World's Most Venomous Snake Starts Biting Itself | Bondi Vet

[00:00:03]Over the years, I've seen plenty of animals that have been unlucky enough to be bitten by snakes, but I've never seen a snake bite victim that's been the snake itself. So, right now, I'm on my way to the Australian Reptile Park to see if I can help it.

[00:00:17][music] Reptile [music] Park General Manager Tim Forner and his feisty patient are waiting for Chris in the venom room.

[00:00:30]>> You know this is my favorite room of all, don't you?

[00:00:32]>> Hello, mate.

[00:00:33]>> How are you?

[00:00:33]>> Good. How are you?

[00:00:34]>> It's good to see you.

[00:00:34]>> You know, Billy, don't.

[00:00:35]>> Hey, Billy. How are you?

[00:00:37]>> Good, mate. Now, where is the snake and what is he thinking?

[00:00:41]>> Well, we don't know what he was thinking at the time. What species do you think he is?

[00:00:45]>> He's not a king brown, is he?

[00:00:46]>> You got it. The biggest of the big and the meanest of the mean. And he's bitten [music] himself.

[00:00:51]>> Really?

[00:00:52]>> Yeah. In a food rage. Just being fed.

[00:00:54]Went to grab the rat, missed it, turned, boom, latched onto himself and chewed and chewed.

[00:00:59]>> Wow. Yeah. His name Hank the tank. Hank the tank. The names the guys give the animals here often have a meaning behind them. And when they call this snake Hank the tank, you know that he's going to be a big boy. Here he is.

[00:01:18]It's an honest [music] 3 m King Brown.

[00:01:22]>> I think it's important here to have a clear delineation of roles. I mean, you've called me in as the vet, not as the snake handler.

[00:01:29]>> Yeah.

[00:01:29]>> So, it's time we pull back and you're in, sir.

[00:01:34]>> Someone else step up.

[00:01:35]>> Working with anyone in this room, it's deadly. These are the world's most venomous snakes. One slip can be fatal.

[00:01:43]>> So, we've actually got to get back.

[00:01:44]>> Back here. Back here.

[00:01:45]>> Right back.

[00:01:55]Everything's going to be all right after this. We're going to get you better.

[00:02:00]Good girl. Good girl, May.

[00:02:02]>> At the Bondi Referral Hospital Sash, Denise from the rescue group Paws is waiting, desperate for help for little stray dog Maymay.

[00:02:11]>> Maymay [music] was found in horrendous condition wandering the streets. She was handed over to [music] me from the pound because they noticed that her back legs are particularly bad and she can't get around very well. Good girl.

[00:02:26]>> Hi Denise.

[00:02:27]>> Hi Andrew. How you going?

[00:02:28]>> Good. Good. How are you?

[00:02:29]>> How you doing?

[00:02:29]>> I'm all right. Who's this?

[00:02:31]>> This is Maymay.

[00:02:32]>> Hi Mayay. How are you sweet pee? You're a bit nervous ain't you? Hey. Come on.

[00:02:37]We'll go and see what we can see.

[00:02:39]>> Come on. Let's go. Show Andrew [music] those legs. I might get you just why don't you walk ahead of me a little bit and you can >> I'll have a look at her on the way down.

[00:02:48]>> Keep going, sweet pea.

[00:02:50]>> Wow. Looking at Maymate, she's walking like I don't know a crab [music] or a spider. She just really can't straighten out her back legs properly at all. These legs are interesting, aren't they?

[00:02:59]>> Hey, sweetie. What's going on? You're okay.

[00:03:04]>> I'm a bit worried about where her kneecaps [music] are sitting. I.e. they're not sitting anywhere near where they should be.

[00:03:09]>> I didn't think they were. No, it should be here.

[00:03:12]>> Oh my goodness.

[00:03:14]>> So, it's, you know, about 90° from where it should be. If you look at her whole leg as a circle, this left one's about the same.

[00:03:21]>> I knew just by looking at her walk that there was something serious going on.

[00:03:27]The poor little dog. Can you imagine the pain? Terrible. Would she have been born with that? [music] >> Yes, it would have been not as bad. It's just got worse and worse and worse and worse. But there's a genetic component to these things for sure. It's not like a trauma or anything like that. Poor little Mayo. The least we can do is try and get these legs sorted out because [music] she'll never really be able to do very much with them the way they are.

[00:03:51]Good girl. Oh, dear me.

[00:04:04]>> Back. Back here. Back here.

[00:04:06]>> Right back. King [music] is notorious for just throwing sideways.

[00:04:10]>> At the Australian Reptile Park, Tim has called in Chris to treat one of their deadliest residents, Hank the Tank.

[00:04:18]>> He's a big boy, is he?

[00:04:19]>> Through that door, mate.

[00:04:20]>> Yeah.

[00:04:20]>> Through that door.

[00:04:22]>> Hank just keeps on coming. He's a lot bigger than I thought.

[00:04:28]>> So, he's reaching out for you, isn't he?

[00:04:30]>> Oh, now he [music] is. He doesn't look happy.

[00:04:32]>> No. Well, he's he's not.

[00:04:34]>> The huge and aggressive King Brown bit his own tail in a feeding frenzy 3 weeks ago, and he needs to be restrained so Chris can examine the deteriorating wound.

[00:04:45]>> Game plan is Bill's going to pin.

[00:04:47]>> Yep.

[00:04:47]>> We'll go one, two on the body. Y >> just don't go too close cuz he'll whip around this way quick as lightning.

[00:04:54]>> Chris. Yep.

[00:04:57]>> Okay. And when he gets it, he'll call us on.

[00:05:00]>> Okay. On, mate. on that tail. That's it.

[00:05:03]Just wait for him. Got him.

[00:05:05]>> Yep.

[00:05:06]>> Okay. Well done, mate. Well done, Billy.

[00:05:10]>> Holding on to the back of the head there. It's It's intense. Like, they're so strong. He's constantly fighting and, you know, I got to try and fight resistance there and and just keep that firm grip.

[00:05:19]>> Wow.

[00:05:20]>> Ever seen that before?

[00:05:21]>> No. Look at that. I mean, you can see where his teeth are going in.

[00:05:24]>> Exactly. This would be fang one, fang two.

[00:05:27]>> This is the first time I've actually seen it up close. And it's horrible.

[00:05:32]It's black and it looks like dirty just rotten flesh. It's not nice. This is a few weeks old. So, it didn't progress until after a week and and now we've got this. Is that as bad as it it's going to get?

[00:05:42]>> Well, I'll be a bit worried that unless we can do something today that tissue death is going to continue. King Brown venom has two main ingredients. One is a neurotoxin. The whole idea behind that is to try to really paralyze the prey and stop you from breathing. The second part is a cytotoxin. kills cells. What we're seeing here is the second part in action. All the tissue has died off.

[00:06:06]That's actually his backbone there.

[00:06:07]>> That's his spine.

[00:06:08]>> Yeah.

[00:06:08]>> So, we're really at risk of losing that tail.

[00:06:11]>> Yeah. You can see what what's happened, though. The venom's gone in and eaten away the muscle either side of the bone.

[00:06:18]And that's why we're getting this really hollowing effect either side of his spine here.

[00:06:22]>> How's your hand, mate?

[00:06:23]>> My hand is cramping big time.

[00:06:25]>> Okay. My main worry is that Bill's fingers go to sleep. The snake jerks like he has been and he pops out of his hand.

[00:06:32]>> Are you guys right if I start on this?

[00:06:34]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How long have you got on that hand?

[00:06:36]>> Let's We've got as long as we need, but let's hurry.

[00:06:40]>> But as Chris begins treatment, Hank is not impressed.

[00:06:43]>> Is that him twitching?

[00:06:45]>> Twitching.

[00:06:46]>> Okay. Key's just give big body lunges.

[00:06:49]That's [music] why there's three of us on him.

[00:06:51]>> And again.

[00:06:53]Oh, >> look at that piece of meat.

[00:06:55]>> Yeah.

[00:06:56]>> That's what it's eating away.

[00:06:57]>> Yeah.

[00:06:58]So, it's eaten away everything apart from the bones. The whole idea of my treatment today is to prevent this from getting any [music] worse. I'm using a swab that's soaked in an antiseptic to really rub off the dead tissue. If I can do that, then hopefully I'll expose the healthy tissue underneath. Okay. So, that's cleaned up. [music] >> You think you still got enough blood flow now that the end of that tail might be all right? I >> think so. I mean, you look at the main blood supply down here is is actually inside that spinal column there. So, it's still intact. And this still feels >> you might have got it just in time. You know, we got good movement through the tip of the tail.

[00:07:29]>> So, thankfully, I don't think it's eaten away too much there.

[00:07:32]>> All right. I'm just going to put some antiseptic on this.

[00:07:34]>> How are your hands? Get a syringe.

[00:07:38]>> You let go.

[00:07:40]>> Just hurry up.

[00:07:41]>> Hurry up, mate. He's got to let go. It's been a long time.

[00:07:44]>> Give me 20 seconds, Bill.

[00:07:46]>> Yeah.

[00:07:47]>> You got that in you?

[00:07:48]>> You just sing out if you need to let him go, mate.

[00:07:52]To prevent the bugs that are already in Hank's system from taking hold, it's crucial I give him a shot of antibiotics right now.

[00:07:59]Oh, he doesn't like that. One little bit. Have to massage this in cuz it will sting a bit.

[00:08:06]>> You right. Oh, Chris, just watch out there. We might have to let go. You good, Bill?

[00:08:12]>> Yeah.

[00:08:22]Hello, baby. She's very good. You're a bit nervous, but for a stray, you're all right.

[00:08:28]>> At sash, Andrew is examining little rescue dog Maymay and her deformed back legs.

