Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Baby Gorilla Grace - full transcript
A shark is in the emergency room, and a young gorilla reaches new heights.
NARRATOR: This time on
Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom...
a young hippo meets his match.
JENN: We're gonna find out a lot
in the first five minutes.
NARRATOR: A shark bites off
more than she can chew.
These animals have become part
of our family.
NARRATOR: And a baby gorilla reaches
for new heights.
-(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
-(BIRD SQUAWKS)
-(BIRDS CHIRPING)
-(HIPPO GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: A thriving pod of hippos
lives in the Safi River
that flows through the Ituri forest.
And that includes this little guy,
nearly two-year-old Augustus...
(QUACKS)
NARRATOR: ...otherwise known as Gus.
Lindsay has known Augustus all his life.
There he is.
(CHUCKLES) Hey, Gus.
He is a little bundle of trouble.
He was born here at Animal Kingdom
really late at night.
An exciting thing to see, for all of us.
MALE VOICE: This is amazing. Wow.
LINDSAY: It's fun to watch people see him
for the first time.
Most of them probably think
he's full grown,
and he's still such a little baby.
This is the coolest place
in the world to work with hippos.
We have so many and they're all
so different and so special.
NARRATOR: With his second birthday
coming up,
Gus begins his journey to adulthood.
Our hippos are part
of a Species Survival Plan.
So, it's very exciting to have
little Gus here.
I mean, he's a fun little hippo,
but you know, he's destined
for greater things.
He's gonna go off to another facility
and, you know, he's gonna have an...
Uh, his own family once he goes there.
NARRATOR: So, before he leaves, the team
prepares him for future encounters.
SCOTT: We're gonna try some introductions
and that will better set him up
for when we move him to his new facility.
(HIPPOS GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: But naturally,
hippos fight for dominance.
(HIPPOS GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: To avoid a hippopota-mess,
keepers must be ready for anything.
SCOTT: We know that there's gonna be
wrestling, we know that there's gonna be
some interactions between the two,
and we're all standing by to watch
and monitor to make sure
that everything happens in a safe manner.
NARRATOR: For young Gus and many
on the team, this will be a new adventure.
LINDSAY: I mean, we don't have favorites,
but if we did have favorites,
Augustus is probably mine. (LAUGHS)
He's such a little rock star.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
NARRATOR: A very special family makes
their home along
the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.
(MUNCHES)
NARRATOR: These western lowland gorillas
form a tightly knit unit
known as a troop.
Animal manager, Rachel, checks on them
as part of today's morning rounds.
And there's a very little one
she's keeping a special eye on.
RACHEL: So, we've got Kashata up here,
she's carrying Grace.
So Grace is our infant, she's about...
about six months old at this point.
NARRATOR: The youngest gorilla
at the park, Grace,
was born to mom, Kashata,
and dad, Gino, a fully mature
silverback and leader of the troop.
She's the sixth of this critically
endangered species
to be born here, and Mom just loves
to show her off.
RACHEL: We have a glass viewing area
that our gorillas love.
So, the first day
when Kashata had Grace,
she was with Grace right there
at that window,
which was amazing
because our guests got to come
and see an hours-old infant gorilla
right there, right in front of them.
NARRATOR: But early on, keepers discovered
something a little different
about baby Grace's development.
RACHEL: One of the things we did notice
with Grace is that she,
uh, was not meeting all her milestones.
You'll notice that she kind of does
what we call a football hold,
so Grace kind of holds onto that arm.
One of things we really like to see
is Grace really using her body
and her strength to hold onto Kashata.
We would love to see her riding
on Kashata's back more.
NARRATOR: And there's no hiding
her challenges from Mom.
RACHEL:
We'll actually see her work with Grace
almost in, uh, a physical therapy fashion.
So, we'll see her set her down sometimes
and move a couple feet away
and make Grace come to her...
or hold her in certain positions
so she has to work her legs more,
or her arms more.
Something about that relationship
that's just hard to explain,
and I think that's the art to it.
We always talk about science, but there is
a lot of emotion to what we do.
NARRATOR: Since Mom can only do so much,
behind the scenes the team has a plan
to help Grace's strength and coordination.
Okay, I'm gonna open the yard door.
-FEMALE VOICE: Copy, opening yard door.
-(DOOR OPENS)
NARRATOR: Time to come in for today's
therapy session.
Good girl.
-COURTNEY: Miss Kashata. Come on.
-FEMALE VOICE: Good girl.
COURTNEY: That's a girl! Good girl!
See, look what I got you. All the good!
Oh, see? She's ready.
She's ready for some goods.
I'm gonna ask Grace
to do different things,
like climb up and down the mesh.
Hopefully up and down, not just up.
NARRATOR: These exercises will challenge
Grace to move without Mom's help.
COURTNEY: Come on up. It's okay.
Come on! Nice. Nice girl.
Yeah, look at you, you're so strong.
You've got it, you got it, you got it.
It's okay. Hey, it's okay. Let's do it.
NARRATOR: Grace proves she can climb up,
but now, for the challenge of coming down
on her own.
We're trying to encourage her
to bring herself back down the mesh
with her feet a little more
than she's been doing.
A lot of times, she kinda just grabs
onto Kashata.
Right here. What do you think?
No, too hard. A little tired.
Whoa. That's not the dismount we expected.
Grace did a great job climbing up.
Her climbing down can still use
a little work,
but that's why we do
these sessions every day.
Kashata came to the rescue a couple times.
Not exactly what we want in the long-term,
but I feel like we saw some progress,
so I feel good.
NARRATOR: Out on the savanna
of the Kilimanjaro Safaris,
keeper Jess searches for signs of love
among the herd of southern white rhinos.
JESS: Oh, my gosh! Look at these dorks.
NARRATOR: Growing their numbers
in the wild is important
because so many animals
on the savanna depend on rhinos
for that thing they do best.
They produce a lot of waste,
and all that waste turns into fertilizer
and that fertilizer helps plants grow.
That's a huge food source
for a ton of animals,
including themselves.
NARRATOR: With the hope of making
a love connection,
the park brought in a male
to join the herd.
So this is Dugan, right in front of us.
NARRATOR: But this Romeo-to-be
is a little shy around the ladies.
-(GRUNTS)
-JESS: Looking bashful.
(GRUNTS)
Not really knowing if he should approach
the girls yet or not.
The other male rhinos that we've had here,
their interactions with the females
are a lot more...
(CLICKS TONGUE) ...assertive.
They will kinda be a little bit pushy,
where Dugan will kind of
stand back and wait.
Dugan is quite the gentleman.
-(GRUNTS)
-NARRATOR: Before coming here,
Dugan lived the life
of a confirmed bachelor,
with only his brother.
Now, he has the company
of five potential sweethearts.
Helen, Jao, Kiama, Kendi, and Lola.
JESS: Five girls,
they all have different personalities.
Dugan having not been around females,
he never really learned
to kinda figure out what the appropriate
behaviors would be,
so a lot of this is him
kind of self-teaching.
NARRATOR: He should be living the dream,
but true love isn't that simple.
-(GRUNTS)
-So this is Lola. Dugan likes Lola.
(CHUCKLING) It's interesting
that her tail is curled.
