New arrivals in the Reptile House: Recently we received five Panther Chameleons from ZSL Whipsnade where they were born. They are all male and have been lovingly named Eugene, Flynn, Pascal, BFG and Rango by our Reptile keepers.
Panther Chameleons are native to Madagascar and grow to 40-51 cm on average and their tongues can be as long or longer than that!
Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Back in March, the Park welcomed more exciting new arrivals: three Emu chicks hatched and can be seen at the Children’s Farm area.
Emus are the second largest bird in the world, only surpassed by the Ostrich. They also lay the second largest eggs, which are blue/green in colour and speckled. Once the female lays, the male almost exclusively incubates the eggs, which will hatch after 56 days.
Did You Know?
Male Emus will barely eat or drink whilst incubating and defending their nests; they can lose up to one third of their body weight during this period!
At the Park, they are already 2½ to 3 feet in height, but this is no surprise as Emus are fully grown in as little as 5 months and will leave their parents at about 7 months old.
Lemur Week 2024
To highlight the plight of the world’s most endangered Lemurs, Cotswold Wildlife Park hosts its annual ‘Lemur Week’ from 25th May – 2nd June 2024. Its aim is to raise awareness and funds for the Park’s conservation projects helping to save the most threatened Lemurs from extinction.
“Lemur species in Madagascar are under tremendous pressure from habitat destruction and the rapidly rising human population. It is vital that we raise awareness for this unique group of primates before it is too late. At Cotswold Wildlife Park, we are committed to conserving this species and we fund an extremely important site in Madagascar as well as participating in several other conservation projects with the Cotswold Wildlife Park Conservation Trust – most notable for the Crowned Sifaka and Greater Bamboo Lemur. We are extremely privileged to keep both of these species at the Park – they are extremely rare in captivity and they are fantastic ambassadors for our fundraising efforts.” – Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park, Jamie Craig.
Keep an eye on our social media for any more updates about the Lemur species here and any other conservation efforts taking place.
EXTRA EXTRA!
We’re delighted to announce that over Spring Bank Holiday weekend (25th – 27th May 2024), one of the leading Birds of Prey centres in the UK, the Cotswold Falconry Centre, will be at the Park with flying demonstrations (weather dependant) at 1.00 pm and 3.30 pm. You can also see these magnificent birds at their static display on the South Lawn in front of the Manor House from approximately 10.00 am.
Enjoy and admire their flying skills and gain an insight into their behaviours, but also take away an even greater appreciation of these amazing birds and a better understanding of their conservation needs.
Thank you to everyone who helped organise and support World Binturong Day 2024 here at the Park! Dobby, Himala and family thank you for all your donations, and we raised over £370 for ABConservation.
Photo credit: Philip Joyce