Trying To Catch Rock Wallabies To Avoid Inbreeding | Double Episode | The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Most people go to the gym for exercise, but here at the Australian Reptile Park, we catch yellow-footed rock walabes.

[00:00:08]This colony is due for their routine health [music] check. But believe me, there's nothing routine about catching these agile marsupials.

[00:00:17]We got all the gear.

[00:00:18]>> Yeah, got all the gear.

[00:00:20]>> Good. Let's get into it. Might just have a bit of a chat about how we're going to do it first. We'll probably all have the opportunity to catch one of the yellow foots. If it doesn't go to plan and a R gets out or you know you miss it doesn't matter just let's settle look at where we are make sure the RS are safe.

[00:00:39][music] So our target is that little guy sitting right there. So that's getting to [music] a size where we're risking mating with siblings. Cannot have that.

[00:00:48]All right let's go [music] and set up and catch these rating with siblings can cause serious genetic defects. [music] Protecting bloodlines is a vital part of their captive management, and that's why we need to catch and microchip the joeies. Yellow foots are perfectly designed for hopping along rock faces and cliffs. They've got long feet and a strong tail for balance.

[00:01:10][music] We don't stand a chance of catching them up there. Okay, so let's use this corner. Let's use the angle.

[00:01:16]We'll just skirt [music] those rocks there. And that way, we'll push RS around right into this corner. You'll be coming in and catching a kangaroo right there.

[00:01:25]>> [music] >> So what the guys are doing here is making a a netting line. So what that enables us to do is bring the walabbees around the yard. Once they hit that netting, they're forced into a corner.

[00:01:36]We'll pick one or two walabbees at a time. [music] That's all. It's safe for them, safe for us. And then we go in and catch. But with yellow foot rock wallies, nothing's easy. They can jump three or four meters straight up. We don't want one outside. [music] How fast are they? Well, they're like bullets. Then the only way to catch them is by [music] their tail or with a net.

[00:01:56]Now that doesn't hurt them at all. I just hope our reflexes are quick enough.

[00:02:00]>> This is a big operation. There's [music] five keepers just to catch six walabes.

[00:02:04]They're not easy.

[00:02:07]>> All right, [music] with the netting set up, it's time to put this plan into action.

[00:02:15]>> Okay, let's come around in a line.

[00:02:17]That's it. Let's stay together. We got two over here.

[00:02:21]Okay, we got two in Drew. Hold that one there, mate.

[00:02:27]Just missed him.

[00:02:32]Okay, here they come.

[00:02:34]>> Okay, we got one down.

[00:02:37]That one jumped straight over me.

[00:02:39]They're hard.

[00:02:43]That's him.

[00:02:48]It's okay. Let him go.

[00:02:51]Well, it looks like things aren't exactly going to plan.

[00:02:55]>> We've had to call in another two keepers. Reinforcements. The walabes giving us a hard time.

[00:03:03]>> Come in, guys. We got one here. One right here.

[00:03:07]>> Andrew, come in.

[00:03:11]Got him.

[00:03:13]>> Easy, Drew. Well done, mate.

[00:03:15]>> Are you all right, mate?

[00:03:16]>> Yeah, good.

[00:03:18]>> Thought you were a rock.

[00:03:20]>> Good on you. Well done, mate.

[00:03:22]>> Yeah. Cheers.

[00:03:23]>> Putting the yellow foots in sacks is like putting them in mom's pouch. It's dark, comfortable, and won't stress them out. [music] Um, okay. Next one, guys.

[00:03:33]Same again.

[00:03:35]Come on. Come on. That's it. He's down.

[00:03:40]I'm in behind you, Drew.

[00:03:44]Beat us all. [laughter] We got one. We caught one in the net.

[00:03:50][music] Missed the corner.

[00:03:54]Right. One, two, three.

[00:04:01]Where is he? Keep up. Keep the line.

[00:04:05]Got him. Nice catch, Caroline. Okay, good on you.

[00:04:12]Three down, three to go. We managed to pick a few off. They're not easy. The guys are doing [music] really well.

[00:04:18]Well, two in nets and one by hand. He's in here. So, just um let's hold back.

[00:04:22]Someone should support me a little bit more here. Just let me see if I can grab tail. I can not.

[00:04:35]Okay. Whoa. What a catch. I think that deserves a replay.

[00:04:42]Not him. Whoa.

[00:04:44]Okay.

[00:04:47]Full of fire. 1, two, three.

[00:04:51]I just managed to grab that little one by the tail. The reflexes were good. And that's how it happens sometimes. You set up a plan. We've got a good crash there, but we caught more of the walabeees opportunistically around the edges. You got to take your opportunities.

