Curraghs Wildlife Park
Encyclopedia
Curraghs Wildlife Park is a Wildlife Park
, located in The Curraghs, (also known as the Ballaugh
Curraghs
), an area of wetland
in the north-west of the Isle of Man
.
The park is owned by the Isle of Man Government
and administered through the Manx Department of Tourism and Leisure
.
, Sir Ronald Garvey
on the 23rd July 1965. and consists of approximately 100 primarily wetland species from around the world in walk-through enclosures.
15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of the Park remains un-developed to display a variety of habitats such as bogs
, Molinia grasslands
, open water peat
diggings, birch woodland
and hay
meadow
s. Various nature trail
s run through this area with signeage describing the ecology
and history, comprising a nature trail, tree top trail and butterfly
trail.
In 2005, as part of the Curraghs Wildlife Parks' 40 years anniversary celebrations, it was host to the annual meeting of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
. In 2009 the park received an award from Biaza at a ceremony held at Knowsley Hall, Merseyside, in recognition for the park’s work in education, winning the small collection award for Best Education Project with schools.
The Curragh is also designated as a wetland site of international importance under 'The Convention for Wetlands of International Significance', known as the Ramsar Convention
.
facilities in the park, together with a children's farm (Close Beg) with domestic animals, play areas and The Orchid Line
miniature railway
.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, located in The Curraghs, (also known as the Ballaugh
Ballaugh
Ballaugh is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of the same name. It is the only village in the parish.-Village:The village is situated on the main A3 Castletown to Ramsey road about seven miles west of Ramsey...
Curraghs
Curragh (habitat)
The Curraghs, also known as the Ballaugh Curraghs is an area of wetland in the north-west of the Isle of Man. The area has a rich and varied biodiversity and is also the location of the Curraghs Wildlife Park, a zoo and nature reserve that incorporates the wetlands.- History :During the Ice Age the...
), an area of wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
in the north-west of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
The park is owned by the Isle of Man Government
Isle of Man Government
The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, representing HM Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann...
and administered through the Manx Department of Tourism and Leisure
Department of Tourism and Leisure
The Department of Tourism and Leisure was a department of the Isle of Man Government.-History:The Department was created in 1986 as the Department of Tourism and Transport....
.
History
The park was founded in 1963, through the Manx “Curraghs Acquisition Act”, the Isle of Man Government purchasing approximately 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land to be divided between 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) as a reserve and 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) as a wildlife park. The 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) park was formally opened by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of ManLieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
The Lieutenant Governor is the representative on the Isle of Man of the Lord of Mann . He/she has the power to grant Royal Assent and is styled His Excellency. In recent times the Governor has either been a retired diplomat or senior military officer...
, Sir Ronald Garvey
Ronald Garvey
Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey KCMG KCVO MBE was a colonial administrator.-Career:Garvey joined the colonial service and was appointed Governor of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 1944. He moved on to be Governor of British Honduras in 1949; there he had to contend with a general strike and the need...
on the 23rd July 1965. and consists of approximately 100 primarily wetland species from around the world in walk-through enclosures.
15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of the Park remains un-developed to display a variety of habitats such as bogs
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, Molinia grasslands
Molinia
Molinia is a genus of two species of grasses. The genus is named after Juan Ignacio Molina, a 19th century naturalist and scientist from Chile.Species*Molinia caerulea . Northern Europe and Asia....
, open water peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
diggings, birch woodland
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s. Various nature trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s run through this area with signeage describing the ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and history, comprising a nature trail, tree top trail and butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
trail.
In 2005, as part of the Curraghs Wildlife Parks' 40 years anniversary celebrations, it was host to the annual meeting of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity. Founded in 1966 within the zoo and aquarium community to see the principles and practices of animal management adopted in the British Isles...
. In 2009 the park received an award from Biaza at a ceremony held at Knowsley Hall, Merseyside, in recognition for the park’s work in education, winning the small collection award for Best Education Project with schools.
The Curragh is also designated as a wetland site of international importance under 'The Convention for Wetlands of International Significance', known as the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Education and facilities
There are educationalWildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
facilities in the park, together with a children's farm (Close Beg) with domestic animals, play areas and The Orchid Line
The Orchid Line
The Orchid Line is a multi-gauge miniature railway operating within the Curraghs Wildlife Park in the north of the Isle of Man and is operated by the Manx Model Engineering Society...
miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
.
Animals
Animals at Curraghs Wildlife Park include:- Beavers
- Boa constrictorBoa constrictorThe Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive...
s - Bolivian squirrel monkeysBlack-capped Squirrel MonkeyThe black-capped squirrel monkey is a South American squirrel monkey, found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. This South American monkey can be found at the Ellen Trout Zoo.-Subspecies:...
- Black spider monkeysRed-faced Spider MonkeyThe red-faced spider monkey, Guiana spider monkey, or red-faced black spider monkey, Ateles paniscus, is a species of spider monkey found in the rain forests in northern South America....
- Chilean FlamingoChilean FlamingoThe Chilean Flamingo is a large species closely related to Caribbean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific...
s - EmuEmuThe 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 - Fishing CatFishing CatThe Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
s - Flying FoxesPteropusBats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the megabat or Megachiroptera sub-order, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as the fruit bats or flying foxes among other colloquial names...
- Gough Island Moorhens
- Hermann's tortoise
- European Eagle OwlsHorned owlThe American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. This genus, depending on definition, contains about one or two dozen species of typical owls and is found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in...
- Humboldt PenguinHumboldt PenguinThe Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
s - KookaburraKookaburraKookaburras are terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call...
s - Long-eared OwlLong-eared OwlThe Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
s - Northern LynxLynxA lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
- European OttersOtterThe Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
- Palawan Peacock-pheasants
- Red pandaRed PandaThe 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...
s - Ring-tailed CoatisSouth American CoatiThe South American Coati, or Ring-tailed Coati , is a species of coati from South America. In Brazilian Portuguese it is known as quati. It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela. It is the southern replacement of its very...
- Scarlet IbisScarlet IbisThe Scarlet Ibis is a species of ibis that inhabits tropical South America and also Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.-Taxonomy:This species is very...
- Short-clawed OttersOriental Small-clawed OtterThe 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,...
- Red-necked WallabiesRed-necked PademelonThe Red-necked Pademelon is a forest-dwelling marsupial living in the eastern coastal region of Australia. Mainly nocturnal, the Red-necked Pademelon is very shy and generally inhabits temperate forests near grassland, hiding in the forests by day and emerging into the grasslands to graze in the...