First Red Squirrels in a Kent woodland for 50 years!

Find out more about our successful reintroduction of red squirrels in Clocaenog Forest

* PRESS RELEASE *     Wildwood Trust is releasing the first Red Squirrels to their amazing open-air woodland walkthrough – the first squirrels to live in a Kentish woodland for 50 years. On Saturday 25th of May, three Red Squirrels will be released into their new immersive woodland enclosure.   Visitors will walk through the squirrel’s habitat, meandering through the trees on a raised platform to watch the Red Squirrels at play without disturbing them. The squirrels, shy at first, will get used to visitors and in a few weeks, we hope to give daily experiences where people can watch the squirrels being hand fed by their keepers.   This project is part of a major plan to bring red squirrels back to Kent and repopulate the county.   Wildwood has been hard at work repopulating Wales with Red Squirrels over the last 12 years with great success, and now, with conservation partners, we hope to work towards their eventual release into Kent. This can only happen if we create the right conditions for reds and will need the interaction of wild pine martens, rebalancing Kentish woodlands, to favour Red Squirrels thriving over the invasive North American grey squirrel.     As of Saturday 25th, three Red Squirrels, soon to be joined by more, will have access to the enclosure, but it will take time for the squirrels to feel at home. Unfortunately, visitors may be disappointed if they are hoping to see the squirrels at play for the next few weeks as they get used to their new home.   Reversing 50 years of extinction is one of the main charitable goals of Wildwood Trust and the new squirrels will act as ambassadors, promoting a plan to reintroduce red squirrels to Kent.   Red squirrels became extinct in Kent in the 1960s, driven to extinction by natural destruction and being out-competed by invasive North American grey squirrels. But many can still remember them from their childhood, when Kent once teemed with these beautiful acrobats of the trees!   Paul Whitfield, Director General of Wildwood Trust, said:    “I am delighted with the amazing work of our Rangers and Keepers, supported by volunteers, in creating this woodland oasis. This is the best red squirrel exhibit in the country and people in Kent will once again be able experience walking though woodlands filled with free roaming red squirrels”.   Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust Director, said:   "Red squirrels are one of the most beautiful animals in the U.K. and visitors can watch these playful animals over the summer leaping between trees in their huge fenced off woodland home. If we can help restore areas of woodland to a native state, reintroduce animals like pine martens to control invasive grey squirrels, we can tip the balance back in the red squirrel's favour. Our eventual plan is to once again see them in Kent".     CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Paul Whitfield: paul@wildwoodtrust.org or 07956 123633 Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Nr Canterbury, Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No. 1093702 FOLLOW US Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildwoodTrust Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust ABOUT WILDWOOD Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.

Wildwood Trust | Copyright - © 2018 Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org

First Red Squirrels in a Kent woodland for 50 years!

Find out more about our successful reintroduction of red squirrels in Clocaenog Forest

* PRESS RELEASE *     Wildwood Trust is releasing the first Red Squirrels to their amazing open-air woodland walkthrough – the first squirrels to live in a Kentish woodland for 50 years. On Saturday 25th of May, three Red Squirrels will be released into their new immersive woodland enclosure.   Visitors will walk through the squirrel’s habitat, meandering through the trees on a raised platform to watch the Red Squirrels at play without disturbing them. The squirrels, shy at first, will get used to visitors and in a few weeks, we hope to give daily experiences where people can watch the squirrels being hand fed by their keepers.   This project is part of a major plan to bring red squirrels back to Kent and repopulate the county.   Wildwood has been hard at work repopulating Wales with Red Squirrels over the last 12 years with great success, and now, with conservation partners, we hope to work towards their eventual release into Kent. This can only happen if we create the right conditions for reds and will need the interaction of wild pine martens, rebalancing Kentish woodlands, to favour Red Squirrels thriving over the invasive North American grey squirrel.     As of Saturday 25th, three Red Squirrels, soon to be joined by more, will have access to the enclosure, but it will take time for the squirrels to feel at home. Unfortunately, visitors may be disappointed if they are hoping to see the squirrels at play for the next few weeks as they get used to their new home.   Reversing 50 years of extinction is one of the main charitable goals of Wildwood Trust and the new squirrels will act as ambassadors, promoting a plan to reintroduce red squirrels to Kent.   Red squirrels became extinct in Kent in the 1960s, driven to extinction by natural destruction and being out-competed by invasive North American grey squirrels. But many can still remember them from their childhood, when Kent once teemed with these beautiful acrobats of the trees!   Paul Whitfield, Director General of Wildwood Trust, said:    “I am delighted with the amazing work of our Rangers and Keepers, supported by volunteers, in creating this woodland oasis. This is the best red squirrel exhibit in the country and people in Kent will once again be able experience walking though woodlands filled with free roaming red squirrels”.   Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust Director, said:   "Red squirrels are one of the most beautiful animals in the U.K. and visitors can watch these playful animals over the summer leaping between trees in their huge fenced off woodland home. If we can help restore areas of woodland to a native state, reintroduce animals like pine martens to control invasive grey squirrels, we can tip the balance back in the red squirrel's favour. Our eventual plan is to once again see them in Kent".     CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Paul Whitfield: paul@wildwoodtrust.org or 07956 123633 Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Nr Canterbury, Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No. 1093702 FOLLOW US Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildwoodTrust Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust ABOUT WILDWOOD Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.