[00:05:12]>> [music] >> This is Tasmin Island. It lies just off the southeastern [music] tip of Tasmania, and it's a haven for wildlife.

[00:05:25]South of here is the Southern Ocean, a wild place where only the heartiest of animals and craziest of sailors venture.

[00:05:35]I'm heading out with Rob Penot, who runs wilderness cruisers along the coast.

[00:05:42]Rob knows the waters around here better than most. He used to be a fisherman, but today he shows tourists the marvels of this spectacular coastline.

[00:05:56][music] This cave was formed over millions of years of wind and wave action eating away at a weak point in the rock.

[00:06:14][music] That's scary. We're right in the cave.

[00:06:25][music] A big surge comes through like that.

[00:06:33]Unbelievable.

[00:06:35]The cave's just massive.

[00:06:38]This is exhilarating stuff. Being able to get so close to the action like this is pretty special. Over there is the majestic Tasmin Island. But there's one thing Rob wants to show me before we head out. The cliffs down here are staggering. At just over 300 meters, this is the highest sea cliff in the whole southern hemisphere.

[00:07:01]>> Their shape and structure is just amazing. The rock itself is Jurassic dollar, formed 165 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Now, it's time to venture offshore. First stop, Tasmin Island. It's of particular interest to Rob. He helped fund a Tasmania Parks and Wildlife initiative to eradicate a certain feral pest from the island.

[00:07:27]It sits 500 m off the Tasmin Peninsula and it's home to short-tailed sheer waters, Sudi shear waters, as well as fairy pryons. The island's problem stems from its position. There was no GPS a century ago, so the best way of alerting ships to this massive rock was to put a lighthouse on top of it. that eventually became fully automated, but the lighthouse [music] keepers left behind their cats and they've gone on to become an established pest.

[00:07:56]So, a few years back, [music] Tasmania Parks and Wildlife set about eradicating the cats.

[00:08:03]The cats do have a place in Australia, and that's at someone's home as a pet, but not in [music] the Australian environments, and especially not on a small island like that. They will eradicate every possible food source, [music] and in this case, it's seabirds.

[00:08:18]Eventually, after a couple of years of research, the team were able to step into action.

[00:08:24]>> We had traps that we let cats come in and get very accustomed to the traps. We did baits without poison, so they got accustomed to eating that. And then one day the poison was added. Then we got all bar eight cats on the first night and then in the next week we got the last eight. Monitoring with specially trained cat detection dogs, camera traps, and good old-fashioned leg work looking for evidence of cats continues to this day. And so what's happened? The cats are gone and you see an immediate response.

[00:08:54]>> That's right. It's quite incredible.

[00:08:56]Compounding each year [music] where it used to be this deep in dead birds with eggs in caves full of [music] cats taking the birds. Now the fledglings are just all inside the caves and on all the crevices. It's fantastic.

[00:09:10][music] In fact, today the bird population is going through the roof on Tasmine as populations appear to be having increased breeding success.

[00:09:26][music] [music] [music] A visit to the tropics in Queensland wouldn't be complete without an encounter with a certain scaly reptile.

[00:09:46]Up here is a scrub python. It's Australia's [music] longest python right over my head and he's quick. This is a fruit tree and it's pretty common to find him in fruit [music] trees because this is where you get fruit bats and he'll sit in here through the day. Now, he's not doing much through the daytime, just staying cool in the shade here.

[00:10:04]When it gets dark, bang, snake's got to feed.

[00:10:08]And being a python, and I can see it here. There's big heat sensing pits along the top and bottom lips. And it's a constrictor, you know, and scrub pythons get big enough, well, maybe to kill a man, certainly a kid. And they get big because of the food they eat.

[00:10:22]Obviously, this one's eating bats, but they're known to eat walabbees. Goodiz walabbees. They swallow it whole. They constrict it each time it breathes out, squeezes tighter until there's no breath left.

[00:10:37]He's looking down at me. He's just in the shade there. It's important for a big snake like this to stay cool through the middle of the day, not to warm up.

[00:10:44]That big body, if it gets too much sun, will overheat. They're pretty strictly nocturnal.

[00:10:51]And this scrub is a smart one. He's here for an easy meal. Okay, he's on the move. And I'm going to leave him right there. I don't want to disturb him too much.

[00:11:01]And that big head looking down at me. I don't want to go near that either.

[00:11:07]Unfortunately, the most common encounter people have with scrubbies is with the flat and lifeless kind. Lucky for this one, my eyes are peeled. I don't want to add to the numbers.

[00:11:20]I've just pulled over. This is a scrub python. It's in a bit of a dangerous situation cuz it's in the middle of the road. And you know, as big as that looks, it's only probably one year old.

