African Openbill Storks

February saw the introduction of six bizarre birds to our ibis and stork exhibit. The three pairs of African Openbill Storks arrived at the Cotswolds at the end of last year but were kept inside until the worst of our winter weather had passed. These storks are immediately noticeable due to the peculiar shape of their bill which is used to prize snails, crabs and other crustaceans from their shells. These are the only birds of the species exhibited in UK zoos and we hope they will settle to breed successfully later in the year.

Blackpool Donkeys at the Park

Sunday the 15th February saw the arrival of a very friendly Mediterranean Miniature donkey called Danny to the Children's Farm. Danny has joined us here for a few months on his holidays, and it is hoped him and our very own miniature donkey, Holly, will make good friends and produce us a foal next spring.

Danny has come all the way from Blackpool Zoo where he has been a successful stallion for the past 6 years, fathering a number of very small and cute foals. One of which is his daughter Pippa, who has also joined us at the Children's Farm. Pippa has been donated to us here and will be a permanent fixture and will hopefully become firm friends with Holly and the two Shetland ponies, Sophie and Bonnie. Pippa is a mini replica of her Dad Danny, born last summer at Blackpool zoo, and we are hoping with some training she will be as friendly and happy as he is. Pippa will have to be kept separate whilst Danny is visiting, but this gives us the perfect opportunity to settle her in and train her on a headcollar and get her used to all the sights, sounds and smells of her new home. Once Danny leaves at the end of May she will then join Holly, Sophie and Bonnie in their paddock and become part of the Farm family.

Danny, who is a ten year old stallion, will be living with Holly and the others till the end of May, and we are hoping that the pair of donkeys will successfully mate so Holly can become a mum for the very first time. Danny has fathered many foals at Blackpool and is very popular not only with the female donkey's, but also all the staff and visitors. We hope that he will be as popular here and if you see him out on a walk  around the park, make sure you say hello. He loves a fuss!

Crested Gecko

The reptile department is pleased to announce the recent hatching of a Crested Gecko (Rachodactylus ciliatus). This is a first for the Park and with more eggs in the incubator we hope to increase the size of our existing group. These fascinating geckos originate from the islands of New Caledonia and were thought to have been extinct since 1866 until they were seen again in 1994. Come and see the proud parents on display, in our newly refurbished reptile house.

Northern Tree Shrew

New to the Park is a male Tree Shrew (Tupia belangeri), This primitive animal was once thought to be related to the primates but now belongs in its own unique family. Tree Shrews are an active and inquisitive species and our animal can be seen in the insect house in the tropical exhibit it shares with Roulroul partridges. We will be receiving a female later in the year and it is hoped this pair will go on to breed successfully at the Park.

Turkish Spiny Mice

The Park recently received a breeding group of Turkish spiny mice from Chester Zoo.  These mice get their name from the coarse, spine-like hairs on their back, which is thought to make them more difficult to swallow by predators.

Only found on one mountainside in Silifke in southern Turkey, this species was classed as Critically Endangered according to the 1996 IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species.  At this time, there were though to be as few as 250 animals remaining in their native habitat.  Another survey was carried out in 2006 and no animals were found at all, so they may already be extinct in the wild.

Our group of around 25 animals have settled well into their new enclosure, next to the bats, and we have had several births already.  Two babies are normally born in a litter, and the young are born well developed and can run around after only a few days.