Episode 1

Every day thousands of different animals are being moved around the globe on our roads, ferries and planes. Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves follows the expert handlers entrusted with transporting some of the world's most precious and challenging cargoes safely to their destinations. With access to a range of animal transport companies, zoos and aquariums, this two-part series charts the logistical challenges of moving some of the biggest, the smallest, the most dangerous and the most delicate animals across the world. In this episode, a flock of gentoo penguins are flown from New Zealand to Birmingham's National Sea Life Centre, requiring a high-tech, custom-built transport crate costing £40,000. With refrigeration, air filtering and even seatbelts, the 'penguin hotel' must keep the birds in peak physical condition during their 12,500-mile journey. At the West Midlands Safari Park, two-tonne hippo Pinky must be coaxed into her transport crate before her move to the south of France to take part in a breeding programme. But on the day of the move, months of preparation are at the mercy of an extremely stubborn hippo who puts the super-strong travel crate to the test. Beekeeper Murray McGregor is importing eight million bees from Italy to provide pollinators for British fruit farmers. With bee numbers plummeting in the UK, Murray's cargo is especially precious.