Cotswold Wildlife Park
Encyclopedia
The Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens exhibits mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from all around the world. The Park is set in 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of landscaped parkland and gardens in Oxfordshire
, England
. Around 350,000 people visited the park in 2005.
s, ground cuscus
, Madagascan jumping rats
and tropical birds such as sunbittern
s, speckled mousebirds
and blue-bellied roller
s.
Mammals in the Walled Garden include meerkat
s, yellow mongoose
s, prairie dog
s, jaguarundi
and a breeding group of Oriental small-clawed otter
s. There is also a collection of small primates: squirrel monkey
s, cottontop tamarin
s, pygmy marmoset
s, red-handed tamarin
s and emperor tamarin
s.
The entrance driveway to the park passes by paddocks where herds of scimitar-horned oryx and llama
graze.
In 2008, the Park opened Madagascar, a walk-through exhibit inside the Walled Garden which draws attention to the plight of endangered Madagascan species. The mixed exhibit features ring-tailed lemur
s, black lemur
s, all of which were previously housed elsewhere in the Park. Collared lemurs, mongoose lemur
s, sifaka
, Madagascar teal and radiated tortoise
are also on show, and were brought in to the collection especially for Madagascar. The health of the collection has is very good with both the ring-tailed Lemurs giving birth to two sets of twins in 2009 and the newly introduced red bellied lemurs also having a baby in the same year.
are here, including Brazilian tapir
, capybara
and white-lipped peccary
(Cotswold is the only place in the UK to hold this species). Canadian timber wolves moved into a wooded enclosure in 2006. Other enclosures in the West section house white-naped cranes
, emu
s and parma wallabies
.
Domesticated breeds can be found in the Children's Farmyard.
and a group of white rhinoceros
. Nearby are Cotswold's big cat enclosures which house Amur leopard
s, the world's rarest cats, and a pair of Asiatic lion
s which last bred in 2002.
They now have giraffes in an enclosure beside the zebras and rhinos.
The Reptile House is a converted barn formerly used as stables, and is home to species such as gaboon vipers, bearded dragons, poison dart frog
s, Aldabra tortoises and rhinoceros iguana
s. The reticulated python
s, which bred in 2007, and anaconda
s are particularly large specimens. The Park achieved the first UK breeding for Morelet's crocodiles
in 2007 with 12 eggs hatching successfully. Cotswold are the only British collection to exhibit this crocodilian which is native to Central America
. The Insect House is home to leaf-cutter ants, butterflies, scorpion
s and tarantula
s. A refurbishment of the Reptile House and courtyard area was completed in 2008.
Red panda
, banded mongoose
, Bactrian camel
and a Bat House holding Egyptian fruit bat
s and long-eared hedgehogs
are also located in the South section of the Park. Near the Reptile House are enclosures for white-handed gibbons and siamang
s.
Birds in this section include a variety of owl
s, birds of prey and waterfowl
.
, sugar cane and banana
.
Other areas around the manor house are planted with herbaceous borders typical of an English garden.
and Mount Omei babbler
. In addition, both the crested pigeon
and blue-winged kookaburra
are monitored species.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Around 350,000 people visited the park in 2005.
History
The gardens and grounds are part of the Bradwell Grove estate. The manor house at Bradwell Grove dates from 1804 and many of the mature trees in the park were planted in the 19th century. In 1970 the owner, John Heyworth, opened the gardens to the public with 230 animals from 40 species exhibited.Animal exhibits
East section
The Walled Garden near the manor house houses a varied collection of animals. Renovations to the exhibits were completed in 2006, and the garden now houses aviaries and an enlarged Tropical House for slothSloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
s, ground cuscus
Ground Cuscus
The Ground Cuscus is a marsupial from the order Diprotodontia and belongs within the family Phalangeridae, a diverse family consisting of the other cuscus species and the brushtail possums and the Scaly-tailed Possum .Body weight of the Ground Cuscus averages 2.5 – 3kg...
, Madagascan jumping rats
Malagasy Giant Rat
The Malagasy Giant Rat , also known as the Votsovotsa, is a nesomyid rodent found only in the Menabe region of Madagascar...
and tropical birds such as sunbittern
Sunbittern
The Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae and genus Eurypyga.-Description and reproduction:...
s, speckled mousebirds
Speckled Mousebird
The Speckled Mousebird is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common.- Description :This bird is about 35 cm long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length, and weighs about 57 grams...
and blue-bellied roller
Blue-bellied Roller
The Blue-bellied Roller, Coracias cyanogaster is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across Africa in a narrow belt from Senegal to northeast Zaire. It is resident, apart from some local seasonal movements, in mature moist savannah dominated by Isoberlinia trees.The Blue-bellied...
s.
