News

9 February 2012

The new ‘mane’ man at Woburn Safari Park!

Woburn Safari Park has welcomed the latest addition to their lion pride, beautiful two year old Kasanga, who is being primed to take over to top spot as leader.

Kasanga is being introduced to the established hierarchy in the pride, a slow and careful process of introduction, to ensure his own safety, and has already begun exploring his 32 acre reserve.

During his first two months he has been out in the paddock (a 24 hour access area shared by the pride) and the reserve, scent-marking and learning to walk alongside the Landrovers, to get accustomed to traffic. This lengthy process is all in preparation to introduce him to the rest of the group.

Robert White, Team Leader of the carnivores section says:  “We are hoping the females will be very receptive to him.  The team of keepers has already noticed some definite flirting with Tallulah, one of the females, who was rolling around on her back and rubbing against the pen next to him.

This is really encouraging, and we are hoping he will breed with Tallulah.  With a successful introduction and because lions have a short gestation period of only 111 days, a litter of cubs could arrive fairly soon, with between one and five new cubs.”

Woburn Safari Park are hoping that at this especially romantic time of the year, with Valentine’s Day round the corner, that love will blossom between Kasanga and Tallulah and the rest of the feisty female lionesses will begin to welcome him into the pride.

For more information on Kasanga and his introduction to the pride, or photography please contact Fran Pearce on 01179 731173 or by email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
                                             

1 February 2012

Valentine’s Day Gifts at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre

If you’re looking to buy an unusual and exquisite gift this Valentine’s Day why not visit Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre?

Our Valentine highlights include:
A wide range of jewellery items.  Of particular interest for Valentine’s Day must be the beautiful 18ct gold and diamond heart shaped earrings (£220), a diamond and sapphire half eternity ring (£275) and a platinum and diamond full eternity ring (£2,995). All from Sparkles 7.

A selection of delicate and wonderful Victorian St Valentine’s Cards priced from £40 to £60. From John Bly.

A 19th Century Welsh Love Spoon, (the number of captive balls carved within the cage on the handle indicates the desired number of children, in this case two), priced at £115.  From Manor Farm Barn Antiques.

St Valentine’s Day a short history

Every year we celebrate St Valentine’s day by sending cards and giving presents, today about one billion cards are sent worldwide each year. How did February the 14th become a day on which we celebrate love, and how did the sending of cards become such a phenomenon?

So who was St Valentine and why is he the patron saint of lovers? Valentine was a priest in third century rome during the reign of Claudius II. Claudius banned marriage for young men of military service age believing that they would be less willing to serve in the army if they had wives and children. Valentine however performed secret marriages for lovers, when this was discovered Claudius had him Killed and Valentine became a martyr.

By the middle-ages Valentine was a well regarded saint across most if Europe, particularly in England and France, although the exact date of Valentines martyrdom is not known it is believed to have been around the middle of February, perhaps for expediency the Catholic Church chose the 14th to coincide with the start of Lupercalia a pagan Roman festival of fertility.

Valentine’s greetings were at first individual letters of love, the earliest known being the poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415, the manuscript survives in the British Library. By the mid eighteenth century the sending of love tokens on February 14th was well established in England and by the end of the century early printed cards/greetings were being exchanged. The first mass produced cards were made by Esther A. Howland in the USA in 1840, increasingly ornate cards were produced, culminating in the Victorian printed and cut cards as can be seen at the Antiques Centre.

The giving of sentimental cards and gifts on Valentine’s day is perhaps to be preferred to the rituals of Lupercalia when girls were drawn in a sort of lottery by young men, who would be paired with them for year. Youths would also go around slapping girls in the face with a strip of dog hide, dipped in the blood from its ritual sacrifice; Roman women apparently liked this believing it made them more fertile for the coming year! 

For those gentlemen who prefer not to take a chance on the Roman way, the Antique Centre has a superb selection of appropriate and unusual gift items.

1 February 2012

Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre Welcomes Dealers

Over the past 6 months Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre has gone from strength to strength and has been delighted to welcome the arrival of new dealers to the centre.

The Antiques Centre has always prided itself on the quality and range of the antiques and artworks available, supported by a dedicated and friendly customer service team.  Now the Centre has an amazing line-up of new (and returning) dealers to complement the existing dealers and provide an even greater range of exceptional art, antiques and collectables for our customers.

Pauline Skellett
Bazaar Boxes
Yew Tree
Tim Wharton Antiques
Fantiques
Michael Gatfield Antiques
Berrington Antiques
Dome Antiques (Exports) Ltd
Howard Northwood Antiques
John Bly Antiques
Geoffrey Chan Antiques
Acle Antiques
Paul and Howard Northwood
Cecilia Neal Interior Design
Stour House Antiques
Chris Boot Antiques
Mason Antiques
Bon Chic Bon Genre
Manor Farm Barn Antiques
Kingswood Antiques
Recollections Antiques
Maria’s Furniture Emporium
Antique Desks.com
Simpley Decorative
New England House Antiques
Nicholas Lury
Neville’s
Robert Jones
Clive Collins
Koh I Knoor
Gary Hall
Historiana
Silver Tennis
Sparkles
B.Anderson Samolers
Robin Homewood
Michael Baggot Antiques
Cameron Designs
David Peck
Derek & Tina Rayment
Michael Spencer Antiques
Thorpe Antiques
Recollections Antiques
Guy Row Antiques
JoSen
Renaissance
David Walsh Watercolours
H. J. Rea
Jack Rabbit Antiques & Curios
Felton Antiques
Heydays

26 January 2012

Events at Woburn Abbey in 2012

Throughout 2012,Woburn Abbey, Gardens and Antiques Centre will be hosting an exciting variety of events.

Throughout 2012,Woburn Abbey, Gardens and Antiques Centre will be hosting an exciting variety of events. These will include specialist antiques talks, summer theatre in the gardens, classic car rallies, a countryside and craft fair, a series of charity events including our first ever Triathlon and our annual Garden Show. 

The full programme of events will be published shortly and, where applicable, tickets will be available to purchase online.

26 January 2012

A Stately Spring Clean

The staff have given the rooms a spring clean ensuring that not only everything is sparkling but using correct cleaning methods is a method of conservation of historic and delicate objects.

Throughout the winter months, the team here at Woburn Abbey, led by the Curator, keep extremely busy giving each and every of the public rooms a ‘spring clean’. 

This vital task, sees the team emptying the rooms, washing the paintwork and windows, brushing and vacuuming the picture frames, chandeliers and wall lights. inspecting and carefully polishing the furniture, cleaning the porcelain, netting and vacuuming the upholstery (and the list goes on) so that the rooms are completely renovated.  Each afternoon the head housekeeper continued her programme of cleaning the silver and gold in the vaults - this is done whether regardless of whether or not the house is open or closed.

