NARRATOR: This time on Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom,
two plucky pigs go on a blind date...
DAN: It's just incredibly exciting.
NARRATOR: ...a manatee takes to the skies.
FEMALE VOICE: Lou's going on a little adventure.
NARRATOR: And a zebra foal explores a brand-new world.
This is a really fantastic day.
-(THEME MUSIC PLAYING) -(BIRD SQUAWKING)
NARRATOR: Far from hustle and bustle at the center of the park...
on a secret field outside of guests' view...
Look how cute they are.
...these Hartmann's mountain zebras get ready for a big move to a new savanna.
-Giddyup! -(ALL LAUGH)
I got one. You need help?
The first step, bringing the animals into holding.
-Everybody's in place. Good to go. -FEMALE VOICE: We're ready.
NARRATOR: Soon this striped herd will be on its way to a whole new world.
We are so excited. The zebras are headed to their new home
as part of the savanna on the Kilimanjaro Safari.
It has been years since zebra have been on this savanna,
and Hartmann's mountain zebra have never been.
(WILDEBEEST GRUNT)
MEAGHAN: This is gonna be a new experience for all the other animals
on the savanna as well. Many of them have never seen zebra.
(COW MOOS)
MEAGHAN: These are wild animals.
We can't really predict how they're gonna react.
It's our job to make sure that this goes smoothly.
Zebra do tend to be pretty mischievous though, so there is a good chance
that they will be getting into some trouble at some point.
NARRATOR: To get to their new home, this mischievous group
must follow their keeper's lead.
-MEAGHAN: Are you ready to go? -I'm ready, let's do this.
Domino!
NARRATOR: But these guys...
Come on, big boy.
NARRATOR: ...just wanna horse around.
MEAGHAN: Domino is a beloved animal, and he loves to roll in dirt.
He's pretty goofy in that regard.
We have Prima, she's the boss lady.
She has a very bold personality. (CHUCKLES)
Heidi is very calm and docile.
Clementine is joining in.
She's the youngest, at about a year old, and she has a lot of energy.
She is spunky and definitely has a mischievous side.
-(ZEBRA BRAYING) -(MEAGHAN LAUGHING)
Love her.
(BRAYING)
MEAGHAN: Hartmann's mountain zebra have really big personalities and so,
as we move them to their trailer, we need to be on our toes.
Whoa!
We have a lot of work ahead of us.
NARRATOR: And the team has one scrumptious surprise to entice them
into their holding pens.
-MEAGHAN: Domino, Prima! -(SHAKING TREATS)
MEAGHAN: I've got some tasty treats for you.
Come on! That was fast.
(ALL LAUGH)
MEAGHAN: Good job, Prima.
NARRATOR: The next challenge, safely guide the zebras into transport trailers
that will take them to their new home.
We're gonna load Prima first, Domino second.
Hopefully, things will be nice and smooth.
FEMALE VOICE: Come on, mama. You're good, you're good.
NARRATOR: Prima, Domino, and Heidi go in without a hitch.
Rascally youngster Clementine loads last.
FEMALE VOICE: With Clementine being young, who knows what she's gonna do.
Tell her to release... Clementine.
FEMALE VOICE: Go on, pretty girl.
Aw. Pretty girl. Come on, pretty girl.
Come on! I need you to turn back around. Other way, other way!
FEMALE VOICE:
Clementine, come on!
-FEMALE VOICE 1: There you go! -FEMALE VOICE 2: Yes! She is in there.
(CHUCKLES)
Didn't think she was gonna go in.
I would see her little head and then she would just, like, "No."
FEMALE VOICE: Giddyup, giddyup!
NARRATOR: Next stop, the zebras' new savanna barn...
Why is she so cute?
NARRATOR: ...as they get ready to meet their new neighbors.
We're very excited. They're finally here. Yeah!
The fun is just beginning. (LAUGHING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
NARRATOR: Speaking of exciting futures, at The Oasis...
EMILY: Hey, girlfriend.
NARRATOR: ...keeper Emily hopes this very special pig...
EMILY: Hi. It's okay.
