0.0.2 Red Panda kits were born on 14th June. They be should be outside of the den sometime in September.
Visited today, and I'm not sure if this has been picked up on but the drive-through circuit in the main reserve has been reversed. So with the pens at the back the order you pass them in is Vicuña-Buhkra Deer-European Elk. Also the entrance reserve with camels and yak is not accessible by car anymore, the road goes around them and the ticket stands have been pushed back to in front of the white-lipped Deer Not major changes, but certainly jarring ones for semi-regular visitors! The old otter pond by the tigers is being developed into a second tiger enclosure, and not an eagle-owl aviary as first promised. Little disappointing the owls won't be getting more space but the second tiger enclosure is probably needed, got to see some particularly fierce fighting over meat today. Very cool to watch! One of the male polar bears (fairly sure it was Arctos) was in Victoria's enclosure. They were separated but in view of each other when I saw them Also had quite a funny experience at the Beaver talk. A rather disinterested-looking stapproached us and said "You guys here for the Beaver talk? Yeah you're not going to see it."
The entrance reserve is not accessible by car anymore. Is it accessible another way, such as a walking path?
You can see the animals from the pedestrian boardwalk and driving around to the ticket-booth, but especially if you're only travelling by car it makes viewing through the fence and wooden poles a little awkward
RZSS Highland Wildlife Park has been named by the public as the ‘Best Day Out’ in Scotland at the 2017 Scottish Hospitality Awards. The second Scottish Hospitality Awards were held on the evening of 26 June at the Crowne Plaza, Glasgow, with members of the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park team in attendance to receive the award. The award recognises and rewards those within the hospitality industry that work hard to give their customers the very best experience. Daska Mackintosh, Head of Operations and Visitors Services at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, said: “We are thrilled to have been voted the Best Day Out in Scotland by the public at the Scottish Hospitality Awards. It is another great achievement for RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, building on a very successful year. “With many of our endangered species giving birth and a record number of visitors, there has been lots to celebrate. It’s fantastic to have our team’s hard work recognised on a national level and to highlight the Park as a wonderful day out.” RZSS Highland Wildlife Park has been open to visitors for over 40 years, having been established in 1976. Based in the spectacular setting of the Cairngorms National Park, it is home to over 200 rare and endangered animals, some of which you cannot see anywhere else in Scotland. RZSS Highland Wildlife Park welcomed over 136,000 guests last year to view some of the world’s rarest and most endangered animals in naturalistic enclosures. The Park excels in bringing visitors closer to nature, by creating a raw and authentic Highland adventure. These amazing, close-up animal encounters, together with talk programmes and animal feeds hosted by the Park’s expert keepers, give our visitors the opportunity to engage with the world of animals in a completely unique way. From amazing Amur tigers to playful polar bears, the site cares for many threatened species and provides a visitor experience which truly inspires. RZSS Highland Wildlife Park is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. RZSS is one of Scotland’s leading conservation charities, working both here in Scotland and in over 20 countries around the world. Our mission is to connect people with nature and safeguarding threatened species.
This is a major change and i can't see the reasoning besides perhaps the new entrance will be where the proposed new hub building will also be. The Spring map has all the changes on it. http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org.uk/media/5270/hwp-map_spring-2017_online.pdf.
When we visited in May this was the route we took. Interestingly, the mini-bus tour goes the opposite way around, and there were some viewing points that were definitely better from the bus route, rather than the car route... I wonder if it is to encourage more people to make use of the guided tours?
For those interested in genetics,a recent post on the zoo's Facebook page has stated that the new Wildcat kittens are genetically valuable wildcats which will make them extremely useful to the breeding program.There are also estimates that there are about 110 wildcats in the wild.Good news for the species all around.
It actually states they are genetically valuable, not genetically true- there's a bit of a difference. I don't think HWP would claim any of their wildcats are genetically 100% pure Scottish Wildcat, as all those in captivity are known to have some domestic blood. It would be interesting to know what their recent genetic testing has shown regarding purity.
Three Northern Lynx cubs born on the 25th May have now ventured into the outside enclosure for the first time.
I've jut put one in the gallery. The fence was giving off to much glare so I haven't put any effort into processing them.
It's a good photo nonetheless though.If I get the chance to visit in the near future,I will try to spot them.
The Red Panda kits have just undergone their initial check ups and both are confirmed to be male.The zoo have named them N'mal and Nam Pang.Brilliant news all around.
When the drive through route was anti clockwise the tour bus still went in the opposite direction, so both have changed.
I've visited a couple of times since they reversed the route and as a lone visitor it doesn't work for me, particularly with the polar bears.
The reason given for the change of location of the pay booths is that the police complained that queues were backing up all the way onto the main road!
