Rossi – Photo credit: volunteer Nicola Beer
September is always a lovely month here at the Park, the weather is still warm (on the whole), the flowers are still blooming yet the first signs of autumn start to creep in. One species in particular that have earnt a quiet month following the summer is our group of African Pygmy Goats on the Children’s Farmyard.
In the spring we welcomed two kids to the group, Valentino and Rossi, and they have been a firm favourite over the summer with our visitors. The two youngsters have taken everything in their stride and have now grown to be confident and friendly little individuals. They are happy to wander around the paddock on their own, meet visitors and certainly enjoy a nap in the sunshine.
It’s safe to say they are very loved by our amazing volunteers who supervise the goat walkthrough each day. Thank you to our volunteer Nicola for these recent photos.
Valentino. Photo credit: volunteer Nicola Beer
In the Walled Garden the Coppery Titi Monkeys have moved into their new enclosure near the Wrinkled Hornbills. The group has grown over the last couple of years, so they are certainly happy having more space (and more places to tuck themselves away).
We also celebrated rhino calf Markus’ first birthday this month. Markus was the twelfth calf born at the Park as part of our breeding programme and Mammal Keeper Liam made him a special birthday cake to mark the occasion.
He was sure to give him the cake in peace as the rest of the crash would have surely been very interested in it! You can find Markus and the rest of his family grazing on the large lawn in front of the Manor House, by the Zebras.
EXTRA EXTRA!
October 4th is International Zookeeper Day and World Animal Day – we will be celebrating the hardworking members of our keeping team that dedicate so much time and effort to our animals. They all play a vital role to the work that we do at the Park daily, as well as the work we do for the conservation projects and charities that we support.
The Education team were recently gifted some incredible insect prints from photographer Levon Biss. The prints were donated for use in our classroom space and come from Biss’ exhibition titled Microsculpture. You can also view the images here and read about the different species involved.
Please could we remind you that the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. The Park will be open daily from 10:00am and our closing time will change to 4:00pm or DUSK (whichever is earlier), with last admission at 3:00pm from 25 October onwards.
Please could we remind visitors to always check our website or social media for updates ahead of visiting the Park.