[00:08:33]>> Hey, Mayay, you worth it?

[00:08:36]>> My word.

[00:08:36]>> Yes, you are.

[00:08:38]>> Absolutely worth it.

[00:08:38]>> You got Denise wrapped around your finger already.

[00:08:41]>> Major knee problems mean the poor three-year-old stray struggles to walk.

[00:08:46]She's got what we call medial patella luxation. So basically her kneecaps [music] are sitting all the way in here.

[00:08:53]>> Mhm.

[00:08:54]>> Rather than in the groove they're meant to sit in. And there are four grades and she's >> she's number four.

[00:09:00]>> Number four both sides. What we need to do to [music] get her the best quality of life and and the longest life um is to get those kneecaps back in the right spot. That [music] sounds really simple, but it's actually going to be a really complex surgery. I think her life will be shortened without it. She'll end up, you know, essentially crippled [music] because she won't be able to walk around.

[00:09:20]>> And I think by fixing her legs, it'll also give her a bit more confidence.

[00:09:26]>> The next step for Andrew is to take X-rays so he can establish how complex Maymay's surgery will be.

[00:09:32]>> You've got to do a lot with any sort of kneecap surgery, but one like this, um, it's sort of on steroids how much we've got to do. All right, come on through and we'll get her into a bit.

[00:09:42]>> Okay. Maymay is pretty young and and we could leave them as they are, but it's really going to shorten her life. You [music] know, very soon she's going to get really sore and arthritic and we'll get to a point where she can't use her legs at all.

[00:09:55]>> Bye-bye, Maymay. Bye-bye. Everything will be okay. They'll look after you.

[00:10:01]Yeah.

[00:10:02]>> It's really important [music] for Maymay to have this surgery. That way, we know that we can rehome her and [music] she's fine. She won't be in pain. Everything will be good and she can have a good life.

[00:10:14]>> All right, sweetheart. I'm going to shut this door on you.

[00:10:16]>> Hi, May.

[00:10:17]>> Good girl.

[00:10:19]>> There you go.

[00:10:22]>> Well, Chris, just watch out there. We might have to let go. You good, Bill?

[00:10:27]>> Yeah.

[00:10:27]>> At the Australian Reptile Park, Hank the Tank isn't appreciating Chris's bedside manner.

[00:10:33]>> Okay. You all right?

[00:10:34]>> I'm happy.

[00:10:35]>> Well done, mate. Okay. The King Brown is being treated for a nasty self-inflicted bite.

[00:10:41]>> Hope now is we've got rid of that dead tissue and the healthy stuff should actually start to to grow through.

[00:10:46]>> Okay. All right. Let's get him away out of his hand. Before we do, while he's out, it's this week anyway. Let's milk him.

[00:10:51]>> Yeah.

[00:10:52]>> Yep. Can you hold him for a sec, please?

[00:10:53]We've got 250 venomous snakes in this venom unit. We don't want to get them out more times than we have to. Hank the tank is out and restrained. We're going to extract his venom while we've got the opportunity.

[00:11:05]>> Would you like to do the honors? Yeah, sure.

[00:11:07]>> Okay, take that. Uh, present it to his mouth there.

[00:11:13]>> Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[00:11:16]>> Okay. Yep. Watch your fingers, mate.

[00:11:18]Right in.

[00:11:20]Boom. Hank launches into the glass. Wow.

[00:11:23]Look at that venom. And seemingly is taking out all his frustration over what I've just done onto the glass. Good way to do it.

[00:11:33]>> That's 20 mil.

[00:11:34]>> Look at that. Nothing wrong with this end.

[00:11:38]>> That just dripping out of his fangs there.

[00:11:41]>> So, do I just let go now?

[00:11:43]>> Not like any other snake you've seen. He won't let go of that. So, we actually have to let him and the vial go in his enclosure and then get it back. So, we walk in there with it.

[00:11:52]>> Okay.

[00:11:52]>> Told you, mate. When they bite on, they don't let go.

[00:11:55]>> Hank does not want to let go of the glass. So, the way we do it is to get all of Hank into his enclosure, put the glass and Hank's head there, and then on three, let go.

[00:12:10]How's that? Doesn't do anything slowly, does he? Everything's Have a look at it.

[00:12:14][music] Fast. Everything's aggressive.

[00:12:17]>> What about that? Just a lethal [music] cocktail.

[00:12:20]>> Nasty. You know, whatever these guys lack in toxicity, they make up for in sheer volume. And there's proof.

[00:12:27]>> This is one situation where you hope that you've done the right job the first time because you do not want to have to come back for a [music] second appointment. Hank could be waiting.

[00:12:39][music] Right. Where's May? Ah, here you go little one. Hi. Hi.

[00:12:55]Come on.

[00:12:58]You want to jump out of there? I don't think that'll do you any good.

[00:13:01]>> At sash, Andrew is about to take x-rays of Mayay's hind legs to establish just how severely her kneecaps are deformed.

[00:13:09]>> Good girl. You all right? That's a very big cat for a little dog. Come on.

[00:13:15]>> The three-year-old rescue [music] pup can barely walk and needs major surgery.

[00:13:22]>> There you are. Mayay's kneecaps in both of the legs are dislocated. And that's not even like dislocating as in I can get them back in. They just will not go back to where they should be. No. Okay.

[00:13:35]It's all right. She says, "What's this?

[00:13:38]I feel very strange."

[00:13:40]And she >> Maymay needs to be anthetized for the X-rays, [music] which will also give Andrew the chance to further examine the position of her kneecaps. Even now when [music] she's asleep, I can't get the kneecap into the right spot. I can get it close and I'm I'm sort of happy about that, but I can't get it in the right spot. What the X-rays are going to tell me is how bad her deformity is. And then from that, I'll know what sort of surgery I've got to do, whether I've got to cut her thigh bone, whether I've got to cut her shin bone, or both. But I need that information before I can start. All right, let's see how we go with that one.

[00:14:26]All right, we'll just get us a couple of different views.

[00:14:32]So, that's the kneecap there, and it should be sitting here. So, it's a long way away.

[00:14:39]I guess the first thing that I'm looking at, thankfully, is that her femur or thigh bone is not really curved. If that was the case, we were going to have to do really major bone surgery to get this sorted out. But I think we've avoided that fate for it. It also does mean I might be able to do both of these knees at the one time. And whilst that sounds like that's a really big job, it'll actually probably be better for her because she can sort of get it all fixed under the one procedure. And I think for May, that would be great.

[00:15:15]>> Good girl.

[00:15:23]>> [music] >> As a vet, I've got to say trimming animals toenails is normally one of the easiest procedures you can do. But from all reports, the animals I'm about to see are making it nearly impossible for anyone that dares to try. But hopefully today I can change all of that.

[00:15:44]Chris is now in Wound Gara on the New South Wales central coast to meet up with a couple [music] who are desperate for his help.

[00:15:53]>> Hello. [music] How you going?

[00:15:55]>> Good, thanks. How are you?

[00:15:56]>> Very well. I'm Chris.

[00:15:57]>> I'm an >> Hi, An.

[00:15:58]>> I'm Katrina.

[00:15:59]>> Hey, Katrina.

[00:16:00]>> And this is George and Bra.

[00:16:02]>> Now, they look like it, but they're not the pigs I was here for.

[00:16:04]>> No, they sound like it, too. [laughter] >> Yeah.

[00:16:07]>> Hello, guys.

[00:16:09]Now, where are my patients?

[00:16:12]>> In their bedroom. This is their [music] bedroom.

[00:16:15]>> Chris's patients are mini pigs, Opie and Mammy, who weigh in at a massive 300 kilos each.

[00:16:22]>> Wow. They're the biggest pigs [music] I've ever seen.

[00:16:25]>> They're pretty big.

[00:16:27]>> They're our babies.

[00:16:28]>> Yeah.

[00:16:29]>> As my eyes adjust [music] to the darkness in this bedroom, I can't really believe what I'm seeing. They are extraordinary. They started off quite small and then we were told, you know, sort of don't feed her [music] um as much and then we stopped feeding her as much and then we were told, well, you can't really not feed them cuz they're pigs and they're not supposed to be small. And this is the result.

[00:16:50]>> But it's not just the pig's waistlines that have been growing.

[00:16:54]>> Yep. Hi.

[00:16:55]>> There he goes.

[00:16:57]>> See, his toenails are quite long.

[00:16:59]>> Yeah, they are.

[00:17:00]>> Yeah.

[00:17:01]>> Okay. And that's the first good chance I've had to look at those feet. and they're they're dramatic.

[00:17:07]>> An and Katrina are now seriously worried about the health impact the overgrown nails are having.

[00:17:13]>> With their toenails being so long, they don't seem to stay up as long as what they normally would. They [music] get up to feed and other than that, they just sleep because they just can't walk on their feet any longer.

[00:17:24]>> The hooves clearly need to be trimmed, but cutting these massive pigs nails isn't as easy as it sounds.

[00:17:31]>> So, am I right? [music] The people have attempted this before. Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Um we've had um a [music] frier come.

[00:17:38]>> We had our vets come to sedate them and that didn't work.

[00:17:41]>> We also attempted ourselves.

[00:17:43]>> Yeah. To no avail. So we're just here our last um last [music] port of call. I guess help us.

[00:17:49]>> Yeah.

[00:17:50]>> You got to remember that not every pig needs their nails trimmed. Normally if they're active and they're on hard enough surfaces, they'll wear down their own nails just by walking. The challenge for these pigs, Mommy and Opie, is the fact that they're so big, they very rarely walk. Plus, the ground's soft, so they're never actually wearing the nails down.

