Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom - full transcript

NARRATOR: This time
on Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom...

a blind date for two aardvarks...

Aardvark love, take one!

NARRATOR: ...a black rhino
faces his biggest challenge...

KATIE:
If he doesn't wanna do something,

he's not afraid to let you know.

NARRATOR: ...and a rescued manatee
gets a special squeeze.

-BOTH: Oh!
-(SNORTS)

Feel better, buddy?

-(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
-(SQUAWKING)

-(WILDEBEEST GRUNTS)
-NARRATOR: More than two hundred species



call Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
home.

(LION GRUNTS)

NARRATOR: All are special...
but some are truly one of a kind.

(WOMAN LAUGHING)

FEMALE KEEPER: Let's go. This way, okay.
Let's go this way.

Here he comes.
You guys are getting a special treat.

NARRATOR:
Meet Willie, the aardvark ambassador.

MISSY: Most people have never seen
an aardvark.

Maybe in cartoons,

and what you see in cartoons,
looks nothing like the real thing.

FEMALE KEEPER: Circle.

MISSY: We've loved working with him,
he's an amazing ambassador.

When we bring him out,
it's really about the excitement

that all of the guests,
and even our keepers, see.



Good job.

MISSY:
Willie is a really unique individual

and when you meet something that's unique,

you tend to create a bigger passion
with people.

FEMALE KEEPER: Okay. (CHUCKLES)

MISSY:
He's been here about five years now.

(FEMALE KEEPER CHUCKLES)

MISSY: Willie and I do have
a really good bond...

and the fact that I get to work with him
is really, really special for me.

-(FEMALE KEEPER CHUCKLES)
-(SNIFFING)

NARRATOR:
Willie's most distinctive feature?

A long nose
with a very refined sense of smell.

MISSY: Their noses are my favorite thing.

They can suck their nose to the dirt
and still breathe.

He does this... I call it snarf blatting.
He does a... (SNIFFS)

...with his nose and the way it moves.

There's nothing like it in the world.

-(SNIFFS)
-(FEMALE KEEPER CHUCKLING)

NARRATOR:
But even Willie's super sensitive nose

may have missed something.

Love is in the air.

MISSY: (SINGING)
Pretty, pretty, Peanut.

(SNIFFS)

NARRATOR: Meet Peanut,
the park's first ever female aardvark.

We are pairing Willie up
with a girlfriend.

Peanut is from Texas,

and she's a female that came from
the Species Survival Program.

It's kind of like a dating site.
Here at Disney,

this will be our first time breeding
with aardvarks

and I'm very, very excited about that.

NARRATOR: But before her big date...

-TRAINER 1: Spa day.
-Spa day!

TRAINER 1: Hi, sweet pea.

It's bath time, which means
you get you avocado and banana.

TRAINER 2:
Time for your spa appointment.

TRAINER 1:
Just a little aardvark bath.

Scrub-a-dub-dub.

This is the first time we've seen

what Peanut's going to allow us
to do with her.

All right. Gotta put your towel on.

TRAINER 2: All right,
so we're gonna use warm water. I promise.

TRAINER 1: She's letting us get tactile
with her,

and she's a very laid-back aardvark.

MISSY: It's really great
how much Peanut is settling in here

and we hope that all that relaxation
just continues

as she gets together with Willie.

TRAINER 2: Towel-dry time.

TRAINER 1:
Now, you will even smell pretty.

We will be putting them side by side
to maybe make more aardvarks.

NARRATOR: While the lovebirds
await their potential match,

a savanna heavyweight gets ready
for a big test.

Oh, he's here.

Morning, Badru!

NARRATOR: Weighing in
at almost 3,000 pounds

and armed with two horns,

Badru, the black rhino
is an intimidating sight.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Badru, at 19,
he still has not gotten over being a baby.

He loves attention, he is always looking
for somebody to just talk with him,

give him food and treats.

But if you walk away,
will start crying for you to come back,

as if we don't love him enough. (CHUCKLES)

And it's normally not something
you would hear in an adult rhino,

just Badru.

