Highland Wildlife Park Highland wildlife park 2013
- Thread starter kiang
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Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
Great news on the Musk Oxen birth.
Article about the Muskox-breeding :
June 24, 2013
Musk-Ox Calf is a First for Highland Wildlife Park
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Highland Wildlife Park’s female Musk-ox, Karin, has given birth to the Zoo's first ever Musk-Ox calf. Born on Wednesday May 15th, little Belle has spent her first few weeks of life off-show with mom, but has now started to venture out into her outdoor enclosure.
Belle’s mother Karin was born in the Czech Republic in 2002 and came to the Park only 18 months ago in January 2012. Three-year-old father Myse arrived a few months later in May.
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Photo credits: Alex Riddell
Belle is not only a little cutie, but this hooved newbie is also a significant step in the Musk-ox breeding program– she is the first Musk-Ox to be born in the UK in 17 years, an important achievement for the Zoo’s expert animal husbandry team.
Musk-ox have an extremely thick coat which consists of two parts, long course outer hairs, and a soft dense undercoat called qiviut (pronounced kiv-ee-ut). Qiviut wool is the highly prized for its softness, length and insulation; it is considered to be one of the lightest and warmest wools in the world.
Source : Zooborns
June 24, 2013
Musk-Ox Calf is a First for Highland Wildlife Park
72x7xdSZU2iDtG7MzWVYWwo3a_NiYaE6xmnDzVQJdWg
Highland Wildlife Park’s female Musk-ox, Karin, has given birth to the Zoo's first ever Musk-Ox calf. Born on Wednesday May 15th, little Belle has spent her first few weeks of life off-show with mom, but has now started to venture out into her outdoor enclosure.
Belle’s mother Karin was born in the Czech Republic in 2002 and came to the Park only 18 months ago in January 2012. Three-year-old father Myse arrived a few months later in May.
72x7xdSZU2iDtG7MzWVYWwo3a_NiYaE6xmnDzVQJdWg
MSwyAYGtb6S_esDEkSJlmNgQ3A3B_1XyiTJBfJCyZUI
CUq3qA5sSbhAcU5oPB7TL9356-S1ONSfSPVdwOaZdAs
Photo credits: Alex Riddell
Belle is not only a little cutie, but this hooved newbie is also a significant step in the Musk-ox breeding program– she is the first Musk-Ox to be born in the UK in 17 years, an important achievement for the Zoo’s expert animal husbandry team.
Musk-ox have an extremely thick coat which consists of two parts, long course outer hairs, and a soft dense undercoat called qiviut (pronounced kiv-ee-ut). Qiviut wool is the highly prized for its softness, length and insulation; it is considered to be one of the lightest and warmest wools in the world.
Source : Zooborns
kenspeckle
Active Member
Very exciting news from the park, HWP has been awarded a £51'700 grant from the national lottery to :
A 350 metre long raised walking platform will be created from the Park's entrance through the front drive-through reserve. Currently only accessible by vehicle, this significant extensive high level walkway will give cyclists and walkers direct access to the Park without the need to arrive by car. The Park's 2,100 metre network of footpaths across the 200 acre site will also be enhanced and disabled access will be improved.
The visitor experience will be taken to the next level with new engaging interpretation developed throughout the Park and improved directional signage. Part of the new interpretation will include an audio digital learning guide for visitors to use during their drive-through experience. Gaelic language translation on on-site interpretation, online and on educational material will also increase links with the Park's Scottish heritage.
The development of a sustainable volunteer guide and education programme will also feature. By the end of 2013 the Park will have in place a robust recruitment and training programme for a team of volunteers who will work at key areas of the Park. Forming part of the RZSS's education mission, this will ensure visitors gain a better understanding of the Park's, and of the Cairngorm's, conservation issues. This programme will also provide opportunities to local people, potentially students and the long term unemployed, to gain new skills.
Educationally, learning packs will be created, both online and in hard copy, for use within the local schools and community groups, will deliver key conservation messages with the aim of inspiring the younger generation to be involved in Scottish and global conservation work.
Finally, the Scottish wildcat facility will be expanded.
So no excuses not to visit!
A 350 metre long raised walking platform will be created from the Park's entrance through the front drive-through reserve. Currently only accessible by vehicle, this significant extensive high level walkway will give cyclists and walkers direct access to the Park without the need to arrive by car. The Park's 2,100 metre network of footpaths across the 200 acre site will also be enhanced and disabled access will be improved.
The visitor experience will be taken to the next level with new engaging interpretation developed throughout the Park and improved directional signage. Part of the new interpretation will include an audio digital learning guide for visitors to use during their drive-through experience. Gaelic language translation on on-site interpretation, online and on educational material will also increase links with the Park's Scottish heritage.
