New Meerkat young in the Walled Garden

New births for popular Meerkats

Two of our Slender-tailed Meerkats have become first time parents to a group of four babies born at the end of July. These adorable young are becoming more active and enjoying the lovely weather alongside their parents and the rest of the group.

All animals in a group of Meerkats will take it in turn to babysit the young regardless of whether they are related to them.

Black and White Colobus

A new primate species for the Park

Take a look into the large Primate enclosure near the Emus and you will see our new Primate species; Black and White Colobus.

Our four Colobus have arrived at the Park from Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, the group is made up of twelve year old male Kasaka and girls Anuket, Heket and Bes who are four, four and three years old respectively.

The Colobus have very small thumbs and a large and multi-chambered stomach which allows them to better digest plant fibers, including foliage. The word "colobus" means mutilated in latin, referring to the almost lack of thumbs.

Their main predators in the wild are crowned hawk-eagle and chimpanzee.

A Pair of Swinhoe's Striped Squirrels

New arrivals for the Pheasant Aviary

Visit the Pheasant Aviaries (behind the Train Station), on your next visit to the Park and see our newly arrived Swinhoe's Striped Squirrels.

Sid and Sadie are just over a year old and have come to us from Newquay and Shaldon, they are very active and great fun to watch as they dart about their exhibit. They are proving very popular with their keepers and we're sure our visitors will love them too.

Swinhoe's Striped Squirrels are one of the only rodents known to 'rob' nectar from plants by chewing a hole in the bottom of the flower.

A Male Zebra Foal

A son for Xena and Spongebob

Zebra parents Xena and Spongebob are delighted to have welcomed a son this month. Male Chapman's Zebra foal Rodney was born on the 3rd of June 2011 and is named after Keeper Rod who retired from the Park earlier this year following many years loyal service.

Zebra foals are generally up and running very quickly after birth and Rodney can already be seen enjoying the freedom of his paddock alongside his parents and the rest of his herd, although he stays close to his mum for protection and his dad who is keeping a very careful eye on the new arrival.

New Giraffe arrive at the Park

Two new Giraffe join Wallace and Century

Our two male Giraffe Wallace and Century have been joined by two new friends. Icarus, aged three and J aged one and three quarters, have arrived at the Park from Woburn Safari Park. Icarus and J had a trouble free arrival and are currently settling into their new living quarters and getting to know Wallace and Century, they will form part of our bachelor herd of Giraffe.

Although in a breeding group male Giraffe will often fight, in an all male group they are generally very peaceful and we are confident that the four boys will get along well.

A baby boom in the Camel Paddock

Three new female Camels have been born.

Visit the Camel Paddock to catch a glimpse of our three new female Bactrian Camels, born on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of June. Experienced Parents Friday and Cleo are taking parenthood in their stride with Cleo giving birth in front of a crowd of interested visitors, third parent Tinker is a first time mum and seemed a little confused by her new arrival but is doing well and taking to her new role very smoothly.

Lots of births at the Park this May

Prairie Dogs, Pouched Rats and Visayan Warty Pigs all become proud parents this month.

May has been a busy month for births at the Park and we are delighted to welcome to following youngsters:

Prairie dogs - our Keepers have so far seen six of these adorable babies, they are exact minature versions of their parents and are becoming braver in their explorations of their home each day. The Prairie Dogs make their home underground making it harder to spot new arrivals at first so these new additions are a lovely surprise for their Keepers. Keep an eye out for them in the Walled Garden.

Pouched Rats - Our pair of Pouched Rats are now the proud parents of a small litter of young, they can be tricky to spot at first but look out for them in their home in the nocturnal exhibit in the Bat House.

Visayan Warty Pigs - Adult Visayan Warty Pigs Fred and Wilma have become first time parents to Pebbles and BamBam who can be seen investigating their paddock alongside their parents (next to the Flamingo Lake and the Wolves). This is one of the world's rarest pig species and it is the first time they have been bred at the Park.

Spring is in the air for our new arrivals

Our newly arrived African Crested Porcupines, Oryx calves, Lemur babies and a flurry of preparation from our birds.

Spring is taking hold at the Park and with it comes the births of our three Oryx calves, who can be seen in the Paddock next to the main drive, two Ring-tailed Lemurs and one Collared Lemur; all to be found exploring Madagascar with their parents. Over on the bird section various of our feathered friends are laying eggs and making preparations for their new arrivals, the first to welcome their young are the Roulroul Partridge who are the proud parents of two small chicks’.

