Wildwood e-news July'12

Wildwood e-news July '12
 

 

1) Summer fun!
2) Meet Freddy - our new badger
3) Wildwood achieves pine marten breeding
4) Play park badger sett now open
5) Saxon invasion at Wildwood
6) Baby beavers on the Beeb!
7) New conservation courses
8) Rescued baby bat video
9) Items needed - can you help?

1) Summer holiday fun!

At long last the sun is shining and summer is on its way! We have lots in store at Wildwood this summer holiday so come along and join the fun!

Summer Holidays July 21st - September 2nd

FREE talks and feeds around the park every day!

FREE fun trails!

PLUS! face painting and roving animal displays

Saturday 14th Jul - Sunday 5th Aug - Big Butterfly Count!
Pick up a FREE butterfly trail at admissions and see how many you can spot as you make your way around the park. Upload your results when you get home to www.thebigbutterflycount.org to play your part in this nationwide survey to assess the health of our environment.
Free event*. Drop in any time.

Monday 25th Jul - Sunday 12th Aug - Animal Athletes!
Which animals at Wildwood would win gold at the Wildlife Olympics? Who are the best runners, jumpers and swimmers? Pick up a FREE trail and judge the winners as you make your way around the park. Free event*. Drop in any time

Thursday 2nd August – Thunder Moon Night Tour
See our animals under the moonlight on a guided tour to coincide with the full moon. 7.30pm-10pm. £25 per person (min age 10 years). Includes hot meal at 7.30pm

Saturday 18th Aug & Sunday 19th Aug - Saxon re-enactment weekend
Our friends from Regia Anglorum are opening the doors to their Saxon village (burgh) to let you step back in time for a weekend of amazing living history with Saxon crafts, games and a raid on the burgh at 3pm (both days). 10.30am – 4.30pm both days. Drop in any time. £3.50 per person* (under 15yrs free). Please note that Wildwood entry fees or membership also applies.

Tuesday 28th August – Photo Day
Wildlife photography with tuition from our resident photographer. Gift vouchers also available. 10.30am – 4pm. £79 per person, min age 18yrs

Thursday 30th August – Lightning Moon Night Tour
See our animals under the moonlight on a guided tour to coincide with the full moon. 7.30pm-10pm. £25 per person (min age 10 years). Includes hot meal at 7.30pm

Saturday 15th September – Spiders Day!
Discover the secret lives of our eight-legged neighbours in this fun 2-part event. Go on a morning spider hunt through the woodland then spend the afternoon making spider crafts with our Natural Heritage Officer, Steve Kirk. Spider hunt: 11am - 1pm. Spider crafts: 2-4pm. £2 per person, one adult free per family* . Must book.

 

* Please note that Wildwood membership or entry fees apply for these events.

 

2) Meet Freddy - our new badger

Say hello to Freddy, our new badger. Freddy, a young male aged around 4 months was brought to Wildwood by the East Kent Badger Group after being found abandoned near Tenterden. Freddy was found as a young cub, suffering from anaemia and infested with ticks and fleas. Wildwood quickly had him treated and he made a full recovery but being so young he couldn't be released back to the wild as he would not be able to look after himself.  

Freddy is now being slowly introduced to the badger enclosure and has been taking regular walks around the park with his keeper, Gary. Gary said "Badgers are territorial so we are introducing him to the enclosure little by little so that Rodni, our female badger, can get used to him and doesn't feel threatened by his arrival". Freddy is now a little bigger than the picture above but is still a very lively young chap. Keep your eyes open for Freddy when you next visit the park!

 

3) Wildwood celebrates pine marten breeding

Wildwood is celebrating a unique conservation achievement after successfully breeding a pine marten in captivity. The new arrival, thought to be the only captive pine marten to have been bred in the UK this year, is the second time Wildwood has bred pine martens and is a huge boost to Wildwood's captive breeding programme.

