I thought I would open up this thread to firstly place in a trip report, and also for me to upload news for any future visits.
The first area you enter is the butterfly house. This is a large and very humid tropical environment, with a main emphasis on butterflies- some species I could identify were tree nymph, blue morpho, owl, postman, Indian leaf and heliconia butterflies, but as well as these there were also a series of pools home to koi carp and goldfish, hottentot teal and free-flying birds (the only species I could positively identify were bronze sunbirds). Also in here are a total of four seperate enclosures, each one housing animals too large, valuable or destructive for the main house. In order the four enclosures contained three red-bellied tamarins, a pair of red-flanked lorikeets, a mixed exhibit housing two leopard tortoises and a common hill myna and finally green iguanas, red-footed tortoises and Argentine black-and-white tegus.
A small area branching off from the butterfly house is a small bug and reptile area with four terrariums, a series of small invertebrate tanks and a mixed leaf-cutter ant and Mediterranean tortoise (various species) enclosure. As well as these, the only animals in here were hatching butterflies, a green basilisk, a common boa constrictor, olive and train millipedes, deaths head and hissing cockroaches, spectre and Sabah thorny stick insects and fruit beetles.
The outside area has four main areas. The first section houses most of the bird collection, with a series of aviaries varying in size housing a range of mostly birds, with some smaller mammals and reptiles. Birds I can recall were- long-billed corella, yellow-naped Amazon, yellow-headed Amazon, African grey parrot, blue-and-yellow macaw, scarlet macaw, chattering lory, a pair of spotted eagle owls, a lone silvery-cheeked hornbill, lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, Australian king-parrot, turkeys, little owl, green-winged macaw, a mixed aviary for budgies, cockatiels, plum-headed parakeets and quail, an aviary housing white-cheeked turaco, village weaver, red junglefowl and Madagascan teal. An interesting mixed enclosure houses Australian species- namely galah, Princess of Wales parakeet and long-nosed potorros. Also there were African spurred tortoises, mixed in two different enclosures with moluccan cockatoos and blue-and-yellow macaws and the four black-and-white ruffed lemurs respectively. Completing the mammals here were three ring-tailed lemurs, two ring-tailed coati and eight Geoffroy's marmosets.
The next area is one of the most lacking spaces for animals, mostly being made up of a large falconry area and several play areas for children. The animals that were found here are two common raven, a European white stork, two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, a pair of trumpeter hornbills, a striated caracara, a barn owl and a pair of laughing kookaburra. Also in here is the 'Wise Owl Barn' which doesn't actually hold owls at all, and is instead home to chipmunks, ferrets, chinchillas, degus and a pair of marbled polecats.
The third part holds most of the larger livestock and some more exotic mammals. Domestic animals in this area include various breeds of chicken, guinea pigs, giant rabbits, Nubian dwarf and British boer goats and some rare breed mangalitsa pigs- one of which has recently had a litter of piglets. As far as I am aware, this breed is extremely rare in the UK. As well as the domestic animals, there was also a breeding pair of ravens, a trio of North American 'wild' turkeys, an enclosure with at least twenty meerkats (this is the situation in which I really enjoy them- when they are in a large breeding group) and the wallaby enclosure housing both albino and standard-coloured Bennett's wallabies, a trio of mara and lots of brahma chickens.
The final area is the quietest area, and houses the smallest number of species. The main exhibit here is a large enclosure for a family of five Asian small-clawed otters, and as well as this there are also a trio of Shetland ponies, a pair of bar-headed geese and a polytunnel for breeding rare purple emperor butterflies for reintroduction to Essex. A paddock that used to house a pair of rescued donkeys seems to be being redeveloped at the moment.
In closing, the park is a nice little place to go, with a small motley crew of exotic mammals and a nice array of birds, but of course some things could be better. The lemurs could do with larger and nicer enclosures, the West Mexican chachalacas, Costa's hummingbirds and Egyptian fruit bats that once lived here have since either died or left (although the latter's departure is perfectly understandable) and some nice species I have heard are kept here are presumably living off-show such as striped skunks, Gambian giant pouched rats and hairy armadillo.