A lot of times, tail curled means, like,
"I'm... I'm feeling good."
NARRATOR: With Lola acting flirty,
it's the perfect time for Dugan
to make his move.
JESS:
It's kinda funny that he's following her.
He probably doesn't have any idea
what she wants from him.
NARRATOR: And of course, Lola has a BFF
who follows her... everywhere.
JESS: Jao and Lola are best friends.
That took about 30 seconds
for her to be like, "Hey, wait a minute.
Where's my friend?
"Gotta go find her, gotta go back her up."
(CHUCKLES) So that's pretty cute.
And now, Jao's just gonna, like,
awkwardly stare at Dugan.
NARRATOR: Five miles away at Epcot,
The Seas provides a home
for aquatic animals
from around the world...
including Flash, a mature white-spotted
bamboo shark.
Flash is a very active,
boisterous individual.
And she is roughly about 20
or so years old.
NARRATOR: These sharks
have limited eyesight,
but an injury years ago
left Flash completely blind.
So, she relies on her other senses
and a plucky streak of curiosity.
MITCH: They're very inquisitive animals.
They do search around,
and one of the ways that
they'll figure out what an object is,
by trying to eat it.
Sometimes that object is something
that they can consume safely,
and sometimes it's not,
and so it can lead us into
some sorts of trouble.
NARRATOR: But now, courtesy of a guest,
Flash may have bitten off
more than she can chew.
We had a call that there were some...
some foreign objects floating in a tank
that we thought they were some sort
of food that had fallen in.
And just as we were netting them out,
she jumped and swallowed it.
NARRATOR: They need to get whatever
she ate back out right away,
in case it damages her stomach.
KEVIN: Since sharks' stomachs
and digestive systems aren't made
for hard things,
that can create a situation where that...
that object sits in their stomach
and could create an ulceration.
NARRATOR: Dr. Deidre comes in to take care
of what is known here as an urgency.
DR. DEIDRE: All right,
you guys ready to go?
-FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
-MALE VOICE: Ready to go.
All right, let's do this.
This is the aquatic anesthetic,
mixed in some of her water.
FEMALE VOICE: She's definitely a three.
NARRATOR: To minimize any side effects
of anesthesia, the team moves quickly.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
MITCH:
I'm doing okay. Worried.
Worried is a good word.
But we're... She's in great hands,
so we'll be all right.
All right, so we've just gone
into her mouth, and you can see we've got
a beautiful view of her gill arches
right now.
And Kevin, you're gonna let me know
if you get any resistance.
KEVIN: Not so far.
Getting close.
We're at about 20 centimeters.
-KEVIN: Keep going?
-And you can keep going just a bit.
You can go ahead and move forward.
Kevin, can you back up
just a moment, please?
The culprit of the day! My senses tell me
we are looking at an almond,
but the best way to figure that out
is to go in and grab it.
So let's go ahead and advance.
Yep, definitely something hard.
Let me see if we can snag it and...
Okay, now, can you close it?
Okay, let's try one more time.
All right, so let's go ahead
and advance...
and close.
All right, now cl...
hold it white-knuckled
-with all that you've got. You ready, Jen?
-I'm ready.
Okay, let's go ahead
and pull the endoscope out, please.
Just hold on as tight as you can.
Let's see what we've got.
One almond covered in slime.
She's breathing okay?
Not... Doesn't look too distended
at this point.
Taking a look inside of her stomach.
-NARRATOR: A quick check confirms...
-DR. DEIDRE: Awesome.
...there's no damage to Flash's stomach.
That went great.
I'm really happy with our results.
We got in there in the right time.
It's perfect.
Great day. Great day.
DR. DEIDRE:
Let's go ahead and transfer her.
Seeing any of our animals like Flash
do something that scares the daylights
out of you like that is terrifying.
These animals have become part
of our family.
We're... we're constantly thinking
about those...
What the future of the animal looks like
when things like this happen.
NARRATOR: Within no time, Flash gets
the okay for her reintroduction back home,
where nuts are definitely off the menu.
(SCREAMS)
NARRATOR: Backstage
at Kilimanjaro Safaris...
young Gus the hippo gets ready to meet up
with 17-year-old Biko.
Like Gus, Biko is also headed
for a new home outside the park.
BRANDY: You're never quite sure
what you're gonna get with Biko.
Some days, he can seem very outgoing,
and then other days
he can seem very subdued.
Because he is one of our smaller males,
we felt like that might be
a good pairing between him and Gus.
Hey, Biko. Come here, buddy.
NARRATOR: Before the meeting,
Biko has a sharp tooth
that needs attention.
Come on. What a good boy. Good.
That's a good boy.
NARRATOR: So today,
standing in for actual dentists,
are keepers, Mark and Marcus.
(GRUNTS)
Okay. Yup. Oh, thanks.
Really good wheeze honk.
Anything else to say or can we keep going?
(CHUCKLES)
(GRUNTS LOUDER)
MARK: All right, all right. You're okay.
NARRATOR: With the small talk over,
it's time to open wide...
-Biko, open. Hold.
-(GRUNTS)
NARRATOR: ...and get down to business.
It's a pain-free process...
-MARK: Hold.
-NARRATOR: ...like trimming a fingernail.
Good boy. Oh, yeah.
It's right there. Yeah.
Hold. Hold. Got it? Good boy!
What a good man, huh? We got it.
NARRATOR: All that's needed now
is a little polish of the rough edges.
Feels pretty good, dude.
Good boy.
NARRATOR: And a double treat of watermelon
for good measure.
All right. Good job, buddy.
MARCUS: For hippos, going to the dentist
is great because they just get
a ton of food,
as opposed to us going to the dentist,
where they say you can't have food.
(CHUCKLES)
-MARCUS: Very happy with that.
-MARK: Sounds good to me.
-Yeah. Good job, dude.
-MARK: Good stuff. You, too.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
FEMALE VOICE: He's looking at you!
NARRATOR: Out on the savanna...
Dugan, the white rhino,
slowly adjusts to life with the ladies
and finds out that love hurts.
MALE VOICE: Come on down, buddy.
NARRATOR: Rhinos don't kiss, they spar,
horn first.
And the ladies have welcomed him
a little too enthusiastically.
So Dugan's love-scrapes
may need attention.
Good job, bud.
KELSEY: We just wanna get a good look
at what's going on between his two horns.
We noticed that he had
a pretty substantial wound there,
and so we just wanna take a look in
and have the vets come
and make sure that everything's okay.
So, that's why he's hanging out
in the barn with us today.
Good job. Dugan likes treats,
but he likes tactile a lot.
We're gonna fix your face up.
These guys form really close bonds
with their keepers.
It's really special because some
of the other animals, you know,
we don't get to be as close with them.
These guys will, like, get closer to us,
they'll solicit these behaviors
to get some love from us,
which is really special.
He's doing his balle-rhino moves.
-KELSEY: Come on, handsome.
-(RHINO GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: But all the snacks
and love make Dugan sleepy.
-KELSEY: Dugan, come here, buddy.
-NARRATOR: Right when Dr. Jeff shows up.
KELSEY: Hi. Can you get up?
-I actually know exactly how he feels.
