2023 – A year in review 

As this is my last blog for 2023, I’ve decided to a look back and review all the changes that have happened over the past 11 months, here at Wingham Wildlife Park. 

We’ve had a year of changes within the park this year and new exhibits opening, including the refurbishment of the Reptile House having been completed. It opened at the start of the Easter holidays. This was followed by the brand-new Nocturnal House area opening at the start of the summer holidays. 

The Reptile House has welcomed 9 new species this year. This includes our Black and White Tegu, Standing’s Day Geckos and Common Sun Skinks.  

With brand new, larger enclosures for all our reptilian and amphibian species, the Reptile House is definitely somewhere you need to visit. 

Nocturnal House

The opening of the Nocturnal House has meant that a lot of our inhabitants that are naturally more awake at nighttime have been able to have their day and night cycles switched. We do this by use of specialist lighting, meaning that visitors are able to see their unique nighttime behaviors.  

Our Nocturnal House is now home to 16 species with 3 of these being new species for the park. These new species include our Common Palm Civets, Max and Ken who have made the move from Sandwich Wildlife Park. The newest residents to the Nocturnal House, are a group of Naked Mole Rats. They have joined us from Chester Zoo which can be found below the Sugar Gliders’ enclosure. 

With having a Nocturnal House, it has allowed us to observe more behaviors between our Clouded Leopards, China and Hari. We are hoping that in the future we may see these two welcome the pitter patter of little paws. However, we will have to wait and see if their introductions have been fruitful for the vulnerable species. 

The Bug House

The Invertebrate House has welcomed most of the new species’ arrivals into the park this year. With a total of 12 new species these include a female red-backed jumping spider (Phidippus johnsoni) and a pink orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus). 

What’s new with birds?

We have also welcomed some new arrivals on our bird section. A pair of White-faced Whistling Ducks arrived from Longleat Safari Park earlier this year. They can be found in the outside area of the Goeldi’s Monkeys enclosure near to the children’s diggers. They have a unique call which makes them sound as though they are whistling, hence their name.  

Our keepers have also been working very hard in the Tropical House, training our flock of 94 Rainbow Lorikeets for public feeding. So, keep an eye out for more information about this in the future. 

What have Mammals been up to?

The mammal team have also welcomed not just the Sugar Gliders and Naked Mole Rats onto their section but also our new group of 4 female capybaras. Their names are Marie, Rio, Papuri and Jari and these super cute girls are settling in well. We hope that at some point next year we will be able to start experiences with these beautiful friendly girls. 

We also had some sadder news this year on our mammal’s team with the birth of our Red Panda baby, Tai, who unfortunately passed away at 2 months old. This was due to liver issues which were not apparent until a necropsy was performed. Our little Croissant is sorely missed by our entire team but both her parents, Mai, and Kai, are doing well.  

How about Carnivores?

Kaia, our Amur Leopard, that was housed at Sandwich Wildlife Park, has also arrived at Wingham this year. She has taken residence in the Clouded Leopards old enclosure at Little Himalaya. This older female can be fairly shy and spends quite a bit of time hiding in the bamboo at the back of enclosure. However, if you come to the park early on a sunny day, she can be found sunbathing on one the higher up beams in her outside enclosure. 

And Primates?

The primate keepers haven’t missed out either with the arrival of two babies born this year. A male baby Barbary Macaque, Twiglet, and a male baby Howler Monkey, Mork. These two super cute infants can still be found holding onto their doting mothers. They have been welcomed by their siblings and enclosure mates. 

Current updates

If you visit the park now, you will also see that our Ring-tailed Lemur walkthrough is closed for refurbishments. But don’t worry. You can still see our Ring-tailed Lemurs in their temporary enclosure opposite the Penguin House, next to the lake where the fish feeders are located.  

Being able to close the walkthrough will allow the Ring-tails to have a brand new, larger indoor house built with improvements also being made to their outside walkthrough enclosure. This will make it a better experience for both our animals and our visitors alike. 

2024- a year to look forward to

2024 promises to be an exciting year with new guest experiences and new enclosures being built for you to enjoy as we continue to make improvements to the park.  

So, watch this space!

Source: winghamwildlifepark.co.uk