Yorkshire Wildlife Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park News 2025

PenguinKing said:
Has anyone got any idea if the lion cubs will be coming out this week?
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No idea but YWP said they are aiming to ‘baby proof’ a part of one of the enclosures so Aysa and the cubs can come out soon. The cubs can be seen in the raceway sometimes.
 
gentle lemur said:
I visited YWP today - it was only second visit, and as my first was in 2018, there were a lot new things to see. My principal target was the red howlers, as they are a different species from the ones I saw at Twycross many years ago. They were very active in the morning, stuffing themselves with hawthorn leaves and mayflowers and made a wonderful show. I was really impressed to see such a nice group with several youngsters, although I couldn't even attempt to count them amog the foliage. The cottontops and the Roloways were also well worth watching in their trees.
Of course I also enjoyed seeing the polar bears and the giant otters making good use of their enclosures.
The real surprise was the giraffes. A Rothschild was in the main paddock with the eland and lechwe, but the small paddock in front of the house (beside the Masai cafe) held two young reticulated bulls, who were having a fight. The preliminaries of each round were some stately pacing, keeping head to tail, then they swung their heads to hit each other with their ossicones, generally in the flank. Each impact made a clear thump, but did not seem to do much damage as giraffes have very thick skin. But it was more alarming when one of the males swung his head at a low level to lift his opponent's nearside back leg off the ground, which I thought might result in a fall or a fracture, particularly if a wire or a post from the fence got involved. I think the keepers eventually separated the combatants, after I had retreated to the cafe having taken far too many photos. Is this a familiar spectacle at YWP, or was I very lucky to arrive at the giraffe house when I did?
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Very common since they lost Behansin (dominant male) in 2021. By rights, Jambo (Rothschild) next biggest and oldest should have stepped into the dominant male role but just wasn't interested and as such there isn't an established dominant male to keep the others in check. Palle and Jengo are the reticulateds, Jengo is the youngest and the one that often instigates the "fights". I visit quite regularly and see them at it on every visit when they are mixed, they split the front yard a while ago and rarely mix them in the house anymore. It's amazing to watch them but definitely did not happen as often when Behansin was alive.
 
katinakalinakaterina said:
Very common since they lost Behansin (dominant male) in 2021. By rights, Jambo (Rothschild) next biggest and oldest should have stepped into the dominant male role but just wasn't interested and as such there isn't an established dominant male to keep the others in check. Palle and Jengo are the reticulateds, Jengo is the youngest and the one that often instigates the "fights". I visit quite regularly and see them at it on every visit when they are mixed, they split the front yard a while ago and rarely mix them in the house anymore. It's amazing to watch them but definitely did not happen as often when Behansin was alive.
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Very interesting, thank you for answering my question :)
 
The three lion cubs are now outside in a small fenced off section of the paddock, the plan is to gradually expand this section as they gain more confidence, though further cubproofing is still required. Staff haven't announced their names yet, but said it shouldn't be much longer.
 
On May 21st, it was mentioned that the zoo will transfer 2 Bactrian camels to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland in the future*.

On June 26th, the zoo announced that a coppery titi monkey was born which is now on exhibit. The birth represents the first primate to be born in the Amazonas Walkthrough Reserve exhibit.

Adorable Titi monkey born | News | Yorkshire Wildlife Park
3.2K reactions · 173 shares | Say hello to the tiniest new arrival in our Amazonas walkthrough reserve! Born to first time parents Jessie and Javari, this precious little one is already stealing hearts. Even more exciting — it’s the very first primate born in our South American habitat ❤️ ( : YWP Animal Rangers, Alana, Amber and Emily ) | Yorkshire Wildlife Park

* Information provided by @Quincey from the Edinburgh Zoo News 2025 thread (Page 8 Post #148).
 
Smaggledagle said:
On May 21st, it was mentioned that the zoo will transfer 2 Bactrian camels to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland in the future*.

On June 26th, the zoo announced that a coppery titi monkey was born which is now on exhibit. The birth represents the first primate to be born in the Amazonas Walkthrough Reserve exhibit.

