Ep 9. Really Dirty Animals

Mike Rowe is back again to take on another tough and dirty job in season 3 of "Dirty Jobs". In episode 9, titled "Really Dirty Animals", Mike ventures into the lesser-known side of the animal world where he meets and works with animals that are often overlooked by the general public.

The episode opens with Mike visiting a crocodile farm in Florida where he works with the farmhands to get the crocodiles into a truck that will transport them to a nearby zoo. The job involves wrangling the dangerous and aggressive crocodiles into the truck and securing them safely for their journey. Mike gets up close and personal with the crocs, learning about their habits and the risks involved in working with them.

Next, Mike visits a dairy farm in Pennsylvania to help with the milking process. He quickly realizes that it is not the cows that are the biggest challenge on the farm, but the aggressive bulls that roam the fields. Mike is tasked with helping to artificially inseminate one of the cows, a job that proves to be as gross as it sounds. He also has to collect semen from one of the bulls, an experience Mike will not soon forget.

In the third part of the episode, Mike heads to a wildlife sanctuary in Texas to work with some of the animals that are often misunderstood or maligned by society. He starts by assisting with the care of a group of injured skunks, including feeding them and cleaning their enclosures. Mike then moves on to work with the sanctuary's resident vultures, which involves getting up close and personal with these often-disgusting birds.

Finally, Mike takes on the task of cleaning an elephant's enclosure at a zoo in California. The job involves shoveling and scrubbing up massive piles of poop while attempting to avoid the elephant's curious trunk. Mike soon learns that working with an animal as large and unpredictable as an elephant requires a lot of patience and a little luck.

Throughout the episode, Mike interacts with a variety of people who work with these creatures every day, gaining a firsthand understanding of the challenges and rewards involved. Along the way, he shows his trademark sense of humor and bravado, all while getting down and dirty with some of nature's more unpleasant (but still fascinating) inhabitants.