This show gives me something to look forward to. The keepers are really compassionate about the animals in their care and you can really see that Chester Zoo is a top-notch facility, even if you've never been anywhere near it. I find myself getting really emotionally involved when I watch, especially when the animals are hurt, or worse yet, when one of them dies and I'm really happy when something good or touching happens. The keepers say that they're not supposed to get attached to their charges, but how can they not? As one of them said, they spend more time at the zoo taking care of the animals than they spend at home and they're only human. I'm sure that if I were in their places, I'd find it impossible not to get attached. After a while, you can really see that the animals have characters and personalities. You can see it in the way the female elephants train their calves to behave, the mischievousness of the otters, meerkats, and the young penguins, and the way the chimpanzees act up (I really respect and admire the way Niall understands them so well after working with them for over 45 years). I have learned a lot about some of the animals on this show, some I never even knew existed before, just listening to the keepers talk about them. I hope this show keeps going for years because I'm sure there's no end to what it can teach people about conservation, care, and respect for the animals we share our world with and just how precious they are. We really cannot afford to lose them.