Using the correct cleaning techniques is just one of the means by which we of conserve these important historic objects and thereby preserve them for your enjoyment today and for generations to come.

On your next visit to Woburn Abbey, be sure speak to the room wardens who will be able to tell you some fascinating stories about the objects on display and how they are cared for.

23 January 2012

Safari Park Adventure 3D

From elephant pedicures to penguin food fights: Safari Park Adventure 3D provides an access-all-areas ticket to the animals of Woburn Safari Park in stunning 3D.

February 2012 will see the six hundred animals of Woburn Safari Park march into people’s living rooms with the premiere of Safari Park Adventure on the Sky 3D and Animal Planet channels. The ten-part series takes viewers behind the scenes to follow some of the surprising aspects of the lives of the creatures and keepers at the world famous safari park. Safari Park Adventure 3D airs at 9pm on Sky 3D starting February 4th and reveals the drama, emotion and care involved in safari park life.

Safari Park Adventure 3D presents a special opportunity for viewers to get up close with the park’s residents including Squirrel monkeys, Red necked wallabies and ‘Greater Rhea Ostrich’. Throughout the series, 3D cameras capture the daily lives of some of the world’s most endangered wildlife, whilst highlighting the lengths the keepers have to go to protect the highest standard of welfare and safety for both wild residents and humans alike.

Meet the cast of Safari Park Adventure 3D including:
•Otzee the Chief Rhino, who turns defensive when a new and very noisy playmate arrives at the park
•Bull-elephant Raja who enjoys a regular pedicure whilst the Asian elephants exercise down by the lake
•A hungry lion pride who reap the gory benefit when disaster strikes in the deer park
•The monkeys and penguin gang who cause mischief amongst themselves when battling about food and hierarchy.

John Cassy, Sky 3D’s channel director commented: “Woburn offers an inspiring array of some of the world’s most endangered wildlife and each animal has its own distinct personality. 3D filming techniques enables their stories to be brought to life in a way that was never before possible.”

Duke of Bedford, owner of Woburn Safari Park added:  “We are proud to have the opportunity to showcase the precious collection of wild animals, including many critically endangered and threatened species cared for at Woburn Safari Park.  It’s a fantastic chance for everyone to go behind the scenes and see the hard work and dedication of our team of keepers, including the special care taken to provide a fun and educational day out.”

Safari Park Adventure 3D will be simulcast on the Sky 3D channel and in 2D on Animal Planet from 4th February for a ten part series. For more information visit Sky 3D online.

3 January 2012

Excursions 2012

We will be exhibiting at Excursions 2012 come and visit us there!

This Premier One Day Group Travel Exhibition will be held on 28 January 2012, 10.30am until 4pm at Alexandra Palace, London.

For more information or to view last year’s video visit Excursions 2012

1 January 2012

Fairy hoax proof goes on sale at Woburn

Pictures which inspired a generation to believe in fairies feature in new Memories of Childhood Exhibition

It was arguably the greatest hoax of the Edwardian age - pictures of fairies taken by two little girls who convinced the great and the good that they really did have little people living at the bottom of the garden.

The so-called “Cottingley Fairy Hoax” was staged by cousins Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright who claimed to have taken photographs of fairies in their West Yorkshire village, close to Bradford. The famous shots were examined by investigators including Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who declared that they were authentic leading to a stream of visitors to the site of the enchantment.

The girls maintained that the pictures were genuine until the 80s when they admitted that they had staged the pictures with drawings held in place by hatpins, inspired by an illustration in a book they had owned as children - the now rare Princess Mary’s Gift Book. The book contained fine art illustrations by the leading artists of the day and stories commissioned from leading writers including Conan Doyle himself who had failed to spot the similarity between the photographs and an illustration by artist Claude A. Shepperson entitled “A Spell for a Fairy.”

Now two copies of the book, with the original fairy illustration, together with the hoax pictures, are to form the focus of a new year exhibition of antique and vintage toys and memorabilia at the famous Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre, in the grounds of the famous stately home. And they were unearthed by a photographer and his journalist wife who have an antiques business there.

Snapper Andy Watts worked for the Sunday Times as a professional photographer for 18 years and still runs an international picture agency and Kathryn is a former national news reporter. Andy said: “When I came across the first copy it was part of a large auction lot of children’s books but the illustrations were so outstanding I thought it certainly merited some further research as some of the drawings are by the famous artists Sir Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. It was only during the research that I found out the truth about the link to the Cottingley Fairies.”

Kathryn Holloway, a former Sky News and TV-am presenter and reporter says: “What was even more incredible was that, during a visit to a junk shop only a few days later we found a second copy of the book with all its wonderful illustrations intact. It’s rare to find them in this condition apparently as the pictures were printed separately and stuck into the books so most copies have gaps as they fell out easily. I vividly remember the Blue Peter reports on the Cottingley Fairies so they just had to be at the heart of the new exhibition.

“The mystery did in fact deepen as the girls took five photographs in all - the first 3 in 1917 and the last two after they were given a camera each by Conan Doyle in 1920. The daughter and grand-daughter of Frances went on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and said that Frances maintained to her death that the last photograph was real. The camera and the original pictures were valued at up to £30,000. Our original books are a tiny fraction of that sadly at £125 each but we love the link to the story!”

Memories of Childhood is the recreation of an antique nursery dressed with vintage and antique toys, furniture, books and pictures and will run from 14th January to mid-March 2012 in the Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre in the South Court of Woburn Abbey, seat of the Duke of Bedford, and is open daily.

30 September 2011

Winter Opening Times

Woburn Safari Park is open daily 27th December to 3rd January and reduced winter ticket prices bring you great savings!

This holiday season Woburn Safari Park will be open on the 23rd December and then daily from Tuesday 27th December until the 3rd January. Opening hours are 10am to 3pm (last entry to park and to re-entry road) closing at 4pm. 

It’s a great chance to bring the whole family to visit some of the most magnificent animals and beautiful wildlife in the spacious reserves, plus you will make a fantastic saving of around 25% on our main season prices. 

With a 25% reduction in opening hours as the days get shorter, we’re offering you the same great value day out for a reduced winter ticket price.  Plus you can save even more when you book in advance online.

Look out for great Christmas activities here at the park.

1 September 2011

Aldabran Giant Tortoises Arrive at Woburn

Five new arrivals are now on display in Animal Encounters and although they are currently quite small the Aldabran Giant Tortoises might one day be over a meter long and over 250kgs in weight!

The dedicated keepers in Animal Encounters are delighted to welcome these beautiful new reptiles to Woburn Safari Park.

They are still a very small size and a young age for their species, as large tortoises are the longest-lived animals on the planet, living up to 150 hundred years of age. One tortoise in a zoo in India was recorded to live to 255 years of age; scientists carbon-dated the shell to find the year of birth to be 1750. Our five juniors are only three years old, so have a lot of years of growing ahead of them! 