[00:11:30]This is the longest Australian snake.

[00:11:32]Hello, mate. It's a bit of a cool night, but that tongue's flicking. It's out on the hunt. There's a heap of psums running around here now. It couldn't eat a big one just yet, but it certainly would take a small one.

[00:11:46]Scrub pythons. They're cranky. This is a baby, but it's still having a Oh, another one. Look at that. I'm too big for you, mate.

[00:11:56]Hey, don't you bite me, please. And again, that mouth opens. That's a big gape.

[00:12:02]That's only because it feels a bit threatened. My big car has just come past and I've pulled up now and now there's a big warm-blooded mammal. And remember, scrub pythons have got heat sensor pits all around the top and bottom lip. So, I'm glowing to that snake. But I'm not going to hurt him.

[00:12:18]I'm going to pick him up and take him just over there in the bush where he's safe. Come on, mate. Now, how am I going to get Hey, that's enough of that. You look that way, please. All right. Thank you, mister. Look at that. Settle down, [music] please, buddy. I don't want any bites.

[00:12:34]And they're pretty quiet, really.

[00:12:37]Please.

[00:12:38]They're pretty gentle snakes. It's just on that road. He feels a bit threatened.

[00:12:44]Let's go over to the side there. Whoop.

[00:12:46]Whoop. Whoop. Please. And you know something there. Have a look at scrubbies are aroreal, meaning they mainly live in the tree. This snake's just crossing the road, going from one side to the other. Look at that. From the tip of its tail, it's able to hang off me. And they'll actually feed like that up in a fruit tree. They'll hang there by half their body, waiting for a fruit bat to come in. A whack. And they'll constrict. Oh, no. I don't want that head, please, buddy. There we go.

[00:13:13]Look at that position. I'm just about to take him off the road, but he's curled right up, ready to strike. It's all right, mate. I'm going to let you go now. All right. I want to get him right off up here in this vine thicket.

[00:13:25]Come on, mate. All right, mate. There you go.

[00:13:31]up.

[00:13:32]That body's so strong. Just got his head on and wrapped around that and supported the rest of the body. And now the whole snake's going up the tree. There he is.

[00:13:42]That's good. I'd much rather him there than squashed on the road.

[00:13:57]That's it. Let's stay together. We got two over here.

[00:14:01]Got him. At the Australian Reptile Park, my team and I are rounding up yellowfooted rock walabies for a routine health check.

[00:14:11]>> It's okay. Let him go.

[00:14:12]>> They haven't made it easy.

[00:14:16]>> Oh, unlucky, mate.

[00:14:17]>> But we're making progress. Drew's got him. Nice, mate. Well done. He >> was deep [music] in there, huh?

[00:14:27]That's four down, two to go.

[00:14:31]Drew, there's one up there, mate.

[00:14:35]They're coming to [music] bring him to you behind that tree. Ready? Coming.

[00:14:40]Good catch, [music] mate. Good catch.

[00:14:43]Got him there.

[00:14:46]I'll grab your net again. Thanks, mate.

[00:14:48]So far, we've caught five out of six.

[00:14:52]The only one to go now is the juvenile, but it's doing what yellow foot rock walabies do best, and that's hiding in rock crevices. That's exactly what mom would have taught it to do.

[00:15:02]Yellow foots were nearly hunted to extinction with several populations being wiped out. Young joeies are so important to the future. We must find this one to ensure that it's happy, healthy, and has its own identity.

[00:15:15]>> There he is. Got him, mate. Ah, beautiful. That's it. Number six. Look how small he is. So, he's only a couple of months out of mom's pouch. Now's the right time for us to give him his own identity. All right. The reason we put them into the sacks is because all marupials find it comforting to be dark and like they're in a pouch as a joey.

[00:15:35]So, once we put him in there, like now he's already settled. He'll be like he's back in mum's pouch.

[00:15:42]All six walabbees have been caught and are sitting comfortably in their sacks.

[00:15:47]First, we weigh them. 8.95.

[00:15:51]>> Then we scan for the microchip. The microchip is our way of identifying each individual animal. And that's really important because the population is managed genetically. We cannot have relatives breeding with each other.

[00:16:04]>> No, I can't find the chip. Um, >> it's the big boy. I mean, we've got scarring on the tail and and it's our biggest >> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:16:12]>> Male. Okay. I think we should just rechip.

[00:16:14]>> Yep. Let's do it.

[00:16:15]>> Okay. We know this walabe is our big dominant male, but we can't find its microchip. The scanner is not picking it up. Now, we've searched all over the back and shoulders where the chips are.

[00:16:26]Uh, so the safest thing to do is just to put another microchip in.

