December Newsletter

Newsletter - December 2017

Merry Christmas and a warm welcome to the December edition of the Wildwood newsletter.  If you wish to know more about any of our stories or Wildwood in general, then please feel free to email us at info@wildwoodtrust.org Thank you for your continued support. We'll see you again soon!

Return of the sand lizard Four Sand Lizards have recently arrived at Wildwood from Chester Zoo. They are currently housed off show in our Conservation building. The four individuals are being used for educational purposes; informing our visitors about the endangered species and their conservation, and improving our keepers' experience/knowledge of the animal. It is hoped to breed from these individuals in time, and all offspring will be moved into outdoor enclosures at Wildwood. Our keepers have named our three males Tom, Dick and Harry, and our female, Sandy. Video of our new sand lizards

Not that common, cranes This month has seen the arrival of two common cranes to the park.  Although only young, we hope they’ll be a successful breeding pair in the future and raise chicks. Our new cranes are currently in isolation within our stork and crane paddock – look closely and you’ll be able to see them!

Kristmas Kenny Our handsome male reindeer, Kenny, is settling into his new paddock next to the Christmas Grotto. Although he has access to his indoor stable, Kenny seems to prefer roaming his outside pen where he can see everything that’s going on. You’ll have the opportunity to see him whether you’re stopping at the Christmas Grotto or visiting the park. It won’t be long before he takes to the sky and helps pull Santa’s sleigh!

Wildcat breeding As part of the Scottish Wildcat breeding programme, Wildwood has been given the go ahead to breed our wildcat pair by officials at The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Carna, our female, had her implant removed in November, and keepers will begin work on the off-show birthing pen. If all goes to plan, RJ and Carna should produce kittens from April next year!

Last chance for adoption for Christmas Left your present shopping a little late this year? Not sure what to get for that person who's impossible to buy for? You still have the option of gifting someone a Wildwood adoption for one of our animals. Up until 4pm on Friday, you can phone us on 01227 712111 to order and then collect from our shop between 10am - 4pm on Saturday. * You must order by phone, online orders will not be received until after Christmas. Choice of animals is subject to availability.

Amazon wishlist We have a passionate team of people at Wildwood working hard, no matter how cold and wet it gets - our rangers who maintain the park, the keepers who look after our animals and their enclosures, the education team who teach children about nature, our conservation & research team plus our army of volunteers who donate their precious time to help out. As a charity, we run the park and our conservation projects on a very tight budget and are asking for your help. We have set up an Amazon wishlist for tools, protective clothing and research equipment that would make our job of preserving British wildlife that much easier. If you would like to donate an item, please click on the button to see what we need. Each item will really help the charity for many years to come. View the wishlist

Wolf enclosure Anyone visiting the park in recent weeks may have noticed the construction of a new viewing area at the extended wolf enclosure.  The area consists of a window ridden walkway which runs out 30ft into the enclosure putting you right amongst the action. Above this is the viewing platform to get a birds eye view of the wolves. It's all hand-built by our talented team of rangers and is almost complete. We'll let you know as soon as the wolves move in!

Genome sequencing To commemorate the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute turning 25 in 2018, the Institute and its collaborators are sequencing 25 new genomes of species in the UK. The final five species have now been chosen by thousands of school children and members of the public around the globe, who participated in the 25 Genomes Project online vote. The final five are: * Common Starfish * Fen Raft Spider * Lesser Spotted Catshark * Asian Hornet * Eurasian Otter Wildwood Trust is one of the formal partners in this project and we eagerly await the results, particularly those of the Red Squirrel and Eurasian Otter which could prove invaluable for our preservation efforts!

Help us to help the harvest mouse Wildwood Trust is working in collaboration with the Kent Mammal Group on a project to find out the current distribution of the Harvest Mouse across the county of Kent. The species is thought to be declining, but without an up-to-date survey of their distribution it is difficult to know its true conservation status. If you are interested in helping us reach our goal of surveying the whole of Kent for Harvest Mice you can attend our FREE “Harvest Mouse Ecology and Surveying” course at Wildwood on Saturday 20th January, that will give you all the background and field skills required to go out and survey your local area for Harvest Mice. Help us help the Harvest Mouse! Find out more

Picture of the month

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

Sand Lizard Returns to Kent

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UK'S RAREST LIZARDS RETURNS TO KENT

Keepers and conservationists at Wildwood Trust took delivery of 4 of Britain's rarest lizards today. The Sand lizards which were believed to have gone extinct in Kent in the 1970's, will be bred at the Canterbury based wildlife conservation charity with a view to reintroducing them to their former range. The sand lizards - an endangered UK species – survived in Kent until the 1970's on sand dunes and one of the last reported sightings was next to Herne Bay close to the Wildwood Animal park. The species has gone through major decline due to habitat loss, with their coastal dune and heathland habitats becoming increasingly fragmented by agricultural expansion and building developments. But a captive breeding and reintroduction programme is now helping the lizards to make a comeback across the UK and Wildwood has now joined forces with leading conservation charities to play its role in the sand lizard's comeback. Sand lizards are the UK's rarest lizard and populations in some areas are so low that we can't just rely on protecting the site, we have to help breed them to boost their numbers. The Lizards came from Chester zoo who have already pioneered the breeding and reintroduction of sand lizards to areas they have gone extinct. Video of Sand Lizards at Wildwood Trust:  https://youtu.be/OUi_g1PVyns

