New arrivals at the HWP » Highland Wildlife Park

New arrivals at the HWP
01-08-2008

5 Scottish wild cat kittens have been born in 2 litters at the park
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Highlands and Islands | Wildcat kittens shown off by park

01-08-2008

Conservation at home Great news

01-08-2008

I saw them on Monday, on my first visit to the HWP (which I enjoyed a great deal ).

Alan

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When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

01-08-2008

So other than HWP and Tywcross (thats right isn't it, sure I saw wildcats of some sort there) where else keeps them?

01-08-2008

Alan, did you manage to see the kiang foal and the goral calf, what were your impressions of the park?
How was the tiger enclosure looking?
Was the walk through aviary next to the red pandas open yet?

I don't know why i am asking, i'm heading up there in a fortnights time!!!

01-08-2008

I saw the kiang foal - but they kept their distance. I only saw the two adult gorals, I didn't know they had a kid - or do you mean the takins which have 2 calves? They look very good, but their enclosure does not make it easy to view them.
The tiger enclosure looked more than half-finished, most of the wire panels were up but I think that there is still quite a bit to do. The construction next to the pandas is not open yet: if it's going to be an aviary, it's going to need netting on top .
Perhaps I ought to write a review, but I've got lots of photos to process first.

Alan

__________________
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

01-08-2008

Alan, i think i am relying on ISIS too much they had a goral calf posted on there

01-08-2008

Hi Alan, of course you should write a detailed and informative review! With your insights, just as snowleopard has been doing. As l am sure all of us would enjoy reading it. Wouldnt it be great if we all promptly did a review after visiting a zoo.

Of course you have just visited a zoo that does not rely on spending millions of dollars. To give the appearence of freedom to the intelligent and experianced visitor that Snowleopard Quote "but to see rock hyrax apparently free a few feet from my head" Redukari Quote "Only upon careful viewing did I realize that that hyrax lives with a few others of its kind on a foot-wide ledge of rock, about twenty feet in length, confined at all sides by hotwire. It is literally trapped on a ledge"

Looking forward with optimism to reading your review Alan.

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01-08-2008

OK, I'll do my best - but you'll have to wait a few days.

Alan

__________________
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

01-08-2008

There are a group (breeding,i believe) at Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre in Staffordshire...

02-08-2008

New forest otter & owl sanctuary, Chestnut centre, British wildlife centre, Wildwood trust, camperdown, port lympne, drayton manor, birmingham nature centre, mablethorpe, wingham wildlife park, five sisters apparently....all have *scottish* wildcats....

02-08-2008

Colchester zoo used to have them years ago as well

02-08-2008

Yes, I wonder how pure these captive wildcats are, but that's true of the species as a whole.

I wonder if HWP in particular will become involved in reintroductions of 'pure' wildcats back into the wild in the future? This seems to be a species in an unusual situation- it's purity is threatened even though its increasing its range.

02-08-2008

Exactly, I mean so many areas will now have hybrid animals. What can you do, ban domestic cats in scotland? It's just one of those situations where, unless some remote populations can be managed long-term, we just sort of have to accept that the animal filling that ecological niche won't necessarily be genetically pure in all cases....

My memory might be wrong, but didn't Colchester lose it's wildcats after animal rights activists broke in? Around the early 1990's? Anyone remember?

02-08-2008

No, but if HWP can breed 'best quality' pure cats, they could release them in the remoter areas(they are sited in a pretty good area anyway...) as a way of bolstering the wild population. The more 'pure' cats there are at large, the more their genes will be maintained in the population, keeping the hybrid representation at bay.

I agree the 'regressive hybrid' problem will remain in many areas though.