Private Tour Of UK Zoo Bringing Animals Back From Extinction

[00:00:00]Zoos often get a bad reputation around the world as being places that just imprison animals. However, there are plenty zoos out there that are doing great things for animals and in some cases are rescuing species or even bringing them back from the brink. So, today you join me behind the scenes at one of the UK's premier sites and top organizations. You'll hear the stories of how certain animals who were extinct in the wild were able to come back.

[00:00:20]You'll see and hear about one of the rarest birds on the entire planet and I'll get hands-on to directly have an impact in bringing an extinct in the wild fish back. It's all happening here.

[00:00:29]This is Whipsnade Zoo and here's how they're bringing animals back from extinction.

[00:00:37]The Zoological Society of London, known as the ZSL, has a rich history of animal keeping and has featured a wide variety of species in its 200-year history. An animal in particular from the past would include the thylacine. Unfortunately, this enigmatic animal is now extinct and has been for just under 90 years.

[00:00:52]However, at the time of it being kept by the ZSL, it was classed as endangered, but no breeding program was in place.

[00:00:57]This could have potentially saved the thylacine, but sadly, it was a time of misunderstanding. Times have evolved since then and education on our natural world is better now, which has given animals like the thylacine a second chance. We're going to start this journey today at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo by hearing about an animal that did get a second chance, Przewalski's horse. So, these guys special, right? Cuz at one point >> Extinct in the wild.

[00:01:18]>> Back in the 1960s, there were none of these left in the wild. Post-war, there was about 35 of them in captivity and that dwindled right down and then they were classed as extinct in the wild in the '60s. Luckily, because they were in captivity, they were able to put them into a breeding program. So, from about 12 individuals, there were a number bred that made a world herd because obviously if you're going to re-release some animals, you need a genetically diverse group and they were sent out as a group as a founding group um from several different zoos and some from um Europe, some from the UK um and they went back out to the Gobi Desert where they're originally from um and they were bred and released out into a protected area um and they're still out there in Mongolia in three protected areas and it's been really successful because they've now been downgraded and they're actually classed as endangered rather than extinct in the wild.

[00:02:08]>> So, Whipsnade's zoo's involvement with Przewalski's horse?

[00:02:11]>> Yes.

[00:02:12]>> How's that been?

[00:02:12]>> Um so, we're part of the European breeding program for them that's run by Prague Zoo. Um we also had animals that are part of those founder herds. So, these guys are part of the European breeding group and at the minute are waiting for a new male. We're hoping to have some babies in the future. So, for example, our young guy Lujan here, the offspring, he will hopefully go and join a herd somewhere else where he'll get to breed with the females in that herd. Um and then we will get a new male in to breed with our females and then it just be up to studbook holder whether they say any females we have need to move to another group to improve the genetic diversity.

[00:02:51]>> Improving the genetic diversity of the captive population is a huge deal which future proofs the entire population of Przewalski's horse. These breeding programs are directly linked to animals returning to the wild and saving the species.

[00:03:02]>> A lot of people don't realize how much conservation work goes on in zoos. Um for us, being able to have insurance populations of animals while we're solving the problems, the human problems out in the wild so for them to be released and also be part of those re-release programs is really important and these are just one of many species that we work with to be able to re-release them in the wild and safeguard them for the future so that everybody can see them and be connected to nature with them.

[00:03:28]>> Some of the public's perception of zoos can be quite negative but they don't realize that without somewhere like Whipsnade, Przewalski's horse would no longer be around. And with that, we move on to see an extinct in the wild species that the ZSL is currently working on to reintroduce. It's worth noting here as well that there are 41 extinct in the wild species and the ZSL works with 21 of those which is pretty incredible.

[00:03:48]>> We are at Whipsnade Aquarium and the area that you're walking into now has got some of the most highly threatened species of freshwater fish on the planet.

[00:03:58]>> Oh my word.

[00:03:58]>> We have over 25 species that range from endangered all the way to extinct in the wild. And we have fish species from Madagascar, Middle East, Greece, Mexico and Turkey. And these are very, very sacred animals and some of them are on the brink of extinction. So we're really, really valuable species that we are caring for at Whipsnade Zoo.

