the Alaskan grizzly

feasting on spawning salmon
is the exact description

of Joanne Harley's equally amazing
brown bear experience.

The place where
we watched the bears,

Katmai National Park,
is four million square kilometres

and it goes from shoreline
all the way up to Steep Mountains.

Sometimes the bears come very close

if they're not afraid of you
and if they're doing something else.

Chasing salmon or,
along the coast in Katmai,

they also dig for clams.

NARRATOR: Like Luke, Joanne's idea
of a brown bear at its most adorable

is well before they are fully grown.

JOANNE: They are particularly cute
when they are small,

and grizzly cubs spend
two seasons, at least,

with their mothers.

Youngsters will chase
each other up trees

or play-fight with each other.

Adult bears don't really seem to play,
they just go about their business.

They almost look disdainfully
at the cubs when they're playing.

But it's all practise, obviously,
it's building muscle and getting ready

for when one day they might
have to have a real fight.

JOANNE: We've seen
a lot of mothers and cubs

and a lot of cubs playing,

and sometimes
they get so busy playing,

that they don't even notice
that you're there.

When they're really little,
they're kind of scrawny,

but by the second year
they're really big,

hundred pounds and more,
and furry.

NARRATOR: A chance
at an eyewitness encounter

in the wilderness might not be something
we'll all experience,

but somehow the brown bear's
enduring appeal is universal.

LUKE: I think anyone
should love bears

because of teddy bears
and stuff like that.

You're kind of bought up
from day one almost.

Someone gives you a teddy bear,

so everyone kind of
has this link to bears.

So yeah, I guess I have
always loved them.

And then when there's nothing better than
actually seeing them in the flesh.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

NARRATOR: There is more to being cute
than just having a pretty face.

Some animals
instantly make us smile.

And while others
may not be so attractive,

their quirkiness
and relationship with humans

can be incredibly charming.

We explore the characteristics that allows
each animal to claim the title of "cute".

Who will be the cutest?

In the end,
it's more than just good looks.

Hard to resist the animal
that's just like a massive teddy bear.

Being first up,
its comfortably sitting at number one.

But will the worldwide love
for our next critter

be enough to knock bear from the top?

Mind your own business.

Try telling that to a meerkat.

It might not be
any of their business,

but meerkats are an inquisitive bunch

and whatever it is,
they'll make it their business.

(CHIRPS)

They're very, very curious.

Pretty much anything
we bring into the enclosure,

whether it's a new person,

a new toy for them
to play with or food,

they're always straight on to it,

once they've sussed it out
to make sure it's nothing scary.

BRETT: Their curiosity is
by far more impressive

than anything else in the zoo,

so they're good fun,
there's never a dull moment.

NARRATOR: If one meerkat wants to get
a piece of another meerkat's action,

stealth is not exactly
on the agenda.

No subtle seeking
of permission here.

For us humans, a phenomenon
known as the "fear of missing out"

is something we've only recently
attached a label to,

but it seems that this has always
been part of the meerkat life

and for very good reason too.

BRETT: Well, they are
very, very social animals,

and they do have to trust
each other a whole lot

because you've got the scouts who are
sitting up there most of the day

looking for predators
just in case they swing by.

NARRATOR: Out in the deserts
of Southern Africa,

meerkats use a system of calls that act
much like a threat-level alert,

so that they can all run for cover

if the scouts detect danger
and sound the alarm.

This rotating roster of vigilance
allows the rest of the group

to go about the important business
of collecting a feed in safety.

GEORGIA: They're constantly
foraging throughout the day,

so they're always active.

Always hunting around for their food
in the wild and in captivity.

We feed them here at the zoo
about five times a day

which replicates
their natural foraging in the wild.

NARRATOR: So, while that
classic meerkat pose

makes it seem like
they're peering over the fence

to see if the grass really is
greener on the other side,

it's a key defence behaviour that really
is all about protecting the family group.

And for these guys,
nothing is more important than family.

(SNORING)

GEORGIA: Most of the time in the wild,
they have the dominant male and female.

In here, we've definitely got
the dominant female in here,

so she pretty much
tells the others off

and she's the one who will
approach you first

if you're in her territory

and she doesn't want you to be here,
so she'll chase you off if she wants to.

NARRATOR: Strong characters
in a well-defined social hierarchy,

meerkats are a lot like smaller,
furry versions of us.

Maybe that explains
the irresistible appeal of meerkats.

NARRATOR: The nosey little meerkat is
always on the lookout for an opportunity

and when there's a chance to sneak
into number one, it's going to take it,

without any concern
for the size of the bear it's replacing.

But equally small, is a cautious little
fluff ball who wants to hop to the top.

NICOLE: They're such great companions.