Named by the keepers, the tortoises are called Gordon, Flo, Albert, Harold and Ken and they will begin to slow down as the weather begins to cool.  Cosy and warm in their new enclosure, this Autumn the tortoises can be seen daily by visitors until the 30th October when the park changes to opening on Winter weekends only.

Vital Statistics:
Habitat and Distribution: Found in grassland, scrub areas, mangrove swamps and coastal dunes of the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles and Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean.
Age: Up to 150 years.
Size: Males grow to approximately 48 inches (1.2m) in length and weigh around 550lbs (250kgs). Female tortoises are a little smaller at 36 inches (0.9m) long and weigh around 350lbs (160kgs).
Diet: Mainly vegetation and small invertebrates will also eat carrion and occasionally the dead bodies of other tortoises! Captive individuals need a varied diet of weeds, browse and hay.
Conservation status: Vulnerable

24 August 2011

EAZA Ape Campiagn Fundraising Evening a ‘Ape-solute’ Success

The EAZA fundraising evening held on Friday 5th August was a huge success.

Our aim was to support the international campaign for the ‘Plight of the Apes’, to raise funds and awareness for the conservation of apes around the world.

Over a thousand visitors attended the event, enjoying interactive African drumming sessions, sideshow style games, stalls, face painting and lots of keeper talks and demonstrations. 

The evening raised over £10,000, including all the income from admissions, the raffle and all the stalls and games on the evening. A big thank you to all those who came and contributed to this fantastic cause.

For more details of the campaign about the campaign click here or to make a donation you can sponsor Adam who is running the Bristol Half Marathon dressed as a Orang-Utan.

24 August 2011

Woburn Safari Park awaits the pitter patter of rather large feet!

Woburn Safari Park are proud to announce they are expecting a rather special addition to the park as they celebrate the first pregnancy for Damini their 17 year old Asian elephant who has been cared for by Woburn Safari Park since 1997.

Damini, which is Indian for lightning / electric, is now 12 months into her pregnancy and still has a long way to go as an elephant pregnancy lasts up to 22 months, giving her a due date of April 2012. The proud father, 17 year old Asian elephant Raja also lives at Woburn.

Head Elephant Keeper Lynne Thomson said of the news ‘We are thrilled, but also aware that we have a long way to go.  Every step of the way we will be providing careful prenatal care.’

Special care consists of a balanced diet, which in elephant terms means eating around 70kg of food a day. This has to be monitored to make sure she doesn’t put on too much weight during her pregnancy and the growing baby is getting the best nutrition. In addition to this the elephant keepers ensure Damini is exercised regularly, with a brisk walk around the park, stretching and swimming - just what the doctor ordered!

Damini, the father Raja and their companions Chandrika and Yu Zin can all be seen at Woburn Safari Park in their large paddock enclosures. Plus Chandrika, Damini and Yu ZIn will be meeting visitors for a ‘Meet & Greet’ every day at 3.30pm this summer, where you can listen keepers talks and get extra close!

24 August 2011

New Arrivals in the Kingdom of the Carnivores

In the middle of June this year, the team of keepers in the carnivore section kept a close eye on our Iberian wolf pen as it was thought the female had given birth.

The cubs are all cared for underground by the mother and don’t appear for at least five weeks. 

Now the cubs are around 9 weeks old and they’re at the stage where the keepers are trying to tell the males and females apart.  As the wolves live with no direct contact from the keepers, this is quite tricky from a distance!

Iberian wolves live in small family units called packs and only the alpha male and female will breed, with one litter of cubs each year.  The new cubs play a crucial role in the conservation of the species, as Woburn are part of the ‘Iberian Wolf Breeding Programme’.  When old enough, the cubs will be re-home to other wildlife collections to help match new breeding pairs. 

The cubs are strong and healthy and very playful, they are busy learning the ways of being a wolf from their parents and older siblings.

21 July 2011

The All New Treetops Action Trail - Open Now!

Wild days out at Woburn this summer just became even more thrilling!

Once you’ve met the wild beasties of the African reserves, journeyed through the Kingdom of the Carnivores and been face to face with the cheeky monkeys in the Jungle reserve….it’s time to brave the heights of the TREETOPS ACTION TRAIL.
Juniors can experience the all new high ropes course for a tiny additional fee of £3.99! 

Fearless kids aged 5-11 years* will be clamouring to climb, and fearlessly clambering up this fantastic new course and enjoying the exhilaration of viewing the park from high above!

With total safety in mind, our instructors give a full introduction and each child is clipped into a harness and safety line from start to finish. 

Watch as they climb the course and master each of the twenty exciting elements, including a Burma Bridge, Organ Pipes and the Spiders Web.  Children will love this thirty plus minutes of exhilarating adventure, before swooping back down to ground level on the final zip wire.

Open 12 noon to 6pm
Suitable clothing must be worn at all times, please wear suitable long trousers. Please wear appropriate footwear with soles with good grips. No sandals or slip-off shoes permitted.

Restrictions apply:
*The age range of children allowed to use the course is approximately 5-11 years of age, but height restrictions are the first indication of if the course is suitable for each child to use.
Minimum height limit 1.1 metres, 3’6”
Maximum height limit 1.4 metres, 4’6”

21 July 2011

Can’t get to the beach this summer?  Come and see the sea lions instead!

Woburn Safari Park’s Californian sealions, Monica, Leoni, Spratt and Kira are happily splashing about in their pool and are clearly delighted with it’s new filtration system.

They are practising their flipper tricks and skills in time for the busy summer holiday period and can’t wait to show off to the crowds that flock to see them. 

You can learn all about these amazing animals at 1.45pm and 4pm every day, in the fascinating talks from keepers at Woburn Safari Park.

Meet the sea lions
Monica is fifteen years old and came to Woburn from Blackpool Zoo, she is very energetic but has a very short attention span which can be quite tricky for the keepers and their training sessions. Leoni is Monica’s daughter and is 9 years old, she is probably the most playful of the group. Then there is Spratt, she is sixteen years old and the most dominant female in the group. And finally Spratt’s daughter, Kira who is 9 years old and is the most timid amongst the group of females.

The new system is a much more efficient system, that will provide much cleaner water without the use of chemicals!  It uses a combination of ultra violet, ozone and biological trickle beds to clean the water.

Did you know:

-Sea lions eat more than 10% of their own body weight in fish per day!
-On land sea lions can out pace a walking human! 
-Sea lions can dive to up to depths of 200m and hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes.       

19 July 2011

A Beautiful Baby Giraffe Bounced into the World Last Week

Woburn Safari Park is proud to announce the arrival of a beautiful female Rothschild’s giraffe calf.

