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00:00They say don't ever work with babies or animals, but what if they're baby animals?
00:12I was only born this morning.
00:15On this all new season, welcome back to the ever-changing world of Taronga,
00:24where you'll witness things you never thought possible.
00:29You can actually hear her breathe.
00:31And meet new faces.
00:33Oh hi buddy.
00:34You'll never forget.
00:36So good.
00:37It's time to discover.
00:39Oh my god.
00:41Exactly who's who in this zoo.
00:49On this episode.
00:51It doesn't feel good.
00:52A heart-stopping moment.
00:54He's now not breathing.
00:56Literally.
00:57I can't hear hardly.
00:58As this majestic cat.
01:00Just keep bagging.
01:01Keep bagging.
01:02Is brought back from the dead.
01:04So that adrenaline's in.
01:05Meet Laura and Beck.
01:07It doesn't look like we've got any termites in here yet.
01:11Possibly the only two humans.
01:13It is a bit of a guessing game.
01:15Excited to find termites.
01:18We haven't done anything like this before.
01:20And a trip to the dentist for the world's largest rodent.
01:24They have really big influenza teeth.
01:26Really?
01:27Huh.
01:28I hadn't noticed.
01:29At Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
01:40A wild week is nothing new.
01:44But this particular week is shaping up to be a bit wilder than usual.
01:50For Taronga's vets and nurses.
01:53It's a pretty busy time at the wildlife hospital at the moment.
01:56Yeah, I'm going to put three different drugs in his cocktail.
02:02So I'm going to have a second one drawn up for the dart in case we need it.
02:06So we've actually got two tiger anaesthetics planned.
02:09Mainly to look at their dental health.
02:11And the two incoming patients are not just any tigers.
02:15They're senior Sumatran tigers, Satu and Sakti.
02:20Satu is our eldest tiger here at the zoo.
02:23And he's just had his 18th birthday last month.
02:27Sakti is, I guess, our spring chicken here at the tiger facility.
02:31He is actually 13 years of age.
02:34Over there in Sumatra,
02:36you'd probably expect tigers to live to be approximately 10 to 12 years of age.
02:41However, when they have a high standard of care,
02:44quite often they can live to their late teens, even their early 20s.
02:47For us, our main focus is making sure that our animals have a good, healthy life.
02:54And that's exactly what today's double tiger checkup is all about.
02:59So I've got both pole syringes.
03:00I've got the blowpipe.
03:01Yep.
03:02Dart rifle.
03:03Yep.
03:04And the injections are drawn up here.
03:05Yep.
03:06The first tiger on the list is the eldest, Satu.
03:10We know that he's had some dental issues in the past
03:12and he's got some canines that have fractured and been treated with root canals.
03:15We want to make sure there's nothing painful.
03:17Our dental veterinary specialist, David, is flying in from Melbourne today for these procedures.
03:22If the dental specialist finds any issues with the tiger's teeth,
03:26that could make things a little more complicated.
03:29Big cats, they are prone to getting high potassium in their blood while they're under anaesthetic.
03:36And that can be a life threatening complication, particularly with long procedures.
03:39We want to try and keep our anaesthetic time as low as we can, but dental procedures can be quite lengthy.
03:44Being an older cat, there's a little bit of an increased risk with his anaesthetic.
03:48The high potassium can affect his heart rhythm and in a really severe case you can actually have a cardiac arrest.
03:54So we'll keep the procedure as short as we can.
03:56Before they can begin the procedure, they'll need to sedate Satu.
04:01We have got a hand injection and a 21 gauge needle.
04:08All right.
04:09Good luck.
04:12So we're going to head in now with the anaesthetic drugs that the vets have given us to administer.
04:17It won't be long until they call us, I don't think, so come on.
04:20We'll let the vets know how his injection has gone.
04:23All right, I'm going.
04:26Dutch.
04:31Well done.
04:32Megan to Alisa.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Go ahead.
04:35Looks as though we've got 100%.
04:36He's lying calmly on the grass.
04:39That's awesome.
04:40Well done.
04:41That's so amazing.
04:42That's all gone perfectly.
04:44With the first tiger asleep.
04:46I've checked.
04:47He's got no blink.
04:48The team quietly enter the den and prepare him for the move to the animal hospital.
04:59Let me get the catheter stuff ready.
05:02So we've got quite a big team working on Satu.
05:06So I'm getting a reading.
05:09Heart rate's 80.
05:10We've got three vets working on him.
05:12We've got three nurses.
05:13Cephalics are usually hard.
05:15We want to make sure that we do everything as efficiently as we can.
05:19Every team member plays a crucial role.
05:23And as they continue prepping Satu, vet nurse Jane notices a change in his vitals.
05:30He's got an odd breathing pattern.
05:32Getting closer, closer, closer than breath hold.
05:35Yeah, yeah.
05:36How long have we been since injection?
05:39Oh, 10.
05:4015 minutes.
05:41Okay.
05:42But Alisa watches closely, assessing the tiger's respiration rate.
05:47Yeah, he hasn't had a good deep breath for a minute.
