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Airdate: Zoo Vets

Livinia Nixon,Peter Hitchener and Jo Hall go behind the scenes of three Victorian zoos.

2013-12-10_2350Plenty of animal docos at this time of year.

Livinia Nixon,Peter Hitchener and Jo Hall host Zoo Vets, a Nine News special going behind the scenes at the original Melbourne Zoo at Parkville, Werribee’s Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary.

Viewers get a rare insight into what goes on at the zoos when the animals are sick or require special treatment. Nixon, Hitchener and Hall join the vets as they perform major and minor procedures, some in the zoo surgeries, others out in the open.

The highly skilled and compassionate vets will tackle everything from a lion needing a root canal operation to a South American tarantula with a moulting problem; from treating an epileptic seal to caring for a pregnant elephant.

Protecting endangered species in the wild and developing breeding programs to ensure their survival is also an important part of their job, which keeps all three zoos at the forefront of conservation.

These dedicated wildlife professionals give insight into why they chose their careers, the things that motivate and inspire them, and share their satisfaction at seeing an animal recover from a life-threatening condition or rejoin its group with a clean bill of health.

Zoo Vets – a Nine News Special: acknowledging the amazing work of veterinarians to benefit all creatures great and small.

Friday, December 20, at 7.30pm (Melbourne) and Saturday, December 21, at 1.00pm (other states).

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