Animal Park Christmas Special

Original version

BBC One North West

Animal Park

Factual: Pets & Animals

Kate Humble and Ben Fogle go behind the scenes at Longleat Safari Park.

Cute critters and caring keepers. Kate Humble and Ben Fogle explore Longleat Safari Park, meeting a host of exotic, fascinating animals and the people who look after them.

Christmas 2022

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Kate Humble

Ben Fogle

Hamza Yassin

Megan McCubbin

Alastair Bazeley-Bell

Joff Wilson

Remarkable TV

Animal Park: Christmas 2022: Episode 4

Episode 4

BBC One - Animal Park, Christmas 2022, Episode 4

Can the hyena find their festive feast, and is romance brewing in the cheetah enclosure?

Megan and the keepers hide lumps of meat on a Christmas tree to create a puzzle for the cheetahs, and can Hamza spot signs of a festive romance in the cheetah enclosure?

It’s time to deck the halls because Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are heading back to Longleat Safari Park for a magical week of programmes. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without mistletoe and a hint of romance, and that’s exactly what the keepers are hoping for at the cheetah enclosure. Rachael is the stunning female looking for a mate, and she has two boys to choose from, brothers Mo and Bolt. A litter of cheetah cubs would make everyone’s Christmases come at once because they are classed as vulnerable in the wild. However, Rachael doesn’t appear to be particularly interested in either of the boys, so cameraman Hamza Yassin trains his lens on them to find out why.

Deciding what to eat on the big day is always a big decision, and the estate has records of what’s been on the winter menu as far back as 1603, with prunes, raisins and peppercorns all on the list. Ben discovers that by the 19th century, things were getting a bit more extensive, with a turkey dinner for lunch and then a seven-course meal in the evening!

Rather than serving Christmas dinner on a plate, for the hyenas Megan McCubbin has a different approach entirely. She and the keepers are adding lumps of meat to a Christmas tree in order to create a brilliant enrichment puzzle for them. The moment the keepers release Akuma and Nkuru, they begin to hunt as a team, finding the treats buried in the tree. But as their senses are heightened, how long with it be before these great African scavengers destroy the festive display?

Animal Park: Christmas 2022

BBC One

A series of Christmas specials from Longleat Safari Park.

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