05:57If Taronga in Sydney had a prize for the most relaxed and laid back resident.
06:03Buddy, how you doing?
06:06This guy would certainly be a top contender.
06:11This is Carlos.
06:13He is one of our capybara boys.
06:16We've got four males.
06:18Capybaras are native to South America.
06:21I kind of like to call them South American hippopotamuses.
06:25They love to spend time in the water.
06:28They do have webbed feet just like a duck.
06:31And they hold their breath for five minutes as well, just like hippos.
06:36It's actually their kind of safety refuge.
06:38So they do have quite a few predators in the wild.
06:41And what they'll do, they'll go into the water to protect themselves.
06:44You can see with his ears, eyes and nose, they're all in a straight line altogether.
06:49So they'll kind of just be sitting with those above and they can see and hear everything.
06:53Well, Darcy, you might want to cover his ears for this next bit.
06:58So tomorrow he's just booked in for a general anaesthetic just to make sure he's all nice and healthy.
07:04Obviously when he is under the anaesthetic, we can actually get a good look what's going on.
07:08Like Taronga's Sumatran tigers in Dubbo, six-year-old Carlos is also getting on a bit.
07:15Carlos is turning six in a couple of weeks.
07:18Now six for a capybara is actually getting quite old for them.
07:22In the wild, life expectancy is probably about seven or eight for a male.
07:27So much the same as our tigers, Darcy will not only get a physical but a dental check too.
07:34With capybaras, they are the world's largest rodents.
07:37So being a rodent, they have really big incisor teeth growing constantly.
07:43We give them a lot of brows, you know, branches and that actually helps with their dental care.
07:48If you've ever wondered what a capybara toothbrush looks like, and I know I have,
07:54well, wonder no more.
07:56This is a Cocos log.
07:58They'll chew on that throughout the day.
08:00Just kind of trims down his teeth and just to make sure they don't become overgrown.
08:03With the general anaesthetic tomorrow, we can actually get a much better look at his teeth
08:07just to make sure they're all nice and healthy and there's no issues with them as well.
08:11Carlos is super affectionate.
08:13He's super comfortable with people.
08:16He's very tactile.
08:17He loves pats.
08:18You can give him a good scratch like this.
08:21And yeah, just really curious.
08:22When we come in, he's always kind of the first one to come over to see what food you want.
08:25We have or just what we're up to as well.
08:28This trusting relationship between Keeper Darcy and Carlos the Capybara might be tested tomorrow
08:36when Carlos has to be anaesthetised.
08:39My role will be to hand inject Carlos for his procedure.
08:43Capybara skin is quite tough, so it's a bit hard to get the needle in.
08:47I know he's going to do great, but I've been building up so much for this hand injection.
08:52I want it to go smoothly.
08:53So yeah, just thinking about that a lot.
08:55So quite nerve-wracking.
08:56A lot of anxiety right now.
09:00Yeah, he hasn't had a good deep breath for a minute.
09:02Back at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
09:05Alright, let me get you out of the way.
09:06Aged Sumatran tiger Satu has just been sedated.
09:11Last time he had a 16 tube.
09:13But he's now struggling to breathe.
09:16I'm just tubing it.
09:17It's not an uncommon occurrence in aged animals under anaesthetic, and the vet team begins intubating him to assist his breathing.
09:26Tell me when you're ready?
09:27Yep.
09:28Ready.
09:29Yeah.
09:30Gee, mate.
09:31You got a visual?
09:34Not really.
09:35I can see the epiglottis.
09:37No, we might have to change to sternal, I think.
09:39There's another flop going on.
09:41Alright.
09:42So we're just going to have to sit him up on his tummy to get a better position for tubing.
09:46On three.
09:47One, two, three.
09:49External.
09:50Leg under.
09:52Yep.
09:53Is that better, Catherine?
09:54Yeah, that's heaps better.
09:55With any older animal, there are increased risks with anaesthetic.
09:59Just because their organs are a bit more tired, they may not be working as well.
10:03He's doing very tiny, shallow breaths.
10:05It's alright.
10:06We'll just get him on the track and...
10:07Yeah.
10:08We can breathe for him if we need to.
10:11With his breathing now supported, the vet team can move Satu to the wildlife hospital
10:17to be prepped for his dental exam.
10:20Good to go.
10:21Yep.
10:25Oh, God, what a crowd.
10:26Oh, yeah.
10:31Okay, one, two, three.
10:34Go.
10:35You got it?
10:36Okay.
10:37Alright.
10:38Alright, so we'll get him on.
10:39Alright.
10:40Hook him up.
10:41Yep.
10:42So we're on 4%.
10:43We are on 2% and 4 litres.
10:45It's nothing like hitting the ground running.
10:47The treatment room is packed with veterinary staff and there's also a crowd gathered to watch
10:54not one, but two tigers making a visit to Dubbo's Wildlife Hospital.
11:00Yes, everybody.
11:01This is David and Tracy.
11:03Alright, yeah.
11:04Left side.
11:05Yep.
11:06Okay, so 201's missing.
