Real Life in the Zoo

Seahorses that washed up on the beach are regaining their strength at the zoo before making an exciting journey back to the sea. Baby gorilla Ajabu gets into danger when his teenage brother runs off with him. And two male puffins, who have completely bonded with each other, receive an adopted chick, but will they be able to care for a little one?

Spring is unstoppable. Black rhino Vungu, a 23-year-old icon of the zoo, has a date with two new German ladies. Pelican Bruno is having trouble finding a partner. And in the bee valley, flowers are blooming and the bees are busily flying back and forth, but who’s really working for whom?

Even in the animal world, there are troubles sometimes. The Sumatran laughingthrush has lost his voice, and that makes it hard to attract a mate. Giraffe Kalishi is a year older than her sister, but why is she a whole head shorter? And Koffer the boxfish is well protected by his armor, but very slow, how does he manage to get food when the other fish are always faster?

Even as a zoo animal, you have to be able to stand up for yourself. The lions no longer let their youngest sister Mette join in at mealtime, she’ll have to fight for her food. The pelicans face competition from city-dwelling cormorants. And how does the ant plant manage to get an army of ants to protect it from grasshoppers?

Reproduction is natural, but that doesn’t mean it always goes smoothly. Elephant Faya gives birth to her first calf, but she refuses to accept it. Young vulture Pien moves from the incubator to the nest of her adoptive parents, but are they willing to care for her? And the female geladas have already sent two males packing. Will Jabba have better luck winning them over?

Every animal life has its moments of tension. The crocodiles fight over their favorite beach to lay their eggs. The newborn gelada youngsters still have to learn how to deal with aggressive Egyptian geese. The young Rüppell’s vulture has been staring down from the edge of her nest for weeks, is she too afraid to take flight? And will elephant Faya finally accept her baby?