(BADRU CRIES)

NARRATOR:
And when this big sweet boy cries,

it's usually for his beloved keeper,
Katie.

KATIE: I like to think that Badru and I
have a special bond.

Good boy!

He has a lot of personality
and he's not afraid to show it.

He wins over your heart very quickly.
Badru is very easy to work with,

although because of that personality,
if he doesn't want to do something,

he's not afraid to let you know.

NARRATOR: He may be a big kid at heart,
but at nearly two decades old,

his body isn't quite so sprightly anymore.

One of the procedures that we do
is we will actually draw blood

because it can give us
so much valuable information

about his health.

NARRATOR: That means Katie must convince
a one-and-a-half-ton rhino

to stand still during a needle stick.

But she plans to win him over.

KATIE:
Badru's actually been training for this,

basically, we've been working with him,
building trust

and constantly monitoring his behavior.
He loves to train,

especially if he thinks
somebody has food for him.

KATIE: Hi, handsome.

Badru likes to eat everything,
but I think,

uh, his favorites
are probably sweet potato,

he also likes celery and yellow squash.
So, he's a healthy guy.

Oh, good boy. (CHUCKLES)

What a good job.

NARRATOR: Katie now has Badru
wrapped around her finger.

KATIE: One of the first things
we like to train

is that blood draw behavior.

The single finger on the nose
is a steady behavior,

and it's what we call a loose steady,
meaning that he can chew,

he can move his head around,
but he's going to keep his feet planted

and stay with me.

Badru is definitely in a very calm mood,

he's participating in the session

and he's focused
on what we're doing training-wise,

which is, for him,
basically just standing still.

Badru is just relaxed

and happy to take as much food
as I will put in his mouth.

There we go. All right. (CHUCKLES)

NARRATOR: Badru may be acing his training,
but his keepers aren't finished yet.

KATIE: Badru, come.

We noticed
that Badru had a few extra pounds on him,

so, we figured some exercise,
some movement would help with that.

Badru, fetch.

I don't know of anyone else
who's playing fetch with black rhinos,

so, I can't say that it's not happening
anywhere, but not that I know of.

(CHUCKLES)

Good boy!

Good boy. What a good man.

Badru, fetch.

This is a good way for Badru
to get moving.

He doesn't move quite as fast
as most dogs that I've seen play fetch,

but he tends to stay
a little more motivated,

probably because there's food at the end.
(CHUCKLES)

While it started off as business,

it was for his health,

of course, it's a lot of fun
for us keepers as well.

Drop. Oh, good boy.

I mean, who doesn't want to play fetch
with a black rhino?

NARRATOR: Right now,

big kid Badru, looks ready
for his upcoming blood draw,

but there's no guarantee
he'll play ball on the day.

This procedure
is part of maintaining his health,

so, of course, we would love for this
to be successful.

It's something
that we take very seriously

and we know how important it can be,

but, really, our goal is just
to keep trying.

NARRATOR: Five miles away, at Epcot,

The Seas provides a home
for aquatic animals

of all shapes and sizes.

Including rescues, like,
nearly 12-foot long West Indian manatee...

Lil Joe.

Lil Joe was found rescued
as an underweight newborn.

Nice.

LESLIE: He was believed to be an orphan,

his mother was nowhere in the area
so she was presumed deceased,

well, manatees need their mothers
to be able to survive.

Typically, a newborn animal
is gonna be about 60 pounds,

but he was weighing in at 42.

So, he was given some good nutrients,
typically formula,

and he's been here for the past six years.

LISA: Okay, you ready?

He loves pumpkins.

Look at that guy, isn't he great?

NARRATOR:
And Lil Joe can really chow down.

LESLIE: During the course
of the day, our animals are gonna eat

anywhere between 60 to 150 heads
of lettuce, each.

That is a lot, a lot of lettuce.

NARRATOR:
Along with close attention to his diet...

Lil Joe gets regular checkups
for his physical condition.

And there's one spot near his tail
that requires extra special care.

DR. DAN: Lil Joe has had
this recurrent abscess for a while now,

and we have been monitoring it
and treating it when necessary.

Oh, yeah, it definitely looks bigger.