11:08Yep.
11:10202 has three millimetres all round and abrasion.
11:14So we're very privileged to be welcoming veterinary dental specialist David to Dubbo.
11:19He's actually come here all the way from Melbourne.
11:21Okay, generitis of one, calculus of one.
11:24And David's one of a handful of veterinary dental specialists in Australia who has the
11:28skills and the knowledge and experience to do this type of procedure on a tiger.
11:32So this is a tiger that I looked at in 2011 and also in 2019.
11:38And he fractured these canine teeth, which are the big fang teeth.
11:42And I did what's called root canal procedures on them.
11:45And I'm back here today to take some x-rays.
11:50So we'll have to leave in a minute.
11:53Okay, I'm ready when you are.
11:56Clear.
11:57While dental specialist David works his way through the necessary x-rays.
12:02One done.
12:03Looks good.
12:04X-ray again.
12:05Vet Alisa monitors a sample of Satu's blood to check how he's responding to the anaesthetic.
12:12So we've just done his first sort of blood test and we've got his baseline potassium,
12:16which is something we've got to monitor really carefully through his procedure.
12:19So his baseline is four, which is perfectly normal.
12:22And our intervention point is if it increases by one.
12:25Satu's blood potassium levels are good, which means there is little risk of damage to the tiger's heart.
12:32But if the levels were to get too high, it could cause a cardiac arrest.
12:38Jane, you got a blood pressure there?
12:40Yep, got it.
12:41Everything needs to be considered.
12:43116 over 58.
12:45The team are constantly balancing the tiger's surgery with the clinical realities of sedating such an aged animal.
12:53We are seeing some of the kidney values a little bit on the high side and we want to make sure that we're not making anything worse.
12:59So we're watching his blood pressure really closely.
13:01His heart may not function as well as a younger cat.
13:03We may have some issues underlying with his kidneys and we certainly don't want to make those things worse while he's under anaesthetic.
13:09With Satu being older, a low blood pressure event during anaesthetic that can actually push them into kidney failure.
13:14Still to come.
13:18He's a bit nervous.
13:19Darcy's big surprise.
13:21I think he definitely knows something is happening.
13:23But just how will Carlos react?
13:26Feeling a little bit nervous about it all.
13:28And...
13:29One, two, three.
13:31Double trouble.
13:33Some tough decisions ahead.
13:35He's not particularly stable.
13:37For Vet Alisa.
13:38We're in the danger zone.
13:45Here's a quick echidna quiz.
13:48How many termites do you think these spiny anteaters devour each day?
13:54A few hundred?
13:55A few thousand?
13:57Nope.
13:58Each echidna in the wild would eat about 10,000 termites a day.
14:02That's more than a few.
14:04So if you had to rustle up that many, you might need to get a little creative.
14:10Think outside the box.
14:13Yep.
14:14This box.
14:15What we're doing here today, it's a little unusual.
14:17I'm here to find some termite mounds, set some traps and hopefully be capturing some termites
14:23to bring back for the echidnas.
14:25I've chosen this location because we believe it may be an active termite mound.
14:31It is experimental, no guarantees that we're going to be able to collect anything, but
14:36we're willing to sort of do a bit of trial and error.
14:39Laura has travelled to some local bushland to try out an interesting termite trap technique.
14:45I've got a bucket here.
14:46It's got some holes drilled in the bottom.
14:48What I'm going to do is pop down next to the nest.
14:52The scientific name is a termite bait station.
14:55Going to collect up some soil from nearby.
14:57Basically, it's a bucket full of tasty termite treats.
15:01A little bit of leaf litter as well.
15:04Here's some wood that I've collected from nearby.
15:07It looks like it's already had some termite activity on it.
15:10What I'm going to do is I'm going to pop it in the bucket here to try and encourage them to enter this one and start to eat this wood.
15:17I mean, it looks pretty enticing, right?
15:21I just want to get the bottom of it just below the surface level here.
15:26So the holes are just in the soil.
15:28A little bit of water will just create a moist environment and encourage them to move in.
15:33And really, what self-respecting termite wouldn't want to move in?
15:38The last thing left to do is just pop the lid on it.
15:46We'll leave it and we'll see if some termites have moved in.
15:50Hmm.
15:51They termite?
15:53Or they termite not?
15:55We'll have to wait and see.
16:01Back in Dubbo at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital.
16:04So we just need to radiograph 404 and 104.
16:07Not one, but two aged Sumatran Tigers are each booked in for a thorough dental check-up and health assessment.
16:16X-ray.
16:17First up is 18-year-old Satu.
16:20And while the dental examination is quite routine, it's the side effects from the general anaesthetic that's keeping the vet team on their toes.
16:30We may have some issues with his kidneys and we certainly don't want to make those things worse while he's under anaesthetic.
16:35Low blood pressure can actually push them into kidney failure.
16:38And it's not just low blood pressure that they have to monitor.
16:42The drug combination he's had does tend to keep their blood pressure a little bit high.
16:45So we want to make sure that that's all fine.
16:47Blood pressure is 102 over 58, mean of 73.
