Zoo Life returns for second season with animal care drama

ETV will premiere the second season of the documentary series Zoo Life on Saturday, September 12, featuring stories about animal breeding, veterinary work and the relationship between animals and their keepers, ERR reported.

The eight-part season follows life at Tallinn Zoo and introduces viewers to species that were not featured in the first season. Series creators Sander Loite and Ants Tammik have been preparing new stories since 2024, observing the animals through different seasons.

The episodes include the breeding season of kulans, also known as Turkmenian wild asses, as well as the courtship of alpacas. One story follows a male kulan as he is introduced to females after living separately. The initial encounter involves chasing and rejection before the animals gradually become accustomed to one another.

The series also focuses on the people who work with the animals. Viewers will see how gardeners maintain the zoo and learn about the challenges faced by its veterinarians, whose patients range from animals weighing only a few grams to African elephants and rhinoceroses weighing several tonnes.

The filmmakers also recorded a sterilisation operation on a grey seal. The veterinary team was joined by South African wildlife surgeon Romain Pizzi. Loite said the procedure was an exceptionally demanding example of veterinary work and one rarely shown in television programmes or documentaries.

Communication between animals and people is another central theme of the season. Loite said the programme shows how zoo workers establish contact with species ranging from fish to big cats and rhinoceroses, helping make the animals’ lives more natural and less stressful.

The opening episode explores the world of polar bears. It covers the departure of Rasputin, a popular polar bear, for Denmark and the arrival of new young female polar bears at Tallinn Zoo. The programme also follows wildlife keepers working directly with the animals and examines polar bears as a species threatened by climate warming.

Polar researcher Timo Palo discusses the polar bear, described in the programme as the world’s largest land predator, drawing on his personal experience.

Before the television premiere, the first episode will be shown at a public meeting at Tallinn Zoo’s auditorium on Friday, September 11, at 4 p.m. The programme’s creators and zoo employees will discuss the making of the series and offer a look behind the scenes of both television production and the zoo.