The 'Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens' exhibits mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from all over the world. The Park is set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens in the
Oxfordshire countryside. Around 350,000 people visited the Park in 2005
[1].
History
The gardens and grounds are part of the Bradwell Grove estate. The current manor house at Bradwell Grove dates from
1804 and many of the mature trees in the park were planted in the
19th century. In
1969, the owner John Heyworth decided to open the gardens to the public. When it opened the following year, there were 230 animals from 40 different species exhibited.
[2] The Park has continued to grow to the present day, and is now one of the largest collections in the country.
[3]
Animal exhibits
East section
The ''Walled Garden'' near the manor house has always housed a varied collection of animals. A series of renovations to the exhibits was completed in
2006, and the garden now houses several aviaries and an enlarged Tropical House for
sloths,
ground cuscus,
Madagascan jumping rats and tropical birds such as
sunbitterns,
speckled mousebirds and
blue-bellied rollers.
Mammals in the ''Walled Garden'' include
meerkats,
yellow mongooses,
prairie dogs,
jaguarundi and a breeding group of
Oriental small-clawed otters. There is also a collection of small primates:
squirrel monkeys,
cottontop tamarins,
pygmy marmosets,
red-handed tamarins and
emperor tamarins.
The entrance driveway to the Park passes by paddocks where herds of
scimitar-horned oryx and
llama graze.
West section
Larger animals from
South America can be seen 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,
emus and
parma wallabies.
Domesticated breeds are found in the ''Children's Farmyard''.
South section
A large moated paddock here is home to a herd of Chapman's
zebra and a pair of
white rhinoceros. Nearby are Cotswold's big cat enclosures which house
Amur leopards, the world's rarest cats, and a pair of
Asian lions which last bred in
2002.
The ''Reptile House'' is a converted barn formely used as stables.
Morelet's crocodiles are native to
Central America and are kept nowhere else in Britain.
Snakes include
gaboon vipers and
reticulated pythons which have recently laid a clutch of eggs. Other species include
bearded dragons,
poison dart frogs,
Aldabra tortoises and
rhinoceros iguanas. The recently refurbished ''Insect House'' is home to
leaf-cutter ants,
butterflies,
scorpions and
tarantulas.
Red panda,
banded mongoose,
Bactrian camel and a ''Bat House'' holding
Egyptian fruit bats and
long-eared hedgehogs are also located in the South section of the Park. Near the ''Reptile House'' are enclosures for
lar gibbons and
siamangs.
Birds in this section include a variety of
owls,
birds of prey and
waterfowl.
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'' many more exotic plants are grown as well as crop plants such as
papaya,
sugar cane and
banana.
Other areas around the manor house are planted with the more traditional herbaceous borders of an English garden.
Conservation
As of October
2006, 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 turaco and
Mount Omei babbler. In addition, both the
crested pigeon and
blue-winged kookaburra are monitored species.
Future developments
In
2007 the Park began the development of a new exhibit just outside the ''Walled Garden'' which will "highlight the plight of endangered Madagascan species and island species throughout the world".
[4] Two species of
lemur due to be exhibited here have already arrived at the Park and are being temporarily housed in the ''Walled Garden''.
External links
★
Cotswold Wildlife Park website
★
Cotswold Website
References
1. Cotswold Wildlife Park
2. A Little Piece of History
3. Days Out - #9 Cotswold Wildlife Park
4. News: Madagascar Coming
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