16:52So at the moment his blood pressure's really good.
16:55Unhappy.
16:56The title's stable.
16:57Everything's stable though.
16:58If we're seeing trends that we need to intervene, then we've got everything ready to do that.
17:03The team are allowing a three-hour window to keep Satu anaesthetised while specialist David examines and addresses any issues with the tiger's teeth.
17:15Was this the one that's got the fracture?
17:18But should there be any concerning signs that Satu's health is at risk, vet Elisa will stop the examination immediately and the tiger will be returned to its den to recover.
17:30The throat packs out and his pharynx is clean.
17:33Did we take photos David?
17:34Yes.
17:35Yes, great.
17:36Have you gotten them off?
17:37Yeah, I've got pictures of his teeth, yeah.
17:38Yeah, that's all.
17:39Not his head.
17:40Okay.
17:41We don't have to do any treatment on this side.
17:42We just need to take some radiographs.
17:43Okay.
17:44Okay.
17:45X-ray.
17:46X-ray again.
17:47Just step back a metre and that'd be good.
17:52Oh, so his respiration's got up a tiny bit.
17:55Yeah, oh that looks good.
17:57Excellent.
17:58His mouth is perfectly fine so he's got wonderful oral health for an 18-year-old tiger.
18:02We are done.
18:03Oh, look at you go.
18:04Yeah.
18:05So the rest of the teeth are good?
18:06Yeah, perfect.
18:07That's what we want to hear, David.
18:08While the dental exam has concluded, the vet team are still performing their own assessment
18:17of the aged tiger.
18:19Alright, let's go.
18:20So I'm just taking the opportunity while he's under anaesthetic to give him a full thorough examination.
18:26So I'd like you to take your cat to the vets once a year for a check-up.
18:31Oh my god.
18:33We did find that he's got some arthritis in his joints.
18:36And we've had a good look at his foot pads and we found that his toenails are a little
18:39bit long as claws.
18:40Look at that one.
18:41Do we need to, that's got to trim that one, that's going into his paw.
18:44So we wouldn't normally cut a tiger's nails, but we're just noticing because he's getting
18:49a little bit older, he's not wearing them down as much like your pet cat does as well.
18:54No one anticipated a tiger manicure today, but the team came prepared for anything.
19:01Though nailing this part is a bit more time consuming than expected.
19:05So we've been monitoring very closely, obviously, the whole time he's been under anaesthetic.
19:10But we've just noticed a couple of little parameters are changing.
19:14CO2's gone up a bit.
19:16His respiration rate's just gone a little down.
19:21He's not taking nice, big, deep breaths.
19:24He's looking a bit paler than before.
19:27How long are we at?
19:28So it's been nearly two and a half.
19:30I think we probably need to quit while we're ahead.
19:33Stretcher must be outside, I'll grab it.
19:36We've decided the best thing today is probably just to be grateful of all the information
19:41that we've got.
19:42We've checked his teeth, we've done all the important things.
19:44We're not going to push it too much.
19:46Alright, should we disconnect this?
19:48We're going to get him back straight away to his enclosure.
19:51One, two, three.
19:53We'll go off that way.
19:55Even though the check-up finished slightly earlier than planned,
20:00this grand old tiger appears to be a picture of health.
20:05Alright, I'm giving you some reversals.
20:06So I'm going to give him one and a half mils.
20:09One and a half mil.
20:16Okay, that can go out.
20:18I'm just going to pull that tube now.
20:20For an 18-year-old cat, I think he's looking really good.
20:25So that's one tiger down.
20:30Right folks, if we can get the stretcher carriers please.
20:33And one to go.
20:34On three.
20:35One, two, three.
20:37Next up is 13-year-old Sakhti.
20:41Recently keepers have noticed that he's just having a little bit of trouble eating and chewing when he eats his food.
20:46So the first thing we're going to do is open his mouth and just see what's going on.
20:50So you can see the tooth is broken off.
20:52It should be as long as the lower one.
20:54And the other side is just as bad.
20:56Oh God.
20:57At Taronga's Wildlife Hospital in Sydney, the vet team are preparing for a small excursion.
21:07Just make sure you've got surgical prep stuff.
21:10Today we're going to be anaesthetizing a capybara called Carlos.
21:14And we're going to be doing a thorough health check on him.
21:16Vet Adelaide and her team will be examining Carlos from tooth to tail.
21:22Liz McConnell to a capybara keeper.
21:25Hey, we're just about to leave the hospital.
21:30We're about to do a capybara anaesthetic.
21:32Whereabouts would you like us to part?
21:34You guys are welcome to come up to the den.
21:37Let's be fun.
21:38It's exciting to do a capybara.
21:41Yeah.
21:42Yeah.
21:43So capybaras are unusual because they are a rodent.
21:45I think a lot of people might forget that because of their size.
21:49They're so enormous.
21:51I sort of think of them as almost like giant guinea pigs.
21:54I'm actually allergic to guinea pigs and agoutis, but not capybaras.
21:59Ah.
22:00Well that's handy for the procedure today.
