Animal AirportWelcome to Heathrow Airport's Animal Reception Centre: a unit that's equipped to deal with almost any species and which receives around 200,000 animals each year.
Heathrow Airport in London, one of the world's busiest, isn't full of just people from all around the world who pass through its doors. This series tells tales of the many creatures that end up at the airport's Animal Reception Centre - some legally, many illegally - and the staff who handle arriving and departing shipments of animals in every shape, size, breed and colour. Along with thousands of cats and dogs, the centre has welcomed sloths, giant octopi, bears, elephants, tigers, lions, sharks, alpacas, venomous snakes, vampire bats, and Britain's equestrian team.
Episode 1
May 22, 2000
Heathrow's Animal Reception team deals with an illegal shipment of chameleons from Ghana in Africa. They're bound for Japan but with many dead on arrival, this consignment is going nowhere. It's a challenge to save the surviving chameleons from severe dehydration, but is it already too late? In one of the terminals Attendant Ross and Animal Welfare officer Sharon seize a pet dog from a mother and her young daughter who had innocently carried it in a holdall in the main cabin of the aircraft. Gucci the Bishon Frise has travelled illegally from the Middle East. To the consternation of its young owner it must be detained while checks are carried out on its documentation. Airside, a Giant Tortoise flies in from the Seychelles: but trying to move a mammoth box weighing a quarter of a tonne poses its own unique problems.
Episode 2
May 29, 2000
Four cheetahs are detained on their way from South Africa to Russia. Despite their ingenuity and best efforts the staff cannot find two of the cheetah's identifying microchips and they have to prepare for the big cats' extended stay. Animal Health Inspector Sharon is called to an illegal bulldog, which has been brought into the UK from Eastern Europe without the correct vaccinations. His owners cannot afford to pay his quarantine and he may have to be destroyed. Animal Health officers Stuart and Chris take on the resident grumpy African Dwarf Crocodile, in an attempt to clean out its cage.
Episode 3
Jun 5, 2000
Animal Health Officer Stuart confronts a man attempting to smuggle a tortoise into the UK. The man becomes violent when Stuart discovers he s hidden it in his underpants. At the Animal Reception Centre some escaped Tarantulas need repackaging which is bad news for Mel who's arachnophobic. Two Siberian Foxes make an overnight stay en route from Moscow to the United States. A Lion Cub - whose travel crate isn't strong enough to hold it - is detained by the manager of the ARC and a tiny Teacup Schnauzer prompts an investigation. Is it too young to have travelled?
Episode 4
Jun 12, 2000
An American woman’s hopes of a family reunion are dashed when her son is denied entry in to the UK and his dog is stranded in transit. Behind the scenes with the sniffer dogs a couple are caught carrying £15,000 in cash out of the country. Some geriatric monkeys fly in from a Danish primate sanctuary to spend their retirement in the UK; but they’re so well packaged that their padlocked crates must be broken in to give them something to eat. Manager Rob Quest is in for a treat when an unusual shipment of insects and reptiles arrives and it’s feeding time for the resident monitor lizards and rats are on the menu.
Episode 5
Jun 19, 2000
A consignment of cheetahs must be x-rayed when the team can't find their microchips. There's a dramatic seizure of an illegal puppy arriving from Africa, and two sea lions pass through customs - but are they as gentle as they look?
Episode 6
Jun 26, 2000
A distressed ring-tailed lemur is brought into the Ark after being found loose in a London park, and a woman is in tears as her two huskies - one trained to warn her about seizures - are quarantined. A tortoise makes the fastest journey of its life when owners move from UK to US, a young foal with its mother flies in, and there's a microchip mystery to solve.
Episode 7
Jul 3, 2000
In this episode, the team navigate the chaos of the busiest day at Heathrow's Animal Reception Centre. With new quarantine laws in effect, tempers flare, and pets from around the world flood in for reunions with their owners. Watch as the staff grapple with paperwork complications, unexpected bills, and the illegal arrival of two dogs from Poland. Experience the controlled chaos, long waits, and heart-warming reunions that unfold in the race against time to process over 200 animals. Don't miss the drama, laughs, and challenges faced by the dedicated team on this unforgettable day at the Animal Reception Centre.
Episode 8
Jul 10, 2000
There's deadly tarantulas, Cuban crocs, VIP pooches, and a bamboo-loving lemur! Ross faces a hairy situation as he deals with tricky tarantulas from Cameroon. Susie and Tristan gear up for a daring mission with aggressive Cuban crocs at the Sea Life Aquarium. Watch as pampered Italian pooches get a reality check, we bid farewell to the cheetahs that stole the Ark staff's hearts, and a Bamboo Lemur makes a rare appearance, adding to the excitement at the world's busiest airport for animals.
Episode 9
Jul 17, 2000
Join Animal Health Inspectors Sharon and Deborah as they track down a consignment of puppies brought into the UK illegally and uncover an illegal puppy trade. It's feeding time for the resident rock python, but who will volunteer for the task? Plus, a grumpy mastiffs bark appears worse than his bite.
Episode 10
Jul 24, 2000
When Animal Health Inspectors detain a dog that might be carrying rabies, its angry owner follows Sharon back to the ARC. Is a calf living in a suburban garden legal? Two rams give the staff the run-around, and will the resident lemurs be happy about moving to their new home?
Episode 11
Jul 31, 2000
An alligator snapping turtle is found in a British country pond - can Stuart catch it safely? The race is on to clear 10,000 butterfly pupae through customs before their magical transformation. The Team encounter the challenges of handling venomous king cobras, plus a rescued chimpanzee with a sweet tooth refuses water and will only drink orangeade.
Episode 12
Aug 7, 2000
Endangered Spoon-Billed Sandpipers fly in from Moscow in a last ditch attempt to save them from extinction, there's unexpected drama when a South African guard dog falls sick in transit from Johannesburg, and how do you measure a tricky boxer?
Episode 13
Aug 14, 2000
There's an emotional journey as a distressed man faces the challenge of getting his dog back to the USA amid freezing temperatures. The handlers deal with a tough-talking Brazilian street dog who then has a heart-warming reunion its owners. A zoo closure sees Heathrow's Ark turn into a temporary haven for an ibis, a coati, an adventurous sloth named Cinnamon and their old friend Mango the cockatoo.