I think a lot of people that just
think of rabbits as you know,

just sitting out there,
they don't do much.

Give them a carrot
once in a while.

They, they need to see, you know,

what they can be when you
integrate them into your life,

just like you would a dog or a cat.

NARRATOR: Nicole Su is a believer.

A believer in the beauty
of bunny behaviour.

She may be a veterinarian by trade,

but her devotion to animal welfare doesn't
switch off at the end of working hours.

NICOLE: So this is Ella.
We're not sure how old she is.

She's a little lop rabbit.

Her ears come down instead of up,
like other rabbits.

She's got a really cute smooshy-face.

Yes.

NARRATOR: So is there a scenario
where this gorgeous fluff ball

could be any more appealing?

Well, yes, and it all comes down
to the notion that less is more.

She was found
on the side of a road in Perth

with a leg that was badly broken,
so we took her in.

And we decided after
some X-rays and stuff

that it would actually be better for her
if we did amputate the leg.

Which was a bit scary.

Hey?
Especially for you, I know.

NARRATOR: Needless to say,
Ella's operation was a raging success

and she's well and truly bunny-hopped her
way into Nicole's heart and home.

And being short one leg
hasn't stopped Ella leading the way.

NICOLE: She gets around really well.

They do a lot of binkies as well which
some people call "happy rabbit dances".

NARRATOR: Living with Nicole,
Ella has figured out some

very non-rabbit ways of communicating
exactly what it is she wants.

She's a very vocal rabbit,
you can hear her grunting now.

(GRUNTING)

She grunts when I scratch
her ear on the side where she has no leg

because she can't
scratch it herself, so,

sometimes she'll come up
to me and then she'll look at me

and she'll kind of wiggle
that little stump that she has

and I know that she wants me
to scratch her ear.

NARRATOR: If Ella's path in life
had taken her in a different direction,

a career as a professional athlete
could have been an option.

The country that pioneered
flat packed furniture

has also given the world, rabbit hopping.

In the 1970s, the Swedes took
the rules of horse show jumping

and adapted them for rabbits.

And now the rest of the world
has gone mad for the concept, and why not?

Some of the entrants
are phenomenally talented.

They can potentially jump
a metre high and three metres long.

But with the rabbit Paralympics
some years away,

there are other ways of getting
three-legged rabbits out and about.

They see the pram coming out

and they see the harnesses coming out
and they're like,

"Oh, Mum's up to something."

(LAUGHS) And then finally, they get
picked up and they get to go in the pram.

They both sit in there quite happily
with an ice-block if it's a bit hot

and we go down to the cafes
and get lots of pats.

Some surprised people
really coming over to have a look

at what they think is a baby

but it's actually two rabbits
having a go in the pram.

NARRATOR: You're probably thinking
her dedication to her three legged friend

and its little companion
really goes above and beyond.

But for Nicole, this irresistible pair

keep on giving back so much more
than you would expect from rabbits.

NARRATOR: Even though the athletic rabbit
is impressive on the show jump,

this cute critter
is going to number three,

behind the big brown bear
and curious meerkat.

However, roaring into the mix

is one of the most commanding
creatures of the cat world.

(GROWLING)

The big golden cats
of the Sub-Saharan desert

are some of the most loyal, social
and family orientated animals out there.

KYM: The social interaction
is fascinating.

Mums with the cubs.

Adults when they meet each other
they do the gentle head,

nudging each other.

They clean each other,
preen each other.

Very social animals
and just marvellous to watch.

BOB: Oh, they really are impressive.

I mean the big male with the large mane
is a really magnificent sight

and I really love it.

(GROWLING)

NARRATOR: Getting close
to the king of cats

is much easier
than you might think.

They close the distance for you.

BOB: Lions will,
are not worried about people in vehicles

and they will sometimes rub

right along the edge of the body-work
as they're moving.

And we had that happen on one day.

Big male lion, I could've reached out
and touched his back.

I didn't.

NARRATOR: At such close proximity,

it's easy to think
they're nothing more than big kitty cats.

But warning, don't let your
newfound love cloud your judgement.

We were driving along and noticed
a disturbance in some briars and bushes.

We were able to look in,
through a very small opening

and see lion cubs
nursing from their mother.

It was just phenomenal.

Watching them climb over each other.

Watching the mother
contentedly lying there.

The one lion cub, when he finished,

he put his head
over his compatriot and licked his lips.

(LAUGHS) It was just
the most darling thing you've ever seen.

NARRATOR: Isn't it just?

Little lion litters
have bundles of energy.

Time waster?
It's hard to look away.

Their play is much like young kids.

It's rough and tumble.

They're rolling around on the ground.

They're chasing
each other around bushes.

And to watch that,
it puts a smile on your face.

I've seen cubs playing
with male lions and they're very tolerant.

