Highland Wildlife Park highland wildlife park

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Quite right Jelle, The guys name is Paul Lister, he is a wealthy landowner, owner of Alladale wilderness reserve just north of Inverness.
He has released wild boar and a pair of Europen elk onto his estate (and you thought hwp had the only elk in Britain).
He is also wanting to bring in bears, wolves and Europen bison.
http://www.alladale.com/assets/BBC_wildlife_0108.pdf
 
Alladale IS an exciting project....a huge tract of land being restored to forest for herds of deer elk/moose, up to 30 brown bears, and several wolf packs, lynx and boar. They have a pair of elk/moose from Sweden already, plus deer and boar in a small part of the reserve. It's just as well Paul lister is into planting trees, his dad owned the MFI chain!

TTH032001CC385_248788a.jpg

One of the new european elk

BUT, there are serious issues with walkers and Scotland's right to roam legislation, and there are people who are uneasy at millionnaire landowners excluding people who cannot pay to enter their property in the name of conservation. It is wonderful to think of some of these species roaming a large Scottish reserve, but they will still be captive, like the parks of Africa, where wildlife must be managed, and local communities are excluded and seen as without exception detrimental to the enclosed ecosystem.

There are probably plenty of predators contributing to the ecology of the Scottish Highlands, some of which are quite possibly leopards or pumas, as well as the 'native' lynx, repatriated after the 1976 DWA far more cheaply than any Scottish heritage reintroduction project...;)
 
Just back from the park, putting some photos into the gallery.
Nothing much to report, the new tiger enclosure is still at the same stage as my last visit, just the shell of the indoor housing built, although a keeper did tell me that they are building the weld mesh for the fencing at Edinburgh zoo this week, and will be installed in the next few weeks.
The red pandas are in a new enclosure where the red foxes used to be, behind the old badger enclosure, I have to say i was not impressed with the new enclosure a fenced exhibit built with the ugliest fencing i have seen in a long time, a copse of trees in this area with a small pond, i preferred their enclosure at Edinburgh for aesthetics.
The walk through aviary next to them is still under construction, no sign of Himalayan snowcock or satyr tragopan in the park.
The Afghan urial (3.3) looked good in their hillside enclosure next to the pandas, in with them were 2 male markhor.
The Himalayan tahr (12?) are now sharing the Chinese grey goral (1.1) enclosure, in the next enclosure are an expanded herd of markhor and bharal a really great range of enclosures.
The Mishmi takin (9) have a new enclosure in the drive through area, not the best exhibit for viewing, i would have prefered a chance to get out of the car and view the takins although the enclosure is massive, and to end on there was a newborn takin must have been a couple of days old.
 
kiang said:
Just back from the park, putting some photos into the gallery.
Nothing much to report, the new tiger enclosure is still at the same stage as my last visit, just the shell of the indoor housing built, although a keeper did tell me that they are building the weld mesh for the fencing at Edinburgh zoo this week, and will be installed in the next few weeks.
The red pandas are in a new enclosure where the red foxes used to be, behind the old badger enclosure, I have to say i was not impressed with the new enclosure a fenced exhibit built with the ugliest fencing i have seen in a long time, a copse of trees in this area with a small pond, i preferred their enclosure at Edinburgh for aesthetics.
The walk through aviary next to them is still under construction, no sign of Himalayan snowcock or satyr tragopan in the park.
The Afghan urial (3.3) looked good in their hillside enclosure next to the pandas, in with them were 2 male markhor.
The Himalayan tahr (12?) are now sharing the Chinese grey goral (1.1) enclosure, in the next enclosure are an expanded herd of markhor and bharal a really great range of enclosures.
The Mishmi takin (9) have a new enclosure in the drive through area, not the best exhibit for viewing, i would have prefered a chance to get out of the car and view the takins although the enclosure is massive, and to end on there was a newborn takin must have been a couple of days old.
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I saw your photo in the gallery and I agree with regards to the panda enclosure.
 
Cannot wait to visit this place at the end of may with all the stuff going on sounds as if its changed alot since my visit last year looking forward to seeing the Afghan Urial as this is a species i`ve not seen yet.
 
The red panda enclosure is only half completed, the former badger enclosure will be developed for the pandas too, this was where i thought the original enclosure was going to be, at least with its low walls it will be aesthetically more pleasing than the glorified chicken run that is there at the moment.
The Himalayan tahr are going into the drive through section with the kiang and the yak, and the Bactrian camel when they arrive.
 
Maguari said:
Personally I avoid the word 'elk' like the plague because I always feel it just invites confusion. Much as I would like to stick with the British English version, using Red Deer or Wapiti for Cervus elaphus and Moose for Alces alces means it's always clear which you mean.

But hey, vive la difference. And very good news that Highland's still trying with A. alces.
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That's what I think too, Maguari. I never use the name elk, but if other people do and make it clear whether they are referring to the American elk or the European elk, I don't mind.
 
There are also 5 female forest reindeer and three more elk due to arrive this month from Scandinavia.
 
kiang said:
There are also 5 female forest reindeer and three more elk due to arrive this month from Scandinavia.
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Great .. so, HWP will house a breeding group of the endangered Rangifer tarandus fennicus. The elk: do they include a male and 2 females?

Any other recent births from the newly introduced species since last fall (Bactrian deer, kiang, blue sheep) or perhaps expected before not too long?
 
Jelle, no news of any imminent births, there are just a pair of elk at the moment (1.1).
 
Jana said:
I think it is the Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa).
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Affirmative.

This particular species range is SW Europe: from France to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Corsica. Actually, the species has been introduced to the British Isles, Canary Islands (?), Madeira and the Azores.

It is a beautiful scrub land bird species and the European zoo population - though being small - gives scope for a breeding programme (7.6 in 8 collections). I do think they deserve better in our zoos ... :(

Are these birds part of 1 of the exhibits at HWP? :confused:
 
The ISIS figures for Red-legged partridge do not accurately reflect it's presence in captivity. It is precisely becuase it is so common in captivity that zoos don't afford space to this species. I agree it is a beautiful bird, but yet again private keepers and the smaller collections and aviaries are keeping this species in sufficient numbers.
 
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