Autumn 2003
Record-Breaking Summer!
This year looks like breaking all records for visitor numbers: 49,000 so far - hope you were one of them!
Not everyone seems to realise that you can visit the Park all year round. We are open to the public until November, and after that just at weekends. School groups, however, can book for any day of the year and admission is, as usual, absolutely free.
We usually get some lovely golden, sunny days in autumn - the Park looks great, so come and see us!
Braddan Keeps the Otter
Mrs Newton of Braddan School Hiding in the Jungle!
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 Ballasalla Reception |
This year's Otter
Trophy prize was won by the infants at Braddan School, making it their
fourth win! Their entry, based on weeks of themed work, filled several
classrooms and was described as "unbeatable" by the judges.
Year 1 from Auldyn were excellent runners-up, and entries from Ballasalla
Reception, the Manx School at St Johns, and Kewaigue years 1 & 2 were
highly commended by the judges.
As this was the trophy's last year, the trophy will live permanently at
Braddan. A new competition will be launched next year, with the aim of
giving more children the opportunity to take part.
Many thanks to Penny Creighton and the Isle of Man Bank for sponsoring the competition.
New Births
Capybaras
Two baby capybaras were born at the end of August, and
seem to be doing well. Capybara babies are born with fur and with their
eyes open, and can trot around after mum from birth. This is good news
for our visitors, who can see the cute new arrivals following their
mother round the pen. The picture shows just one of the babies, the
other one was hiding just behind.
Panda
You may have already read about the exciting birth of
a red panda earlier this summer. Baby pandas spend their first few months
safely hidden away in a nest, so visitors who made a special visit to
see our new arrival were disappointed. Then someone had the idea of
putting a tiny, hidden camera in the nest box, so now you can watch
the baby on a small video screen outside the enclosure. In this photo,
you can just about make out the baby's face.
Squirrel
Monkeys
Two more squirrel monkeys were born in early August,
bringing the total number of births up to four. From birth, squirrel
monkeys cling to their mother's back, riding around with her as she
leaps through the branches! It's fun to watch the squirrel monkey island
and to try to spot which ones are carrying their babies. The mother
in this picture is pretending to be camera-shy....
Bali
Starling
The pair of Bali starlings in the "Life on Islands"
enclosure have successfully reared a chick this season. This is one
of the world's rarest birds - in the wild, they survive only in one
nature reserve in Bali - so a birth is always an important event. In
this photo, the baby is on the left.
Schoolroom goes Digital
The Friends of the Wildlife Park have very kindly raised the money to buy a digital projector for the Park. This is good news for our Education Department because it means that slide shows and powerpoint presentations can be screened in the schoolroom.
Snake News
The latest news on our large boa constrictor family is that they are all doing well! Feeding time takes ages: twice a week, each baby boa has to be tempted to grab a (dead) mouse, and carefully watched until the mouse has been swallowed.
If each baby takes just five minutes to feed, you can work out for yourself how long it takes to feed all 42 of them. Sometimes they grab your finger instead of their mouse. Ouch!
Come and see us soon!
Liz Brunswick (Education Officer)
To book a school visit, phone me on 897323 (Park) or 897511 (home)