[00:16:32]It's completely painless and only takes a second to put just under the skin, similar to what a vet would do for your dog or cat.

[00:16:41]>> Got him.

[00:16:42]>> Yep.

[00:16:43]>> Easy as that.

[00:16:46]This is the best bit. Letting them go.

[00:16:48]Off you go.

[00:16:51]All right, time to check this guy's partner and mom of our joey.

[00:16:55]>> H. This is mom.

[00:16:56]>> There it is.

[00:16:57]>> Look at that te.

[00:16:59]Okay, we got good milk. Glenn looks great. One, two, three inactive tits and one long teeth. Walabeees are very different than kangaroos. They're always smaller. Uh they're often very [music] pretty and have far more defined markings than your larger kangaroos.

[00:17:17]Their legs are shorter and their forearms are strong and stocky and the base of the tail starts much closer to the ground. They're really agile. Makes them hard to catch, but that's what makes them great. Bye, Mom.

[00:17:32]It's great to identify mom and just see that she's happy and healthy. Now, I want to have a look at her baby. Make sure he's the same way.

[00:17:41]Young male yellowfoots are often bullied by older males. It's another reason why we need to monitor this guy closely.

[00:17:47]Hey, let go, please. Look at that beautiful little boy. That's what it's all about for us. He's 2 and 1/2 kilos, one year old. Now he's going to get his own identity.

[00:18:06]The future [music] for this guy is helping his species. Yellowfoot rock walabbees are endangered. Now, he can't breed here in this group [music] because his parents are here, but there are a number of institutions that hold yellowfoot rockwallies. [music] We work together to keep the species safe in captivity.

[00:18:21]I can see mom looking down at him. So, I'm going to let him go. He's going to hop right back up. Hey, don't bite me, please. I'm about to let you go. See you next time.

[00:18:36]back in his cave. And mom's just up on top. She's looking down now.

[00:18:41]>> Well done, guys. That's a real success.

[00:18:43]>> No worries, mate. It's good.

[00:18:44]>> Let's hope we've got some more little ones in 3 months. Sweet.

[00:18:48]>> All right, I'm going to leave you wrap up.

[00:18:50]>> See you.

[00:18:54][music] This is Tasmin Island, just off the southeastern [music] tip of Tasmania. A successful feral pest eradication project on the island has seen its bird population returning to its natural state.

[00:19:16]There is another inhabitant on the island. No danger to the birds. They hang out down at sea level.

[00:19:26]Behind me is an Australian furs seal colony. Now, they're one of the largest species of seals in the world. And there's a few young pups there, not too young, and mainly females. The big males that can get up to 360 kilos. They're off in the ocean somewhere. To get to that size takes a lot of eating. And when it comes to hunting, seals are the masters. And when a surge of water comes up, the seals will use that and jump into the water. And when they go under, they can hold their breath for 5 minutes. Now, underwater, they are supreme hunters. Their whiskers are so sensitive, they pick up little electronic pulses left by fish as they swim through the water.

[00:20:05]They can go down 200 m to catch their prey, which apart from fish, includes octopus and squid. But if you think it looks cold up here, it's nothing to the temperatures 200 m down. But their bodies are well equipped. The Australian furs seal has two layers of fur, and that's simply to help them stay insulated to stay warm.

[00:20:28][music] Now, it's time to head out to the open ocean. Next stop, Antarctica.

[00:20:37]And if you're lucky, you might just get accompanied out to sea by a pot of dolphins.

[00:20:43]These are common dolphins, distinguished by that hourglass shape that runs the length of their body. They'll travel the oceans in groups that can number in the thousands, feeding on sardines, pilchards, anchovies, and other small fish.

[00:21:08]This is the southern ocean at its best.

[00:21:10]5 minutes ago, it was sunny and calm.

[00:21:12]Now there's rain, wind, and big seas.

[00:21:15]And Tasman Island, where we were, is covered in cloud. There are so many seabirds out here. There's shy albatross flying everywhere. Sheer waters, there's sy waters, short tail shear waters, fluttering shear waters. There are little storm petrols. Now, whilst the birds go to land to breed, they spend the main part of their life at sea.

[00:21:34]Those albatross, though, they're just impressive. In the winter months, you'll get the royal albatross [music] with one of the biggest wingspans of any bird on Earth, but the main one here is the shy albatross. They're so graceful, the way they just fly above the surface of that water. They only breed on three islands, which are all around Tasmania. Numbers plummeted in the early 1900s due to demand from the feather trade. Although it's still under threat from longline fishing, sh can be seen [music] scouring the seas right across the southern oceans. And today numbers are on the rise. What a wonderful site.

