Marwell Zoological Park

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This zebra lives in a big herd

From the Snow Leopards looking bridge you can dee these gemsboks

Marwell Zoological Park, or Marwell Zoo, is situated in Hampshire, England, near Winchester. Opened in 1972, it was one of the earliest zoos in Europe to place an emphasis on animal conservation and is considered one of the leading instituations in that field. It is best known for its Lemurs, holding a large colony of Ring-tailed Lemurs. It also holds a group of Giraffes. It has a reputation for large groups of ungulates managed through breeding programmes.

1 Conservation
2 Location
3 Media Coverage
4 External links

[edit] Conservation

The zoo's logo is a silhouetted Oryx. The Oryx was one of the first species kept at Marwell and more than 200 calves have been born and reared there since 1972. London, Whipsnade and Edinburgh Zoos co-operate with Marwell's Oryx breeding programme, which aims to reintroduce the animal to its natural habitat.

In December 1985 ten yearling Oryx were transferred from Marwell to the Bou Hedma National Park in Tunisia (part of the former range of their ancestors). In the eight years preceding their arrival an area of 24 square kilometres had been kept free from habitation, grazing and cultivation, resulting in a dramatic recovery of vegetation, and provision of a perfect reintroduction site for the captive-born oryx. Since 1985, the herd has settled in extremely well, has started to breed, and has become increasingly wary of humans.

[edit] Location

Marwell Hall - Ostriches can be seen resting in the field

The Zoological Park exists in the manor of Marwell. Marwell Hall is a Grade one listed building and was once the residence of Sir Henry Seymour (brother of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife) so it is likely that Henry visited on several occasions. There is local tale that Henry and Seymour were married in a private ceremony either at the hall, or in nearby Owslebury very soon after news arrived from London confirming the death of Anne Boleyn.^[1]

During WWII an area to the south of the estate was used as a dispersal airfield (code X1MH^[2]).

[edit] Media Coverage

In 2003, after constructing a new enclosure for critically endangered Amur leopards, the zoo faced public criticism after a female leopard escaped and fell to her death only days before the official opening of the exhibit. Following a replacement, the first cub born to the new pair escaped into the male's enclosure through a partition and was killed. There are only 30 of these animals in the wild, and the captive stock are part of a programme to increase their numbers.

In 1977, a giraffe called Victor collapsed on his stomach, and was unable to get up. The Press claimed that he had slipped while trying to mate. All attempts to get him on his feet failed, and his plight became a major international news story. The Royal Navy were brought in, and made a sling to winch him onto his feet. Unfortunately, he died of a heart-attack very shortly afterwards. The publicity turned Marwell into a major tourist attraction, and interest was revived the following summer, when Victor's mate Dribbles, gave birth to a female calf, Victoria.

An interesting feature at the zoo is a multimedia guide that runs on Palm handheld computers. Visitors can use the guide to learn about the animals, and to visualize images and movies about them. The guide was developed by Lapavalley.