We go in search of the native wildlife that lives tooth by jowl with Longleat’s impressive exotic animal collection. Head of forestry Jim McConkie is trying to capture an image of wild otters thought to inhabit a river on the estate, and he’s roped his kids in to help. They find evidence of crayfish, one of the otter’s favourite snacks, but can they capture this elusive, nocturnal predator on their camera traps? Senior Keeper Ian, meanwhile, is a keen photographer and birder. He’s snapped a true rarity feeding at his garden table– a songbird that hails all the way from East Asia. But can he photograph red kites, the majestic birds of prey, as they scavenge for supper from the leftovers of the lion feed-up?
Red, the male Amur tiger, has been behaving badly around a few visiting vehicles. The team have a new training regime to get him back on the straight and narrow. But will he earn his meaty reward, or is his taste for cars too strong? Meanwhile, Kate is with another of the park’s big cat family as she checks up on the mobility of female cheetah Xena. Born with a growth abnormality in her legs, Xena had to be hand reared. It’s an emotional moment as this cat, who’s been through so much, shows she’s got plenty of gas in the tank.
And Jean Johansson is with keeper Sophie for a weigh-in of the park’s elderly Asian elephant. Anne might be in her 60s but, at just under three and a half tons, she still packs some muscle. Show less