[00:18:08]>> It's horrible for us to sort of see him not not themselves. We're like, it's his quality of life. We sort of want him to have the best life. And, [music] you know, his feet, they're terrible. And it's not like we're we're at our wit's end. We're just like, honestly, we love them so bad. I can see that >> they're our babies.

[00:18:28]We've tried everyone else and everything [music] else. We don't know what our next step is.

[00:18:32]>> They're a heavy animal [music] and if their feet aren't healthy and and able to sort of walk properly on them, you know, we'd probably have to maybe look at another option for him, which, you know, we don't like to think about it.

[00:18:44]They're [music] family to us.

[00:18:45]>> They're our children.

[00:18:46]>> They're like our babies. So, Dr. Chris Brown is our last hope.

[00:18:53]>> So, [music] I do have a plan. Why don't you go and grab the stone fruit? Yep.

[00:18:57]>> I'll get some drugs together.

[00:18:59]>> Okay.

[00:19:00]>> And we'll put this plan into action.

[00:19:01]>> Let's do it.

[00:19:02]>> Okay.

[00:19:04]>> My plan centers around using fruit, which apparently is what they really enjoy eating, and putting some seditive [music] tablets inside there.

[00:19:12]>> Will they smell the tablets in the hand?

[00:19:14]>> It's possible, but I'm hoping their desire for food >> will override that. [music] Okay.

[00:19:20]>> They would never have smelt those tablets before.

[00:19:22]>> So, for them, it's a new experience.

[00:19:24]They're not going to be suspicious of that. Okay, great.

[00:19:27]>> Okay, provided they don't cotton onto my plan, they should eat it and then become more relaxed. Once they're more relaxed, I can hit them with something a little bit stronger. From there, I should be okay to trim their nails.

[00:19:39]>> OP.

[00:19:42]>> I'm optimistic right now. Pigs have a weakness and I'm praying upon it.

[00:19:46]>> It's okay.

[00:19:47]>> I already smell a rat. I can just tell.

[00:19:51]>> Come on, buddy. While Opie isn't taking the bait, it's a completely different story with Mammy. Good >> girl. Come on.

[00:20:00]>> He's not going to take it.

[00:20:02]>> He knows. He must know. He opened his mouth. [music] He's like, I went to shove it in. He quickly closed it.

[00:20:09]>> Obviously, it's not going entirely to plan. But in a way, it is. This is what you expect with pigs. They they never really follow a script. You have to be patient. You have to outlast them and ultimately outwit them. After more than 20 minutes, Opie is still showing no interest in the fruit. Opie >> and the situation is becoming desperate.

[00:20:31]>> Here, here. Here. Stop there. Stop there. Stop there. Yeah. Come on. I'm very well aware of the fact that the stakes right now are extremely high. To have a pig that's 300 kilos in weight, the forces going through each leg and through each hoof, they're enormous. If those hooves are overgrown, then simply they can't walk. And a pig that can't walk can't survive. Today could very well be their last chance.

[00:21:04][music] >> Good girl.

[00:21:11]>> At SASH, Dr. Andrew Machevy is about to begin surgery to fix little Maymay's badly deformed kneecaps. So, we're going to do a surgery that's going to get those kneecaps running in the right spot. That sounds really simple, but it's actually really involved. There's We're going to have to move bits of bone around. We're going to have to sort of tighten up soft tissues. It's a big surgery, and we're going to do it on both both legs.

[00:21:36]Right.

[00:21:38]May's big moment.

[00:21:43]All right. We good up there? Yeah.

[00:21:45]>> Yeah. Okay. Let's go.

[00:21:49]The three-year-old stray was found in horrendous condition and struggling to walk. So, it's hoped this procedure will give Maymay a new lease on life. So, we can see this is the groove and where the kneecap should be sitting, but it's actually sitting, you know, good 45° around. So, we're going to have to cut that off and move it so it's right in line. Again, that's really the key to the success of this surgery.

[00:22:19]All right.

[00:22:22]So, now what I'm going to do is we're just going to cut a wedge of bone out of this groove. And then we'll cut out a little bit more bone. And that'll just get that wedge to sit down a little bit further and actually create a groove with some edges on it that'll help trap the kneecap in the right spot. Right over. Now Andrew needs to reposition the supporting bone and tissue that will help keep the kneecap in place.

[00:22:47]>> The tissues on the inside of this leg are just so tight. Even once I move this bone around, it won't go anywhere. So I've got to loosen everything up on this inside part of the the knee.

[00:23:02]Yay. That's the closest her kneecap's [music] been to the right spot in 3 years. Let's get this bit of bone moved around and see what we [music] can do then.

[00:23:12]This surgery really is delicate, but you actually have to be quite brutal cuz using a basically a chisel and a hammer to cut bits of bone off and then [music] whack it back into place.

[00:23:24]Okay.

[00:23:37]All right. So, what we've done is we've cut this bit of bone off, moved it uh about 8 mm, and then to reattach it, I put a couple of pins through that bone back um into the bed of bone that we've left behind. So, we're actually up to a point where we'll start doing some tacking sutures. And that's the final part of keeping it the right spot.

[00:24:03]Right. Well, that's the right leg done.

[00:24:08]Start on the left one now.

[00:24:20][music] >> Come on. Take it. Come on.

[00:24:23]>> So suspicious, isn't he?

[00:24:25]>> It's okay. Oh, stop there. In Wound Gara, Chris is trying to help desperate owners an and Katrina feed their much-loved pig opi a sedative laced stone fruit. Can't [music] even open his mouth.

[00:24:39]>> Their other pig, Mammy, has already taken the bait. And the race is now on to sedate Opie so both pigs can get their overgrown hooves trimmed.

[00:24:48]>> I don't think he realizes that we're trying to help him. But it's imperative that we get his feet done today. We just want him to be able to walk freely, happy, and and comfortable.

[00:25:01]>> Hello, Wy. Hello, Wy. Hello, baby.

[00:25:06]Hello, W.

[00:25:08]W.

[00:25:10]Oh, good boy. That's better. That's better. Good boy.

[00:25:15]>> He's taking it.

[00:25:15]>> Good boy. Good boy.

[00:25:16]>> Now that he's finally eaten the fruit, it won't take long for the sedatives to take effect.

[00:25:23]He's getting a bit slower on his feet.

[00:25:25]>> So, really the tablets have done their bit. They haven't put them off to asleep, but they got to the point where I feel like I'm a good chance if I walk up to them being able to get this needle in.

[00:25:39]>> You okay?

[00:25:40]>> You're okay.

[00:25:42]>> Good boy. Good boy. O.

[00:25:51]>> Good boy. Good boy.

[00:25:53]>> Good boy.

[00:25:54]>> Good boy.

[00:25:56]>> It's okay. [music] Hey. Hey. It's okay.

[00:25:59]>> It's okay.

[00:26:00]>> Yeah, buddy. It's all right. I'm going to give Opie some time to [music] settle. Hopefully, by the time Namy's had her injection, Opie will be safely asleep.

[00:26:14]>> Unbelievable. He should well and truly be in La La Land by now.

[00:26:18]>> Determination. Yeah, sheer determination. At the moment, you can see Opie is just determined [music] to keep on fighting this sedation. He doesn't really want to relax. He won't really let himself go to sleep. And that's what we're fighting against.

[00:26:31]That's where the patience really comes in.

[00:26:33]>> After another 20 minutes, finally, the obstinate opi seems to succumb to the anesthetic.

[00:26:41]>> Let's go up there, see how he's doing, whether he's asleep, whether he needs any more, >> and just assess it from there. Here we go.

[00:26:50]Now really comes the moment of truth.

[00:26:53]I'm pretty sure that Opie's had enough in order to have this procedure done, but as I know with pigs, you never can be too sure.

[00:27:08]>> Right. Well, that's the right leg done.

[00:27:12]Start on the left one now.

[00:27:14]>> At SASH, Dr. Andrew Machevki is performing delicate kneecap surgery on little rescue pup Maymay's back legs.

[00:27:21]>> You can sort of see now the difference between the right and left leg. Here's this bony prominence on the one we haven't done and it's sitting off to the side of the leg. And there's the bony prominence on the leg that we have done.

[00:27:33]It's sitting right down the middle of the leg. All right. Well, we'll do a mirror image. Repeat.

[00:27:46]We've just opened up this other knee and kneecap's nowhere near where it should be. The groove in where where it should sit is really shallow. This prominence is way off the the wrong side.

[00:27:59]>> Nice segment.

[00:28:00]>> Yeah, nice piece. Yeah.

[00:28:02]So part of what we're going to do is actually take this bony prominence and cut it off and then move it all the way over here and then pin it back on. And that'll go a long way to fixing this problem.

[00:28:19]Thankfully for Mayay, surgery on her second leg is going to plan.

[00:28:30]Right.

[00:28:32]This is the second side done.

[00:28:34]>> With both legs complete, Andrew needs to take X-rays to confirm everything is now in the correct position.

[00:28:41]>> Everything we've done today is to realign that whole quadriceps mechanism.

[00:28:46]They're the big powerful muscles at the front of your leg. To realign those, so they're actually are at the front of a leg. So the kneecap can run in the same spot. But now there's even more force on that kneecap because it's not used to being there. And if we haven't got everything just right, that kneecap will flick back over to the wrong side again.

[00:29:06]>> That's the left one.

[00:29:07]>> We're going to have resistance.

[00:29:12]>> Look good.

[00:29:13]>> I mean, those those pins there nowhere near the joint. [music] That's good. It looks like there's a little bit of a gap there, but I think that's just cuz we've had to move it so far.

[00:29:20]>> That was a good move.

[00:29:21]>> Yeah, kneecap looks like it's sitting in the right spot. Thankfully, >> that's the aim.

