Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
NICKY PLASKITT: Are you coming! It’s terrifying.
You coming?
NICKY PLASKITT: No, too scary. It’s gonna take a while.
COMM: Not long ago, we met the family who
rescued the worst zoo in the UK and turned its fortunes around. Since then, the park
has grown from strength to strength, and today sees the long awaited opening of a new enclosure.
AARON WHITNALL: I’d like to welcome you
to Paradise Wildlife Park, where this morning, we’re going to be introducing our African
Penguin colony into their new enclosure. I’d like to introduce you to Nicky Plaskitt, who
is our Head of Birds and Animal Training here at Paradise. Nicky, how are you feeling ahead
of the penguins being reintroduced or introduced to their new enclosure.
NICKY PLASKITT: It’s an interesting mixture right now of terrified and really excited.
So, I’m nervous because, I don’t know how they are going to take the new enclosure,
but obviously really excited to see them in their new home. Obviously, the penguins haven’t
seen this area since we started the work on it and so, they might be a little bit nervous
to come out and it might take us a little while to get them comfortable out here, but
hopefully once they are out, they’re going to love it. Hey, guys! How are you doing?
Come in out, come on.
COMM: But these penguins are a little more
cautious than expected.
NICKY PLASKITT: It’s terrifying. Are you coming?
NICKY PLASKITT: Come on, trouble!
They will take it in turns to come forward, then one of them runs away and the next one comes forward.
NICKY PLASKITT: Come on then.
NICKY PLASKITT: We have penguins.
NICKY PLASKITT: You coming?
NICKY PLASKITT: Catch it! No, too scary.
NICKY PLASKITT: Good job we laid out 3 hours for this, isn't it?
NICKY PLASKITT: As you can see they’re getting
braver every time they come out, we get a few more birds slightly further out,
but yeah, it’s going to take a while.
COMM: Since the family took over the struggling
zoo, they have also opened up a separate site dedicated to the care and preservation of big cats.
AARON WHITNALL: We’re now just outside an
enclosure that is home to some of the cheekiest little cats that we have here at WHF. They
would happen to be our servals. What are we going to be doing whilst we’re in with our
servals. RICKY REINO: So we’re going to attempt to
try and get some jumps out of Jua. She is very very athletic, so we’ll see how hard
she wants to jump this morning. I know that, at the moment, these guys haven’t been fed
since yesterday, so they’re going to be pretty hungry. And today they got chicks,
tomorrow they might have quails, they might have rats, variety is the spice of life, as I say.
AARON WHITNALL: So, just to give you a little
bit background on servals. They’ve got rather unique build, especially in their legs and
this is because they don’t actually chase their prey. These guys are famous for leaping,
they can actually almost leap distances of around three meters straight up into the air,
and they’re famous for actually catching birds clean out the sky in the wild.
AARON WHITNALL: And there you can see just how amazing that leap is.
AARON WHITNALL: Come on, Los Pingüinos!
COMM: After attempting to lure out the penguins
into their new enclosure, the team finally call it a day.
NICKY PLASKITT: So, obviously we’ve been
up here for a little while now and as you can see, the enclosure is still without any
penguins in it. They have been getting braver, they are coming a little bit further out every
time they come out and spending more time out here. But, it’s probably going to take
them a few days maybe, until they’re completely comfortable in here. Hopefully, no longer
than that.
COMM: And sure enough, a few days later, the
penguins had fully embraced all that their new home had to offer.