After two months in a temporary off-show enclosure, our three Aldabra Giant Tortoises, George, Darwin and Sheldon, were welcomed back to their brand new house!
Head of Reptiles Meg said: “The boys are back! This new home means they have even more space, extra windows and a brand new indoor bathing area.
While we as keepers have been spending plenty of time with them while they have been off-show, it is really great to have them back out and on display for everyone to see. They’ve definitely missed the attention!”
You can see George, Darwin and Sheldon in their enclosure in front of the Manor House. During the summer they enjoy spending most of their time outdoors in the paddock grazing and basking in the sun so be sure to stop by on your next visit.
We have some new arrivals across the Park as some of our bird species come to the end of breeding season. In the walled garden the Humboldt Penguins have welcomed four new chicks! The chicks are developing really well and have now received their identification bands on their wings, officially welcoming them to the group!
Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Over in the Ostrich paddock you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their new chick! The group are currently rearing their new arrival and the little one is growing in strength and confidence every day. You can often see the chick running around the paddock amongst the tall grasses, exploring the surroundings.
Photo credit: Richard Hart
Photo credit: Annabelle Hart
DID YOU KNOW?
Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living land animal. One Ostrich egg is equivalent to about 24 chicken eggs – that’s a rather large omelette!
The Great Grey Owls situated near the Pallas’s Cat enclosure have also welcomed four new chicks. The new arrivals are curious yet wary and certainly enjoy keeping our keepers on their toes!
Thank you to keeper Lucy for this photo.
Finally, the Gardens team have been hard at work creating all of the summer bedding displays across the Park.
Head Gardener Matthew explained: “The bedding exhibits use nearly 10,000 plants including statement plants like Bananas, Canna, and Abutilons which we propagate and look after in house.”
This incredible effort doesn’t go unnoticed as we receive many positive comments from visitors every year, and the displays complement the nearby animal enclosures beautifully.
EXTRA EXTRA!
Coming soon…
Throughout August the Park hosts its annual ‘Rhino Month’ to raise awareness and funds for Rhino conservation work in Africa. We’ll be posting updates about our ever-growing “crash” (the collective noun for a group of Rhinos), catching up with the Rhino keepers and discovering more about one of the world’s most iconic animals, plus giving you the chance to win a Rhino Encounter. Keep an eye on our social media for more details.
We look forward to welcoming more visitors over the summer holidays to enjoy the Park and gardens, however, to avoid long queues into the Park please reconsider arriving during peak times if possible (10.00am – 12.00pm).
The Park is open until 6pm every day with last admission at 4pm so there is plenty of time to enjoy the Park.
We would also like to remind dog owners that if high temperatures are forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park – Thank you.