-It's an astute observation on my part.
-MALE VOICE: Yeah. Way to go, yeah.

-That's why you went to vet school.
-Yeah, thanks. (LAUGHS)

Even though manatees live in the water

they are mammals,
um, which means they breathe air,

and he can tolerate
being out of the water.

NARRATOR: The team wears safety helmets,
just in case 1,500 pound Lil Joe

decides to flick his massive tail.

DR. DAN: The goal for today
is to inspect this lump that he's got.

He seems to be tolerating this
pretty well, huh?

As I scan from one side to the other,
I can see there's a big black circle,

which is pretty suggestive
of a fluid pocket, uh,

which we've identified
as likely being an abscess.

Basically, a big balloon of pus.

The abscess is getting bigger

and starting to look a little bit
like a volcano.

This isn't all of it,
this is like the tip of the iceberg.

-(LIL JOE EXHALES)
-DR. DAN: It's unlikely

for it to just pop open on its own,

uh, if left untreated,
the infection could go deeper

into his muscle or other areas

and that's what we want to prevent
from happening.

Okay.

This spray makes the skin really cold
to desensitize the area.

We're gonna basically stick a needle
in here to release some of the pressure,

which will feel good.

NARRATOR: But getting up close
to a pus-filled lump...

Just have some stuff ready
in case we get an eruption.

NARRATOR: ...can be a messy job.

Okay, ready? One, two, three...

Just a tiny flinch.

And this is what I was hoping
we would see.

There's a thick,
toothpaste consistency pus.

It can be thicker if it's been in there
a little bit longer.

You wanna give it a little massage there?

Not too hard,
I don't want it to hit my face.

What I'm gonna do is flush it out,
so, this is gonna get a little messy.

-Oh!
-(CHUCKLES)

-DR. DAN: Like a manatee jet ski.
-(LESLIE LAUGHING)

DR. DAN: So we're actually getting
some of the debris

to pop right through there.

NARRATOR: Small procedures like this one
can bring big results

and that makes for a happy manatee.

We were able to relieve
some of the pressure of that abscess,

which probably was a little uncomfortable.

Feel better, buddy?

Everything went well with Joe.

I'm really happy with how much
of the material we got out of there.

We achieved our goals for today.

NARRATOR:
With Lil Joe on the road to recovery,

he can finally relax
and enjoy yet another head of lettuce.

That's the good stuff. Yeah!
Hey, good job. Good job.

NARRATOR: Back over
at the Harambe Wildlife Reserve...

the waters of the Safi river,

host 21 of the park's
most notorious stars...

Nile crocodiles.

(WATER SPLASHES)

NARRATOR: And one reigns above the rest,
34-year-old alpha male, Jabba.

MARCUS: Hey, Jabba, you good-looking boy.

NARRATOR: Keeper, Marcus, knows him well.

So, our Jabba's named after
the Star Wars Jabba.

Because he's one of the, uh,
larger, as far as, like, looks and size.

I'm a huge croc fan.

These guys are pure muscle.

Not everybody likes to work
with Nile crocs, but I certainly love 'em.

You get to see how powerful
these animals are and what they can do.

NARRATOR:
Jabba and his pals likely get a bad rap...

(WATER SPLASHES)

NARRATOR:
...because they use their mighty jaws...

MARCUS: Ah, little movement over here.

NARRATOR: ...to settle disagreements.

Wow!

That was a really powerful bite.

NARRATOR: This type of behavior
is completely natural.

But it can make caring for all of them
at once, a real challenge.

So, Marcus and the team have a plan
to stay one step ahead

of these cunning crocodiles.

To help reduce some of the conflicts
that they might have,

it's a long-term goal
to be able to separate them,

so that we can safely work
with one croc on its own.

NARRATOR:
The plan involves special training.

A lot to ask of these guys.

This color target
provides the key to success...

but the crocs need to be willing
to go along with it.

He's moving this way.

NARRATOR: Including... Jabba.

MARCUS: Jabba is a super smart animal.

If you stare at Nile crocodiles
and look into their eyes,

you can see that the wheels are turning...

they just don't always show it.

