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there are some species that we just want
to cuddle and this is all to do with
their features I’m Hannah sniffle and
today were visiting wild place project
on the outskirts of Bristol where we’ll
be taking a look at some species that
trigger this response in us humans even
though the species that we want to
cuddle as some of the top predators on
earth
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the European brown bear an iconic
European Brown Bear
species that up until roughly 500 years
ago was found nearly everywhere across
the continent now brown bears are
restricted to certain areas with some of
the highest populations being found in
the central south eastern mountain
ranges of europe it is estimated now
that around 17,000 bears are found
across the continent
in scattered populations which thanks to
conservation efforts in some areas are
slowly increasing but what is it about
brown bears that we simply find adorable
with their thick fluffy fur coats that
protect them from the cold cute but
announced and short tufty ears we just
want to cuddle them
when we see something fluffy round and
cuddly it can trigger a response in us
which floods the human brain with
feel-good chemicals it’s been thought
that when we are babies and small
children having a fluffy cuddly toy can
ease stress and anxiety aid our
development and begin to develop the
need for us to nurture for others
so if when you see a brown bear you go
hurry inside your first best friend was
most likely a cuddly toy perhaps even a
teddy bear when it comes to big cats
they don’t get much cuter than our next
species once found across the African
continent on the open plains dry forests
and grasslands they are known to be the
fastest land mammal on earth the cheetah
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these distinguished big cats are
outstanding to watch with their pale
Cheetah
yellow coats covered in black spots and
white underside they are a standout
species of the African plains their
faces have curved black lines extending
from their big amber eyes to the corners
of their mouths with little furry round
ears
they are exceptional hunters but mainly
rely on their speed and the element of
surprise to catch their prey they can
reach around 60 miles per hour over
short distances but why do we find a
formidable African carnival so lovable
the cheetah has facial features that
remind us of kittens but also babies big
forward-facing eyes compared to head
size is a feature that newborn babies
howl and is something that makes us want
to take care of them also a Cheetahs
rounded ears and soft furry appearance
are characteristics that initiate the
caregiving response in humans
much like domesticated cats do this
theory is still debated but when some
people look into a cheetahs eyes they
simply find them irresistible from the
African plains to the island of
Madagascar our next species is
undeniably enchanting and is found
nowhere else on earth the
black-and-white ruffed lemur
this visually captivating species is
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur
found in the forests of eastern
Madagascar and weighing in at around 4
kilograms is one of the largest living
lemur species on the planet as their
name suggests they have black and white
fur with a distinctive white gruff
around their necks and piercing yellowy
orange eyes they have the second loudest
call of any primate and use their long
nimble tails to help them balance in the
treetops learn to be frugivores they
feed almost exclusively on fruits but
they will also feed on seeds and nectar
at different times of year using their
long tongues to reach inside flowers to
lap up the nectar they also have the
title as being the largest pollinator on
earth as they travel from tree to tree
they spread nectar and also deposit
seeds in their droppings making them
incredibly important for the forests of
Madagascar black and white ruffed lemurs
are highly sociable animals mostly
living in family groups of around five
individuals although group size can vary
from sometimes just two up to 16 strong
they’re playful inquisitive nature and
fluffy faces make them simply
irresistible to watch and they love
exploring their environment with their
noses always on the lookout for a fruity
meal our next animal we have
domesticated over thousands of years to
become none other than man’s best friend
the European wolf one of the most
European Wolf
revered animals in the world
the wolf is an animal of myths and
stories which we have all grown up with
European wolves are often referred to as
gray wolves but their coats are in fact
a more cream and sometimes brown color
which in the thick forests of Central
Europe helps them disappear into their
surroundings
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wolves are highly sociable animals and
pack hierarchy is very important with
every pack member knowing its place
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at one time it was thought we
domesticated wolves to aid with hunting
but now it is more widely accepted that
wolves came into early human settlements
to scavenge on our leftovers becoming
friendlier and eventually becoming our
companions
their similarity to our much-loved
family pets make some of us have a deep
affection for wolves it’s been found
that our cute canine counterparts can
lower our stress levels even something
as simple as playing fetch or stroking a
dog increases levels of feel-good
hormones making us have an overwhelming
feeling of happiness maybe the big bad
wolf isn’t as bad as you may think
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Behind the scenes
during our time at Bristol wild place
project we were lucky enough to get a
behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like
to look after the fastest land mammal on
earth we teamed up with Zoe one of the
animal keepers to help with feeding the
Cheetahs so these are our three lovely
cheetah brothers in the middle that’s
Brooke Oscar and just over that side is
Jake a little bit grumpy these cats
they’re usually quite impatient to be
fed so we’re gonna go in we’re gonna
strap them into a secure area then we’re
gonna put some food in and let them in
and then we’re gonna go and spread the
food out on the other side okay
excellent and what do you feed them so
they’re carnivores so they eat meat so
today they’ve got some lovely quails to
share between them we try to feed them
as much whole prey as we can so make
sure they’re getting everything in their
diet here that they would in the wild
lovely there look I’m not so we’re gonna
go in the side so I’m gonna close this
door it depends what we’re feeding them
so today because it’s quail sometimes we
will split the feed up throughout the
day and we’re gonna put all of this out
now just so we can give them a nice big
scatter feed which will keep them nice
and active but yeah sometimes we feed
them a couple of times a day and
sometimes will feed them rabbit or
something like that instead and that’s
usually just one today because they’ll
normally get one rabbit eat or something
like that so he’s watching YouTube
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speed in the fastest lap yep
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so the conservation of cheetahs is
really really important now isn’t it
yeah definitely recent estimates of the
numbers in the world are quite low
they’re anywhere between 7,000 and
10,000 which is really not a huge number
at all so it’s really important that we
try and look after them as best as we
can
and how long have you had these three
boys here it’s coming up to six years
now so it’s been a good well they’re
nice and settled quite happy living
together living in a group like this is
quite natural for male cheetahs and
particularly brothers and they often
live together in the wild like this and
obviously as part of the breeding
programme not everywhere can breed them
all at the same time so it’s important
to have places that can hold non
breeding groups ready for when the
offspring a old enough to lose their
parents and need somewhere else to live
well I think they’re absolutely
wonderful I’ve just fed the fast
[Laughter]
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