[00:29:25]>> So, I'm happy. And what's the other one look like there? [laughter] Same deal. A little bit of gap and technically we've done exactly the same thing. It's a good result. The surgeries on both the legs have gone well. They essentially mirror images of each other. And the posttop X-rays look like we've got everything in the right position. So I'm very happy with that.

[00:29:47]Poor little girl. She's not going to know what to do with these legs. They never been straight.

[00:29:53]in.

[00:29:54]>> Now it's really just a matter of her getting used to her legs as they are. Um because they've been really bent and not [music] functioning properly. Now they're very straight. It's going to feel very strange for us. So it's really going to be a lot of rehabilitation from here on in.

[00:30:10]>> Good girl. [music] Let's try for a [music] trim.

[00:30:24]>> Okay. Y >> in wound gar, despite his protests, it looks like Opia is sedated enough for Chris to start trimming [music] the pig's alarmingly overgrown hooves.

[00:30:34]>> He could very easily jump up here.

[00:30:37]As I move into position, he still seems like he's aware that I'm there. The question is, will he jump once I clip [music] those claws?

[00:30:49]>> [music] >> Okay, that's good stuff. And no reaction.

[00:30:56]>> Yeah. All right, >> the first one's done. And it's actually gone. Okay. He knows I'm there, but there's no reason not to continue.

[00:31:08]Okay. All right. Another one done.

[00:31:18]Yeah. So, I'm pretty happy with the length of these main hooves here. So, we'll work on these due claws to shorten those up.

[00:31:26]>> But we're going well.

[00:31:28]>> Okay.

[00:31:38]>> So, see how we're just starting to get just the tip of blood there?

[00:31:40]>> Yeah.

[00:31:41]>> That's as short [music] as we can take them. Okay. So, I can't go any shorter than that.

[00:31:44]>> Yeah.

[00:31:44]>> All right. So, it's a good length. Just take the end off that one there.

[00:31:49]All right, I think we're done. I really do happy with that. It's >> great.

[00:31:56]>> Awesome.

[00:31:57]>> Okay.

[00:31:59]Finally, we are done. So, we dust ourselves off and move on to [music] mommy who's even bigger. This is going to be hard.

[00:32:15]Okay, good girl.

[00:32:18]>> This doesn't hurt, girl. There's no nerves where we're cutting.

[00:32:22]>> Come on, girl. Come on, man.

[00:32:28]Good girl.

[00:32:29]>> The good news with Mammy is in the past, Ang's managed to clip mommy's nails. All but one. It's only one hoof that needs attention.

[00:32:38]>> Yeah. The reason she saw her, she's got uneven wear on that foot.

[00:32:41]>> Yeah. cuz there's a little bit of skin that's grown out on the base of that that toe there.

[00:32:46]>> And so she's having to to take the weight on her foot unevenly. Just putting, you know, at least 300 kilos each and every time she walks through one foot and through one toe.

[00:32:57]>> We can trim the skin back >> and that's going to be the best thing.

[00:33:02]>> Come on then. Come on, girl. Come on.

[00:33:06]>> Okay, [laughter] we're done. They both now had a really decent nail trim of all the nails that were were too long.

[00:33:13]>> Yeah.

[00:33:14]>> Which means that their hooves are now going to be able to spread normally when they hit the ground, cushion their weight, >> and it'll mean they can walk more.

[00:33:21]>> Yeah.

[00:33:22]>> And what these guys need to do is walk more.

[00:33:23]>> Yeah.

[00:33:25]>> It's a great result for both Mammy and Opie, who hopefully will go on to lead happy, pain-free lives.

[00:33:32]>> I can sense the relief just wash over Ang and Katrina.

[00:33:35]>> Look, here she goes. That's brilliant.

[00:33:38]See, she's walking already.

[00:33:39]>> The hooves are trimmed. The job is complete. And they can start to think about the rest of these pigs lives. And suddenly the rest of those pigs lives looks hopeful.

[00:33:51]>> Look at that beautiful little girl.

[00:33:54]I'm I'm on top of the world. And I'm so pleased with the outcome. We're so grateful. Dr. Chris Brown, he's a [music] legend. He's brilliant.

[00:34:02]Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much.

[00:34:05]We so really appreciate it, you know.

[00:34:07]She's our darling. You know, >> I've never been happier.

[00:34:12]>> Yeah.

[00:34:12]>> Covered in mud, standing in the rain.

[00:34:14]>> And hope now she can walk happily.

[00:34:17]>> Yeah, you bet.

[00:34:18]>> There's no reason why she can't.

[00:34:20]>> Legend. You are.

[00:34:21]>> No worries, guys.

[00:34:23]>> Pretty sure at the start of the day I said that trimming the nails of any animal is pretty much the easiest job [music] a vet can do. What sort of idiot would even say that? Cuz today has been [music] a marathon. But thankfully marathon with a happy finish.

[00:34:44][music] Hello babe. Time to go home. Would you like to do that? Hey >> at sash. It's been several days since little rescue dog Maymay underwent major surgery on both her back knees.

[00:35:09]>> What's up? What's up? Hey, you going to stand up for me? No, you're just going to be all cute there. Come on. A I know.

[00:35:19]Oh, look. Look at that. Straight legs and everything.

[00:35:25]Straight legs. Mayay's surgery's gone really, really well. on. I think more importantly, her posttop recovery has gone really nicely as well. Uh she was [music] obviously a bit sore cuz we had to stretch those muscles and get the kneecap in the right spot, but she's [music] actually coped really well and I think she's well ahead of where I thought she'd be. Get your little medications.

[00:35:46]Come on.

[00:35:47]>> After plenty of rest and rehabilitation in hospital, it's time for Maymay to continue her recovery under the watchful eye of Cara Denise. I'm so [music] excited to see Maymay. For the first time ever, Maymay will be able to walk normally and she'll be painfree.

[00:36:05]>> Hello.

[00:36:06]>> Hello, Andrew. How are you, Denise?

[00:36:08]>> I'm good. How are you?

[00:36:09]>> I'm well, thanks. [music] >> Look at this one.

[00:36:12]>> Oh, my girl.

[00:36:14]>> Mayay had a terrible start to life. She was picked up on the street, [music] matted. Her legs were actually matted together. She was shaved off. We could not have rehomed her in the condition that she was in. And it's so [music] nice to be able to help dogs like her.

[00:36:31]>> She's really good.

[00:36:32]>> Yes.

[00:36:33]>> Yeah. She's actually She's well ahead of where I thought she might be.

[00:36:36]>> Um she can stand up on those.

[00:36:38][gasps and sighs] >> She can walk a little way and that's all I want her to do is walk a little way.

[00:36:43]Um and I think with a bit of support just until she's getting a bit more confidence.

[00:36:48]>> Can I see her walk? Andrew, >> how about we go outside because I don't want her on this slippy stuff. All right, May's got a fair way to go with her recovery. You mean we're only a little while down the track. She's doing really well, but there are still things that can go wrong if she's not treated correctly. If she's not kept confined, um we could still have problems with this. So, it's a little bit touch and go, but give her another few weeks and we'll be well on the way.

[00:37:12]>> This is exciting, isn't it?

[00:37:15]>> Really is.

[00:37:16]>> Yeah.

[00:37:16]>> Hang on. Just we go. Just pop on the ground and you pop her on the ground and [music] just sort of hold her back end for me. can hold a lead for me and then I will do this like that.

[00:37:29]>> All right. And then we can go. You give her a bit more length.

[00:37:34]>> I'm just stopping it from falling over, but I'm taking no weight at all.

[00:37:37]>> That's fantastic. [music] >> I can see a huge difference in May.

[00:37:43]Before surgery, her legs were so bent.

[00:37:46]They were [music] bent out and now they're straight. She looks like a totally different dog.

[00:37:52]>> You're very lucky. E, she is very lucky.

[00:37:54]>> We got Denise.

[00:37:56]>> And we got the master.

[00:37:57]>> I'll see you later. All right, Denise.

[00:37:59]Bye-bye.

[00:37:59]>> Bye.

[00:38:01]>> Say bye.

[00:38:05]>> See you, May.

[00:38:08]>> Up we go. Got to be a good girl, though.

[00:38:11]No running around.

[00:38:13]Dr. Andrew said he'll be [music] very cross.

[00:38:19]>> Hey, that's not very nice.

[00:38:20]>> He's a bit upset.

[00:38:22]>> Four-year-old Bubbles has been brought into the Bondi clinic [music] by worried owner Jasmine and her father Bob.

[00:38:29]>> Her beak's been like overgrowing. We've been cutting it, but it's just been growing back and [music] back and back.

[00:38:36]>> Jasmine is desperate to get help for the little cockatil. I'm worried that the beak, cuz it's long and sharp, it's going to go into her like throat area and kind of pierce [music] her skin.

[00:38:46]There's going to be irreparable damage that could be fatal.

[00:38:51]>> You can hear someone chirping in here.

[00:38:53]Hello. How are you?

[00:38:55]>> I'm Jasmine and this is Bubbles.

[00:38:58]>> Bubbles.

[00:38:58]>> She has a problem [music] with a big >> Okay, I can see it. Wow.

[00:39:02]>> It's pretty bad.

[00:39:04]>> All right, come straight through. We'll have a look for you.

[00:39:08]Looking at bubbles, I'm thinking that beak. Oh, it must be slightly overgrown.

[00:39:12]But [music] oh no, it's massively overgrown to the point where it's now starting to push into a neck. So this beak, I mean, it's obviously quite dramatic.

[00:39:21]>> Yeah.

[00:39:22]>> How quickly does that grow?

[00:39:23]>> Uh, last time we trimmed her [music] beak was about last month.

[00:39:28]>> Okay.

[00:39:28]>> It grows really quickly.

[00:39:30]>> So just in a month that's happened.

[00:39:31]>> Mhm.

