Extraordinary Animals

This lighthearted documentary series profiles remarkable animals across the globe. The last instalment of the series focuses on some truly Herculean hounds – three working dogs who are so adept at their jobs that they leave their human counterparts in the dust. There is Saxon, the pooch who can sniff out suspicious circumstances in burnt buildings; Bilbo, the craggy canine who patrols the dangerous shores of Cornwall; and Orson, the awesome avalanche rescue dog.

15th JULY AND 29TH JULY at 7:30pm

This film features Ellias a four year old male raven living in the Konrad Lorenz Institute Austria. He is part of a pioneering project run by Dr. Thomas Bugnyar who is researching raven intelligence. Ellias is his star pupil and brings new meaning to the phrase 'bird brain'.

Immortalised in folklore as villains, they are indeed conniving, calculating but also very very clever. Scientists now refer to them as 'primates of the sky' – and watching Ellias in action – we can see why.

When not showing off his singing skills, Ellias demonstrates an elaborate game of strategy to protect food. Called 'caching' this game of bluff and counter bluff is regularly played out by ravens and Dr. Bugnyar refers to it as 'a cognitive arms race'.

This lighthearted documentary series profiles remarkable animals across the globe. This week’s show focuses on some small furry animals with a range of unexpected talents. In Tanzania, scientists have trained rats to detect patients with tuberculosis and locate landmines in fields. Meanwhile, back in the UK, ferrets are using their incredible flexibility to thread cables and unblock pipes in hard-to-reach places.

If there is one creature that tops the list of people’s ‘most hated animals’, it is the much-maligned rat. These furry, whiskery rodents will never triumph in any popularity contest. The general public perceives them to be dirty, dangerous and diseased, and the oft-quoted fact that a person is never far away from a rat only serves to send shivers down the spine. One man on the street sums it up best: “I think rats and humans just don’t mix.”

The lighthearted documentary series profiling remarkable animals focuses on Panzee, a chimp whose learning abilities have stunned scientists. Not only does Panzee understand more English words than any other chimp in the world, she can also communicate with her human keepers, and has even developed a basic grasp of economics.

At Georgia State University’s Language Research Center, John Kelly has looked after a group of chimpanzees for 18 years. Of the four animals that currently reside in the centre, one stands out as the star of the show. “Panzee is kind of special,” says John. “We’ve raised her like a princess.” Panzee is helping scientists with their research into animal intelligence – and has exhibited some remarkable talents. Dr Mike Beran, an expert in primate linguistics, rates the chimp’s skills very highly. “Panzee is one of the most intelligent chimpanzees that you’re going to come across,” he says.

The lighthearted documentary series profiling remarkable animals focuses on Spitfire, a pigeon who uses his homing skills to help an outdoorsadventure company in the Rocky Mountains.

Wearing a special backpack, Spitfire carries photo memory cards down from the mountain and back to the shop. When climbers complete their descent, they can then pick up their own pictures – fully developed. Scientists now try to understand Spitfire’s amazing navigational abilities by equipping him with a GPS system.

This lighthearted documentary series profiles remarkable animals across the globe. This edition focuses on a dolphin with impressive powers of sonar that enable him to locate objects using just sound waves. Milo the dolphin is helping scientists in Belgium better understand the technique of ‘echolocation’. The film also meets two blind people who have adopted similar methods to help them navigate obstacles in everyday life.

“Milo’s a smart dolphin,” says dolphin trainer Sander. “He wants to play but he’s a thinker also. He understands what we mean and what we want from him.” Standing by the swimming pool at Boudewijn Sea Park in Bruges, Belgium, Sander watches his favourite student cavort in the air and dive through the water. Eight-year-old Milo responds to Sander’s clicks, claps and commands, and forms part of a popular dolphin show at the sea-life centre.

This lighthearted documentary series profiles a range of remarkable animals from across the globe.

This instalment focuses on Nora, the magnificent piano-playing cat, whose talents have won her celebrity status amongst her internet audience. Taken in as a stray by cat-lover and piano teacher Betsy, initially there was little to distinguish Nora from other moggies. Indeed, with a regular stream of pupils filing through for music lessons, and five other cats already well ensconced in the house, the grey tabby had a lot of competition.

Fast-forward four years and the humble housecat had become a musical maestro. Betsy claims that Nora took to the piano immediately and seemed to have an affinity with the instrument. So impressed was Betsy with Nora’s deliberate choice of keys and natural sense of rhythm that she took video footage of her pet and posted it on YouTube. The clip was a roaring success and to date has had over nine million hits.

This lighthearted documentary series profiles a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. This instalment focuses on Nellie, a particularly intelligent pig who has become something of a star owing to her remarkable abilities.

In September 1992, a pig was born on an Ohio farm that stood out from the rest of its brood. Nellie, as she was named, was energetic and inquisitive, constantly on the run, and would eagerly gravitate towards people who entered the farrowing room. At eight weeks of age, Nellie boarded a jet and was flown across to Washington State to live with her new owners – Priscilla and Steve Valentine.

