Inside London Zoo’s new wildlife hospital — BBC News

[0:00] The lions are rewarded if they lie down and let the keepers administer treatments to their tails. [0:06] But Aya's taken a dislike to, um, to me. [0:12] Yeah, if you stay there for a sec, that's fine. [0:14] So, I think... [0:15] We unsettled her a bit. [0:16] She's not a fan, unfortunately, you guys. I'm very sorry. [0:19] How about watching a gorilla getting a CT scan [0:23] or a pregnant Akapi getting an ultrasound? [0:27] I'm the BBC's Justin Roller. I'm here at London Zoo, [0:31] where I've been exploring some of the radical new attractions. [0:35] A state-of-the-art animal hospital is set to make possible. [0:40] This morning, the keepers are checking how this year's penguin chicks are getting on. [0:46] The penguins have been trained to allow their babies to be taken away for a short time. [0:53] So, what we are looking for is to see if the penguin is growing as it should be [0:58] and in good health as far as we can tell. [1:00] So, is the penguin bright and alert and active? Yes. [1:05] We want to have a look at his little belly. [1:06] It shouldn't be super full but it should have a bit of fill to it [1:09] and that tells me that the parents have been feeding it well. [1:12] So, this is quite nice. [1:14] And it isn't just the small, cute animals. [1:19] We're being allowed to the training area at the back of the enclosure, [1:25] very close to the lion. [1:26] So, I've never been as close to a lion as I'm about to be. [1:30] The lions are rewarded if they lie down and let the keepers administer treatments to their tails. [1:39] But Aya's taken a dislike to, um, to me. [1:44] Yeah, if you stay there for a sec, that's fine. [1:47] So, I think... [1:48] We unsettled her a bit, didn't we? [1:49] She's not a fan, unfortunately, you guys. I'm very sorry. [1:52] So, what we're going to do is we're just going to let her out, just give her her space. [1:55] Aya's decided not to play ball this time. [2:01] Moments later, she is relaxing in the sun. [2:05] Others take it all in their stride. [2:09] They weigh the Galapagos tortoises. [2:11] This one is Priscilla. [2:13] It's a great indicator of their overall health. [2:16] And the plan is that soon you will be able to see some of these procedures [2:21] taking place for yourself. [2:23] This is London Zoo's existing animal hospital, built in the 1950s. [2:28] It is the first of its kind in the world. [2:30] And the plan is to replace it with a brand new wildlife health centre, [2:35] based here at the zoo's headquarters in Regent's Park. [2:38] The development comes thanks to a £20 million donation, [2:43] its largest ever, from a mystery benefactor. [2:48] The gift marks the 200th anniversary of the body that runs the zoo, [2:53] the Zoological Society of London. [2:55] The new facility will have research laboratories, operating theatres, [3:00] even a pathology centre. [3:01] And there's going to be a viewing gallery, [3:03] so visitors can see medical procedures taking place on animals, [3:08] possibly even animal post-mortems. [3:11] The head of the society sees the Wildlife Health Centre [3:16] as a natural progression of the scientific research [3:19] that has always been central to its mission. [3:22] So what does that mean in practice? [3:24] It means that actually if our vet team are doing a health check on a tortoise, [3:29] or on a species of monkey of some sort, or even a lion or a tiger, [3:33] or if they're doing a post-mortem, [3:35] sadly because a porpoise has been washed up in the Thames, [3:39] the general public will be able to observe that, [3:42] and interact with the teams, and interact with specialists, [3:45] to really understand what's going on. [3:48] Critics, though, say the plans are more about monetising public curiosity [3:53] than benefiting wildlife. [3:55] On its 200th anniversary, I think the Zoological Society of London [3:59] should be focusing all its efforts on protecting wildlife in the wild, [4:03] where it belongs, not keeping wildlife in captivity, [4:07] thousands of miles from where it belongs here in London. [4:09] The Society says a key focus of its work is the conservation of wildlife. [4:15] It cares for 21 species, including this dove, that are extinct in the wild. [4:21] So we're now surrounded by some of the rarest animals in the world. [4:24] These are Polynesian tree snails. [4:25] So these are Garrett's tree snails, which are the rarest ones in this room. [4:28] We've got about 120, which is 90% of the world's population. [4:32] They are extinct in the wild. [4:33] You've got 90% of the world's population in this room? [4:36] Yes, that's right. [4:37] One snail species has been successfully re-established back on its Polynesian island [4:42] home, the first invertebrate in the world to be downlisted from extinct in the wild [4:48] to critically endangered. [4:50] Oh, wow. [4:51] She's very cute. [4:54] She's really sweet. [4:55] She lives in the water. [4:57] She's from Asia. [4:58] Awesome. [4:58] Yes, they're all... [4:59] Head vet Amanda is checking on a big-headed turtle, [5:03] which had a bit of damage on its shell. [5:05] She says the new Wildlife Health Centre will mean wildlife vets from around the world [5:11] can draw on London Zoo's expertise. [5:15] It'll have labs and post-mortem suites and teaching spaces and spaces for collaboration [5:21] and research so we can learn about wildlife health and study wildlife health in a much bigger [5:28] way, in a global way, not just on the animals as it relates to the animals in our zoos, but big [5:34] picture. [5:35] And we can train the next generation of wildlife health professionals and conservationists. [5:39] And it's not just exotic foreign wildlife. [5:42] The zoo also provides care for the hedgehogs that live in neighbouring Regent's Park [5:47] and also for dormice. [5:49] Both UK species are now considered at risk. [5:54] The zoo is hoping the new medical centre will help ensure its continued relevance for the next 200 years.