[00:39:33]>> Wow. That's quick. In the world of birds, trimming a beak, it's not [music] uncommon, but at the same time, to trim a bird's beak is usually a once ina-lifetime event. For bubbles, [music] it's been quite different. So, I just want to learn a bit about bubbles first.

[00:39:47]What does she eat? What's a good meal for her?

[00:39:49]>> Uh, she eats normal bird seeds and occasionally some fruit.

[00:39:53]>> Okay. So, seeds are sort of most of her diet.

[00:39:56]>> Yeah, basically all of her diet.

[00:39:58]>> And I can see that little cuttlefish in there. Does she chew on that a little bit? She occasionally chews on it, but she likes to poo on it more.

[00:40:05]>> Yeah. Yeah, that [laughter] >> Yeah, >> that's kind of how it looks. Jasmine's doing what just about every single person out there with a cockatail does.

[00:40:14]She feeds bubble seeds. But just cuz everyone does it doesn't mean it's the right thing. So, at the moment, what I'm worried about is the fact this beak could be only the beginning of her issues.

[00:40:35]You [music] boys are keen. Always.

[00:40:38]>> Ready to rock and roll.

[00:40:39]>> At the Australian Reptile Park, general manager Tim Forner and his staff are preparing for one of their most terrifying tasks.

[00:40:47]>> First priority is for you not to get bitten. Second priority is for you not to get bitten.

[00:40:51]>> Yes.

[00:40:52]>> Today is a big day. [music] We're catching the Reptile Park's largest python, atomic betty. a reticulated python, the largest python in the world.

[00:41:00]So, we know our roles and goals. Let's say Bill on head. I'll be on the shield.

[00:41:05]Um Mike on second. Uh and then we'll roll 1 2 3 in any particular order.

[00:41:11]There's six BS here and they're not here for no reason. It's because she is big, she is strong, she is dangerous. It's a very serious job. You know the drill, boys. Get on, get her straightened out, and don't let her wrap.

[00:41:22]>> And just remember, fellas, don't pull too hard on that snake because if you pull too hard, you're going to pull her head out of my hands and then we're going to have a real problem. We're going to have centime long teeth lashing around.

[00:41:30]>> Yeah.

[00:41:30]>> Right.

[00:41:31]>> This exhibit is the scariest exhibit we have here at the park. I would much prefer to go in and catch a crocodile.

[00:41:36]That snake, it's big enough to kill three fellas in one go. So, to me, it scares the living life out of me.

[00:41:43]>> Okay, let's go.

[00:41:50]>> Where's the head, mate?

[00:41:51]>> Tucked right down in between that main coil just coming off the center here.

[00:41:56]Oh, she not in a good spot. Let's >> poke her and see how she reacts.

[00:42:02]>> Just Just needed to turn. She's just impossible to grab where she is. She's too strong.

[00:42:07]>> And I'm shaking and you're grabbing her.

[00:42:09]>> So [laughter] nervous. She's never been in this spot, though. She's always over there.

[00:42:13]>> Yeah.

[00:42:14]>> Tommy [snorts] Betty does not want to move. She's in the deepest, darkest corner. Now the shield's there. If Bill commits, he's got no support behind him.

[00:42:22]He's stuck in a cavity. That's [music] dangerous. But Tim and his team have to persevere. Atomic Betty needs an important vet check and they simply have to get her moving.

[00:42:32]>> Okay, we got head.

[00:42:33]>> Just watch her. She's in full S position.

[00:42:35]>> Yep, she's about to strike.

[00:42:40][music] >> For that big to grow so quickly in a month.

[00:42:50]>> Mhm.

[00:42:51]>> That's really really [music] quick.

[00:42:53]>> Yeah. You know, it it'd be like me and my fingernails coming out to here in a month.

[00:43:00]>> You know, that doesn't seem right, does it?

[00:43:02]>> 12-year-old Jasmine has brought her much loved cockatil Bubbles [music] into the Bondi clinic. She's worried about the 4-year-old's extremely overgrown beak.

[00:43:12]>> Well, Bubbles, it's time for you and me to get to know each other a bit more closely.

[00:43:17]>> Okay.

[00:43:22]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:43:24]>> I think you appreciate your art, but >> I thought we were going to have like a little bonding moment there after you I heard you were like, "Man, now I have bubbles firmly in my grasp. It's time to have a proper look over her.

[00:43:44]These little bites. Bubbles keeps trying to bite me, but that beak of hers being so overgrown just means she can't get the end of her beak onto my finger, which means I'm safe for now.

[00:43:55]Unfortunately though, I'm not sure Bubbles [music] is.

[00:43:59]Oh, so that's not a normal beak. Little bits are crumbling off. Just shouldn't do that. A bird's beak should be shiny and hard and really, really strong and really beautiful. And the other thing that's got me intrigued [music] and a little bit worried as well is that when you look at her poos in there, notice how they got that green area around the outside of them. That should have actually just been a white patch.

[00:44:22]Suddenly, we're getting a look inside Bubbles's life and her health and it doesn't look good.

[00:44:28]The most dramatic thing for me is just notice how the color of her beak there, it's quite yellow. And there's a lot of her that that's very yellow. Every skin and beak surface of bubbles is dry. It's flaky, but it's also yellow. And that's no different to someone that has jaundice. It's a sign that the liver is failing. It's the thing about birds.

[00:44:48]Everything moves quickly. [music] If they get sick, they get sick really quickly. So, you've done just the right thing by bringing her in. Bubba's had this issue since she was 3 years [music] old. And in that time, my feeling is that diet of seeds, all that fat has eventually [music] worn her out of liver. and now she has liver disease.

[00:45:08]So [snorts] what we need to do is look at what she's eating >> because at the moment she's not coping brilliantly with it and she just needs a bit of extra help. But I don't want you to freak out because I think this is actually something we can fix and fix together.

[00:45:28]>> Okay. Looking at Jasmine, I can tell this is news that's a bit of a [music] surprise, but also a little bit hard to take because she's been doing everything through love and she's been doing everything she [music] believes is right.

[00:45:41]>> So, she kind of needs a bit of a liver detox.

[00:45:45]>> Okay. Yeah, >> I'll do it.

[00:45:48]>> She's got to mix up a diet, >> eat clean, get some extra greens into her diet, and just start to, I guess, have a more nutritious diet. Before I explain exactly how this liver detox [music] is going to work, we better take care of that beak.

[00:46:06]That's looking pretty good.

[00:46:08]Got to a nice level there. So, let's talk about how dinner's going to look for bubbles now.

[00:46:15]>> Yeah.

[00:46:16]>> I want you to put some seeds on some cotton wool.

[00:46:21]>> Mhm.

[00:46:22]>> And wet the cotton wool and let those seeds sprout. when it sprouts, it actually uses up most of the fat in the seed as well. So suddenly a seed transformed into being something that's really healthy and low in fat. I have a diet in mind for bubbles that is essentially going to turn her life around. Between the sprouted seeds, the green leafy vegetables, and the native [music] plants, my feeling is that in a couple of weeks, her whole life, she'll be looking a lot more rosy. So for her, we're changing her diet to make it healthy, reducing its fat, [music] getting more vitamins and minerals in there, but also giving her more exercise. And if she does that, all of a sudden, her whole body is going to kick back into action. Her liver [music] is going to have more of the good stuff coming in, which means it'll be able to get rid of those toxins. [music] It'll be able to produce the proper proteins and all the different elements that her body needs. And also [music] if we can get everything else regulated and get that weight off, then the liver functions a bit more easily as well.

[00:47:20]Doesn't have the extra load on it.

[00:47:22]>> Okay. Yeah, sounds good. So hopefully for Bubbles, it's going to be a speedy recovery. She's [music] going to be healthy and active and she's not going to have like a problem like [music] this anymore.

[00:47:33]>> I look forward to seeing the new bubbles.

[00:47:36]>> Yeah.

[00:47:36]>> All right.

[00:47:37]>> Thank you.

[00:47:37]>> Hey, no worries.

[00:47:38]>> Thank [music] you.

[00:47:39]>> See you soon.

[00:47:40]>> See you.

[00:47:41]There's a real art to treating birds.

[00:47:43]The problems they get can come on very quickly and [music] also kill them quite quickly. In Bubbles's case, I'm confident we've managed to get this situation [music] in time. And the good news for Jasmine is that with the right treatment, there's no reason why she can't turn it around and be looking brighter and healthier in just a few weeks.

[00:48:04][music] >> [music] >> How are you going to know which part of the neck you're grabbing?

[00:48:13]>> See how swollen her head is with those big muscles in the back of her head? I should be able to see that outline.

[00:48:18]>> Go for it. She's ready to strike at any second, mate.

[00:48:21]>> Tim and his team at the Australian Reptile Park have encountered a huge problem as they attempt to catch 6 and 1/2 m long atomic Betty.

[00:48:30]>> She's stubbing us. She's tucked up in that corner there and she's set where she is.

[00:48:33]>> Just wanted to move up a little bit.

[00:48:35]I'll get that head up.

[00:48:37]>> Get by here.

[00:48:38]>> We need to [music] move her from this spot. So, we gently poke and probe to get her to unwind and move to a higher spot in the enclosure. She could strike any second.

[00:48:48]>> She's not catchable from there. But if she >> No way. She's tucking herself under.

[00:48:53]>> We got the face looking right at us.

[00:48:55]>> With Atomic Betty refusing to move, Tim decides on a change of strategy.

[00:49:00]>> We're going to do a crocodile catch.

[00:49:03]>> Absolutely.

[00:49:03]>> Yeah. What do you want to do?

[00:49:04]>> So, I'm just going to gently I don't want to throw it on her like you would with a croc. I just want to use this snake hook to get it up over the back of her head and then we can sneak in there.

