March 2010

Penguins return home

Watch the Penguins on our webcam

Following the recent refurbishment of their exhibit our group of Humboldt Penguins have returned to their home. Watch them settle in on our live webcams, you can also watch our Meerkats and Baby Crocs. To view the webcams click here.

February 2010

Jessei, our male Amur Leopard

June 1992 – February 2010

One of the Park’s favourite animals with keepers and visitors alike, our male Amur Leopard Jessei, has been put to sleep by our vets on 24th February 2010.

At 18 years of age, Jessei was probably the oldest Amur Leopard in the world. He was born in Helsinki Zoo in Finland in 1992, then in 1995 he went to Cricket St. Thomas Wildlife Park in Somerset, before coming to the Park in February 2000. For the last few years he has shared his enclosure here with his daughter, who is now aged seven years.

Jessei had successful cataract surgery in 2002, giving him much improved vision until recently. As is often the case with old cats, he developed arthritis for which he has been on medication since 2007 and continued to enjoy a good quality of life, in spite of his impaired movement and deteriorating eyesight. In the last few weeks, however, his condition has sharply worsened; in the few days before we took the decision to euthanase him, Jessei has been off his food and only able to move with great effort.

It is always very sad to lose one of the Park’s old friends but we hope and believe that, in conjunction with our experienced vets who also have known Jessei for ten years, we have done our best for this lovely animal.

February 2010

Webcams

We are delighted to be able to offer our visitors a window onto our world.   

For our webcam debut we have chosen to feature some of our most popular species (Morelet’s Crocodile Babies, Meerkats, and Penguins – currently showing the refurbishment of their home). 

The quality of footage we are obtaining with the cameras (supplied by Finetra Ltd) is outstanding, and we have no that doubt our visitors will enjoy this unique method of keeping in touch with the day to day lives of our animals.   We hope to expand our range of cameras soon. 

To view the webcams click here.

February 2010

Giraffe Exhibit

A progress report on our ongoing project.

As you can see, work is well underway on our Giraffe exhibit, due for completion in summer 2010. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of these magnificent animals in time to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

Please check back for further pictures and information on this exciting project.

February 2010

40th Anniversary Archive Appeal – your photos and stories needed!

This year Cotswold Wildlife Park celebrates its 40th Anniversary. 

On Good Friday 27th March 1970 the Park opened to the public for their very first time, with fine weather and admission prices of 5 shillings for adults (25p) and 2 shillings for children (10p).

As part of our 40th Anniversary celebrations we plan to create an archive chronicling the Park’s history from day one right up to the current day.  This collection of photos, news articles and other memorabilia will be used to create an updated history book to be made available to visitors as well as providing an invaluable record for the owners of the Park and their staff.

We would like to invite our visitors to share their memories of the Park with us and would love to hear your stories of visits to the Park and see any photos you may have showing how the Park has changed over the years.

Please email your stories and photographs to archive@cotswoldwildlifepark, for photos be sure to tell us the approximate date and location of the photo.

If you would like to write to us or have any memorabilia you would like to donate to our archive please write to:

Archive Appeal
Cotswold Wildlife Park
Burford
Oxfordshire
OX184JW

To read more about how the Park began click here to download our 2010 Wild Talk newsletter.

January 2010

“Bull” remembered

Bull, our male White Rhino who has been with us since 1972, died on Tuesday 5th January 2010, aged 41.

Bull was originally named “Somtuli” after an area of Umfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, where he was born sometime in 1969.

In 1972, England’s striking dock-workers lifted their strike to allow in the cargo ship bringing Bull and the rest of a consignment of 32 White Rhinos from the Natal Parks Board of South Africa. Thus it was that Bull arrived at the Park in 1972 with a young female “Lebombo” and in time they were joined by another young female who came to us from Whipsnade. The Park’s keepers gave this trio the names of Bull, Bella and Paddy, and these are the names that stuck....read the full story here..

January 2010

Penguin Pool Refurbishment - Penguins off show (mid Jan to mid March)

In January, our group of Humboldt Penguins will be temporarily leaving their exhibit to allow for essential maintenance and improvements to be carried out. The pool is due for an overhaul to improve filtration and circulation, and the beach area is to be given a long awaited makeover, the new look “Atacama Beach” style exhibit should be completed during the Spring. We hope to have the Penguins back on show by mid to end of March..please check back for updates.

December 2009

Christmas at the Park

This Christmas there's lots going on at the Park, from festive treats for the animals to trips to Santas Grotto for the visitors, read all about it here.

