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00:01They say don't ever work with babies or animals.
00:08But what if they're baby animals?
00:13I was only born this morning.
00:15On this all-new season,
00:18welcome back to the ever-changing world of Taronga,
00:24where you'll witness things you never thought possible.
00:29I 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 her breathe.
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.
01:17We haven't done anything like this before.
01:19And a trip to the dentist for the world's largest rodent.
01:24They have really big incisor teeth.
01:26Really?
01:27Huh.
01:28I hadn't noticed.
01:29At Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
01:40A wild week is nothing new.
01:43But this particular week is shaping up to be a bit wilder than usual for Taronga's vets and nurses.
01:52It's a pretty busy time at the wildlife hospital at the moment.
01:55Yeah, I'm going to put three different drugs in his cocktail.
01:59So I'm going to have a second one drawn up for the dark in case we need it.
02:06So we've actually got two tiger anaesthetics planned, mainly 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, you'd probably expect the tigers to live to be approximately 10 to 12 years of age.
02:41However, when they have a high standard of care, quite 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.
02:53And that's exactly what today's double tiger checkup is all about.
02:59So I've got both pole syringes. I've got the blowpipe.
03:01Yep.
03:02Dart rifle.
03:03Yep.
03:04Hand injections 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 and 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, that 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.
03:35And 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.
03:53So we'll keep the procedure as short as we can.
03:56Before they can begin the procedure, they'll need to sedate Satu.
04:02We have got a hand injection and a 21 gauge needle.
04:08Alright, good 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, to say come up.
04:20We'll let the vets know how his injection has gone.
04:23Alright, I'm going.
04:25Dutch.
04:26All done.
04:27Megan to Alisa.
04:28Yeah.
04:29That's your fault, please.
04:30Go ahead.
04:31Looks as though we've got 100%.
04:32He's lying calmly on the grass.
04:33That's awesome, well done.
04:34That's so amazing.
04:35That's all gone perfectly.
04:36With the first tiger asleep.
04:37I've checked, he's got no blink.
04:43The team quietly enter the den and prepare him for the move to the animal hospital.
04:58Let me get the catheter stuff ready.
04:59Let me get the catheter stuff ready.
05:01So we've got quite a big team working on Satu.
05:05So I'm getting a rating, heart rate's 80.
05:10We've got three vets working on him.
05:12We've got three nurses.
05:13Sephalic's 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.
05:33Getting closer, closer, closer than breath hold?
05:35Yeah, yeah.
05:37How long have we been since injection?
05:39Oh, 10, 15 minutes.
05:40Okay.
05:41Vet Alisa watches closely, assessing the tiger's respiration rate.
05:47Yeah, he hasn't had a good deep breath for a minute.
05:53If Taronga in Sydney had a prize for the most relaxed and laid back resident.
06:03Buddy, what are you doing?
06:06This guy would certainly be a top contender.
06:10This is Carlos.
06:12He is one of our capybara boys.
06:15We've got four males.
06:17Capybaras are native to South America.
06:20I kind of like to call them South American hippopotamuses.
06:24They love to spend time in the water.
06:27They do have webbed feet, just like a duck.
06:30And 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.
07:38So 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, well, wonder no more.
07:57This is a Cocos log. They'll chew on that throughout the day.
08:00Just kind of trims down his teeth and just make sure they don't become overgrown.
08:04With a 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. He's super comfortable with people.
08:16He's very tactile. He loves pats. You can give him a good scratch like this.
08:21And yeah, just really curious. When we come in, he's always kind of the first one to come over
08:25to see what food we 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
08:35when Carlos has to be anaesthetised.
08:39My role will be to hand inject Carlos for his procedure.
08:42Capybara skin is quite tough, so it's a bit hard to get the needle in.
08:46I know he's going to do great, but I've been building up so much for this hand injection.
08:51I want it to go smoothly. So yeah, just thinking about that a lot.