[00:04:24]So this is the Chaco La Palma pupfish and this one is extinct in the wild. So they do not exist anywhere in nature.

[00:04:34]They only exist in zoos and aquariums.

[00:04:37]>> That's mad, isn't it?

[00:04:38]>> in a handful of institutions. So we've actually got the largest population in the world Yeah.

[00:04:45]in this facility.

[00:04:46]>> Do I find that so mad? It always like blows my mind when you see something that that you can't see that anywhere else. Like you can't go to a anywhere, you know, and see it and it's like it's just right here in your care.

[00:04:58]>> Yeah.

[00:04:58]>> And there's a lot there's a lot of responsibility. There's a lot of pressure.

[00:05:02]But there's also an exciting and overwhelming feeling that we are one step closer to getting these back to nature. So it's a real honor and a privilege to have these in our care.

[00:05:14]But now we've got a plan. It's it's it's incredibly exciting. The first step is to get these back into zoos and aquariums in Mexico.

[00:05:22]>> Yeah.

[00:05:23]>> It depends on the resources and the funding that's available, but they could be anything up to 5 years, which is quite a quick turnaround.

[00:05:30]In the general terms of reintroduction.

[00:05:32]>> The reintroduction process is underway.

[00:05:34]These captive populations are being bred to be moved back to their endemic home of Mexico. ZSL actually asked me if I wanted to directly have an impact in this. Obviously I said yes, so I slapped on some gloves to give that a go.

[00:05:45]>> So we're going to collect some eggs now from one of our really important species. So, these are called mops and they're what we put in the tank as an artificial breeding area. We're going to look now for some eggs. We'll go through sort of strand by strand.

[00:05:57]>> I'm What are we kind of What is it? Just a little ball-looking thing?

[00:06:00]>> Yeah, they're tiny. They're see-through.

[00:06:03]>> Oh, no way.

[00:06:03]>> And they're very sticky. So, they are quite hard to spot. Now, I have just spotted one here.

[00:06:07]>> Oh, look at that.

[00:06:08]>> So, here we have an egg.

[00:06:09]>> That's an extinct in the wild animal egg.

[00:06:11]>> Certainly is.

[00:06:13]>> That is so small.

[00:06:14]>> you how to pick it up. Cuz they're very, very fragile.

[00:06:16]>> Are you going to make me do it?

[00:06:18]>> So, I like to put my little fingers together like this and gently roll them forward so that I make sure I'm not going to squish it.

[00:06:25]>> Just like that.

[00:06:25]>> Oh my god. Okay.

[00:06:26]>> see they're sticky.

[00:06:27]>> Yeah.

[00:06:28]>> So, don't worry about dropping one on the floor.

[00:06:29]>> Freaks me out though.

[00:06:30]>> And this is our pot that we keep them in. This is full of um tank water and methylene blue, which is like an antifungal and antibacterial treatment.

[00:06:38]>> Yeah.

[00:06:38]>> I'm just going to drop that in and you can see it's just gone right to the bottom.

[00:06:41]>> Yeah.

[00:06:41]>> And then it'll stay there until it hatches.

[00:06:42]>> Okay. Yeah, I can see one.

[00:06:44]Um So, Oh my god, I did it.

[00:06:51]>> Hey, look at that.

[00:06:53]>> This is a really mad thing like to have something like this in my on my thumb in my hand and like it could be going back to Mexico.

[00:07:02]>> Yeah.

[00:07:03]It's so It's such exciting >> Yeah.

[00:07:06]>> sort of work that we >> That's crazy. Okay, so when when I put this in here, >> Yeah.

[00:07:10]>> what what's the process from here then?

[00:07:11]So, once you get that drops down to the bottom, >> Yeah.

[00:07:13]>> what do you do with that?

[00:07:14]>> So, we're going to stick this back in our fry tank, our rearing tank where we keep the fish fry, which are the babies.

