Thomas in the Wild

"I can't believe we saw a giant panda in the wild and all because of you, Thomas."

- Yin-Long

Thomas in the Wild is the seventh episode of the twenty-second series.

Plot
Thomas is taking a film crew to a nature reserve in China to make a film about Giant Pandas. He is excited by the prospect of seeing one in the wild, but An An and Yin-Long tell him it is hard to find Giant Pandas in the Wild. Thomas however is determined to look for one anyway.

While on his way to the nature reserve, Thomas tries to keep a look out for a Giant Panda. He stops when he sees what he thinks is one but is dismayed to find it is only a Red Panda. This excites the film crew, who film the rare animal. However, everything that An An and Yin-Long say to Thomas makes him still determined to look for a Giant Panda.

Thomas soon sees what he thinks is a Giant Panda up ahead, but is again dismayed to find it is an Asian Black Bear. The film crew are again pleased to film it, but Thomas refuses to give up looking for the Panda. He soon stops when he thinks that he sees some and is proven correct.

Thomas then heads straight for the nature reserve, where he sees what he thinks are more Asian Black Pandas. However, these are just people in Panda costumes so as to not get the panda cubs used to seeing people. The film crew tell Thomas that the Giant Panda cubs will be looked after by the people and then released back into the wild so that there will be more giant pandas and they will not disappear forever. Thomas is then congratulated by An An and Yin-Long for not giving up despite everything and finding the Giant Pandas.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Yong Bao
 * An An and Yin-Long
 * The Film Crew Leader
 * Hong-Mei

A giant panda also speaks in the fantasy scene.

Locations

 * China
 * Chinese Railway Sheds
 * The Chinese Town Halt
 * Chinese Town Halt Tunnel
 * The Second Chinese Station
 * The Bamboo Forest
 * The Nature Reserve

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Siu-see Hung as An An
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long
 * Rob Rackstraw as the Film Crew Leader and the Giant Panda

US and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Dan Li as Yong Bao
 * Siu-see Hung as An An
 * Windson Liong as Yin-Long
 * Rob Rackstraw as the Film Crew Leader and the Giant Panda

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-second series.
 * On Nick Jr. in the US, this episode was paired with Number One Engine. On 27th December 2018, it was re-paired with What Rebecca Does in future airings.
 * A model series biff sound effect is used throughout the episode.
 * The theme of Thomas' fantasy scene is a variation of "Teddy Bears' Picnic" composed by John Walter Bratton.
 * This is the only episode of the twenty-second series set in China where Hong-Mei appears but does not speak and the only episode not to have Chipo Chung as part of the voice cast.
 * This is the last episode to air in Japan during the Heisei era (1989-2019).
 * This episode focuses on Goal 15: Life on Land as it was part of Mattel's partnership with the United Nations to promote 6 of the chosen Sustainable Development Goals.

UK/AUS

 * A Colourful World

GER

 * Big World! Big Adventures! - China