Animal Park - Season 20

It's time to deck the halls because Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are heading back to Longleat Safari Park for a magical week of programmes.

One of the park's best Christmas presents ever has arrived, but there is a problem – it's hiding! Last summer, before we were even thinking about our Christmas lists, keeper Sam had everything crossed that her gorgeous red panda Emma might be pregnant. Well, she was. Emma gave birth to two cubs, but they are so reclusive that Sam can't check how they are doing. Her solution is to rig some cameras to see what's going on after dark.

Elsewhere in the park, one of the biggest presents has arrived for one of the biggest animals. It's up to keepers Matt and Cerys to haul an enormous rope into position so that the four gorillas have plenty to play with on Christmas day. It needs to be done correctly because a silverback gorilla can be as strong as 20 humans. Initially, the gorillas don't appear to be too keen on their new toy, so wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin decides to train his lens on the group to see if a struggle for dominance is affecting their behaviour.

Along with Hamza, Megan McCubbin is spending her first Christmas at the park, and she is kicking off with her favourite Christmas tradition – decorating the tree. What will the rhinos make of this towering creation, and how long will it survive?

Ben attempts to get a flock of parrots on side with a giant food-covered bauble, and Kate encourages the macaque monkeys into a snowball fight.
A 24-foot Christmas tree is delivered to the Great Hall. Can the team manoeuvre it into place without damaging countless family heirlooms, and will it fit?

It's time to deck the halls because Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are heading back to Longleat Safari Park for a magical week of programmes.

Harry the lion has a problem that could ruin his Christmas - he has broken one of his enormous canine teeth. The keepers have called in renowned dentist Peter Emily, whose plan is to perform root canal work on Harry, but to get close to his lethal jaws, they first need to knock Harry out with a sedative. Once he is asleep, the team can get to work, but just as the operation starts, Harry stops breathing, leaving everyone hoping for a Christmas miracle.

Christmas can cause the occasional family rift, and it's no different down at the meerkat enclosure. Hailing from the Kalahari desert, meerkats live in matriarchal societies, so the ladies are in charge, and the keepers suspect a change at the top – 12-year-old Cassie may have been usurped by her daughter Harley. A group of meerkats is known as a mob and that's exactly what they have turned into with all the infighting, so the keepers have called in wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin to see if there has indeed been a power shift.

The keepers have everything crossed for a white Christmas because animals such as the red pandas and Amur tigers have special adaptations to thrive in snowy conditions. While they wait to see if the park will become a magical winter wonderland this year, Lord and Lady Bath reminisce about past years when snow fell at the park.

Megan McCubbin is on hand to deliver presents and treats to animals that originate from all over the world, so what will they make of our British Christmas traditions? Will the anteaters from South America manage to break into a Christmas cracker, and what does an Australian wallaby make of a brussels sprout?

It's time to deck the halls because Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are heading back to Longleat Safari Park for a magical week of programmes.

As far as Christmas wishes go, few are bigger than the one the keepers have had for the last few years – a baby koala. Incredibly, last year that wish came true when Violet gave birth to Hazel. As the first southern koala to ever be born in Europe, she was quite the Christmas miracle. Unbelievably, this Christmas the keepers suspect Maisy may now be expecting too.

Megan McCubbin is spending time with some of the busiest animals of the season, the reindeer. Both male and female reindeer have antlers, one of the few deer species that do. In fact, it's a challenge for Megan to avoid them when taking Reuben for a walk because his antlers are on course to grow over a metre in length.

It's wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin's first Christmas at the park, and he is being put to the test by Animal Park legend and fellow photographer Ian Turner. Hamza has the challenge of following the feeding truck as it does its morning rounds to feed the lions, tigers, cheetahs and wolves. The question is, will he be quick enough to get the killer shot worthy of the annual Christmas card?

Also today, there is a monumental release of native wildlife back to the estate, as eighteen water voles get to explore their new home down at Half Mile Lake.

It's time to deck the halls because Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are heading back to Longleat Safari Park for a magical week of programmes.

It wouldn't be Christmas without mistletoe and a hint of romance, and that's exactly what the keepers are hoping for at the cheetah enclosure. Rachael is the stunning female looking for a mate, and she has two boys to choose from, brothers Mo and Bolt. A litter of cheetah cubs would make everyone's Christmases come at once because they are classed as vulnerable in the wild. However, Rachael doesn't appear to be particularly interested in either of the boys, so cameraman Hamza Yassin trains his lens on them to find out why.

Deciding what to eat on the big day is always a big decision, and the estate has records of what's been on the winter menu as far back as 1603, with prunes, raisins and peppercorns all on the list. Ben discovers that by the 19th century, things were getting a bit more extensive, with a turkey dinner for lunch and then a seven-course meal in the evening!

Rather than serving Christmas dinner on a plate, for the hyenas Megan McCubbin has a different approach entirely. She and the keepers are adding lumps of meat to a Christmas tree in order to create a brilliant enrichment puzzle for them. The moment the keepers release Akuma and Nkuru, they begin to hunt as a team, finding the treats buried in the tree. But as their senses are heightened, how long with it be before these great African scavengers destroy the festive display?

For the last time in this festive series, Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are at Longleat Safari Park to conclude a magical week of programmes.

Today, Ben and Kate are set a secret mission to find out which animals should go on the ‘naughty' list and who should go on the ‘nice' list, but with animals including ferocious tigers, enormous rhinos and naughty monkeys, how can they possibly decide? And what will be in store for the animals on Christmas morning?

Out in the safari park, the camels receive a surprise present in the shape of a new member of the herd, but it's a gift that needs to be handled with care. Neils is a young male and is being introduced to a herd of females and an older male. The hope is that in time they will accept the young boy, and he will ultimately become the new breeding male. But these festive introductions could easily turn sour if the herd attacks the youngster.

With Christmas day just around the corner, there are still a few animals that Megan McCubbin needs to deliver some festive cheer to, with the goal of enriching the senses and setting them puzzles to solve. The ferrets get served a helping of eggnog, and the turkeys get weighed, but don't worry, they are not on the menu. This weigh-in is to check they are happy and healthy, but they are still reluctant to jump on the scales.

Christmas is the most magical time of year at the park, and to round off the series, the passionate and hard-working keepers reflect on the wonderful privilege they have of spending so much time with the animal families that bring us so much joy.