COTSWOLD WILDLIFE PARK

The 'Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens' exhibits mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from all over the world. The Park is set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens in the Oxfordshire countryside. Around 350,000 people visited the Park in 2005^[1].

Contents

History

Animal exhibits

East section

West section

South section

Park and gardens

Conservation

Future developments

External links

References

History

The gardens and grounds are part of the Bradwell Grove estate. The current manor house at Bradwell Grove dates from 1804 and many of the mature trees in the park were planted in the 19th century. In 1969, the owner John Heyworth decided to open the gardens to the public. When it opened the following year, there were 230 animals from 40 different species exhibited.^[2] The Park has continued to grow to the present day, and is now one of the largest collections in the country.^[3]

Animal exhibits

East section

The ''Walled Garden'' near the manor house has always housed a varied collection of animals. A series of renovations to the exhibits was completed in 2006, and the garden now houses several aviaries and an enlarged Tropical House for sloths, ground cuscus, Madagascan jumping rats and tropical birds such as sunbitterns, speckled mousebirds and blue-bellied rollers.
Mammals in the ''Walled Garden'' include meerkats, yellow mongooses, prairie dogs, jaguarundi and a breeding group of Oriental small-clawed otters. There is also a collection of small primates: squirrel monkeys, cottontop tamarins, pygmy marmosets, red-handed tamarins and emperor tamarins.
The entrance driveway to the Park passes by paddocks where herds of scimitar-horned oryx and llama graze.

West section

Larger animals from South America can be seen here, including Brazilian tapir, capybara and white-lipped peccary (Cotswold is the only place in the UK to hold this species). Canadian timber wolves moved into a wooded enclosure in 2006. Other enclosures in the West section house white-naped cranes, emus and parma wallabies.
Domesticated breeds are found in the ''Children's Farmyard''.

South section

A large moated paddock here is home to a herd of Chapman's zebra and a pair of white rhinoceros. Nearby are Cotswold's big cat enclosures which house Amur leopards, the world's rarest cats, and a pair of Asian lions which last bred in 2002.
The ''Reptile House'' is a converted barn formely used as stables. Morelet's crocodiles are native to Central America and are kept nowhere else in Britain. Snakes include gaboon vipers and reticulated pythons which have recently laid a clutch of eggs. Other species include bearded dragons, poison dart frogs, Aldabra tortoises and rhinoceros iguanas. The recently refurbished ''Insect House'' is home to leaf-cutter ants, butterflies, scorpions and tarantulas.
Red panda, banded mongoose, Bactrian camel and a ''Bat House'' holding Egyptian fruit bats and long-eared hedgehogs are also located in the South section of the Park. Near the ''Reptile House'' are enclosures for lar gibbons and siamangs.
Birds in this section include a variety of owls, birds of prey and waterfowl.

Park and gardens

The sheltered ''Walled Garden'' was formerly a Victorian kitchen garden supplying vegetables for the manor house, but is now planted with exotic flora such as the giant honeysuckle (''Lonicera Hilderbrandtiana'') from Burma. In the ''Tropical House'' many more exotic plants are grown as well as crop plants such as papaya, sugar cane and banana.
Other areas around the manor house are planted with the more traditional herbaceous borders of an English garden.

Conservation

As of October 2006, Cotswold Wildlife Park holds 40 species which are part of either an ESB (European Studbook) or EEP (European Endangered Species Programme). It is the studbook holder for the red-crested turaco and Mount Omei babbler. In addition, both the crested pigeon and blue-winged kookaburra are monitored species.

Future developments

In 2007 the Park began the development of a new exhibit just outside the ''Walled Garden'' which will "highlight the plight of endangered Madagascan species and island species throughout the world".^[4] Two species of lemur due to be exhibited here have already arrived at the Park and are being temporarily housed in the ''Walled Garden''.

External links

★ Cotswold Wildlife Park website

★ Cotswold Website

References

1. Cotswold Wildlife Park
2. A Little Piece of History
3. Days Out - #9 Cotswold Wildlife Park
4. News: Madagascar Coming