Last Tuesday the Safari Park came to a near standstill in the route past the herd of Rothschild’s Giraffe.  Visitors were stunned at the scenes unfolding before their eyes as a beautiful new calf was born out in the reserve! The birth took just over 3 hours and the rest of the herd quickly surrounded the new infant, not only to welcome the calf, but in the wild their formidable presence would protect it from predators. There was plenty of nudging and licking in greeting and dad used his very large hooves to encourage the baby to stand.

Giraffe calves are born head and front feet first, which helps to break the fall and the initial bump to earth provides a stimulating jolt to kick-start its lungs and heart.

This is the third calf produced by Danica and fathered by the herd patriarch Casper. Woburn is one of the few collections that allow their giraffes to calve as a social unit with all herd members taking an active interest and learning from the birthing process.  This helps younger animals to learn about the birthing process and encourages the natural behaviours you would find in a wild herd.

With only an approximate 600 Rothschild’s giraffe left in the wild, this sub-species is critically endangered and a priority for conservation, therefore every calf is precious. Woburn has been so successful with its breeding program of these magnificent animals that the herd has trebled in size over the past seven years. 

Each year a consecutive letter of the alphabet is used for naming, and this year newborns will be named starting with the letter L.  Weighing in at around 150lbs, the newborn will reach her full adult height within only 4 to 5 years.

20 June 2011

Keepers at Woburn Safari Park hope Kai the White Rhino will become a Father soon!

Kai the new male White Rhino at Woburn Safari Park was introduced to the females in his herd for the first time on Thursday 16th June.

As the Southern White Rhino get acquainted, keepers are hoping that he will eventually breed with one of his new herd-mates and become a father.  Kai arrived six weeks ago from Givskud Zoo and will be the new breeding bull in the herd. Kai is what the animal keepers refer to as ‘proven’, having fathered a calf at his previous home in Givskud, Denmark. 

The lady Rhinos; Pongola, Mirijam, Mkuzi and Mtuba-tuba took well to their first introduction. Kai stamped his feet and gave each of them a good shove to make sure they knew he’s the new man about town - perhaps he’s doing the rhino version of pulling their pigtails! 

Kai is now 10 years old and weighs 1900 kilograms, that’s just under 2 tonnes!  It may be a while before we hear the patter of rhino hooves, as the pregnancy of a Southern White Rhino is 16 to 18 months! 

Fingers crossed Kai finds his perfect mate!

 

15 June 2011

Encouraging results at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre

There is a noticeably more confident attitude among buyers at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre.

Furniture has been doing well, with a number of bigger ticket items selling in recent weeks, including a five figure sale for John Bly.  Art and picture sales have been good; jewellery is also buoyant with sales of rings in the £1,000 to £2,500 range performing particularly well.

The team at the centre is looking forward and optimistic for the future.  Woburn Abbey Antique Centre’s, Mike Prendergrast says:

“We have noticed an enthusiastic attitude among buyers at the centre. It seems quite a number of buyers, having in the past postponed purchases, because of the uncertain economic climate, now feel more secure and are happy to commit to substantial sums. All of the trade must encourage and maintain this optimistic tone and do all that we can to encourage both established and new buyers.

Customers new to antiques need honest help to make the comparison with buying new items, they need a straightforward attitude from us, we need to explain to them about quality both of construction and materials. Once people are really able to compare like with like between period and new they begin to see just what great value antiques are. “

John Bly comments:
“I am absolutely delighted at the results of my recent sales at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre.  It is as busy as it has ever been, once again being recognised as the very place to go for high-end as well as good quality furnishing antiques for the connoisseur, collector, decorator and dealer alike as well as providing plenty of interest for the budding enthusiast.”

For more information, visit http://www.woburn.co.uk/antiques or call 01525 292118

3 May 2011

BBC’s Watchdog Slams UK Attractions for Unfair Parking Fees

BBC's Watchdog programme's "grumpy man in residence" Rick Wakeman last week criticised the practices of some of the UK's best known leisure attractions, for demanding extra fees from customers to park their car.

Most customers will travel a fair distance by car, having paid rising fuel costs, to arrive on site and with only one choice of parking location; a captive audience that, as Watchdog rightly points out, is being taken advantage of.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2011/04/free_rant.html

45% of Woburn Safari Park customers drive for more than an hour to travel to the park, and are obliged to bring their car for the drive through safari.  Once the drive through safari is completed, Woburn Safari Park offers guests free parking as well as plenty of other attractions FREE of charge.

Woburn Safari Park is proud NOT to impose any additional charges on visitors and were delighted NOT to appear on the Watchdog hitlist.  We’d like to remind our valued guests of the WILD VALUE for money that your admission ticket includes:

• Animal Encounters - visit penguins, lemurs, squirrel monkeys, lynx, marmoset, red river hogs, wallabies and many more in the award winning walk-through safari
• Fascinating Talks and Demonstrations - learn about the animals and the keepers who look after them
• Tiny Tots Safari Trail
• Mammoth Play Ark - an indoor adventure play area for children and toddlers
• Swan Boats - peddle powered boats
• Bobcat Run - a giant astro slide
• The Great Woburn Railway

27 April 2011

Clubhouse Development

We are delighted to announce the completion of the £3.5 million redevelopment of the clubhouse facilities at Woburn Golf Club.

The enhanced facilities now offer a number of private dining options and greater exclusivity for visiting parties.

Should you be interested in playing on one of our three championship courses and enjoying our stylish new clubhouse, please contact Hannah Drewery on 01908 370756.

21 April 2011

Woburn ARTBEAT 2011

Woburn Abbey and the traders of Woburn join together to turn the village of Woburn into an art gallery with a sculpture exhibition in the Abbey Gardens.

The high quality original art in the village will be in place from 15th April until the 2nd May 2011. The sculpture exhibition in the Abbey Gardens will remain until 31st July 2011. 
This is a non profit event, with proceeds donated to charity. The longer term intention is to create a fund, where Woburn as a whole will sponsor one artist a year to study or develop a specific skill.
Confirmed Sculptors for the exhibition in the Abbey Gardens: Alan Foxley, Ben Barrell, Carol Peace, Dick Onians, Frederic Chevarin, Helen Sinclair, John Brown, Jonathan Hateley, Jonathan Loxley, Kate Denton, Linda Johns, Lorraine Benton, Mark Humphrey, Mick Henson, Philip De Koning, Simon Hitchens, Thomas Ostenberg, Nick Moran, Paul Vanstone, Tonderai Mashaya.

It’s free to visit the locations in Woburn and viewing the sculptures in the Abbey Gardens are included within your Gardens or Woburn Abbey and Gardens admissions tickets.
Abbey Garden admission prices: Adult £4.25, Senior £3.35, Child (3-15 years) £1.50, Child under 3 years Free of charge.

