Yorkshire Wildlife Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park News 2012

They imported 7.6 from Romania. Adel/Ares are full brothers and so are Dani/Simba. Maybe the plan would be to introduce some females to each pride (Cezar's and Johnny Junior's). Although mixing female Lions is near enough impossible.

 

Johnny Junior's pride are all females! Assuming the 5 parents die before the younger animals it would leave 2 pairs of boys and 3 females. Hence why I wondered if they might be shared between the 2 pairs of boys.

Simba & Dani are still young but Ares and Adel are big, feisty, powerful lions.

 

Visited yesterday for first time in a few weeks, The rain has had a big impact on the wetlands area - as you might expect. the lechwe seemed marrooned at the far side of their enclosure - their hut was flooded out.
Both tiger enclosures had standing water at the front/below the walkway - one of the tigers was having a paddle.
There were a few puddles and muddy areas within the woods, but on the whole it wasn't too bad.
The giraffe house is coming along and an area has been cleared and levelled for the new play barn. The planned anteater enclosure has been cleared but there's no work being done as yet.
I noticed some new arrivals within the woodland education theatre area and asked one of the Rangers about them. They have received several Racoon Dog pups, he didn't say where from, but that they needed a home quickly. YWP hadn't planned on having any more but he said the old pair proved popular so they would be creating a new enclosure for these youngsters.

 

Now this is fantastic news! Thanks for posting. Really good to know the species will be sticking around for a while yet!

 

Raccoon Dogs- it is very pleasing to hear news like that. Its similar to Colchester replacing their old Spotted Hyaena pair and now breeding them too.

 

The 4 new raccoon dogs are from a private collection... Many have been born privately this year

 

Are they siblings from the same litter? It'd be nice if they could get some breeding but somehow I think that won't happen.

 

1:0 White-Faced Brown Lemur has arrived, now on show in Lemur Woods

 

I'm not 100% sure but i know they had more than 1 litter born so possibly.

In regards to breeding I don't think any zoos will have to worry there were absolutely loads born privatly this year and I can see them popping up in zoos once again

 

Visited Saturday, still flooded in some areas, eg the bottom of the tiger enclosures.

Saw all 3 leopards out. Tigers seem very comforable together & are in same enclosure sitting a few feet apart (not sure if they can choose to use the other, they could at one time).

New lemur joining in the game of taunting the b&w ruffed boys. Someone said about Echo the baby lemur whose tail had to be amputated "Look at that baby, it's so small it hasn't got a tail yet."

Giraffe house coming on & new playbarn started.

 

Yorks Wildlife Park Summer 2012

Went to the Safari Night last Thursday and was blown away by the number of people present.

Vlad and Sayan were active - well it was feeding time and, for the first time, I had to wait to get off the tiger viewing area.

Plenty of small children enjoying themselves - good for the pester factor. Bangless fireworks were surprisingly quite spectacular.

Thought I hadn't seen the new male white-faced brown lemur before. He seemed a little bit estranged from the rest but I guess that's only natural.
Lemurs were very active considering it was past their normal bedtime.

Raccoon dog pups are in a cage near the "education" area whilst they become acclimatised.

Further to the Giraffe House,they seem to be constructing a path through the adjacent woods. This would fit with the masterplan expanding in that direction. We were given a hint that there will be some kind of interaction with the giraffes but how it's going to be achieved I'm not sure. Has anyone else heard anything?

The antelopes looked a little waterlogged but that is apparently how they like it.

They've also got a few cows grazing amongst the coarser vegetation on the edge of the marshland - perhaps to clear the area for a purpose?

Still get a buzz every time I visit. Feel so privileged to have such a wildlife project on my doorstep ( now EAZA accredited too).

 

Sitatunga antelope(the species they have) are a semi-aquatic marsh-loving species that freely wade and swim. I've seen pictures of them at YWP with the current flooding(maybe receded now?) and that's far more natural for them as an environment than the 'dry' paddock as it is/was normally. They really should have a marsh or water area all the time to use. Maybe YWP will provide that after seeing them using the flooded area?

 

There's water ingress in the tiger enclosure too. I agree, I'm pretty sure that's how it should be. Perhaps part of their enclosure has been built on the designated wetland area?

 

Over the years talking to people there they did indicate that they wanted to make use of the naturally marshy areas for the marsh living animals.

 

Now, that is a relief!

The sitatungas I have come to know and love have a rather small paddock, yet ample and deep water to peruse and the feeding is provided inside the waterlogged area. And by Jove do they make good use of that ....

 

Cricket St Thomas also had Sitatunga in one of their Valley paddocks with the stream/river running through it- fascinating to watch them wading around in the water.

On the other hand Marwell's are in a dry wooded enclosure with just a small concrete pond.

 

I visited yesterday and there is still alot of standing water in the tiger enclosure and across the wetland paddocks. The only draw back I could forsee, from a visitor point of view is the smell. After a couple of weeks this water is starting the stink now.
I agree though that a managed, perminant, marsh area for the sitatungas would be an improvement.

On another note. Does anyone know the purpose of the new building between leopard heights and the giraffe enclosure? It looks as if there was an old catering trailer under a roofed, open sided section, but wasn't sure if this was a perminent location for it. Another food outlet perhaps?

 

2nd Tiger pair.

Is there any plans to introduce the 2nd Tiger pair? I know they were waiting for the first pair to settle in but I'm sure they have now.

 

Not last time I asked. Vlad & Sayan do seem well settled though and seem to be happy in each other's company.