[00:22:13]>> He's definitely not in there.

[00:22:15]>> No, mate. There's I can see three, not four. He's supposed to be in here.

[00:22:20]>> Mike has discovered that overnight one of our koalas has gone awall. Yeah, I got to tell you, mate. I always get worried when koalas are out. I mean, we got dingoes here, devils [music] there.

[00:22:30]Let's have a look at this yard and then find him. Okay, mate.

[00:22:36]We have 13 koalas here at the reptile park. And [music] sometimes they go missing. They don't vanish into thin air, but perhaps a keeper leaves a hose or a rake up against the fence. The koala climbs out. [music] Other times, they just get the desire to jump out.

[00:22:52]It's not easy, but it happens. Well, the yard's good. I mean, there's no obvious signs out, so it's something else. But, you know, our priority now, we got a koala on the loose.

[00:23:00]>> Theo is on the loose.

[00:23:01]>> Yep. We got to find him.

[00:23:03]>> Right. Let's get on.

[00:23:07]>> Come on, Theo. Where are you, mate?

[00:23:09]Where are you, buddy?

[00:23:12]I'm really worried about Theo. Koalas, when they get out, they climb up a tree in a safe spot, go up across a limb into another tree, and they can come down, be someone's lunch.

[00:23:25]What are you doing up there, mate?

[00:23:28]Haven't seen anyone about this big, fluffy, black nose. I hope not. Make sure you bark if you do.

[00:23:37]>> We've been out here [clears throat] for an hour now. I got to tell you, I don't like this one bit.

[00:23:43]Theo. Boy, Theo, what have you done?

[00:23:47]>> This is getting worrying. It's fast becoming a race against time. We'll look for Theo all day if we have to. He could be up really high in a tree covered by leaves and foliage. And simply, [music] we can't see him. If we have to, we'll stay here at night. I really hope it doesn't come to that. Come on, Theo.

[00:24:04]Where are you, mate?

[00:24:08]We're now up to 2 hours and my neck's becoming a bit sore.

[00:24:13]>> Where are you, boy? Where are you?

[00:24:17]>> If we don't find him soon, I'm going to have to extend the search outside the park.

[00:24:22]>> What's it, Tim?

[00:24:24]>> Go ahead.

[00:24:26]>> I've got Theo.

[00:24:28]>> Ah, you little ripper. Good on you, mate.

[00:24:30]>> Well, that's the good news. The bad news is Theo's made his way right up into the top branches and he will not want to come down.

[00:24:39]>> Well, you found [music] him. Now we've got to get him down. The fun part.

[00:24:43]>> Yeah, I don't want him to get any higher.

[00:24:45]>> No, I don't want him any higher either.

[00:24:46]>> Theo, no more.

[00:24:50]The plan now is just to scale the tree, try and get myself up high enough that I can then use the pole. [music] And the pole's got a plastic bag on the end that makes a bit of noise. Now you put that above the koala's head and hopefully it makes the koala come down. I'm coming up Theo.

[00:25:10]>> That's it, mate.

[00:25:11]>> Come on.

[00:25:14]>> Oh, he's going up.

[00:25:15]>> The cheeky little fella. Every move up the tree I make, he goes a bit higher.

[00:25:20]>> He's going up.

[00:25:21]>> The trouble is, the higher he goes, the further there is for both of us to fall.

[00:25:26]>> Come on, pal. He's going even further.

[00:25:29]Lovely.

[00:25:29]>> I don't want to have to go to the top of that tree because it starts blowing in the wind then it gets a bit scary. If he goes up too high, I can't follow. I have to pull back for my safety and for Theo's. If the branch gets too thin, it could bend and snap and he's going to come crashing down. No higher Theo.

[00:25:52]>> Take a look at this.

[00:25:55]That's a king cobra. That's why they scared me.

[00:25:59]Australia has 10 out of 10 of the most venomous snakes in the world. The king cobra only ranks at number 17. But what it lacks in toxicity, it makes up for with sheer size. It's the largest venomous snake in the world. I've got one with an eye problem and he's not happy.

[00:26:17]Called king of the jungle, this 5 m king cobra is one of the world's most dangerous snakes.

[00:26:24]He's also my least favorite patient. So, this examination requires the master, the owner of the Australian Reptile Park and my boss, John Wiggle.

[00:26:34]>> What's the problem?

[00:26:34]>> Look at that right eye. He's got the skin stuck, >> right?

[00:26:38]>> And so, is it causing him some problems or is he >> Look, he's been continually trying to get it off. He shed well otherwise, but he's been trying to get it off. And, you know, for the guys, he's been a bit worked up.

[00:26:49]>> Okay. Well, we can have a look.

