This is outside in. I'm Nate Hedgy.

So this is where all the magic happens.

Yeah, where we're kind of the heartbeat of the operation.

Last month, producer Felix Poon got a tour of a food prep facility. It was a lot like any other

industrial kitchen. Large refrigeration units, all the prep tables, we have six

different stations where people will work. But in a lot of ways, this kitchen was different.

Like, they make special cakes.

So frozen ice cakes, we can make them out of blood and meat.

And they're conscious about getting enough protein.

Those are pinky mice.

Wow, so they're like little mice the size of my thumb,

smaller than my thumb.

Like the pinky tip. my thumb smaller than my thumb. Like you think it's it.

You've probably guessed it by now, but Felix is behind the scenes at the zoo.

Your zoo if you're here in the US.

This is the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the only

one in the country created by an act of Congress.

We have taken those animals in and bred them and reintroduce them back into the

native environment. I'm Nate Hedgy and today on Outside In producer Felix Poon

takes us on a behind-the-scenes look at our nation's zoo. From elephant pedicures to the elephant in the

room, aka the ethics of keeping animals in captivity. Stay tuned. Keep a

lookout for lions and tigers and bear.

...