08:54So quite nerve wracking. A lot of anxiety right now.
08:57Yeah, he hasn't had a good deep breath for a minute.
09:02Back at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
09:05All right, let me get you out of the way.
09:07Aged 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,
09:22and the vet team begins intubating him to assist his breathing.
09:26Just tell me when you're ready.
09:27Yep, ready.
09:29Yeah.
09:30Gee, mate.
09:31Gee Tim.
09:33Have you got a visual?
09:34Not really.
09:35I can see the epiglottis.
09:37No, we might have to change to sternal, I think.
09:39OK.
09:40There's a flop going on.
09:41So we're just going to have to sit him up on his tummy
09:43to get a better position for tubing.
09:45On three.
09:46One, two, three.
09:48Insternal.
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,
10:01they may not be working as well.
10:03He's doing very tiny, shallow breaths.
10:05It's all right.
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,
10:13the vet team can move Satu to the wildlife hospital
10:17to be prepped for his dental exam.
10:19Good to go.
10:20Good to jump.
10:21Yep.
10:24Oh, God, what a crowd.
10:25Oh, yeah.
10:31OK, one, two, three.
10:33Go.
10:35You got it?
10:36OK.
10:37All right.
10:38So we'll get him on.
10:39Hook him up.
10:40Yep.
10:41So we're on 4%.
10:42We are on 2%.
10:43Yeah.
10:44Four litres.
10:45It's nothing like hitting the ground running.
10:47The treatment room is packed with veterinary staff.
10:51And there's also a crowd gathered to watch not one,
10:55but two tigers making a visit to Dubos Wildlife Hospital.
11:00Yes, everybody.
11:01This is David and Tracy.
11:03All right.
11:04Yeah.
11:05Left side.
11:06Yep.
11:07OK.
11:08So 201's missing.
11:09Yep.
11:10202 has three millimetres all round and abrasion.
11:14So we're very privileged.
11:15So we're very privileged to be welcoming veterinary dental specialist David to Dubbo.
11:19He's actually come here all the way from Melbourne.
11:21OK.
11:22Generalitis of one, calculus of one.
11:24And David's one of a handful of veterinary dental specialists in Australia who has the skills
11:29of 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.
11:53OK.
11:54I'm ready when you're out.
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.
12:44The 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.
12:58So 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.
13:16Still 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 one, two, three.
13:31Double trouble.
13:33Some tough decisions ahead.
13:35He's not particularly stable.
13:37For vet Elisa.
13:38We're in the danger zone.
13:45Here's a quick echidna quiz.
13:47How many termites do you think these spiny anteaters devour each day?
13:53A 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, this box.
14:15What we're doing here today, it's a little unusual.
14:18I'm here to find some termite mounds, set some traps and hopefully be capturing some termites to bring back for the echidnas.
14:25I've chosen this location because we believe it may be an active termite mound.
14:30It is experimental, no guarantees that we're going to be able to collect anything, but we're willing to sort of do a bit of trial and error.
14:38Laura has travelled to some local bushland to try out an interesting termite trap technique.
14:44I've got a bucket here, it's got some holes drilled in the bottom.
14:47What I'm going to do is pop down next to the nest.
14:51Its scientific name is a termite bait station.
14:54I'm going 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.
15:25So 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.
15:41We'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.
16:00Back 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.
16:50Mean of 73.
16:52So at the moment his blood pressure is really good.
16:55Tidal'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?
17:17It'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.
17:36Great.
17:37I'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'll be good.
17:52Four.
17:53So his respiration's gone up a tiny bit.
17:55Yeah.
17:56Oh, that looks good.
17:57Excellent.
17:58His mouth is perfectly fine, so he's got wonderful oral health for an 18-year-old tiger.
18:03We are done.
18:05Oh, look at you go.
18:06Yeah.
18:07So the rest of the teeth are good?
18:08Yeah, perfect.