NARRATOR: ...will do something never done before at the park.
She came to us in hopes that we will have piglets.
Disney's Animal Kingdom has never had baby babirusas,
so this would be a first for us. It would be really cool
for this animal to be that first one.
(MUNCHES)
KATIE: You find some yummy?
She's the cutest.
NARRATOR: To have piglets, Betty needs a boyfriend, and bachelor, Mentari...
heads her way.
DAN: Good boy. You're okay. Good boy.
He's doing pretty good and exploring his new home.
Only the males have the tusks,
and they're basically just extensions of their teeth.
He's adorable. We're very excited that he's here with us.
All right. That's it, buddy. I have no more food. Good boy!
Mentari seems to be a lot more calm than Betty.
She is more likely to run around and get more excited,
a little bit more nervous.
Mentari here is a lot more calm, more low-key.
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
FEMALE VOICE: Good boy.
DAN: Our dream is that they'll like each other enough
to mate and have piglets.
FEMALE VOICE: Hi, handsome.
NARRATOR: To see if Betty and Mentari hit it off...
You want me to go in and open her stall door?
NARRATOR: ...keepers plan a surprise blind date.
DAN: It'll be the first time that Betty is meeting Mentari.
So, they're just gonna be able to see each other
through a little window.
So we'll see how they'll react.
(BLOWING WHISTLE)
NARRATOR: Betty saunters backstage.
Her sensitive snout tells her romance could be around the corner.
DAN: She knows that someone's down here, although she hasn't seen him yet.
She knows that something is different than normal.
You wanna come meet your boyfriend?
We'll just give her the time.
We're not gonna force Betty to do anything.
We're gonna let her take her time and come down when she's comfortable to.
NARRATOR: Just when it looks like Mentari is gonna get stood up...
DAN: What are you doing?
All right, she's in the stall so they're probably getting a visual
of each other for the first time right now.
NARRATOR: But love at first snout remains a question.
DAN: You see him.
Well, she definitely saw him, and now she's eating some food.
(DAN CHUCKLING)
Good girl. Oh, you see him? He's right there.
Nope, the food is more interesting right now.
NARRATOR: While Betty gets her fill, Mentari has an appetite for love.
DAN: Mentari is very interested in her. We hear a little bit of grunting sounds.
(GRUNTING)
DAN: What are you doing, buddy?
NARRATOR: With at least Mentari getting the feels...
keepers decide to set up a second date.
But for piglet success,
they must wait for the perfect moment.
DAN: She's only capable of becoming pregnant for a very short window.
If the next date goes as good as today,
then we definitely have a good shot at having a baby babirusa.
NARRATOR: At 110 acres,
the Kilimanjaro Safaris is the largest attraction
in all of the Walt Disney World Resort.
-To keep it trucking... -Awesome.
NARRATOR: ...every morning, work starts well before guests arrive.
(ENGINE REVS)
(HONKING)
The double honk is so... people around me know that I'm moving.
NARRATOR: It's 8:00 a.m...
Meghan heads out on her own personal safari
to check that it's ready for the day ahead.
It's called the test truck ride.
MEGHAN: Being a test truck out here,
we're making sure that the ride path is good,
making sure all the water levels are good for the animals
and they're all filled where they're supposed to be filled.
The first area of the reserve that we're entering in here,
this is the little Ituri forest here.
These are the bongos!
Aren't they beautiful?
I love them.
It takes about 20 minutes to drive the ride path...
unless an animal gets in the road... (LAUGHING) ...which happens,
happens pretty frequently.
This is their home. Yeah, we're just visitors.
(DUCKS QUACKING)
NARRATOR: And up ahead...
Okay.
(DUCKS QUACKING)
NARRATOR: ...some residents exercise their right of way.
And they'll take all the time they need.
-MEGHAN: The ducks are not afraid. -(DUCKS QUACKING)
NARRATOR: But it puts her in the perfect place to see... and hear...
-(LION ROARS) -NARRATOR: ...and hear...
Yeah... oh, yeah!
(LION ROARS)
NARRATOR: ...the king and queens of the safari.