November 2009

New Rhinos settling in well

Having now completed their 30 day quarantine period since arriving from South Africa last month, our two new female Rhinos are now enjoying the freedom of their new paddock and the companionship of Monty one of our male Rhinos. Read about their arrival here. 

October 2009

Oak Tree Restaurant awarded highest local authority food hygiene rating

Scores on the doors is a national public information service, subscribed to by over 100 local authorities.  Their representatives visit food businesses within the local council’s area and issue an official local authority hygiene rating.

The organisation aims to promote food safety and empower consumer choice by making available information to which the public has a right to access.

The Oak Tree Restaurant at the Cotswold Wildlife Park is proud to have been awarded the highest five star rating under the scheme’s Food Hygiene criteria. 

August 2009

Pictorial Meadow

In front of the Barn at the Children's Farmyard a small flower meadow is blooming.

Not a traditional wildflower meadow, this is a blend of native and non-native hardy annuals designed to provide a colourful and long lasting display right through to autumn.

This type of meadow mixture has been developed by Dr Nigel Dunnett at the University of Sheffield following several years of trials. A number of meadow mixtures are available featuring different colour flowers. We sowed ours in early June. Flower varieties include Shirley Poppy, Californian Poppy, Cornflower, Fairy Toadflax & Larkspur, amongst others.

For more information go to www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk

August 2009

Where are our Hornbills?

Our female Hornbill has been transferred to Dublin Zoo to form a pair with their lone male as part of the European Breeding Programme (EEP).

We will be receiving two birds from San Diego Zoo in America in the near future.

June 2009

Fun in the sun

While large parts of the country are experiencing a surge of hot and sunny weather this week the animals at Cotswold Wildlife Park are taking the opportunity to enjoy a spot of sunbathing.

All of the animals have access to lots of shade and plenty of refreshments during these hot months, the keepers make sure the animals stay cool with treats such as fruit encased in ice to make tasty ice lollies, but many of them are just like us and are glad of the chance to make the most of the weather with a snooze in the sun, have a look at our photo gallery to see some of the our animals enjoying a siesta.

June 2009

The Park's Curator Jamie Craig travelled to Africa this month to choose our two new female Rhino for arrival later this year

In June, I was lucky enough to visit South Africa to select our two new female White Rhino. These animals are bred in game farms throughout South Africa and need to be relocated once numbers have increased beyond the holding capacity.

Our animals are being held at Mafunyane Game Farm in a designated quarantine facility. Both are around three and a half to four years old and appear in perfect health. Once various health tests have been carried out, we can look forward to their arrival at the Park towards the end of the summer. It will be fascinating to see what our two males; Bull and Monty make of their new enclosure mates!

June 2009

Breath of Fresh Air for residents of Quarry Mount Care Home

On Monday 22nd June, Cotswold Wildlife Park is delighted to be involved with a very special nationwide competition.Quarry Mount Residential Care Home, which consists mainly of residents with Dementia and Alzheimer, are entering into NAPA's (National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People) Breath of Fresh Air Week, which has challenged all Homes to offer fresh air to every single resident in that home. Sharon Horsfield from Quarry Mount said: "This can be very hard to achieve at times, as the 'outside' can be a daunting place to be for some of our residents. So to encourage them to go outside, I have chosen the two most popular things that our residents enjoy to be around; Animals and Children.  What better place than to take them to the Cotswold Wildlife Park, where they can get close up to the animals and also see children enjoying themselves. This is also Quarry Mount's biggest challenge, in that we are trying to bring nearly all of our residents to this park for an enjoyable experience, and hopefully the weather will be on our side."

May 2009

Congratulations on your Wedding Day Mark and Amy!

Cotswold Wildlife Park would like to wish two of their Keepers; Mark and Amy, all the best on their Wedding day! Mark and Amy met when Mark came to work at Cotswold Wildlife Park in 2006, joining Amy who has been a Keeper here since 2004.

Managing Director Reggie Heyworth is joined by all of the staff at the Park in wishing Mark and Amy a fantastic Wedding day and a long and happy future together.

May 2009

Tommy the Talking Toucan visits the Park - Thursday 28th May

Tommy The Talking Toucan (as seen on Britain's Got Talent) will be performing a special one-off show at the Park on Thursday 28th May. This amazing state-of-the-art animatronic bird will be entertaining the visitors at 2.30pm by the entrance to the Walled Garden, popular with adults and children alike Tommy is sure to raise a smile so make sure you don't miss him (and bring your camera)!

Win a unique Cotswold Wildlife Park souvenir photo if Tommy picks you from the crowd! (choice of photos - Penguin's Rock background or in the Lion's mouth!)

