You can read the Newsletter from the Park's web-site . Very interesting to see how they are developing . Also picked up from previous newsletter that the Puma cub came from RSCC , wonder where the parents have gone to ? They say they aim to obtain at least 1 male Smooth-coated Otter for their 2 females from RSCC .
Wingham Wildlife Park Wingham Wildlife Park news 2011-2013
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adrian1963
Well-Known Member
This is a copy of the news letter as the link I gave was straight to a pdf file
Lion Rescue
Tonga Gave Them A Helping Hand… Help Us Give Them A Home!
On 14th November 2011 the owners of Wingham Wildlife Park, Tony and Jackie Binskin along with animal registrar Markus Wilder took a flight to Lyon in order to meet two very special characters. In order to make this meeting we travelled to a big cat and primate sanctuary called Tonga Terre D'accueil, which is run by L'espace Zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine. This park is a beautiful small zoo located around 45 minutes by car from Lyon, and the work they carry out at their sanctuary is truly inspirational. We were greeted very warmly by the parks owner Pierre Thivillon and his wife, along with Jean-Christophe Gerard the parks veterinarian, and after some history of how the center began we were finally introduced to the two characters in question. As we walked around the sanctuary we saw Clarence and Brutus, the reason behind the whole trip. They are 2 beautiful 4 year old male lions and we can’t wait to bring them to their new home.
As we were shown around the rest of the center however it became apparent just how important it is for other zoos (especially those with more available space and a higher operating budget) to get involved with similar projects. Along with Clarence and Brutus we also met Roar and Cesar who were another 2 male lions but 6 years old.
Clarance & Brutus in a circus cage when they were just cubs.
As with anyone in such a situation we would have taken them all on in a heartbeat however we knew when we arrived, that space and resource restrictions would always mean we could only agree to take on 2 lions as part of this particular project. For the space we have, and after having already received the background information and photos of Clarence and Brutus before going to France we had to make the tough decision between the two pairs, but settling for our original plan. This scenario however truly drove home that Tonga Terre D’accueil are stretched for space with the number of animals coming in and require help such as what we have offered.
We have seen in the past with previous projects such as our Barbary Macaque rescue
project that this seems to be a huge problem on mainland Europe. No matter how good
the work of rescue centers is there is simply not enough room without the help of zoos for
the ever increasing number of animals being taken out of private hands, circuses and
laboratories in countries such as France.
Jackie gets to know Brutus.
Tony gets to know Clarance.
We are however very proud that we are able to give Clarence and Brutus, who did not have
the best start in life a new life. The history of these two boys is a little bit patchy and from
their shared birth date and place of birth we can only assume that they are brothers. On
21/12/2007 they started their lives right where they would stay until being rescued on
03/02/2011... In the circus world. This is where Brutus and Clarence were born, and finally
sold at only 41 days old (when they stopped being a small enough attraction to allow
people to cuddle them for photos, and before they became too old to start being trained).
After some discussion as to the possible time scales and logistics of the move we were able
to make a number of key decisions which we hope to work towards. Work has already
begun at Wingham Wildlife Park, with the construction of their enclosure being well under
way while we re-vamp an area of the park which is seldom used by our visitors. "we have
already moved our rhea in to a new enclosure, and think that this new enclosure will make
much more use of the area in a way which will have a more profound impact on captive big
cats" tony explained about the location of the new lions within the park.
Tony went on to say "as much as possible we try to make sure that all of our enclosures are
built by ourselves, and this one is no exception. In this way we can make sure that the
enclosure is built perfectly for the animals in question." The current aim is to have the
enclosure finished ready for the New Year, and that if everything goes well we will have
them arrive with us in the middle of February 2012.
The current plan is for Tonga Terre D’accueil and Wingham Wildlife Park to shard the
transport of the animals, with Tonga Terre D’accueil completing the first 8 hour road
journey from Lyon to Calais. Upon their arrival in Dover they are unable to touch down on
British soil in a normal vehicle, and this is where we are due to take over, re-loading the
animals (who will be travelling in 2 separate travel crates) in to our DEFRA approved
quarantine vehicles. The final leg of the journey is a short 30 minute drive from Dover to
Wingham.
They really are a beautiful big couple of Lions, and we can’t wait to give them a permanent home with us. As soon as they touch down in the UK they will complete their full quarantine (from transport to 6 month holding) in our care. Their final enclosure will also be their quarantine center to minimize the stress of the move to the UK. Wingham Wildlife Park is a nonprofit making family affair and as such we are fully self-funded, however such a project is a huge undertaking and we are trying hard to raise the funds required to rescue such majestic animals. "We have been to Africa and seen lions in the wild, and they’re beautiful apex predators... true kings of their domain. It is difficult to watch them in spaces such as circuses where they are reduced to quivering in fear and wasting away from hunger" Jackie added on the importance of raising the funds for this project. We do not have a lot of time to raise our funds, in order to help free up space at Tonga Terre D’accueil for future arrivals, and an estimated project cost of around £150,000 seems impossible. We however hope that the public will agree with the importance of this work and will be willing to help us, help these lions.