[00:07:19]>> Yeah.

[00:07:19]>> Um and we're going to wait for it to hatch and that could take, depending on when it was laid on this mop, it could take anything from a few days to maybe even a couple of weeks.

[00:07:28]Um and we'll just keep an eye on it, make sure that it's still looking healthy.

[00:07:31]>> Yeah.

[00:07:32]>> Um and then one day we'll come in in the morning, we'll look in there and there's going to be a tiny, tiny little fry swimming around in the bottom.

[00:07:37]>> We head into another room to check out this start-to-finish process actually in action.

[00:07:41]>> In here, we've various fry tanks with various different sizes of fish fry, which is the babies.

[00:07:46]>> Yeah.

[00:07:46]>> Uh in here, um this is where we're keeping some of our really tiny newly hatched fry.

[00:07:51]>> Right, okay.

[00:07:52]>> Um and yeah, they're so small that to collect them, we literally have to just suck them up in in a little pipette. So, we'll test my skills now.

[00:07:58]>> Yeah, go on. Go on. Go on. Good luck.

[00:08:04]>> Here we go.

[00:08:05]>> get it? First go.

[00:08:06]>> Oh, yeah. I've got three.

[00:08:08]>> are a professional.

[00:08:08]>> So, it's just starting now.

[00:08:09]>> Gosh, you can't like you can barely see that. That is crazy.

[00:08:13]>> Yeah, they're so tiny when they come out. It's insane.

[00:08:17]>> So, from this stage here, what do they go to next?

[00:08:19]>> So, from their tiny tiny fry stage, they will get a little bit bigger. We've got some slightly bigger ones in here.

[00:08:25]>> see. Yeah.

[00:08:25]>> Um and as they grow, we're just going to keep sizing them up. Um and we'll size up the type of food that they can eat as well. On to little tiny bits of fish flake, uh like you feed at home, and some sort of frozen marine invertebrates as well that we buy in.

[00:08:38]>> So, this is this is one whole progression right here.

[00:08:40]>> Yeah, basically.

[00:08:41]>> That's mad.

[00:08:42]>> Um these guys have mops in themselves because they're getting to the stage where they might then become sort of ready to have their own eggs.

[00:08:48]>> Unreal. What a cool thing to see just happen >> [snorts] >> as a process here.

[00:08:52]>> Yeah, it's it's really awesome to like help them through.

[00:08:55]>> Yeah, you must be so proud right?

[00:08:57]>> Yeah, definitely.

[00:08:58]>> It's crazy being here right now and this close to something that you cannot see anywhere in the wild. Like it's crazy and to think that I've just held one of their eggs and that's going to go back into the conservation of these animals is mad and it's such a privilege to be here to do this and it I think just goes to show you the great work that's happening at Whipsnade and with ZSL and it's 200 year. Unreal. Such a cool thing to see. Now, a quick word about the sponsor of this video, Pulsar Wildlife.

[00:09:31]Pulsar Wildlife create game-changing thermal monoculars and binoculars to level up your wildlife spotting experience. There's a whole heap of uses for them like bird and bat surveys, even in zoos like this, or if you're like me, you just want to find unreal animals.

[00:09:43]They've helped me find some of the world's rarest animals, and I've had countless amazing wildlife encounters both in the UK and abroad. I've used them frequently in my videos and will continue to do so going forward because they're absolutely amazing, game-changing things. If you'd like to learn more, check out the link in the description, but now let's get back to the zoo. So, with two animals down now, one formerly extinct in the wild and one currently extinct in the wild, Whipsnade being involved with both of their stories. But let's head outside now to hear of another success story Whipsnade has been involved in, the scimitar-horned oryx.

[00:10:13]>> They're wicked looking, aren't they?

[00:10:13]>> Yeah, and they are. I mean, these guys will take on big predators like cheetahs and >> Well, I can imagine with those horns, right?

[00:10:20]>> Yeah.

[00:10:21]>> Get one of them in you and it's not a good day.

[00:10:23]>> would. They They They could They could kill you, but they have no real real reason to want to and and they sort of like they are now, they sort of move off.