New to the Park this season are three African Crested Porcupine, our trio of females have joined the Park from Kent and can be found settling into their new home in the exhibit next to the Zebra stables (opposite the ice-cream kiosk) which used to house our secondary group of our Meerkats.

Arabian Rock Hyrax

New to the Park; our Arabian Rock Hyrax welcome some new arrivals

We are delighted to announce the birth of two Arabian Hyrax in the newly refurbished exhibit in our restaurant.   Our two adult Hyrax arrived at the Park very recently and are now the proud parents of two babies.

Hyrax babies are born ready to be on the move and they can now be found exploring their rocky home under the watchful eye of their attentive mother. 

A New Colony of Ants

Watch this industrious species hard at work in the Insect House:

The Insect House is now home to a brand new colony of Leafcutter Ants, these industrious colonies are led by a single queen and can be made up of millions of hard working ants who are each able to carry many times their own body weight in leaves. The leaves collected by the ants are used to form a compost which helps to produce the fungus needed by the ants to create a fungus garden which is their source of food and survival.

New Year - New Arrivals

At the end of 2010 we were delighted to welcome a few new arrivals who we hope will be forming great friendships with some of our existing residents:

A new Chapman’s zebra mare “Stella” is being slowly integrated into the herd by mixing her with different Zebras every day, look out for her in the paddock.

Our new female Brazilian Tapir “Cali” continues to interact with resident male “Gomez” in his adjoining enclosure. Although they have not currently enjoyed each others company when mixed we remain hopeful that the new year might bring the two closer together.

Giant Anteaters “Zorio” and “Zeta” have now both settled in and are feeding well. They have not been physically mixed yet but they can see each other from their separate enclosures and will be introduced properly in the coming few weeks.

We have also welcomed two Arapawa Goat Kids, their mum gave birth just after Christmas on the 28th of December. Both kids (a boy and a girl) are doing well and can currently be found keeping warm in the small pens in the middle of farm area.

Clouded Leopards and Amara the Amur Leopard - Update

Our Clouded Leopard pair continue to settle into life at the Park and are currently operating a time-share agreement of their exhibit with Amara the Amur Leopard who was the exhibits previous occupant.

We are lucky enough to have two spacious Leopard enclosures (one off-show), each containing living and sleeping quarters, and rotating the enclosures always appears to have a positive effect on both these species as they investigate the new smells and changes to their outside areas.

Currently the Clouded Leopards have been moved back to the off show enclosure after the female, Moro, received a nasty injury to her leg. This smaller area will allow her to recuperate in privacy alongside her mate Dali, and will enable us to investigate how her rehabilitation is progressing. In the meantime, our female Amur Leopard Amara will again have the run of the spacious on-show exhibit. Check back soon for more big cat news and the latest on Moro's recovery.

Winter arrivals for the Park

Anteater, Clouded Leopards, a baby Red-handed Tamarin and an African Openbill Stork

A male Giant Anteater has joined the collection from Colchester Zoo. Zorio, a young male will soon be joined by a young female from Duisberg Zoo in Germany and they hopefully go on to become a successful breeding pair.

Our young pair of Clouded Leopards have recently gone on display. The Leopards, which arrived earlier in the year from Howletts in Kent are settling into their spacious exhibit near the Giraffe paddock

We are delighted to announce the birth of a Red Handed Tamarin. The youngster, born last month is doing well and growing daily.

Our group of African Openbill Storks have produced their second chick of the year. This rarely seen species can only be found at the Cotswold Wildlife Park and we are proud to have the first successful breeding of this bird in the UK. The new chick is currently being hand reared by our dedicated Bird team and will soon join its older brother in their winter accommodation.

Summer 2010 Update

A Busy Summer Holidays

Births and arrivals at the Park from this summer

This summer has been a busy one with lots of new births at the Park, here is a summary of some of our new arrivals:

Our Pallas cat kittens (born in April this year) are gradually becoming more adventurous and confident.  They can be seen along with their parents (Hopalong and Tsara) in their exhibit opposite the Grey Owl enclosure.  This lovely species can be elusive and shy but they are more than worth the wait if you manage to catch a glimpse of the family.

