5th February 2010
SNOWED IN! LEOPARDS ARRIVE AT MARWELL WILDLIFE
The snow may have left us (for a few weeks at least!) but two new residents at Marwell Wildlife may not be as happy about that as the rest of us. Indeever and Irina, a pair of beautiful snow leopards have recently arrived at the zoological park as part of a European Breeding Programme for the species. Marwell has a very successful big cat track record and keepers have high hopes this new pair will form a strong bond to last for many years to come.
Snow leopards have thick smoky-grey fur which is patterned with dark grey markings, making them practically invisible as they blend perfectly in with the mountains of Central Asia. They can grow up to 50 inches but that’s just their body - their thick furry tails can be just as long again! The tail helps balance the cats as they hunt prey along rocky slopes, and wrapped around the face it is a prefect buffer against the bitter cold.
The last snow leopard cub born at the zoological park was during 2005 and was the seventeenth snow leopard from Marwell to join the European Breeding Programme. Carnivores Section Manager, Phil Hindmarsh added: “Both snow leopards have settled in well and Indeever in particular is quietly confidently and likes to sit outside surveying his new territory. Our breeding programme for this species has been very successful and we very much hope that this new pair will raise cubs of their own during the next few years.”
Researchers estimate that there are between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the wild. However, no-one really knows for sure as they are very elusive creatures and live in very remote habitats, so tracking them is very difficult. Most researchers rely on evidence, such as scrapes in soil, scent marks and droppings to record their presence.
The snow leopards range covers 12 countries, including China, Afghanistan and Nepal, across the mountains of Central Asia. An individual snow leopard range inhabits a defined area which can overlap several of these international borders. This can give them some protect as these sensitive areas are often closed to public access, although it can also add to the difficulty of studying them.
The main threat to their survival comes from human activities: they are hunted for their beautiful pelts which are made into coats, their bones are in demand for traditional Asian medicine, and live cats are also captured for the illegal trade market. As people move into their territory with livestock, they are also increasingly suffering from loss of habitat and decline in available prey.
An adult snow leopard can weigh between 60-120 lb (27-55kg), which is about seven times the weight of a housecat, and one-seventh the weight of a tiger. They hunt a variety of wildlife, including blue sheep known as bharal in the Himalayas, ibex (a wild goat) and wild argali sheep in the Altai Mountains. They will also take small prey like marmots, hares and birds. They are also opportunistic hunters and will attack livestock, which can cause herders to retaliate by trapping, poisoning or shooting them.
CARVE OUT A HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR MARWELL’S ANIMALS THIS OCTOBER HALF TERM
This October half term (24 October – 1 November) Marwell Wildlife is inviting children to bring pumpkins to the zoological park, and after carving out a spooky face, watch it being fed to their favourite animal!
Marwell’s ‘Master Carver’ will be on hand to give children handy tips on how to carve a pumpkin. As animals come in all shapes and sizes, small and large pumpkins are all welcome. Pumpkins will also be available to buy in the park.
Some animals, like the meerkats and monkeys, are likely to sniff, roll around with and eat the pumpkins. Whilst others, like the Amur tigers may decide to tear apart and smash it up! Children can also meet the animal keepers and find out why these holiday treats are important forms of enrichment for the animals.
Marwell’s Halloween Festival is FREE and starts on Saturday 24 October and runs until Sunday 1 November. Other spooky treats in store around the park include creepy critter encounters, spooky ghost stories and freaky face painting. Halloween inspired food will also be available.
The daily enrichment schedule, plus pumpkin carving templates, will be available on Marwell’s website - www.marwell.org.uk - or for more information call 01962 777407. Standard admission charges apply for entry into the park.
Set in 100 acres of beautiful Hampshire countryside, Marwell Wildlife is a great day out for all the family. With over 250 species of animals, from meerkats on the look-out to lemurs playing in the sun, there is plenty to keep children and adults alike amused all day long.