May 2009

New Living Arrangements for our White-Handed Gibbons and Purple-Faced Langurs

On the 28th April 2009 we introduced the pair of female White-Handed Gibbons to our two young male Purple-Faced Langurs in the hope that they would live in harmony in the large enclosure opposite the Emus. They had been living in adjoining enclosures over the past few months so had seen each other but never been formally introduced. We wanted to create a nice mixed exhibit with the two primate species. Both are primates from Asia, the Gibbons living high in the rainforest canopy and the langurs being more under-storey dwellers. The idea is that both types of primate will use different parts of the enclosure and therefore live happily together.

The four animals are getting along very well. When we first introduced them to each other the gibbons took charge and did a lot of chasing, but the tables have since turned and the two male langurs seem to be the dominant ones. Our male Lenny, who is very vocal, seems to be the most dominant, but the gibbons do not seem to mind. Toppof the darker of the gibbons seems to have fallen for him a little, and is often seen following him and trying to sit close.

April 2009

Largest group of critically endangered Bamboo Lemurs discovered in Madagascar on trip funded by Cotswold Wildlife Park

A research team in Madagascar, funded by Cotswold Wildlife Park, have discovered what is believed to be the largest group of Greater Bamboo Lemurs in existence.

This previously undiscovered population of Prolemur simus were found near the Miaranony region of Madagascar. The discovery is of great scientific significance to a species in real danger of immediate extinction. Current populations are at critically low levels. This new discovery accounts for 10 percent of the world’s population of approximately one hundred animals.

The research team spent six days searching for the rare Lemurs, but unfortunately their search, up to this point, proved futile. On the final day, the team took a wrong turn on their way out of the forest, only to make this extraordinary discovery. The research team has now confirmed a group numbering over twenty animals.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park is committed to continue funding this vital research work. “We are delighted to be involved in the research to find out more about this amazing species,” said Jamie Craig, Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park and committee member of the Greater Bamboo Lemur European Endangered Species Programme. “Without the dedicated teams in Madagascar, populations of this critically endangered primate could be wiped out before we even new they existed. We conduct ongoing studies with our captive pair to ensure that vital information can be passed on. I would like to thank all the staff and visitors to the Cotswold Wildlife Park for their hard work and contributions to this project.”

Photo courtesy of Anna Feistner, Director Centre ValBio, Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

April 2009

A new white Rhino for the Park

Monty, our new White Rhino, has arrived safely from Knowsley Safari Park, read all about Monty here.

April 2009

Easter 2009, special events and Lemur competition

Celebrate the Easter holidays at Cotswold Wildlife Park with our programme of special events from the 4th to the19th of April 2009, including Farmyard encounters and Penguin and Lemur talks. Be sure not to miss the extended events over the Bank holiday weekend itself when we will be having birds of prey demonstrations, reptile awareness sessions and an easter egg hunt in the Children's Farmyward, click here for the full details.

April 2009

Eggbert's Adventures at the Cotswold Wildlife Park

Good Friday 2009 (10th April) 1.30pm in the Children's Farmyard

Cotswold Wildlife Park are delighted to announce that local children's author Paul Gustafson will be visiting the Park on Good Friday (April 10th) to read from his new book Eggbert's Adventure's at the Zoo.

Illustrations for the books have been beautifully carried out by well known illustrator and artist Ray Mutimer, who also illustrated Postman Pat, Noddy and Rupert and Friends magazine. The books will capture the imagination of every young reader. Eggbert's fans include Colin Dextor (creator of Inspector Morse) and TV presenter, Chris Tarrant, who describes the Eggbert series as "Splendid books, very entertaining".

Don't miss a special book reading from Eggberts Adventure's at the Zoo by Paul (and his Giant Egg) on Good Friday from 1.30pm in the Children's Farmyard.

March 2009

Mother's Day 22nd March 2009

Why not celebrate Mother's Day with a visit to the Park, read all about our animals maternal instincts.

February 2009

Celebrate Valentine's Day at the Park

Why not make this year an extra special one for that important person in your life, and bring them to Park for a romantic day out.

Read about our animal's mating rituals here and see which are the most and the least romantic!

February 2009

Animals in the Snow

The snow is a welcome novelty for many of the species at the Park, presenting new opportunities for investigation. As with children, this novelty soon wears off when the cold starts to get to inquisitive noses and fingertips! Monkeys, meerkats, parrots and tapirs soon retire from the snow to the warmth of their houses. The exception to this are the penguins, red pandas and Amur Leopards that see the snow as a welcome relief from the relative heat of the Cotswolds!!