[00:49:12]She can't see us and hopefully we can go for the grab.

[00:49:14]>> At the moment, she's just head on. Walk nearer right in the face.

[00:49:18]>> Come on, sweetheart.

[00:49:21]She's darkening into this corner. Bad.

[00:49:23]Just watch doesn't come through here. If I go in now and try and grab her by the head, she's going to pull me into that cave. She's going to have coils over me before the boys can get in and grab me.

[00:49:32]Jeez. Cranky, eh?

[00:49:33]>> Cranky. Just be ready for that door, too, boys. If needed, if she goes nuts.

[00:49:38]>> Okay, get ready.

[00:49:42]Okay, well done.

[00:49:45]>> No way.

[00:49:45]>> But feisty Betty is determined to [music] evade capture.

[00:49:49]>> Back up a little bit, boys.

[00:49:52]>> Let's break from fire, boys. We'll retreat.

[00:49:54]>> Yep. Let her settle. She moving too much, >> right? Back up, boys. We'll let her settle proper. First time we've ever had to retreat. The blindfold has not worked. She's back in a corner and just sitting there in ambush position.

[00:50:08][music] We need to give her 5 minutes to settle again. And we need to settle. I'm trembling more than any time we've actually caught her.

[00:50:20][music] >> [music] >> There's no doubt that up here in North Queensland, the saltwater crocodile is king. They're at the absolute top of the tree when it comes to predators. And if they didn't already have a reputation for being well, just a bit cranky, then the one I've just been called out to see now has a problem that could make it even more so. [music] Chris is now in Townsville in North Queensland. He's on his way to the Bibong Wildlife Sanctuary to try to help a senior citizen in real strife.

[00:50:53]>> How are you?

[00:50:53]>> Hey, mate. How you going, >> Rick? Is it?

[00:50:55]>> Yeah. Nice to see you.

[00:50:57]>> You, too, mate. Now, I see reptiles, but not quite as big as I was expecting.

[00:51:02]>> Nah, mate. Just the turtles at the moment in our in our in our main lake.

[00:51:05]Yeah. So, where's our boy with the the sore teeth, >> buddy? He's uh down the back. Uh he's in an off display enclosure keeping him nice and calm and relaxed for us.

[00:51:15]Chris's patient is Riley, a 45-year-old saltwater crocodile.

[00:51:20]>> I've got hold of Chris because I've noticed on the bottom jaw of Riley there's this large mass and an opening of a hole where a tooth should be. And I'm a bit concerned cuz I don't know what's going on. So, his issue is the bottom jaw towards the front of the right side.

[00:51:36]>> Yeah, that's it. That's the one. So, what you just noticing he's just not that willing to chew on that side, to use that side to to rip and tear on on his chicken. And >> is that what you're saying?

[00:51:45]>> Yeah, he's he's definitely not manipulating food to the right hand side, especially to to grab or or latch a hold of. It's definitely all going to his left.

[00:51:54]>> Yeah. Do you think it's getting worse over time?

[00:51:56]>> Yeah, we've noticed like an increase in the size. I'm guessing it might be some sort of irritation or andor infection around that area. I'm hoping it's not and I'm hoping it hasn't developed into something too serious and we're [music] too late to to do anything about it.

[00:52:09]>> The 4 meter croc is a muchloved resident of the park and everyone is desperate to make sure he's [music] okay.

[00:52:16]>> Riley's probably one of our best crocodiles here. So, I just want to see him get like the best of life and the best care and whether that's getting the tooth removed or something done about it, it really means a lot. Either way, whether this tooth [music] is broken or it's loose, one thing's for sure, it's going to be sore. And a crocodile with a sore tooth is not really the crocodile you want to mess with. All right. Well, I can delay it as long as possible, but ultimately I need to look at that mouthpiece. But no human likes going to the dentist and no animal likes going to the vet. So, >> put those together. [laughter] We've got a very special perfect storm happening here.

[00:52:49]>> Yeah, we do, don't we?

[00:52:51]>> I've worked with enough saltwater [music] crocodiles in my time to know they are the epitome of unpredictability. Their huge size and their unbelievable instinct means you just cannot trust them. Today is not going to be a good day.

[00:53:14]Runn, boys.

[00:53:17]>> After an unsuccessful first attempt, Tim and his team are trying once more to capture the Australian Reptile Park's longest creature. Want to go that way?

[00:53:28]Good spot right now.

[00:53:30]>> I've caught her over a dozen times. But each time has been first go. In you go.

[00:53:35]Snakes in place. Ready, boys. Bang.

[00:53:38]Jeez. We almost need a light, don't we?

[00:53:40]>> Yeah.

[00:53:41]>> Well, as long as the boys stay down, you'll be fine.

[00:53:43]>> If I get in.

[00:53:44]>> Yep.

[00:53:44]>> Behind her here. Scaring me. This is the first time it's taken so long to actually catch Atomic Betty. And the longer it's taken, the more nervous I'm getting. Bring that shield a bit further around here. Just if she reverse, she's going to be riding my crutch.

[00:53:57]>> The team is determined to catch Betty so they can check up on an old back injury.

[00:54:02]>> I hope she got her.

[00:54:03]>> Yep. Good.

[00:54:04]>> Two years ago, Tim noticed an alarming bulge on the massive snake.

[00:54:09]>> Oh, well, first impression is a worry.

[00:54:11]Touching Betty's lump. I'm concerned that she suffered a fractured vertebrae in her back and that there's the potential to her to be uh paralyzed from that point backwards.

[00:54:21]>> Yep. Stay down, boys. Out of that light.

[00:54:23]Everybody was hoping the injury would heal on its own. If they can capture Betty and transport her [music] to the vet, they'll find out.

[00:54:32]>> Okay. One, two, three. On, boys. On.

[00:54:37]Don't let it bite herself. On. Coil off.

[00:54:40]Bill behind me. Zack.

[00:54:42]>> Behind. That's it.

[00:54:43]>> Zack.

[00:54:44]>> That's it. You're right, mate.

[00:54:46]>> Yep. Feet around.

[00:54:48]>> Yep. Keep that coil off, fellas.

[00:54:50]Beautiful.

[00:54:52]>> Okay, just watch. There's the lump right under my hand, mate. Grab that. Just cradle that part.

[00:54:57]>> Man, she's got some power.

[00:54:58]>> Just watch that mouth, mate. Watch your face.

[00:55:01]>> The terrifying task of catching [music] Atomic Betty is not over yet.

[00:55:07]>> Strong, mate.

[00:55:08]>> Yep. She got a coil in there. That's it.

[00:55:10]Not that. Not too hard. Not too hard.

[00:55:12]Just watch. I'm falling.

[00:55:13]>> Whilst Atomic Betty's there with her mouth open and we have her restrained, she's still burning energy and that's okay at that time. We want her to wear out a little bit. It makes it safer for us.

[00:55:24]>> Okay, everyone. Let's Let's bring Bill back a little.

[00:55:28]>> That's it.

[00:55:30]>> Yep.

[00:55:30]>> Let's um >> I've got a hand on it, mate. All good.

[00:55:33]All good.

[00:55:34]>> Let's um let's let her burn just a little bit of energy. Give her a minute.

[00:55:41]Okay, we good. Well done, mate. Well done.

[00:55:46]>> So, when I grabbed her, she went absolutely berserko. Pulled us right into the edge of the cave. ended up down in where the water normally is. Boys piled in behind, but in the end, great great catch.

[00:55:55]>> Now, the thing here, boys, is no head back out of the bag.

[00:55:58]>> So, Bill's last one on. Yeah, you just watch that coil. Watch your arm there, Mike. Watch your arm.

[00:56:02]>> Okay.

[00:56:03]>> You okay, Bill?

[00:56:04]>> Grab bag, boys. One's good. Two. Three.

[00:56:08]>> Got her. Well done.

[00:56:11]>> Her welfare is number one priority. So, we got to always look after her, especially with that lump on her back.

[00:56:16]We don't want her inflaming that.

[00:56:19]Tim and the team now have to carefully transport Betty to the local vet.

[00:56:24]>> The main risks here are firstly to Atomic Betty that we somehow make the injury worse. So we need to be sensitive [music] about that and handle her the right way up then. Okay.

[00:56:40]See you down there, boys.

[00:56:50]So just this way, Chris. Yep.

[00:56:52]>> All right. So Jeremy up the front. Chris and Brad, you guys come with me.

[00:56:56]>> In Townsville, saltwater croc Riley needs an urgent jaw examination.

[00:57:02]>> All right, let's do this.

[00:57:03]>> But getting close to the massive 45year-old means everyone has to be on high alert.

[00:57:09]>> Jeremy, I'm going to get you uh down the front here spotting for Bonsa. Who's Bonsa? Ah, there's a girl in there as well.

[00:57:16]>> There is actually another croc in there.

[00:57:18]>> Yeah, there's two.

[00:57:19]>> Oh, there she is just next to him.

[00:57:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. So, you can see her now just hiding down. Uh, she's in a real good spot because he's actually coming across and she's staying guard, which is really good at the moment.

[00:57:30]>> Yeah.

[00:57:30]>> Chris and the team have to be vigilant.

[00:57:33]They're now dealing with two killer crocs.

[00:57:36]>> All right, Jeremy, keep her at bay. Hey, come here, big guy.

[00:57:41]I'm lying.

[00:57:45]He's kind of assessing the situation because if I'm a potential meal, he probably doesn't want to blow his cover too quickly. He wants to sneak up. Come on, mate. Hey, coming. Come on, Riley.

[00:57:59]He's definitely interested, Chris.

[00:58:01]>> Good.

[00:58:02]>> Yeah, not too bad. Come here, big guy.