18:09That's what we want to hear, David.
18:12While the dental exam has concluded, the vet team are still performing their own assessment of the aged tiger.
18:19All right, let's go.
18:21So I'm just taking the opportunity while he's under anesthetic to give him a full thorough examination.
18:26So I'm like you would take your cat to the vet's once a year for a check-up.
18:30Tiger.
18:31Tiger.
18:32We did find that he's got some arthritis in his joints.
18:35And we've had a good look at his foot pads and we found that his toenails are a little bit long, his claws.
18:40Look at that one.
18:41That's got to trim that one.
18:42That's going into his paw.
18:43So we wouldn't normally cut a tiger's nails.
18:46But we're just noticing because he's getting a 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, though 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 anesthetic.
19:10But we've just noticed a couple of little parameters are changing.
19:13CO2'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 is looking a bit paler than before.
19:27How long are we out?
19:28So it's been nearly two and a half.
19:30I think we probably need to quit while we're ahead.
19:33Stretch room 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 that 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.
19:46All right, 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 checkup finished slightly earlier than planned, this grand old tiger appears to be a picture of health.
20:05All right, I'm giving his reversals.
20:06So I'm going to give him one and a half mils.
20:09One and a half mil.
20:11Okay, that can go out.
20:17I'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 stretch of carriers, please.
20:32And one to go.
20:34On three.
20:35One, two, three.
20:37Next up is 13-year-old Sakti.
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.
20:50You 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.
21:06Just make sure you've got surgical prep stuff.
21:09Today, we're going to be anaesthetising a capybara called Carlos, and 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.
21:24Go ahead.
21:26Hey, we're just about to leave the hospital. We're about to do a capybara anaesthetic. Whereabouts would you like us to part?
21:33You guys are welcome to come up to the dance. Let's be fun.
21:38It's exciting to do a capybara.
21:41Yeah.
21:42Yeah.
21:43So capybara are unusual because they are a rodent.
21:45I think a lot of people might forget that because of their size, they're so enormous.
21:50I sort of think of them as almost like giant guinea figs.
21:54I'm actually allergic to guinea pigs and agutis, but not capybaras.
21:58Oh, really?
21:59Well, that's handy for the procedure today.
22:01Yeah.
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 put quite a big needle on here to get through the tough skin.
22:25Yeah.
22:26Once he's down, we'll probably just kind of get him comfortable.
22:29We'll put him on an oxygen mask and then we'll do his health check.
22:32Alright, I'll give you that.
22:34Good 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.
22:51Can I grab a couple of the sweet potatoes?
22:54To ensure Carlos the capybara is kept calm.
22:58Try saying that fast three times.
23:00Darcy enters the enclosure completely alone to administer the injection.
23:05Sorry, love.
23:07All Jacob and the rest of the team can do is wait.
23:13Go ahead.
23:14I'm just coming out of the dent.
23:17I think I got it.
23:19Cool.
23:20Good job.
23:22He'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.
23:31The injection, a bit of improvisation, a new spot for Carlos, but he did really well.
23:38And 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 checkup can begin.
24:01One, two, three.
24:04Good job.
24:05Okay, we'll bring him in now.
24:09Yep.
24:10One, three.
24:11At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, 18-year-old Sumatran tiger Satu is safely back in his den after a successful trip to the dentist.
24:24There we go.
24:25I think his eye position's changed a bit.
24:27Ooh, 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 anaesthetic.
24:39How you going, big man?
24:41Sakji is 13 years old and recently keepers have noticed that he's just having a little bit 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 know, 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.
25:14What 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 about anaesthetic.
25:32Right folks, if we can get the stretch of carriers, please.
25:35On three.
25:36One, two, three.
25:40Timeline, we'd really like to be out in three and a half hours, that'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 anaesthetic.
25:54We're ready, we're going to start.
25:55Yep, 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.
26:15Two or two appears to be missing.