This year's successful birth is a result of extensive research and trials by the Wildwood team into pine marten mating habits and how best to manage mating in captivity. As pine martens are a notoriously difficult species to keep on public display, never mind to breed, the park is justifiably proud of this achievement.

Pine martens are a very difficult animal to breed in captivity due to their territorial nature. In the wild pine martens are solitary and occupy large territories which they defend aggressively against other pine martens of either sex. The mating season is the only time that males and females will come together but being so territorial they will often attack a potential mate in order to defend their territory. Therefore the challenge for Wildwood was to bring our male and female together in a safe environment where mating could take place without the risk of a violent encounter.

In order to do this the Wildwood keeper team developed a special tunnel system in and around the animals' enclosures, nicknamed "the tunnels of love". The tunnels are used to allow the male marten to overlap into the female's territory before mating to allow her to get used to the idea of him encroaching on her territory.

Wildwood's head keeper, Paul Wirdnam said "As pine martens can be aggressive towards one another we have to ensure that the pair can come together to mate without risk of injury. Careful monitoring of the animals and timing is crucial to ensure the pair is likely to mate safely. We have allowed the animals to get close to each other through the fence but without contact so that they can see and smell each other and have allowed the male through the tunnels so that he can patrol through her enclosure.  Only once we are satisfied that they are behaving as a compatible pair will we slowly allow the male to enter the female's enclosure, with close monitoring from our staff. We also provide a safe haven for the female in case the male becomes aggressive."

Thanks to the hard work of the team the pine martens bred safely and the new baby is now being spotted peeking out of its nest box and running around the enclosure.

"Pine martens lived throughout the UK until they were trapped, poisoned and shot by gamekeepers in the 19th and 20th century" " commented Peter Smith, Chief Executive of Wildwood "We a committed to restoring the pine marten to its former homes across the UK and hope that this new baby will one day be part of a larger scheme to reintroduce pine martens to the South east of England"

 

4) New play park badger sett now open!

Wildwood's adventure play area continues to go from strength to strength with the opening of our exciting new play badger sett. The new attraction is great for climbing over, around and through – just like a badger! The sett features a climbing wall, scramble net, fireman's pole and 3 slides! Some of our longer-serving members will recognise the caterpillar – he's been recycled from our old play park and given a whole new lease of life (does that mean he should really be a butterfly now?). The new play sett is open every day, great fun for all the budding badgers out there.

 

5) Saxons set to invade Wildwood - again!

Last month saw a Saxon invasion at Wildwood as our friends from Regia Anglorum opened the doors to to Wychurst, their amazing Saxon village (burgh) for a weekend of living history. Wychurst is Regia's permanent site which they have been carefully developing to include a full scale replica an Anglo Saxon Longhall and typical buildings of the era.  Over the weekend visitors travelled back in time to experience how life was lived in an English village circa 1066. with authentic crafts, activities and games. Both days of the weekend climaxed in an epic battle against the marauding Vikings.

If you missed the action last month then don't worry – You can see it all again as Regia Anglorum  are coming back to Wildwood on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th August. The site is open 10.30am – 4.30pm each day, and entry is £3.50 per person (under 15yrs free). Please note that Wildwood membership or entry fees also apply.

 

6) Baby beavers on the Beeb!

As reported in last month's newsletter, Wildwood is now home to three beautiful beaver kits. The kits were born in May and are doing extremely well, being frequently spotted out swimming in the beaver pond. The new arrivals were recently featured on BBC South East who did a fantastic piece on the new arrivals and the importance of beavers in wetland habitats. If you missed the beavers on the beeb click here to watch the video.

 

7) New conservation courses

Wildwood is pleased to announce a new range of conservation courses and training for those wishing to develop their conservation skills. Our day courses and workshops are run by our experience conservation team and make use of our captive-bred animals, with informative lectures and practical sessions, often in our ancient woodland. We can also offer tailor-made training workshops for organisations, including on-site training if required.

