Beale Park

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Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens

Date opened	1956
Location	Lower Basildon Reading Berkshire RG8 9NH
Coordinates	51°30′N 1°6.5′W / 51.500°N 1.1083°W / 51.500; -1.1083
Website	bealepark.co.uk

Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped gardens and woodlands; and children's play areas.

The park was founded in 1956 by Gilbert Beale as his own private park. He was a keen collector and breeder of peacocks and these birds still roam free in the park. The park is known locally as both "Child-Beale" (after the founding charity) and colloquially as "The Peacock Farm."

Attractions

Beale Railway

Over recent years the park has expanded to accommodate a wide variety of visitors, especially the youngest ones. The park has recently built a roplay area, a pets area, sand pits, paddling pools, Little Tikes Play Area and the Beale Railway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) section of 10¹⁄₂ in (267 mm) narrow gauge railway on which are run a steam train, "John Remmy", and a diesel "Sir Humphrey Davy", each capable of pulling 5 carriages and 50 people.^[1] Thirteen people were injured when a steam train crashed on the Beale Railway on Saturday, 27 June 2009.^[2]

For older visitors there are the gardens, lakes and the model boat exhibition.

There is also a gift shop, education centre and restaurant on site.

Birds

One of the ducks the lemurs live with

Beale Park's aviaries are home to a wide variety of bird species that are threatened with extinction. Most notable are the Green Peafowl, the Mountain Peacock Pheasant and the Bali Starling. There is also successful breeding programme and several birds have been released back to the wild.

There are many themed aviaries around the park including: Regional aviaries (home to African, Asian and Australian birds), the walkthrough aviary, the owlery, Madagascan aviary and the flamingos.

Changes

Over recent years the park has expanded greatly to a more zoological collection, the park now houses lemurs, owls, and in 2007 meerkats, prairie dogs and Tamarins arrived.

2008 has seen the arrival of various new exhibits and attractions including; A New Zealand Islands exhibit home Wallabies and Arapawa Goats, A Small African Mammals enclosure purpose built for Yellow Mongoose and Bat-eared Foxes with a raised walkway for improved viewing and also a new pair of Capybaras.

References

↑ Beale Park - Attractions - Train
↑ Steam train crash on mini railway, BBC News, Saturday, 27 June 2009

External links

Media related to Beale Park at Wikimedia Commons
Official website

v t e Zoological gardens in the United Kingdom

Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animals

Zoos	Africa Alive! Amazon World Zoo Banham Zoo Beale Park Belfast Zoo Birdland Park and Gardens Birdworld Birmingham Nature Centre Blackbrook Zoological Park Blackpool Zoo Borth Animalarium Bristol Zoo Chessington World of Adventures Chester Zoo Colchester Zoo Cotswold Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park Curraghs Wildlife Park Dartmoor Zoological Park Drayton Manor Zoo Drusillas Zoo Park Dudley Zoo Durrell Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Flamingo Land Resort Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Hamerton Zoo Howletts Wild Animal Park International Centre for Birds of Prey Isle of Wight Zoo Lakeland Wildlife Oasis London Zoo Marwell Wildlife Monkey World New Forest Wildlife Park Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Paignton Zoo Paradise Park, Cornwall Paradise Wildlife Park Plantasia Rare Species Conservation Centre Seaview Wildlife Encounter South Lakes Wild Animal Park Tropical World at Roundhay Park The Living Rainforest Tropiquaria Twycross Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Whipsnade Zoo Wildwood Discovery Park Wingham Wildlife Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Safari parks	Blair Drummond Safari Park Highland Wildlife Park Knowsley Safari Park Longleat Safari Park Port Lympne Wild Animal Park West Midland Safari Park Woburn Safari Park

Permanently closed	Belle Vue Zoo Glasgow Zoo Coventry Zoo Manchester Zoological Gardens Southport Zoo Windsor Safari Park

Category List Commons

v t e Zoos, aquariums, and aviaries

Types of zoos	Animal sanctuary Animal theme park Aquarium Aviary Bear pit Butterfly zoo Dolphinarium Herpetarium Insectarium Nature center Marine mammal park Menagerie Night safari Oceanarium Penguinarium Pheasantry Petting zoo Reptile centre Safari park Serpentarium Virtual zoo Vivarium Zoo

Conservation	Biodiversity Endangered species Extinction Ex-situ conservation In-situ conservation

Lists	Aquariums Conservation topics Dolphinariums Zoos Zoo associations

Animals	Amphibian Bird Fish Invertebrate Mammal Reptile

Other topics	Animals in captivity Animal training Behavioral enrichment Captive breeding Frozen zoo Immersion exhibit Nocturnal house Wildlife conservation Zookeeper Zoology

Portal Project Category Commons

Coordinates: 51°30′N 1°6.5′W / 51.500°N 1.1083°W / 51.500; -1.1083

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