Have a look at our picture gallery to see some of our snowy pictures. If you're visiting the park don't forget to wrap up warm and bring your camera, why not send your favourite pictures in to our photo of the month competition!

January 2009

Who lets the dogs in? (we do!)

Cotswold Wildlife Park nominated for The Kennel Club Dog friendly award.

We are delighted to announce that Cotswold Wildlife Park is an Open for Dogs Champion Nominee. The much coveted award (courtesy of The Kennel Club) will be announced soon. Cotswold Wildlife Park has warmly welcomed well behaved dogs since opening in 1970, and are very pleased to be one of only a few wildlife Parks or Zoos that pride themselves on being dog friendly. A big thank you to those who nominated us and please spread the word that our four legged friends are just as welcome at the Park as everyone else.

Dogs must be kept on a lead and under control at all times and owners must clean up after their pet (bags are available at the paydesk). Dogs cannot be taken into indoor exhibits or areas where animals are free range (for example the Tropical House, Madagascar or the walk-through lake area).

January 2009

Counting our animals, one by one!

January means the mammoth task of counting every single creature at the Wildlife Park in our annual animal stocktake.
 
With over 2000 mammals, reptiles, birds and invertebrates from nearly 300 different species, this is no meagre task.
 
Some are easier than others to count, for example, our two slow moving Sloths vs. counting 628 Indian Stick Insects! 
 
New births in 2008 at Cotswold Wildlife Park include; our first ever Collared Lemur to be born at the Park (one the most threatened sub-species of the Brown Lemur), 3 Bactrian Camels (Critically Endangered in the wild), Meerkats, Otters, Ring-tailed Lemurs, Arapawa Goats, Peccary twins, Tiku the baby Siamang, Lulu the baby Squirrel Monkey, and 3 Jaguarundi kittens (another first for us), plus many more.

We've also had several new species to the Park, including one of the rarest primates on earth, Purple-faced Langurs, the critically endangered Greater Bamboo Lemurs, a pair of Striped Skunks and the highly venomous Black Mamba (often described as the world's most dangerous snake).

Each creature has to be counted for essential breeding statistics and for Park records. We have an ever growing collection of 2093 from 268 different species! While our staff were busy counting they were joined by a team from ITV local news, watch their report here.

December 2008

Chernobyl Children to visit Santa - 23rd December 2008

Children's charity Chernobyl Children's Life Line, who specialise in bringing child victims of the Chernobyl disaster to the UK for recuperation, are the latest to suffer because their trip to the 'Lapland of New Forest' had to be cancelled.

The CCLL is a National Charity that helps children affected by the world's worst nuclear power disaster. They bring seriously ill children to the UK for month long recuperative breaks. Doctors have estimated this can increase their life expectancy by two years as the fresh air and uncontaminated food and water has such a dramatic effect on their depleted immune systems. One of these trips was a much anticipated visit to the 'Lapland' attraction in Dorset, which they have been forced to cancel.

After hearing the sad news, Cotswold Wildlife Park has arranged a special Yuletide visit for the children of Belarus so they will still get to meet Santa in his Grotto. As an extra special surprise, they will also be treated to a few special animal encounters, including feeding the Penguins and Lemurs and getting up close to our Birds of Prey. Finally, they will be treated to a trip around the Park with Father Christmas on the Park Train, which we hope will bring some Christmas magic to these brave children.

Michael Edmonds, Secretary of the Chernobyl Children's Life Line Swindon Link: "The whole story started a few months ago when we saw an advert for the Lapland New Forest.  We all agreed that it would be a wonderful experience for our children visiting from Belarus this Christmas.  We contacted the company involved and booked 41 tickets for £775. Everyone involved was delighted and the group were all looking forward to a day out."

"We were all devastated to see on the National news and to hear from friends who went to the park that it was a washout and not the winter wonderland everyone was expecting.  I have written to the company and asked for a refund. Since then, the park has been closed leaving us with no great day out for the children before Christmas. Thankfully, I have been contacted by the Cotswold Wildlife Park who have kindly offered to save the day inviting the children to visit their Park and see Santa in his Grotto."

December 2008

Zebra Foal - sad news

Many of our visitors have been following the saga of our Zebra foal, born on 11th August.  We are so sorry to report that he was found on the morning of 4th December with a very badly fractured leg and having lost a lot of blood, and the decision was taken to put him down.  Click here for the full story

November 2008

Farmyard maintenance work 18th November 2008

Due to essential maintenance work being carried out on cabling in and around the farmyard area there will be restricted access to the Farm for the next few days. The Barn will remain open but the surrounding paddocks housing the Goats, Chickens and Ponys will be closed. We hope to have the Farmyard open as normal for the weekend.