22:02Yeah.
22:10You want to do him in four?
22:12Yeah.
22:13Okay, cool.
22:14This will be the first time Darcy has hand-injected Carlos.
22:18Okay, hi guys.
22:20So I've got the hand-injection for you.
22:22I've popped quite a big needle on here to get through the tough skin.
22:25Yep.
22:26Once he's down, we'll probably just kind of get him comfortable.
22:29We'll pop him on an oxygen mask and then we'll do his health check.
22:32All right, I'll give you that.
22:35Good luck.
22:37I'm feeling a little bit nervous about it all.
22:40I've only done one hand-injection before with his brother Pedro.
22:44Come on, bud.
22:45You can do it.
22:46Can you come down?
22:47He's a bit nervous.
22:49I think he definitely knows something is happening.
22:52Can I grab a couple of the sweet potatoes?
22:55To ensure Carlos the capybara is kept calm, try saying that fast three times,
23:00Darcy enters the enclosure completely alone to administer the injection.
23:06Sorry, love.
23:07All Jacob and the rest of the team can do is wait.
23:13Go ahead.
23:15I'm just coming out of the dent.
23:17I think I got it.
23:19Cool.
23:20Good job.
23:21He's just received the injection, which is really, really great.
23:24Darcy did an amazing job.
23:26Now we're just sort of waiting for that medication to take an effect.
23:30The injection, a bit of improvisation, a new spot for Carlos, but he did really well.
23:37And it's not long before the sedative begins to take effect.
23:42Oh, I got him.
23:43He's falling over.
23:44He's falling over?
23:45Yeah.
23:46Naomi, shift to Adelaide.
23:48Go ahead.
23:50Just letting you know Carlos is lying down now.
23:54That's good.
23:55It's now time to transport this giant sleeping rodent so his check-up can begin.
24:02One, two, three.
24:03Good job.
24:05Okay, we'll bring him in now.
24:09Yep.
24:10One, two, three.
24:12Yes.
24:13At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, 18-year-old Sumatran tiger Satu
24:18is safely back in his den after a successful trip to the dentist.
24:23Pause.
24:24There we go.
24:25I think his eye position's changed a bit.
24:27Oh, that's a blink.
24:28Yeah, he blinked.
24:29He blinked.
24:30So he's starting to rouse.
24:32That means it's now time for tiger number two.
24:36We are starting a tiger anesthetic.
24:39How you going big man?
24:41Sakji is 13 years old and recently keepers have noticed that he's just having a little
24:45bit of trouble eating and chewing when he eats his food.
24:48A tiger's teeth aren't just for chewing.
24:51They're also an important tool for socialisation, like playing, which means they're used a lot.
24:58They fight with one another or they just rough play with one another and then they bite, you
25:03know, big logs for example and just day-to-day trauma.
25:07All signs indicate that this tiger is going to need some serious dental work.
25:13What a good, good boy.
25:16Just how serious won't be known until he's sedated and in the wildlife hospital.
25:24This procedure is going to be longer than Satu and so we're going to have to be quite strict
25:30about anesthetic.
25:32Right, folks, if we can get the stretch of carriers, please.
25:35On three.
25:36One, two, three.
25:38Timeline, we'd really like to be out in three and a half hours.
25:42That's for his safety.
25:44It's not the dental surgery the vet team are most concerned about.
25:48One, two, three.
25:50But rather the length of time the big cat is under anesthetic.
25:54We're ready.
25:55We can start.
25:56Yep, you go.
25:57And the side effects that can cause.
26:00I'm just organising myself to get ready to an examination of his teeth.
26:05The keepers thought that he might have some broken teeth.
26:07So the first thing we're going to do is open his mouth and just see what's going on.
26:11And then we'll work out a plan.
26:16Two or two appears to be missing.
26:18Three is one all round with abrasion.
26:21Four, one all round.
26:24Complicated crown fracture.
26:26You can see the tooth is broken off.
26:28It should be as long as the lower one.
26:30I think it's probably lost a good 15 millimetres on the distal buckle.
26:37The dental work and the anaesthetic time are adding up.
26:42The other side is just as bad.
26:45Absolutely smashed and part of the crown is actually mobile.
26:49In a small pocket of Sydney bushland close to Taronga, horticulturist Laura has returned to check a termite test trap she set a week ago.
27:06It is a bit of a guessing game.
27:07It is a little experimental.
27:08We haven't done anything like this before.
27:11Laura is hoping to catch, if not 10,000, then at least a few hundred termites to help feed Taronga's echidna residents.
27:21All right, all right, enough of the suspense already.
27:33What have we got?
27:35It doesn't look like we've got any termites in here yet.
27:39Aww.
27:41So this is the first time I've tried setting a trap.
27:44I've had no luck today.
27:45It is experimental, but I'm quite certain with a few more goes, we'll be able to capture some.
27:50Well, that was a nice try, Laura.
27:53Termites have better luck next time.
27:56We've only had the trap set for about a week, so it may take a little bit more time for them to move in and start eating the wood.
