AMAZING ANIMAL BIRTHS

ITV, Monday, 8pm

IN this new six-part series, zoologist Lucy Cooke will be witnessing the miracle of life as she sees first-hand the incredible bond between a mother and her offspring – that extraordinary moment when a little baby comes into a huge world.

From alligators, alpacas and gorillas, to guinea pigs, tapirs and lions, Lucy will be there as these animal babies embark on their amazing new adventures.

In episode one, Lucy is at a birth with more drama than she bargained for, and also witnesses the moment a rare baby rhino enters the world.

Lucy says: “If there is one animal that is part of my family history, it’s the sheep, because my granddad and his father were both shepherds, and they must have delivered hundreds of lambs. So the perfect place for me to start my animal birth adventure is to find out if lambing is in my blood.”

Here, Lucy meets ups with shepherdess Amanda Owen, who runs the highest hill farm in the Yorkshire Dales, along with her husband Clive. They have more than 1,000 sheep that lamb on some of the toughest terrain in Britain.

Lots of Amanda’s flock are a hardy breed called Swaledales, and with thick coats, the female ewes make excellent mothers and are known for being able to rear lambs well, even in the harsh conditions of the Dales.

After five months of being pregnant, one particular sheep is well into labour, but she doesn’t seem to be dilating enough to deliver the lamb.

After the lamb finally appears, and mum cleans off her new baby, Lucy says: “That was just the most amazing feeling, It was so dramatic, my hands are shaking because that was really emotional.”

For the second amazing animal birth, Lucy visits Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, part of the animal conservation charity, The Aspinall Foundation, where she witnesses the birth of a rare baby black rhino.