In this fascinating and
fun series, biologist Liz Bonnin explores why some of the most bizarre and
surprising animals pair up with each other and with us. She scours the globe in
search of the most extraordinary and cute animal relationships, investigating
why such odd couples sometimes form. From dogs mothering baby tigers and polar
bears befriending huskies, to buffaloes bonding with grown men and lions
behaving like our brothers. Millions of us watch “Youtube” clips of animals
showing friendship, genuine affection and maybe even love towards totally
different species that would never normally come together.
Liz will discover how
oxytocin, the love hormone, plays a vital part in bringing the oddest animals
together. The biological need to mother can shake up the natural order to such
an extent that we see cats mothering ducklings and deer adopting dogs as their
own young. There’s even the rhino and the sheep that love spending time with
each other so much that they become ill if they are separated. Liz will show
how these are not just freak occurrences but there is science to explain these
bonds.
8pm, BBCOne Averageaudience: 4,875,100 / 21.06% Peakaudience: 5,546,600 / 23.59% Substantialincrease on channel slot average: 3,608,000 / 16.43% Number1 in the slot against all channels Exceededbenchmark figures for 45-65+; male and female; and all socio economicdemographics No. 4 mosttweeted show of the day with 8,801 tweets, peaking with 259 tweets per minute