-KELSEY: Come on, Du.
-Let's go. Let's go.
-(CHUCKLES) I need my afternoon nap.
MALE VOICE: Snacks? Hey, Dugan.
Are you awake?
He's down for the count. (LAUGHS)
-KELSEY: Come on, Dugan. Come on, potato.
-I don't think that we can beat napping.
KELSEY:
Dugan operates on his own schedule.
You know, these guys are so big
that we can only ask them to do things,
and if they say no, then they say no.
(ROARS)
(ROARS)
NARRATOR: Backstage at the hippo barn,
it's a big day for Gus and Biko.
Time for a quick meeting,
known as a howdy,
to see if these two can get along.
SCOTT: Biko is gonna be in stall six,
Gus is all the way in stall, uh, four.
We're gonna slide him over to stall five.
Hopefully, they'll be side by side
for about 20 minutes is what I'm hoping.
-We're ready to go.
-Awesome.
FEMALE VOICE: We are ready.
NARRATOR: Gus heads towards
the meeting spot, led by a little treat.
Across the barn, his nearly
3,000-pound playmate awaits.
(GRUNTS)
NARRATOR: Both males have
territorial streaks,
but the team looks out
for different responses between the two.
(GRUNTS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
That's good, they're nose-to-nose
right there.
-FEMALE VOICE 1: He's tail swishing.
-FEMALE VOICE 2: Gus, Gus. Gus, Gus.
SCOTT: There's a lot of tail flashing
going on, which we're taking
as a very good sign 'cause it's showing
that... that Gus is very interested
in hanging out with Biko.
BECKY: And Biko has not done that.
I don't... Not from what I've seen,
which means he's very calm,
which is awesome.
LINDSAY: What a good hippo.
The energy that Biko gave
was exactly what we're looking for.
We're looking for calm, composed.
FEMALE VOICE: You're all right.
It's all right.
NARRATOR: More howdies will come,
but today shows a promising start.
SCOTT: I think it went great.
I think that it was incredible,
so we just hope that that energy
can kinda carry over to the next step.
(MONKEYS CHATTERING)
NARRATOR: Today, Dugan is bright-eyed
and ready for the vet.
-DR. DAN: Morning.
-CAITLIN: Good morning.
NARRATOR: This time,
Dr. Dan takes the case.
DR. DAN: How's Dugan?
CAITLIN: He's doing good.
We just, uh, rinsed his face off
and got everything out of there.
There was a little bit of, like,
I guess they've been having pus this week.
DR. DAN: So, just a little bit of pus
here and there,
but not consistently every single day,
and he's not sensitive every single day.
CAITLIN:
I think there has been pus every day.
DR. DAN: What I'm doing with Dugan
right now is using
this thermography camera,
and it allows me to see areas of his body
that are hotter than others.
What I'm looking for is areas of his body
where we wouldn't expect
there to be a warm spot, and there is.
-And you can see the spot on his forehead.
-CAITLIN: Yeah.
Definitely hottest...
-right here.
-CAITLIN: Okay.
So, you can see this red area.
So, I'm suspicious that maybe he either
has some foreign material, like dirt,
plant material, in this area
because this is where his body
is responding most of all,
and it is a little soft
-right in this spot. But he's a tough boy.
-CAITLIN: Right.
Did you hear that? He says you're tough.
I think his girlfriends are tougher
than he is, though. (CHUCKLES)
It's good to flush this area,
at least to clean out the pus and whatnot.
I'm not gonna start him on any oral meds
for now.
-CAITLIN: Okay.
-And the good news is,
overall it doesn't seem
like it's really bothering him.
He's just sort of going
about his day-to-day life.
NARRATOR: Dugan gets the all clear
for his return to the savanna,
and the pursuit of rhino romance.
Not far from the savanna...
baby Grace is growing up fast.
But her coordination still needs help.
So behind the scenes,
the team brings in some
special assistance.
COURTNEY: The ability that we have
to reach out to people
who aren't in the zoological community
and work with them
on making our animals' lives better
is something that's really special.
NARRATOR: Human and gorilla babies learn
and progress in similar ways.
So Grace works with
child development experts
-Marzena and Susan.
-Good job, baby. You're doing great.
Our last encounter with her,
she was still showing some delays
with her grasp on her...
Both her upper and her lower extremity.
So we don't really know
what we're gonna go ahead and see today.
-FEMALE VOICE: What is that, Grace?
-But we're excited.
Do you mind seeing if she can climb
all the way up to that bar?
FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
Once she's finished eating.
-COURTNEY: Come on, Miss Grace.
-FEMALE VOICE: Definitely motivated.
-COURTNEY: Hold on. I've got food.
-Keep going, missy.
-Awesome. Good job, Grace.
-Good job, Grace.
NARRATOR: But getting back down without
Mom's help has been the real challenge.
COURTNEY: What do you think? No. Too hard.
Kashata came to the rescue.
NARRATOR: Time to test
her progress so far.
SUSAN: Is she gonna climb down, too?
FEMALE VOICE:
Yes, she's climbing down more.
SUSAN: Down's a little harder.
Seemed a little awkward there.
Look at how she just sticks
that heel through.
Do you feel a little stuck there, Grace?
-FEMALE VOICE: Like it's nothing. Help!
-MARZENA: Doing so incredible.
Good job, Grace. Look at you.
-There you go. Just like that, yeah.
-Just like that, yeah.
That's much better. At least
we're not belly-flopping into Mom.
-Remember when that was really hard?
-FEMALE VOICE: Uh-huh.
NARRATOR: Grace takes another step
in the right direction.
-I'd say it's moments like this.
-I think so. (LAUGHS)
-Oh, my goodness.
-It's unbelievable.
MARZENA: Now she's ready to explore
and learn what the world is about.
FEMALE VOICE: Looks amazing.
To be able to take my skills
with children with varying abilities,
and then being able to apply it
to a completely different domain
and realm, I feel very lucky
to be a part of all this wonderfulness.
NARRATOR: Baby Grace
even has a special name.
It's a nod to the Gorilla Rehabilitation
And Conservation Education Center
in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Experts here care
for critically endangered
orphaned gorillas.
In little Grace, the spirit of this center
comes full circle,
back to Disney's Animal Kingdom
Theme Park.
Over time, Biko and Gus
have gradually gotten to know each other,
but always with the safety of a barrier
in between.
This time, they meet in the open.
FEMALE VOICE:
All right, Biks, you ready?
NARRATOR: Today marks the park's first
new male hippo introduction in a decade.
It's the result of months of research
and careful preparation.
BECKY: We are going to monitor
and watch them as closely as possible.
We'll have people all over,
keeping an eye on them
while we do introductions.
So if either one of those animals,
or both those animals,
wanna come in the barn,
we're gonna get them in the barn.
Opening door nine.
Ready.
JENN: Hopefully, we'll see Gus do
his submissive behavior,
really submit towards Biko, so that way
we just know that their partnership's
gonna go well.
NARRATOR: Little Gus comes out first.
There he is, little man.
So far, he looks relatively calm.
Oh, here comes Biko.
(GRUNTS)
JENN: We're gonna find out a lot
in the first five minutes.