-MEGHAN: Yay, they're gonna respond. -(ROARS)
(LIONS ROARING)
MEGHAN: They are...
my favorite animals out here, so getting to hear them roar
and vocalize, that is always really emotional for me...
just 'cause it's so amazing, and it's...
honestly, it's the best sound that you will ever hear in your entire life.
(CHUCKLES) She's staring right at us now.
And there they go. All right. That's my lion soap opera.
(CHUCKLES)
MEGHAN: Now that the test trucks have gone through the ride path...
we can start letting guests on for the day.
NARRATOR: For the executive creative designer of the park...
This is kind of the coolest thing.
NARRATOR: ...the safari experience offers something deeper
than a sightseeing adventure.
JOE: Conservation is intrinsic to Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Everything revolves around the idea that nature
is a supreme value. It can't be traded, it can't be replaced.
Over the course of the years that we've run Animal Kingdom,
Masai giraffe have become endangered, so these environments
where you can manage a population, like these giraffes,
are more important today than when we opened this park.
If you pay attention to the world of nature,
you learn that all of us in some way can be part of this conservation story.
NARRATOR: And now, this conservation story adds a whole new chapter.
It's happening.
FEMALE VOICE:
NARRATOR: Domino and Prima get their chance to become the first ever
Hartmann's mountain zebras on the savanna.
I'm thrilled. I'm looking forward to seeing them out there.
FEMALE VOICE:
(INHALES DEEPLY)
Just wait in anticipation for them, uh, to appear in their new home.
Here we go.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
JEFF: I think it's awesome. I have missed having zebra out here.
One of my favorite species.
Zebra are cooler than giraffes.
I said it. I said it aloud.
NARRATOR: But how the other animals will react... remains unknown.
JEFF: So, our first encounter with the other animals.
The wildebeest have definitely noticed them.
(CHUCKLES) Oh my goodness! That zebra thing's walking towards us.
(WILDEBEEST GRUNTING)
JEFF: It's been a long time. A lot of these animals haven't seen zebra.
Cows are curious about them.
Springboks are looking.
Somebody's really checking them out, it looks like Stephanie.
Wildebeest, look at them. Nosy neighbors, still.
Still looking and following from a distance.
What's with these striped critters? And as it should be.
Zebra don't care, everybody else does.
(CHUCKLES)
NARRATOR: And while others look on...
Prima makes herself right at home.
JEFF: Oh, there she goes.
Get that big ole belly to move in the dirt.
It's wonderful.
NARRATOR: And these nosy neighbors
will soon have another new arrival to gawk at
because that big old belly holds a stripy surprise.
MEAGHAN: There's something really special about Prima.
She is pregnant, and Domino is the father.
So, soon we will have a nice family herd out there.
I'm thrilled. There's not really much cuter than a zebra baby.
It just makes me so excited and gets me out of bed at morning.
JEFF: It's gonna be really cool having a new, uh, zebra kid out there.
That's really gonna cause a stir.
NARRATOR: Over at Epcot...
while guests explore The Seas with Nemo and Friends...
backstage, it's mission critical.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
NARRATOR: Lou, the manatee, needs urgent medical attention.
KIM: All right, everybody. I think we're ready
for a debrief, real quick.
This morning we're going to be, um...
taking Lou on a little adventure over to the hospital for a little CT scan.
NARRATOR: The CT scan will focus on an injury Lou suffered
before he arrived at The Seas,
when he lost 90 percent of his tail in a boat strike.
A recent checkup reveals it could be infected.
CONRAD: We took a look underneath Lou's tail
and there did seem to be some inflammation
and that's something that we wanna jump on really quick
and treat it as soon as possible.
We wanna hang on to what's there.
NARRATOR: The team plans to transport big Lou five miles away
to the veterinary treatment room for a high def CT scan...
something they've never attempted before with a manatee.
CONRAD: Lou is a friendly giant. We wanna do everything we can
to keep him happy and healthy.
NARRATOR: Dr. Deidre is on hand to look after Lou throughout his trip.
Okay. Yeah.
Lou, I'm not leaving your side.
