Picture one of the many reality TV shows set in a hospital where different doctors with different teams - depending on the shift - deal with different patients every segment and you never see them again. Now what if there were a series about the same team of people working with the same groups of "patients" with unusual and unique scenarios, oftentimes outdoors... and what if those patients were animals from all around the world?
That's sort of the premise for Secrets of the Zoo, a wonderfully captivating and emotional series on National Geographic Wild (Nat Geo WILD) which gives viewers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and its conservation park, The Wilds, in Ohio.
From tracking and inspecting newborn deer in open fields and taking care of newborn Cheetah cubs, to trying to save the life of an ill Arctic Fox, there are things you will learn and see in Secrets of the Wild that you simply cannot see elsewhere. And what really makes it work, and what will bring deep into these exciting journeys, is the people.
There's a fulltime staff of caretakers, trainers, and veterinarians working in The Wilds and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium that dedicate their lives to working with, treating, and forming unique bonds with these animals, so much so that oftentimes animals have special one-on-one bonds with specific people. They're not just creatures or a number in a database. There are relationships between animals and these teams, and within the teams themselves that have become essential to the groundbreaking conservation work these facilities are delivering.
We had the unique opportunity to spend a day at each location with these teams ahead of Secrets of the Zoo season 2, seeing some of that magic up close and personal. And it's the little things that can't escape us, from how someone can know the names, pedigree, and personality of every white rhino in The Wilds, or how someone can teach otters to stand still or lay on their back for an X-Ray at the Columbus Zoo.
Those bonds are sometimes formed over years, and it's not just between the people and these animals, some of which in The Wilds that are totally extinct in the actual wild - being saved through extensive breeding efforts and collaboration between zoos and conservation facilities around the world. It's between the people too. There's an extreme level of trust and experience between the staff to allow them to do what they do which makes these settings the perfect place for such an intriguing Nat Geo WILD series.
And of course, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is the part-time home of the legendary "jungle" Jack Hanna himself, who - as a total surprise to us - we got to meet in person at the zoo.
But to give you an example of just how wild this series and its staff's accomplishments are. While at The Wilds, we drove up to giraffes and got to hand-feed them. This was just moments after giant ostriches walked up to our open-air truck, inches from our hands. At the zoo, we had lunch while a penguin walked casually with us, and met a baby wallaby who liked to be tucked in when held. And of course, the highlight of the trip, we held clouded leopard cubs before petting a cheetah who laid down on a table beside his golden lab dog companion (you can see some of that interesting bond in season 2 by the way!).
With the amount of animals, their unique personalities and cases, and of course, the lovable teams working with them you're going to find something mind-blowing with Secrets of the Zoo. You'll learn something new, see something you never expected, and you'll probably shed a tear or two. We did, more than once, while premiering two of the episodes with the stars of the show. That was something special. Secrets of the Zoo and the people involved are something special.
Bring on season 3 and beyond!
Secrets of the Zoo airs Sunday nights @9pm on Nat Geo WILD.
Source: NatGeo