zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Or a bit of both!
New Forest Wildlife Park The New Forest Otter, Owl & Wildlife Park
- Thread starter Zambar
- Start date
For once, a rebranding I think is entirely appropriate and well-judged!
The 3.0 male European wolves should be arriving at the beginning of March, from Edinburgh zoo.
RZSS Zoo Blog
RZSS Zoo Blog
Right, a trip to the Park next Saturday then! 
I saw these wolves at HWP a year and a half ago, so I would've never expected to see them down at my local! I can ensure their new enclosure is humongous, just check out the gallery! I really look forward to seeing the wolves, and I hope that Edinburgh can find more wolves to keep the regulars there happy. 
I saw these wolves at HWP a year and a half ago, so I would've never expected to see them down at my local! I can ensure their new enclosure is humongous, just check out the gallery!
I really look forward to seeing the wolves, and I hope that Edinburgh can find more wolves to keep the regulars there happy.
Update:
Of course, the main point to make is that the wolves are here! They arrived on Tuesday and took their first step outside a day later, and as you'd expect are still quite shy, mostly lying behind a pile of logs while poking out their heads to watch the public. The keepers go and monitor them every half hour or so, and the alpha wolf did pace out into the open while they were doing this. Absolutely fantastic animals and a welcome addition to the park. As reported, now that it is the New Forest Wildlife Park (although so far only press and publicity accounts this, signage around the park still has to be changed) it should bring in more people and subsequently new growth to the park. They plan to introduce females to the wolves and create a pack of up to eight individuals, and the management has plans for further past-native species such as bison and brown bears! Today felt like an exciting step into a bright new future for the park.
In other news, some of my favourite observations today were the polecats play fighting and tussling around their enclosure, the noisiest asian short-claws I've ever heard, the call of Grishkin the lynx (a sort of very deep fox scream, eerily human like) and yet another underwater playfight between the two european otters. Didn't see the red foxes, mink or wild boar today, which was a bit dissapointing.
Of course, the main point to make is that the wolves are here! They arrived on Tuesday and took their first step outside a day later, and as you'd expect are still quite shy, mostly lying behind a pile of logs while poking out their heads to watch the public. The keepers go and monitor them every half hour or so, and the alpha wolf did pace out into the open while they were doing this. Absolutely fantastic animals and a welcome addition to the park. As reported, now that it is the New Forest Wildlife Park (although so far only press and publicity accounts this, signage around the park still has to be changed) it should bring in more people and subsequently new growth to the park. They plan to introduce females to the wolves and create a pack of up to eight individuals, and the management has plans for further past-native species such as bison and brown bears! Today felt like an exciting step into a bright new future for the park.
In other news, some of my favourite observations today were the polecats play fighting and tussling around their enclosure, the noisiest asian short-claws I've ever heard, the call of Grishkin the lynx (a sort of very deep fox scream, eerily human like) and yet another underwater playfight between the two european otters. Didn't see the red foxes, mink or wild boar today, which was a bit dissapointing.
The Park's website has been redone today to fit the rebranding:
New Forest Wildlife Park
I'll also be visiting somepoint this weekend. By now the wolves would've settled down a bit, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they're getting on.
New Forest Wildlife Park
I'll also be visiting somepoint this weekend. By now the wolves would've settled down a bit, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they're getting on.
Notes from a visit on a sunny and very busy day:
- Little more progress on the rebranding, with the new name on the entrance signs. A new feeding timtable has been made, and the Park is ready for the peak season with the Butterfly World and Shop re-opening.
- A doll's house has been added to the House Mouse enclosure to make it more entertaining!
- The hedgehogs are out of hibernation and back on show.
- Third visit in a row without seeing the foxes. They seem to favour staying underground during the day it seems.
- The fallow deer are now living with the sika deer in the Owlery, partly due to the addition of the wolves next to their old home.
- The Great Grey and Milky Eagle Owl aviary refurbishments have finished and the birds are back on show.
- A litter of wild boar piglets has been born, and were as cute as ever.
- The wolves have become more settled, though they were apprehensive in getting their food with lots of visitors watching. Much more active, and later in the day I was alone with the wolves, no one else in Wallaby Wood.
- Little more progress on the rebranding, with the new name on the entrance signs. A new feeding timtable has been made, and the Park is ready for the peak season with the Butterfly World and Shop re-opening.
- A doll's house has been added to the House Mouse enclosure to make it more entertaining!
- The hedgehogs are out of hibernation and back on show.
- Third visit in a row without seeing the foxes. They seem to favour staying underground during the day it seems.
- The fallow deer are now living with the sika deer in the Owlery, partly due to the addition of the wolves next to their old home.
- The Great Grey and Milky Eagle Owl aviary refurbishments have finished and the birds are back on show.
- A litter of wild boar piglets has been born, and were as cute as ever.
- The wolves have become more settled, though they were apprehensive in getting their food with lots of visitors watching. Much more active, and later in the day I was alone with the wolves, no one else in Wallaby Wood.
22/5/10:
- Very sunny and quite busy day at the Park, not suprising though given the fantastic weather. The glass house was opened up to the sky to let in some natural light and warmth.
- There was a lop-eared rabbit in the hedgehog pen, probably a short stay guest from Battersea, and the ferret enclosure has been tidied making it look much nicer.
- Lots of news on the fox front: A cub called Woody has joined the Park, coming from an RSPCA depo in Cheshire. He was injured in the wild but has become too tame, meaning he couldn't go back, so the NFWP have given him a permenant home. Initially they tried to mix him with already present Bramble, but he didn't take too kindly to him so Woody is living in one of the polecat dens, and proving a great hit with everyone. There is some bad news foxwise as the other resident, Moss, had to be put down after continual epileptic fits that were severely distressing both himself and Bramble. Woody has also showed signs of fits recentley though not as severe, which is leading the staff to suspect something wrong with the housing: The fox enclosure is virtually unchanged since the days of Nature Quest making it 15 years old, so the indoor quaters are being refurbished to try and see if the solution lies there.