18 April 2011

Maria’s Traditional Upholstery Workshop

Maria’s Traditional Upholstery Workshop opens at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre

Maria’s Traditional Upholstery Workshop has recently opened at Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre.  This is a family run business which aims to provide a professional and friendly service.  As a member of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) you can be assured that the methods used and the levels of workmanship practiced are to the very highest standards.
We are more than happy to engage with visitors to the Antiques Centre, so please feel free to call into the workshop if you are passing through where we can provide a fascinating insight into the world of traditional upholstery, advice on upholstery issues or show you the patterns and fabrics we have available.
For those of you who would like to try your hand at this century’s old craft we are pleased to run introductory sessions in the workshop.
For further details and our opening hours please contact the Woburn Abbey Antiques Centre on 01525 292118 or Maria Willis directly on 07840794447

11 April 2011

Woburn Abbey featuring on BBC1’s Masterchef

We are delighted to announce that Woburn Abbey will feature on Masterchef on Wednesday 13th April at 9.00pm on BBC1.

Filming took place at the Abbey late last year and when we were delighted to be involved in this well regarded and popular TV show. The contestants, film crew, and co-presenters John and Gregg all commented on the wonderful location of Woburn Abbey.

If you follow the show you will already know that the contestants are being tested on their desserts in the ‘Woburn’ episode – the Duke and Duchess of Bedford and Lady Tavistock were invited to be on the testing panel. Their tastebuds were both challenged and delighted by the contestants endeavours.Tune in and enjoy this particularly exciting episode for Woburn.

4 November 2010

Woburn Safari Park scoops top award for Significant Advances in Animal Husbandry and Welfare in 2010

Woburn Safari Park received one of the top awards from the zoo world last night, following a prestigious awards ceremony held at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Devon, attended by some 100 people.

Woburn Safari Park was commended in recognition for its pioneering work in Animal Husbandry and Welfare. A certificate was presented to Adam Kenyon by Adrian Sanders, MP.

This award particularly highlights the Zoo’s efforts in taking significant steps in trying to achieve the highest standard of husbandry and welfare within its elephant herd. The Zoo was one of 12 winners chosen from 74 entries.

In addition, Woburn Safari Park also achieved a commendation in the Best Enclosure Category for its Asian Elephant Conservation Centre: for building the centre around the needs of the elephants. Held annually for over a decade, the BIAZA awards recognise outstanding contributions and achievements in the fields of wildlife conservation, advances in animal welfare and husbandry, marketing, PR, education, research, and enclosure design.

Dr Miranda Stevenson, Director of BIAZA said: “The award-winning programmes showcased today demonstrate the huge investment of energy and resources made by our leading zoos to improve animal welfare and raise environmental awareness.

“These awards recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that our members are making to conservation and education each year. Equally, they are standard bearers for excellence in animal husbandry and welfare. We congratulate all the winners on their achievement.”

2 November 2010

Woburn will Fix It

On Thursday 14th October, Woburn Safari Park were given the opportunity to make someone’s dream come true with a ‘once in a lifetime experience’ of washing one of our famous Asian elephants, Chandrika.

Jane Carter contacted staff at Woburn Safari Park with the special request to fulfil her father’s lifelong dream of washing an elephant and the Park were only too happy to help!

Jane’s initial letter captured the attention of staff at Woburn Safari Park when she spoke of her father’s lifelong dream to bath an elephant. As a child, Jane had written to ‘Jim’ll Fix It’ but hadn’t succeeded in granting her father’s wish.  Years later, Jane decided to try her luck and write into Woburn Safari Park with this special request.

Staff at the Park were so touched by Jane’s story to fulfil her father’s wish – they set about arranging plans for them come up and meet Chandrika and to tailor a VIP experience of their own.

As the experience was such a great one for Jane, her father Colin and staff at Woburn Safari Park – we wanted to share the story with some of our fans and have posted some photographs for all to enjoy.

Jane later commented “...what a wonderful team you have, my sincere thanks to Adele, Lynne and Terry for their caring and patience, to make this happen for Dad. Their knowledge and love of what they do shone through, making us all feel so welcome and special – it was a pleasure to be in their company”.

11 October 2010

An Ele-gant Engagement at Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Safari Park would like to congratulate Marion and Marc on their ele-gant engagement with the special assistance of the romantic ring bearer Damini – one of Woburn Safari Parks famous Asian Elephants.

Marc contacted staff at Woburn Safari Park to arrange the secret proposal, who were more than happy to be part of this special occasion and knew just the elephant for the job.
Having already experienced a VIP Off-Road Safari Tour with one of the Parks rangers, Marion received an extended VIP experience when Damini surprised her with the ring, in its box, in the tip of her trunk.
An Elephants trunk is made up of 40,000 muscles and tendons and is very dextrous, so Damini provided perfectly safe hands (or should we say trunk).
We wish Marion and Marc all the very best for the forthcoming nuptials.

23 August 2010

Bank Holiday Spectacular at Woburn Safari Park

Visitors to Woburn Safari Park over the forthcoming August Bank Holiday weekend are sure to enjoy an exciting and memorable day out!

Throughout Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August, during four daily shows,      Arts1-School of Performance, based in Milton Keynes will be performing a spectacular piece of musical theatre in the Amphitheatre at the Safari Park.

Forty, talented young artists will perform a show which celebrates Woburn Safari Park, and its conservation work.  The show features popular numbers from the most popular animal themed shows including; ‘The Lion King’, ‘Just So’ and ‘Cats’. 

This exciting piece of musical theatre commissioned specifically for Woburn, is written by James Grimsby, with music by Ben Wiles and choreographed by Rebecca Giacopazzi.
Arts 1 are back at Woburn Safari Park this Bank Holiday by popular demand, following their successful and inspirational performances in support of the Parks’ 40th birthday celebrations in May.

Rounding off the Bank Holiday weekend, on Monday, 30th August, visitors to Woburn Safari Park, can experience getting even closer to the Parks’ famous Asian elephants, Damini and Chandrika. 

At 3.00 pm these magnificent elephants will be taking a stroll across the Park, stopping a while to graze in and around the public Foot Safari areas- a rare photography opportunity not to be missed. 

Visit http://www.woburn.co.uk/safari or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

16 August 2010

£15,000 raised so far as Woburn Safari Park goes ‘Bonkers for Bongos’

Throughout 2010, Woburn Safari Park are actively campaigning for the critically endangered antelope species the East African Mountain Bongo, with their ‘Bonkers for Bongo’ fundraising campaign.