Marwell Wildlife is a conservation charity dedicated to the conservation of the natural world. The zoological park provides a great way to enjoy the wonders of nature close-up, whilst also helping to conserve endangered species and habitats.
ANIMALS EXPLORE GIANT ICE LOLLY
The animals at Marwell Wildlife were given their very own ice lolly today (Friday 28 August).
The giant blackcurrant flavoured ice lolly was made by keepers as part of the conservation charity’s behavioural enrichment programme. Keepers hoped the ice lolly would help cool the animals down in the summer heat, as well as encourage the animals’ natural behaviour and curiosity.
The zoological park’s southern white rhinos, Hannu, Sula and Kiri showed some interest and even pushed the ice around a little. Marmaduke, the Bactrian camel, needed a bit more encouragement from the Head Keeper to convince him to investigate the new object. Whilst the ring tailed coatis explored the ice once it had been broken up into smaller bite sizes pieces.
Through-out the year, keepers at Marwell Wildlife use a wide variety of specially created enrichment techniques, as keeper Mark Humble explains: “All animals have a natural instinct to investigate new objects and explore unusual smells and textures. Even if they choose not to explore it, it’s still important as they have made that choice for themselves.”
BRAZILIAN TAPIR IS SPOT ON AT
MARWELL WILDLIFE
Marwell Wildlife is celebrating the recent birth of a Brazilian tapir. The humbug-striped baby girl was born on Tuesday 21 July as part of a conservation breeding programme for the species. The new arrival was born after a 13 month gestation to proud mum Summer, who arrived at Marwell Wildlife with her partner Ronny three months ago.
Brazilian tapirs live in the Amazon rainforest and spend much of their time foraging near water, which they also use as an escape route from predators such as jaguars. They are able to stay submerged for hours using their long noses to breathe through, just like a snorkel.
Like all baby tapirs, the little girl was born with a beautiful coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background, which help camouflage the baby whilst on dry land. “With her cute spots and stripes making her look just like a little humbug, she is just so cute and definitely has the ‘aww factor’ said David Schofield, Head keeper for the tapirs.
At around 10 kilograms, the as yet unnamed baby girl is the size of a small dog and will eventually grow to be the size of a large pig. She can be seen along with her parents at Marwell Wildlife now.
Although not as critically endangered as the Malayan tapir, the Brazilian tapirs’ natural habitat in South America is increasingly under threat from deforestation. They are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
RALPH THE BALD PENGUIN
GETS A WETSUIT
A bald penguin at Marwell Wildlife, Hampshire, UK has been given a specially-designed wetsuit to help protect him from the risk of sunburn.
Penguins moult every year, which usually takes between four to six weeks to complete. However, Ralph, a nine year old Humboldt penguin, lost all of his feathers in one day, exposing his pale pink skin to the sun. The wetsuit will protect Ralph’s sensitive skin until his new feathers have grown through, which his keepers think will take another two to three weeks.
Ralph’s keepers made the wetsuit out of the leg of an adult wetsuit donated by a member of Marwell’s staff. The stretchy material lets Ralph move around normally, and after a few minutes adjusting he was happily back to swimming around in the penguin pool.
David Schofield, Head Keeper for the penguins said: “At first the other penguins were curious but it wasn’t long before they recognised and accepted Ralph again. He doesn’t seem to mind the wetsuit and is able to swim and move around normally. It was quite easy to fit and we were able to customise it by creating the extra openings for his flippers once he was in it.”
Humboldt penguins live along the coats of Peru and Chile within the reaches of Humboldt Current, a cold current of water running from the Antarctic to the equator, from which they take their name. Humboldt penguins are thought to be declining in number, possibly due to El Nino increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply.
