Real Life in the Zoo

An exclusive look at the first Dutch born Giant Panda.

We see how the battle breaks out when a new male is introduced to the group of ring-tailed lemurs. The young sniper fish are given shooting lessons by the oldies and giant pandas Xing Ya and Wu Wen embark on the adventure that will hopefully lead to mating and... young pandas.

We see the adventure of African elephant Tooth taking his first steps as a breeding bull. The heavily traumatized brown bears Keta and Maria are slowly learning what it means to live carefree as a bear in the bear forest and how does the icy truce between the ring-tailed lemurs end?

We discover the world of the poison dart frog, which has a very special way of reproduction. The brush pigs fight without hesitation for food with their much larger neighbors; the African elephants. And at night clouded leopard male Rama and female Hyma are suddenly much more interested in each other than before.

The new breeding bull Tusker meets the ladies elephants. The giant tortoises have a new home, with more corners where Mien can escape Sjaak. And brown bear Mincho is locked out of his hiding place. He must learn to hold his own between the other bears and the wolves.

Brown bear Mincho, who can no longer hide in the inner enclosure, confronts the wolves. Polar bear Freedom retreats into her farrowing hole and soon the two cubs scream: less than 30 centimeters long, pink, blind, deaf and completely helpless. Finally orangutan Minggu, 6 months old, finds that she has far to go before climbing independently, but does mother Tjintah think that as well?

With the mandrils your origin determines your place. Children of a low-ranking female also automatically have a low position in the ranking. But young man Kalle no longer wants to go along with that and seeks confrontation. The young clouded leopards grow up. So fast, in fact, that son Badai slowly becomes a danger to his sisters and mother. Elephant bull Tusker has already sired 14 offspring in his previous zoo. He therefore appears to know exactly what to do when female Duna enters her fertile period.

Tapir Tygo meets a fertile female for the first time in his life. Black rhinoceros Naima turns against her daughter Mara. She needs space now that a new cub is on the way. Gentoo penguin Anoeska is lonely because she is the only one who cannot swim yet. She is desperately looking for contact.

The life-threatening Komodo dragons turn out to have a very romantic side. Green sea turtle Midas has a fight with the sharks in the aquarium, but Midas is not afraid of anything. And Indian rhinoceros Namasté is pampered with a massage.

Black rhinoceros Naima retreats to her stable. She can give birth at any moment. Walking leaf Phileine appears to be able to reproduce without a man. Asian elephant Sunay is going through puberty and is targeting his defenseless grandmother Irma. And amur leopard Kitan enters the domain of female Vatne.

A bonobo family arrives from a zoo in Germany. How does mother Eja lead her family safely into this new world? African elephant Duna killed her own calf three years ago. Now she is going to give birth again. Can she finally prove that she is a good mother after all? And we get to know a very special animal that only leaves its hiding place among the leaves in the dead of night: the spotted cuscus.

Argument among the polar bears. Yuka was always at the bottom of the hierarchy with his sister, mother and grandmother. But he is growing up and no longer wants to wait his turn. Brown bear Wolke misses her twin sister Tory, who died just before winter. She can no longer find her place in the forest. And what about giant pandas Wu Wen and her son Fan Xing? Wu Wen appears to have a strict parenting style.

Bonobo mother Eja and her family are disturbed in the middle of the night. A group of 9 bonobos arrives led by female Lisala. What does that mean for the position of mother Eja? Orangutan Minggu is two and takes every opportunity to sneak away from mom Tjintah. But he thinks it is still far too early for that. And what is the similarity between a millipede and an agate snail?

Seahorses washed up on the beach regain their strength in the zoo and then make an exciting journey back to sea. The baby gorilla Ajabu is in danger when his teenage brother makes off with it. And there is an adoptable chick for two puffin men who have completely found each other. But can they also care for a little one?

Seahorses washed up on the beach regain their strength in the zoo and then make an exciting journey back to sea. The baby gorilla Ajabu is in danger when his teenage brother makes off with it. And there is an adoptable chick for two puffin men who have completely found each other. But can they also care for a little one?