Adorable Titi monkey born | News | Yorkshire Wildlife Park
3.2K reactions · 173 shares | Say hello to the tiniest new arrival in our Amazonas walkthrough reserve! Born to first time parents Jessie and Javari, this precious little one is already stealing hearts. Even more exciting — it’s the very first primate born in our South American habitat ❤️ ( : YWP Animal Rangers, Alana, Amber and Emily ) | Yorkshire Wildlife Park

* Information provided by @Quincey from the Edinburgh Zoo News 2025 thread (Page 8 Post #148).
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I think the transfer to Edinburgh zoo is meant to be happening sometime this week or next week if it’s not done already :)
 
Really finding these “rescues” tedious now. If they wanted to restock their lions now they’ve lost all of the original Romanian bunch, I’m sure there’s animals available in the UK. But then again, I suppose that wouldn’t make them any donations or PR. It’s also funny that it’s always big cats or bears isn’t it? I’m sure there’s plenty less charismatic species in need of rescuing, but that wouldn’t make them any donations or PR either.
 
jtrbmvcq said:
Really finding these “rescues” tedious now. If they wanted to restock their lions now they’ve lost all of the original Romanian bunch, I’m sure there’s animals available in the UK. But then again, I suppose that wouldn’t make them any donations or PR. It’s also funny that it’s always big cats or bears isn’t it? I’m sure there’s plenty less charismatic species in need of rescuing, but that wouldn’t make them any donations or PR either.
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To play devil's advocate here, aside from the UK's safari parks, zoo-generic lion numbers in the UK are relatively low, with Port Lympne potentially being the only exception. Knowsley's are down to five, Blair Drummond held 2,6 in December 2024, Longleat have approximately 20 individuals and West Midlands have a similar number held through their main pride on the reserve and the bachelor pride on the walk-around.

It could also be argued that the original "Lion Rescue" which took place back in 2010 put YWP on the map and allowed them to grow into the position they are today. They've potentially two empty enclosures sat there once the new cubs are merged into the main pride, so why not attempt another rescue from Ukraine? At the end of the day, that's three more cats out of harm's way, they are given better welfare, YWP benefits from another rescue and everybody's happy.

I do understand your argument that bears and big cats tend to be at the top of the list, with how many have arrived in UK collections in the last few years. There's been a real focus on rescue animals from war-impacted countries as of late, the lions at BCS and YWP specifically. Furthermore, YWP tend to specialise in large megafauna (rhino, big cats, polar bears, etc), though with regards to less charismatic species, what other taxa out there are in urgent attention to be rescued?
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
I do understand your argument that bears and big cats tend to be at the top of the list, with how many have arrived in UK collections in the last few years. There's been a real focus on rescue animals from war-impacted countries as of late, the lions at BCS and YWP specifically. Furthermore, YWP tend to specialise in large megafauna (rhino, big cats, polar bears, etc), though with regards to less charismatic species, what other taxa out there are in urgent attention to be rescued?
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I also think it's worth mentioning about the appallingly low number of Bears in UK collections before these rescues became a thing. I remember there being a thread on this here around 2008 discussing it, where the only bears we had were the spectacled at Belfast, Chester, and Jersey, the sun at Belfast, the browns at Whipsnade, the two sloth at ZSL, the single Polar Bear in Scotland, with another at Heythrop, and the blacks at Woburn and Dudley. There have been quite a good number added since then, in no small part to these bear rescues.
 
Cat-Man said:
I also think it's worth mentioning about the appallingly low number of Bears in UK collections before these rescues became a thing. I remember there being a thread on this here around 2008 discussing it, where the only bears we had were the spectacled at Belfast, Chester, and Jersey, the sun at Belfast, the browns at Whipsnade, the two sloth at ZSL, the single Polar Bear in Scotland, with another at Heythrop, and the blacks at Woburn and Dudley. There have been quite a good number added since then, in no small part to these bear rescues.
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There has been a steady increase in holders for various species across the UK since the start of 2020, the following has occurred:

Andean bear - 1 new holder; Knowsley - 2023.
Asiatic black bear - 1 new holder; Manor - 2025.
Brown bear (No subspecies status) - 1 new holder; Wildheart - 2025.
European brown bear - 4 new holders; both Wildwood collections, Port Lympne & Jimmy's Farm.
Indian sloth bear - 2 new holders; Johnston's - 2021 and Lincoln - 2025.
Malayan sun bear - 1 new holder; Hertfordshire - 2023.
Polar bear - 2 new holders; Jimmy's Farm & Peak Wildlife Park - 2023.
Syrian brown bear - 1 new holder; Hamerton - 2020.
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
There has been a steady increase in holders for various species across the UK since the start of 2020, the following has occurred:

Andean bear - 1 new holder; Knowsley - 2023.
Asiatic black bear - 1 new holder; Manor - 2025.
Brown bear (No subspecies status) - 1 new holder; Wildheart - 2025.
European brown bear - 4 new holders; both Wildwood collections, Port Lympne & Jimmy's Farm.
Indian sloth bear - 2 new holders; Johnston's - 2021 and Lincoln - 2025.
Malayan sun bear - 1 new holder; Hertfordshire - 2023.
Polar bear - 2 new holders; Jimmy's Farm & Peak Wildlife Park - 2023.
Syrian brown bear - 1 new holder; Hamerton - 2020.
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Although they were an existing holder, Whipsnade also added the three brown bears to their existing bear Cinderella in 2023 (after the sad loss of the others) and enhanced the enclosure, giving them a lively group again.
 
