Series from 2008
A look at how breeding programs can be used to help nature ensure that endangered species survive. Narrated by James Nesbitt ("The Hobbit" trilogy).
The maternal instinct is one of Nature's strongest - it makes sure mothers bond with, care for and protect their babies. Without it, the world's breeding programmes for threatened species would face a very different future.In this programme we see how a female rhino's natural caution protects her baby and spend time with a baby kangaroo who was rejected by his mother so she could carry on breeding. A mother Amur leopard gets angry when her cubs are taken away for their vaccinations, and we meet two orangutan mums whose maternal instincts help them bring their babies up in just the right way.
Humans step in to save a flying fox mother and her babies, and an umbilical cord is removed from a baby zebra.
An older lowland gorilla attempts to get pregnant again.
On Baby Planet, the best care in the world won't stop nature taking its course - whatever the outcome. However even the darkest cloud can have a silver lining.In this programme keepers struggle to save sixteen hunting dog puppies after their mother dies; sadly only six make it, but they have a bright future as part of a new pack. We go home with a rejected Barbary lion cub where she finds a new canine companion, and see how a baby White-cheeked gibbon keeps staff guessing about its gender. In South Africa abandoned Wattled crane eggs are put in an incubator - very few hatch out, but the efforts to save this threatened species must go on.
Sometimes animal mothers manage just fine, but at other times they need a lot of help from the keepers and vets who run the world's wildlife maternity wards.In this programme Amanda the Lowland gorilla surprises everyone by becoming pregnant at a late age. The birth goes well, but soon afterwards Amanda's in pain and her baby develops a worrying lump on its back. We watch an aardvark cause chaos during her pre-natal exam, and spend time with a Malayan tapir who keeps everyone guessing about her due date. We see how two Striped hyena cubs are hand-reared after their mother rejects them, then travel to the USA, where it's third time lucky when a nervous warthog mum finally overcomes her terror of piglets.