[00:58:05]Come on.

[00:58:06]>> Yeah. Wow.

[00:58:07]>> Yeah. Come on, big guy. Yeah, that water wasn't magnifying him before, was it?

[00:58:11]Nah, that's a big crop.

[00:58:15]Come on. Hey, hey, hey. Settle down. All right.

[00:58:21]I just gently rub him on his eyes there.

[00:58:24]Can I have your teeth open, please?

[00:58:25]There we go. When I look down at the area that Rick's concerned about, there's certainly an issue. It looks to have a hole there, but also I can see what seems to be some sort of remnant of a tooth. That's quite dramatic. When you compare it to the other side, there's nothing there.

[00:58:40]>> Yeah, that side's really quite bulging, isn't it?

[00:58:43]>> Yeah. The fact is, whether you're dealing with a crocodile's mouth, a dog's mouth, or a human's mouth, you have a lot of bacteria. In Riley's case, with a hole like that, my concern is a serious infection could be taking hold of his body. Look, that shouldn't be hollowed out like that. And I can see [music] at least two teeth, >> y >> possibly a third when really Yeah. When really there should only be one there.

[00:59:03]There's no doubt that Riley's [music] jaw requires urgent medical attention.

[00:59:07]But first, Chris needs to assemble a large specialist team and come up with a plan.

[00:59:13]>> All right. Well, let's get back out.

[00:59:15]>> Okay. Sure.

[00:59:16]>> Okay. See you soon, Riley. Catching a [music] croc is never easy. One with a sore tooth is an even bigger challenge.

[00:59:23][music] And one that has a girlfriend in a pond just a few meters away. Yeah, this is going to be quite the [music] show.

[00:59:34]I can open that door up. Bottom.

[00:59:39]Where is she? Your head's right up that far end. Tim and [music] his team have arrived at Green Cross Vets for a progress report on Atomic Betty, a reticulated python with a serious back injury.

[00:59:50]>> Hello Pete.

[00:59:52]>> Hey guys, how are you? Yeah, go straight through and turn left. Turn left when you get a chance.

[00:59:58]>> Atomic Betty had an injury two years ago. Now we get to see whether that's healed and if she's back to normal or not.

[01:00:06]>> Put her down here. Pete.

[01:00:08]>> Yeah. Anywhere you can find a spot. Tim.

[01:00:12]>> Good work. How's she doing?

[01:00:14]>> She seems great. The lump's still there, >> but it's been well over a year and a half now. We're still feeding small food items.

[01:00:22]>> Yep. She been losing weight, Bill?

[01:00:24]>> Oh, slightly. Not much.

[01:00:25]>> Has she? Okay. Well, we can only take an X-ray and have a look at what we've got now. Dr. Peter Nosworthy made the original diagnosis on Atomic Betty's lump.

[01:00:36]>> It became apparent that she had a defect if you like. You could see and feel something on her back. We took some X-rays. Uh she'd suffered a crack into her vertebrae.

[01:00:45]>> Watch your face, buddy. When she comes out.

[01:00:47]>> Getting Atomic Betty into an X-ray room not designed for a 6.5 m long python is the first obstacle. [music] >> Pete. Okay, Zach, can you take the the injury and just cradle it?

[01:01:03]Okay. Right, mate. That's it. I'll go in. I'm heading in.

[01:01:09]Okay. A little bit more. Right. X-rays happening, guys. One, two.

[01:01:17]Okay. Happy.

[01:01:18]>> Yep. Okay. Right, guys. Out we go.

[01:01:23]Now's the moment of truth. Hopefully, it's heading in the right direction.

[01:01:27]Okay.

[01:01:39]I basically just need to get him into a position where he's stable enough for me to to give him an injection of some sedation and then I can have a better look at that tooth there and work out what we do with it. At the Bibong Wildlife Sanctuary in Townsville, Chris has assembled a specialist team to try to help him capture Riley. The 4 m saltwater crocodile has a serious problem with his jaw.

[01:02:03]>> I don't really know whether we're looking at a bone infection, whether we're looking at simply a loose tooth, whether we've got multiple teeth trying to come through the one socket. So, it is all a bit of a mystery, but hopefully as a team, we can solve the mystery and get this all fixed up.

[01:02:15]>> All right, >> good. Let's do it.

[01:02:16]>> Thanks for your help, guys.

[01:02:17]>> All right. It's important to have a real strategy here because unless every single person is on the same page, then today could absolutely descend into chaos. All right, let's do this.

[01:02:30]>> Easy going, Brad. Easy going.

[01:02:33]>> The danger today is really on two fronts. Certainly, there's a danger for all of us going in there with Riley, but also Riley is at risk of something called capture syndrome.

[01:02:42]>> That's good, mate.

[01:02:43]>> All right, rope on.

[01:02:44]>> All right, boys. Not too much tension.

[01:02:48]Crocodiles once they're stressed build up a lot of lactic acid. That lactic acid can make their body just too acidic and ultimately it can shut down all their organs and kill them. He's up big guy. Whoa. He's up big guy.

[01:03:06]>> It's good rig.

[01:03:07]>> All right guys, rope two on a shake down the line.

[01:03:12]>> The team has finally managed to get the ropes on.

[01:03:16]>> Hang on. Hang on. Hang on, hang on, hang on.

[01:03:17]>> But the risk now is that the monster croc goes into a death roll in an attempt to escape.

[01:03:23]>> All right, let's go for a roll.

[01:03:27]>> Hang on him, guys. Hang on him. Hang on.

[01:03:29]Hang on.

[01:03:30]>> He's going to do it again.

[01:03:34]If Riley rolls too many times and the ropes are just going to get tangled around his face and potentially around his throat. He's up, big guy. If that happens, today's relatively simple procedure. It could be fatal.

[01:03:46]Go, go, go, go, go.

[01:03:50]>> Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Get that. All right. Okay.

[01:03:53]So, he's pretty much [music] secured his own mouth here, guys. So, start off with T. All right, everyone get to your jumping positions. One, two, three, go, go, go, go.

[01:04:06]Hold him, lads. Westy, come in with the tape, mate.

[01:04:10]>> You guys good down there?

[01:04:11]>> Yeah.

[01:04:11]>> Yeah.

[01:04:13]>> Keep going, mate. Keep going. Keep going.

[01:04:15]>> I can't overemphasize the importance of managing Riley stress levels.

[01:04:19]>> Mouth full secure. Good job.

[01:04:21]>> Numerous saltwater crocodiles have died in this very situation simply through building up too much lactic acid which ultimately becomes toxic to their bodies. It's important that I now get some sedation into Riley.

[01:04:33]>> Okay, going in.

[01:04:35]>> I'm giving Riley a full 2 and 1/2 syringes worth of a drug called Mazzalam. The whole idea with that is to relax his muscles and hopefully relax his mind.

[01:04:45]>> Okay, they're in.

[01:04:47]>> The sedation should start taking effect fairly quickly.

[01:04:52]>> But it seems the monster 4 m croc isn't going down without a fight.

[01:04:58]>> He's up, tiger.

[01:04:59]>> It takes 10 minutes before Riley shows signs of relaxing.

[01:05:03]>> That breathing's been pretty stable, isn't it? Yeah, you can definitely hear like it's >> it's almost like a snore.

[01:05:10]>> Yeah.

[01:05:10]>> It's not these real muscular tense breaths.

[01:05:13]>> The team can now move him to a crockboard, but they have to be incredibly careful.

[01:05:18]>> All right, guys. You ready?

[01:05:20]>> Y >> 1 2 3.

[01:05:24]>> Even though Riley is sedated, it's important to remember he's not anist.

[01:05:28]He's actually still conscious and still capable of an explosive outburst at any time. Go.

[01:05:37]>> We're edging Riley forward up onto the crockboard. From there, he's going to be rope down and then I have to get to work.

[01:05:50]>> Gag Mark, grab your gag, mate.

[01:05:52]>> Okay, we're in.

[01:05:53]>> This is Chris's first chance to get a good look at Riley's jaw.

[01:05:58]>> Wow.

[01:06:00]>> Straight away, I get a picture of the issue that Riley's facing. And it is extraordinary. That hole in his jaw is definitely not normal.

[01:06:13]>> It's very obvious, isn't it?

[01:06:14]>> Yeah, it is.

[01:06:17]>> All right.

[01:06:18]>> On the central coast, it's time to check out the X-rays [music] of Atomic Betty's spinal injury.

[01:06:23]>> I guess on this side, we've got good bridging happening.

[01:06:27]>> Yes. It's solid [music] mass.

[01:06:28]>> Solid mass. So that's that calcification. It's the air. Yes, >> I see the image and it was confronting.

[01:06:34]You know, there's a mass of bone there, but I could see that the bone had started to fuse and I'm hanging [music] on Pete's every word.

[01:06:42]>> I mean I mean that that's quite a strong bridge. Uh you know, it it it this sort of new bone formation calcification is often more solid than >> Yes.

[01:06:50]>> what was there previously >> and that's why we've got the lump at the top because that's that's where the bones calcified.

[01:06:56]>> Yeah.

[01:06:57]>> Okay.

[01:06:57]>> Yep.

[01:06:58]My initial reaction was good and bad. I I could still [music] see that Atomic Betty had a little bit of a gap between the two vertebrae, a displacement. You can see the see the bridge [music] across the tim calcium bridge. Uh it's it's acting as a splint on that side, but not enough on this side. She's a still at risk animal.

[01:07:20]>> Okay.

[01:07:22]>> Yeah. Well, that's what we needed to know.

[01:07:24]>> It's not the news Tim and his team were hoping for. What we're seeing there is probably what what we've got into the future.

[01:07:31]>> Pete's a straight shooter. He qualifies that we've got a nice bridge of bone across the top. Now that's fused. That's new bone underneath. Not so much, but it's heading in the right direction.