For more information on any aspect of our conservation courses please contact the conservation team: conservation@wildwoodtrust.org or call 01227 711 471

Forthcoming Conservation Courses:

Saturday 21st July - Mammal Society Dormouse Ecology & Conservation
This one day course is recognised as the definitive course on dormouse ecology and monitoring. Ideal for those with a general interest and those working towards their Dormouse Handling Licence. 
The course includes a visit to check nest boxes, information on relevant legislation and often the opportunity to handle dormice under supervision with guidance on best practice. Please note, this course involves field work which requires participants to have a reasonable level of fitness.

£95 per person / £120 organisations. Please book directly with the Mammal Society on 02380 237 874 or www.mammal.org.uk

Saturday 28th July - Dormouse Handling and Surveying Workshop
A half-day course for consultants and those in training for their dormouse handling licence. Places are limited to allow each participant time to handle a number of captive dormice under supervision.

11am - 3.15pm  £40 per person.  Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

 

Saturday 18th August - Mammal Society Dormouse Ecology & Conservation
This one day course is recognised as the definitive course on dormouse ecology and monitoring. Ideal for those with a general interest and those working towards their Dormouse Handling Licence. 
The course includes a visit to check nest boxes, information on relevant legislation and often the opportunity to handle dormice under supervision with guidance on best practice. Please note, this course involves field work which requires participants to have a reasonable level of fitness. 

£95 per person / £120 organisations. Please book directly with the Mammal Society on 02380 237 874 or www.mammal.org.uk

Sunday 26th August - Introduction to the Ecology and Identification of Bumblebees
Course tutor: Dr Nikki Gammans
The morning will begin with an introduction to the conservation and ecology of bumblebees, their decline and how we can help with reference to gardening. Attention will also be given to the reintroduction project. We will then go through identification, view specimens and walk to a local wild flower meadow.

10am - 4pm. £25 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

 

Saturday 8th September - Dormouse Handling and Surveying Workshop
A half-day course for consultants and those in training for their dormouse handling licence. Places are limited to allow each participant time to handle a number of captive dormice under supervision.

11am - 3.15pm  £40 per person. Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

Saturday 22nd September - Mammal Society Dormouse Ecology & Conservation
This one day course is recognised as the definitive course on dormouse ecology and monitoring. Ideal for those with a general interest and those working towards their Dormouse Handling Licence. 
The course includes a visit to check nest boxes, information on relevant legislation and often the opportunity to handle dormice under supervision with guidance on best practice. Please note, this course involves field work which requires participants to have a reasonable level of fitness.  

£95 per person / £120 organisations. Please book directly with the Mammal Society on 02380 237 874 or www.mammal.org.uk

Sunday 23rd September - Introduction to Reptile Ecology & Surveying
Course tutor: Mike Phillips
This introduction to native British Reptiles will cover the identification of Kent's lizards and snakes as well  as their basic ecology. We will look at the habitat requirements of these remarkable animals andy why appropriate management of conservation sites is so important. This will be followed by a site visit to a known reptile site to try and observe some animals in the flesh.

10am - 4pm  £30 per person
Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

 

Sunday 30th September - Harvest Mouse Ecology and Surveying
Course tutor: Steve Kirk / Suzanne Kynaston
This course will inform you about the key factors affecting the status and distribution of harvest mice in this country.  You will have the opportunity to examine a variety of harvest mouse nests and gain practical surveying experience in the field. Bring lunch, warm clothes and a walking stick. Held at: RSPB, Boulderwall farm, Dungeness Road, Romney Marsh, Kent  TN29 9PN

10am - 4pm  £30 per person Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

To book, or for more information on our conservation services, please contact our team: Tel: 01227 711 471 email: conservation@wildwoodtrust.org

 

8) New video - feeding a baby bat & bat conservation

Watch Hazel Ryan, Wildwood's Senior Conservation Officer, as she cares for a rescued baby pipistrel bat in the Wildwood Conservation office. This video looks at the work of the Wildwood conservation team along alongside The Kent Bat Group to rehabilitate rescued and orphaned bats in our bat flight centre. Together, Wildwood and Kent Bat group work to nurse rescued bats back to health and teach them to fly prior to release to give them the very best chance of survival.