Animal life also sometimes has concerns. Sumatran Jay Thrush has lost its voice. Then try to seduce a female as a jay thrush. Giraffe Kalishi is a year older than her sister, but why is she a head shorter? And Koffer the boxfish is built securely with its armor but very slow. How does he get food if the other fish are always too fast for him?

Gentoo penguins Joey and Anouska make a love nest with pebbles, but you have to be careful, because there are more hijackers on the coast. Giant panda Wu Wen suddenly behaves aggressively towards daughter Fan Xing. Has the natural moment of shedding arrived? Gorilla leader Bokito dies completely unexpectedly. How does the group respond to the loss of their leader?

Since Bokito's death, the Rotterdam gorilla group has been adrift. How will they continue without their leader? Cleaner shrimps Teddy and Lizzy are the cleaning crew of the aquarium, but that is not without danger. Elephant bull Tooth returns to his old herd in Rhenen. Is he still the shy boy from a few years ago or is he no longer willing to be messed with?

Pygmy hippopotamus Eveline is overweight and needs to go on a diet. But Eveline herself does not seem to agree with this. Brown bear Malysh is causing a stir in the Bear Forest. It looks like he is still producing testosterone even though he has been neutered. The search for his missing ball begins. Young zebra stallion Kytoko must provide offspring in his new herd. But does Kytoko actually know how to seduce a woman?

Three koalas are coming to the Rhenen zoo. How do they react to their new enclosures after their long journey and do they find their way around? The bison in Rotterdam are experiencing a baby boom. There are already four healthy young when little Eli is born. He has to drink immediately after birth, but he just can't seem to do it. Will he make it through his first night...? And red-bellied tamarins Pablo and Chili are becoming parents of twins for the first time. The two little ones are growing like weeds and with them their mischievous nature!

Giant panda Wu Wen is torn when Xing Ya tries to seduce her. Elephant bull Tooth has been in the zoo for a year now, but things are still not going well between him and Duna. Okapi Mbuti gives birth to a healthy daughter: Makimzie. The bears in the Bear Forest in Rhenen live together with a pack of wolves. There is a fight over the food, especially during mealtime. Physically, the bears are a lot stronger than the wolves, but if you are not strong, you have to be smart, so the wolves use their famous 'pickpocket technique'.

Young giraffe stallion Jafari is very impressed by the scents that the ladies in the herd spread. However, he has very special habits to find out whether a female is fertile. Giant panda Wu shows abnormal behavior and eventually withdraws into her maternity den. Could this mean that she is indeed going to give birth to a long-awaited cub, or maybe even two? Koala male Arru suddenly shows worrying behavior: he sleeps on the ground. And that is abnormal behavior for a koala. It is feared that Arru may be ill.

The lemurs' peaceful existence is shaken by the arrival of two colorful ruffed lemur brothers, Rufus and Owen. But how will the lemurs react to their new neighbors? The short but impressive life of the Atlas moth Apollo is followed: from egg to voracious caterpillar and finally a beautiful butterfly. But will he manage to reproduce before his time is up? The polar bears dig a den for winter shelter. The women are critical and start over again and again. There's love news for the asian small-clawed otters: Ronnie dreams of a family, but is his young partner Petronella ready for motherhood?

Tension is mounting in the lion enclosure. The newborn cub, Zola, has been roughly handled by her aunt and appears paralyzed. Will she ever walk again? The sea lions are once again battling for the rock: who will win the coveted spot in the sun this year? And for the crested ibises, it's a party every day. Rafiki and Nya have their usual "crazy fifteen minutes," during which they raise their crests, spread their wings, and run around as if they have no idea where they're going. But why are they even doing this?

Completely unexpectedly, the two youngest elephants in the herd die one after the other from the herpes virus. This also brings great concern for the other two young bulls in the herd. The vicunas are uneasy: after the death of harem leader Kiano, a new male, Rico, is ready to replenish the group. But female vicunas Belita and Uyuni first need to reset, otherwise things could turn out badly for Rico. Thando, the golden teal, has been on his own since the death of his partner. So it's high time to make some friends among the other birds. But who's right for him?