The Park's Herpetology team welcomed four baby Yemen Chameleons at the start of July 2010.  It’s the first time this particular species of chameleon has been successfully bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and visitors can now see them in the Park’s new Reptile & Amphibian nursery (located inside the insect house).

The Bird section celebrated a UK first after successfully hatching an African Open-billed Stork on the 28th of July.  The chick is currently being hand-reared by members of the animal husbandry team and is doing well.

Other recent arrivals have included two Sacred Ibis and two Black Curassow, all hatched in August, as well as two Lady Ross’ Turaco and a Blue-winged Kookaburra hatched at the start of September.

There has been plenty of activity in our Madagascar exhibit with our young Red Bellied Lemur becoming more confident and exploring the exhibit along with junior members of the Ring-tailed Lemur family.

Other new arrivals to the Walled Garden include two Yellow Mongoose born at the start of the summer holidays along with more recently a Red Handed Tamarin born at the end of August and two Banded Mongoose welcomed by their parents on the 3rd of September.

June 2010

Giraffes are here

Giraffes are settling in well

Century and Koife from Colchester and Wallace from Blair Drummond, have safely arrived at the Park and are settling in well to their new home. They are exploring the paddock and making themselves at home in their new house. Visitors will be able to see the boys stretching their legs in the paddock and we look forward to opening their house to visitors in the near future.

Click here to read more about our plans with this exciting species.

New arrivals for the spring season

The last month or two have seen several births at the Park;

We have welcomed our first Miniature Donkey foal in the Children's Farmyard as well as two Oryx, one male and one female, all born at the start of April 2010.

Our Madagascar exhibit has also had its fair share of births, with a Ring-tailed Lemur born (who was born at the end of March) starting to stretch his legs along with the arrival of a baby Red-bellied Lemur born on the 10th of April.

Keep an eye out for them all on your next visit to the Park.

Expanding Camel Herd

It is an exciting time for our herd of Bactrian Camels as the group continues to grow with the arrival of a young female from Blackpool. Born on the 19th of February 2009, she joins our existing group of three adult females and one adult male just as they welcome some smaller new arrivals; a female Camel was born on the 23rd of March, followed quickly after on the 24th by a baby boy. 

A New Tapir and a sad farwell to Squidge

In early March 2010 our female Tapir “Squidge” rapidly lost condition arising from a severe infection in her jawbone. She started losing her teeth and could not eat, and very sadly the decision was taken to put her down.

Fortunately, we and other zoos worldwide have been very successful in breeding these delightful animals in captivity and we are pleased to be able to welcome a new Tapir to the Park.  Gomez, a four year old male, has come to us from Longleat where he was born.  He is settling in well and we are hoping to introduce him to a mate in the future following recommendations from the breeding programme co-ordinator.

Red Panda arrival

Our lone female Red Panda has been joined by a young Male born at Chester Zoo in 2007.  He is related to our female who is now fifteen years old so they will not form a breeding pair but will provide each other with great companionship and are getting along well

A mate for our Capybara

A new male Capybara from Blackpool Zoo is in the process of being introduced to our female.  After an initial period of adjustment we hope they will become firm friends and form a new breeding pair at the Park.

New Penguins for refurbished exhibit

Following the recent refurbishment and theming of our Penguin exhibit, we are delighted to have four new Humboldt Penguins arrive from Belfast Zoo to join our group.

Our keepers are hopeful that the new arrivals will encourage breeding within the group and look forward to welcoming Penguin chicks in the future.

Wallaby Joey spotted

We are delighted to welcome a new Parma Wallaby Joey to our group.

When you see the Wallaby Joeys for the first time; either sticking their heads out of the pouch, or taking their first exuberant run around their mother, you could be forgiven for thinking that they have just been born, but this is not the case.  Joeys are born following a short gestation period of 34-38 days and stay within the pouch for around a further 80 days before slowly venturing to join the outside world, remaining dependant on their mother for much of their first year of life.

Jaguarundi Kitten

The breeding success of our pair of Jaguarundi's continues, with the birth of another kitten at the end of January this year.

The kitten is currently being kept hidden inside the nest box with the female, but it is growing quickly, its eyes are now open and it should start venturing out in the next few weeks.  When you’re passing the enclosure in the walled garden, be sure to have a look and see if you can spot it.