You know the cubs will even be pulling
their manes and biting their tails

and they don't do it.

And they even purr, actually,

like a very deep purr,
but like a domestic cat as well.

NARRATOR: But nothing beats the connection
between a mother and her baby.

KYM: A mother and its cub
has the strongest bond

of probably anything
I've seen out on safari.

There's this real love,
there's this real protection

and they will bury the cubs away
and they'll go and hunt.

NARRATOR: It's a tiring job though.

Lions usually spend
16 to 20 hours of the day lazing around,

taking a snooze
or putting their paws up.

Ninety percent of the time,
they're not doing anything.

I really like watching them move
because they're really superbly graceful.

You know, you see
all of the muscles rippling,

and also how well camouflaged
they are in the African bush.

(GROWLING)

NARRATOR: Dangerous? Sure.

But alluring? Indisputably.

It's just a beautiful looking animal.
It's regal, it's powerful.

And when you're in their company,
you feel really special.

Of course you know
that they're dangerous

but for the most time
you never see that.

You just see this loving,
great-looking animal.

NARRATOR: The might of the lion
is going to bump the little rabbit

into fourth spot
so it can claim third for itself.

This leaves the huggable bear
and busy meerkat holding their spots,

but sliding into contention is an animal
that you may not yet realise is cute,

even after watching this story.

NARRATOR: Snakes.
They're all individuals.

But the people who have snakes as pets
all share one thing in common,

they're all open to some refreshingly
unique experiences.

Well, the worst things
I've had a python do,

is stick his tongue
inside my ear and wriggle it around.

That really, really tickles.

NARRATOR: Marc Lane counts this
as part of the fun and unpredictability

of working with snakes every day.

Creatures he believes
haven't deserved the bad press

they always seemed to attract.

MARC: People have been taught
that snakes are bad,

they're venomous, and they bite.

NARRATOR: Vet James Haberfield has been
turning that perception on its head,

by making Bugsy
part of the welcoming committee

at his veterinary practise.

Most vet clinics have some sort of pet
that sort of lives in the clinic.

It's often a cat and normally
they're, they're really fat

because everyone feeds them all the time.

We've taken a little bit
of a different turn of things.

We've taken on and sort of
saved a woma python

that was surrendered to us by a client.

Now it lives in the clinic
and it gets carried around

and it's so tame because ever since
it's been, you know, a hatchling,

it's been held by students,
you know, staff,

and people from other departments
just will come and grab her

and will sort of take her around
and spend a bit of time with her,

so she is really tame.

NARRATOR: Although it may
not be the first time

you meet Bugsy that you're convinced
she's really tame,

for the experienced,
working alongside this lovely woma

adds a little more fun to your day.

(PHONE RINGING)

She is round about 10 years old now.

She was actually hatched here.

One of our babies,
one of my favourites.

The skin on the woma
is very, very smooth.

The belly side is almost like silk.

Whereas the top is more like
satin, grain-ish, very smooth.

They feel great
and they're also very pretty.

NARRATOR: Beauty really is
in the eye of the beholder.

And first you need
the opportunity to see one,

which can be tricky,
given that the woma python is nocturnal.

But when you do encounter one,

there's a good chance you'll be meeting

one of the friendliest members
of the snake family.

JAMES: Bugsy's great.
She's like, like many of her species.

She's a lot more sort of
"laid back," if you like.

She's very gentle,
she never sort of bites

unless there's food around.

She also can be handled
by anyone, you know.

I like her a lot, yeah.

(HISSING)

NARRATOR: When you're a one-woma
kind of man, like James or Marc,

you become very familiar
with their behaviour patterns

and both reptile experts
enjoy particular aspects of their pythons.

They do have this funny quirk
that most snakes don't,

and that's they turn their head
upside down, they don't care.

JAMES: They're also quite inquisitive so,

some pythons will sort of
sit still for most the day

whereas, often, woma pythons
are out and about,

they're having a look around.

They're smelling things
which is really interesting.

NARRATOR: Spend enough time
to really get to know

members of the animal kingdom

and you'll be surprised
how much of their character

will be revealed to you.

When it comes to cuteness,
the friendly woma python

will teach you to never judge
a book by its cover.

(HISSING)

NARRATOR: Well, convinced?

It's quite possibly a tough sell

for the woma python
to wear the Crown of Cute.

Clearly an acquired taste,
but the woma does have its fans.

It's not popular enough to bump
out the meerkat, bear, lion or rabbit.

However, will our lucky last slumbering
cuddle bun turn the cute list on its head?

JAGAN: Interacting
with the sloths are kind of interesting.

And sometimes
we have to wake them up,

sometimes they tend
to sleep too long,

so we have to make a lot of noise,
call out their names,

just to, you know,
come up for feeding.