-All right, he's secured in B.
-MARCUS: Ten-four, he's secured.

NARRATOR: Jabba's first test...

Jabba, target!

NARRATOR:
...follow the red square and get a reward.

MARCUS: Hey, big boy.

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

MARCUS: Good job, Jabba.

Jabba's looking great today,
so we're gonna step it up a little bit.

Jabba, target!

NARRATOR: Now, time for a trickier task.
A decoy target, this time green.

MARCUS: We want to make sure
that he stays with that red target

and doesn't respond
to the other target presented.

Jabba, target!

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

Nice response.

Jabba responded to the red target,
it's exactly what we're looking for.

MARCUS: Good job, dude.

-Go Jabba.
-Yeah, go Jabba. Go you! Good job.

-Thanks, dude.
-MARK: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Jabba may be 34 years old,

but it looks like an old croc
really can learn new tricks.

One croc down, 20 more to go.

NARRATOR: Just across the park,
less than a mile away...

nocturnal aardvark, Willie,
has been busy all night long.

But I have it close to this side
as possible.

-We're gonna shove it right there.
-MALE ZOO KEEPER: All right.

We need to fix that enclosure ASAP,
so that Willie is ready to meet Peanut

and have their feng shui mansion
and everything going on in that space.

-Right. Okay.
-(KEYS JINGLE)

Willie. This is when I have to go in.

It's like mom going into the bedroom.

Hello. It's like he partied
the night before.

Yeah, hi. (CHUCKLES)

Good boy.

-You were busy last night, weren't you?
-(SNIFFS)

LIZ: All right, sweetie.

-Come.
-(SNIFFS)

-(LIZ CHUCKLES)
-(SNIFFS)

NARRATOR: Willie needs to relocate
while his habitat gets a spring cleaning.

(SNIFFS)

LIZ: But there's always things
to check out.

Come.

-(CLICKING)
-LIZ: Come. Good boy.

And, yay! You did it, Willie.

(SINGING) Willie, we're movin'!

NARRATOR: So, while he heads off
to a temporary home,

at the park's veterinary treatment room...

LIZ: There she is.

NARRATOR:
...female, Peanut, has an appointment,

-for an important exam.
-LIZ: Such a beauty.

All right.

DR. NATALIE: Let's do it!

DR. RYAN:
Oh, you're rocking the... the 3D.

-Looks like a pig.
-(LAUGHS)

You'll like the skull,
it'll look awesome.

DR. RYAN:
Yeah, by manipulating the image

she's pulling back all the soft tissue
and highlighting bone right now.

DR. NATALIE: So far, nothing,
everything is looking pretty good.

-Voila! (CHUCKLES)
-DR. RYAN: Looks good.

Now, we listen to her heart
and her lungs.

NARRATOR: Peanut may be
a good genetic match for Willie,

but Dr. Natalie still needs to make sure
this girl's in tip-top shape for love.

DR. NATALIE: We're doing all of this
just to make sure that she is

super healthy before meeting
her paramour. (CHUCKLES)

So... so, we're good. All right, big girl.

NARRATOR:
Peanut passes with flying colors,

but there's still one important inspection
that must be done.

MISSY: It's the best thing in the world.

It feels like
a perfectly toasted marshmallow.

(LAUGHS)

MISSY: I mean, how many people can say
they've even seen

or been in the room with an aardvark,

but when you touch their noses
it's kind of over the top.

Makes me happy. (LAUGHS)

Yeah, everything's looking pretty good.
I think we're good to move her.

MISSY: Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: With a clean bill of health,
she's ready to meet Willie.

So excited.

NARRATOR: But until the anesthetic
wears off, Peanut's date night's on hold.

DR. NATALIE: She's in good sleepy time
right now. (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: The park's browsing animals
are treated to fresh cut foliage, weekly.

Thanks to this unique 94-acre resource
right on the property.

KRISTEN: I think I'm gonna
head over here. These are a lot taller.

NARRATOR:
Animal manager, Kristen, is here,

because hungry animals
need their breakfast.

Take that one...

