Excitement on the Mammal Section

Hello everyone. This past month the mammal team has had lots of very exciting news. I’m sure if you have been following our social media you may know where this is going.

First up which is one we are very proud of is… Naked mole rat babies. Now this might not be the most exciting for some but behind the scenes we have worked very hard to make sure the group is happy and healthy enough to breed. On the 28^th September our queen gave birth to some very tiny babies. They might not seem like it, but they are quite high maintenance. We have to make sure the humidity, temperature and noise levels are all correct. They are a little difficult to see at the moment because most of the time they are underneath mum or another adult but if you are in the Nocturnal House long enough, you might be able to see them climbing around.

The next exciting day was the 2^nd October. This was the day that our dominant female meerkat, Kiara gave birth to 4 gorgeous pups. Now this is Kiara’s fourth time having babies so we knew she would be a great mum but most of the time it is the other adult females that can be seen caring for the babies and taking them on walks around the enclosure. They are in the enclosure opposite the red pandas, but the adults are doing such a great job at keeping the babies warm that they are often down the burrows. On your next visit you might have to frequently pop back to see if they are out but as they get older and their fur gets thicker, we should expect to see them investigating their new surroundings and maybe getting up to some mischief along the way.

Now next up, and my personal favourite, on the 7^th October, Rio our capybara gave birth to 3 pups. Not only are they one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen, but this is also the first time the park has successfully bred capybaras. The most amazing aspect of the babies growing up is how quickly they are developing. At the time of writing this blog they are about 3 weeks old, and they are already running around, eating hay and solid food, enjoying scratches and one has even been brave enough to walk onto a set of scales. Make sure you plan your visit to the park soon as I can imagine that they are going to grow very quickly.

Now lastly on the baby boom on the mammal team… baby goats! Now who doesn’t love a baby goat. If you have been with us for a while you might remember the lovely billy goat, Bilbo, that was with us over the Summer months. So, on the  17^th October one of our females, Doreen, gave birth to a little female kid. She is already keeping our keepers on their toes and is very good at hiding in little corners under the hay.

The excitement isn’t over for the team yet! As I am sure you are all well aware, Wingham Wildlife Park are expecting Haggis the pygmy hippo to arrive very soon. This is the first time the park will be home to a pygmy hippo and lucky for us it will be the one and only Haggis. As you can guess the team are incredibly excited about her arrival and we have been working very hard to make sure everything is ready for her.

So on your next visit to the park see how many of our new additions you can spot. If you are super lucky you can book an experience with our capybaras or keeper for a day so you can get even closer.

By Meghan, Deputy Head of Mammals.