November 2008

Cotswold Wildlife Park supports Children In Need

This year, to help raise money for BBC's Children In Need appeal, the staff at Cotswold Wildlife Park are dressing up as animals, along with children from local schools and a few animal from the Park too.  We will empty the water fountain and donate all the money collected to Children In Need.  

Danny and Lou from BBC Radio Oxford will be broadcasting live from the Park between 12 and 1pm. We will also feature as part of BBC 1's evening television coverage for Children In Need.

Pudsey Bear will be popping in to keep an eye on how we’re doing and everyone is invited to come and join in the fun and help our fundraising efforts.

UPDATE: A fantastic time was had by all and the Park would like to thank all the staff and local children who got involved as well as Lou from BBC Radio Oxford for coming along for a chat during her show, and the local media who covered the event. A special thank you goes to Jeanette Gee from Banbury based Wacky Wardrobe Costumes (www.wackywardrobe.co.uk) for her generous loan of the animal costumes for our staff.

    

November 2008

Squirrel Monkeys returned to the Park!

Late last night, Cotswold Wildlife Park received an anonymous call from a member of  the public which has resulted in the return of the two stolen Squirrel Monkeys.

Over the last few days, the combined efforts of  concerned animal lovers, local and wildlife police and the international zoo security register, along with the effect of widespread media coverage has focussed attention on this disturbing and upsetting crime, which to our delight, has seen the return of two of our eldest and much loved Squirrel Monkeys. We take our responsibility to protect endangered species, such as these two Squirrel Monkeys, very seriously.

The females Deana and Stripe will soon be reunited with the rest of the group and the work of the keepers to reintroduce baby Lulu to mother Deana and the rest of her family can continue.

Curator Jamie Craig says "I am delighted and relieved to get our Squirrel Monkeys back. Their welfare is our first priority and we will work tirelessly to make sure they settle back in without any further distress. I would like to thank the public, the police and the media for all of their help in reuniting us with these much loved animals."

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has worked to make this happy ending possible.

November 2008

Squirrel Monkey theft 10/11th November

Last night, two of our female Squirrel Monkeys were stolen from the Park.

Thieves broke into the Park and used bolt croppers to gain access to their enclosure before stealing two from our close family of six. Sadly, one of the Monkeys taken was the mother of a baby Squirrel Monkey, currently being hand reared by Keepers at the Park.

The Police have visited the scene along with the local specialist Wildlife Police and scenes of crime officers, along with Park staff they are analysing footage from the Park’s CCTV system and evidence found at the scene.  The Park are appealing for the safe return of the Squirrel Monkeys who are both tagged with security microchips and the Police urge witnesses or anyone with further information to come forward.

October 2008

Young Knives - Music video at the Park

Oxfordshire band, The Young Knives, filmed their new music video at Cotswold Wildlife Park on the 23rd of October 2008. The band became zoo keepers for the day, serenading our Lemurs, feeding the Penguins and charming the snakes. Being huge animal fans (their debut album was called `Voices Of Animals And Men') Henry, Tom and Oliver wanted their latest video to be a touch on the wild side.

The Young Knives have made big waves in the music industry this year, playing storming sets at Reading and Leeds Festivals, Glastonbury and V Festival, alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon and The Verve, as well as hosting their own radio show on BBC Radio 1 and gaining a loyal fan base. We're delighted they took time out of their busy European tour schedule to spend time at the Park with the animals.

October 2008

Cotswold Wildlife Park on BBC News South

Cotswold Wildlife Park will be featured on BBC South News on Friday the 9th of October.

See one the rarest primate species on earth*, the Purple-faced Langurs, in action and hear our Curator, Jamie Craig, talk about the plight of these critically endangered animals. Catch us at 1.30pm, 6.30pm & 10.25pm on BBC One (South region).

*(as listed in the IUCN Red List of Critically Endangered Species 2008).

September 2008

Cotswold Wildlife Park joins Facebook

You can now show the world how much you love the Park by becoming a fan of Cotswold Wildlife Park on Facebook.

Here at Cotswold Wildlife Park we are huge fans of the world wide web and its ability to help us keep in touch with our legions of visitors, we know that many of you are regular visitors to our website and hope that you will enjoy being able to find us on Facebook too.