- The Snowy Owls are nesting again.
- Up in Wallaby Wood, there are new joeys.
- Watched the wolf feed and caught some great shots on the camera; they're much more settled. Same couldn't be said for Grishkin the lynx though, who decided to spend the day hidden in her massive enclosure.
- Very sunny and quite busy day at the Park, not suprising though given the fantastic weather. The glass house was opened up to the sky to let in some natural light and warmth.
- There was a lop-eared rabbit in the hedgehog pen, probably a short stay guest from Battersea, and the ferret enclosure has been tidied making it look much nicer.
- Lots of news on the fox front: A cub called Woody has joined the Park, coming from an RSPCA depo in Cheshire. He was injured in the wild but has become too tame, meaning he couldn't go back, so the NFWP have given him a permenant home. Initially they tried to mix him with already present Bramble, but he didn't take too kindly to him so Woody is living in one of the polecat dens, and proving a great hit with everyone. There is some bad news foxwise as the other resident, Moss, had to be put down after continual epileptic fits that were severely distressing both himself and Bramble. Woody has also showed signs of fits recentley though not as severe, which is leading the staff to suspect something wrong with the housing: The fox enclosure is virtually unchanged since the days of Nature Quest making it 15 years old, so the indoor quaters are being refurbished to try and see if the solution lies there.
- The Snowy Owls are nesting again.
- Up in Wallaby Wood, there are new joeys.
- Watched the wolf feed and caught some great shots on the camera; they're much more settled. Same couldn't be said for Grishkin the lynx though, who decided to spend the day hidden in her massive enclosure.
I always thought the lynx enclosure would make a superb wolf enclosure, its a shame they didn't put the wolves in there and then put the new lynx in the planned wolf enclosure... Is the lynx enclosure not suitable? Or as I imagine they were building a purpose built wolf enclosure and decided to keep them in there... still, they would have looked fantastic in the lynx enclosure 
I think the lynx enclosure suits it's current inhabitants IMO; lots of shrubs and dells where they can dissapear from sight if they want to, not great for your average visitor but animals come first so it's perfect for them. The wolf enclosure is also more spacious than the lynx's, which it'll need to be if they plan to hold a pack of up eight individuals in the future.
The wolf enclosure is also more spacious than the lynx's, which it'll need to be if they plan to hold a pack of up eight individuals in the future.
A couple of notes of today's fab visit:
In the five weeks since I first saw Woody and heard of Moss' death, there have been even more developments on the fox front. Most notably a new rescue fox cub, a female called Jessie, has been brought in. She has a habit of attacking windows shortly before feeding, but she gets on like a sibling with Woody who has settled in well. They are both in the original fox enclosure, which has recieved repainting to the indoor den to solve the possible epileptic conditions that lead to Moss' death, but after continued failure in mixing Woody with Bramble the latter's gone to the Chestnut Centre allowing Woody and Jessie to start afresh.
I also saw the badger awake for the first time ever! Didn't get up and move though, but it was something.
Also had an interesting chat with a keeper too about general stuff related to the animals there. Among the things mentioned was that the bison would be arriving around the end of the year, about the same time as similar collection Wildwood. At the same time the park will send one of their male wolves to Wildwood in exchange for a female.
In the five weeks since I first saw Woody and heard of Moss' death, there have been even more developments on the fox front. Most notably a new rescue fox cub, a female called Jessie, has been brought in. She has a habit of attacking windows shortly before feeding, but she gets on like a sibling with Woody who has settled in well. They are both in the original fox enclosure, which has recieved repainting to the indoor den to solve the possible epileptic conditions that lead to Moss' death, but after continued failure in mixing Woody with Bramble the latter's gone to the Chestnut Centre allowing Woody and Jessie to start afresh.
I also saw the badger awake for the first time ever! Didn't get up and move though, but it was something.
Also had an interesting chat with a keeper too about general stuff related to the animals there. Among the things mentioned was that the bison would be arriving around the end of the year, about the same time as similar collection Wildwood. At the same time the park will send one of their male wolves to Wildwood in exchange for a female.
Just a few notes from today if anyone's interested. Highlight had to be getting to meet Jessie, one of the two tame young foxes, up close when the keeper came in to check on both her and Woody; stroking a fox was not one of the things I had expected today, brilliant. They were probably the most active animals in a quiet day at the park, but at the height of the summer holidays what do you expect. Then again, only no-shows were the usual subjects, namely lynx, mink and hedgehogs. Few minor changes, there's some african land snails in the butterfly house and one of the wildcat enclosures is being refurbed.
They were probably the most active animals in a quiet day at the park, but at the height of the summer holidays what do you expect. Then again, only no-shows were the usual subjects, namely lynx, mink and hedgehogs. Few minor changes, there's some african land snails in the butterfly house and one of the wildcat enclosures is being refurbed.Johnny Morris.
Well-Known Member
Just a few notes from today if anyone's interested. Highlight had to be getting to meet Jessie, one of the two tame young foxes, up close when the keeper came in to check on both her and Woody; stroking a fox was not one of the things I had expected today, brilliant.
Thanks for the updates Zambar, i'm always interested i love that place. I was lucky enough to see the lynx and the mink on my recent visit. I'd like to see them get some red squirrels if possible. i don't think i've ever seen one.
They used to have red squirrels when it was Nature Quest, and carried them on when it became the Otter and Owl, and kept them in what is now the long tawny owl aviary at the bottom of the owlery; but I never ever saw them and they were gone by about 2003. Agree that I'd like to see some (showy) ones there again though.