We have everything from plan A to plan Z
in case we get delivered any curveballs along the way.
NARRATOR: The first challenge, the trip to the transport truck outside.
But Lou's way too big to simply go out the front door.
We're gonna put him in a stretcher, we're gonna fly him thought the skylight
up onto third floor roof.
NARRATOR: So 1,800-pound Lou will fly, courtesy of a crane.
KIM: That's all right, pull it up enough for me to grab it and I'll get it.
MALE VOICE: Stretcher is in the building.
KIM: All right, Dave. Here we go.
Flip those. Good.
MALE VOICE 1:
MALE VOICE 2:
-He's doing it himself. -DR. DEIDRE: Yeah.
MALE VOICE 2:
DR. DEIDRE: We're ready.
NARRATOR: We have liftoff!
Since he's a mammal, Lou can breathe out of water as he ascends.
DR. DEIDRE: You can imagine what that sensation must feel like,
being in a crane and lifted out of a ceiling.
Just make sure you like where he's positioned as he comes down.
It's unseasonably cold today, so we are just covering him with blankets.
It's really, really critical that we keep him as warm as we can.
-MALE VOICE 1: Forward. Up. -MALE VOICE 2: Is that enough?
-MALE VOICE 1: Good! -Okay.
-Ready to be locked up? -MALE VOICE: Lock us in!
Yeah, let's do it!
DR. DEIDRE: We're really excited that things are going so smoothly.
We're looking forward to going, heading over to Animal Kingdom.
NARRATOR: At The Oasis...
nine days after her first date,
Betty may want to take her relationship with Mentari to the next level.
Just yesterday, we started seeing the physical signs.
She is cycling now. She's in estrus.
That means she is within the time period that she is capable of becoming pregnant
so this is the perfect time for us to try for some baby pigs.
(SNORTS)
DAN: There is the possibility that there'll be some aggression.
Uh, it's actually kind of expected.
They have to kinda get to establish their relationship.
So, hopefully, they'll show interest in each other though.
We want them to breed, we want piglets.
(INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC PLAYING)
NARRATOR: Betty gets a whiff that love may be near.
Snout to snout, sniffing quickly turns to flirting.
DAN: Things are looking good right now.
If this continues, we'll let them out. They'll have more room out there.
NARRATOR: Outside...
There they are! (CHUCKLES)
NARRATOR: ...these piggy paramours waste no time showing affection.
DAN: It looks like he's actually mounting her.
-It's like picture perfect. -(WALKIE-TALKIE BEEPS)
-DAN: They're doing really well. -SHANA: Yay!
It's not just about their success in breeding, which is a huge part of it,
but being able to share that with the guests and for them to see it
is a huge part of it too. We want our guests to feel...
connected to them and, uh, excited about them
and learn about their story.
Uh, so here they are and now everyone can see them.
(SNORTS)
NARRATOR: Now, the wait begins to find out if Betty becomes pregnant
with the park's first ever babirusa piglet.
SHANA: You have the breeding date so we'll be able to estimate...
-DAN: Yeah. We'll see... -...when she's due.
-DAN: ...and hope for the best. -SHANA: Yeah.
(SNORTING)
NARRATOR: At the veterinary treatment room,
big Lou, the manatee, arrives for a scan on his injured tail.
FEMALE VOICE: Truck just pulled in.
He's doing great.
NARRATOR: For Lou's own safety and comfort,
doctors must fully put him under.
DR. DEIDRE: The CT scan can take several minutes
and with him breathing and positioning, we just wanna have better control.
We probably just need, um, somebody close by.
-So when your team is ready, we'll... -We're ready.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
NARRATOR: The team gets Lou inside and preps his tail
for the park's first ever manatee high definition CT scan.
He has a lot of dead skin...
that's accumulated on the lesion and I want to
just get it nice and clean.
This is the equivalent of manatee toe cheese.
-They're ready to go up, guys. -FEMALE VOICE: Okay.
NARRATOR: The hydraulic table begins to lift
hefty Lou into position for the scan.
DR. DEIDRE: Feels like we got a little bit of a tilt going on.