It's a nice-sized one and, actually,
take that tall one over there.

NARRATOR:
And today, the pick of the bunch...

goes to black rhino, Badru,

to help get him in the mood
for his blood draw.

Keeper Jill doles out the goodies.

JILL: Normally, when we have banana,
it's just a leaf portion,

so, having whole trees is really exciting
and something he hasn't seen in a while.

So, I'm curious to see
how he reacts to them. (CHUCKLES)

It looks like he's discovered one,
right there. (CHUCKLES)

And he's trying to figure out,

"How do I get my mouth around this?"
(CHUCKLES)

(LEAVES RUSTLE)

It's amazing how much food that he can eat
in a short period of time. (CHUCKLES)

NARRATOR: Backstage, at the rhino barn,
the vet team arrives for the procedure.

KATIE: Hi, handsome man.

NARRATOR: His beloved keeper, Katie,
arrives with plenty of treats.

KATIE: There we go.

(GASPS) Oh, good man.

If he gets uncomfortable at any point,
we will end the session.

NARRATOR: To insert the needle safely,

the team needs Badru
to stay completely still.

Oh, good boy.

All right (SIGHS)

Just gonna wipe his leg off.

-All right. Can you hold that for me?
-Yeah.

KATIE: Who's my best man?

VET: He's reacting a little bit back here.

I'm just redirecting a little bit. (SIGHS)

KATIE: His eye got a little bit wide,
his tail is moving.

-Oh, you're okay.
-VET: Yeah, you're okay, buddy.

KATIE: There we go.

-VET: We got some blood, Katie.
-What a good man. You're the best boy

You're the best boy in the world,

in the whole world, of all the rhinos.
Happy little rhino.

-VET: Okay.
-KATIE: Beautiful boy.

Yes. That was so good.
You did such a great job.

Badru did great today,
we overcame a little bit of restlessness

at the beginning,
but we had a successful procedure.

NARRATOR: All that's left to do now,
is wait for the results.

(WILDEBEEST GRUNTS)

NARRATOR: For Badru,
another day, another breakfast.

But for his favorite keeper, Katie,
it brings an end to an anxious wait.

We've been able to test his blood
and his blood values are very good.

We're lucky that Badru is healthy,
so we're not worried.

Badru's doing really well.

NARRATOR: Badru's health
is of vital importance to his species.

Black rhinoceroses
are critically endangered,

there are around 5,000
in the entire world.

So, Badru is very important
to the population,

not just to educate everyone about

what's going on
for black rhinos in the wild,

but also to potentially breed
and continue the population.

NARRATOR:
And with all the exceptional care

he gets from Katie,
Badru remains in very good hands.

KATIE: Being able to do this
is all because of the trust

that we've built with him as keepers.

He knows that we would never put him
in a bad situation. He's a good boy.

(CHUCKLES)

(LEAVES RUSTLE)

NARRATOR: Behind the scenes
at the crocodile habitat,

Marcus hangs out
with another of his favorite reptiles.

(MARCUS LAUGHING)

Mr. Campbell's a fun crocodile.
We really enjoy working with him.

He's one of our more reliable crocodiles.

He just sits there smiling the whole time.
It's pretty cool to me.

(MARCUS LAUGHING)

NARRATOR: But Mr. Campbell
has gotten into a little trouble.

MARCUS: When he came in it looked like
maybe somebody bit

and let go on the base of his tail.

KATIE:
Then that's probably what that's from.

-Yeah.
-We can take a look at him.

MARCUS:
Okay, so we're gonna try the target

for Campbell to come in.

MARK: All right, all right.
I'm just gonna keep it open.

MARCUS: Yep. Go for it.

NARRATOR: Time for Mr. Campbell to show
how his target training is coming along.

MARCUS: So, we are using Mr. Campbell's
target training

to help get him inside the crate.
That way we can examine his tail safely.

-MARCUS: Just give him a second.
-NARRATOR: The team stands on high alert.

MARCUS: He is a 718 pound crocodile.

So, Nile crocodiles are among the world's
most dangerous crocodiles.