BRAZILIAN TAPIR IS SPOT ON AT MARWELL WILDLIFE
Marwell Wildlife is celebrating the recent birth of a Brazilian tapir. The humbug-striped baby girl was born on Tuesday 21 July as part of a conservation breeding programme for the species. The new arrival was born after a 13 month gestation to proud mum Summer, who arrived at Marwell Wildlife with her partner Ronny three months ago.
Brazilian tapirs live in the Amazon rainforest and spend much of their time foraging near water, which they also use as an escape route from predators such as jaguars. They are able to stay submerged for hours using their long noses to breathe through, just like a snorkel.
Like all baby tapirs, the little girl was born with a beautiful coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background, which help camouflage the baby whilst on dry land. “With her cute spots and stripes making her look just like a little humbug, she is just so cute and definitely has the ‘aww factor’ said David Schofield, Head keeper for the tapirs.
At around 10 kilograms, the as yet unnamed baby girl is the size of a small dog and will eventually grow to be the size of a large pig. She can be seen along with her parents at Marwell Wildlife now.
Although not as critically endangered as the Malayan tapir, the Brazilian tapirs’ natural habitat in South America is increasingly under threat from deforestation. They are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
‘NECK AND NECK’ PUBLIC BALLOT NAMES A BABY GIRAFFE AT MARWELL WILDLIFE
Marwell Wildlife is delighted to announce that its new baby giraffe has been named Kwame, which means ‘born on Saturday’ in Twi, a language spoken in Ghana, west Africa. The name is very apt as the new giraffe was born on Saturday 6 June 2009 to mum Isabella and dad Kismet.
Pronounced 'kwa-me', the name was chosen via an online vote conducted on Marwell Wildlife’s website. Kwame received over a quarter of all votes cast, 562 out of 2205. However, it was a close call as Kwame was ‘neck and neck’ with Sekani throughout and won with just 11 more votes. The other names in the vote were Louis, William and Merlin.
Kwame is never far from his mum and can be seen at Marwell Wildlife now. During the last few weeks the giraffes, led by Kismet, have been exploring ‘African Valley’ their new home which they share with Grevy’s zebra, ostrich and waterbuck, all animals that they would naturally mix with in Africa. Head Keeper for the giraffes, Ian Goodwin said: “Kwame is the first giraffe born at Marwell to be sired by Kismet, our breeding male. Kwame is a really beautiful giraffe and hopefully he will grow to be just as big and strong as Kismet, who at 17ft is the tallest of all of our giraffes.”
Marwell Wildlife is the new name for Marwell Zoological Park. The new name embodies the conservation charity’s desire to unite both sides of its organisation - an international conservation charity and a regional tourist attraction in Hampshire - under one banner for the first time.
FREE COMMUNITY BUS SERVICE THIS SUMMER TO LINK MARWELL WILDLIFE AND EASTLEIGH RAIL STATION
Marwell Wildlife, The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership and One Community, an independent charity providing voluntary transport services in the borough of Eastleigh, have teamed up to launch a FREE bus service between Eastleigh Rail Station and Marwell Wildlife.
The service will provide a regular shuttle for visitors to the zoological park every Sunday from 7th June until the end of September. Eight services will depart from Eastleigh rail station at 25 minutes past the hour from 10.25am and travel direct to Marwell Wildlife passing through Fair Oak and Fisher’s Pond. After a short wait at Marwell, the bus will make the round trip back to the station at 45 minutes past the hour starting at 10.45am. The last return journey will depart Marwell Wildlife at 5.45pm. The service will also operate on August bank holiday Monday.
The launch of this accessible minibus service, which is run by volunteers, aims to connect both the local community and rail travellers with Marwell Wildlife, the conservation charity. It will replace the existing Solent Blue Line service that currently runs only three times on a Sunday. Paul Simmons, Marwell Wildlife Marketing Communications Manager added: “We are always looking to expand our sustainable business practices and we hope this free rail link bus will encourage more visitors to travel to Marwell Wildlife by public transport from the town of Eastleigh and from further afield. This new service follows our success last year at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards, where the judges were particularly impressed with our holistic approach to sustainable business and we were highly commended as joint best in the Medium Business Award category.”