 

9) Items needed - can you help?

As a conservation charity we love to recycle and can make use of lots of things that might otherwise go into landfill. We urgently need the following items for use around the park, if you can help please contact the office on 01227 712 111.

• Old towels (any size) - For use in our vet rooms and for animal enrichment.
• Large plastic storage boxes with lids - For use in our new conservation building.
• Old sheepskin slippers or boots - for use by our educational workshops (sheepskin preferred, faux fur OK).
• Flatscreen TFT computer monitors - for use in the Wildwood office.
• Glass fishtanks / vivariums (min 2ft long, lids not required) - for use in our conservation centre.

If you can help with any of the above items please contact the office on 01227 712 111. Anything you can help with will be gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Fiona Paterson

Wildwood Trust

Herne Common,

Herne Bay,

Kent

CT6 7LQ

Job vacancies at Wildwood

Wildwood e-news - Jobs Special
 

 

We have vacancies at Wildwood. For full details of our vacancies and how to apply please click here to visit our jobs page

 

Job Title:          Temporary café assistants
Salary:                 Meets minimum wage
Hours:                  Flexible
Term:                   Temporary holiday cover

The Beaver Lodge Cafe is set amongst the ancient woodland of the Wildwood Park on Herne Common and, with a very busy Summer ahead of us, we need your help! If you are fantastic with customers and are willing to multi task behind the scenes too, please send your CV and a covering letter telling us why you'll be a valuable addition to our summer team.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to cafe@wildwoodtrust.org

Job Title:         Ranger/Senior Ranger
Function:             Building and maintenance work around Wildwood
Hours:                 Full time
Salary:                Ranger: up to £16,458 / Senior Ranger up to £19,485 (+9% pension & other benefits)

We are looking for a skilled builder with extensive multi-trade experience to join our Ranger Team dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the Wildwood British Wildlife Park.

The main focus of this post is to carry out regular maintenance of the park buildings and grounds, including the playground, paths, car park and toilets.  Specific exhibit maintenance tasks will also be carried out, working closely with the keeper team.

Examples of typical tasks:

• Fixing broken toilets
• Putting up fencing
• Animal enclosure construction and maintenance
• Laying a concrete pond
• Brush cutting and landscaping
• Safety barrier construction
• Litter picking and disposal
• Working with Wildwood volunteers
  

Projects are likely to include:

• Pathway construction
• Waste minimisation
• Groundwork's and building
• Rainwater collection & distribution system

 

The ideal candidate will be a good all-rounder who can turn their hand to many tasks such as to carpentry, building, fencing, groundwork and landscaping. They will also be able to manage their time effectively and adhere to safe working practices. 

To apply for this post, please click here to visit our jobs page and download the full job description.  
Please send you CV and covering letter to info@wildwoodtrust.org or by post to: Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7LQ

Please note that we do not acknowledge applications, if you would like yours to be acknowledged, please apply by post and included a stamped, self-addressed postcard.

The closing date is 1st August 2012 Interviews will be held at Wildwood by arrangement within 2 weeks of the closing date.

 

Job Title:            Seasonal Park Assistants
Function:                Keep our animal park clean, assist visitor car parking and queries
Salary:                   up to £6.08 p/h depending on age
Term:                     Temporary holiday cover

We are looking for competent and efficient people to help our visitors have and enjoyable day out during the summer holidays. Primary duties will include assisting with car parking, emptying bins, litter picking & dealing with enquiries.

This exciting opportunity will ideally suit someone with a confident optimistic approach, who likes working with people and can deal with customers' queries in a confident manner.

