Watatunga Wildlife Reserve Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

It has been mentioned elsewhere on ZooChat, but I figured I would post the news here - a male blue wildebeest has been brought to Watatunga. Named William (or Willy Wonka due to his wonky horns), he was the last wildebeest from the now-closed South Lakes Safari Zoo. He is a castrated animal, and has already bonded with the reserve's roan antelope and bongos.

A video of his release can be watched here.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Watatunga has posted a teaser for a new ungulate species at the reserve, with the image mostly blurred out save for its nose.

While I'm not certain, I am thinking it could be a Philippine spotted deer.
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I think probably Philippine/Alfred's deer too, they seem to be fairly available nowadays as most of the ones held in UK are breeding. I wish Watatunga would take on Persian Fallow too. (West Midlands seem to have made no effort to build up a herd again after the Hunting Dog incident.)
 
I recently stayed at one of the Watatunga lodges with some friends and would very much recommend it.

If you stay at the Gate Lodge or Stable Cottage, you can view the off-show breeding paddock which currently includes: mouflon sheep, Père David deer, and red lechwe, as well as one scimitar oryx and one blesbok (who seem to stick together and are presumably not there for breeding purposes.)

Viewing on the reserve itself was very good, although some of the quieter deer species will understandably rush off before you can get a photo. Staying at the lodges enables you to tour the reserve on your own and at your own pace (between 9am-7pm) which gives you plenty of time for animal-spotting and photograph-taking. You also get one introductory tour which I enjoyed, educational and pleasantly forthcoming about the management side of things (e.g., discussing the use of crushes, darts, and production of their buffalo burgers from particularly difficult residents of the herd outside the reserve).

Otherwise, some interesting tidbits from our introductory tour around the reserve included:
  • The new arrivals are indeed Philippine spotted deer (2.1), with another female expected to arrive soon. They are not part of the main reserve yet but are kept in a separate fenced area running alongside the reserve. You can, in theory, still see them but they’re very shy.
  • The plan with the Eurasian crane is that future offspring will not be wing-clipped and so will be naturally ‘rewilded’ by being able to leave the reserve if they choose.
  • Similarily, they are currently introducing more Vietnamese pheasants with the hope of eventually rewilding some in Vietnam.
  • There is currently only one Nilgai at the reserve - they are expecting more to arrive but there have been understandable delays with bringing them over. More sitatunga are also expected to arrive soon, I believe from Dartmoor Zoo, but don’t quote me on that.
 
If you are able to provide any answers to the following I'd appreciate it. I'm interested to know how management are able to manage the herds - is it primarily like a game reserve or are some individuals able to enticed to smaller enclosed areas? Must make health checks difficult. How do they prevent bird predation on wing-clipped pheasants from foxes and raptors? Sounds like an interesting set up.
 
tetrapod said:
If you are able to provide any answers to the following I'd appreciate it. I'm interested to know how management are able to manage the herds - is it primarily like a game reserve or are some individuals able to enticed to smaller enclosed areas? Must make health checks difficult. How do they prevent bird predation on wing-clipped pheasants from foxes and raptors? Sounds like an interesting set up.
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For the most part, it's one large reserve but they have a fenced area/soft release area that they entice the ungulates into with haylage, and then from there they can run them through a crush for vaccinations and the like. Darts used in an emergency. I'm not sure if they do any clicker training, but the animals seem very comfortable around the rangers, and willing to get quite close, so that provides a chance for basic health checks.

There are smaller 'chicken runs' (for lack of a better description - a sort of very large trap) on the reserve which I presume are for catching birds for health checks. To my inexperienced eye, the fencing looked fox-proof but I know they did lose one bird to aerial predation.

Hope that's of some help.
 
equidae said:
For the most part, it's one large reserve but they have a fenced area/soft release area that they entice the ungulates into with haylage, and then from there they can run them through a crush for vaccinations and the like. Darts used in an emergency. I'm not sure if they do any clicker training, but the animals seem very comfortable around the rangers, and willing to get quite close, so that provides a chance for basic health checks.

