Animal Park
We go on location at Longleat
new We visit and at Longleat to see what’s in store for its animal residents
Afun scene we definitely weren’t expecting is unfolding before our eyes: Ben Fogle is giving a tubby goat called Bert some tips to help him lose weight!
TV Times is visiting Longleat, where Ben, Kate Humble and Jean Johansson are busy filming for the new series of BBC1’S heartwarming Animal Park, which goes behind the scenes at the Wiltshire safari park.
But even with the presenters’ lengthy experience of life here, it is clear that the animals still run rings round them, as rather than exercising on the seesaw that Ben’s demonstrating to him, Bert escapes his gym session by dashing around his enclosure and squeezing under a fence! ‘That’s the joy of Animal Park, animals will always be naughty,’ laughs Ben, as he comes over to us for a chat. ‘They say never work with animals, but Kate and I have embraced a lifetime of it and it’s so much fun.’
Here, Ben, 44, and Kate, 49, reveal what’s in store this year…
What will we see this time?
Ben: Lots of smiles and tears. There are new arrivals but also losses. We see what that means for the keepers who work with these amazing creatures. Kate: Yes, we lost a legend when western lowland gorilla Nico died in January [see box, right] but exciting things happen, too. Nothing can be predicted and that’s why every year’s thrilling. It’s great seeing how things move on. Because we’ve been here for so long, we’ll be an
exhibit ourselves soon!
Which animal has the biggest personality? Ben: Nico did. Gorillas really do look like a person dressed up in a gorilla suit! Kate: Some animals make you work harder to get under their skin but they’re all individuals. Rhinos look prehistoric, but each has a personality, and with the giraffes, you work out that there’s a pecking order and which one is cheeky or who doesn’t like being on camera. Ben: All the animals here are definitely aware of the camera. Some turn their backs on it…
Kate: Or they do everything they can to upstage us, which isn’t hard!
How hands on have you been able to get this time at Longleat?
Kate: We’re always hands on – we almost have a nail inspection at the end of each day to see if we’re dirty enough! It’s nice that we have such a good relationship with the
keepers, so they say to us, ‘Could you feed so and so?’ or, ‘Could you help us rig up boughs for the giraffes?’ We just lend a hand.
Ben: We’re kept on our toes though, because, as you saw with Bert, invariably the animals won’t do what you want – but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
does coming back to Longleat still feel special?
Kate: Yes. I first filmed [BBC1 documentary] Lion Country here in 1998. A few years ago Longleat got a bit commercial but now it feels like the magic is back. It’s like a lovely extended family and you see the pride the keepers have in looking after the animals, so it has been a real joy this year. So much conservation work goes on here too, as well as it being a lovely place to get your windscreen wipers ripped off by the monkeys on the safari! Ben: Longleat’s still a great mix of English eccentricity with a passion for animals. All the keepers are selfless. If you’ve got a hangover, those animals won’t wait for you, so you have to turn up with this real love for the job. That’s why many of the keepers are the same faces we met when we started Animal Park nearly 20 years ago.
Kate: Yes, but some keepers say they grew up watching us and that makes me feel old!
Animal Park is previewed on pages 52-53
There are new arrivals but also lossesé
Ben Fogle