26:18Three is one all round with abrasion.
26:21Four, one all round.
26:23Complicated crown fracture.
26:25You 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.
26:42And the other side is just as bad.
26:45Absolutely smashed.
26:46And part of the crown is actually mobile.
26:49In a small pocket of Sydney bushland close to Taronga,
26:59horticulturist Laura has returned to check a termite test trap she set a week ago.
27:05It 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
27:18to help feed Taronga's echidna residents.
27:29All right, all right.
27:30Enough of the suspense already.
27:32What have we got?
27:33So it 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.
27:43I've had no luck today.
27:44It is experimental, but I'm quite certain with a few more goes,
27:48we'll be able to capture some.
27:51Well, it was a nice try, Laura.
27:53Termites have better luck next time.
27:56We've only had the trap set for about a week,
27:58so it may take a little bit more time for them to move in
28:01and start eating the wood.
28:05As the famous old saying goes,
28:07if 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 Bec, 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 Bec might have better luck.
28:30Ooh.
28:31What? A little too much?
28:33Okay, I'll let it go.
28:41I've just found this rotten log hoping there'd be some sort of live invertebrates in there.
28:45Here 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.
28:57Okay, okay, 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.
29:22Hello.
29:23And stand back, here they come.
29:26They'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, so 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.
29:59Their very long tongue, which is about 18 centimetres long, to slurp up those termites.
30:04And it's just amazing to watch them doing this natural behaviour.
30:08Okay, so just doing some quick maths.
30:11Maths.
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 Sakti's teeth are much, much worse than expected.
30:36Not a pleasant sight.
30:43Got lots going on.
30:44Lots.
30:46Fractured with a root retained.
30:48Yep.
30:49Fractured with a pulp exposure.
30:51Uh-oh.
30:53Gets worse.
30:54This 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.
31:02Lot 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 for that long.
31:14Ideally, we want to be out of here in three and a half.
31:16We don't want to keep tigers or big cats under anaesthetic for more than about three and a half hours just because it's increased risk with the potassium levels.
31:24With time against them, the vet team need to prioritise.
31:27Extractions would probably be the best thing to do.
31:30I agree.
31:31Because they're the most painful and also they've got all infections.
31:34The countdown is on.
31:36Three 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.
31:42The first broken tooth...
31:44All right.
31:45Roots coming out.
31:46..is removed in less than an hour.
31:49Yay!
31:50Got it.
31:51OK, 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.
32:09We've got about five minutes until the three-and-a-half-hour mark.
32:12And we need to take away some of the bone on the outside
32:15in order to take the tooth out.
32:19Come on.
32:20That's where we are.
32:26Wow.
32:27Good job.
32:28The second tooth is out.
32:30Sakti has now been anaesthetised for three-and-a-half hours,
32:35the time limit they originally set themselves.
32:38But 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 with that end?
32:46Like, 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,
32:56the vet team will have to intervene.
32:59What sort of time do you think on that other tooth, David?
33:02An hour.
33:08At Taronga's capybara habitat in Sydney...
33:12Carlos is lying down now.
33:14Carlos, the capybara, has just received an anaesthetic injection.
33:19OK, we'll bring him in now.
33:21You're going to bring in a stretcher because he weighs over 50 kilos.
33:24Good job.
33:27Six-year-old Carlos is getting on a bit.
33:30One, two...
33:31So much like those two tigers in Dubbo,
33:33he's due for a veterinary check-up.
33:36We're going to bring him inside to the dens.
33:38That way there's a little bit more privacy
33:39and 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
33:47that he can wake up in and be nice and calm.
33:50The capybara's health check should be quite quick.
33:54We might just pop a towel under there.
33:56His temperature's 35.4.
33:59I'm just having a really good feel of all of his joints
34:04and 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,
34:15but everything feels really good.
34:17All 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,
34:28you 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,
34:40which for all rodents never stop growing.