Oh, I think Gus saw him.
Gus is gonna go under the water...
and probably come around,
'cause he's gonna be like,
"I got a friend."
These guys can see well underwater,
so he actually might be seeing Gus
now underwater.
And now, Biko's on the move,
so I think they have now fully realized
that both are out here.
Okay. This is promising.
It looks just really calm.
Oh, this is good.
This is really good right now.
So, this is where
it's gonna get interesting.
Biko is really showing
his dominance right now.
So he's actually putting his head
on top of Gus.
He's showing that, "I am dominant."
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
JENN: And they're both underwater again.
SCOTT: What you're seeing now is Gus
and Biko are wrestling a little bit,
and that's normal hippo introductions.
That's exactly what we're expecting to see
when we put these two boys out together,
um, at any point in time.
(BOTH GROWL)
Gus is holding his ground.
(GROWLS)
What we're seeing right now,
everything is appropriate behavior
for two male hippos.
(GRUNTING)
I hope that Gus submits
and realizes his position in all of this.
(GRUNTS)
He's gonna calm down
or he's gonna try to run in.
SCOTT: They can grab the cue.
See, Gus is at the ramp.
(HIPPOS GRUNT)
MALE VOICE:
I don't know. He's gonna do it.
-FEMALE VOICE: He's looking.
-MALE VOICE: You see anybody?
JENN: That was not the storybook ending
that we wanted.
Gus realized that this was not something
he wanted to participate in,
so he kinda separated off
to get away from Biko.
Gus is on the ramp.
MALE VOICE: Gus is going up the ramp!
You... You hope for them to be together,
but you know,
they did what male hippos do,
so you can't be disappointed by that.
NARRATOR: The rest of the team heads
backstage to make sure that
-Gus is okay.
-(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
Hi. What happened out there?
That was so exciting.
Hi. Not bad. You did a good job.
You're too tough. You're too tough.
SCOTT: I was expecting a little bit
of submissive from Gus,
but straight out of the gate,
he wasn't having that.
You know, it was game on
right from the start.
I mean, Gus is unfortunately just a little
too small at the moment. (CHUCKLES)
He's a big hippo in a little body
right now.
NARRATOR: With his face in better shape,
Dugan, the white rhino,
returns to the savanna.
CAITLIN: Hi, Dugan. Hi, Lola.
NARRATOR: And the company
of his favorite female rhino.
He's shown a lot of interest in Lola.
And she is showing interest in him,
so she'll start slowing down
in front of him.
Dugan is pretty romantic
because he doesn't actually start
attempting to breed
until kinda, like, sunset. ...
(GRUNTS)
He's attempting to actually copulate,
which isn't going very well.
Lola's just kind of amazing,
she just is standing there with him,
uh, being patient.
(GRUNTS)
He really likes Lola and... and so,
they're both doing what they need to do
and there may be a baby on the way.
(GRUNTS)
(MONKEYS SCREECHING)
LINDSAY: As you can see,
Augustus is still alone.
We did do an introduction
with him and Biko
and decided that maybe
it wasn't a perfect match.
Biko's on the smaller side
for an adult male.
I think he has a lot to prove,
I would say. (LAUGHS)
The goal for Gus and Biko is for them
to head to other facilities
and be introduced to other females
where, hopefully,
they'll make their own families.
NARRATOR:
The two may not have become best buddies,
but a bright future lies ahead
for both of them.
LINDSAY: This introduction
was a great learning opportunity
for Augustus and Biko to be introduced
to another hippo
that they hadn't been around.
Good practice for them,
setting them up for success.
NARRATOR: Over on the savanna,
keepers suspect Dugan,
the white rhino, may have conceived a baby
with one of the females.
(CHUCKLES) Hi, mama.
-NARRATOR: But not the one...
-Good morning.
NARRATOR: ...they were expecting.
JESS: Hi, pretty girl. She's like,
"Where is my food? Where is it?"
Yeah, so this is Kendi.
Kendi is our mama bear of the barn.
So, Kendi is the very first rhino
that was ever born here.
I'm hoping, hoping, hoping
that she might be pregnant.
We would be over the moon, over the moon,
if we had a baby calf, and you know,
of course part of that is just, like,
the joy of having a calf in the barn,
but for their species, it's essential.
White rhinos,
they are a near threatened species.
We need more rhinos in the world,
so the fact that Disney is able
to breed these guys
and be such active participants
in the Species Survival Plan
of these animals is incredible.
And that really is kind of why we do
what we do.
So this morning,
what I have to do
is collect a fecal sample.
And the reason being
is that's basically her pregnancy test.
It's a really great way to tell
if she's pregnant,
just from a fecal sample.
So, all I need to do is get in there
and get it, but she's currently
in her bedroom stall so I'm gonna ask her
to shift over a stall,
so that I can safely get in there
and get my hands on some poop.
Good girl. Good girl. Good job, mama.
NARRATOR: Pregnancy hormones can be found
in rhino feces...
Okay.
NARRATOR: ...just like in urine or blood.
So, I'm feeling around
in the center of the poop,
just because we wanna try to get
the warmest poop possible.
Um... (CHUCKLES) It's where all
the good hormones are.
So, I gotta feel around in there
to make sure I get the right sample.
Yeah, so the next step is
we are gonna take this poop,
I'll put it in our freezer.
We'll pass it off to our
endocrinology team,
they'll do what they need to do
to test the poop,
and then we'll see if we have a baby...
which would be awesome! So excited.
NARRATOR: A positive result could mean
Dugan is on his way to fatherhood...
for the very first time.
-FEMALE VOICE: Jess.
-Hey.
-FEMALE VOICE: Guess what.
-What?
We have a pregnant rhino.
JESS: Oh, my gosh.
I don't even know what to say about that.
I can't. I can't.
(SQUEALS) We're gonna have a baby.
(BIRDS CHATTERING)
NARRATOR:
Back at Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail,
Rachel comes to check up on Grace.
RACHEL: How are you guys doing?
Looking for Miss Kashata and Grace.
Where are they hiding out today?
See how little Grace
is doing this morning.
One of the things that's really cool
about Grace is just to see
how far she's come in just a few months.
One of the things I'm really noticing
these days is her grip.
Initially, she just really
could not grasp anything.
She... she couldn't curl her fingers.
She was very flat-palmed.
And now, she actually curls
those fingers around,
she's able to grasp a piece of food
and bring that to her mouth.
One of the things we initially saw was,
Kashata kept Grace really close to her,
and we think part of that was
Kashata's mothering style.
She's very protective.
But also, because Grace was pretty weak.
Now, Grace is becoming more independent.
She's starting to explore on her own,
she's foraging,
and to see Kashata allow her
to do these things
lets us know
that even Kashata is seeing a difference
in Grace's strength and her progression.
She just grabbed onto Mom's back
and pulled herself up.
That's a big milestone for her.
When I see that, I get super excited
because I know all the work
that we're doing is making a difference
and we're seeing the improvement.
We couldn't have done it without
all of the people
who've helped us.
Just really a big team effort.
(MUNCHES)
Gino, are we not talking about you enough?
Are you not getting enough attention?
Are we not entertained? Gino.