Wildwood's Paul Whitfield who collected the lizards said: "It is a great honour to have these precious animals entrusted to our care. After we have bred them in controlled conditions in our Conservation Centre there will be a chance for visitors to see the sand lizards in a large enclosure we are building that mimics their natural habitat and will help us breed more for the future." Wildwood Trust's, Peter Smith said: "Working with conservation partners we hope to breed and restore sand lizards to their former range. Scientific research has shown that sand lizard numbers can have a significant boost when captive bred animals are released. Those bred in zoos have a higher chance of survival than those that hatch in the wild thanks to the intensive care in their early stages of development, giving them a great head start." Sand Lizards are just one of the many endangered and nationally extinct animals that are being protected at Kent's unique conservation wildlife park. Wildwood Trust offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, bear, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more. To visit us go to www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 01227 712111. Sand lizard facts 1. The sand lizard was once commonly found on dunes and heathland in Britain but the gradual destruction of its habitats has led to its extinction in many places 2. According to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation group (ARC), the lizard was lost altogether from a number of counties including Cheshire, Cornwall, Kent, Sussex, and north and west Wales 3. More than 90% of suitable habitat has also vanished from Merseyside, Surrey and Dorset 4. During the breeding season male sand lizards adopt a bright green colouration to attract a mate. Females are often a sandy brown colour 5. The sand lizard is Britain's only egg-laying lizard. The females lay eggs in burrows dug in the sand in June or July, before they hatch a couple of months later 6. Sand lizards are the UK's biggest lizard species and adults can reach 20cm in length 7. Sand lizards tend to hibernate between November and March, but can be seen basking on rocks in sandy heathland and dunes during the summer 8. Its scientific name is Lacerta agilis

NOTES TO EDITORS: Uncut video for editing and broadcast: avialble here: https://youtu.be/OUi_g1PVyns High resolution photographs and full HD video in 25fps and 50fps are available from the Trust or we can arrange filming and interviews. CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Dan Farrow: dan.farrow@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209617   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 Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org

Sand Lizard Returns to Kent

Unsubscribe View in your browser

UK'S RAREST LIZARDS RETURNS TO KENT

Keepers and conservationists at Wildwood Trust took delivery of 4 of Britain's rarest lizards today. The Sand lizards which were believed to have gone extinct in Kent in the 1970's, will be bred at the Canterbury based wildlife conservation charity with a view to reintroducing them to their former range. The sand lizards - an endangered UK species – survived in Kent until the 1970's on sand dunes and one of the last reported sightings was next to Herne Bay close to the Wildwood Animal park. The species has gone through major decline due to habitat loss, with their coastal dune and heathland habitats becoming increasingly fragmented by agricultural expansion and building developments. But a captive breeding and reintroduction programme is now helping the lizards to make a comeback across the UK and Wildwood has now joined forces with leading conservation charities to play its role in the sand lizard's comeback. Sand lizards are the UK's rarest lizard and populations in some areas are so low that we can't just rely on protecting the site, we have to help breed them to boost their numbers. The Lizards came from Chester zoo who have already pioneered the breeding and reintroduction of sand lizards to areas they have gone extinct. Video of Sand Lizards at Wildwood Trust:  https://youtu.be/OUi_g1PVyns

Wildwood's Paul Whitfield who collected the lizards said: "It is a great honour to have these precious animals entrusted to our care. After we have bred them in controlled conditions in our Conservation Centre there will be a chance for visitors to see the sand lizards in a large enclosure we are building that mimics their natural habitat and will help us breed more for the future." Wildwood Trust's, Peter Smith said: "Working with conservation partners we hope to breed and restore sand lizards to their former range. Scientific research has shown that sand lizard numbers can have a significant boost when captive bred animals are released. Those bred in zoos have a higher chance of survival than those that hatch in the wild thanks to the intensive care in their early stages of development, giving them a great head start." Sand Lizards are just one of the many endangered and nationally extinct animals that are being protected at Kent's unique conservation wildlife park. Wildwood Trust offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, bear, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more. To visit us go to www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 01227 712111. Sand lizard facts 1. The sand lizard was once commonly found on dunes and heathland in Britain but the gradual destruction of its habitats has led to its extinction in many places 2. According to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation group (ARC), the lizard was lost altogether from a number of counties including Cheshire, Cornwall, Kent, Sussex, and north and west Wales 3. More than 90% of suitable habitat has also vanished from Merseyside, Surrey and Dorset 4. During the breeding season male sand lizards adopt a bright green colouration to attract a mate. Females are often a sandy brown colour 5. The sand lizard is Britain's only egg-laying lizard. The females lay eggs in burrows dug in the sand in June or July, before they hatch a couple of months later 6. Sand lizards are the UK's biggest lizard species and adults can reach 20cm in length 7. Sand lizards tend to hibernate between November and March, but can be seen basking on rocks in sandy heathland and dunes during the summer 8. Its scientific name is Lacerta agilis

NOTES TO EDITORS: Uncut video for editing and broadcast: avialble here: https://youtu.be/OUi_g1PVyns High resolution photographs and full HD video in 25fps and 50fps are available from the Trust or we can arrange filming and interviews. CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Dan Farrow: dan.farrow@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209617   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 Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org