The BEST episodes of Secrets of the Zoo
Every episode of Secrets of the Zoo ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Secrets of the Zoo!
With more than 10,000 animals in their care and over 2.4 million guests welcomed a year, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds have many compelling stories to tell. Over the course of the last year, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium staff and documentarians at Nat Geo WILD have been working together to share a glimpse into the incredible bonds between caretakers and animals at the Zoo.Secrets of the Zoo also focuses on the Columbus Zoo’s incredible conservation work, including an in-depth look at The Wilds, one of the largest conservation centers in North America at 10,000 acres, and home to rare and endangered animals from around the world.
#1 - Holey Batwings
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/15/2022
A newborn sea lion pup struggles to stay alive, a celebrity bat’s mysterious holey wings, and a zebra named Holly hits the spa!
#3 - A Giraffe is Born
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/15/2022
An abscessed tooth turns nasty for an aging sheep, Lulu the giraffe has her baby, and a dangerously skinny skink confounds the vet staff!
#5 - Bringing Up Baby!
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/26/2018
The keepers make their morning breakfast rounds at the Heart of Africa exhibit, a young bull elephant has a play date while his expectant mother gets an ultrasound, a rare okapi gets a checkup, a cougar has a concerning abscess and it's a winter herd roundup at The Wilds.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#6 - Dancing with the Devils
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/29/2020
Iconic Australian animals make an entrance, a rare mountain goat birth is recorded, and a near extinct species of deer take keepers for a swim.
#8 - Roary the Lionheart
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/15/2022
Some of the most deadly patients at the zoo: a 200 lb. python with killer back pain, a girl-shy male lion, and a bear with a gnarly cough.
#9 - King of the Jungle
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/15/2020
Staff members have their hands full with an adorable koala that’s losing weight, and a routine exam on a beloved lemur takes an unexpected turn.
#10 - Duckumentary
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/22/2020
Rory the duck, Krypto the Onager, and Unga the Bonobo are given a whole new lease on life, and Zucchini the Beaver has a gigantic tooth problem.
#11 - Later, Gator!
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/23/2019
Heidi Rose, a sloth bear brought in from Europe, shows signs of a limp, but Priya and the team discover her lungs are in even worse condition. Girl, the alligator, breaks out of her restraints during her annual exam. Gouda the loris is pregnant, so now it's up to her keepers to pick the perfect "cheesy" baby name. At the Wilds, the team races to cool down an African painted dog who overheats during a lengthy procedure.
#12 - Babies on Board
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/2020
Babies at the zoo! Meet adorable bouncy baby goats, a trio of fluffy flamingo chicks, a sweet baby gazelle, and a feisty eland calf at the Wilds.
#13 - Baby Watch
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/16/2019
Everyone at the zoo is waiting for the birth of Zuri's baby, which will be the first giraffe birth at the Columbus Zoo in more than twenty years. But Zuri isn't the only resident in need of the zoo's attention, there are horses that need pedicures and a bunch of penguins who need to get their annual exams, if the keepers can catch them!
Watch Now:Apple TV#14 - Flock Star
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/15/2022
It’s a roller coaster ride at the zoo. A beloved flamingo fights for his life, a cheetah gets a critical biopsy, and the keepers scramble to keep up.
#16 - Beauties and the Beasts
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/19/2018
Baby fever spreads through the zoo as a cheetah repopulation program goes into full effect, and Jack Hanna chases chaos through the zoo as he prepares to delight a crowd. Meanwhile, the park's most chill residents get a frozen spaghetti seal treat.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#18 - The Otter Limits
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/5/2020
The team teaches baby otters to swim before they make their television debut. A cougar’s future gets brighter with some expert eye care.
#19 - Tunnel of Love
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/15/2022
Sea lions rejoice! Long awaited Adventure Cove finally opens. Plus, a tiny loris and beloved iguana present strange mystery illnesses.
#20 - Waking the Dragon
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/2020
The zoo’s penguin colony gets annual exams, and the staff holds its collective breath as a rare pangolin pregnancy unfolds at the Columbus Zoo.
#21 - Welcome to the Family
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/9/2019
The staff at the Columbus Zoo can hardly contain themselves as they prepare to make a home for an orphaned baby gorilla. A longtime resident at the zoo named Annyeung has lost his voice and out at The Wilds, a pregnant giraffe named Lulu keeps the keepers on the edge of their seats as they anxiously await the birth of their newest member.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#23 - Tiger Queen
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/2020
This week at the Columbus Zoo: daredevil flying goats, adorable cheetah cubs, a cranky female tiger, a lethal king cobra, and a rhino that paints.
#24 - Polar Delivery
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/2020
This week at the Columbus Zoo, we meet an adorable baby Rhino, witness an amazing polar bear birth, and comfort a rare bird named Marla.
#25 - A Serval Star is Born
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/28/2019
A silverback Gorilla named Oliver gets his annual exam, and baby pronghorns meet their adult roommates for the first time. Keepers try to figure out why Gobi the Bactrian Camel has been mysteriously gaining weight, and a Serval cat named Kenya gets stage fright when she performs in Jungle Jack Hanna's anniversary show.