Marwell Hall, January 2006 |
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| Date opened | 1972 |
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| Location | Owslebury, Hampshire, England |
| Land area | 140 acres (57 ha) |
| Number of animals | 1222+ (2009) |
| Number of species | 235 (2009) |
| Memberships | BIAZA,[1] EAZA,[2] WAZA,[3] IUCN[4] |
| Major exhibits | Tropical World, Roof of the World, Into Africa, Heart of Africa, Life in the Trees |
| Website | http://www.marwell.org.uk |
Marwell Wildlife, formerly known as Marwell Zoological Park, is a 140-acre (57 ha) zoo situated at Owslebury in the English county of Hampshire, near Winchester. It is home to over 1,200 animals of 235 different species,[5] and in 2007 was voted by Hampshire residents in an online poll as the place they were most proud of.[6]
Beyond the park itself, Marwell Wildlife is also a registered charity that works for international conservation, with a particular focus in Africa in addition to work from its base in Hampshire. Its name was changed from Marwell Zoo in 2009 to reflect these wider activities.[7]
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The zoological park is situated in the estate of Marwell Hall, a Grade I listed building where Henry VIII is believed to have courted Lady Jane Seymour.[8] During World War II, an area within the estate was used as an airfield.[9]
The zoo was founded by John Knowles, opening in 1972. It was one of the earliest zoos in Europe to place an emphasis on animal conservation. Within a few years of its establishment, it became an important breeding centre for several species, some (e.g. the Mongolian Wild Horse) already extinct in the wild, others (e.g. the Snow Leopard and Siberian Tiger) close to extinction.[10]
In 1977, a giraffe called Victor tore a muscle in his leg, collapsed on his stomach, and was unable to get up. The press suggested that he had slipped while trying to mate and compared his situation to the splits.[11] All attempts to get him on his feet failed, and his plight became a major international news story. Portsmouth Dockyard made a hoist to attempt to raise him onto his feet. He died of a heart attack very shortly afterward in the arms of his keeper.[12] 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 named Victoria.
In 1999, the zoo lost all of its penguins (22 African and 5 Macaroni) to avian malaria.[13] There were other cases in the UK but Marwell was the only zoo to lose its entire colony, which had arrived only two and a half years before to stock the new Penguin World exhibit. After consulting with experts, the exhibit was restocked with Humboldt penguins, which whilst endangered in the wild, are present in greater numbers in captivity.
In 2003, after constructing a new enclosure for critically endangered Amur leopards, a female leopard (Jade) escaped and fell from a tree to her death[14] only days before the official opening of the exhibit. Following a replacement after the death of Jade, in 2005 the first cub born to the new Amur leopard pair, Amirah, escaped into the male's enclosure and was killed by her father.[14] On 18 November 2007, a female Amur leopard cub (named Kiska following a public vote) was born as a result of a European Conservation Breeding Programme.
On 22 May 2011 the zoo was consulted by Hampshire Constabulary for advice on how to tranquilise a white tiger lurking in grass at Hedge End. The tiger turned out to be a life-size cuddly toy.[15]
Marwell houses the largest collection of ungulates in a UK zoo, including;
The zoo's exhibits[5] include:
The park includes a number of themed areas, including:
Into Africa is an African themed exhibit which includes giraffes, sable antelope, porcupines, weaverbirds and Old World monkeys.
The Heart of Africa exhibit is themed on the Congo rainforests and is home to bongos, Congo buffalo and Lake Malawi cichlids.
Housed inside a large glass house this exhibit is filled with rainforest creatures including a dwarf crocodile, poison arrow frogs, piranhas, tarantulas, frilled lizards, leafcutter ants and others.
Themed along the Himalayan mountain range, this area of the zoo exhibits snow leopards, owls and takins in natural surroundings.
This enclosure features a long glass corridor around the lemur enclosures.
Previously home to African and rockhopper penguins (which died out after a disease outbreak), this enclosure is home to a 25-strong group of Humboldt penguins.[16]
These climate-controlled exhibits are home to sand cats, addax, dorcas gazelles, desert locusts and spiny mice.
This exhibit was refurbished in 2007 and currently a walk-through aviary for African birds, Cold Blooded Corner, a reptile house housing rare species' such as Gila Monster and Madagascan Tree Boa, a partula snail unit, chipmunk and lovebird aviaries, a toddler's play area, kiosk, and shop.
Attached to Encounter Village, this was part of the 2007 renovations. It consists of two walk-through areas. The first part is home to Bennett's wallabies, and the second is an aviary, home to kookaburras and parma wallabies.
This exhibit is modelled on an Indonesian rainforest and featuring a traditional long boat house as the centrepiece, this exhibit is home to siamangs, anoa, Asian small-clawed otters, Prevost's Squirrels, Tree Shrews and Giant Stick Insects.
Opened in 2009, the first phase of this exhibit has Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Ostrich and Waterbuck roaming free in 25 acres (10 ha) of land centred around a waterhole.
Opened in July 2010, this includes a knot garden, parterre garden and a kitchen garden as well as a self-guided 'tree trail'
There are a number of refreshment facilities around the park, including 'Cafe Graze' serving hot meals and several kiosks serving a selection of snack food.
The Ark Gift Shop is located just inside the entrance to the park.
The main current Marwell Wildlife conservation programmes include Managing biodiversity in Hampshire, Assisting Grevy's Zebra and its ecosystem, in Kenya, Supporting threatened species in Zimbabwe, and Managing the population of small vulnerable populations, and reintroducing the scimitar-horned oryx to the Sahara.[17]
The zoo has been involved in reintroducing wild horse, Golden Lion Tamarin, roan antelope and Scimitar Oryx to the wild . The oryx is extinct in the wild, but more than 200 calves have been born and reared at the zoo since 1972 and many of these were released back to the Sahara with animals from Whipsnade Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo.
The charity also carries out a range of research and education activities.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marwell_Wildlife Marwell Wildlife] at Wikimedia Commons
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