To apply please send you C.V. to info@wildwoodtrust.org

 

For full details of our vacancies and how to apply please click here to visit our jobs page

 

Wildwood Trust
Herne Common
Herne Bay
Kent
CT6 7LQ

Tel: 01227 712 111
www.wildwoodtrust.org

It's not too late to book a trip to Wildwood

Looking for a fun and engaging educational trip? - It's not too late to book a summer visit to Wildwood, Kent's best British Wildlife centre.

 

Give your students the opportunity to get out into the woods and experience at first-hand the plants and animals to be found in their local environment. From KS1 to A-level and postgraduate, we have options in all ranges; from nocturnal animals to variety of life, adaptation, animal homes and habitats, food chains, forensic science and practical woodland ecology. Our qualified, experienced tutors and fantastic educational resources make these curriculum-linked programmes come alive.

 

Wildwood's wide array of trees, plants and animals are here for you to study and our education team are on-hand to ensure you get the most from your day.

 

Group rates are available for schools, colleges and organised groups. Teachers and group organisers are always welcome to visit the park in advance for a FREE pre-visit inspection, either independently or to meet the education team and discuss plans for their day.

 

Book your school / group trip now for these great benefits:

• Summer visits just £4.75 per person
• Curriculum based activities for all ages and abilities
• Group activities from only £15
• FREE teacher pre-visit inspections
• FREE teacher places when you book any educational activity
• £20 off coach hire with Kent Top Travel
• Wildwood can design a day or activity especially for your school

To book an educational visit or for more details visit www.wildwoodtrust.org or e-mail education@wildwoodtrust.org

 

If you would like to speak to one of our lovely team, please call 01227 712 111

 

 

www.wildwoodtrust.org

Wildwood Wildlife Park, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7LQ

Saxon re-entactment at Wildwood - this weekend!

Wildwood is getting ready to face a Saxon invasion when Regia Anglorum, one of Britain's best Saxon re-enactment groups will be at the park on the 9th & 10th of June for their annual Saxon re-enactment weekend.

Visitors will be able to step back in time and visit Wychurst, the group's authentic Saxon Burgh (village) nestled in the depths of the forest at Wildwood and experience how our Saxon ancestors lived circa 1000AD.

Wychurst - literally meaning "the village in the wood" - is a Saxon Manorial Burgh, reconstructed by Regia Anglorum according to the best available evidence. The group have spared no trouble or expense to ensure that the site and its environs are as close to the original as possible. The Burgh features a spectacular Longhall along with other buildings and is exactly the kind of place to which local people would have retreated when the Vikings sacked the city of Canterbury over a thousand years ago.

And it's about to happen again!

The site will be open to visitors from on 9th & 10 June from 10.30am to 4.30pm. During the day, there will be a range of crafts on display both inside the Longhall and in the various artisan's tents inside and outside of the Burgh. You will be able to see warriors at training during the morning before the big event at 3pm when the Vikings will raid the Burgh! The Viking raid is a competitive open ended battle and either side might win!

Costs
There is no need to book, come along at any time. Entry to Whychurst will be £3.50 for 15yrs and over (under 15yrs free). Wildwood entry fees or membership must also be paid to be allowed access to the event.

 

Click here to visit the Regia Anglorum website

What is Regia Anglorum?

Founded in 1986, Regia Anglorum is a society based in the UK but with a rapidly growing membership across the Atlantic, having members in Florida, California, Oregon, Ohio and Maryland. We are a group of people from all walks of life who share a common interest in the period that used to be called The Dark Ages, but is now more accurately known as the Early Mediaeval Period - roughly from the time of Alfred the Great to Richard the Lionheart - although much of our work aims to recreate a cross-section of British life around the turn of the first millennium. It was a time when Britain was host to many peoples - Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Danes, Norse, Cymru, Viking raiders and even some Normans. Regia portrays all of these and more.

We are proud of our strong stance on authentic portrayal and have acquired a considerable academic reputation for accuracy. This we maintain and augment by seeing not only the wood, but the trees as well!

