Marwell Park Zoo

Incredibly Rare Birth Wows Zoo Guests

Guests got to witness the birth of a Critically Endangered addax calf when mother, Amelie, went into labour on Wednesday morning at Marwell Wildlife.

The male calf was born shortly after 12:30pm in the zoo’s Arid Lands exhibit, opposite the meerkats. Guests were able to watch the incredibly rare birth through the viewing window.

The new arrival has not been named yet but is reported to be feeding well having found his feet shortly after he was born.

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Baby Saki: Cuteness Overload!

Meet Marwell’s adorable white-faced saki baby who took keepers by surprise, arriving on Boxing Day to parents Manja and Twenke.

White-faced saki are native to Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil, where they live in a variety of forest habitats.

They are currently listed as being of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened species and the animals at Marwell are part of an international breeding programme.

Staff - Comms - White-faced saki baby and mother

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Red River Hoglets!

We’re celebrating the arrival of Marwell Wildlife’s first ever red river hoglets, born at Marwell On Sunday 7 August.

The twins, who are yet to be named, were born to mother Lisla and father Kermit and are already exploring their enclosure between naps.

Red river hoglets have more vivid markings than their adult counterparts and in the wild, the rows of pale yellow spots would help them camouflage in long grass to avoid being seen by predators.

Staff - Comms - Red river hog piglet twins (2)

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Tiny Zebra Zoomies!

Marwell is thrilled to announce the birth of an endangered Grevy’s zebra foal born to first time mum Khumba.

Grevy’s are the largest zebra species and are found in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia where there are currently thought to be fewer than 2,000 in the wild.

Populations have suffered as a result of habitat loss, extended periods of drought and poaching but are now thought to be stabilising.

Zoo Photographer - Credit Paul Collins - Grevys foal 2022

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Horse Foal Born To A Family Of Horses Once Extinct In The Wild

Marwell is delighted to announce the birth of a rare Przewalski’s foal. These horses were extinct in the wild from 1969 until 2008, so the birth is exciting for the Endangered species.

The male foal was born to parents Nogger and Speranzer on May 28 and has been named Basil after the first male Przewalski’s horse ever to live at the zoo.

Basil senior was born in 1963 and joined Marwell in 1970 prior to the zoo opening in 1972, before moving on to San Diego Zoo.

The naming of the new foal is a nod to Marwell’s 50th anniversary, which the zoo is celebrating this year.

Keepers report the new youngster is staying close to its mother and the females of the herd are being protective.

The male foal will go on to be an important part of the European Ex-Situ Breeding Programme.

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The Moment Wallaby Joeys Emerge From The Pouch For The First Time

Marwell Zoo has shared the adorable moment two red-necked wallaby joeys emerge from their mothers’ pouches.

The youngsters are already a few months old but have only just started to peek out from the comfort of their mothers’ pouches.  

Young are born at a very early stage of development when they are just 2-2.5cm long and weighing less than 1g, around the size of a jellybean.

Credit PhotosByGemma - 2022 Baby wallaby (20)

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Marwell Zoo Visitors Treated To The Birth Of An Endangered Grevy’s Zebra Foal 

Visitors to Marwell Zoo were treated to the sight of a rare zebra foal being born.

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The endangered Grevy’s zebra gave birth to a healthy foal at the zoo’s Wild Explorers paddock opposite Marwell’s Grade 1 listed hall in front of amazed onlookers.

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Keepers carefully monitored the zebra from a distance and answered questions from guests, while first-time mother Ellen gave birth in just 30 minutes.

Both mother and foal, whose name and gender are to be confirmed, are doing very well.

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Marwell Zoo Celebrates Latest Newborn Of Threatened Species

Marwell Zoo is celebrating its latest birth of a threatened Przewalski’s horse foal.

The species became extinct in the wild and became reliant on captive breeding and reintroduction for their survival.

Keepers say the newborn Przewalski’s horse foal is thriving.

Director of Conservation, Dr Tim Woodfine, said: “This birth is a welcome addition to the species’ European Ex situ Programme (EEPs), which is a specially managed assurance population.

Our Przewalski’s horse foal is a reminder that this species disappeared from its natural range but has since been successfully reintroduced.

"Przewalski’s horses had disappeared from the wild by the end of the 1960s. Marwell played a key role on forming a cooperative breeding programme for this species and planning its reintroduction. We since provided animals for reintroduction in Mongolia and Hungary, and for grazing management projects in European nature reserves”.


Marwell Park Welcomes Two Zebra Foals Within Days of Each Other

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Marwell Wildlife is celebrating the birth of two Hartmann’s mountain zebra foals. The Hartmann’s zebra is Vulnerable, and Marwell is one of the few UK zoos to breed the species. Marwell also manages the International Studbook and the European Ex situ Programme (EEP) for the species which are mainly found in Namibia but also Angola and South Africa. The first was born to Dayimani and Davu and the second was born to Dorotka and Davu. The wild Hartmann’s mountain zebra population suffered a dramatic loss in the early 1980s due to extreme droughts. While the species has recovered to more than 30,000 individuals since then an event similar to the one in the 1980s is increasingly likely under climate change. This could wipe out more than 30 per cent of the wild population making the zoo populations an important back up for the conservation of the species.

 

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Flamingo Hatching Caught on Camera at Marwell Zoo

1_Credit Marwell Zoo - Greater Flamingo chick 10

There’s a new fluffy addition to the Greater Flamingo family at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, UK. A little chick hatched recently and was caught on camera on its very first day in the world.

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3_Credit Marwell Zoo - Greater Flamingo chick 8

4_Credit Marwell Zoo - Greater Flamingo chick 12Photo Credits: Marwell Zoo

It’s been over four years since the zoo had a Greater Flamingo chick successfully reared. Before the new arrival, the animal team worked hard to encourage the adult birds to nest by adjusting a few husbandry techniques. Keepers constructed some artificial nests earlier in the year to encourage the birds to build their own, and a new soil and sand ratio mix was added to make it easier for the flamingos to build the nests. With the recent heat, the bird team has also been using a sprinkler system twice a day to help the nests retain their shape and not crumble.

Ross Brown, Animal Collection Manager at Marwell Zoo, said, “We’ve had 12 eggs this year, however fertility levels are notoriously unpredictable in Greater Flamingos, so as the saying goes, we’re not counting our flamingos until they’ve hatched! However, we are hopeful we should see some more chicks in the coming weeks, so watch this space.”

When Greater Flamingo chicks first hatch, they have pale grey down, which is soon replaced by a second, darker coat of down. Flamingos feed their chicks with ‘flamingo milk’, which is produced in their crop. This milk is similar to mammal milk and is produced by both male and female flamingos.

For more information, or to adopt a Greater Flamingo, visit www.marwell.org.uk .

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