-(BEATS CHEST)
-(RACHEL LAUGHS)
Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom...
a young hippo meets his match.
JENN: We're gonna find out a lot
in the first five minutes.
NARRATOR: A shark bites off
more than she can chew.
These animals have become part
of our family.
NARRATOR: And a baby gorilla reaches
for new heights.
-(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
-(BIRD SQUAWKS)
-(BIRDS CHIRPING)
-(HIPPO GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: A thriving pod of hippos
lives in the Safi River
that flows through the Ituri forest.
And that includes this little guy,
nearly two-year-old Augustus...
(QUACKS)
NARRATOR: ...otherwise known as Gus.
Lindsay has known Augustus all his life.
There he is.
(CHUCKLES) Hey, Gus.
He is a little bundle of trouble.
He was born here at Animal Kingdom
really late at night.
An exciting thing to see, for all of us.
MALE VOICE: This is amazing. Wow.
LINDSAY: It's fun to watch people see him
for the first time.
Most of them probably think
he's full grown,
and he's still such a little baby.
This is the coolest place
in the world to work with hippos.
We have so many and they're all
so different and so special.
NARRATOR: With his second birthday
coming up,
Gus begins his journey to adulthood.
Our hippos are part
of a Species Survival Plan.
So, it's very exciting to have
little Gus here.
I mean, he's a fun little hippo,
but you know, he's destined
for greater things.
He's gonna go off to another facility
and, you know, he's gonna have an...
Uh, his own family once he goes there.
NARRATOR: So, before he leaves, the team
prepares him for future encounters.
SCOTT: We're gonna try some introductions
and that will better set him up
for when we move him to his new facility.
(HIPPOS GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: But naturally,
hippos fight for dominance.
(HIPPOS GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: To avoid a hippopota-mess,
keepers must be ready for anything.
SCOTT: We know that there's gonna be
wrestling, we know that there's gonna be
some interactions between the two,
and we're all standing by to watch
and monitor to make sure
that everything happens in a safe manner.
NARRATOR: For young Gus and many
on the team, this will be a new adventure.
LINDSAY: I mean, we don't have favorites,
but if we did have favorites,
Augustus is probably mine. (LAUGHS)
He's such a little rock star.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
NARRATOR: A very special family makes
their home along
the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.
(MUNCHES)
NARRATOR: These western lowland gorillas
form a tightly knit unit
known as a troop.
Animal manager, Rachel, checks on them
as part of today's morning rounds.
And there's a very little one
she's keeping a special eye on.
RACHEL: So, we've got Kashata up here,
she's carrying Grace.
So Grace is our infant, she's about...
about six months old at this point.
NARRATOR: The youngest gorilla
at the park, Grace,
was born to mom, Kashata,
and dad, Gino, a fully mature
silverback and leader of the troop.
She's the sixth of this critically
endangered species
to be born here, and Mom just loves
to show her off.
RACHEL: We have a glass viewing area
that our gorillas love.
So, the first day
when Kashata had Grace,
she was with Grace right there
at that window,
which was amazing
because our guests got to come
and see an hours-old infant gorilla
right there, right in front of them.
NARRATOR: But early on, keepers discovered
something a little different
about baby Grace's development.
RACHEL: One of the things we did notice
with Grace is that she,
uh, was not meeting all her milestones.
You'll notice that she kind of does
what we call a football hold,
so Grace kind of holds onto that arm.
One of things we really like to see
is Grace really using her body
and her strength to hold onto Kashata.
We would love to see her riding
on Kashata's back more.
NARRATOR: And there's no hiding
her challenges from Mom.
RACHEL:
We'll actually see her work with Grace
almost in, uh, a physical therapy fashion.
So, we'll see her set her down sometimes
and move a couple feet away
and make Grace come to her...
or hold her in certain positions
so she has to work her legs more,
or her arms more.
Something about that relationship
that's just hard to explain,
and I think that's the art to it.
We always talk about science, but there is
a lot of emotion to what we do.
NARRATOR: Since Mom can only do so much,
behind the scenes the team has a plan
to help Grace's strength and coordination.
Okay, I'm gonna open the yard door.
-FEMALE VOICE: Copy, opening yard door.
-(DOOR OPENS)
NARRATOR: Time to come in for today's
therapy session.
Good girl.
-COURTNEY: Miss Kashata. Come on.
-FEMALE VOICE: Good girl.
COURTNEY: That's a girl! Good girl!
See, look what I got you. All the good!
Oh, see? She's ready.
She's ready for some goods.
I'm gonna ask Grace
to do different things,
like climb up and down the mesh.
Hopefully up and down, not just up.
NARRATOR: These exercises will challenge
Grace to move without Mom's help.
COURTNEY: Come on up. It's okay.
Come on! Nice. Nice girl.
Yeah, look at you, you're so strong.
You've got it, you got it, you got it.
It's okay. Hey, it's okay. Let's do it.
NARRATOR: Grace proves she can climb up,
but now, for the challenge of coming down
on her own.
We're trying to encourage her
to bring herself back down the mesh
with her feet a little more
than she's been doing.
A lot of times, she kinda just grabs
onto Kashata.
Right here. What do you think?
No, too hard. A little tired.
Whoa. That's not the dismount we expected.
Grace did a great job climbing up.
Her climbing down can still use
a little work,
but that's why we do
these sessions every day.
Kashata came to the rescue a couple times.
Not exactly what we want in the long-term,
but I feel like we saw some progress,
so I feel good.
NARRATOR: Out on the savanna
of the Kilimanjaro Safaris,
keeper Jess searches for signs of love
among the herd of southern white rhinos.
JESS: Oh, my gosh! Look at these dorks.
NARRATOR: Growing their numbers
in the wild is important
because so many animals
on the savanna depend on rhinos
for that thing they do best.
They produce a lot of waste,
and all that waste turns into fertilizer
and that fertilizer helps plants grow.
That's a huge food source
for a ton of animals,
including themselves.
NARRATOR: With the hope of making
a love connection,
the park brought in a male
to join the herd.
So this is Dugan, right in front of us.
NARRATOR: But this Romeo-to-be
is a little shy around the ladies.
-(GRUNTS)
-JESS: Looking bashful.
(GRUNTS)
Not really knowing if he should approach
the girls yet or not.
The other male rhinos that we've had here,
their interactions with the females
are a lot more...
(CLICKS TONGUE) ...assertive.
They will kinda be a little bit pushy,
where Dugan will kind of
stand back and wait.
Dugan is quite the gentleman.
-(GRUNTS)
-NARRATOR: Before coming here,
Dugan lived the life
of a confirmed bachelor,
with only his brother.
Now, he has the company
of five potential sweethearts.
Helen, Jao, Kiama, Kendi, and Lola.
JESS: Five girls,
they all have different personalities.
Dugan having not been around females,
he never really learned
to kinda figure out what the appropriate
behaviors would be,
so a lot of this is him
kind of self-teaching.
NARRATOR: He should be living the dream,
but true love isn't that simple.
-(GRUNTS)
-So this is Lola. Dugan likes Lola.
(CHUCKLING) It's interesting
that her tail is curled.
A lot of times, tail curled means, like,
"I'm... I'm feeling good."