Have a look at our page by clicking here, even those without a Facebook account can see our page but by joining and registering as a fan of Cotswold Wildlife Park you will be able to receive news of updates made to our page and invites to forthcoming events at the Park

August 2008

BBC Radio Oxford live from the Park

On Friday 29th August 2008 BBC Radio Oxford's 'Daytime with Danny and Lou' show will be broadcast live from the Park. Listen in between 10.00am and 1.00 pm on 92.5 FM or follow the show online at www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/local_radio

August 2008

Zoo Babies at Cotswold Wildlife Park

Following on from the success of our very own documentary series, the Cotswold Wildlife Park will star in an episode of the popular Channel Five documentary Michaela's Zoo Babies, to be aired on August 20th at 6pm. The documentary profiles breeding programmes in zoos across the UK discovering how zoos are helping to rear and nurture baby animals, including some rare and endangered species.   Presenter Michaela Strachan is pictured to the right with our Assistant Curator Jamie Craig during the five weeks of filming at the Park.

August 2008

Mediterranean lanscape for Tortoises

A 200 year old knarled Olive tree is the characterful centre piece of the Mediterranean landscape recently created in the Reptile House Court Yard. This is the hottest spot in the Park, and so ideally suited to the new plantings which also include Phoenix and Washingtonia Palms, Lemon and Pistachio bushes, Agave and Lavender. The resident Tortoises seem to be enjoying exploring the rugged terrain of their newly made-over quarters.

August 2008

A sad day for the Tapirs

Many of our regular visitors have been asking when our female tapir, Squidge, is next expecting a baby.  Her current youngster, Belita, is now two years old, and allowing for a thirteen month gestation, we had been keeping our fingers crossed.

On Friday 15th August, West Section Head Mark Godwin found that Squidge had given birth to a little male baby.  However it did not look as thought its hind legs were working properly (Tapirs should be standing within minutes of birth) and it clearly was not a strong youngster.  Squidge is an excellent mum (this was her ninth calf) and in general it is not our policy to interfere in a mother-infant bond at an early stage, even if it looks as though the infant could do with help.  Although it is sometimes a very tough call, we feel strongly that nature is best left to its own and human intervention at this vital bonding stage is likely to do more harm than good.

Within twenty four hours the youngster had died.  It had never suckled properly and although it is very sad, such a turn of events is not that unusual.  Squidge has had a lot taken out of her by the birth and nursing of her previous calf Belita (who is quite a handful) and she had not really recovered her physical condition.  We hope now she can fully recharged and thus throw a healthy calf next time round, assuming that her mate Timmy has not lost interest (no sign of that, so far).

July 2008

Lion Enclosure Incident

On Thursday 31st July, a small group of Chinese students from an English language school in Oxford threw stones at the Lions and shattered one of the glass viewing windows. The window itself remained in place and at no point was there a danger to the public, or to the Lions.

Numerous visitors at the scene phoned the Park's office to alert us and photographed the offending Chinese students, so that within minutes all were apprehended. The Police also responded very promptly.

The School has sent the offending students back to China and has agreed to pay for the damage caused. All of us at the Park would like to thank those many visitors that day who ensured that these people were caught, and Thames Valley Police for their assistance.

July 2008

Black Storks meet Swedish Princess

It was a prestigious day for the Cotswold Wildlife Park on June 13th, as two Black storks, bred at the park were introduced to the Princess of Sweden. These birds are part of an ESB (European Studbook) and were transferred to Nordens Ark in Sweden to form part of their brand new wetland display. The Cotswold Wildlife Park has had an excellent breeding record with this species and has helped to set up new breeding pairs in zoos throughout the UK and across Europe.

July 2008

Cotswold Wildlife Park documentary

Oxfordshire's Cotswold Wildlife Park will be the star of a new six-part documentary this summer. Viewers of Park Life will be invited to go behind-the-scenes at one of Britain's best loved Wildlife Parks to find out more about the animals and those that care for them.

The show explores the special bond between keepers and their animals, the trials and tribulations of everyday Park life and the heartwarming (sometimes heartbreaking) stories that have been captured on screen in almost a year of filming.

The series will feature one of the most endangered species on earth arriving at Cotswold Wildlife Park (Greater Bamboo Lemurs), the Park's keepers and vet catching the only Morelet's Crocodiles in the UK for a health check, and the drama of introducing a new male Lion to the established Lioness whose mate died a few months previously and not knowing how either will react to the other.

Assistant Park Curator, Jamie Craig, (featured left with critically endangered Verreaux's Crowned Sifaka) says: "Everyday is like an adventure at the Park when you are dealing with the reality of caring for over 250 species and 24 keepers." The documentary promises to be a captivating 360 degree look at Cotswold Wildlife Park which, since its establishment in 1970, has been home to the most wonderful creatures on earth.