Wildwood Trust | Copyright - © 2018 Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org

Wildwood Newsletter - May

Wildwood Newsletter - May 2019

Robbery Update   Following the robbery of hundreds of pounds in donations to Wildwood's baby dormouse appeal, we are delighted to confirm that the police have arrested and charged one man and a second man has been released under investigation. We have been overwhelmed by the help and generosity shown by our supporters during this difficult time and would like to say a huge thank you to you all for restoring our faith in humanity. Together we really can make a difference and prevent the dormouse becoming extinct in Britain.

May Half-Term: 25th May - 2nd June   Go wild in the woods this May Half-Term holiday at Wildwood. We have plenty of FREE activities to entertain both adults and children including daily talks/feeds, meet an animal sessions, touchtables, Wildwood Watch, Ice Age Day and our Wildwood Detective Trail with prize draw. We also have our menagerie of British wildlife from past and present, the new Red Squirrel Walkthrough, the Bear Bridge and our exciting adventure playpark - all wrapped up in 40 acres of ancient woodland!   Find out more about Half-Term at Wildwood

New life at Wildwood   Spring always brings new life to Wildwood and we're happy to have recently welcomed a new reindeer calf, Soay sheep lambs, red chough and boarlets to the park. We're also hoping that we'll soon have some new baby cranes, otters and another reindeer in the coming months. Fingers crossed!

New residents at Wildwood   In addition to the new births, we've recently welcomed some new animals to the park. Wallace the Scottish wildcat joins Isla to bring our Scottish wildcat population to 3 pairs. We also have some new hedgehogs and two very curious polecat-ferrets.

Birds of Prey Flying Team   In preparation for our Flying Show in the summer holidays, we've been busy training up our flying team of Barnaby the barn owl, Gimli the tawny owl and our long-eared owls, Betty and Rusty. You can catch them in out outdoor arena next to the raven enclosure most days at 2.15pm.

Red Squirrel Walkthrough Official Opening - 25th May   We're very excited to officially open our new Red Squirrel Walkthrough on 25th May! The squirrels are currently in their enclosure inside of the walkthrough and getting used to their new surroundings. All visitors to the park are now welcome to explore the walkthrough, but please note that the squirrels will be kept in their enclosure until our official opening on 25th May.

Eggciting Red Chough News   A group of Chough experts from Jersey, Cornwall and the University of Kent (DICE) recently met with Wildwood's conservation team and colleagues from KWT and Dover Castle to discuss chough conservation and a proposed reintroduction project at Dover Castle in Kent. Chough used to be abundant along the sea coasts from Cornwall to Dover but became extinct in Kent by 1776. The chough remains locally iconic, adorning the Canterbury coat of arms and civic regalia. In collaboration with the Kent Wildlife Trust we are working to return these amazingly acrobatic and charismatic birds to our Kent coastline. Our pair of chough here at Wildwood have bred in previous years and have been successful again this year. Hopefully, they will soon be seen flying around the skies of Dover!

Bear Experiences 2019   Our bear experiences for 2019 are available to book online and are available until the end of September. Due to popular demand and the enrichment provided to the bears, we have introduced extra afternoon sessions. Wildwood Bear Experiences are a unique opportunity to meet and learn all about Wildwood's two rescued bears with exclusive behind the scenes access. Walk through the bears' large enclosure to scatter a feed, before meeting the bears and giving them a treat in their smaller enclosure. Then let them out into their large enclosure, where they will sniff out and hunt down the scattered food.   Click here to book now

Twilight Tours   Twilight Tours are VIP after hours guided tours that take place amongst the lengthening shadows but whilst the woodland is still light. Once the park is closed for the day the animals come out to play. Meet our animals and hear all about them with a Wildwood expert. Twilight tours include a hot meal in our restaurant, served 30 minutes before the start of the tour. The tours then last approximately 2 hours. We have limited space for 17th June and the 17th July - book soon to avoid disappointment!   Click here to book now

Wildwood Trust is a Key Contributor to Global Animal Database   Maintained by Species360, a non-profit member-driven organization, a database known as Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) is collating animal data on a global scale, with zoos, aquariums, refuge, research, and education centers in 97 countries involved in the project. The data is helping to bolster demographic knowledge of species, which in turn can conserve wildlife. Wildwood Trust has been using ZIMS and contributing data on our animals since 2013. Since then, we have added data on 2132 birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals of 155 species, making a huge impact on the understanding of those species’ life histories.   Find out more about Species360

Conservation Courses   Our popular Wildwood nature courses are now available for our summer period, catering from complete beginners and amateur naturalists through to wildlife professionals. We cover a variety of topics ranging from species ecology, conservation and handling to outdoor crafts. To find out more, visit  https://wildwoodtrust.org/wildwood-kent/conservation/conservation-courses.    Click here to book now

Special Offer   Our friends at W.W.Norton are offering a discount for the wonderful "Sprout Lands" to fans of Wildwood. This book offers us practical knowledge about how to live with trees to mutual benefit, following author William Bryant Logan on a global journey. To order Sprout Lands at a special discount of 25% + free shipping please click here and add the code WN641 when prompted at the checkout. Terms and Conditions apply, please see T&Cs at the linked page.   Click here to claim offer

Picture of the Month

FOLLOW US Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildwoodTrust Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust   ABOUT WILDWOOD Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.

Wildwood Trust Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org