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.