34:43But the back teeth are a different story.
34:46I'm just going to have a look on this upper side.
34:49Compared to a tiger's massive jaw,
34:52Carlos'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,
35:07I can get a really good look and just make sure there's no hooks or spurs
35:10that might be causing him discomfort.
35:12Dental looks good.
35:19Perfect.
35:20His teeth look really good.
35:22But no capybara dental exam is complete
35:25without 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.
35:40I think we're done.
35:42Great.
35:45OK, reversal's been given.
35:47Yep.
35:50A little bit.
35:51Time to wake up, Carlos.
35:53Yeah.
35:54Very relieved.
35:55He'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,
36:02Carlos the capybara is up and about
36:05as if nothing ever happened.
36:08He's bounced back really quickly.
36:09More importantly, our relationship hasn't changed after the hand injection.
36:14I still have really great rapport with him.
36:16He's still coming over for his training sessions really enthusiastically,
36:20which has been really nice.
36:21So really nice that the hand injection didn't impact that at all.
36:24What was his potassium?
36:25Well, it's trending up.
36:26It's now 5.2.
36:27Meanwhile, at the Wildlife Hospital in Dubbo...
36:28We're in the danger zone.
36:29Sumatran 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.
36:51Can you just keep your eyeballs on the ECG trace?
36:53Yes.
36:54Is he around?
36:55Oh, his potassium is going up.
36:57Oh.
36:58Vet Alisa administers a medicated inhaler.
37:02Alright, so he's had his puffs.
37:03That can help bring his potassium down.
37:05Although Sarktis time under anaesthetic is now up,
37:09dental specialist David must finish this last tooth
37:13to avoid complications such as ongoing pain or infection setting in.
37:19We'll just do a temporary treatment on this tooth.
37:22Okay.
37:23So I've taken the piece of fractured tooth off
37:26and taken the nerve out of the tooth,
37:28so it's now not going to be a sore
37:30and that should be fine for a few weeks to a month.
37:33So, David, you're done?
37:34We're done.
37:35Alright, let's go.
37:37The Tiger's procedure is over, at least for today.
37:41There we go.
37:42Alright, let's bring the stretcher in.
37:44We'll come back in a couple of months
37:46once Sarktis recovered from this anaesthetic
37:48and we'll do another procedure
37:49where we do root canals on three of his canine teeth.
37:52One, two, three.
37:54One, two, three.
37:56But as Sarktis is being moved,
37:59he shows signs that his anaesthetic is wearing off.
38:04Transporting an animal that's been under anaesthetic for that long,
38:07it is always a bit of a challenge.
38:09Yeah, fingers everywhere.
38:11Or the intubation.
38:12It's a very fine line,
38:13managing 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
38:26because 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.
38:36Quite often when animals are under anaesthetic,
38:38they stop breathing on their own.
38:40It's quite common because,
38:42especially if they've been under anaesthetic for a long time.
38:45While vet Rebecca monitors his vitals,
38:48vet nurse Jodie uses a reservoir bag
38:51to pass oxygen into Sarktis' lungs.
38:54For some reason we're not getting a pulse rate.
38:58Why are we not getting a pulse rate?
39:00You can hear a pulse, Bec?
39:02I can't hear it.
39:04You can't hear it?
39:06Vet Catherine checks for a pulse.
39:12It doesn't feel good.
39:13Huh?
39:14Adrenaline?
39:15Yep.
39:16Yep.
39:17I'm doing well with.
39:18Adrenaline is used to stimulate and restart the tiger's heart.
39:23So that adrenaline's in.
39:24Do you want me to jump up?
39:25Yeah, you jump up, Catherine.
39:26I've got a heartbeat.
39:27It's a heartbeat.
39:28You got it?
39:29You got it now?
39:30That's a heartbeat.
39:31It's a heartbeat.
39:32It's a heartbeat.
