Episode 8

Sunday, 1 March 2009, 8:15PM on ITV1

Danny (Stephen Tompkinson) and Alice’s (Dawn Steele) worries about a missing male giraffe are confirmed when they find him dead, victim of lions who have got through gaps in the fence between Leopard’s Den and Mara.

Alice is annoyed with Vanessa (Mary-Anne Barlow) for not maintaining her fences but Danny is more forgiving, explaining that their neighbour has a lot on her mind with Mara’s first guests arriving tomorrow.

The skittish behaviour of the animals is proof, Du Plessis (Deon Stewardson) argues, that bad weather is on its way

A game auction attended by the family is a chance to restock Leopard’s Den, but Alice is annoyed when Danny yields to Vanessa’s entreaties to view a leopard rather than helping them find a replacement giraffe

As he walks off with Vanessa, he forbids Alice from bidding for an old, lice-ridden creature, but she defies him, forcing his good mood to evaporate completely.

Returning to Leopard’s Den, Alice is delighted to discover her younger brother, Rowan (Cal Macaninch), just arrived from Scotland. But he is the bearer of bad tidings – their father has died. Alice throws herself into her work, but when she and Du Plessis take the giraffe to a remote enclosure so he can adapt to his new life in the wild, he gently prods her about her love for Danny.

Meanwhile, over at Mara, Vanessa thanks Danny for all his help with a surprise kiss.

With the wind picking up and storm clouds gathering, confirming Du Plessis’ forecast, the residents of Leopard’s Den start to make preparations for the approaching hurricane, little realising what chaos is about to erupt.

This eighth episode of Wild at Heart is written by Ashley Pharaoh and directed by Nick Laughland. The producer is Nick Goding.