A brand new documentary series, Planet Defenders, follows six young filmmakers as they go on a mission to discover more about the threats faced by endangered wildlife and what can be done to protect them. Made for CBBC by the BBC’s Natural History Unit, each film features a specific animal story or wildlife issue that […]
Marwell Zoo in Hampshire welcomed a magnificent new arrival this week after an endangered female Amur tiger travelled across Europe to the 140-acre wildlife park. Valentina arrived from Hodonin Zoo, Czech Republic as a companion for the wildlife park’s male tiger Bagai. Keepers hope the two young tigers will get along and produce a family […]
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo welcomed a six-foot-tall giraffe calf to the world last week on what staff are calling a ‘day of hope’. The female calf, born to mum Luna following a 15-month gestation period, arrived during the early hours of Tuesday 8th December – the same day the first COVID-19 vaccine was given to 90-year-old Margaret Keenan. In recognition of the […]
A nine-year-old Amur tiger named Botzman has been welcomed by Highland Wildlife Park after moving to Scotland last month from his former home at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. Wildlife conservation charity The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland hope the park’s current female Dominika and the new arrival will breed in the future. Amur tigers are endangered […]
Red Squirrel Awareness Week (21st to 27th September 2020) is held every year to highlight the plight of one of our most iconic British mammals. Once a common sight throughout the UK, the red squirrel population has rapidly declined since the 1950s, with the loss of woodland habitat a contributing factor. With fewer than 40,000 remaining […]
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo welcomed the first Northern rockhopper penguin chicks of the year when four new arrivals hatched earlier this week. Although currently closed to the public, the tiny chicks can be seen on the Zoo’s live webcams, where it is hoped more will appear over the coming weeks. Dawn Nicoll, senior penguin keeper, said, […]
A brand new tiger territory will open at Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire this Easter and is the first in the UK with a pool deep enough for the big cats to be fully submerged. Land of the Tigers has been constructed from the Park’s previous cheetah and lion habitats and will see resident Amur […]
Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster is home to the only polar bears in England. Last week, 12 year old Rasputin travelled from Antibes in France where he had been living since 2010 to his new home at the Park’s Project Polar reserves. The European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) recommended the move after Rasputin’s mate Flocke gave […]
Three Asiatic lion cubs born in August at The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo have been named following a public vote. Keepers at the wildlife conservation charity drew up a shortlist of names, inspired by the Gir forest in western India where the endangered species are found, before voters picked their favourites. Now […]
A Grevy’s zebra foal has taken its first steps out in the field at Marwell Zoo, in Hampshire. Born on 26th of September to second-time mum Nafeesa, the new foal will not be named until health checks determine the gender. Marwell is the only zoo in the UK where visitors can see all three species of […]
Four aptly named big-headed turtles have been given a new home at ZSL London Zoo after smugglers tried to illegally import them into Canada labelled as toys. Since arriving late last year, the endangered armour-plated turtles have been cared for by the Zoo’s expert herpetology team. The unusual reptiles, which are native to mountainous regions in […]
In a first for researchers, the endangered African Goliath frog has been observed ‘nest-building’ in the wild. Described by the Journal of Natural History, adult Goliath frogs were found moving rocks weighing up to 2kg to build ponds for their young, which they then guarded. Goliath frogs themselves weigh up to 3.3kg, with bodies reaching over […]
World Tiger Day is celebrated every year across the world on the 29th of July to raise awareness for the conservation of these magnificent big cats. Wild tiger populations have declined by around 95% since the beginning of the 20th century with an estimated 3,900 tigers remaining. WWF is determined to help double the number of wild […]
A pair of Amur tiger cubs have been born at Longleat – the first in nearly 20 years for the Wiltshire safari park. Mum Yana and dad Red, both four years old, arrived at Longleat last year as part of a European breeding programme for the endangered species from separate collections in Sweden and Norway. […]
A litter of thee endangered dhole (Asiatic wild dog) pups made their first public appearance at West Midland Safari Park recently. After spending their first 10 weeks hidden away in a den, keepers were delighted to finally meet the boisterous youngsters after mum, Berni finally took them outside. The first veterinary checks revealed the pups to […]
UK wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is looking for wildlife enthusiasts to take part in its National Water Vole Monitoring Programme. Members of the public are asked to help monitor signs of the UK’s disappearing water voles as part of its annual survey, which begins this weekend and runs until 15th June. The water vole […]
In an exclusive interview for Discover Animals, Paradise Wildlife Park’s Aaron Whitnall tells us about his recent Drive 4 Wildlife mission to East Africa with brothers Tyler Whitnall, Cameron Whitnall and family friend Redmond Bolton. The remarkable African safari and animal conservation project took the team trekking across four countries to deliver vital equipment and funds to […]
A group of endangered northern bald ibis made a special trip from ZSL London Zoo to Spain last week as part of an international conservation project to reintroduce them to the wild. The juvenile ibis – nicknamed Iris, Indigo, Igor and Ivan by ZSL keepers – travelled to a holding aviary in Jerez Zoo ahead of […]
International wildlife conservation charity World Land Trust (WLT) has launched an urgent appeal to raise £30,000 to save a new species of hummingbird. The blue-throated hillstar was discovered last year on a remote series of mountaintops in southern Ecuador but is already in critical danger of extinction. Mining corporations have gained the rights to mine for […]
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed a special arrival in a bid to save the critically endangered black rhino from the brink of extinction. As part of an ambitious international breeding programme, two-year-old female Najuma was transferred from a German zoo. When Najuma is old enough, she will be paired with three-year-old Makibo, who arrived at […]
A recent survey conducted by a leading holiday park operator has revealed that 84% of holidaymakers would like to see more wildlife on their next break. Away Resorts, located in six prime locations across the UK and winner of a gold David Bellamy Conservation Award, have responded to public demand with new wildlife protection measures at […]
A rare okapi has been born at ZSL London Zoo and keepers have named the new arrival Meghan, in celebration of this year’s forthcoming royal wedding. Native to the dense rainforests of the Congo in central Africa, the okapi is a relative of the giraffe, with a long prehensile tongue used to grab branches and […]
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo welcomed a critically endangered male Visayan warty pig to its collection this week. Arriving from Touroparc Zoo in France, the boar named Jacques joins existing females, Evie and Mina. Warty pigs are the only species of wild pig to grow a mane and the new male can easily be distinguished from the rest […]
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo welcomed two endangered Grevy’s zebra foals earlier this month and the pair can now be spotted playfully horsing around in their paddock. Female foal Katie, born to first-time mum Nafisa on 10 September, was joined nine days later by a male foal, Kito, born to mum Henna. Since finding their feet, the […]
Drayton Manor Zoo in Staffordshire welcomed the arrival of spring with the birth of two critically endangered cotton-top tamarins. Kit and Leo were born last month to proud first time parents Ellie and Bernie and weigh in at just 40-45g, which is roughly the third of the weight of a hamster! Twins are very common […]
Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire, has welcomed the birth of a baby white-cheeked golden gibbon, the first of the year in Europe. The new arrival, who is yet to be named, is the fifth offspring to mother Kampuchea, originally from Oregon Zoo, and father Earl, who was moved to Twycross from Mulhouse Zoo in France. Northern white-cheeked gibbons are […]