We feel that we do our ancestors no service at all if we portray them as mindlessly violent and their lives as nasty, brutish and short. England was the jewel of Europe; rich in gold and silver and self-sufficient in all aspects of life. Whilst life continued much as it had done for over a thousand years, politically the English state was moving towards a form of democratic monarchy, only to be brought up short one day in October 1066. But that, as they say, is another story...

Wychust

Alone of all re-enactment societies, Regia Anglorum owns a permanent site. Situated about sixty miles from central London and in a patch of secluded woodland near Canterbury in Kent, We are constructing a fortified manor house from the Late Anglo-Saxon period.

Wychurst is a fortified English manor – properly, a Manorial Burgh. The ditch-and-bank encloses an acre, at the heart of which is our Longhall that dominates the tree-girt enclosure and the sheer scale of the building just takes your breath away. It is the only building of its kind in Britain.

An Ongoing Project

The site was cleared in 2001 and work on the Longhall commenced at Easter the following year. At the end of 2004, the main structure of this 20m × 10m × 10m building was completed and before the onset of winter, we had clad most of the roof with softwood sarking boards, awaiting the first 10,000 hand-cleft oak shingles for delivery in 2005. That year saw the completion of the porches and the commencement of the huge task of nailing on the shingles. Walling advanced well, too. In 2006, the front roof was completed and shingling advanced about a third of the way up the back roof. The walls were completely infilled, doors and hinges were fitted and our hall was secure for the first time. 2007 saw the completion of shingling, some 18,000 eventually finding their way onto the roof.

It is an impressive sight and is certainly the largest reconstructed early medieval building in private hands in Europe. Built entirely of English oak, all of which has been harvested from trees growing in Kent, (many within a couple of miles of the site), the site in general and the Longhall in particular, has been conceived, planned, purchased, designed and constructed by our members. What you see is the result of many long hours of research, discussion and the practical application of skills with which our ancestors would have felt at home.

 

Fiona Paterson
Wildwood Trust

Tel 01227 712 111

fiona@wildwoodtrust.org

www.wildwoodtrust.org

 

 

Wildwood e-news June 12

Wildwood e-news June '12
 

1) June Half Term fun!
2) Baby Beavers - watch us on the BBC tonight! 
3) New red fox, Sasha
4) Wildwood on Springwatch
5) Rare albino squirrel
6) Wildwood amphibian expert on The One Show
7) Supporter of the month - Ridge Golf Club ladies
8) Items needed - can you help?

 

1) June Half Term events!

Summer is has finally arrived and this half-term we have lots of fun going on around the park!

Wednesday 6th June - Death, Decay & Dissection!
Ever wondered what happens to animals after they die?  What's inside them and how are they recycled by other animals? This fun (but gory) workshop uses a real dead wild animal (road kill) for dissection to discover its amazing anatomy.
2pm - 3.30pm. Min age 8 years. £2 per person, one adult free per family*. Must book.

Thursday 7th June - Animal Brains!
Discover the brainiest animals at Wildwood and make special food treats that will get them thinking! Then see some of them used around the park to test their brain power. 2pm - 3.30pm. £2 per person, one adult free per family*. Must book.

Friday 8th June - Amazing Animal Senses!
Discover how animals use all of their amazing senses, not just their eyesight, to find food and each other. 
2pm - 3.30pm. £2 per person, one adult free per family*. Must book.

 

To book any event please call 01227 712 111.

*Access to events is only allowed if membership or entry to Wildwood has been paid.
Please note that all events must be paid for at the time of booking and are non-refundable (unless cancelled by Wildwood).

 

2) Say hello to our baby beavers!

 

****** Watch the baby beavers on BBC South East tonight (Friday) at 6.30pm, BBC1 ******

Wildwood is celebrating the birth of three adorable beaver kits. The new arrivals, born on 5th May, are set to help with projects to restore this remarkable mammal back to our riverbanks. The beaver are a part of a bold and innovative conservation programme, designed to protect and restore our wetland habitats.