Currently home to eleven Mountain Bongo, Woburn Safari Park held a ‘Bonkers for Bongo’ fundraising evening on Friday 6th August 2010. Hundreds of generous visitors to the park participated in a host of themed activities, raising a staggering £11,000 on the night. Already during the 2010 season, visitors to the park have donated over £4000! 
All proceeds during 2010 will be donated in support of the conservation activities in Kenya for this critically endangered species.
Woburn Safari Park is working with the Bongo Surveillance Programme and the Kenyan Wildlife Service to support the conservation efforts of the remaining 100 Eastern Bongo left in the wild.  The programme works to fund rangers to protect the Bongo from poachers, educate local school children and teachers of the benefits of these creatures and their habitats and to monitor population trends and help identify animals.
Woburn’s Head of Animal Management and Conservation, Jake Veasey recently returned from Kenya and is taking an active lead in the development of a conservation strategy for this species with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and conservationists from Kenya, Europe, Australasia and North America.

29 July 2010

Asian elephants keeping fit at Woburn Safari Park….

Summer visitors to Woburn Safari Park, celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, can look forward to getting even closer to Damini and Chandrika, the parks famous Asian elephants.

Throughout the holiday season, these magnificent elephants will be taking a regular afternoon ‘keep fit’ stroll across the Park, stopping a while to graze in and around the public Foot Safari areas. 
The elephant walks will take place at approximately 3pm on the following dates: July 27th and 29th, August 2nd, 10th, 12th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th and 31st and September 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th. (Dates and times are subject to change)*

16 July 2010

McFly visit Woburn Safari Park for some ‘Monkey Business’!

Back again for the second year running are the lovely lads from McFly, who have visited Woburn Safari Park to experience a VIP day out with a difference - the brand new Primate Tour.

The Primate Tour VIP experience allowed Tom, Dougie and friends the opportunity to get up close and personal with three different species of primate and enjoy a truly memorable day out!

New for 2010 The Primate Tour is ideal for anyone who’s mad about monkeys, the VIP tour took McFly off-road in Woburn Safari Park’s Monkey Jungle, where they were able to meet and learn about Woburn’s three species of primate:  Patas, Barbary Macaques and one of Africa’s rarest primates, the Drill.

After the tour of Monkey Jungle, McFly also got to meet squirrel monkeys and lemurs in the ‘Monkey Business’ and `Land of the Lemurs’ walk-through sections of the park.
They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rest of the park and the grounds at their leisure.

Cost: This VIP experience can be booked for two or more people only and costs £75 per person (or £150 for two). Price includes entry to Woburn Safari Park, a one and a half hour off-road tour with an experienced ranger, a Woburn Safari Park Guide book, a VIP Experience certificate and a £5 restaurant/retail voucher for each person.

10 June 2010

Musical Theatre Summer School at Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Safari Park will be working with Arts1, an independent theatre school, to present a unique week of musical theatre with an animal theme from 26th July to 30th July 2010.

Throughout the week students will visit many of Woburn’s beautiful animals to learn more about them and study their movements.  A range of acting, dancing and singing workshops will then focus on bringing popular pieces of musical theatre to life. 

Sessions will be taught by Arts1’s professionally trained and qualified teachers and are aimed at young people aged 8 and over (no upper age limit) who want to explore theatre in a beautiful setting.  It is suitable for beginners and more experienced performers and the focus is on having lots of fun!

The cost for this is just £165 per child (discounts apply for annual ticket holders or current students at Arts1) and the scheme runs from 9am to 3.30pm each day. Lunch is not included.

To book, please call (01525) 290991 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) limited places are available.

23 March 2010

New Elephant arrives at Woburn in time to celebrate the Safari Park’s 40th Birthday

It is said that good things come in small packages, but the reverse was true today when Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire took delivery of a fifteen tonne package, two months ahead of its 40th Birthday!

Inside the ten tonne crate, which arrived at the park from Emmen Zoo in the Netherlands this morning, was Yu Zin a five tonne, female Asian elephant. 

Born 32 years ago, she joins three other Asian elephants that have lived at the Park for over a decade.  Coincidentally it is thirteen years to the day since Woburn’s other elephants, male Raja, and females Damini and Chandrika arrived in Bedfordshire from India in 1997.

Now that she has arrived, it is hoped that Yu Zin, who has already given birth to three sons, will kick-start Woburn’s elephant breeding programme.  The gestation period for an elephant is two years, so although the pitter, patter of tiny elephant feet is some way off, Woburn Safari Park is eagerly looking forward to the day when a baby is born. 

Dr Jake Veasey, Head of Animals and Conservation at Woburn Safari Park commented; “We’re delighted to welcome Yu Zin today and we’re pleased that her arrival went smoothly.  She’s now settling into her new home here at Woburn and over the next few weeks, we’ll be watching her closely to see how she and our other three elephants interact.  We’re hoping that she will become the matriarch of our herd and with her previous breeding experience will encourage our other two females to get into breeding mode with Raja our bull elephant.”

Over the next few weeks while Yu Zin is getting to know Raja, she and he will be kept inside the large elephant house at Woburn.  The other two females will continue to be out in their paddock for visitors to see.

Click here to see more pictures of Yu Zin’s arrival on our Facebook page.

12 February 2010

Celebrating 40 Years

Woburn Safari Park celebrates its 40th birthday this May and to mark this special occasion we’re offering our visitors a great promotion.

Were you born in 1970 and will also be 40 in 2010? Enter for Free!

If you were born in 1970, bring your passport with you to the park between March 1st and 31st October 2010 and enter for free. 

Excludes special event days.

9 February 2010

New Lion House Breaks Ground as Sea Lions Move On and Penguins Move In!

Already internationally recognised as a centre of excellence for the conservation of endangered wildlife and an innovator in wild animal welfare, Woburn Safari Park has begun work on yet more new, world-class facilities, further improving the standards of animal welfare.

The building of a new lion facility at a cost of approximately £250,000 is another step in the ongoing plans to upgrade all animal facilities for Woburn’s challenging and dangerous large carnivores. 

Large enough to house the existing pride of 16 African lions, and flexible enough to cope with the regular disputes common in any family this size, it has also been designed with the future in mind and will be big enough to accommodate any new additions to the already impressive group.

Critically, the new facility will allow the pride to have overnight access outside of the main house in state-of-the-art, high security night quarters.  In 2004, Woburn invested £300,000 to ensure its wolves had outside, overnight access in their huge enclosure which they share with the bears.  Similar plans are in place to upgrade Woburn’s tiger facilities within the next 18 months, allowing them to have safe overnight access to an outside area.  This is something few visitors will be aware of, but something that all of these animals are certainly appreciative of. 

In recent years, Woburn has spent approximately £4 million on a number of similar ‘off-show’ facilities across the park, designed purely to benefit animal welfare and to enhance Woburn’s conservation potential; a figure unequalled in the UK. 