The decision to continue the service beyond the end of September, and possibly extend it to other days in the week will depend on it’s success. The introduction of this innovative service follows on from a similar Sunday rail link bus between Romsey Rail Station, Mottisfont Abbey and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens which is now in its second successful year.
During 2008 Marwell Wildlife was highly commended as joint best in the Medium Business Award category in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards 2008. Marwell Wildlife also received the Hampshire County Council Rural Business of the Year Award. The award recognised the charity’s achievement of balancing the need to be economically viable with a responsibility to the local environment and community. Marwell Wildlife also won the Winchester City Council Award for Green Innovation, which was awarded in recognition of the conservation charity’s commitment to improve environmental performance whilst minimising its environmental impact.
SEEING STRIPES AT MARWELL WILDLIFE
Marwell Wildlife is delighted to announce the birth of a male Chapman’s zebra.
Keepers at Marwell Wildlife received a surprise recently when a new male Chapman’s zebra foal was born several weeks early. Despite his early arrival the foal was soon standing and within just a few hours had already learnt how to suckle from his mum, Phoebe. Born overnight on Sunday 17 May, keepers have named the new foal Zeus, and he can now be seen out and about at Marwell with his mum.
Chapman’s zebras are social animals and are often found living in groups known as ‘harems’. Consisting of one stallion and several mares and foals, the harems often come together to form vast herds throughout East Africa.
Zeus’s harem consists of his mum Phoebe, dad Josef and two older females, Sophie and Harriet. Zeus’s parents have already successfully reared seven foals between them, so has the best start in life as his keeper, Mark Humble adds: “Phoebe is an excellent mum and is always keeping a watchful eye over Zeus, making sure he is not getting into any trouble. Along with all of Zeus’s keepers, I am so pleased that he is fit and healthy, and despite his early appearance he has plenty of energy and is doing really well. It has been two years since our last Chapman zebra foal was born so it’s great to watch him running around, having fun exploring his new world, and making the most of being the only foal in the group. As his dad, Josef, was living with the two other females at the same time as Phoebe we are hoping that more foals will be joining Zeus soon.”
The zebra’s distinctive black and white stripes are unique to each individual, although no-one knows for sure what their purpose is. One theory is that the stripes are a defence mechanism from the zebra’s main predator, lion. The stripes may help to merge several animals, thus confusing lions and making it difficult to difficult for them to distinguish the outline of an individual from the herd. Lions are also colour blind and the stripes may provide the perfect camouflage by disguising hiding zebras in long grass.
There are three species of zebra: the Plains, Grevy’s and Mountain zebra. The Chapman’s zebra is a sub species from the Plains zebra. Representatives of all three species can be seen at Marwell Wildlife. Of the three, Grevy’s zebra are the most endangered. Only around 2500 Grevy’s remain in the wild, and Marwell Wildlife is involved in several conservation projects in Kenya to help save the species from extinction.
MARWELL WILDLIFE ANIMALS ENJOY AN EASTER EGG HUNT JUST AS MUCH AS HUMANS TOO!
The animals at Marwell Wildlife took part in their very own Easter egg hunt, and for those clever enough to figure out how to break into their colourful eggs were rewarded with tasty treats.
The paper mache Easter eggs were made by keepers at Marwell Wildlife and contained tasty food which the animals could smell and couldn’t resist exploring to find out what was inside. Provided as part of a behavioural enrichment programme, the eggs’ smells, textures, shapes and colours stimulated all of the animals’ senses and they were quick to investigate and reap their rewards.
Led by Drusilla, the dominant female in the Sulawesi crested macaque group, they took no time to work out how to get into their eggs and found their favourite food, including dates, seeds, grapes and mealworms, inside. The golden lion tamarins used their long fingers to break into their smaller eggs whilst the southern ground hornbills employed different tactics to get into theirs by using their impressive beaks to stab the eggs to break them apart.
