Go behind the scenes at the Houston Zoo on October 12 when the three-part series Zoo Confidential premiers on Nat Geo WILD.
Zoo Confidential is an opportunity to get an insiders view of the Houston Zoo – from the birth of an Asian elephant and the newborns first nursing, to the breeding of the critically endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken. Find out how Blanco, the leucistic American alligator gets a bath and how to entertain a Komodo dragon at meal time.
Accompany the Houston Zoo’s veterinarians on their rounds and look over their shoulders during diagnostic and surgical procedures. Join the Zoo’s keepers as they create engaging and unique devices to enrich the lives of their animals – from a floating ‘banquet table’ for a Malayan tigers to sway poles for the gibbons at Wortham World of Primates.
Get behind the scenes at the Kipp Aquarium as keepers create a new home for the lion fish and find out what orangutan family planning is all about.
Episode One – Special Delivery - Tuesday, October 12, 8 p.m. CDT
The elephant care team makes final preparations for Shanti to deliver her calf. Blanco, the leucistic (white) American alligator gets a bath. Nat Geo cameras visit the Attwater’s prairie chicken breeding facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center; carnivore keepers construct a floating ‘banquet table’ for Pandu the Malayan tiger’s special meal time.
Episode Two – Operation Ocelot - Tuesday, October 19, 8 p.m. CDT
Two pairs of lemurs are moved in together, under the watchful eye of Zoo primate keepers; baby Asian elephant Baylor goes out into the exhibit with the other elephants for the first time; Novia, a female ocelot gets special attention from Zoo vets and vet specialists to track down the source of her kidney stones.
Episode Three – Urban Jungle - Tuesday, October 26, 8 p.m. CDT
Primate keepers at Wortham World of Primates install sway poles to entertain the gibbons; Kelly the female orangutan gets a little help from the vets with family planning; the first hatching of the 2010 Attwater’s prairie chicken breeding season is observed by Zoo bird keepers; Zoo vets perform surgery on a lizard that is unable to lay eggs.
Nat Geo WILD is available on the following cable systems in the greater Houston area.
U-Verse 266
Comcast 250
Dish 190
Direct TV 283
TV Max 189 (HD service on channel 135)