Lion Rescue
Tonga Gave Them A Helping Hand… Help Us Give Them A Home!
On 14th November 2011 the owners of Wingham Wildlife Park, Tony and Jackie Binskin along with animal registrar Markus Wilder took a flight to Lyon in order to meet two very special characters. In order to make this meeting we travelled to a big cat and primate sanctuary called Tonga Terre D'accueil, which is run by L'espace Zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine. This park is a beautiful small zoo located around 45 minutes by car from Lyon, and the work they carry out at their sanctuary is truly inspirational. We were greeted very warmly by the parks owner Pierre Thivillon and his wife, along with Jean-Christophe Gerard the parks veterinarian, and after some history of how the center began we were finally introduced to the two characters in question. As we walked around the sanctuary we saw Clarence and Brutus, the reason behind the whole trip. They are 2 beautiful 4 year old male lions and we can’t wait to bring them to their new home.
As we were shown around the rest of the center however it became apparent just how important it is for other zoos (especially those with more available space and a higher operating budget) to get involved with similar projects. Along with Clarence and Brutus we also met Roar and Cesar who were another 2 male lions but 6 years old.
Clarance & Brutus in a circus cage when they were just cubs.
As with anyone in such a situation we would have taken them all on in a heartbeat however we knew when we arrived, that space and resource restrictions would always mean we could only agree to take on 2 lions as part of this particular project. For the space we have, and after having already received the background information and photos of Clarence and Brutus before going to France we had to make the tough decision between the two pairs, but settling for our original plan. This scenario however truly drove home that Tonga Terre D’accueil are stretched for space with the number of animals coming in and require help such as what we have offered.
We have seen in the past with previous projects such as our Barbary Macaque rescue
project that this seems to be a huge problem on mainland Europe. No matter how good
the work of rescue centers is there is simply not enough room without the help of zoos for
the ever increasing number of animals being taken out of private hands, circuses and
laboratories in countries such as France.
Jackie gets to know Brutus.
Tony gets to know Clarance.
We are however very proud that we are able to give Clarence and Brutus, who did not have
the best start in life a new life. The history of these two boys is a little bit patchy and from
their shared birth date and place of birth we can only assume that they are brothers. On
21/12/2007 they started their lives right where they would stay until being rescued on
03/02/2011... In the circus world. This is where Brutus and Clarence were born, and finally
sold at only 41 days old (when they stopped being a small enough attraction to allow
people to cuddle them for photos, and before they became too old to start being trained).
After some discussion as to the possible time scales and logistics of the move we were able
to make a number of key decisions which we hope to work towards. Work has already
begun at Wingham Wildlife Park, with the construction of their enclosure being well under
way while we re-vamp an area of the park which is seldom used by our visitors. "we have
already moved our rhea in to a new enclosure, and think that this new enclosure will make
much more use of the area in a way which will have a more profound impact on captive big
cats" tony explained about the location of the new lions within the park.
Tony went on to say "as much as possible we try to make sure that all of our enclosures are
built by ourselves, and this one is no exception. In this way we can make sure that the
enclosure is built perfectly for the animals in question." The current aim is to have the
enclosure finished ready for the New Year, and that if everything goes well we will have
them arrive with us in the middle of February 2012.
The current plan is for Tonga Terre D’accueil and Wingham Wildlife Park to shard the
transport of the animals, with Tonga Terre D’accueil completing the first 8 hour road
journey from Lyon to Calais. Upon their arrival in Dover they are unable to touch down on
British soil in a normal vehicle, and this is where we are due to take over, re-loading the
animals (who will be travelling in 2 separate travel crates) in to our DEFRA approved
quarantine vehicles. The final leg of the journey is a short 30 minute drive from Dover to
Wingham.
They really are a beautiful big couple of Lions, and we can’t wait to give them a permanent home with us. As soon as they touch down in the UK they will complete their full quarantine (from transport to 6 month holding) in our care. Their final enclosure will also be their quarantine center to minimize the stress of the move to the UK. Wingham Wildlife Park is a nonprofit making family affair and as such we are fully self-funded, however such a project is a huge undertaking and we are trying hard to raise the funds required to rescue such majestic animals. "We have been to Africa and seen lions in the wild, and they’re beautiful apex predators... true kings of their domain. It is difficult to watch them in spaces such as circuses where they are reduced to quivering in fear and wasting away from hunger" Jackie added on the importance of raising the funds for this project. We do not have a lot of time to raise our funds, in order to help free up space at Tonga Terre D’accueil for future arrivals, and an estimated project cost of around £150,000 seems impossible. We however hope that the public will agree with the importance of this work and will be willing to help us, help these lions.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
The young Puma has been named Binx.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
The two brothers Clarence and Brutus are due to arrive on 20th February but will be off-show until 25th February.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Kent is difficult ground for a zoo to grow in with the Aspinall zoos already there.