NARRATOR: With Lola acting flirty,
it's the perfect time for Dugan
to make his move.
JESS:
It's kinda funny that he's following her.
He probably doesn't have any idea
what she wants from him.
NARRATOR: And of course, Lola has a BFF
who follows her... everywhere.
JESS: Jao and Lola are best friends.
That took about 30 seconds
for her to be like, "Hey, wait a minute.
Where's my friend?
"Gotta go find her, gotta go back her up."
(CHUCKLES) So that's pretty cute.
And now, Jao's just gonna, like,
awkwardly stare at Dugan.
NARRATOR: Five miles away at Epcot,
The Seas provides a home
for aquatic animals
from around the world...
including Flash, a mature white-spotted
bamboo shark.
Flash is a very active,
boisterous individual.
And she is roughly about 20
or so years old.
NARRATOR: These sharks
have limited eyesight,
but an injury years ago
left Flash completely blind.
So, she relies on her other senses
and a plucky streak of curiosity.
MITCH: They're very inquisitive animals.
They do search around,
and one of the ways that
they'll figure out what an object is,
by trying to eat it.
Sometimes that object is something
that they can consume safely,
and sometimes it's not,
and so it can lead us into
some sorts of trouble.
NARRATOR: But now, courtesy of a guest,
Flash may have bitten off
more than she can chew.
We had a call that there were some...
some foreign objects floating in a tank
that we thought they were some sort
of food that had fallen in.
And just as we were netting them out,
she jumped and swallowed it.
NARRATOR: They need to get whatever
she ate back out right away,
in case it damages her stomach.
KEVIN: Since sharks' stomachs
and digestive systems aren't made
for hard things,
that can create a situation where that...
that object sits in their stomach
and could create an ulceration.
NARRATOR: Dr. Deidre comes in to take care
of what is known here as an urgency.
DR. DEIDRE: All right,
you guys ready to go?
-FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
-MALE VOICE: Ready to go.
All right, let's do this.
This is the aquatic anesthetic,
mixed in some of her water.
FEMALE VOICE: She's definitely a three.
NARRATOR: To minimize any side effects
of anesthesia, the team moves quickly.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
MITCH:
I'm doing okay. Worried.
Worried is a good word.
But we're... She's in great hands,
so we'll be all right.
All right, so we've just gone
into her mouth, and you can see we've got
a beautiful view of her gill arches
right now.
And Kevin, you're gonna let me know
if you get any resistance.
KEVIN: Not so far.
Getting close.
We're at about 20 centimeters.
-KEVIN: Keep going?
-And you can keep going just a bit.
You can go ahead and move forward.
Kevin, can you back up
just a moment, please?
The culprit of the day! My senses tell me
we are looking at an almond,
but the best way to figure that out
is to go in and grab it.
So let's go ahead and advance.
Yep, definitely something hard.
Let me see if we can snag it and...
Okay, now, can you close it?
Okay, let's try one more time.
All right, so let's go ahead
and advance...
and close.
All right, now cl...
hold it white-knuckled
-with all that you've got. You ready, Jen?
-I'm ready.
Okay, let's go ahead
and pull the endoscope out, please.
Just hold on as tight as you can.
Let's see what we've got.
One almond covered in slime.
She's breathing okay?
Not... Doesn't look too distended
at this point.
Taking a look inside of her stomach.
-NARRATOR: A quick check confirms...
-DR. DEIDRE: Awesome.
...there's no damage to Flash's stomach.
That went great.
I'm really happy with our results.
We got in there in the right time.
It's perfect.
Great day. Great day.
DR. DEIDRE:
Let's go ahead and transfer her.
Seeing any of our animals like Flash
do something that scares the daylights
out of you like that is terrifying.
These animals have become part
of our family.
We're... we're constantly thinking
about those...
What the future of the animal looks like
when things like this happen.
NARRATOR: Within no time, Flash gets
the okay for her reintroduction back home,
where nuts are definitely off the menu.
(SCREAMS)
NARRATOR: Backstage
at Kilimanjaro Safaris...
young Gus the hippo gets ready to meet up
with 17-year-old Biko.
Like Gus, Biko is also headed
for a new home outside the park.
BRANDY: You're never quite sure
what you're gonna get with Biko.
Some days, he can seem very outgoing,
and then other days
he can seem very subdued.
Because he is one of our smaller males,
we felt like that might be
a good pairing between him and Gus.
Hey, Biko. Come here, buddy.
NARRATOR: Before the meeting,
Biko has a sharp tooth
that needs attention.
Come on. What a good boy. Good.
That's a good boy.
NARRATOR: So today,
standing in for actual dentists,
are keepers, Mark and Marcus.
(GRUNTS)
Okay. Yup. Oh, thanks.
Really good wheeze honk.
Anything else to say or can we keep going?
(CHUCKLES)
(GRUNTS LOUDER)
MARK: All right, all right. You're okay.
NARRATOR: With the small talk over,
it's time to open wide...
-Biko, open. Hold.
-(GRUNTS)
NARRATOR: ...and get down to business.
It's a pain-free process...
-MARK: Hold.
-NARRATOR: ...like trimming a fingernail.
Good boy. Oh, yeah.
It's right there. Yeah.
Hold. Hold. Got it? Good boy!
What a good man, huh? We got it.
NARRATOR: All that's needed now
is a little polish of the rough edges.
Feels pretty good, dude.
Good boy.
NARRATOR: And a double treat of watermelon
for good measure.
All right. Good job, buddy.
MARCUS: For hippos, going to the dentist
is great because they just get
a ton of food,
as opposed to us going to the dentist,
where they say you can't have food.
(CHUCKLES)
-MARCUS: Very happy with that.
-MARK: Sounds good to me.
-Yeah. Good job, dude.
-MARK: Good stuff. You, too.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
FEMALE VOICE: He's looking at you!
NARRATOR: Out on the savanna...
Dugan, the white rhino,
slowly adjusts to life with the ladies
and finds out that love hurts.
MALE VOICE: Come on down, buddy.
NARRATOR: Rhinos don't kiss, they spar,
horn first.
And the ladies have welcomed him
a little too enthusiastically.
So Dugan's love-scrapes
may need attention.
Good job, bud.
KELSEY: We just wanna get a good look
at what's going on between his two horns.
We noticed that he had
a pretty substantial wound there,
and so we just wanna take a look in
and have the vets come
and make sure that everything's okay.
So, that's why he's hanging out
in the barn with us today.
Good job. Dugan likes treats,
but he likes tactile a lot.
We're gonna fix your face up.
These guys form really close bonds
with their keepers.
It's really special because some
of the other animals, you know,
we don't get to be as close with them.
These guys will, like, get closer to us,
they'll solicit these behaviors
to get some love from us,
which is really special.
He's doing his balle-rhino moves.
-KELSEY: Come on, handsome.
-(RHINO GRUNTING)
NARRATOR: But all the snacks
and love make Dugan sleepy.
-KELSEY: Dugan, come here, buddy.
-NARRATOR: Right when Dr. Jeff shows up.
KELSEY: Hi. Can you get up?
-I actually know exactly how he feels.
-KELSEY: Come on, Du.