If not, they're just going
to sleep and sleep.

Their favourite pastime
is just sleeping.

NARRATOR: Well, that would
have to be the most obvious quality

that is known about the sloth.

But if you think
that's all there is to tell

about our slumbering
South American friend,

be prepared to have your world
turned upside down, very slowly.

JAGAN: These sloths,
the ones we have in the zoo,

the two-toed sloth,

they have two toes,
I'm meaning two claws in the front.

That's what differentiates them
from the three-toed sloth.

NARRATOR: Common
to both families though,

is a vice-like grip
in those long claws.

Essential for a life spent
suspended off the ground

as the world's least exciting acrobats.

JAGAN: The sloths
are different from the other animals

because they spend
most of the times on the tree.

They feed on the tree,
they mate on the tree.

You can see their fur actually grows
opposite to what normal mammals have.

Meaning their fur actually
grows tummy-downwards

rather than from the back down.

So that when they're clinging on
they tend to have a nice camouflage,

and the hair is rolling down
like a bird's nest

or like a moss or something like that.

NARRATOR: Helping camouflage them up
in the forest canopy is the green sheen

of the algae that grows in the groove
along each strand of the sloth's fur,

which also doubles
as a handy on-board nutrient supply.

Tasty.

The algae only have the opportunity
to grow because their host moves

at such a leisurely,
almost glacial pace

and that has everything
to do with the sloth's diet.

JAGAN: They tend to have a very slow
metabolic rate, especially in the wild

because they tend to eat
the leaves and the buds

and the shoots and all that.

Because of that
the nutritional value is very low,

so it takes a longer time
for them to digest.

NARRATOR: For the first time
wildlife photographer,

these guys are the perfect subject

because when they're not sleeping,
they're moving at the speed of sloth.

Making naps their top priority

doesn't leave sloths
a lot of opportunity for much else.

JAGAN: They are
not really social animals.

They tend to be
all by themselves.

You don't really see two sloths
hugging and sleeping together.

NARRATOR: But in order
to keep the species going,

occasionally sloths
do have to sleep together.

The irony is,
their offspring will always start life

behaving in a very un-sloth-like manner.

The baby sloth is very active
compared to the adult sloth.

They're quite fast,

so if you just put them
on a branch for exercise and all

they tend to be, you know,
crawling up very fast.

NARRATOR: Sure, sloths move
more slowly than time itself,

well and truly earning one
of the seven deadly sins as its title,

but the sloth really
is one of nature's gentlemen.

JAGAN: They are always
nice towards the other animals.

You don't really see them fighting for
food or, you know, being so territorial.

And unlike the normal animals,
you know, the sloths, they stand out.

NARRATOR: Whilst the sloth
may not be the most

sociable critter of the animal kingdom,

it's certainly one of the most
irresistible and friendly creatures

you'll ever fall in love with.

It's going straight to number one.

Well, once it wakes up and realises
it has prime spot in the limelight,

and even then
it won't really rush.

In fact, it may even have
a nap on the way.

NARRATOR: There's certainly an eclectic
mix of animals featured in this programme,

all trying to claim a spot in the top 10.

However, the current ticket holders

are not keen to give up
their place and rightly so.

The ever-friendly orangutan has only
recently taken over the number one spot.

It's in no hurry to go anywhere.

The adorable koala
wants to hold tight to its spot at two,

as does the playful and endearing
ring tailed lemur at number three.

The enchanting king penguin
looks as handsome as ever at number four,

as does the sweet natured
red panda at five.

The white cheeked gibbon is too busy
playing to be worrying about the line-up.

And it's a similar story
with the gorilla,

rolling around in the forest
with the kids,

unaware there's a shift in the air.

However, the elephant is sensing
there may be trouble brewing,

it doesn't miss much,

but the little penguin
is missing most of what's going on.

There's fish to be caught.

Which brings us to the haughty giraffe

with a tongue long enough
to pick its nose and lick its ears.

Quirky, but not quite enough cuteness
to stay in the top 10.

It's a tough call,
but it's time for the giraffe to go,

as the lumbering sloth
slowly makes its way up the list.

But the orangutan need not worry

as the sloth is planning to spend
much of its time snoozing at number two,

thus forcing the rest of the animals
to pack up camp and move on down.

So we've met 30 amazing animals
in the series thus far

and they all have
a valid claim to cute,

but do you have any idea
who is going to be the cutest?

We're leaving
a few clues in each episode.

Will you guess
before the series is complete?

More clues and another six hopefuls
coming up in our next programme.

Everyone's idea of cute is different

and we're going to find it hard
to rank the quirky, fluffy and adorable

in our list of 72 Cutest Animals.

But no matter what spot they take,

they'll all win
a special place in your heart.