All right, croc team, so is everybody

familiar with your positions
and what you're gonna be doing?

-Okay. Megan, you ready?
-I am so ready.

Katie? If you wanna look
at the scutes and stuff.

KATIE: Mm-hmm.
Okay. Everybody good? Sounds good.

MEGAN: Opening guillotine.

NARRATOR: First step...

-make some noise...
-Go ahead.

(THUDDING)

NARRATOR:
...to get Mr. Campbell's attention.

(THUDDING CONTINUES)

MARCUS: Now we'll just watch him,
I wanna try to move Campbell forward,

I think he'll move on his own.

Campbell, target!

Mr. Campbell, target!

(OBJECT RATTLES)

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

-MARCUS: Target!
-(BLOWS WHISTLE)

NARRATOR: He's off to a good start.

MARCUS: You're always on knife's edge
with Nile crocs,

you just don't always know
how these guys are gonna react.

-(MUNCHES)
-MARCUS: Katie.

KATIE:

We still have about two inches
on the tail.

MARCUS: Go ahead and open.

Hey, Campbell, target.

MARCUS:

All right, we may have a problem.
Hey, Campbell! Target.

This is the target that he's trained
to respond to,

he should move towards it.

KATIE: Yeah, he's coming forward.

Now you're clear.

MARCUS: Ten-four.

Perfect. He is in.

He wasn't moving forward and so,

it's a little bit
of a heart-stopping moment.

But he's in the crate,
so the first step is done.

NARRATOR:
Now, for the challenge of wrangling

this 718-pound croc's injured tail.

All right.

(FLAMINGOS SQUAWKING)

-MISSY: Willie.
-NARRATOR: Back over

at the aardvark habitat,

bachelor Willie
returns to his now picture-perfect home.

MISSY: So excited.

This is all brand-new dirt.

Oh, my gosh.

He's like, "I see dirt." (LAUGHS)
That's the icing on the cake.

(SINGING) Using the magical nose...
(GASPS) Oh, there it is.

For real?

He's already digging to Africa.

Backing it out...
(IMITATING TRUCK BEEPING)

Oh, that was me, sorry. It's all good.

(SNIFFS)

MISSY: Yeah, he's, like, seriously working
his backpack out.

LIZ: It's just something
that comes natural to them,

they have hands
that are almost like shovels.

MISSY: Okay, I have to take a picture
'cause this is really exciting.

Ooh, we're losing him, he's going under.

-He's good.
-(SNIFFS)

NARRATOR: Willie might not be digging solo
for much longer,

because blind date, Peanut, approaches.

(SNIFFS)

NARRATOR: And there are
just a few finishing touches left.

Even the manager's getting dirty
for her.

Let me help you get some of this done.

I am excited to finally be able
to welcome Peanut,

so, getting to write in the dirt...
It's exciting. Pixie dusting.

Boo, boo, boo, boo. (LAUGHS)

Let's go get the girlfriend,
it's time for Peanut.

NARRATOR: For the first time
at Disney's Animal Kingdom,

aardvark affection
could be just around the corner.

Oh, this is exactly
what I've been waiting for, guys.

(PARROTS SQUAWK)

NARRATOR:
Backstage at the Safi river habitat,

Mr. Campbell, the crocodile

has an injury to his tail
that requires immediate attention.

MARCUS: Okay, so, if everybody wants
to get in position for poles

and then we can start.

All right, go ahead and start.

And if you wanna
do one over the shoulders...

(POLES CLATTER)

KATIE: All right, we're tight on the tail,
Marcus.

MARCUS: All right, he's in a good spot
for us to work the tail.

Put that around the tail.
MEGAN: Mm-hmm.

MARCUS: And then thread this through it.

Then we'll get a loop on the tail
and that gives us the leverage

to help pull the tail out.

Hold poles.

(POLE THUDS)

MEGAN: We got the tail out, Marcus.

MARCUS: I want to give him food.

He might be tensing up, so just be ready.

MEGAN: Okay, thank you.

MALE KEEPER:
That's fine, the tail's secured.

KATIE: Okay, we need to get a good look
at that injury.