Starting with the upgrade to Woburn’s wolf facilities, this was followed in 2007 by the building of the African Ungulate Conservation Centre, known simply as ‘The Antelope House’.  At a cost of over £500,000, this bespoke facility is pivotal to the unparalleled work that the park does with hoofed mammals and houses probably the biggest concentration of critically endangered African ungulates on Earth.

After opening the Antelope House, Woburn’s redevelopment programme gathered pace with the building of the first phase of a state-of-the-art Asian Elephant Conservation Centre in 2008.  The first elephant house in the UK to be built from scratch, designed around the welfare of a herd rather than the needs of visitors or keepers, this house allows the elephants to spend their time as closely as they would in the wild, even in the depths of an English winter.

This was followed in mid-2009 with the completion of the most advanced and probably biggest facility in the world for housing rhino and other savannah animals.  Shortly after this house was opened, Woburn was able to welcome two new white rhino from South Africa, to join the four already living at the park. 

Staff at Woburn Safari Park are now looking forward to both herds growing further with the introduction of a seventh rhino from a safari park in Holland and the arrival of another elephant from a zoo also in Holland, increasing the elephant herd to four.  Both of these moves are in recognition of the investment Woburn has made in its animal facilities and the contribution it can make to vital breeding programmes for these species.

The park’s large group of Rothschild giraffe haven’t been overlooked either.  Their house was refurbished and doubled in size last autumn - vital in allowing Woburn to continue to support the European breeding programme for this critically endangered sub-species. 

Woburn is one of the most successful breeders of Rothschild giraffe in Europe and its programme of ensuring a natural diet is maintained all year round supports this.  In the summer, branches are collected from trees on the 3000-acre estate and fed to the giraffes each day; the surplus meanwhile is stored for the winter months.  In fact Woburn, having purposely planted 10,000 trees, is the only zoo in Europe that can guarantee its giraffes a supply of fresh leaves 365 days a year.

Dr Jake Veasey, head of animals and conservation at Woburn Safari Park, and a trained and published animal welfare scientist, says: “We have invested significantly in facilities at the park in the last few years, and our plans over the next five years will see us invest a further £10 million into the development of more new facilities.  While the benefits of this may not be immediately obvious to visitors as they drive through the reserves, it means that we will be able to offer the very highest standards of care possible and introduce, and ultimately breed, new species of critically endangered animals at Woburn.

“Woburn is committed to both animal welfare and conservation and our investments over the past few years clearly demonstrate this.  As with any zoo or indeed any business for that matter, we aren’t complacent and there are still areas we are hungry to improve upon, but we are working through these on a systematic priority basis in such a way that maximises welfare and our contribution to conservation.”

As part of this programme, one species that will no longer be resident at Woburn Safari Park is the Californian Sea Lion.  Much loved by visitors and staff alike, a decision has been made to move these engaging animals to another collection in the Mediterranean which can provide large lagoons for them to live in.

The ‘Animal Care’ team at Woburn has long felt sea lions were somewhat of an anomaly at the park as they require huge amounts of ever decreasing fish stocks to feed, chemicals to maintain their water quality and also don’t have the same degree of freedom as most of Woburn’s other animals.  It has therefore become clear that it is time to say a fond farewell to these amazing and very popular animals.

Plans are already in place to redevelop the sea lion pool into a facility for the endangered Humboldt penguins, allowing Woburn’s existing colony to benefit from having access to this much larger pool.  The redevelopment will be done in a way that will give visitors a unique insight into their lives and in turn will allow the park to introduce new species into the area left vacant by the penguins.  Watch this space!

Forty years after it first opened to the public and with an already impressive history behind it, there is an exciting future for the ever dynamic Woburn Safari Park and the valuable contribution it makes to wildlife conservation.

8 January 2010

New Year Arrival at Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Safari Park celebrated the start of the New Year with the safe arrival of a new female Rothschild Giraffe.

Born during the early hours of New Years Day, the new calf has been named Keira.  In 2010 all new babies born in the reserves will be called a name beginning with the letter ‘K’; the 11th letter of the alphabet to coincide with the 11th year of the century.  Keira is the first calf to mum Frankie, who herself was born at Woburn in 2005. 

Woburn’s head of animal management and conservation, Dr Jake Veasey who is an experienced giraffe biologist having worked with them in the wild in Zimbabwe, commented on the birth; “We’re very pleased to be welcoming Keira to Woburn so early into the New Year.  We expect at least three or four more giraffe this year which will make us possibly the most successful breeder of these highly endangered and beautiful animals anywhere in the world.”

Woburn Safari Park celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2010.  In recent years Woburn has revolutionised the management of giraffe in captivity.  Woburn has a unique programme of ensuring a natural leaf based diet is provided all year round for its giraffe and has developed a novel approach to the management of the giraffe birthing process based on Jake’s experiences of giraffe in other zoos and in the wild.  This combined with the recent expansion and redevelopment of the giraffe house has facilitated dramatic improvements in the success of Woburn’s giraffe programme.  In the past six years, Woburn has planted 10,000 trees specifically to provide leaves for their giraffe herd based on ancient wildlife-friendly coppice management systems.  In the summer, leaves are collected from plantations on the 3000 acre estate and fed to the giraffes each day; the surplus meanwhile is stored for the winter months.  Woburn is the only zoo in Europe that can guarantee its giraffes a supply of fresh leaves 365 days a year.

Population estimates for the Rothschild giraffe vary from just 40 to a couple of hundred in the wild.  It is named after Lord Walter Rothschild who was the first to identify it as a new subspecies as the male has five horns (known as ossicones) on its head – two more than other species.

During much of the winter season the giraffe at Woburn remain closer to their house due to the cold weather and the risk of slipping on ice, but can still be seen from the drive-through Safari route.  In summer they have 24 hour access to large grass paddocks, which they share with the endangered Grevy’s Zebra.

10 December 2009

Winner of the Golf Club competition

Congratulations to the winner of the competition to win a two day golf break and clinic.

The winner is: Mrs Susan Hodgson from Thornbury

14 October 2009

Rare primates making themselves at home at Woburn Safari Park

Visitors to Woburn Safari Park can now see a collection of one of Africa’s rarest mammals in the drive-through African Forest.

The arrival of five Drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) marks Woburn Safari Park as one of only three other collections in Great Britain to have these critically endangered primates.  Woburn is also the first collection in the world to introduce Drills into a mixed species enclosure.  They join 28 Barbary Macaque, 15 Patas Monkeys and nine Eastern Bongo.

Originally from Hanover Zoo, the Drills arrived from Germany back in February and following six months in quarantine and a period of acclimatisation, all five can now be seen enjoying their new home.
Numbers of these primates have been steadily declining for several decades due to game and meat hunting, habitat destruction and human development.  There are now thought to be fewer than 3000 left in their native habitat of Nigeria and Cameroon.  Across the world there are only 75 in captivity across 20 collections.