[00:26:52]The king has a a piece of skin stuck over his eye or a retained spectacle. Uh it happens from time to time with snakes. They shed their skin. In some cases, it gets stuck on.

[00:27:04]This particular snake is normally cool, calm, and placid. But with that piece of skin stuck on his eye, he's a different animal. He's blind in one eye, and that makes him very dangerous for us and critical that the skin comes off.

[00:27:18]But before the scale can be removed, John has the dangerous task of catching the cobra.

[00:27:25]>> I'm going in. All right.

[00:27:34]>> I wouldn't say that he's he's mad. He knows what he's doing, but he's crazy to the point of view that look at the size of that thing.

[00:27:41]>> Picking up a king cobra is scary.

[00:27:44]There's no doubt about that. I'm painfully aware that [music] if the snake has enough latitude, it can easily turn around and bite and it will be a highly venomous bite.

[00:28:00][music] [music] There's a rich diversity of landscapes [music] to be found in Tasmania.

[00:28:15]Apart from desert, it can pretty much replicate all that is found on the Australian mainland. There's dense subtropical greenery, lush fields that help feed a [music] nation, mountain ranges that leave you in awe, and of course, it's surrounded by seas that is some of the most fertile on Earth.

[00:28:34]This is Narantapu National Park and it's one of the best [music] places to view wildlife on the island.

[00:28:45]And they call this place [music] Tasmania's Serengeti, just like the great plains of Africa. But the park's important for so much more than just its grasslands. There's coastal heath, oceanfront, tidal mud flats, and a great diversity of species and habitats.

[00:29:02]Late afternoon is the best time to witness some of Australia's most iconic species. And you don't [music] get a better view than this. There are three species of wombat. Down here in Tasmania, we've got the common wombat. A bit smaller than those found on the mainland, but just as impressive.

[00:29:24]Wombats are bulldozers of the bush. They dig elaborate burrows underground with those incredibly strong forearms.

[00:29:30]They're also equipped with a hard cartilage plate on the rump. Now, if I was a predator and I followed that wombat down the burrow, he would whack it up against the top of the burrow, try and crush my head and block his burrow.

[00:29:42]They're extremely territorial, but most of the aggression is limited to the breeding season. Most of the time, just like this fella here, when threatened, they'll scurry off to their burrow rather than stand and fight.

[00:29:56]>> Are they sleeping them through the day?

[00:29:58]And he's just coming out for a feed. And they're herbivores, grazers. They feed on these open grasslands.

[00:30:05]They'll sometimes head over to the thick scrub for a forage, but on the whole, they prefer young, tender grass shoots.

[00:30:12][music] And when it's dry, they'll dig down with those claws to get at the roots. Because their diet is nutritionally poor, they need to conserve as much energy [music] as possible. One way is by having a low metabolism. It'll take up to two weeks [music] for food to pass through the digestive system. That lets them extract the maximum amount of nutrients from [music] their food. And they'll graze for anything up to 8 hours a night.

[00:30:37]That's a lot of gnoring on grasses which are abrasive [music] to teeth. But not to worry, wombats teeth never stop growing. funnily enough, their closest living relative [music] is a koala up in the tree.

[00:31:00]Sharing the [music] plains with the wombats are these eastern gray kangaroos.

[00:31:05]In fact, they're a subspecies of the [music] gray and here on Tasmania, they're known as forester kangaroos. In contrast to the mainland, numbers here [music] are drastically lower than what they used to be. Severe culling was common practice up [music] until 50 years ago, to the point that numbers were reduced to 15% of their previous levels. Today, only small pockets [music] exist in the northeastern and central regions of the island. Gray kangaroos are the second largest species of kangaroo in Australia. An adult male can stand taller than a man. Now, they generally live in a in a mob. Now, that's a loose mob just behind me there.

[00:31:43]And there'll be one big buck. He'll be the dominant male. And he'll fight off any others that come near. Then there'll be a bunch of females and their joeies.

[00:31:51]Now, the females can actually have two joeies at once. One dependent joey that's left the pouch but still drinking milk and another that's fused to the teeth inside.

[00:32:04]Kangaroos have one of the most energy [music] efficient and economical ways of getting around. They hop and it's pretty unique in the animal kingdom. Now what it means is they [music] rely on elastic tendons rather than a lot of physical exertion to cover long distances. The faster they travel, the less energy they use. It may not [music] be in cheetah territory, but a female eastern gray was recorded at a whopping 64 km hour. Usain [music] Bolt, eat your heart out.

[00:32:39]>> [music] >> It's pretty high now. No higher, Theo.