-He's missing the tip of his tail.
-MEGAN: Yeah.

Can you grab a picture
of where he got the tip bit, real quick?

MARCUS: Moving again, hold poles.

KATIE: Back here, he had some blood
coming from that tip.

NARRATOR: Fortunately,
the tail shows no sign of infection.

KATIE: Mr. Campbell looks really good.
These guys heal really well.

NARRATOR: With the all clear, Mr. Campbell
can head back to his crocodile buddies.

Oh, my little heart's so happy.

MARCUS: Are we cool if I release the rope?

-Yeah.
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

He's gonna be okay, for sure.

-Ropes off.
-MARCUS: Ten-four.

MEGAN:
The tail's back in, guillotine door shut.

MARCUS: Awesome.

I'm out of breath.

-Back.
-(BLOWS WHISTLE)

MARCUS: I think it's going great.
Based off of what we saw today,

I think we achieved
exactly what we wanted.

Started off a little bit rocky,
but towards the end,

he was able to do what we needed.

You're good?

Nobody else manages a group
of 21 Nile crocodiles

the way that Disney does.

-MEGAN: I'm so happy.
-That was absolutely amazing.

MARCUS: Today's session was a big success,
it's been super rewarding.

We were able to get a very close look
at Mr. Campbell's tail

and now, we'll be able to monitor it
to make sure it heals properly.

It's very exciting stuff.

LIZ: Okay, everyone ready?

-MISSY: The anticipation.
-LIZ: All right, here we go.

Welcome, Peanut.

NARRATOR: The big day finally arrives.
Time for Willie and Peanut's blind date.

Oh, my gosh. Look at her.

NARRATOR: Right now, they're separated,
but not for long.

(SNIFFS)

LIZ: Her nose is on fire right now.

MISSY: (LAUGHS) And it's so cute.

I'm excited.
I think this is a great start.

I've been able to work
with some cool animals,

but it's fun to have a brand new cool one.

-(SNIFFS)
-MISSY: All right,

we don't know what they're going to do

when they react to each other
and when they do come together

what we think is appropriate for humans,
is not necessarily the same for aardvarks.

(MUNCHES)

NARRATOR: For Willie and Peanut,
the moment of truth.

Liz, I'm gonna have you and Rhonda go in

-to actually open the doors in there.
-Okay.

And we'll see if we make love connections.
Aardvark love, take one!

ALL: Yay!

LIZ: He is ready.

MISSY: All right,
we're gonna open the gates.

LIZ: Okay, here we go.

MISSY: Oh, he's goin'. He's goin'.
The threshold has been crossed.

(SNIFFS)

(SNIFFS)

ALL: Aw.
MISSY: Oh! There it is.

-(WILLIE SNIFFING)
-(PEANUT SNIFFING)

-(MISSY CHUCKLING)
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MISSY: This is exactly
what I wanted to happen,

I'm actually kinda shaking a little bit.

Oh, my gosh. (SNIFFLES)

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-(LAUGHS)

-MISSY: Oh, hey there. (LAUGHING)
-(RHONDA CHUCKLING)

-MISSY: Let's dance.
-(WILLIE SNIFFING)

(SHRIEKS) I'm excited.

(BOTH SNIFF)

A little weepy and a little sweaty,
everything's fine. (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR:
It appears to be love at first snout.

Is it the honeymoon suite or the mansion
for the lifetime? We don't know.

Oh, my goodness.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MISSY: What we're really excited about,
is for them to dig

and hopefully create a burrow,

where they're gonna be able
to sleep together in it.

Because that will get
to the baby making process.

LIZ: Synchronized digging,
it could be a new Olympic sport.

-Oops, that's what happens.
-MISSY: I stepped on your head.

(BOTH LAUGH)

LIZ: Oh, he should have known about that.

(CHUCKLES)

MISSY: I don't think
it could've gone any better today,

it's such a unique thing
to bring animals together.

When Willie and Peanut get together
and the baby making happens,

we will be waiting just seven short months
to then have a baby aardvark.

We're gonna make more aardvarks,
that is the ultimate thing.

It's gonna be great.