Secrets of the Zoo

A cheetah fights for its life against a mysterious and debilitating illness, and an elephant is artificially inseminated.

The flamingos need annual exams, which means chaos at The Columbus Zoo. Meanwhile, two adorable orphaned manatees arrive at the zoo in preparation for their return to the wild, and a cute baby deer has a wobbly start at The Wilds.

There's no happier time than B-A-B-Y time at the Columbus Zoo. But a zoo full of needy babies makes for action-packed days for the zoo staff: from a rambunctious baby goat with a gnarly belly-button issue, to a fluffy flamingo chick who's on a daily physical therapy routine, to a doe-eyed newborn gazelle who can't quite get the hang of bottle feeding. Plus, we'll see how Eland mamas hide their young in the Wilds. Prepare to say aaawww!

A hidden camera captures a litter of wolf pups coming into the world, and the proud parents give the zoo staff the run around when it's time for their neonatal exams at The Columbus Zoo. After 19 years of service, the zoo's animal ambassador, a beloved palm civet, enters retirement. Lastly, a tortoise baffles the vets with a mysterious illness.

This week at the Columbus Zoo: a miracle of veterinary science with a rare attempt at tiger artificial insemination; the birth of a bevy of cheetah cubs; and a backstage pass to see a huge silverback gorilla up close and personal. If that's not enough, check out the gravity-defying flying baby goats, a lethal king cobra snake and a rhino that paints! Prepare to be amazed.

This week, we join the team of dedicated zookeepers at the Columbus Zoo, and celebrate the bonds they form with their animal buddies. We see a rare baby Rhino and her mom reach shelter before winter blows in; we witness a joyful polar bear's surprising birthing technique up- close-and-personal, and a rare bird named Marla gives us a valuable lesson about how animals and people need to cooperate in order to coexist.

Two adorable baby white rhinos join the herd at The Wilds; a pair of cuddly red pandas have a blind date in a tree; three very grumpy lynx sisters hiss at their keepers but ace their exams; and a super-cute tortoise baffles its doctors. It's all part of the miraculous work that goes on every day at the Columbus Zoo.

Sapo the Komodo is a pretty nice dragon; he just doesn't like to be poked with a needle. Meanwhile, the zoo's whole colony of feisty, deafening penguins get its annual exams. Plus, an adorable adolescent camel is reunited with its parents for some "how-to-be-a-camel" training, and the staff holds its collective breath as an extremely rare pangolin pregnancy unfolds at the Columbus Zoo.