The development of a sustainable volunteer guide and education programme will also feature. By the end of 2013 the Park will have in place a robust recruitment and training programme for a team of volunteers who will work at key areas of the Park. Forming part of the RZSS's education mission, this will ensure visitors gain a better understanding of the Park's, and of the Cairngorm's, conservation issues. This programme will also provide opportunities to local people, potentially students and the long term unemployed, to gain new skills.
Educationally, learning packs will be created, both online and in hard copy, for use within the local schools and community groups, will deliver key conservation messages with the aim of inspiring the younger generation to be involved in Scottish and global conservation work.
Finally, the Scottish wildcat facility will be expanded.
So no excuses not to visit!
Excellent news for people such as myself, who are reliant on public transport!
It really would be nice to set up a zoo walk and talk at HWP! The place seems magical and really inside the darn beautiful Cairngorms landscape.
Better access for those on public transport would be an added bonus. Perhaps they could even do a cycling rental out?
I really do applaud their involvement with the Scottish wild cat program. It really needs widespread public engagement to get the people on board to realise how dire the situation for the only wild cat of the Isles is and what needs to be done to secure its future. Captive-breeding of purebred wild cats may be the only solution to bringing it back from the brink.
P.S. on a side note: we have had wolf confirmed in Netherlands this year, all be it a dead one. I cannot wait to learn if it is from the wild population in Germany .. (or a hoax dead wolf laid out by sicko people).
Better access for those on public transport would be an added bonus. Perhaps they could even do a cycling rental out?
I really do applaud their involvement with the Scottish wild cat program. It really needs widespread public engagement to get the people on board to realise how dire the situation for the only wild cat of the Isles is and what needs to be done to secure its future. Captive-breeding of purebred wild cats may be the only solution to bringing it back from the brink.
P.S. on a side note: we have had wolf confirmed in Netherlands this year, all be it a dead one. I cannot wait to learn if it is from the wild population in Germany .. (or a hoax dead wolf laid out by sicko people).
We did, in September 2011 - and I was the lone member who attended
Doug Richardson was good enough to give me the full tour and I wrote it up in a thread here.
The new walkway sounds wonderful. Even visitors with cars may get better views of the kiang and takin.
Alan
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Doug Richardson is a top bloke. Genuinely friendly and approachable to genuine enthusiasts, with none of the pomposity that is unfortunately a common trait in the higher echelons of UK zoo professionals.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
It is fantastic news. Already adding to the point of people using public transport, this is great news! 
I think if Scottish Wildcat is to make a comeback, then the HWP could/should play a major role. They have the facilities and scope to keep and breed 'pure'(?) Wildcats on sufficient scale for releases to be made into the wild, even if many of them were kept in offshow pens.
I really would welcome a formal Zoo Walk and Talk if planned well in advance. I never understood why the last one only had Alan come in from the cold?!! A little tickler for all the rest of us ... it would make a great weekender to Edinburgh and beyond!
Lifted from the blog:
The Highland Wildlife Park just worked out a wonderful statistic that I want to share with you. With the very recent birth of a litter of wildcats, 74% of the species that could breed have produced offspring so far this year – very exciting! In addition, we have at least one Przewalski’s horse and the adult female goral due to give birth within the next few weeks.
The red panda kit at the Park has been sexed and is a boy who has been named Kush, which means Happiness in Hindu. Two water vole young have been spotted in the families that are scheduled to be reintroduced as part of the Trossach Water Vole project on Monday 5th August. The two polar bears are also being weighed today and we expect them to weigh one tonne combined.
The Highland Wildlife Park just worked out a wonderful statistic that I want to share with you. With the very recent birth of a litter of wildcats, 74% of the species that could breed have produced offspring so far this year – very exciting! In addition, we have at least one Przewalski’s horse and the adult female goral due to give birth within the next few weeks.
The red panda kit at the Park has been sexed and is a boy who has been named Kush, which means Happiness in Hindu. Two water vole young have been spotted in the families that are scheduled to be reintroduced as part of the Trossach Water Vole project on Monday 5th August. The two polar bears are also being weighed today and we expect them to weigh one tonne combined.
Sorry if it has been already mentioned, but the last Pine marten has Moved to the Chestnut conservation centre. According to the sign the exhibit will be moved into by wildcats.
This seems a strange move, unless there will be a new exhibit for the martens sometime in the future, they made a fantastic exhibit, always on the move.
Hopefully with an expanding of the breeding programme for the Scottish wildcats there may be a possibilty of nearing a reintroduction phase of the project.
One imagines this might be a stopgap move to get more space for their wildcat breeding programme until the specially designed enclosures mentioned lately are constructed.