Zebra Foal doing well

The Zebra herd has at last begun to increase with the arrival of a male foal born on the 4th of December to proud parents Dampy and Xena.

He has fitted in well with the rest of his herd and they can be seen grazing the African Paddock they share with our trio of White Rhino. We keep our fingers crossed for more births in 2010.

Sifakas arrive from France

We have recently received two more male Crowned Sifaka – Bafana and Douany from Besancon Musem, France, as part of the European programme for this critically endangered primate. We help to fund a project for this species in Dabolava, Madagascar, which looks for new populations and studies the effect of habitat loss.

Our original male “Youssou” is being gradually introduced to our lemur Walkthrough exhibit.

A Siamang baby for Xhulu and Spindle

Our Siamang pair have again produced a baby.

Born on the 16th January, the male youngster is currently clinging tightly to his mum and looks strong. This is the 6th for our pair Xhulu and Spindle.

Pallas Cat Pair

Our lone female, Tsara, has been joined by Hopalong, a young male from Howletts in Kent. One of the few species at the park that seem to actually enjoy the cold conditions, these animals can be seen sitting outside whatever the weather.

They are currently on display near our new bird of prey aviaries.

A new Lioness joins our pair

Our new Lioness named 'Gir' was born on the 16th Sept 1994 and hand reared in Helsinki, from there she moved to Bristol for quarantine and then onto Dudley Zoo, where she lived for thirteen years.

She joined our existing pair in November and has been making her presence felt. Since her arrival there has been some squabbling between the Lions which can sound and look serious but there has been no lasting damage and all three Lions are now settling into life together, the Keepers will be keeping a close eye on them as they adjust to each others company and we hope they will live together happily for many years to come.

Two new White Rhinos at the Park

On October 20th we finally received two female White Rhino from South Africa. After a long and protracted transfer saga, the two girls arrived safely at Heathrow and were soon exploring their new home in the Cotswolds. The animals were captive bred on a game farm North of Johannesburg and will now join the European  captive breeding programme for this species.

They join Bull, our forty year old male that has been with us since 1972 and Monty, a young male we received this year from Knowlsley Safari Park. All four are currently getting to know each other in our newly refurbished Rhino House while the girls complete their 30 day quarantine period.

Wolverine on display following quarantine period

After completing her 6 month quarantine period “Sharapova” the only Wolverine to be found in England, is now on display in her woodland exhibit. After arriving earlier this year from Moscow Zoo, she now has plenty of new space to explore whilst she awaits the introduction of our male “Sarka” who recently began quarantine after his arrival from Nordens Ark in Sweden. The pair will meet for the first time in May 2010.

Sharapova is certainly keeping very busy climbing, digging and patrolling her new territory and we hope that this pair can soon contribute to increasing the captive population of this remarkable species.

Morelet's Crocodiles

Our Reptile House is pleased to welcome six new baby Morelet’s crocodiles hatched on September 2nd 2009.

This is the second time we have successfully bred these conservation dependent crocodilians. They are a great addition to our collection as they are hugely popular with both staff and visitors.

The youngsters will be on display in the reptile house shortly. The parents are believed to be the only adult Morelet’s crocodiles on display in the UK.

Our first ever Rhinoceros Iguana baby

The Cotswold Wildlife Park Reptile Department are pleased to announce the birth of our first ever Rhinoceros Iguana baby.

The proud parents arrived at the park in August 2000, and exactly nine years on have welcomed their first offspring. 'Rocky' is currently doing well in our off-show housing and his parents can be seen in the Reptile House.

Three new lambs for the Children's Farmyard

Our three miniature Ouessant Sheep in the Children's farmyard have all become mothers this month with the arrival of three new lambs.

All born within a week of each other the energetic new arrivals are settling in well and making friends with the young Pygmy Goats who share their paddock. The Ouessant sheep are a miniature breed and are very popular with our visitors due to their friendly nature, and can often be found wandering free range around the farmyard waiting for their Keeper.

Blue Bellied Rollers - only successful european breeding programme

The Blue Bellied Rollers have just produced their second clutch of the year, bringing the total to five for 2009.

We are currently the only collection in Europe successfully breeding this species.