There are smaller 'chicken runs' (for lack of a better description - a sort of very large trap) on the reserve which I presume are for catching birds for health checks. To my inexperienced eye, the fencing looked fox-proof but I know they did lose one bird to aerial predation.

Hope that's of some help.
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Thanks for that. At some stage I must give it a visit. In my mind it looks like a unique UK collection thinking outside the box when it comes to animal management and visitor attraction.
 
Strathmorezoo said:
According to the Eastern Daily Press a White Lipped Dear fawn has been born (sex not mentioned) on the 10th of June and another birth is imminent.
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I haven't managed to ascertain if a second White-lipped deer was born successfully. I did ask but received no reply though they are usually very open with information. Time to ask again perhaps.
 
tetrapod said:
Thanks for that. At some stage I must give it a visit. In my mind it looks like a unique UK collection thinking outside the box when it comes to animal management and visitor attraction.
Click to expand...

I’d recommend the photography tour as well as the regular safari as on the photo one (I did the unescorted one there is another with a pro photographer) you get to get out of the trailer and see the animals as well as drive around. The general buggy tour is also interesting but I enjoyed a bit more pausing! Staying over seems the best possible experience as above but if on the day the photo thing was great fun.

It’s a really interesting concept as a place and I liked not really knowing what you’ll see.
 
Copied off Facebook. I want to say Anoa but I'm probably very wrong as someone has already said Phillipine spotted deer

Not 1, not 2, but 3 arrivals to the reserve!
We had an announcement last month that we were welcoming a new species to the reserve, and we are really excited to say there will be three of them. So far, they are doing brilliantly and are showing wonderful natural behaviour in our soft release area. We will show more of them when they are out on the reserve.
But for now, we will just be showing their cute little noses!
 
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Embu said:
Copied off Facebook. I want to say Anoa but I'm probably very wrong as someone has already said Phillipine spotted deer

Not 1, not 2, but 3 arrivals to the reserve!
We had an announcement last month that we were welcoming a new species to the reserve, and we are really excited to say there will be three of them. So far, they are doing brilliantly and are showing wonderful natural behaviour in our soft release area. We will show more of them when they are out on the reserve.
But for now, we will just be showing their cute little noses!
Click to expand...
Definitely the spotted deer. Attaching the only good photo I got of them below.

Visayan spotted deer

Visayan spotted deer

  • Media owner equidae
  • Date added
The latest arrivals at Watatunga (in August 2025). Photo taken while they were still in the soft...
 
Other 2025 News Not Mentioned:

On February 19th, the reserve announced they acquired a female (0.1) Eurasian crane named Lady Inch.

Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

On April 23rd, the reserve announced that a European mouflon named Steve was born. On June 2nd, the reserve announced that 2 more mouflons were born.

Watatunga Wildlife Reserve
Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

On May 8th, the reserve announced that 2 Père David's deer were born, which are on exhibit.

144 reactions · 12 comments | This is fantastic news for a species that was once extinct in the wild! Our newest arrivals were discovered last Saturday and are currently sticking by their mums hiding away in the forests. #wildlifereserve #conservation #peredavidsdeer #fawn #babydeer #newarrivals | Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

On August 1st, the reserve announced that a Chinese water deer was born, which is on exhibit.

Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

On August 23rd, the reserve announced that 3 Javan peafowl hatched, which are on exhibit.

77 reactions | Mum and her little mini-me’s They may not be as colourful as her yet, but as they grow their beautiful Javan peafowl plumage will begin to shine through. #wildlifereserve #javanpeafowl | Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

* Worth noting that 2+ blackbucks were born in May 2024, a Kafue lechwe was born in July 2024, a female (0.1) Indian sambar deer was born in September 2024, and a Malayan sambar deer was born in October 2024. The reserve also teased the arrival of a Pere David's deer in November 2024, but gave no further updates. Finally, to answer the question by @Lafone from September 2024, the red-crowned cranes came from Pensthorpe Nature Reserve in Norfolk.
 
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