Mammals in the Walled Garden include meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s, yellow mongoose
Yellow Mongoose
The Yellow Mongoose , sometimes referred to as the Red Meerkat, is a small mammal averaging about 1 lb in weight and about 20 in in length...
s, prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
s, jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
and a breeding group of Oriental small-clawed otter
Oriental Small-clawed Otter
The oriental small-clawed otter , also known as Asian small-clawed otter, is the smallest otter species in the world, weighing less than 5 kg. It lives in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines,...
s. There is also a collection of small primates: squirrel monkey
Squirrel monkey
The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...
s, cottontop tamarin
Cottontop Tamarin
The cotton-top tamarin , also known as the Pinché tamarin, is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb...
s, pygmy marmoset
Pygmy Marmoset
The pygmy marmoset or dwarf monkey is a New World monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. It is one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from...
s, red-handed tamarin
Red-handed Tamarin
The red-handed tamarin , also known as the golden-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a New World monkey named for the contrasting reddish-orange hair on their feet and hands. It is native to wooded areas north of the Amazon River in Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and possibly Venezuela...
s and emperor tamarin
Emperor Tamarin
The Emperor Tamarin is a tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas....
s.
The entrance driveway to the park passes by paddocks where herds of scimitar-horned oryx and llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
graze.
In 2008, the Park opened Madagascar, a walk-through exhibit inside the Walled Garden which draws attention to the plight of endangered Madagascan species. The mixed exhibit features ring-tailed lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
s, black lemur
Black Lemur
The Black Lemur is a species of lemur from the family Lemuridae. Like all lemurs, it is endemic to Madagascar. Originally, the species was thought to have two subspecies, Eulemur macaco macaco and Eulemur macaco flavifrons, both of which were elevated to species status by Mittermeier et al. in...
s, all of which were previously housed elsewhere in the Park. Collared lemurs, mongoose lemur
Mongoose Lemur
The mongoose lemur is a lemur ranging from 12 to 18 inches long plus a tail of 16 to 25 inches. The mongoose lemur lives in dry deciduous forests on the island of Madagascar as well as in the humid forests on the islands of the Comoros...
s, sifaka
Sifaka
Sifakas are a genus of lemur from the family Indriidae within the order Primates. Their name of the family is an onomatopoeia of their characteristic "shi-fak" alarm call. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar...
, Madagascar teal and radiated tortoise
Radiated Tortoise
The radiated tortoise is a species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can be also be found in the rest of this island, and has been introduced to the islands of Réunion and Mauritius...
are also on show, and were brought in to the collection especially for Madagascar. The health of the collection has is very good with both the ring-tailed Lemurs giving birth to two sets of twins in 2009 and the newly introduced red bellied lemurs also having a baby in the same year.
West section
Larger animals from South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
are here, including Brazilian tapir
Brazilian Tapir
The South American Tapir , or Brazilian Tapir or Lowland Tapir or Anta, is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the Mountain Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, and Baird's Tapir...
, capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
and white-lipped peccary
White-lipped Peccary
The White-lipped Peccary, Tayassu pecari, is a peccary species found in Central and South America, living in rainforest, dry forest and chaco scrub. It is monotypic within the genus Tayassu....
(Cotswold is the only place in the UK to hold this species). Canadian timber wolves moved into a wooded enclosure in 2006. Other enclosures in the West section house white-naped cranes
White-naped Crane
The White-naped Crane is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, 112–125 cm long, approximately 130 cm tall and weighing about 5.6 kg with pinkish legs, grey and white striped neck, and a red face patch.The White-naped Crane breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern...
, emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s and parma wallabies
Parma Wallaby
The Parma Wallaby was first described by British naturalist John Gould in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll forests of southern New South Wales, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct...
.
Domesticated breeds can be found in the Children's Farmyard.
South section
A large moated paddock is home to a herd of Chapman's zebraZebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
and a group of white rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
. Nearby are Cotswold's big cat enclosures which house Amur leopard
Amur Leopard
The Amur leopard , also known as the Far Eastern leopard, Korean leopard, and Manchurian leopard is one of nine recognised subspecies of leopard. It is a wild feline predator native to the mountainous areas of the Russian Far East. It used to inhabit the forests of Korea and China, but it has...
s, the world's rarest cats, and a pair of Asiatic lion
Asiatic Lion
The Asiatic lion also known as the Indian lion, Persian lion and Eurasian Lion is a subspecies of lion. The only place in the wild where the lion is found is in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India...
s which last bred in 2002.