The first area you enter is the butterfly house. This is a large and very humid tropical environment, with a main emphasis on butterflies- some species I could identify were tree nymph, blue morpho, owl, postman, Indian leaf and heliconia butterflies, but as well as these there were also a series of pools home to koi carp and goldfish, hottentot teal and free-flying birds (the only species I could positively identify were bronze sunbirds). Also in here are a total of four seperate enclosures, each one housing animals too large, valuable or destructive for the main house. In order the four enclosures contained three red-bellied tamarins, a pair of red-flanked lorikeets, a mixed exhibit housing two leopard tortoises and a common hill myna and finally green iguanas, red-footed tortoises and Argentine black-and-white tegus.
A small area branching off from the butterfly house is a small bug and reptile area with four terrariums, a series of small invertebrate tanks and a mixed leaf-cutter ant and Mediterranean tortoise (various species) enclosure. As well as these, the only animals in here were hatching butterflies, a green basilisk, a common boa constrictor, olive and train millipedes, deaths head and hissing cockroaches, spectre and Sabah thorny stick insects and fruit beetles.
The outside area has four main areas. The first section houses most of the bird collection, with a series of aviaries varying in size housing a range of mostly birds, with some smaller mammals and reptiles. Birds I can recall were- long-billed corella, yellow-naped Amazon, yellow-headed Amazon, African grey parrot, blue-and-yellow macaw, scarlet macaw, chattering lory, a pair of spotted eagle owls, a lone silvery-cheeked hornbill, lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, Australian king-parrot, turkeys, little owl, green-winged macaw, a mixed aviary for budgies, cockatiels, plum-headed parakeets and quail, an aviary housing white-cheeked turaco, village weaver, red junglefowl and Madagascan teal. An interesting mixed enclosure houses Australian species- namely galah, Princess of Wales parakeet and long-nosed potorros. Also there were African spurred tortoises, mixed in two different enclosures with moluccan cockatoos and blue-and-yellow macaws and the four black-and-white ruffed lemurs respectively. Completing the mammals here were three ring-tailed lemurs, two ring-tailed coati and eight Geoffroy's marmosets.
The next area is one of the most lacking spaces for animals, mostly being made up of a large falconry area and several play areas for children. The animals that were found here are two common raven, a European white stork, two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, a pair of trumpeter hornbills, a striated caracara, a barn owl and a pair of laughing kookaburra. Also in here is the 'Wise Owl Barn' which doesn't actually hold owls at all, and is instead home to chipmunks, ferrets, chinchillas, degus and a pair of marbled polecats.
The third part holds most of the larger livestock and some more exotic mammals. Domestic animals in this area include various breeds of chicken, guinea pigs, giant rabbits, Nubian dwarf and British boer goats and some rare breed mangalitsa pigs- one of which has recently had a litter of piglets. As far as I am aware, this breed is extremely rare in the UK. As well as the domestic animals, there was also a breeding pair of ravens, a trio of North American 'wild' turkeys, an enclosure with at least twenty meerkats (this is the situation in which I really enjoy them- when they are in a large breeding group) and the wallaby enclosure housing both albino and standard-coloured Bennett's wallabies, a trio of mara and lots of brahma chickens.
The final area is the quietest area, and houses the smallest number of species. The main exhibit here is a large enclosure for a family of five Asian small-clawed otters, and as well as this there are also a trio of Shetland ponies, a pair of bar-headed geese and a polytunnel for breeding rare purple emperor butterflies for reintroduction to Essex. A paddock that used to house a pair of rescued donkeys seems to be being redeveloped at the moment.
In closing, the park is a nice little place to go, with a small motley crew of exotic mammals and a nice array of birds, but of course some things could be better. The lemurs could do with larger and nicer enclosures, the West Mexican chachalacas, Costa's hummingbirds and Egyptian fruit bats that once lived here have since either died or left (although the latter's departure is perfectly understandable) and some nice species I have heard are kept here are presumably living off-show such as striped skunks, Gambian giant pouched rats and hairy armadillo.
