About this season
A series of four documentaries filmed behind the scenes at London Zoo as it fights for its future.
Episodes (4)
1. Survival of the Fittest
Aired 19 January 1993 • 59 min
Facing the worst crisis in the Zoological Society of London's 166-year history, a new management team believes it must cut costs drastically and somehow attract more visitors. Keepers who have worked devotedly with the animals all their lives apply for their own jobs.
2. Natural Selection
Aired 26 January 1993 • 59 min
Cost-cutting turns to the animals, one-third of whom must go.
3. The Political Animal
Aired 2 February 1993 • 60 min
As visitors flock to see the new panda Ming Ming, the very fabric of the zoo is crumbling. Health and Safety may shutter part of the aquarium. Unprofitable animal breeding programmes are scrutinized. Meanwhile, an alliance of keepers and Zoological Society Fellows plan a coup.
4. Tooth and Claw
Aired 9 February 1993 • 60 min
A rebel group of keepers and Fellows calls a special general meeting, aiming to topple the present management. Director general David Jones and his leading opponent work out their plans while a keeper nurses a sick koala named Midgie, one of two at the zoo.