The WORST episodes of Secrets of the Zoo
Every episode of Secrets of the Zoo ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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 - 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.
#2 - 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.
#3 - 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.
#4 - Mandrill of the House
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/12/2020
A mandrill shows its true colors during a dental exam; a gigantic female bison gets a checkup; a young Pronghorn deer's leg injury gets attention; a mother Oryx and her newborn calf seek refuge; and a warthog plays his trainer like a fiddle.
#5 - Big Bear Theory
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/19/2020
The zoo's beloved sloth finds its mate; an armadillo get its groove back; and a behind-the-scenes look at how the zookeepers wrangle a herd of rare donkeys into the barn for its annual check-up.
#6 - Cheetah Play Date
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/26/2020
Two of the zoo's cats receive some high-tech assistance in the baby-making department; Rinzen the red panda and Eebi the mandrill come out on top.
#7 - A Cheetah's Greatest Race
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/10/2020
A beloved cheetah fights for its life against a mysterious and debilitating illness. Meanwhile, an elephant undergoes artificial insemination, and the vets hope to bring another Asian elephant into the world. Lastly, two baby deer must prove that they have what it takes to be a part of the herd.
#8 - Snaky, Breaky Heart
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/17/2020
Get ready for some flamingo annual exam chaos, two adorable manatee orphans, some very glitzy polar bear poop, and a blind date with two rattlesnakes.
#9 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - The Hissing Lynx
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/2020
Two baby white rhinos join the herd at The Wilds; a pair of red pandas have a blind date in a tree; and a super-cute tortoise baffles its doctors.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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 - Reindeer Pedicure
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/15/2022
This week: a deep dive into a rhino’s mouth, a group reindeer pedicure, a saucy monkey, a cuddly koala, and an afternoon stroll with a vulture.
#17 - 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.
#18 - 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!
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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!
#23 - Polar Bear Palooza
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/30/2019
The staff throws a polar bear "bon voyage" party celebrating their polar bears Neva and Amelia Gray before they head off to the Maryland Zoo. Priya gets to work with her husband on a shark exam. Brie the kangaroo visits the dentist, and an unlikely friendship is formed at the Wilds between Albert the baby takin and Elmur Fudd the baby camel.