Wildwood Trust have helped pioneer the use of beaver as a wildlife conservation tool. The success of this project has inspired a number of other projects in Gloucestershire and in Scotland.

Last month Wildwood Trust's members and staff celebrated a momentous victory in their efforts to re-establish beaver to the UK when The Scottish Government scrapped plans to kill over 100 beavers living wild & free near Perth in Scotland.

Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust Chief Executive said 

"It is our fondest wish that these adorable beavers can be legally reintroduced to British wetlands to breathe life back into our riverbanks and streams. Beavers are a hugely important animal in helping restore the British countryside as they are a 'keystone' species, and their marvellous management of riverbanks helps create a home for a huge range of other wildlife."

"Since we hunted beavers to extinction in the UK about 400 years ago our rivers and streams have been much the poorer. Riverbank animals like otters, water voles, dragonflies and kingfishers have all suffered in their absence."

"Beavers will help humans too as they create wetlands that act as giant sponges that help to retain and purify water, prevent pollution, reduce flooding and help bring down the cost of our water bills. A study in Germany estimated that every beaver was worth about £2,500 in reduced water bills and benefits to the people who lived nearby them."

The kits are now in the beaver lodge at the park; with their parents who were were originally given to Wildwood Trust as a gift from the German Government.  Their journey to Wildwood was documented in a BBC Television Countryfile special, which you can watch in the enclosure.

 

3) Welcome Sasha, our new red fox

Wildwood is pleased to welcome Sasha, our new red fox.

Sasha, who is thought to have been born in March, was found hungry and abandoned in her den by a member of the public. Sadly, as tiny orphan she stood little chance of surviving in the wild so had to be hand reared, but Wildwood was able to offer Sasha a home with our other foxes. Sasha's arrival brings number of red foxes at Wildwood to 4 and Sasha is now fully integrated into the group and can be seen in the fox enclosure.

Wildwood keeper Chris Jewell said "Sasha is a great little fox; it's good to have another young fox in the group, especially to keep Baxter company. Sasha is fitting in very well with the other foxes and is very popular with visitors."

4) Wildwood on Springwatch

Wildwood was delighted to welcome Chris Packham and the Springwatch team to the park to make a fascinating film about some very special research being carried out at Wildwood. 

Chris visited our Conservation Centre to meet Dr Robyn Grant, from the University of Sheffield's Active Touch Laboratory, who is studying how mammals use their whiskers to interpret the world around them. The film was made in our specially designed conservation centre which was opened earlier this year.

The research, which uses Wildwood's water voles, dormice and harvest mice among others, involves recording the movements the animals' whiskers using a high-speed video camera and specially designed light box. The camera films at 500 frames per second, enabling Dr Grant to play back the whiskers' movements in slow-motion.

So far her research has shown that mammals use their whiskers to sense the world around them by "whisking", whereby they twitch their whiskers upwards, outwards and straight ahead up to 25 times a second.

Dr Grant says whisking is "a parallel sense to our sense of touch. For instance, Hazel dormice use their whiskers, or vibrissae, in a similar way to how people use their eyes - scanning to recognise what is in front of them. In order to navigate over uneven surfaces on branches, they vibrate them to find where to put their feet, as well as to work out where there's a gap and where to change branches."

Click here to watch the Springwatch film

 

5) Rare albino squirrel discovered at Wildwood

Wildwood is already home to some of our most spectacular native wildlife, but we are now home to a particularly rare specimen, a beautiful wild albino squirrel.

The pure white squirrel is in actual fact a common grey but his unusual colour makes him quite rare and easy to spot in the woodlands. There have already been several sightings around the parks' wild boar and wild horse enclosures.

Albino squirrels are a rare oddity of nature, with the condition being thought by wildlife experts to affect just one in 100,000 animals. This is compounded by their lack of camouflage which makes them stand out so they are easy prey. Sadly, many albino squirrels are taken by predators at an early age, giving them less chance to breed.

