The Secret Life of the Zoo

Can mantis Bruce survive mating with deadly Natasha? Rhino couple Beni and Asha are reunited after four years apart. Giant anteater Pedro falls ill. Bald ibis chick Britney is critically underweight.

Young giraffe mum Tula gives birth, while this year's brood of penguin chicks face the ordeal of joining the main pool, where they must compete for fish with the adult penguins

The arrival of a new female chimp causes upheaval at the zoo, baby otter Bo goes missing, cheetah mum Kinky Tail is on the operating table, and the meerkats steal the porcupines' food.

Young elephant Nandita isn't happy when her half-sister is born. Bush dog Franco has got his sister-in-law pregnant. Rhino beetle Sheldon has a damaged wing case; can he impress female beetle Alice?

Tapir Jenny, who has two young offspring, falls ill. Can rhino Kifaru, who has arthritic knees, mate with younger, taller and heavier female rhino Malindi? Widowed porcupine Roxy meets a new mate.

Rare okapi Stomp injures K'Tusha with his horn when he tries to mate with her. Two African painted dogs compete to impress two new females. Plus: turtles and cassowaries.

Mr Parsons the chameleon meets a new mate, Daphne from Paris. Young giraffe Murchison faces the great outdoors for the first time. And another baby elephant is born.

There's an escape at Chester Zoo in this episode. The Sumatran orangutans have been getting used to new quarters, when keepers see from CCTV that Subis, Tuti, Siska and Indah have gone missing. They find Subis in the roof of the Monsoon Forest: an area that's strictly off-limits to orangutans. But Subis seems to be enjoying a day out, trying on a fire hydrant cover and some vet's gloves for size. The keepers must rely on their understanding of the escapees to try to tempt them back inside. Family dynamics are always shifting in Chester's animal groups. In the meerkat house, the dominant female is facing trouble, from her own daughter. Known as Number 13, the daughter is launching physical attacks on Mum, in a struggle for dominance.

Rhino Kifaru is attempting to mate, despite his arthritic knees; tapir Jenny falls ill; widowed porcupine Roxy meets a new, younger mate; and a flamingo chick goes missing. At 32, Kifaru is the oldest eastern black rhino at Chester Zoo. The species has been hunted to near-extinction, with only 600 left in the wild, but Chester has a successful breeding programme. Kifaru is introduced to younger female Malindi, in the hope that they will produce offspring. But Malindi is taller and 150kg heavier than Kifaru, so mating with her is challenging. Lowland tapir Jenny has been with her partner Cuzco for 25 years: one of the longest relationships in the zoo. The couple live with their most recent offspring, two-year-old male Zathras, and 18-month-old Inca. But Jenny has been plagued by a troublesome cough, and seems to be losing weight.