28:03As the famous old saying goes, if you can't catch termites in a park, try a bit closer to home.
28:12Oh, something like that.
28:14So I'm just out here looking for some live termites for our echidnas.
28:18Enter keeper Beck, who joined Laura on the termite trail back at Taronga.
28:24Unfortunately, our horticulture team didn't have any luck in the park.
28:27Maybe Beck to might have better luck.
28:30Oh.
28:31What? A little too much?
28:33OK, I'll let it go.
28:35I've just found this rotten log hoping there'd be some sort of live invertebrates in there.
28:46Here we go.
28:47And I've just started ripping it up to see if there's anything in here.
28:51Yes, the suspense.
28:54There's other little bugs in there.
28:57OK, OK, but are there any tasty little termites?
29:01Yes, I've just found some termites.
29:04Finally, termites in the house.
29:07What a termite-y result.
29:10Sorry.
29:11The echidnas are going to be very happy about this, so they'll be very excited.
29:15If they're half as excited as I am, it's going to be fun times in the echidna habitat.
29:21Hello.
29:23And stand back.
29:25Here they come.
29:39They're really enjoying this.
29:41As soon as I brought this in, they all rushed over to have this yummy meal of termites.
29:46You can see Robbie here is getting right into that log.
29:51So they're very, very excited.
29:53They're using their strong claws to rip open the log and then their beak to probe into the rotten areas.
30:00Their very long tongue, which is about 18 centimetres long, to slurp up those termites.
30:05And it's just amazing to watch them doing this natural behaviour.
30:08OK, so just doing some quick maths.
30:12Two echidnas.
30:13That means Laura and Bec only need to find 20,000 more termites tomorrow.
30:19Oof.
30:20Good luck with that.
30:24Back at Taronga's Wildlife Hospital in Dubbo.
30:28The other side's just as bad.
30:31Sumatran tiger sucked his teeth are much, much worse than expected.
30:37Not a pleasant sight.
30:43Got lots going on.
30:44Lots.
30:45Fractured with a root retained.
30:47Yeah.
30:48Fractured with a pulp exposure.
30:50Uh-oh.
30:51Gets worse.
30:52This fourth premolar is totally fractured with a mobile crown as well with the pulp exposed.
30:59Ouch.
31:00That would be really painful.
31:01So there's a lot to do.
31:02A lot to do.
31:03The good news?
31:04Dental specialist David can help Sakti.
31:08The bad news?
31:09It's probably about a six hour procedure all up and we don't want to keep him under anaesthetic
31:13for that long.
31:14Ideally, we want to be out of here in three and a half.
31:16We don't like to keep tigers or big cats under anaesthetic for more of about three and a half hours
31:21just because it increased risk with their potassium levels.
31:24With time against them, the vet team need to prioritise.
31:28The extractions are probably the best thing to do.
31:30I agree.
31:31Because they're the most painful and also they've got all infections.
31:33The countdown is on.
31:35Three hours to remove Sakti's three worst teeth.
31:39We'll just watch his blood pressure.
31:40If his blood pressure's good, we might be able to get away with it.
31:43The first broken tooth.
31:44All right.
31:45Roots coming out.
31:46Is removed in less than an hour.
31:49Yay.
31:50Got it.
31:51Okay, so we've finished taking out the top tooth.
31:54Yeah.
31:55So that's a good start.
31:56Good job.
31:57The lower one I'm hoping won't take as long.
32:00You know, we haven't had a challenge like this for a while.
32:04The second broken tooth is proving a lot more difficult.
32:09Got about five minutes until the three and a half hour mark.
32:12Yeah.
32:13And we need to take away some of the bone on the outside in order to take the tooth out.
32:19Come on.
32:20That's where you are.
32:21Wow.
32:22Good job.
32:24The second tooth is out.
32:26Sakti has now been anaesthetised for three and a half hours.
32:35The time limit they originally set themselves, but they're far from finished.
32:40Has he still got another bad one on the other side?
32:42Yes.
32:43We haven't started that one yet.
32:44Is he responding at all at that end?
32:47Like anaesthesia wise, he's happy.
32:49Potassium's 4.8, so we're in the danger zone.
32:52If the tiger's blood potassium levels reach five, the vet team will have to intervene.
32:59What sort of time do you think on that other tooth, David?
33:03An hour.
33:05At Taronga's capybara habitat in Sydney.
33:12Our list is lying down now.
33:14Carlos, the capybara, has just received an anaesthetic injection.
33:19Okay, we'll bring him in now.
33:21We're going to bring in a stretcher because he weighs over 50 kilos.
33:25Good job.
33:27Six-year-old Carlos is getting on a bit.
33:30So much like those two tigers in Dubbo, he's due for a veterinary checkup.
33:36We're going to bring him inside to the dens.
33:38That way there's a little bit more privacy and it's a lot more quiet and calm.
33:41So we can give him his health check there.
33:43And then when he's recovering from the anaesthetic,
33:45he'll be able to sort of have a nice quiet area that he can wake up in and be nice and calm.
33:50The capybara's health check should be quite quick.