Albinism is caused by a rare genetic mutation which limits the amount of a pigment called melanin that the body produces. Animals with albinism are born with little or no pigmentation in their fur, skin or eyes, resulting in very pale or pure white fur and often distinctive pink eyes. Interestingly, Wildwood is already home to pure black squirrels, which are caused by melanism - the opposite of albinism.

 

6) Wildwood newt expert appears on The One Show

Richard Griffiths, Professor of Biological Conservation at the University of Kent, and Wildwood Trustee has been featured on The One Show, in a special piece on great crested newts.

Richard said "In Kent, we are lucky that we have all three species of newts that occur in the UK - smooth, palmate and great crested newts. Although palmate newts tend to be more of a woodland species than the other two, in some places, all three species can occur in the same pond. Digging a garden pond is therefore one of the simplest and most effective conservation measures for newts. If they are in the area, then it is very likely that newts will colonise the pond on their own. It is best to avoid stocking the pond with fish as these may eat the newt eggs and larvae."

Great crested newts are European Protected Species (EPS) and are therefore protected against killing, capture, injury and disturbance, so if you are lucky enough to see them in your pond you should just leave them well alone. The places they use for shelter or protection are also protected against damage, destruction or obstruction, so if you need to disturb the pond while they are present you should contact Natural England for advice before starting any work, as breaking the law can lead to fines of up to £5000 per offence and, potentially, prison sentences of up to six months.

The team that appeared on the One Show organise Wildwood's popular 'Leapers and Creepers' day in April every year. Watch out for this event next year if you want to see our local amphibians and reptiles close-up and learn more about what you can do to make your garden 'frog and newt friendly'.

Click here to watch The One Show film

 

7) Supporter of the month - Ridge Golf Club ladies

The Wildwood Trust is thrilled to have received a donation from the lady members of the Ridge Golf Club, near Maidstone, Kent.

The ladies, led by their captain Ann Watts, chose Wildwood as their charity and visited the wildlife park and conservation charity near Canterbury, Kent, to learn more about the conservation work done by the trust before organising a range of novel ways to raise money.

Ann Watts said "Fundraising took many forms, there was a charity bunker on the course during the summer and £1 was collected every time a player landed in that bunker. We held raffles and tombolas and devised Wildwood-themed activities such as "Name the Wolf" and "Where did the Red Squirrel bury his nuts?"

The ladies hard work paid off, with an amazing £1,100 raised for the trust.

"We are thrilled with this amazing donation; the ladies have really pulled out all the stops to raise funds for our conservation work. The money will greatly contribute towards our work to save British Wildlife." commented Beth Flowers, Wildwood's Fund Raising Manager.

Ann Watts said, "I had no hesitation in selecting the Wildwood Trust as my chosen charity. I have previous experience of working with the Trust and wanted others to see the fantastic work that they do for British wildlife. I also wanted to support a small, local charity."

The donation was presented by Ann and some of the other lady members of the club to Steve Kirk and Claire Wright of Wildwood and will be used to support the trust's conservation projects to save threatened British animals such as the water vole and red squirrel.

Click here for more info on Ridge Golf club

If you would like to raise money for Wildwood, contact the office on 01227 712 111.

 

8) Items needed, can you help?

As a conservation charity we love to recycle and can make use of lots of things that might otherwise go into landfill. We urgently need the following items for use around the park, if you can help please contact the office on 01227 712 111.

• Old towels (any size) - For use in our vet rooms and for animal enrichment.
• Large plastic storage boxes with lids - For use in our new conservation building.
• Old sheepskin slippers or boots - for use by our educational workshops (sheepskin preferred, faux fur OK).
• Flatscreen TFT computer monitors - for use in the Wildwood office.
• Glass fishtanks / vivariums (min 2ft long, lids not required) - for use in our conservation centre.

If you can help with any of the above items please contact the office on 01227 712 111. Anything you can help with will be gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Fiona Paterson

Wildwood Trust

Herne Common,

Herne Bay,

Kent

CT6 7LQ