[00:32:45]We've got a bit of a rescue situation going on here at the park. Come on, mate. Our boy Theo went AWOL from his enclosure and found himself up the top of a tree. Come on, Theo. Come on, mate.

[00:33:00]Down this way, please. That's a boy. And guess whose job it is to get up there and bring the little deserter back to base.

[00:33:07]>> Little bit more, buddy. That hand. Come on. Yeah, I know you're cranky, mate.

[00:33:12]>> Come on, pal. [laughter] Theo is a man on [music] a mission and he doesn't want to play ball. He's putting up a fight. So, I'm trying to unhook one hand while he's grabbing on with the other. He's moving around the back of the tree. Then he starts to bite. It's not easy.

[00:33:27]Come on, pal. Come on to me, mate. Don't forget I'm up in the tree, too, buddy.

[00:33:31]You got him. Yep. Trying to bite.

[00:33:33]>> Yeah. You're happy?

[00:33:34]>> Yep. Okay, mate. I'm coming down now.

[00:33:36]You might have to just give me a bit of coaching on the feet. Hey.

[00:33:38]>> Yeah. No worries, mate.

[00:33:39]>> Stay there. Stay there. Hey. Hey. No. No tree. Good boy. Good boy. Settle down.

[00:33:45]Settle down. Theo's accepted [music] that he's coming down. And once he's on me, he settles. But I've got to get the two of us down safely. Do you think you can grab him, mate?

[00:33:55]>> Yeah, I can get him now.

[00:33:56]>> Please. That claw out of my back.

[00:33:57]>> Come on, Theo.

[00:33:58]>> Thank you.

[00:33:59]>> Come on, mate.

[00:34:01]Oh, I do got me now. Oh, okay. Okay. It's okay.

[00:34:08]>> Right. Time to go back to your enclosure, matey.

[00:34:12]>> Well, he knows he's home, mate. He's having a good sniff. He does. Why do you think he got out?

[00:34:16]>> Well, I got a suspicion, mate. Wouldn't be the first time. I reckon he's out looking for love. Ah, Theo. You little devil. Out looking for the ladies.

[00:34:27]Tim's got a theory that Theo's gotten out because he's after a girl. Now, I'm personally happy to help out any of my little male buddies here. So, Theo, we're going to see what we can do for you.

[00:34:42]He's ready, mate. He's been calling the whole way. Well, there's only one thing to do when you've got an amorous young koala on your hands. It's time for us to play matchmaker.

[00:34:54]Theo is a young male, prime of his life, three years old, and this will be his first introduction to a female Pia. He's a teenager. He got halfway here last night. That's probably what he was after. So, it's a pretty exciting day.

[00:35:07]Hey, mate. Yeah. And he's been grunting like koalas do the whole way from the yard to here. [music] The only question now is whether Cupid will be shooting arrows between Theo and our [music] girl Pia.

[00:35:22]I'm really excited for Theo. He's shown us all the signs. We've found [music] a perfect match and we're about to introduce them. The only thing that I'm a little bit concerned about is little Polly. I don't think what we're about to see [music] is something appropriate at her tender age.

[00:35:39]>> Good girl. Come over here. You might not want to see this.

[00:35:43]>> Let's go, mate. Up you go. There you go.

[00:35:46]That's Pia. Be gentle. That's good. Oh, no. He's still missing. Lift up a little. Lift her up. There we go. That's it. Good boy.

[00:35:56]Just need a little bit of help.

[00:35:57]Excellent. [music] Successful mating, mate.

[00:35:59]>> Very successful.

[00:36:00]>> She's nice and quiet, too. Very easy.

[00:36:02]Perfect timing.

[00:36:03]>> Oh, the Polly hasn't seen a thing.

[00:36:05]>> Good.

[00:36:06]>> No, she hasn't seen a thing. It's okay, Dar. Look at the eucalyptus trees out there.

[00:36:11]>> That's [music] it. She's finished. That was good.

[00:36:14]>> That was unreal.

[00:36:15]>> Excellent. That's the most perfect mating you could hope for. Wow. Theo uh for a first mating. That was brilliant.

[00:36:23]He showed all the trademark skills that we want to see in a young adult male koala. Should be pretty impressed with himself. Hopefully Pia will give birth to another little Joey in 5 weeks time.

[00:36:36]As for our Theo, well, he seems pretty impressed with [music] his efforts.

[00:36:40]>> Go on, give us a roar. Give us a roar.

[00:36:44][clears throat] Good. Yeah. You're a good boy. You're a good boy.

[00:36:51]What a day. Our little boy's a man.

[00:36:55]There you go.

