Series 3 Episode 6
16 July 2009
In this week's episode of THE ZOO, a red panda is about to become a first-time mum; an electrical storm leaves a flying fox orphaned; an orangutan faces a cancer scare; and a breeding program hopes to increase numbers of the critically endangered mallee fowl.
Harry the flying fox has been found clinging to his dead mother after being caught in an electrical storm. Now it's up to Taronga Zoo keeper Rochelle to stand in as mum until he's ready to go back to the wild.
With less than 2500 red panda's left in the wild, keepers at Taronga Zoo are thrilled that their female red panda, Wanmei, is pregnant. A healthy cub would mean a genetic safety net, but being a first-time parent there's a chance she may not be a natural mother and keepers will need to step in.
Keepers at Adelaide Zoo are faced with a serious mystery. Pusan, their beloved 30-year-old orangutan, may have a bowel related cancer. So keepers pull out all stops to get to the bottom of his mystery illness.
Mallee fowl are critically endangered, so the team from Adelaide Zoo are trying to breed them. First, keepers must collect the precious mallee fowl eggs from the wild. It's then a waiting game to see if the eggs are fertile. If successful, the mallee fowl chicks will join the zoo to help save the species.
