The BEST episodes of The Secret Life of the Zoo

Every episode of The Secret Life of the Zoo ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Secret Life of the Zoo!

Chester Zoo is the most popular zoo in Britain. This observational documentary series uses micro-rig camera technology to capture, in incredible detail, the remarkable behaviour of the animals there.

Last Updated: 11/3/2024Network: Channel 4Status: Ended

8.83

18 votes

#1 - The great escape

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/15/2016

Three Sumatran Orangutans escape from their new enclosure. The Meerkats are fighting for dominance and keepers are hoping for a new baby elephant.

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8.69

16 votes

#2 - Christmas 2017: O Come All Ye Mongoose

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/20/2017

Keepers prepare Christmas presents for the animals. A litter of Dwarf Mongoose pups are born.

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8.57

7 votes

#3 - Heating Up A Sun Bear Romance

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/16/2018

Black Rhino, Zuri, gives birth to male calf, Ike. Sun Bears, Milli and Toni, are moved to a new enclosure and Bactrian Camel, Shan-Shan, is seriously ill.

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8.50

8 votes

#4 - Snakes in a Zoo

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/31/2019

Khari the dik-dik becomes a father and his fight or flight instinct goes into overdrive. A broken window in the reticulated python exhibit needs to be replaced. Kai the Pademelon meets a female for the first time and Malindi the rhino is moved into a calving pen to welcome her impending arrival.

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8.44

18 votes

#5 - Episode 5

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/28/2017

Brazilian Tapir, Jenny, is seriously ill. A new potential mate for Crested Porcupine, Roxy, arrives. Keepers try to breed Black Rhinos, Kifaru and Malindi.

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8.42

36 votes

#6 - New arrival

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/2/2016

Grumpy elephant Thi is expecting a baby. The chimps battle for dominance. Red panda Nima gives her partner Jung the cold shoulder. And the meerkats prove they're not as loveable as they first seem.

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8.38

13 votes

#7 - Black Rhinos

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/8/2016

Black Rhino female, Kitani, is introduced to a new mate, Magadi, and a baby Sumatran Orangutan is born.

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8.38

8 votes

#8 - Mouse Deer Move-Out

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/23/2018

Keepers try to breed Big Bellied Seahorses and a male Balabac Mouse Deer arrives as a potential mate for the zoo's youngest female.

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8.36

11 votes

#9 - A very merry Chester Zoo (Christmas)

Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/11/2019

Rothschild's giraffes Mburo and Mojo miss out on their Christmas treat. Sparky is a new camel arrival. Mascara barb Clark has a date with three females named Kourtney, Kim and Khloe. Red panda Nina gives birth to twins Huey and Tiang.

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8.35

20 votes

#10 - Episode 4

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/21/2017

Asian Elephant, Sundara, gives birth to female calf, Indali. The Bush Dogs have pups and keepers want the Rhino Beetles to reproduce.

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8.33

18 votes

#11 - Tiger Family matters

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/8/2016

Oana the Anoa has a calf. The Capybaras are also having a baby boom.

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8.30

10 votes

#12 - Sloth Couples Therapy

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/2/2018

Keepers encourage sloths, Tina and Rico to breed. Tripod the Chameleon is paired up with a potential mate.

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8.29

17 votes

#13 - Episode 7

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/11/2017

Asian elephant, Sithami, gives birth to male calf, Aayu. Giraffe calf, Murchison, won't go outside, and a female Chameleon arrives from Paris.

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8.29

7 votes

#14 - Playing Match Maker

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/27/2019

A new male spotty chocolate poison dart frog is introduced to the colony. The Sulawesi macaques are ecstatic to welcome a new baby to their family.

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8.26

31 votes

#15 - Mate for life

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/9/2016

Inseparable penguins Rud and Spike have been a couple for 15 years. But Rud's arthritic hip could be affecting his quality of life. The tigers move house, and a tarantula risks his life to reproduce.

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8.25

20 votes

#16 - Baby Rhino Due Date

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/15/2017

A Black Rhino calf, Hazina, is born to Kitani. Four Lowland Streaked Tenrecs arrive for a new breeding program and the keepers attempt to breed the unusual Jewel Wasps.

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The Secret Life of the Zoo at Christmas 2016

8.23

13 votes

#17 - The Secret Life of the Zoo at Christmas 2016

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/22/2016

A rare Malayan Tapir calf is born. The Sumatran Orangutans get presents and Bali, the Reticulated Python, gets a health check.

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8.18

22 votes

#18 - Episode 2

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/7/2017

Pedro, the Giant Anteater, is seriously ill and the Orchid Mantis are introduced for breeding.

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8.18

11 votes

#19 - Something’s Fishy

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/4/2019

Elderly chameleon Mr Parsons is introduced to two new prospective partners. Bongo Malaeka shows little interest in her potential mate, Moti. George, the pinstripe damba, has a lump on his gill which may be affecting his breathing.

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8.15

13 votes

#20 - Lady Boss Lemur

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/13/2017

The bachelor Ring Tailed Lemurs are joined by two Belted Ruffed Lemurs. Two Javan Green Magpies are paired up in the hope of producing chicks. The Komodo Dragons are harness-trained.

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8.14

7 votes

#21 - Runt Of The Litter

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/9/2018

The African Wild Dog pups get a health check and Sumatran Orangutan, Emma, gives birth to a new baby.

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8.14

7 votes

#22 - Otterly love

Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/7/2019

Andean Spectacled bears, Lima, and her daughter, Madidi, aren't getting along. Blue Morpho butterflies, Macuna and Peanut, need to produce the next generation, but when they get drunk on fermented fruit, things are up in the air. After platonic mate, Diego, is moved to another zoo, Giant Otter, Icana, is introduced to a new mate.

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8.14

7 votes

#23 - Baby on board

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/21/2019

Jaguars, Napo and Goshi, haven't been breeding. Elephant calves, Nandita and Aayu, fall seriously ill. When silvery gibbon, Tilu, gives birth to a daughter, Rayya, it's up to father, Alven, to keep their older son, Eko, busy.

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8.13

16 votes

#24 - Penguin parent drama

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/1/2016

The Humboldt Penguin chicks fall ill and two females from Sweden join the Radiated Tortoises.

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8.13

8 votes

#25 - Do you love me Red Panda?

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/5/2018

Red Panda, Koda, arrives from Cornwall to be a new mate for Nima. The Meerkats are busy with a new pup, but all is not well. Mali and Confetti, the Red River hogs, have two demanding piglets, Lisala and Kinshasa.

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