The six part documentary will be shown at 6pm on Sundays from 6th July to 10th August (5.30pm 3rd August), on ITV West and will also be available online at www.itvlocal.com/west/programmes for 30 days after transmission.

April 2008

TV Star Ruby Wax to open our New Lemur Attraction - 5th April

Cotswold Wildlife Park is unveiling its brand new visitor attraction, a £250,000 interactive walk-through experience, Madagascar.  One of Britain's best loved TV presenters and pioneering stand-up comediennes, Ruby Wax, will officially open the exhibit on Saturday 5th April at midday.

A year in the making, Madagascar takes visitor/animal interaction to a new level. Visitors get to experience the incredible wildlife of Madagascar and witness almost thirty Madagascan animals up close within the exhibit. The idea behind the new attraction is that the wildlife is as free to roam the exhibit as the visitors. Madagascar is a revolutionary way of seeing the island's many fascinating and endangered animals at close quarters, in this large, open-air exhibit.

March 2008

A new species for the Park

March saw the departure of some old favourites – the spider monkeys, and the arrival of an exciting new addition to the park – the Purple faced leaf monkeys.

Only found on the Island of Sri Lanka, this endangered monkey is facing many threats in the wild, most significantly the destruction of its forest home. Currently only found in three zoos in Europe, it is hoped that with careful planning and successful breeding, numbers in captivity can be increased. As their name suggests, this species is specially adapted to eat a wide variety of leaves that would be impossible for most other primates to digest. This provides keepers with the challenge of providing a selection of leaves all year round to keep the monkeys in good health.

Our female and youngster came to us from Belfast Zoo and will soon be joined by a male from Twycross Zoo in the Midlands. It is hoped they will form the basis of a successful family group and we have our fingers crossed for many offspring from them in the years to come!

March 2008

Goodbye Gertie - farewell to an old favourite

Many of our visitors who have been to the Park before will have enjoyed seeing our group of five Spider Monkeys, in their enclosure near the Owls. A particular favourite was Gertie, an elderly female who was one of the founder animals of the Park – she was in an enclosure in the Walled Garden on the day the Park first opened, Good Friday 1970.

Our group of females was made up of individuals from different sub-species, and under current zoo captive breeding programme guidelines, it is not appropriate to breed from such animals. They were all getting on in years, and so we have sent them down to enjoy a comfortable retirement at Reaseheath College, near Chester, which is run by a former senior keeper of the Park. This has freed up their enclosure and enables us to take on a pair of Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys, which we hope will breed here as part of this rare species co-ordinated captive breeding programme.

The Spider Monkey group was moved on 12th March, 2008. For some days before, Gertie had been a bit listless, but on the morning she was due to travel, we found her in a very weak state, barely able to stand. It was clear that her age-related health problems, of which there have been a number in the last couple of years, had really caught up with her. We called in the vets and very sadly took the decision to euthanase her. We really didn’t feel that she would survive the journey to a new home, but to keep her here, separate from the group to which she was so bonded when it was clear that she did not have long to live, seemed pointless and even cruel. Her keepers and our vets all agreed that it was very unlikely that she would respond to any veterinary treatment. Her keeper of 28 years, Bryan Taylor, wrapped her in a blanket and cradled her while she was given a fatal injection, and she very quickly slipped away.

It really is the end of an era, because Gertie is the last mammal (apart from various members of the Heyworth family!) who was a part of the Park on its opening day, nearly forty years ago.

March 2008

A Sad Farewell

Regular visitors to the Park will notice that our lovely old male White-handed Gibbon, Winston, is no longer with us. He died of age-related natural causes on 10th March 2008 at the age of thirty.

Winston came to us in 1982, having originally been born in a Zoo in Germany. He paired up here with Purdey, who is still with us, and they successfully raised seven youngsters here at the Park, of which the youngest, Jara, remains here with Purdey.

February 2008

A New Arrival

Love could be in the air for Akela the Cotswold Wildlife Parks' Asiatic Lioness, as she welcomes the arrival of a new mate.

Chandra's arrival to the Park is particularly poignant. Not only is he Sabu's brother, (our much loved male Lion, who sadly died in November), but he is also no stranger to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. He first came to us back in 1994 as a young Lion and we are delighted about his return.  Hopefully, nature will take its course and both Chandra and Akela will successfully breed soon, to ensure the continuation of a very important blood line of this greatly endangered species - the Asiatic Lion.

These beautiful Lions are now critically endangered and are part of an internationally co-ordinated conservation breeding programme. Recent studies have discovered numbers have diminished so greatly, that only 350 are now left in the wild.