-Yeah. -DR. NATI: This side is not elevated.
DR. DEIDRE: Feeling slightly uncomfortable.
-FEMALE VOICE: Can we kinda... -DR. NATI: Is he centered on the table?
We're really high on this side,
lower on this side.
Our manatee is more than our hydraulic table is able to handle,
even though the table should be able to handle it.
It's not working out that way in practice.
Everybody clear of the table.
I guess we need a little extra pixie dust today.
NARRATOR: With plan A off the table, the team moves to plan B.
DR. NATI: We're going move our large CT out
and our small CT machine in
because it's lower so we won't have to get him up as high,
but we'll still be able to capture the essential area that we want.
Lou's doing great. He's very stable under anesthesia, which is really,
really a blessing because it gives us the time to try a few options.
FEMALE VOICE:
Just a smidge.
So close!
(ALL LAUGH)
NARRATOR: But giant Lou proves too much for the scanner.
DR. NATI: So, the settings that we put on the machine
have caused the machine to overheat
because this is much bigger than anything
we've previously imaged with this machine.
Okay, so we're done with the CT? Okay.
NARRATOR: But the team can't give up on getting Lou the care he needs.
They move on to plan C.
DR. NATI: We're gonna move him outside and start recovering him
from the anesthesia and we'll take the x-rays
as he's waking up.
All right, everybody back!
Clear.
Maxing out our x-ray machine now?
NARRATOR: It will take time for doctors to analyze the x-rays.
But after such a big day, it's time for Lou to go home.
We're getting ready for when he decides he wants to wake up.
At that point, we'll be able to move him back to The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
What a good boy!
(TRAIN WHISTLES)
NARRATOR: One of the park's biggest successes,
bringing new life into the world.
Over the last five years, there have more than 1,000 births.
And this morning, the newest arrival has everybody buzzing.
So when we came in this morning at 5:00 a.m...
...we found that Prima had delivered her baby overnight.
NARRATOR: Weighing in at 65 pounds, he's a happy healthy boy.
KENDALL: His head looks, I think,
a little bit, uh, bigger compared to his body,
but he's still adorable.
Prima and her kid are doing really well.
We're seeing all the behaviors that we wanna see.
We've seen him nursing, we've seen her grooming him.
NARRATOR: This hours-old baby boy doesn't have a name yet.
For now, keepers leave him and mom, Prima, alone to bond.
But hope he will soon introduce himself to all the animals of the savanna.
KENDALL: Once he's ready, he's gonna go with his mom, Prima,
out to the savanna, get to meet everybody out there.
I think the guests are gonna love seeing him out there.
Everybody loves babies and I'm very interested to see
how the other animals interact with him.
NARRATOR: At The Seas, manatee, Lou, returns home.
He is doing great. We've got a false bottom floor that allows us
to gradually introduce him back to water.
We're seeing all good signs that he's having a great recovery.
NARRATOR: And as Lou chows down on his leafy greens,
the results from his x-rays come in.
What the x-rays are showing us is there's no signs of infection
to indicate that he needs any follow-up medical care.
So that certainly is great news.
NARRATOR: It's a dream result for Lou and everyone at The Seas.
DR. DEIDRE: This was a huge, huge team effort.
This animal health and animal care team never cease to amaze me.
I know they have the capability to move mountains...
but today, I'll be happy just moving a manatee.
NARRATOR: At the zebra barn...
Prima's baby boy celebrates his two-week birthday.
Look at him, being a boy. He's everything you'd want in a new kid.
It's pretty amazing how well he can, uh, move around.
NARRATOR: He may not have a name yet, but keepers believe
he's ready for an adventure.
JEFF: He is going to go out and experience the savanna.
I think he's gonna have a blast.
NARRATOR: Meaghan and several other cast members
stand by to monitor the action.
MEAGHAN: Waiting for him already are couple different species.
Wildebeest are curious by nature.
Something that we are concerned about is that they could chase him
and he could get separated from mom.
This is Prima's first foal, and so we're hoping that she has
really strong maternal instincts and that she protects him.