Having said that, I remember going into Sandwich 3-4 years ago and lunching in a pub where the landlord remarked that it was a better place for families than RSCC, even if the latter did have lots of rarities. Having a good name with local families as a day out is always good news for a zoo.
Having said that, I remember going into Sandwich 3-4 years ago and lunching in a pub where the landlord remarked that it was a better place for families than RSCC, even if the latter did have lots of rarities. Having a good name with local families as a day out is always good news for a zoo.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
The pair of African Lions (Clarence and Brutus) arrived today, there said to be doing well and should be on-show for Saturday. 
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
Wingham are expecting a group of Mandrill this year, the exact date of there arrival is unknown (Didn't say how many numbers or where there coming from).
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
Six Mandrills have arrived from Colchester Zoo.
cyrildacat
Member
Wingham are also bringing in a huge amount of big cats to live at the top of the park next to the lions...
They are bringing in...
- Pumas (making a bigger enclosure for binx and am not sure if another one)
- Jaguars or Leopard (the keeper was not sure which one yet however housed next to the pumas)
- Cheetahs further up near the hills.
They are bringing in...
- Pumas (making a bigger enclosure for binx and am not sure if another one)
- Jaguars or Leopard (the keeper was not sure which one yet however housed next to the pumas)
- Cheetahs further up near the hills.
Gentle Giant
Well-Known Member
A female black jaguar has recently arrived at Wingham from Southern France- she will be let out into her new enclosure on Monday.
This is good news given how relatively rare jaguars have become to uk collections in recent times(like the puma that they recently acquired).
This has to be one of the uk's fastest growing collections, iam determined to fit in a visit combined with my next Howletts trip.
jacks zoo
Well-Known Member
my review
the llama and emu have moved into a larger enclosure by the side of the car park probably for the best. moving on the first animals we saw was the wildcats which have had two kittens and are quite old both where on show. Troy and blade where a lot more grown up and have nearly reached adult size. binx has moved into a new larger enclosure and luna has another almost identical enclosure next door. clarence and brutus have come a long way making good progress. also the pararie dog walk-through has been closed i don't know why maybe babies, safety, making the enclosure more secure? also across from there they are making a new soft play area and refreshment kiosk in the play park. no sign of the cheetahs
yet
over all a good visit and things a definite improvement for wwp
the llama and emu have moved into a larger enclosure by the side of the car park probably for the best. moving on the first animals we saw was the wildcats which have had two kittens and are quite old both where on show. Troy and blade where a lot more grown up and have nearly reached adult size. binx has moved into a new larger enclosure and luna has another almost identical enclosure next door. clarence and brutus have come a long way making good progress. also the pararie dog walk-through has been closed i don't know why maybe babies, safety, making the enclosure more secure? also across from there they are making a new soft play area and refreshment kiosk in the play park. no sign of the cheetahs
yet over all a good visit and things a definite improvement for wwp
I can't think of any other collection growing this quickly, huge amount of new funding perhaps? New contacts within the management?
Something has to have happened within the last year or so! I know many zoos who would wish to develop this quickly, with a lot of contacts and offers but no funding for enclosures to hold the animals, however WWP seem to have no problem with this, any ideas?!
Something has to have happened within the last year or so! I know many zoos who would wish to develop this quickly, with a lot of contacts and offers but no funding for enclosures to hold the animals, however WWP seem to have no problem with this, any ideas?!
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry but I have to ask the question but what is a Troy,Blade,Binx,Clarence and Brutus,because not all of us are regulars of WWP and do not know or in some case care what an animal is called but we do like to know,what type of animal people are talking about!!the llama and emu have moved into a larger enclosure by the side of the car park probably for the best. moving on the first animals we saw was the wildcats which have had two kittens and are quite old both where on show. Troy and blade where a lot more grown up and have nearly reached adult size. binx has moved into a new larger enclosure and luna has another almost identical enclosure next door. clarence and brutus have come a long way making good progress. also the pararie dog walk-through has been closed i don't know why maybe babies, safety, making the enclosure more secure? also across from there they are making a new soft play area and refreshment kiosk in the play park. no sign of the cheetahs
over all a good visit and things a definite improvement for wwp
I agree, it's so much easier just to add the species name, not too much extra effort either!