Another pair of Ring Tail Lemurs born

Lemur numbers in our highly popular Madagascan exhibit continue to swell, with twin ring tails being born on the 22nd July, visit Madagascar at the park and see if you can spot the youngsters

Jagurundi Kittens born

For the second consecutive year our Jaguarundi pair have produced kittens. These youngsters will eventually be moved to be paired up and contribute to the breeding programme for this species.

Black Storks and Griffon Vultures

Our hand rearing success with Black Storks continues with 2 more birds doing well on the bird department.

July also saw us welcome back Griffon Vultures to the park. Two young males arrived from Colchester Zoo and are on display in our new bird of prey exhibit click here to visit our video gallery and see the Griffon Vultures feeding in their new enclosure.

A Second Crowned Sifaka for the Park

In June, we welcomed a second Crowned Sifaka to the Cotswolds. “Bafana” arrived from Besancon museum in France and is currently undergoing his quarantine period before being acclimatised to his new home in our Madagascar exhibit

First ever Red-bellied Lemur Birth at the Park

We are delighted to announce the first ever birth of a Red Bellied Lemur at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. The youngster, born on April 21st is thriving and can now be seen with his parents and two elder brothers in the Madagascan Walkthrough exhibit.

Red Bellied Lemurs are a new species for the park and they have recently been moved to their permanent enclosure having completed their six month quarantine period after arriving from Paris Zoo in December.

New to the Walkthrough - Azara’s Agouti

This large rodent is found throughout the forests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. In the wild, they are important seed dispersers ensuring that there is always a supply of seed laden fresh droppings to grow into the trees of the future!

We have recently received four male Azara's Agouti from Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and these can now be seen exploring their exhibit in the Walkthrough area next to Children's Farmyard which they will be sharing with our Pudu and Coscoroba Swans..

A late burst of spring fever at the Park

Over the last month or two we’ve seen quite a few spring babies at the Park; our group of Slender-tailed Meerkats welcomed four new arrivals at the end of March and the Otters have become parents once more to another three offspring.    All of these can now be seen exploring their new environments in the Walled Garden and are growing up fast.

Another pair of adventurous youngsters are the twin Ring-tailed Lemur babies born at the end of March, they are now gaining confidence as they begin to experience the pace of life alongside the other Lemurs in our Madagascar exhibit.  A harder to see arrival is our young Yellow Mongoose, born on the 21st of April this baby spends a lot of time in the nest box when not being carried around by its mother.

Over in the Children’s Farmyard our pair of Striped Skunks have become first time parents to quite a brood of babies..ten at last count!  It will be a little while before you’ll be able to see the youngsters as they will stay close to mum and dad for the first few weeks of their lives.

And finally keep an eye out around the lake area and see if you can spot any of our White Stork chicks which hatched around the 4th of May.

Santa's Reindeer arrive early

It may not be the festive season but Reindeer have landed at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. The two young males arrived from Blackpool Zoo and will be initially settling into the Park in an off-show area before relocating to the Children’s Farmyard later this year. Reindeer or Caribou are often domesticated by herders in Scandinavia and North America, where they are used for their meat and hide. Luckily for our animals, they are 'display only' and highlight the different species that have been domesticated around the world.

'The Glutton' arrives!

Forget Hugh Jackman, the real Wolverine has arrived at the Cotswold Wildlife Park! This year old female arrived on the 11th of April from Moscow Zoo. After undergoing her obligatory six month quarantine period (she will remain off-show during this time), she will be introduced to her new woodland enclosure and will then be joined by a male from Nordens Ark in Sweden. We look forward to playing an important part in the captive breeding programme for this species.

Wolverines are fast declining in their Northern European habitat due to conflict with Reindeer farmers. An action plan is in place to try to ensure the future of this spectacular animal, often referred to as the “glutton” due to its reputation as a rapacious predator and scavenger.

Monty, our new White Rhinoceros, arrives at the Park

Cotswold Wildlife Park is delighted to announce a new arrival just in time for the Easter weekend, and this one certainly hasn’t hatched out of an egg!

Monty, a two and a half year old White Rhinoceros, has come to us from Knowsley Safari Park and will take up residence in our newly refurbished Rhino house alongside Bull.  Bull is one of our earliest residents of the Park, having arrived in 1972 just two years after the Park first opened its doors to the Public.

We hope that after an initial period of adjustment Monty and Bull will live happily together in their shared quarters and will both look forward to welcoming two young female companions from Africa later this year.