Hamerton should receive harvest mice and grey patridge. “A new project is about to start at Hamerton Zoo Park. Although many of our new animals have traveled many thousands of miles to get here, the next ones are (or should be) very local indeed. Our area of Cambridgeshire is known as the Huntingdonshire Wolds and is characterised by open arable fields divided by hedgerows and small spinneys, with light woodland in the valleys. The modern appearance of the countryside is the result of intensive agriculture, and historically, small coverts left for fox hunting and pheasant shooting. The Park now controls over 100 acres of land which has been changed from cereal cropping to long-term hay meadows, cropped annually to provide good quality food for our animals. Further areas of native wild-flower meadow are to be seeded this spring. Our new project is a feasibility study to collect data prior to a potential re-introduction of two native species which used to occur on our land but no longer do so. Five pairs of Grey Partridges will soon arrive for our conservation project. One pair will move into an on-show aviary in the Park, and the others into secluded separated and off-exhibit breeding pens. The Grey Partridge has suffered a catastrophic decline in numbers of up to 90% in recent decades. Before this, our first group of Harvest Mice is due to arrive this week. Britain's smallest rodent, this tiny mouse is native to our locality but seems to be no longer seen in our cornfields. Bred regularly here in the past, the first of these new animals will be kept off-show for breeding, and a group will move into a new purpose built exhibit enclosure for the summer.”
Certainly something I can get behind wholeheartedly about six or seven years ago, we used to see dozens of Grey Partridge when walking on the Pennine Way in Northumberland, in the immediate vicinity of where Helly's parents live. It's been about three or four years since we have seen any there at all! Incidentally, on my first visit to Hamerton in 2012 we saw Grey Partridge whilst walking between Alconbury Weston and the zoo - so the extirpation of the species from the area can be dated to a more recent point than this.
This means an extra task for somebody in the weeks before Christmas: planting a pear tree in the partridge's aviary
Are you aware of the female king Cheetah currently present at the LEO private facility here in Connecticut? If you really wanted to see a king Cheetah the center does allow visitation for a very substantial "donation". She had cubs a couple of years ago now that will all be carriers of the king gene. It's very interesting to know that there are confirmed carriers of the king gene in Europe and the US that, to my knowledge, are completely unrelated to one another. While I'm in no way suggesting breeding for the morph or saying what the zoo should do, it would be cool to see a pair made out of these animals, especially since the US cubs are not eligible to join the AZA breeding program afaik. ~Thylo
We managed to see three there the other weekend, around the middle of the day -I think the winterly reduction of vegetation in the enclosure helps.
I've never seen them ! Last week was the first time I've ever seen the Rusty Spotted Cat! I've given up on seeing the Wombats outside or trying to get an image of a Grison.
Maned wolf were not out when I went past. I have just been shoved out of the way by a small child though, happy days!
In the two visits I've had to the zoo - I have managed to see every species of "importance" including the Black-backed Jackals and Greater Grison. The only species I've had slight trouble seeing is the Southern Aardwolf, whom I was only able to see via the entrance to the indoor accommodation. Its a shame that there isn't better viewing for the Jackals - They seem rather active from what I've seen - That said, it is certainly much easier viewing them in the winter when the undergrowth has died down.
