In the first in a new series of Animal Park Summer Specials, Ben Fogle and Kate Humble get ready to welcome some exciting new VIPs to the Park. Koalas are coming to Longleat. Five Southern koalas are en route all the way from Adelaide in Australia. They’re poised to make history as the very first of their kind in Europe. But this ground-breaking mission, more than two years in the planning, is fraught with difficulties. The fabulous five’s new home in Wiltshire will be devoted to conservation and research, a ground-breaking centre of excellence. But first these marvellous marsupials need to arrive safe and sound

Koalas have never been flown this far in just one leg. Will they survive the epic 15000km journey? They’re notoriously fussy eaters so has the team picked the correct types out of hundreds of varieties of eucalyptus? If the famous five turn their noses up, the Park’s in trouble. These adorable fuzzballs eat nothing but eucalyptus. So there are no alternatives to tempt them with.

In the wild sea lions can reach up to speeds of 25mph in the water. Kate helps put the Park posse’s sprint swimming talents to the test with an ingenious catapult contraption. Meanwhile Ben demonstrates his curling skills with giant blocks of ice as he helps the white rhinos to cool down.

Jean Johansson is kicking up a stink in wolf wood with a sack of zebra poo to see if the pack of European grey wolves can live up to their reputation for having one of the best senses of smell in the animal world. Show less