Secrets of the Zoo Debuts Exclusive First Look at Season 3

Two seasons into its run, Nat Geo WILD’s Secrets of the Zoo apparently still holds some more secrets…of the zoo.

Secrets of the Zoo takes viewers behind the scenes of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio to get a better sense of what it means to create a healthy environment for the animals under the zookeepers’ care. Previous seasons have documented the birth of Zuri the giraffe’s baby, a polar bear party, and some kangaroo romances.

Now for Secrets of the Zoo season 3, National Geographic‘s WILD child has found even more stories from inside one of the country’s biggest zoos. You can see a bit of what’s in store for a new batch of critters in the exclusive first look at the third season. Prepare yourselves for some baby dholes.

So what is a dhole exactly? I wasn’t aware of their existence to that clip but now I would obviously die for them. Dholes are wild dogs native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. But based on that clip they’re also our little buddies! Look at those little pups getting hand raised. As the capable zookeepers say in the clip, hand-raising is a last resort but somebody has to teach the dholes how to dhole. 

The first episode of Secrets of the Zoo season 3, “Dhole Lotta Love,” premieres on Sunday, February 23 at 9 p.m. ET on Nat Geo WILD. Naturally, it will cover the birthday party of a 44-year-old orangutan in addition to the titular dholes. Episode 2, “Grumpy Cat,” will not follow the (sadly now departed) cranky feline Internet meme but rather a very ornery new tiger arrival. Secrets of the Zoo season 3 will contain 10 hour-long episodes in total. 

read more: Talking Cattle, Goats, and Chickens (Oh My) with Nat Geo WILD’s Heartland Docs

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and its southeastern Ohio conservation park The Wilds, is one of the largest and most popular zoos in the country, being home to more than 10,000 animals on 12,000 acres. It’s also the part-time home of noted wildlife expert Jack Hanna, who works as the director emeritus of the zoo. Secrets of the Zoo premiered in 2018 and sets out to tell the stories of what goes into operating such an enormous institution. It also examines why proper animal care and conservation is an important endeavor.

Alec Bojalad is TV Editor at Den of Geek and TCA member. Read more of his stuff here. Follow him at his creatively-named Twitter handle @alecbojalad