“In the wild many animals, including Sulawesi crested macaques, are natural foragers and eat a wide variety of plants, insects and bird eggs. It was great to watch the animals respond to the paper mache eggs, which evoked strong natural responses and behaviours.” said Keeper Amanda Cameron, she added: “We give our animals interesting activities and new objects to investigate all year round. At Halloween the animals enjoy exploring odd shaped pumpkins and in January the animals find the unusual smells and textures from left over Christmas trees irresistible.”
MARWELL WILDLIFE: THE NEW NAME FOR MARWELL ZOOLOGICAL PARK
Marwell Zoological Park has today (Friday 3 April) announced a new brand identity. The new name, Marwell Wildlife, embodies the charity’s desire to unite both sides of the organisation - an international conservation charity and a regional tourist attraction in Hampshire - under one banner for the first time.
As well as a new name, the brand also encompasses an exciting new creative style which supports the charity’s brand promise of ‘Connecting people with nature’. This promise is at the heart of Marwell Wildlife’s work, both in Hampshire and internationally, and also forms the inspiration for the charity’s new logo.
The logo incorporates a hand which symbolizes Marwell’s commitment to caring and protecting wildlife. With 18 variations representing a broad cross-section of wildlife, the logo incorporates images from the world of nature which conveys the breadth and depth of Marwell Wildlife’s conservation work.
James Cretney, Marwell Wildlife Chief Executive, explains how the brand has been developed: “Following several months of consultation with both our staff and external stakeholders looking at what and who we are, we have now developed a brand which better reflects the breadth and depth of our conservation work. I also believe that the new brand has a strong, coherent and recognisable look which engages with all, from conservationists working around the world to families living in Hampshire who regularly visit the park.”
The opening of Marwell Wildlife’s new African Valley by His Excellency Joseph Muchemi, High Commissioner of the Kenyan High Commission on Friday 3rd April, will be the first opportunity for the conservation charity to showcase its new brand.
MARWELL 10K PROVIDES A GREAT DAY OUT FOR RUNNERS AND MUMS ALIKE ON MOTHER’S DAY
Crowds of supportive friends and family turned out for yet another successful Marwell 10K and junior Fun Run yesterday (Sunday 22 March).
Defending champion James Baker, from Chichester Runners & AC, finished the course in 33mins exactly, well ahead of his closest rival. It seems the course certainly suits James, as he has now won four out of the last five year’s races. Richard Batchelor from Aldershot, Farnham & District came in second clocking 34mins 22secs. Mark Campbell from Southampton Running Club was the first local boy, finishing third with a time of 34mins and 45secs.
Ladies winner Rachael Elliott from Team Kennet came home in 37mins and 44secs. Her main opponent was last year’s winner Karrie Blake from City of Portsmouth AC finishing just 12 seconds behind. Lesley Locks from Hart Road Runners was a fairly close third in 38mins and 55secs.
Despite being known for its tough course the Marwell 10K attracted over 750 runners, including Sue Mavor who came all the way from New Zealand to take part. Sue emigrated to New Zealand over 20 years ago but is originally from Winchester and as a keen runner couldn’t resist the lure of the unique setting. Sue was given a special club vest from organisers Eastleigh Running Club and plans to wear the vest in her next running event back home.
Deborah Tyler, Race Director from Eastleigh Running Club was delighted with the turn out: “Despite being Mother’s Day over 750 runners took part in the 10K and over 200 children had fun in the Junior Run. They were given a taster of competition as they dashed around the park and used the same finishing arch as the adult’s race.”
The runner’s fee included entry to the park for the day, and Marwell also offered discounted entry to all supporters. The money raised will go towards Marwell’s conservation work including SPRINT, its cheetah campaign for 2009.