[01:07:42]She's not [music] in pain.

[01:07:44]>> I would have thought that while she's lying around at rest that she's probably quite comfortable.

[01:07:47]>> Y >> that uh uh on these occasions where she has to be manipulated, lifted, shifted, then she could feel a twin chair >> for dayto-day. We don't need a pain medication.

[01:07:57]>> No, no. [music] Her prognosis moving forward is better than it was 18 months ago. But she is still guarded. I guess she's a guarded prognosis. We still have to take care of her.

[01:08:09]>> All right. Well, uh, you know, maybe we bring her down in another 2 years, but otherwise, >> look, see, >> it could be worse.

[01:08:15]>> Yeah.

[01:08:16]>> What it means for Atomic Betty now is that she's on the road to recovery. It hasn't got worse. We can up the [music] size of the feed we give her. We're not back to where we were, but I'm happier.

[01:08:26]All right, nice and gentle.

[01:08:28]>> For now, [music] it's back home to the Australian Reptile Park.

[01:08:33]>> Okay, where one of its most popular residents can expect plenty of attention. There we go. Let's just sit her up in there. All right, well done, boys.

[01:08:45]Atomic Betty is a star here, and she already gets lots of love and TLC, but maybe now just a little bit more.

[01:08:56]Okay. Going to try for some local here.

[01:09:00]All right. So, I'm happy with that in there. We've basically filled up that pit there.

[01:09:04]>> Yep.

[01:09:04]>> And all around the surrounding structures. So, now I'm going to get in there and actually start exploring >> at the Bibong Wildlife Sanctuary in Townsville. The treatment on saltwater croc Riley's jaw is about to begin.

[01:09:17]>> Everywhere I look inside this hole, I'm seeing fragments of teeth. Some are in their upright position, some are lying down, and some are pushing straight into the gum. By the looks of it, what's happened here is he's had one tooth in a [music] normal position, and instead of it being reabsorbed, it looks like another one's actually coming underneath it. And because it hasn't been reabsorbed, it's tried to find its own space and pushed into the side. Then [music] another one looks like it's coming as well. So, we've got multiple teeth all trying to go through the one socket.

[01:09:44]>> Yep.

[01:09:45]>> Because crocodiles can replace each and every one of their teeth up to 50 times during their life. What's happened here is that Rley's tried to replace a tooth that just hasn't fallen out yet. He hasn't just done it once. He's done it multiple times.

[01:09:59]>> I'm just going to go digging here. This has now become serious crocodile [music] dental excavation. I'm using my tools to dig in around the base of these teeth and hopefully remove all the fragments.

[01:10:11]While Chris gets to work, the team is closely monitoring the 45year-old croc.

[01:10:16][snorts] Big breath, buddy. And >> that was what? One breath in 30 seconds.

[01:10:21][music] >> Okay.

[01:10:22]>> Oh, there it is.

[01:10:24]>> This is the most forward of them. There we go. Jeez.

[01:10:28]>> There's one [music] straight away. So, that is a tooth that's tried to be reabsorbed, but it's actually remained and it's pushed into the side, which I think is where a lot of this swelling's coming from.

[01:10:37]>> Yeah.

[01:10:38]>> Just have to go exploring and make sure the base of it isn't still in there.

[01:10:42]Okay. There's more to this tooth here.

[01:10:46]It just keeps on coming.

[01:10:48]>> Oh, here we go. There it [music] is.

[01:10:50]Jeez.

[01:10:52]>> So, we got a lot of tooth fragments in there.

[01:10:57]>> That's another big one.

[01:10:59]>> I'm shocked. I can't believe this. In over 5 years of working with crocodiles, [music] I've never seen anything as bizarre as this. How many has he got?

[01:11:07]>> It's just a matter of working out what's what's meant to be in here and what's not. That's not neither is this.

[01:11:15]And neither of these.

[01:11:18]>> Chris has now removed three massive teeth and multiple fragments. But it's not over yet.

[01:11:26]>> It just keeps on coming. Oh >> jeez. Just when this team thought they'd seen it all, here comes another one.

[01:11:33]>> I don't think we're done.

[01:11:37][music] Our [music] favorite show is Bondo Vets. My favorite episode was the one with the the kidna.

[01:11:52]What was your favorite one?

[01:11:53]>> At Sash, two special little arrivals are in the waiting room.

[01:11:58]>> We're at Sash, Ruby.

[01:11:59]>> Sisters Emily and Ruby are Lisa's biggest fans and have convinced mom and dad to bring them in to meet their idol.

[01:12:06]When reception told me that these two gorgeous girls have popped in for a visit, the least I could do is come out and say hi.

[01:12:14]>> Hello.

[01:12:15]>> Hello.

[01:12:17]>> How are you?

[01:12:18]>> Good.

[01:12:19]>> What are your names?

[01:12:20]>> My name is Emily and this is my sister.

[01:12:23]And that's our baby sister Charlie.

[01:12:25]>> Wow. Where have you come from?

[01:12:27]>> Melbourne.

[01:12:27]>> From Melbourne all the way up to Sydney.

[01:12:30]Do you guys want to be vets [music] when you're bigger?

[01:12:32]>> Yes.

[01:12:33]>> Yeah. What sort of animals do you like?

[01:12:36]Oh, it's hard to say cuz I like lots of different animals.

[01:12:41]>> Come over here. I've got a little gift for [music] you two. We don't have a lot of presents to give away here at Sash, but we do have a bit of an unconventional show bag to give the girls. It's got a surgical hat, a mask, some booties so they can get ready to become vets in training. See, we have to wear these hats to make sure that we don't get any hair into the wounds. And then a mask cuz you got to make sure that you're not breathing onto the wound.

[01:13:10]Oh, you look like a vet already. Pretty cool, huh?

[01:13:14]>> Thank you.

[01:13:15]>> My pleasure. When I see Ruby and Emily here today, it brings back memories of when I was a child [music] wanting to become a vet.

[01:13:24]>> And I'm so glad to know that the hard work we do inspires [music] these young kids.

[01:13:33]It's just a matter of working out what's meant to be in here and what's not.

[01:13:37]>> All right, let's go digging again.

[01:13:39]>> At the Bibong Sanctuary in Townsville, Chris is continuing to remove teeth from Riley's badly swollen jaw.

[01:13:46]>> I think it's probably safe to [music] say this tooth here is the most recent one to try to get through, but I just want to see how loose it is.

[01:13:54]He's already removed a staggering three teeth from the hole in Riley's mouth.

[01:13:59]And he's hoping this should be the last of the problem teeth.

[01:14:04]>> No, it's coming out as well. This is too.

[01:14:07]>> While crocodiles produce teeth throughout their entire life, each and every tooth [music] that comes through the same socket is a little bit bigger than the last. If this tooth is the most recent tooth, like I suspect, then chances are it's going to be the hardest to remove.

[01:14:22]You've got to be joking.

[01:14:30]>> Oh jeez. There you go, mate. That's yours.

[01:14:35]>> It gives you an idea about the resilience of crocodiles, doesn't it?

[01:14:37]That he's been tolerating that and ultimately fighting the infection.

[01:14:42]>> Well, thankfully there's no more.

[01:14:44]>> Oh, lucky that tooth fairy be broke.

[01:14:47][laughter] >> All right, let's give everything a clean up.

[01:14:51]When you line up all those fragments and see what has come out of that small hole, it is unbelievable. What Riley has been living with is beyond our comprehension. But just shows you the resilience and the power of these crocodiles.

[01:15:06][music] >> Okay, just brace yourselves, guys.

[01:15:08]>> An antibiotic injection completes Riley's treatment. [music] >> Okay, well, I'm clear. You would think that now the dental issue has been taken care of, our work here is done. But I know we still have [music] to release Riley.

[01:15:22]>> Hang on. Hang on. All right. You ready?

[01:15:25]>> So just stay stay where you are, Mark.

[01:15:26]Just keep pulling, guys.

[01:15:29]>> Okay.

[01:15:30]>> Right.

[01:15:31]>> All straps are off. All right.

[01:15:33]>> One by one, these ropes are released.

[01:15:36]It's time for Riley to rejoin his girlfriend.

[01:15:39]>> Go. One, two, three. Back legs are clear. Y.

[01:15:46]>> All right. Good. Good. Good.

[01:15:49]All right, guys. Hang tight. Hang tight.

[01:15:51]Hang tight.

[01:15:52]>> All right, we're going to do this.

[01:15:55]>> Get up.

[01:15:56]Right three. Mark out.

[01:16:00]>> Come here, guy. Come on. As Ry's released, he's a little ginger, but sure enough, one leg follows the other.

[01:16:10]Moving. All right, [music] mate.

[01:16:11]>> Yeah, he's looking good.

[01:16:12]>> Yeah. Riley's always had a smile that only his girlfriend could love, [music] but now we've removed these teeth. He's going to have a little gap in there for a few months, but overall for Riley, this is an amazing [music] result, >> mate. Thank you very much.

[01:16:27]>> Well done, buddy.

[01:16:28]>> Oh, I couldn't have done it without you and my [music] team, >> mate. What a great team. Good work, guys.

[01:16:33]>> Oh, top job. Chris is a fantastic vet, and I don't think there's too many vets out there that [music] are brave enough to shove their hand inside a crocodile's mouth. That was unbelievable. Oh, look at this. Straight away, his girlfriend.

[01:16:44]>> He's just saying, "Look, [music] I'll be a little while. It's been a rough day."

[01:16:47]Rick and his team are understandably over the moon over how today's worked out. It's a huge result for them [music] and also for Riley. The only one that doesn't really win out of today would have to be the tooth fairy who may very well go broke after this.