The Zoo (Ireland)

In this week's episode there is great excitement at the elephant habitat as a calf is born to 17 year old Yasmin, we meet Marlon the new chimpanzee in the troop and witness his first encounter with current alpha male Austin and the keepers step in to help hand rear some recently hatched flamingo chicks.

A litter of cubs is born at the Asian lion habitat to first time mother Suri and leader of the pride Kumar. When one of the cubs begins to lose weight, the zookeepers have to intervene to save its life. Rhino keeper Ken travels to Zimbabwe to witness first-hand the battle between a conservation group, which is supported by Dublin Zoo, and the poachers who are intent on killing rhinos for their valuable horns And at the African Plains, Helen and her team welcome a new arrival to the zebra herd as a new foal is born for the first time in many years

In Zimbabwe zookeeper Ken gets hands-on with some dramatic operations in the bush to help protect rhinos against poaching. A 12 strong litter of piglets is born at Dublin Zoo’s Family Farm. The lion cub, born to lioness Suri, had been suffering dramatic weight loss until the animal care team intervened. The question now is whether the cub has started to feed from his mother? And as part of an international project, which aims to reintroduce critically endangered waldrapp ibis to the wild, the animal care team round up Dublin Zoo’s flock to take DNA samples from the birds.

At the Kaziranga Forest Trail, Basil the Indian blackbuck has an emergency procedure to remove an unusual lump on his throat. There’s plenty of drama on the chimpanzee island when former leader of the troop Austin is reintroduced to the group. But how will he get on with Marlon, the new dominant male? And at the South American House, Susan welcomes a very cute new arrival – a Goeldi’s monkey baby!

There’s tremendous excitement at the African Plains with the imminent arrival of a new rhino calf. Recently Dublin Zoo’s Sulawesi crested macaques have been enjoying something of a mini baby boom on the macaque island, with four newborns in the last year alone. Ciaran and his team have their hands full when they round them all up for a medical check up. And zookeeper Mel journeys to an Irish bog to visit a Dublin Zoo sponsored conservation project that’s reflooding an Irish bog in the hopes of restoring the native flora and fauna, including the local frogs who are in the middle of their spawning season.

Over in the Kaziranga Forest Trail Gerry, James and the rest of the elephant care team have a busy morning preparing for new calf Kavi’s first steps outside. There is even more exhilaration when first time mother Anak gives birth to a calf adding yet another new member to the elephant herd. But what will Kavi make of his newborn cousin? Team Leader Helen notices that two of the red capped mangabeys are experiencing a mystery hair loss so Dublin Zoo vet John Bainbridge visits them to investigate further. And excitement has given way to concern at the rhino house as the new born calf is battling for survival.

After a major redevelopment has taken place at the Chilean flamingo habitat, the big day has finally come for the hand-reared flamingo chicks to be reintroduced to the rest of the flock and familiarise themselves with the new habitat – Flamingo Lagoon. There’s major drama at the Eastern bongo habitat when the oldest member of the herd becomes seriously ill, while one of the females is due to give birth to her first calf. And Garth introduces us to one of his favourite creatures at the Reptile House, the Bornean green crested lizard.

Dublin Zoo is home to a vast array of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and insects – each one different to the next. With so many animals to look after, the question is what do you feed them and where does the food come from? This week, Gerry takes a trip to Kildare to find out. At the red ruffed lemur habitat, three beautiful new pups are born. Ciaran and Laura give them a quick health check before they go out onto their island for the first time. And at the African Plains, a zebra with a serious toothache gets a visit from the veterinary team.

In tonight's episode we join Garth and Lee in the Reptile house,Helen and the care team at the African Plains have to intervene when a scimitar horned oryx gives birth and Ken travels to Zimbabwe to learn first hand about a conversation project to protect endangered African Painted Dogs which is supported by Dublin Zoo.

This week on The Zoo… There’s huge excitement when a new calf is born at the Asian elephant habitat, and it’s not just the animal care team who are excited – the two older calves are looking forward to having fun with the new arrival! A lion cub is born and joins its brother as part of a growing pride living at the Asian lion habitat. And the California sea lions are introduced to their new home at Dublin Zoo – Sea Lion Cove, a state-of-the-art maritime habitat.