Jointly organised with Eastleigh Running Club, the Marwell 10k is kindly sponsored by Saucony and Up and Running Southampton.
WORLD’S SMALLEST GAZELLES BORN AT MARWELL
Marwell Zoological Park is proud to announce the birth of three Dorcas gazelles. Born just days apart, on the 8th, 13th and 16th November, they have been named Piper, Rocket and Rooster after varieties of potato – well their father is named Spud after all!
At around 55cm (22 inches) when fully grown, Dorcas gazelles are the world’s smallest gazelle species. Marwell’s calves are just 30cm (12 inches), making them the smallest gazelles in the UK.
Dorcas gazelles are a species of antelope found throughout the Saharan region in Africa. The Sahara is one of the driest places on Earth and many animals survive by staying small so they need a minimum of food and water. The gazelles have adapted perfectly for this hostile environment and can even live their entire life’s without drinking, instead gaining moisture from the plants they eat.
Simon Hawker, Head Keeper for the gazelles said: “”Everyone at Marwell is delighted that all three calves are healthy and thriving in their new environment. They are certainly three of the most pretty calves that I have seen in a long time and look particularly adorable when they snuggle up to each other for warmth.” Piper, Rocket and Rooster are all on show at Marwell.
The conservation charity’s newest additions are very significant for the Dorcas gazelle population. They are all under constant threat due to illegal hunting and loss of natural habitat. Due to the vast size of the Sahara, gaining accurate data on their number in the wild is difficult but it is believed that during the last 18 years they have suffered a massive 30% decline in their population, with a sub-Saharan population numbering around 35,000. As a result they are listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and are included in the Convention on Migratory Species Action Plan for the conservation and restoration of desert antelope.
While the main focus of conservation efforts in Africa is to protect remaining populations of Dorcas gazelles and their habitats in the wild, reintroduction efforts are underway in places where they have disappeared and have no hope of returning by natural means. Dorcas gazelles born at Marwell have recently been included in a project that eventually aims to reintroduce the species to the North Ferlo National Park in Senegal, Africa. Biologists from Marwell are also helping to monitor a population that has been re-established in the Dghoumes National Park in Tunisia where Marwell have also led the reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx, an antelope species that became extinct in the wild.
MARWELL’S AMUR LEOPARD CUB NAME IS PURE RUSSIAN!
Marwell Zoological Park received a staggering 10,000 votes on its online poll to name its Amur leopard cub and the winning name is…Kiska. Pronounced ‘Keys-ka’, Kiska is a Russian girl’s name meaning pure. The name was extremely popular and received a whopping 45% of the votes.
The beautiful cub is 4 months and 1 day old today (Wednesday 19th March) and every day her confidence grows as she explores her new home. Kiska is already practising her hunting skills and loves to bite her mum’s tail!
Less than 35 Amur leopards remain in the wild, making them one of the rarest big cats in the world. Kiska was born part of a European conservation breeding programme to help save the species from extinction. Kiska’s Mum Ascha and her Dad Akin both live at Marwell.
If you can’t see Kiska in person you don’t need to miss out as Marwell is offering a special Kiska adoption package. The exciting package contains a certificate with a picture of an Amur leopard, a fact sheet all about Amur leopards, an admission ticket to the Park and a copy of Marwell’s newsletter ‘Marwell News’. The adopters name will also feature on the Park’s adoptions 'Thank You' board for everyone to see! For more details visit Marwell’s website: www.marwell.org.uk or call the Adoptions office on 01962 777407
Amur leopards used to live in the forests and mountains of Russia, Korea and China but they are now only found in the Far East of Russia. They are endangered because they are killed for their beautiful fur coats and their bones are also passed off as tiger bones in the illegal tiger bone trade. Other reasons include loss of habitat and depletion of their prey species.
FLY INTO YOUR VALENTINE’S HEART WITH MARWELL’S INSEPARABLE LOVEBIRDS
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