All right, little lady. Get that man out there. Let him see the big world.
-(RADIO BEEPING) -Mom and kid are on show.
MEAGHAN: Oh, my gosh. Look at him.
NARRATOR: Right away, the little guy gets a lot of attention.
MEAGHAN: The wildebeest are in the lower meadow
and they are approaching Prima.
We have mom and kid coming back to visit at the gate.
NARRATOR: Prima takes no chances with her new baby.
It's the right call.
The sight of her foal excites the wildebeest
and triggers their natural impulse to stampede.
MEAGHAN: They're just like, "Ah, something is new."
(ON RADIO) Yeah, she's looking out to see where the wildebeest are.
JEFF: He's hanging out with mom, which is awesome.
NARRATOR: The wildebeest tire themselves out...
and mom and foal give the savanna one more try.
MEAGHAN: Oh, I see them.
Prima is doing a good job leading him away from the cows.
And he's so tiny, but he's... he's doing it, he's keeping up with her.
NARRATOR: Daddy Domino prepares to see his son on the savanna
for the first time.
Domino is on his way out, he's got a little pep in his step.
FEMALE VOICE: Ten-four.
Giddyup.
(DOMINO CHIRPING)
MEAGHAN: I hear him vocalizing right now.
I'm expecting he just saw her and he's going over to greet her.
Wow, they look so good out here.
NARRATOR: With mom and dad now beside him,
this little foal properly introduces himself to his nosy neighbors.
Even the excitable wildebeest.
It doesn't get better than this.
This is a really fantastic day.
NARRATOR: And the savanna has more of these days to look forward to.
MEAGHAN: We're so excited.
Heidi is pregnant and she's due in a couple of months
and if there's anything cuter than one baby zebra, it's two baby zebras.
And then, once Clementine is old enough to reach breeding age, hopefully,
she will breed with Domino, also.
We're well on our way to creating an established herd.
NARRATOR: Back at The Oasis, after two months of waiting and hoping,
it's finally time to find out if Betty carries
the park's first babirusa piglet.
Today, we're gonna do the first ultrasound with Betty.
Betty, we're over here.
That's such a good girl.
DAN: We've been trying so hard for so long to have babirusa piglets.
It's just incredibly exciting.
NARRATOR: Dr. Dan examines the live feed of the scan.
DR. DAN: Can you...
-turn the transducer 90 degrees... -Mm-hmm.
...staying on that side.
Okay, right there.
Okay, I'm gonna inch little to the left.
-Okay. (LAUGHS) I'm ready. -(LAUGHS)
Okay, I'm in a really good spot right now. Okay.
DR. DAN: Dan, you might wanna look at this.
-I think you got a baby babirusa in here. -Oh, my gosh.
FEMALE VOICE: What's in there, B? You got a baby for us?
-Can you see it? -Yeah.
This, look right here and you're gonna briefly see
a little dark circle and it's gonna beep, beep, beep, beep. That's the baby's heart.
(CHUCKLES)
-FEMALE VOICE: Wanna see your baby? -MALE VOICE: It's right here.
-DR. DAN: Look at it! Good girl. -Aw. (LAUGHS)
DAN: Yeah, this is what I was waiting for.
(LAUGHS)
-FEMALE VOICE: Are you gonna cry now? -I'm trying not to.
DR. DAN: It's okay.
-I feel a little emotional right now. -DAN: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
DR. DAN: This is amazing.
Catch a little glimpse of the head right there.
Right here is the rib cage, these little white lines
coming straight down here.
-FEMALE VOICE: Here? -Oh, I saw the head again.
NARRATOR: Outside, the team congratulates the park's newest mom-to-be.
-DAN: Good job, Betty. -EMILY: Good job, B.
When we first saw the image, it was the most exciting thing
I've ever felt in this job. I am so proud of Betty.
EMILY: Working with Betty has been the highlight of my year
and having that all culminate
with Betty having a baby is gonna be so exciting.
DAN: She has a very loving nature to her. She's gonna be an amazing mom.
EMILY: She's gonna be such a good mom.
She's a rock star.