Chandra was born at Chester Zoo in October 1994, came to the Cotswold Wildlife Park until 1996, then to Bristol Zoo Gardens. Our female Akela was born at Helsinki Zoo in 1994 and moved from there to us in August 1996.

Photograph taken by Tim Alban and reproduced with kind permission of Bristol Zoo

February 2008

Life in Cold Blood - Our Reptile House Re-vamp

We've had a major face-lift of our Reptile House, which will be home to some of the rarest and most intriguing Reptiles in the world.  The Reptile house has now been reopened to the public and the renovation work is entering the final stages of completion.
 
The newly revamped Reptile House has been kitted out with new displays, replicating each individual Reptiles' natural environment. Everything from waterfalls to deserts, tropical rainforests to freshwater pools will feature. Visitors will also experience the realistic sounds heard in the wild as they walk through the exhibit.

Some of the species on display will include: the deadly Gaboon Viper (which have the longest fangs in the snake world), Mata Mata Turtles, endangered Jamaican boas (threatened with extinction in the wild), and the striking Green and Black Poison Arrow Frog.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park will be one of the only places in the UK that visitors will be able to see our recently born Morelet's Crocodiles and Green Anacondas too.
 
Sir David Attenborough's recent TV series Life in Cold Blood has sparked a resurgence in all things amphibian and reptilian. Visitors will be able to see some of the Reptiles as seen in the series, including: the Mozambique Spitting Cobra, the Beaded Lizards (one of only two venomous lizard species found anywhere in the world), Argus Monitor Lizard (which Sir David described as "Dragons of the Dry"), and the Meller's Chameleon.

January 2008

Wolves help with recycling

Grey Wolves at the Cotswold Wildlife Park have turned Green, all in the name of recycling. Unwanted Christmas trees have become the newest addition to the Grey Wolves enclosure. Not only recycling the trees, thereby helping the environment, but also making a great hide-out for the Wolves. This way the trees have a far greener end.

Keeper Emily Boyes came up with the idea, "Wolves naturally use trees as shelter in the wild and as Fosseway Garden Centre were inundated after Christmas with trees, we saw an opportunity to do something positive for the environment and re-use them. The Wolves love their new trees. It's like Christmas all over again for them."

December 2007

Become a Keeper for a Day

Following the success of our Keeper for a day trial in 2007 we are now offering one-to-one Keeper for a day experiences at weekends throughout 2008.

Robert Estabrook, who participated in the Keeper for a day trial, could not recommend the experience highly enough; "it was the best birthday I've ever had, the staff were brilliant and made it a day I will never forget."

For more details and to book online click here

November 2007

Death of Sabu, our Asiatic Lion

We are very sad to announce the death of Sabu, our male Asiatic Lion, at the age of 13 years.

Sabu had been deteriorating for the last 10 days, having contracted a viral infection to which all cats are susceptible. Although domestic cats usually recover from it, it is often fatal to their wild cousins.

In spite of the best efforts of our vets and animal husbandry staff, Sabu continued to lose condition and did not respond to medication. To prevent further suffering, the decision was taken on 21st November to euthanase him.

The Park's remaining female Asiatic Lion, Akela, is in good condition and is being kept under observation for any signs of infection. The Park is looking into securing further lions from other European zoological collections, by whom a successful captive breeding programme for these endangered animals is being carried on.

October 2007

Madagascar NOW OPEN!

We're delighted to announce that our much anticipated exhibit - Madagascar - is now open. Come and experience this multi species enclosure - at close quarters - and discover more about the plight of endangered Madagascan and Island species throughout the world.

The picture shows Sifaka - the "ballet dancing lemur" who is one if the "stars" of Madagascar.

October 2007

Ancient Tree Hunt Comes to the Cotswold Wildlife Park

The Woodland Trust is working with the Ancient Tree Forum and the Tree Register of the British Isles to create a national living inventory of ancient trees in the UK. Members of the public can send in details of any ancient trees that they come across and this is just what some visitors to the Cotswold Wildlife Park have done, notifying the Ancient Tree Hunt Project of a number of our ancient oaks. Read more ...

September 2007

Reptile House Refurbishment

This month sees the start of a refurbishment for our Reptile House, which is a converted barn near the Manor House. It is a very old building so needs some work done to it, and will be much better once completed! It is expected to take 3-4 months, in which time the Gaboon Viper, Water Dragon, Carpet Pythons, Cuban Boas, Madagascan Tree Boas and Morelets Crocodiles will still be on show.

August 2007

Giant Amazon Water Lily Flowering

Visitors may be lucky enough to see the large flowers of the Giant Amazon Water Lily blooming in our outdoor lily pond in the Walled Garden this month. Read more...