This week is a very exciting time here at Flamingo Land as it’s not only May half term but also ‘Love your zoo week’ which is an annual nationwide event where BIAZA members promote the great work that they do towards education, conservation and research. BIAZA stands for the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums which is the professional body representing the best zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland.
The White Rhino can grow as tall as 6.5 feet (2 metres) and 13 feet (4 metres) long. It weighs about 5000 pounds (2300kg).
Clumsy on land, but changing to graceful acrobats once in the ocean, a sea lion in the water is a magnificent sight. Their effortless twists, turns and porpoising through the water easily show why a sea lion is such a good underwater hunter.
Donkeys are smallest member of the horse family and originated in Africa. They descended from the African Wild Ass which is also one of the most endangered animals in the world.
Alpacas are part of the Camelidae family, which includes llamas, guanacos and vicunas from South America, and Bactrian and Dromedary camels from Asia and Africa. Alpacas were domesticated more than 6,000 years ago due to the quality of their fleece.
Warthogs are quite closely related to domestic pigs, but present a much different appearance. As their name suggests, they have a large, flat head which is covered with “warts,” which are actually protective bumps. The hair on their bodies is fairly thin, but have thicker areas on the top of their heads and down the middle of their backs
You can find three different species of zebra in the wild, namely Plains zebra, mountain zebra and Grevy’s zebra. Here at Flamingo Land we have Grant’s zebras, which are a subspecies of Plains zebra, and in fact the smallest one found.
Visayan warty pigs share characteristics typical in wild pigs. They possess medium-sized, barrel-shaped bodies and short legs. They have short necks, longish heads, small eyes, prominent snouts ending in a disk-like nose, and tusks which are upturned lower canines.
Our swamp wallabies are located in our wallaby walkway, however in the wild they are found mostly down the east-coast of Australia from the northernmost areas of Cape York in Queensland, down the entire east coast and around to south-western Victoria.
The mongoose lemur is fairly small with soft bushy fur which is grey in colour with lighter bellies. The females have cream coloured cheeks, young males are born with white cheeks and beard which then turn red as they mature. Both males and females have bright red-orange eyes.
Despite its name, the red panda is not related to the giant panda. It is more closely related to racoons. However, both the red and giant panda are native to China, eat mainly bamboo and have a wrist bone which can be used as a thumb.
Our peafowl are free roaming so they are very easy to spot whilst walking around the zoo. They are very friendly which is why we are able to allow them to wander around the park and not keep them within an enclosure. Peafowl are very vocal animals, particularly in breeding season. They display a selection or various calls to each other ranging from honks to meow-like calls.
Out of the 13 species of otters in the world, the Asian short clawed otter is the smallest, reaching less than a metre in length when fully grown. Native to South East Asian countries, such as India, China, Malaysia and Indonesia, these animals are found in habitats where there is water and land, and thus have a varied omnivorous diet.
Due to its weighty body, flat breastbone and loose feathers it means they are unable to fly and are instead built to run, being able to reach speeds of up to 43mph. Native to the African savannah they are widespread across the continent living in small groups usually containing an alpha male and female along with several less dominant hens.
Within our Lost Kingdom section of our park there has been a boom of new arrivals both big and small! This section consists of a variety of different enclosures some of which have mixed species together. There is a standalone pride of 9 lions, which can regularly be soon out lounging around and sunbathing. You may have noticed a new giraffe calf called Sophie who is doing very well and has now been joined by a new male. Mylene gave birth to him on 1st of May and no doubt one day he’ll grow to be as tall as his huge and proud father George. He has already been introduced to his neighbours our two Addax Jackson and Miller. They are a critically endangered species of antelope, which has large spiral horns.
It has been an exciting month for new arrivals here at the zoo in particular our Australia section has seen some little ones emerge from their mother pouches and take their first hops around their home. Within our Australia section we have a wallaby walkway that is home to Parma wallabies and Swamp wallabies. Our swamp wallabies now have four Joeys at different stages in their development. Two have been seen moving around within in the pouch, another has their head poked out while another is already out on the move with their mother!
At the end of April we said goodbye to our two male white rhinos, Balu (6 years old) and Zimba (8 years old). Both rhinos came to us when they were approximately 2-3 years old which is the age they would leave their mothers in the wild. They were too young to be paired with a female at this age therefore Flamingo Land offered them a home and cared for them until they were mature enough to be moved on to another zoo where they can be part of a breeding program. Breeding programs are a crucial part of the conservation of a species.
Renowned Yorkshire artist Lucy Pittaway, the official artist of the Tour de Yorkshire for the second year running, designed a large scale flamingo and bicycle themed piece of field artwork at Flamingo Land Resort Yorkshire. This was painted onto their land by staff at Flamingo Land and was located adjacent to where the race passed by at 2.50pm, making it a ground and aerial visual spectacle.
World Tapir Day falls on the 27th April every year. It is a day to celebrate all 4 living species of tapir including the Malayan, Baird’s, Lowland and Mountain tapir. All tapirs are at risk of extinction and World Tapir Day is an event to raise awareness and create support, shedding light on the challenges and threats these amazing creatures face in the wild.