-Let's go. Let's go.
-(CHUCKLES) I need my afternoon nap.
MALE VOICE: Snacks? Hey, Dugan.
Are you awake?
He's down for the count. (LAUGHS)
-KELSEY: Come on, Dugan. Come on, potato.
-I don't think that we can beat napping.
KELSEY:
Dugan operates on his own schedule.
You know, these guys are so big
that we can only ask them to do things,
and if they say no, then they say no.
(ROARS)
(ROARS)
NARRATOR: Backstage at the hippo barn,
it's a big day for Gus and Biko.
Time for a quick meeting,
known as a howdy,
to see if these two can get along.
SCOTT: Biko is gonna be in stall six,
Gus is all the way in stall, uh, four.
We're gonna slide him over to stall five.
Hopefully, they'll be side by side
for about 20 minutes is what I'm hoping.
-We're ready to go.
-Awesome.
FEMALE VOICE: We are ready.
NARRATOR: Gus heads towards
the meeting spot, led by a little treat.
Across the barn, his nearly
3,000-pound playmate awaits.
(GRUNTS)
NARRATOR: Both males have
territorial streaks,
but the team looks out
for different responses between the two.
(GRUNTS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
That's good, they're nose-to-nose
right there.
-FEMALE VOICE 1: He's tail swishing.
-FEMALE VOICE 2: Gus, Gus. Gus, Gus.
SCOTT: There's a lot of tail flashing
going on, which we're taking
as a very good sign 'cause it's showing
that... that Gus is very interested
in hanging out with Biko.
BECKY: And Biko has not done that.
I don't... Not from what I've seen,
which means he's very calm,
which is awesome.
LINDSAY: What a good hippo.
The energy that Biko gave
was exactly what we're looking for.
We're looking for calm, composed.
FEMALE VOICE: You're all right.
It's all right.
NARRATOR: More howdies will come,
but today shows a promising start.
SCOTT: I think it went great.
I think that it was incredible,
so we just hope that that energy
can kinda carry over to the next step.
(MONKEYS CHATTERING)
NARRATOR: Today, Dugan is bright-eyed
and ready for the vet.
-DR. DAN: Morning.
-CAITLIN: Good morning.
NARRATOR: This time,
Dr. Dan takes the case.
DR. DAN: How's Dugan?
CAITLIN: He's doing good.
We just, uh, rinsed his face off
and got everything out of there.
There was a little bit of, like,
I guess they've been having pus this week.
DR. DAN: So, just a little bit of pus
here and there,
but not consistently every single day,
and he's not sensitive every single day.
CAITLIN:
I think there has been pus every day.
DR. DAN: What I'm doing with Dugan
right now is using
this thermography camera,
and it allows me to see areas of his body
that are hotter than others.
What I'm looking for is areas of his body
where we wouldn't expect
there to be a warm spot, and there is.
-And you can see the spot on his forehead.
-CAITLIN: Yeah.
Definitely hottest...
-right here.
-CAITLIN: Okay.
So, you can see this red area.
So, I'm suspicious that maybe he either
has some foreign material, like dirt,
plant material, in this area
because this is where his body
is responding most of all,
and it is a little soft
-right in this spot. But he's a tough boy.
-CAITLIN: Right.
Did you hear that? He says you're tough.
I think his girlfriends are tougher
than he is, though. (CHUCKLES)
It's good to flush this area,
at least to clean out the pus and whatnot.
I'm not gonna start him on any oral meds
for now.
-CAITLIN: Okay.
-And the good news is,
overall it doesn't seem
like it's really bothering him.
He's just sort of going
about his day-to-day life.
NARRATOR: Dugan gets the all clear
for his return to the savanna,
and the pursuit of rhino romance.
Not far from the savanna...
baby Grace is growing up fast.
But her coordination still needs help.
So behind the scenes,
the team brings in some
special assistance.
COURTNEY: The ability that we have
to reach out to people
who aren't in the zoological community
and work with them
on making our animals' lives better
is something that's really special.
NARRATOR: Human and gorilla babies learn
and progress in similar ways.
So Grace works with
child development experts
-Marzena and Susan.
-Good job, baby. You're doing great.
Our last encounter with her,
she was still showing some delays
with her grasp on her...
Both her upper and her lower extremity.
So we don't really know
what we're gonna go ahead and see today.
-FEMALE VOICE: What is that, Grace?
-But we're excited.
Do you mind seeing if she can climb
all the way up to that bar?
FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
Once she's finished eating.
-COURTNEY: Come on, Miss Grace.
-FEMALE VOICE: Definitely motivated.
-COURTNEY: Hold on. I've got food.
-Keep going, missy.
-Awesome. Good job, Grace.
-Good job, Grace.
NARRATOR: But getting back down without
Mom's help has been the real challenge.
COURTNEY: What do you think? No. Too hard.
Kashata came to the rescue.
NARRATOR: Time to test
her progress so far.
SUSAN: Is she gonna climb down, too?
FEMALE VOICE:
Yes, she's climbing down more.
SUSAN: Down's a little harder.
Seemed a little awkward there.
Look at how she just sticks
that heel through.
Do you feel a little stuck there, Grace?
-FEMALE VOICE: Like it's nothing. Help!
-MARZENA: Doing so incredible.
Good job, Grace. Look at you.
-There you go. Just like that, yeah.
-Just like that, yeah.
That's much better. At least
we're not belly-flopping into Mom.
-Remember when that was really hard?
-FEMALE VOICE: Uh-huh.
NARRATOR: Grace takes another step
in the right direction.
-I'd say it's moments like this.
-I think so. (LAUGHS)
-Oh, my goodness.
-It's unbelievable.
MARZENA: Now she's ready to explore
and learn what the world is about.
FEMALE VOICE: Looks amazing.
To be able to take my skills
with children with varying abilities,
and then being able to apply it
to a completely different domain
and realm, I feel very lucky
to be a part of all this wonderfulness.
NARRATOR: Baby Grace
even has a special name.
It's a nod to the Gorilla Rehabilitation
And Conservation Education Center
in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Experts here care
for critically endangered
orphaned gorillas.
In little Grace, the spirit of this center
comes full circle,
back to Disney's Animal Kingdom
Theme Park.
Over time, Biko and Gus
have gradually gotten to know each other,
but always with the safety of a barrier
in between.
This time, they meet in the open.
FEMALE VOICE:
All right, Biks, you ready?
NARRATOR: Today marks the park's first
new male hippo introduction in a decade.
It's the result of months of research
and careful preparation.
BECKY: We are going to monitor
and watch them as closely as possible.
We'll have people all over,
keeping an eye on them
while we do introductions.
So if either one of those animals,
or both those animals,
wanna come in the barn,
we're gonna get them in the barn.
Opening door nine.
Ready.
JENN: Hopefully, we'll see Gus do
his submissive behavior,
really submit towards Biko, so that way
we just know that their partnership's
gonna go well.
NARRATOR: Little Gus comes out first.
There he is, little man.
So far, he looks relatively calm.
Oh, here comes Biko.
(GRUNTS)
JENN: We're gonna find out a lot
in the first five minutes.
Oh, I think Gus saw him.