33:54But we might just pop a towel under there.
33:57His temperature's 35-4.
34:00I'm just having a really good feel of all of his joints and of his feet as well,
34:07just making sure all his digits are moving really well.
34:11We may start to encounter some age-related health issues,
34:16but everything feels really good.
34:18All his joints feel good, including all his little toes.
34:22So far, so good.
34:24But the biggest issue for the largest rodent in the world is, you guessed it, those pearly whites.
34:31So I'm going to have a look in his mouth and check all his teeth.
34:34That's perfect, yeah.
34:36Let's face it, it's hard to miss those front chompers, which for all rodents never stop growing.
34:44But the back teeth are a different story.
34:47Just going to have a look on this upper side.
34:49Compared to a tiger's massive jaw, Carlos's is a bit more crowded.
34:55They do store a bit of food in their mouths.
34:58It makes it a bit trickier to properly see the teeth.
35:04And so now that I've scraped that food out, I can get a really good look
35:08and just make sure there's no hooks or spurs that might be causing him discomfort.
35:12Dental looks good.
35:20Perfect.
35:21His teeth look really good.
35:22But no capybara dental exam is complete without checking on those hard-to-miss,
35:28giant, razor-sharp, four front teeth.
35:33Beautiful.
35:34That's what we want to see, yeah.
35:36His front teeth are meeting perfectly.
35:38Definitely don't look like there's any problems we need to address.
35:41I think we're done.
35:42Great.
35:45Okay, reversal's been given.
35:47Yep.
35:50A little bit.
35:51Time to wake up, Carlos.
35:53Very relieved.
35:54He's, you know, getting older.
35:56So it's just nice to know that everything is going well for him.
35:59Good boy.
36:00And in no time at all, Carlos the capybara is up and about as if nothing ever happened.
36:08He's bounced back really quickly.
36:10More importantly, our relationship hasn't changed after the hand injection.
36:15I still have really great rapport with him.
36:17He's still coming over for his training sessions really enthusiastically,
36:21which has been really nice.
36:22So really nice that the hand injection didn't impact that at all.
36:25What was his potassium?
36:30Well, it's trending up.
36:31It's now 5.2.
36:32Meanwhile, at the Wildlife Hospital in Dubbo.
36:35We're in the danger zone.
36:36Sumatran Tiger Sarktis dental surgery is running longer than the team hoped
36:42and has become quite complicated.
36:45The general anaesthetic has caused his blood potassium levels to rise dangerously high.
36:52Can you just keep your eyeballs on the ECG trace?
36:54Yes.
36:55Is he your own?
36:56Oh, his potassium's blown up.
36:57Oh.
36:58Vet Elisa administers a medicated inhaler.
37:02Alright, so he's had his puffs.
37:04That can help bring his potassium down.
37:06Although Sarktis time under anaesthetic is now up, dental specialist David must finish this last tooth
37:14to avoid complications such as ongoing pain or infection setting in.
37:20We'll just do a temporary treatment on this tooth.
37:23Okay.
37:24So I've taken the piece of fractured tooth off and taken the nerve out of the tooth
37:29so it's now not going to be a sore and that should be fine for a few weeks to a month.
37:34So David, you're done?
37:35We're done.
37:36Alright, let's go.
37:37The tiger's procedure is over, at least for today.
37:42There we go.
37:43Alright, let's bring the stretcher in.
37:45We'll come back in a couple of months once Sarktis recovered from this anaesthetic
37:49and we'll do another procedure where we do root canals on three of his canine teeth.
37:53One, two, three.
37:56One, two, three.
37:57But as Sarktis is being moved, he shows signs that his anaesthetic is wearing off.
38:05Transporting an animal that's been under anaesthetic for that long, it is always a bit of a challenge.
38:10Fingers everywhere.
38:11It's a very fine line managing the anaesthetic of these dangerous animals.
38:15Concentrate on getting drugs if we need it.
38:17The team need to keep him sedated until he is back in his habitat.
38:22Just giving him ten mils of propofol.
38:24So I've just had to give him some top-up drugs because he was getting a bit too light for our comfort levels.
38:28But the top-up sedation comes with its own risks.
38:32He's now not breathing.
38:34Quite often when animals are under anaesthetic, they stop breathing on their own.
38:40It's quite common in big cats, especially if they've been under anaesthetic for a long time.
38:45While vet Rebecca monitors his vitals, vet nurse Jodie uses a reservoir bag to pass oxygen into Sarktis' lungs.
38:55For some reason we're not getting a pulse rate.
38:58Why are we not getting a pulse rate?
39:01You can hear a pulse, Bec?
39:06I can't hear a heart rate.
39:08You can't hear it?
39:13Vet Catherine checks for a pulse.
39:17It doesn't feel good.
39:18Huh?
39:19Adrenaline?
39:20Yep.
39:21Yep.
39:22Adrenaline is used to stimulate and restart the tiger's heart.
39:27So that adrenaline's in, do you want me to jump up?
39:30Yeah, you jump up, Catherine.
39:31I've got a heartbeat.
