Taronga: Who’s Who in the Zoo captures the extraordinary animal kingdom and its incredible circle of life when it returns for a second season next week.
This magnificent world of wildlife, again voiced by dual Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts, centres on two of Australia’s largest zoos, Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.
After a period of extreme adversity and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, this season follows the intense ups and downs faced by keepers, vets and volunteers as they navigate their way through unchartered territory to keep both zoos functioning.
The closure of the zoos to the public and the subsequent reopening creates roadblocks but doesn’t deter keepers from providing exceptional, round-the-clock care to the zoos’ raucous residents.
From the tall and tame to the furry and frivolous, the animals of Taronga are oblivious to the upheaval surrounding them. We meet a cute and cuddly patrol of penguins on the loose, the formation of an unlikely companionship between a spotty feline and a four-legged friend, and a sick red roo who just won’t chew.
Proving not too dissimilar to humans, we also see a not-so-sunsafe lemur, a monkey-like animal with a long snout, that has melanoma; a rare and risky procedure on a critically endangered Sumatran tiger; and an incredible emotional birth in front of shocked zoo visitors.
It’s no walk in the park caring for over 5000 animals as we go deep behind the scenes to reveal the tremendous task at hand. Our cameras are there to document the groundbreaking work in conservation and wildlife rehabilitation, the intricacy of planning every meal, and the medical miracles performed by Taronga’s exceptional staff.
Friday, October 22, at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