39:33It's a heartbeat.
39:34It's a heartbeat.
39:35It's a heartbeat.
39:36It's a heartbeat.
39:37It's a heartbeat.
39:38It's a heartbeat.
39:39It's a heartbeat.
39:40That feels heaps better now.
39:43Yeah.
39:46Much stronger.
39:4724.
39:49But when you've got no spontaneous breaths?
39:52No.
39:53Sakti needs to be breathing on his own before the team can return him to his den and safely remove his tube.
40:01He's not breathing so that's not going to work.
40:07Next.
40:08That rate's a hundred.
40:09One step forward.
40:10It looks like he might be stabilising.
40:11And two steps back for Sarkti.
40:14Pulse quality is not good.
40:16Can you listen to the heart while I do this?
40:17Yep.
40:19We've got no spontaneous breaths.
40:21At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Sarkti the Sumatran tiger is in crisis.
40:28He's not breathing, so that's not going to work.
40:30His heart stopped beating while under sedation.
40:33I can't hear him.
40:34It's now been restarted, but the tiger still can't breathe on his own.
40:42Quite often, the anaesthetic depresses their respiratory system,
40:45and we'll often have to ventilate for them.
40:48I'll just keep him on 3%.
40:49How's his pulse up?
40:49It's going?
40:50A 70.
40:5170.
40:52Yep, so that's not too bad.
40:53And so we were making sure that we were giving him enough oxygen through his system.
40:56Just keep bagging.
40:58Keep bagging.
40:59Heart rate's now increasing.
41:01It's going back to 73.
41:0282.
41:03It's getting faster.
41:0590.
41:07Heart 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's not good.
41:19No.
41:20It's gone into, like, a beta.
41:22The 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.
41:36Can you get some calcium gluconate into him?
41:38Yes.
41:3860 ml.
41:39Can you listen to the heart while I do this?
41:41Yep.
41:42Yeah, I'm locked.
41:43No, I'm trying to do it.
41:44Any reflexes up there?
41:46Sakti's life is on a knife's edge.
41:49He was central before.
41:51Not like this.
41:52It's different.
41:52Bum, bum, bum, bum.
41:53Rhythm's better.
42:02It's a normal rhythm.
42:03Heart rate's 100.
42:05Pulse feels better.
42:06The combination of drugs will help stabilise his heart.
42:11We've got spontaneous breathing.
42:12He's spontaneous breathing.
42:14That rate's about 84.
42:16It looks like he might be stabilising, so...
42:19That's a nice, regular rhythm.
42:21His heart rate's nice and steady now.
42:23It's a really good rhythm.
42:25Yeah, colour's better than it was.
42:26It's not as good as it was, but it's better than it was.
42:28The best thing we can do for him is get him in there
42:30and get him off all the drugs.
42:32Yeah, we have to wake him up.
42:34Guys, we've...
42:35We're going to move him.
42:37We've stabilised him more than he was.
42:40He's not particularly stable.
42:42Anything can happen.
42:43The sooner they give Sakti the anaesthesia reversal drug...
42:47Catherine's got the reversal.
42:48..the better his chances of a full recovery.
42:52Close to the door.
42:53We'll just give him a half dose.
42:55Yeah.
42:57Ready for reversal?
42:58Yep.
43:01It's now a waiting game to see if Sakti wakes up.
43:12Come 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 and for a minute there,
43:25we lost his heart.
43:27And 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.
43:38It kind of, it would have just opened his eyes.
43:40Yeah.
43:40Yeah.
43:40So we're incredibly relieved
43:42that he's come through this well.
43:44Oh, my knees.
43:45Oh, gosh.
43:47Thankfully now, he's stable,
43:49he's recovering,
43:50and I'm sure we'll have a good night's sleep tonight.
43:52And 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 Sartu
44:08will be racing back to the dentist
44:10any time soon.
44:12Sakti is looking like his old self again.
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