Gus is gonna go under the water...
and probably come around,
'cause he's gonna be like,
"I got a friend."
These guys can see well underwater,
so he actually might be seeing Gus
now underwater.
And now, Biko's on the move,
so I think they have now fully realized
that both are out here.
Okay. This is promising.
It looks just really calm.
Oh, this is good.
This is really good right now.
So, this is where
it's gonna get interesting.
Biko is really showing
his dominance right now.
So he's actually putting his head
on top of Gus.
He's showing that, "I am dominant."
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
JENN: And they're both underwater again.
SCOTT: What you're seeing now is Gus
and Biko are wrestling a little bit,
and that's normal hippo introductions.
That's exactly what we're expecting to see
when we put these two boys out together,
um, at any point in time.
(BOTH GROWL)
Gus is holding his ground.
(GROWLS)
What we're seeing right now,
everything is appropriate behavior
for two male hippos.
(GRUNTING)
I hope that Gus submits
and realizes his position in all of this.
(GRUNTS)
He's gonna calm down
or he's gonna try to run in.
SCOTT: They can grab the cue.
See, Gus is at the ramp.
(HIPPOS GRUNT)
MALE VOICE:
I don't know. He's gonna do it.
-FEMALE VOICE: He's looking.
-MALE VOICE: You see anybody?
JENN: That was not the storybook ending
that we wanted.
Gus realized that this was not something
he wanted to participate in,
so he kinda separated off
to get away from Biko.
Gus is on the ramp.
MALE VOICE: Gus is going up the ramp!
You... You hope for them to be together,
but you know,
they did what male hippos do,
so you can't be disappointed by that.
NARRATOR: The rest of the team heads
backstage to make sure that
-Gus is okay.
-(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
Hi. What happened out there?
That was so exciting.
Hi. Not bad. You did a good job.
You're too tough. You're too tough.
SCOTT: I was expecting a little bit
of submissive from Gus,
but straight out of the gate,
he wasn't having that.
You know, it was game on
right from the start.
I mean, Gus is unfortunately just a little
too small at the moment. (CHUCKLES)
He's a big hippo in a little body
right now.
NARRATOR: With his face in better shape,
Dugan, the white rhino,
returns to the savanna.
CAITLIN: Hi, Dugan. Hi, Lola.
NARRATOR: And the company
of his favorite female rhino.
He's shown a lot of interest in Lola.
And she is showing interest in him,
so she'll start slowing down
in front of him.
Dugan is pretty romantic
because he doesn't actually start
attempting to breed
until kinda, like, sunset. ...
(GRUNTS)
He's attempting to actually copulate,
which isn't going very well.
Lola's just kind of amazing,
she just is standing there with him,
uh, being patient.
(GRUNTS)
He really likes Lola and... and so,
they're both doing what they need to do
and there may be a baby on the way.
(GRUNTS)
(MONKEYS SCREECHING)
LINDSAY: As you can see,
Augustus is still alone.
We did do an introduction
with him and Biko
and decided that maybe
it wasn't a perfect match.
Biko's on the smaller side
for an adult male.
I think he has a lot to prove,
I would say. (LAUGHS)
The goal for Gus and Biko is for them
to head to other facilities
and be introduced to other females
where, hopefully,
they'll make their own families.
NARRATOR:
The two may not have become best buddies,
but a bright future lies ahead
for both of them.
LINDSAY: This introduction
was a great learning opportunity
for Augustus and Biko to be introduced
to another hippo
that they hadn't been around.
Good practice for them,
setting them up for success.
NARRATOR: Over on the savanna,
keepers suspect Dugan,
the white rhino, may have conceived a baby
with one of the females.
(CHUCKLES) Hi, mama.
-NARRATOR: But not the one...
-Good morning.
NARRATOR: ...they were expecting.
JESS: Hi, pretty girl. She's like,
"Where is my food? Where is it?"
Yeah, so this is Kendi.
Kendi is our mama bear of the barn.
So, Kendi is the very first rhino
that was ever born here.
I'm hoping, hoping, hoping
that she might be pregnant.
We would be over the moon, over the moon,
if we had a baby calf, and you know,
of course part of that is just, like,
the joy of having a calf in the barn,
but for their species, it's essential.
White rhinos,
they are a near threatened species.
We need more rhinos in the world,
so the fact that Disney is able
to breed these guys
and be such active participants
in the Species Survival Plan
of these animals is incredible.
And that really is kind of why we do
what we do.
So this morning,
what I have to do
is collect a fecal sample.
And the reason being
is that's basically her pregnancy test.
It's a really great way to tell
if she's pregnant,
just from a fecal sample.
So, all I need to do is get in there
and get it, but she's currently
in her bedroom stall so I'm gonna ask her
to shift over a stall,
so that I can safely get in there
and get my hands on some poop.
Good girl. Good girl. Good job, mama.
NARRATOR: Pregnancy hormones can be found
in rhino feces...
Okay.
NARRATOR: ...just like in urine or blood.
So, I'm feeling around
in the center of the poop,
just because we wanna try to get
the warmest poop possible.
Um... (CHUCKLES) It's where all
the good hormones are.
So, I gotta feel around in there
to make sure I get the right sample.
Yeah, so the next step is
we are gonna take this poop,
I'll put it in our freezer.
We'll pass it off to our
endocrinology team,
they'll do what they need to do
to test the poop,
and then we'll see if we have a baby...
which would be awesome! So excited.
NARRATOR: A positive result could mean
Dugan is on his way to fatherhood...
for the very first time.
-FEMALE VOICE: Jess.
-Hey.
-FEMALE VOICE: Guess what.
-What?
We have a pregnant rhino.
JESS: Oh, my gosh.
I don't even know what to say about that.
I can't. I can't.
(SQUEALS) We're gonna have a baby.
(BIRDS CHATTERING)
NARRATOR:
Back at Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail,
Rachel comes to check up on Grace.
RACHEL: How are you guys doing?
Looking for Miss Kashata and Grace.
Where are they hiding out today?
See how little Grace
is doing this morning.
One of the things that's really cool
about Grace is just to see
how far she's come in just a few months.
One of the things I'm really noticing
these days is her grip.
Initially, she just really
could not grasp anything.
She... she couldn't curl her fingers.
She was very flat-palmed.
And now, she actually curls
those fingers around,
she's able to grasp a piece of food
and bring that to her mouth.
One of the things we initially saw was,
Kashata kept Grace really close to her,
and we think part of that was
Kashata's mothering style.
She's very protective.
But also, because Grace was pretty weak.
Now, Grace is becoming more independent.
She's starting to explore on her own,
she's foraging,
and to see Kashata allow her
to do these things
lets us know
that even Kashata is seeing a difference
in Grace's strength and her progression.
She just grabbed onto Mom's back
and pulled herself up.
That's a big milestone for her.
When I see that, I get super excited
because I know all the work
that we're doing is making a difference
and we're seeing the improvement.
We couldn't have done it without
all of the people
who've helped us.
Just really a big team effort.
(MUNCHES)
Gino, are we not talking about you enough?
Are you not getting enough attention?
Are we not entertained? Gino.
-(BEATS CHEST)
-(RACHEL LAUGHS)