Woburn Safari Park intends to exchange three of its males for females within 12 months in order to begin its own captive breeding programme.

Senior Keeper Ross Brown commented; “We’re extremely pleased with the progress that our Drills are making since their release into the African Forest here at Woburn Safari Park.  They have acclimatised well and we look forward to introducing some females to the group in the future so that we can begin the very important work of breeding these extremely rare animals.”

28 September 2009

Children’s Trust Charity Day - PC Aviation

Ten children, who all receive care, education and therapy from the Children’s Trust, and their families, were treated to the trip of a lifetime when a fleet of helicopters flew them on an adventure to Woburn Safari Park on Sunday 27th September.

PC Aviation arranged for eleven privately-owned helicopters to pick up the families from Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey in the morning and fly them across London to Woburn Safari Park. Once the helicopters had landed at the Park the families were taken on a guided tour of the Safari Park and were given a pizza lunch provided by Dominos Pizza.

23 September 2009

European Carnivore Campaign

Thank you to everyone that donated money to our 2009 European Carnivore Campaign - we raised a total of £14,635.57!

Woburn Safari Park won the “Fundraising Award” for 2008/2009. This was awarded for “the most innovative and imaginative fundraising scheme or event by an EAZA institution in support of fundraising targets for the European Carnivore Campaign”

There were approximately 400 other EAZA member organisations, made up from zoos, safari parks and aquariums that were invited to participate in the European Carnivore Campaign.  Woburn Safari Park was the only one to achieve this award.

18 August 2009

Rhino’s Arrival Breeds Hope

Moving home is always one of life’s biggest tasks, but when you’ve got two 1,700kg rhino coming to take up permanent residence it’s a truly heavyweight affair.

The South African white rhino - believed to be 5 and 6 years old - moved into the rhinoceros equivalent of The Ritz at Woburn Safari Park on Monday 17th August …with a little help from some very heavy lifting gear of course.

But while the arrival of the two formidable females will be great for visitors to Woburn, it has far greater significance for Europe’s white rhino population as they are expected to play a vital part in a continental breeding programme.

The pair will join the park’s four-strong rhino herd which consists of two males and two females; some of whom have lived at Woburn since it first opened nearly 40 years ago. Despite the equal male/female split of the resident rhino, they have never bred as it is thought they have come to see each other as siblings rather than potential breeding partners.

However, the introduction of the two new females, together with a young bull from another UK safari park, is hoped to provide the necessary spark to let nature take its course - that is, after 30 days in quarantine and a gradual socialisation process with the other rhino.

Dr Jake Veasey, Woburn’s head of animal management and conservation, says: “Having more than one bull rhino is critical for creating the optimal social situation needed for stimulating breeding with males vying for interest from the females. We will now have three males and four females so the chances of breeding will be dramatically improved.

“White rhino are what would be described as a conservation-dependent species, meaning that without effective and active conservation measures they would become extinct in the wild. At the turn of the 20th century there may have been as few as 30 white rhino left; and now with effective conservation, most notably in South Africa, there are in excess of 17,000.

“But as they only occur in protected areas and space is limited, surplus animals maybe culled to alleviate the pressure on habitats and to raise revenue to support ongoing conservation. An alternative is for these surplus animals to come to join ‘insurance’ populations outside of Africa which could help to ensure the future of the species, and in turn help to raise the profile of these amazing animals.

“The white rhino population in Europe is currently not self-sustaining - one of the reasons for this is the historical mismanagement of white rhino social groups with too many rhino growing up together and so establishing sibling rather than sexual relationships in captivity. This combined with a lack of facilities holding multiple bulls to stimulate competition for mates meant that whilst captive rhino typically lived remarkably long lives, not enough of them went on to breed to replace the loss of older animals.”

The new Woburn rhino house, which is described as the best in the world, is expected to play a pivotal role in rectifying this situation. The facility, designed by Dr Veasey and his team, has been created to allow the rhino to live in herds as they would in the wild, even inside the house.

The house has several unique features such as a huge communal living area and four additional management areas with a choice of floor surfaces for the rhino from concrete, rubber through to half-metre deep woodchip beds. The house complex also has three yards, a medical restraint chute for the treatment of any ailments that may arise in their long lives and two outside paddocks totalling over 40 acres.

31 July 2009

Woburn Safari Park says ‘Jambo’ to its first Giraffe of 2009

Woburn Safari Park is celebrating the birth of its first Rothschild giraffe to be born in 2009.

This birth signals another major success for the park’s breeding programme of the most endangered of the nine subspecies of giraffe.

Born during the afternoon of Friday 24th July, the new male giraffe has been named ‘Jambo’ which means ‘hello’ in Swahili, the national language of Kenya and Uganda where this subspecies originates from.

His eleven-year-old mum, Savannah, is one of Woburn’s most experienced, having given birth to four calves since her arrival at the safari park from Edinburgh Zoo in 2003.  There are now nine Rothschild Giraffe at Woburn.

The giraffe at Woburn can be found in the large African section where they roam alongside the critically endangered Grevy’s zebra.  Population estimates for the Rothschild giraffe vary from just 40 to a couple of hundred in the wild.  It is named after Lord Walter Rothschild who was the first to identify it as a new subspecies as the male has five horns (known as ossicones) on its head – two more than other species.

At Woburn Safari Park a change in how the species has been managed in recent years has resulted in a baby boom – there is another giraffe due at the park imminently, making Woburn a world leader in giraffe management and conservation.

Woburn’s head of animal management and conservation Dr Jake Veasey, who is an experienced giraffe biologist having worked with them in the wild in Zimbabwe, says: “We’re delighted at the safe arrival of another giraffe here at Woburn Safari Park.  It’s testament to the changes we have made in managing the everyday lives of these rare animals and a great boost to the survival of this critically endangered subspecies.”

Woburn is one of the most successful breeders of Rothschild giraffe in Europe and its programme of ensuring a natural diet is maintained all year round supports this.  In the summer, branches are collected from trees on the 3,000 acre estate and fed to the giraffes each day; the surplus meanwhile is stored for the winter months.  In fact Woburn, having purposely planted 10,000 trees, is the only zoo in Europe that can guarantee its giraffes a supply of fresh leaves 365 days a year.

22 March 2009

Go Ape at Woburn - NEW FOR 2009!

High Wire Forest Adventure for anyone 10 years and over. Climb the trees and slide across high wires, cross rope bridges, tarzan slides, walk the planks and zip down to the ground - you'll wish you'd done it long ago!

Experience the thrills of trekking from tree to tree. Each section begins with a rope ladder climb into the tree tops where an assortment of spectacular obstacles and tarzan swings lead to an exhilarating zip-slide bringing you back down to earth. Corporate bookings, team building and groups welcome.

For further information visit the Woburn Safari Park Go Ape section.

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