Cat-Man said:
I also think it's worth mentioning about the appallingly low number of Bears in UK collections before these rescues became a thing. I remember there being a thread on this here around 2008 discussing it, where the only bears we had were the spectacled at Belfast, Chester, and Jersey, the sun at Belfast, the browns at Whipsnade, the two sloth at ZSL, the single Polar Bear in Scotland, with another at Heythrop, and the blacks at Woburn and Dudley. There have been quite a good number added since then, in no small part to these bear rescues.
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The Syrian Bears at Hamerton were nothing to do with any rescue. Their arrival was part of a planned breeding programme for a taxon which appears to be extinct in the wild, or effectively so, and which appears to have later collapsed when the German zoos organising it changed tack, leaving the zoo with three siblings.
The detail is recorded in their annual report from 2023.
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
There has been a steady increase in holders for various species across the UK since the start of 2020, the following has occurred:

Andean bear - 1 new holder; Knowsley - 2023.
Asiatic black bear - 1 new holder; Manor - 2025.
Brown bear (No subspecies status) - 1 new holder; Wildheart - 2025.
European brown bear - 4 new holders; both Wildwood collections, Port Lympne & Jimmy's Farm.
Indian sloth bear - 2 new holders; Johnston's - 2021 and Lincoln - 2025.
Malayan sun bear - 1 new holder; Hertfordshire - 2023.
Polar bear - 2 new holders; Jimmy's Farm & Peak Wildlife Park - 2023.
Syrian brown bear - 1 new holder; Hamerton - 2020.
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The Spectacled at Knowsley are a new holder, but the bears were already in the UK, so Jersey should be listed as a 'lost' or defunct holder.
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
It could also be argued that the original "Lion Rescue" which took place back in 2010 put YWP on the map and allowed them to grow into the position they are today. They've potentially two empty enclosures sat there once the new cubs are merged into the main pride, so why not attempt another rescue from Ukraine? At the end of the day, that's three more cats out of harm's way, they are given better welfare, YWP benefits from another rescue and everybody's happy.
I do understand your argument that bears and big cats tend to be at the top of the list, with how many have arrived in UK collections in the last few years. There's been a real focus on rescue animals from war-impacted countries as of late, the lions at BCS and YWP specifically.
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Potentially these 'rescues' dont attract the media coverage they used to and therefore dont have the same financial advantage any more.
And, in modern times when zoos are supposed to be about conservation, how can filling enclosures full of such animals of zero use to any breeding programme, just to buy media coverage, plus public sympathy and donations, be considered ethical, and part of any long-term considered collection plan as required by law?
 
ZooNews2024 said:
Potentially these 'rescues' dont attract the media coverage they used to and therefore dont have the same financial advantage any more.
And, in modern times when zoos are supposed to be about conservation, how can filling enclosures full of such animals of zero use to any breeding programme, just to buy media coverage, plus public sympathy and donations, be considered ethical, and part of any long-term considered collection plan as required by law?
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On the flip side, how can it be ethical to allow animals to live in squalor when you can provide them with better conditions? Yeah there’s a commercial and self interest aspect to it but that’s the world we live in.
 
Cat-Man said:
On the flip side, how can it be ethical to allow animals to live in squalor when you can provide them with better conditions? Yeah there’s a commercial and self interest aspect to it but that’s the world we live in.
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You still haven't explained how this fits into a collection plan when a zoo has a legal obligation to produce one and to conserve endangered species.
It cannot be ethical to move some poor geriatric bear (or other animal) from a space it is used to (however inadequate), half way across the World and keep it in an strange, open field for a few weeks, where it is too terrified to come out of its den, the only space it feels safe, and dies a couple of weeks later - just for the media coverage and public donations. This ethics of this are indeed highly suspect and it could be argued that if there was a welfare issue in the first place the animal should have been put down at source, quickly, efficiently and humanely, and not subjected to this media circus just for commercial gain.
 
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