39:32It's a heartbeat.
39:33You got it now?
39:34That feels heaps better now.
39:35Yeah.
39:36Much stronger.
39:3724.
39:38But we've got no spontaneous breaths?
39:39No.
39:40No.
39:41Sarktis needs to be breathing on his own before the team can return him to his den and safely
39:59remove his tube.
40:01He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:02Next.
40:03That rate's 100.
40:04It's one step forward.
40:05It looks like he might be stabilising.
40:06And two steps back for Sarktis.
40:07Pulse quality is not good.
40:08Can you listen to the heart while I do this?
40:09Yep.
40:10We've got no spontaneous breaths.
40:11At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Sarktis the Sumatran Tiger is in crisis.
40:15He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:16He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:17His heart stopped beating while under sedation.
40:18I can't hear a heart rate.
40:19It's now been restarted, but the tiger still can't breathe on his own.
40:22Quite often, the anaesthetic depresses their respiratory system, and we'll often have to ventilate for them.
40:23I'll just keep him on 3%.
40:24How's his pulse up?
40:25It's going?
40:2670.
40:2770.
40:2870.
40:29Yeah, so that's not too bad.
40:30And so we were making sure that we were giving him enough oxygen through his system.
40:31Just keep bagging.
40:32I'm going to keep bagging.
40:33He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:34He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:35His heart stopped beating while under sedation.
40:36I can't hear a heart rate.
40:37It's now been restarted, but the tiger still can't breathe on his own.
40:41Quite often, the anaesthetic depresses their respiratory system, and we'll often have to ventilate
40:47for them.
40:48I'll just keep him on 3%.
40:49How's his pulse up?
40:50It's going?
40:5170.
40:5270.
40:53Yeah, so that's not too bad.
40:54And so we were making sure that we were giving him enough oxygen through his system.
40:57Just keep bagging.
40:58Keep bagging.
40:59Heart rate's now increasing.
41:01It's going back to 73.
41:02Heart rate's 60.
41:0382.
41:04It's getting faster.
41:0590.
41:06Heart rate's 100.
41:09Suddenly, the tiger's heart starts beating erratically.
41:14122 here.
41:15He's getting tachycardia.
41:16Heart rate's got an arrhythmia.
41:18Pulse quality is not good.
41:20No.
41:21He's gone into like a B-tack.
41:22No.
41:23The fast, irregular heart rate is a sign the tiger could go into cardiac arrest again.
41:29Just keep ventilating, I think.
41:31I'm stirring up another adrenaline.
41:33His pulse is very erratic.
41:35Can you get some calcium gluconate into him?
41:36Yes.
41:3760ml.
41:38Can you listen to the heart while I do this?
41:39Yep.
41:40Any reflexes up there?
41:42Sakti's life is on a knife's edge.
41:44He was central before.
41:45Not like this.
41:46It's different.
41:47Rhythm's better.
41:48It's a normal rhythm.
41:49Heart rate's hundred.
41:50Pulse feels better.
41:51The combination of drugs will help stabilise his heart.
42:06We've got spontaneous breathing.
42:08of drugs will help stabilise his heart.
42:11We've got spontaneous breathing.
42:13He's spontaneous breathing.
42:15He's about 84.
42:17It looks like he might be stabilising, so...
42:20That's a nice regular rhythm.
42:22His heart rate's nice and steady now.
42:24It's a really good rhythm.
42:25Yeah, colour's better than it was.
42:27It's not as good as it was, but it's better than it was.
42:29The best thing we can do for him is get him in there
42:31and get him off all the drugs.
42:32Yeah, we have to wake him up.
42:34Guys, we've...
42:36We're gonna move him.
42:38We've stabilised him more than he was.
42:40He's not particularly stable.
42:42Anything can happen.
42:44The sooner they give Sakti the anaesthesia reversal drug...
42:47Catherine's got the reversal.
42:49..the better his chances of a full recovery.
42:52Close to the door.
42:54We'll just give him a half dose.
42:57Ready for reversal? Yep.
43:01It's now a waiting game
43:03to see if Sakti wakes up.
43:12Go on, dude.
43:13Come on, buddy.
43:14He certainly did give us all a little bit of a fright
43:16on the way back today,
43:17especially after we'd invested so many hours
43:20into trying to give him a good bill of health
43:22and look after those teeth.
43:23He stopped breathing
43:24and for a minute there we lost his heart.
43:26And it looked a little bit dire for a while there.
43:29We were all quite nervous.
43:30But when he took the breath on his own
43:33and started to wake up,
43:34it was a huge relief for us all.
43:37Did you see that?
43:38Oh, good morning.
43:39You just opened his eyes?
43:40Yeah.
43:41So we're incredibly relieved
43:42that he's come through this well.
43:44Thankfully now he's stable,
43:49he's recovering
43:50and I'm sure we'll have a good night's sleep tonight.
43:59And the next morning,
44:00just as the doctor ordered,
44:02Sakti is looking like his old self again.
44:05Though I don't think he or Satu
44:08will be racing back to the dentist any time soon.
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