[00:10:30]>> So, the scimitar-horned oryx here were declared extinct in the wild in the year 2000. There were a large number of them in captivity across the world like here at Whipsnade Zoo. An initiative was set up to reintroduce them back into their native range in Chad, of which the ZSL helped. And in 2016, that came to light and the first animals, a group of 21, were released. 10 years on and it's thought now that the wild population is over 600 strong, showcasing an an amazing recovery.

[00:10:54]>> So, you went to Chad?

[00:10:55]>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:10:56]>> With these?

[00:10:57]>> Uh I went to help um actually radio collar them. So, we we handle these here for for jabs and things. Um we've got sort of catch them and they got something similar out there and they needed They just needed a few pairs of hands to help um do that. Um so, I went out and helped them.

[00:11:11]>> And then that was part of Whipsnade or was >> Yeah, that was yeah, Whipsnade. So, ZSL That was sort of our involvement. ZSL also we got um a massive part that ZSL play, scientist Tim Wacher, he's really good and he does a lot of the surveying of the antelopes themselves. So, the oryx, the dama gazelle, and the addax. But he also does the whole ecosystem, so the plants, the birds. You've got a lot of micro-chipped birds there, um everything and he'll be monitoring this of like basically their patterns of life.

[00:11:38]>> You you worked on this species in a zoo that was extinct in the wild and then you got to work on it >> Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:44]>> back in the wild.

[00:11:45]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:45]>> That's sick.

[00:11:46]>> Yeah, it's it's very rewarding, yeah.

[00:11:48]It's good, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:49]It's really good. It's sort of what you're supposed It's what you feel like we're here to be doing, you know what I mean? It's sort of the ultimate goal, so >> But I mean, it's this a direct reflection of it, right? Such a cool thing to do. Like I don't think a lot of people would realize zoos especially, but here at Whipsnade all of the projects you've got going on, like you you guys are directly a part of it.

[00:12:09]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:12:09]>> Like um I think that's so cool. Like that you got to go out to Chad specifically on these guys.

[00:12:15]>> Yeah, yeah. No, I'm very lucky too as well, like and it's thanks to well sort of being taught the skills to be able to do it here, do you know what I mean? And um So, yeah. No, it's it's it's really good.

[00:12:26]>> It's nice to see quite literally how zoos like Whipsnade are directly helping in the fight back against extinction for certain animals. And there's one more that I need to show you that ZSL are working on to bring back to the wild.

[00:12:37]This one is one of the rarest animals on the entire planet.

[00:12:40]>> This is one of 209 and nine >> Yep.

[00:12:44]>> alive today.

[00:12:45]>> Definitely, yeah.

[00:12:46]>> And extinct in the wild.

[00:12:47]>> Extinct in the wild since the 1970s. So, they're only in human care at the moment.

[00:12:51]>> That's mad, isn't it? Like to think like something as so innocuous as that is just nowhere to be seen out in the wild, but that here in Whipsnade >> in England.

[00:13:01]>> You've got a few.

[00:13:02]>> You're breeding them as well.

[00:13:03]>> We are indeed. We got a pair first pair of birds at Whipsnade uh about sort of September last year. Since then we've bred about four birds off of those off that pair.

[00:13:13]>> Yeah.

[00:13:13]>> Um which is really good. I've actually got a chick in the nest at the moment, so it's >> Amazing, yeah.

[00:13:18]>> fantastic.

[00:13:19]>> So, what what's the what's the process to get this back into the wild? Is it Is it a short process? Is it a long process? How long are we looking until they are home?

[00:13:27]>> Um it's hard to say exactly how long till they're home, but certainly the plan is for all of our birds that we bred here from our pair to be transferred to North America cuz there are no direct tax exits to Mexico from our country for transporting birds.

[00:13:41]So they're going to go to some of our partners in North America. From there they will probably then be transferred down to a breeding center in Mexico where they'll set up a nucleus population, hopefully breed birds to then naturally be released on Socorro Island.