[00:36:59][music] >> Okay, >> just watch your legs. [music] I'm about to come face to face with one of the world's most dangerous snakes, the king cobra. If master handler John Wigle can catch it. The biggest problem is that there's so much snake here to work with such a small area. [music] >> [music] >> Okay, >> after several attempts, John's finally pinned down the contankerous cobra.

[00:37:44]>> So, I need some help before he rips around.

[00:37:48]>> Now, a nice little safe early move might be to see if we can get him to expend some of that venom.

[00:37:56]>> Oh, look at that. Holy moly.

[00:38:02]If somebody does get bitten, there's going to be a lot less venom that's put in than before he was milked.

[00:38:08]>> So now it's actually time to get that uh stuck eyelid off.

[00:38:13]>> How's that? Can you see him? [music] >> Yep. That's good. So there it is. Sorry buddy. It's going to feel better in a minute.

[00:38:23]>> Got it. Oh wow. Look at that. Imagine that stuck over your eye.

[00:38:27]I've now removed the scale, but I suspect that the cobra may have another piece of skin covering his eye.

[00:38:34]>> I think there's one more. The eye is very opaque.

[00:38:41]>> Here we go. Look at that.

[00:38:42]>> Wow. You're right.

[00:38:43]>> Two.

[00:38:44]>> Wow.

[00:38:44]>> Hey, >> that's nuts.

[00:38:46]>> It's pretty rare that we'd get one piece of skin stuck on the eye. This time we had two.

[00:38:50]>> Yep. We got it, mate. Let's get out.

[00:38:52]>> Yeah, I think you did. Well, >> now comes the risky part. releasing [music] this cranky cobra without getting bitten.

[00:39:00]>> Okay, we ready with the door, guys?

[00:39:07]>> Okay, no hard feelings, mate.

[00:39:09]>> Nothing behind you.

[00:39:17]>> Big snake.

[00:39:19]>> Big snake. Yeah, >> that >> How many bodies in there? Certainly [music] enough to kill a small army. So better in there than in your arm. I think >> today went very well. We have a successful operation in that the spectacles are removed. So uh I I feel very good about today's outcome. I'm happy with the end result and you know John might still be the master but the king is [music] still the king.

[00:39:48][music] >> [music] >> This is Narantapu, one of Tasmania's many national parks.

[00:40:05]One of my passions is birds, and this estie [music] and sand flats are so important for so many species. Just here I've seen pi and sy oyster catchers. Red cap plvers and a particular [music] favorite of mine.

[00:40:18]These two very special little birds are hooded plvers right in front of me. Now they're endangered throughout most of Australia.

[00:40:26]The problem? Well, there's a few, but one I keep returning to is feral pests.

[00:40:31]The adult birds, they can get away, but a long incubation period and the fact chicks are flightless for 3 weeks means that [music] for nearly 2 months, they are at the mercy of these pests. An added problem is the breeding season coincides with the holiday season. The eggs are so well camouflaged, even up close, it's difficult [music] to see them. So, anyone unaware wandering along the beach could easily step on a nest.

[00:40:58]So the plver's breeding success is determined by predation from feral pests and larger birds, disturbance from dogs, horses and humans. And added to that, high seas can wash away nests, eggs, and chicks. [music] It's no wonder numbers are plummeting across Australia. If we're not careful, we could lose the lot. [music] On the way out of Nantipoo, it's got one final little surprise for me.

[00:41:28]Australia has some of the most unique wildlife on Earth. And the akidna has to be one of the best examples. This is an egg laying mammal. Can you believe that?

[00:41:37]Now, akidnas are monotremes. And there's only three species of monotremes on Earth. There's the shortbeaked the kidna found in Australia. The long beaked the kidna found in Papa Newu Guinea and the platypus. The akidna spines are perfect protection against any predator be it a dingo, gana, big python or an eagle.

[00:41:53]Nothing can get through that wall of spines. their little legs and arms. They are so strong they're able to dig into the ground and just wedge in and throw those spikes up, but they also use them for finding food. Now, they mainly eat ant eggs, termites, and they use these sharp claws to dig in, rip parts of a termite mound open or into an ant's nest and actually use their tongue that's 20 cm long to lick through the little cavities and collect all of the eggs or ants, bring them back into the mouth.

[00:42:22]He's curled up in a ball and the idea of that is to protect himself. He protects all the vital areas, the face, all the major organs and the soft parts of his body. And he's protecting himself against any predators that might try and eat him.

[00:42:35]I'm going to put him back down there. My hands have had just about all they [music] can take. He's spiky. And what he's going to do is use those strong arms and probably just dig himself right into the soil. He'll sit there [music] until we're gone.

[00:42:48]Here you go, mate. Thank you. Heat.

[00:42:53][music] Heat.

[00:42:58][music]