Right away, it was clear that Nellie was a different sort of pig. She did not sleep as much as other pigs, and got bored easily. She was temperamental, sensitive and liked to stay clean. Nellie seemed at her happiest when she was learning or performing simple tasks – and spent much of her time looking at her owners, as if to say, “What can we do next?”

The documentary series that profiles remarkable animals around the world continues with this charming study of a talented moggy.

Nora the cat has learned how to play the piano. Picking up cues from her piano-teacher owner, Betsy, Nora has demonstrated an incredible mastery of this complex instrument. Her choice of keys seems deliberate and she does not pound the piano. Like a true maestro, she strokes the keys and creates her own rhythm. Although partial to duets, Nora also enjoys playing on her own. Betsy has often woken up in the morning to the sound of her extraordinary pet tinkling the ivories.

From her humble beginnings, Nora has shown that she is rather different to other cats. Taken in as a stray, Nora immediately caused chaos in Betsy’s home, fighting with other cats and refusing to get along. But Nora has always adored her owner and, after watching Betsy and her students at work, she began to play herself.

Returning to Five is the light-hearted documentary series that profiles a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. The first instalment focuses on Maggie, a seven-year-old Jack Russell who can count. This cunning canine can apparently solve simple mathematical challenges by tapping out the answer with her paw. But is Maggie a genuine animal genius or is she responding to subtle cues from her owner?

Sprightly Jack Russell Maggie has lived with her owner, Jesse, since she was a puppy. She can dance and she can sing, to a degree, but she has also developed a skill that could change the way people think about their four-legged friends. This canny canine can solve mathematical problems.

Returning to Five for a new run of programmes is the lighthearted documentary series that profiles a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. The first series of Extraordinary Animals introduced such talented beasts as Hong the artistic elephant, Griffin the talkative parrot and Ayumu, the computer-literate chimp. The first instalment of the new series focuses on Maggie – a particularly intelligent dog.

Maggie is a seven-year-old Jack Russell who has lived with her owner, Jesse, since she was a puppy. She can dance and she can sing, to a degree, but she has also developed a skill that could change the way people think about their four-legged friends. This cunning canine can count.

extraordinary animals
the memory chimp (7/7)

Concluding tonight is the documentary series that profiles a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. Tonight’s film focuses on Ayumu, a seven-year-old chimpanzee living in a scientific research centre in Japan, whose amazing abilities are changing the popular perception of chimpanzee intelligence.

Having been born in captivity, Ayumu has lived all his life in Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (PRI) and seems to thrive in this manmade environment. His love of mischief means that he is often the centre of attention in his group but, for the scientists who study him, it is not his energy that makes him special. Ayumu has been taught how to use a computer and partakes in a series of tests designed to measure his intelligence, the results of which are changing the way scientists regard chimpanzees.

extraordinary animals
the super ‘sonic’ dolphin (6/7)

Continuing tonight is the documentary series profiling a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. Tonight’s film introduces Luna, a sixyear-old bottlenose dolphin whose starring role in a radical new scientific project is allowing humans and dolphins to communicate on a new level.

The Kolmården dolphinarium near Sweden’s Baltic coast is home to a group of captive bottlenose dolphins who partake in a series of displays for the public. Regular training for the tourist shows is part of the animals’ daily routine, but these dolphins do not only entertain. Outside of the limelight, six-year-old Luna is part of a unique experiment by scientists to better understand dolphin communication.

extraordinary animals
the greatest ape (5/7)

Continuing tonight is the documentary series profiling a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. Tonight’s film introduces Azy, a 30-year-old orang-utan with incredible mental abilities. Over a number of years, Azy has displayed his intelligence by recognising symbols and objects; demonstrating self-awareness; and showing exceptional memory skills.

The Great Ape Trust in Iowa is home to one of the most remarkable primates ever studied – cheerful orang-utan Azy. This amazing furry fellow has been research partner to Dr Robert Shumaker for nearly 25 years. Inquisitive, gentle and even slightly shy, Azy has been instrumental in teaching primatologists more about the minds of these poorly understood animals. Over the years, he and Dr Shumaker have forged an incredibly strong bond and together they have developed a language which enables Azy to communicate.

extraordinary animals
the genius parrot (4/7)

Continuing tonight is the documentary series profiling a range of remarkable animals from across the globe. This programme explores the case of Griffin – a parrot whose extraordinary cognitive skills have altered the scientific perception of avian intelligence.

Griffin is an amazing 12-year-old African grey parrot whose abilities are changing the way scientists think about birds. Dr Irene Pepperberg, a noted expert on avian communication, works closely with Griffin and other grey parrots at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been teaching the birds to perform complex tasks of the kind previously thought to be exclusive to humans, great apes and monkeys. As well as being able to mimic human speech, Griffin can label objects, identify colours and shapes, and combine the words he has learned to form simple phrases.