[00:13:56]>> So at their home on Socorro Island, what why aren't they there now? What's happened? Why did they go extinct in the wild?

[00:14:02]>> Yeah, like like usual things it's the main problem comes from invasive non-indigenous species that get inadvertently released onto the island.

[00:14:11]There's a lot of things like goats, feral sheep and stuff that just decimate sort of the the flora there. Also species like maybe rats and cats again that get inadvertently reintroduced to the island and they're not supposed to be in that ecosystem. Things like these doves that spend a lot of time on the floor, they nest quite close to the floor. They're very susceptible to any of those predators that they're not supposed to be there.

[00:14:35]>> Hopefully there's there's obviously like a plan to sort of eradicate those invasive species to the island and then shift the doves back.

[00:14:42]>> Definitely. For years they've been eradicating the species that shouldn't be there. The island is actually a naval base and they work very closely with the project and they're very keen and see people can only access that island really with sort of military authority. So it's quite good to be able to look after a species like this when it's on a sort of a naval base island.

[00:15:01]>> We're looked after, aren't we?

[00:15:02]>> Yeah, yeah, exactly. [laughter] We took a little venture over to where the active nest aviary was and on the way I saw something of interest to me.

[00:15:09]>> Oh, sick.

[00:15:10]It's turaco, right?

[00:15:11]>> It is a turaco. Yes, Fischer's turaco.

[00:15:14]>> Yeah.

[00:15:15]Am I right in thinking, I don't know if you would know this, one of these is wild in the UK?

[00:15:20]>> Down in London? has been reports of them being wild and there's quite a lot of birds that obviously escapees. Um they've been seen at sort of bird tables and stuff like that in the wild.

[00:15:29]I don't come don't know the exact species that it is, but I have seen that report as well. Things like kookaburras as well.

[00:15:35]>> Yeah, yeah. I've seen some of them.

[00:15:36]In Scotland, yeah, yeah. I found them.

[00:15:39]>> [laughter] >> So this is where the pair of owls sit.

[00:15:43]And they they actually they breed inside this bamboo, so it's really, really hard to see where the nest is.

[00:15:49]>> Oh, there's one.

[00:15:50]>> Oh, >> [laughter] >> there's one of the adults there.

[00:15:52]>> Oh, he's come to say hello.

[00:15:54]No way.

[00:15:55]>> So they obviously stay with the parents.

[00:15:57]The parents do all the rearing. And then once um they finish with that chick, they tend to sort of the male becomes aggressive, drives the chick off. And that's when we remove them, put them into one of our hold nurseries, or mix them with some of our other species.

[00:16:11]>> Again, I think people watching this you might get it, but like it's it's mad. I don't know you get to work with them every day, so it's like it's pigeon. But like um >> And it's only like by you coming in here and really emphasizing how >> [laughter] >> how exciting it is, it made me think, well yeah, we are very lucky to work with a species like this. And a lot of the other species we work with, I think cuz we do it day in, day out, we've become immune to how important that is, I think.

[00:16:33]>> to know them all, don't you?

[00:16:34]>> definitely.

[00:16:35]>> No, that's uh It's It's coming out again. That's really cool, man.

[00:16:39]>> That's the That's the male bird, the bird.

[00:16:44]>> They're better looking than a pigeon.

[00:16:45]>> They are.

[00:16:46]>> [laughter] >> And as I said, he's he's got that lovely purple tinge down the side of his head.

[00:16:50]And when you look at them and you walk past it, oh it's a a brown dove, isn't it?

[00:16:54]But then when you really look at them, they've got a lovely pattern and and a few more colors actually than uh >> Gorgeous. And on that note, that's where we're going to leave this little behind-the-scenes trip at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. It's been class to hear about their conservation success stories, and there's plenty more to come. Whipsnade is a fantastic place, and the ZSL is celebrating its 200th year, so make sure you take a trip to see all of these cool things. Your ticket goes directly to supporting these animals, and in some cases, that actively helps bring them back from extinction. Anyway, thanks for watching. I've been Cookie. I'll see you in the next one. Take care.