They now have giraffes in an enclosure beside the zebras and rhinos.
The Reptile House is a converted barn formerly used as stables, and is home to species such as gaboon vipers, bearded dragons, poison dart frog
Poison dart frog
Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies...
s, Aldabra tortoises and rhinoceros iguana
Rhinoceros Iguana
The Rhinoceros Iguana is a threatened species of lizard in the family Iguanidae that is primarily found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They vary in length from 61 to 137 cm and skin colors range from a steely gray to a dark green...
s. The reticulated python
Reticulated Python
Python reticulatus, also known as the reticulated python is a species of python found in Southeast Asia. Adults can grow to over 8.7 m in length but normally grow to an average of 3-6 m . They are the world's longest snakes and longest reptile, but are not the most heavily built...
s, which bred in 2007, and anaconda
Anaconda
An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...
s are particularly large specimens. The Park achieved the first UK breeding for Morelet's crocodiles
Morelet's Crocodile
Morelet's crocodile, also known as the Mexican crocodile, is a modest sized crocodilian found only in fresh waters of the Atlantic regions of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It usually grows to about in length. It is an endangered species.-History:...
in 2007 with 12 eggs hatching successfully. Cotswold are the only British collection to exhibit this crocodilian which is native to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The Insect House is home to leaf-cutter ants, butterflies, scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s and tarantula
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
s. A refurbishment of the Reptile House and courtyard area was completed in 2008.
Red panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
, banded mongoose
Banded Mongoose
The Banded Mongoose is a mongoose commonly found in the central and eastern parts of Africa. It lives in savannas, open forests and grasslands and feeds primarily on beetles and millipedes. Mongooses use various types of dens for shelter including termite mounds...
, Bactrian camel
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of central Asia. It is presently restricted in the wild to remote regions of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang. A small number of wild Bactrian camels still roam the Mangystau Province of southwest...
and a Bat House holding Egyptian fruit bat
Egyptian fruit bat
The Egyptian Fruit Bat or Egyptian Rousette is a species of Old World fruit bat found throughout Africa, except in the desert regions of the Sahara, and throughout the Middle East, as far east as Pakistan and northern India...
s and long-eared hedgehogs
Long-eared Hedgehog
The Long-eared hedgehog is a species of hedgehog native to Central Asian countries and the Middle East. The long-eared hedgehog lives in burrows that it either makes or finds and is distinguished by its long ears. It is considered one of the smallest middle eastern hedgehogs . This Hedgehog is...
are also located in the South section of the Park. Near the Reptile House are enclosures for white-handed gibbons and siamang
Siamang
The siamang is a tailless, arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The largest of the lesser apes, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg...
s.
Birds in this section include a variety of owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, birds of prey and waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
.
Park and gardens
The sheltered Walled Garden was formerly a Victorian kitchen garden supplying vegetables for the manor house, but is now planted with exotic flora such as the giant honeysuckle (Lonicera Hilderbrandtiana) from Burma. In the Tropical House exotic plants are grown as well as crop plants such as papayaPapaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, sugar cane and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
.
Other areas around the manor house are planted with herbaceous borders typical of an English garden.
Conservation
As of October 2006, the Cotswold Wildlife Park holds 40 species which are part of either an ESB (European Studbook) or EEP (European Endangered Species Programme). It is the studbook holder for the red-crested turacoRed-crested Turaco
The Red-crested Turaco, Tauraco erythrolophus, is a turaco, a group of African near-passerines. It is a fruit-eating bird endemic to western Angola...
and Mount Omei babbler
Grey-faced Liocichla
The Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, is a passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan, China...
. In addition, both the crested pigeon
Crested Pigeon
The Crested Pigeon is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for far tropical north areas. It is the only member of the genus Ocyphaps.There are only two Australian pigeon species that possess an erect crest, being the Crested Pigeon and the Spinifex Pigeon...
and blue-winged kookaburra
Blue-winged Kookaburra
The Blue-winged Kookaburra, Dacelo leachii, is a large species of kingfisher native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.Measuring around 40 cm , it is slightly smaller than the more familiar Laughing Kookaburra. It has cream-coloured upper- and underparts barred with brownish markings. It...
are monitored species.