Spring is in the hair!

April is shaping up to be a very exciting month for us, you won’t want to miss a thing in this month’s update so pop the kettle on and get comfy as we bring you up to speed!

Coming up in April

The Reptile House is open!

We thought we would get the big one out of the way first and we know a lot of you will be very happy to hear this!

The brand new Reptile House has opened so you can once again visit all your scaly favourites as well as some brand new faces!

The nocturnal part is still a work in progress so that won’t opening just yet but we are thrilled to be able to throw open the Reptile House doors again and welcome you back to see this newly-improved area and all the animals that now call it home!

Play area opening

The brand new outside play area has also opened! There is still a little bit of work to do in there but the half that has been completed is ready to see you and your little ones going wild.

So, if you’re looking for a new way for the kids to burn off their excess energy this Easter holiday and you have been as excited to explore the new towers as we have been to get them finished then this could be the perfect time to visit!

Wish of the month

Whilst our animals need everything on our Amazon wish lists, our ‘Wish of the Month‘ helps us to let you know one item which we specifically need that month. Last month it was honey and peanut butter. Thank you to everyone who sent our animals some, particularly Helen Thomas for the 4 large tubs of peanut butter. The animals have loved getting started on these!

Due to the penguins having so much to celebrate this month, our wish in April is for them. The penguins love to play with their bath toys when they’re having a swim but they are running a bit low at the moment. So, we have put some wind-up, light-up and classic options on the wish list just for them!

Another thing they love, that you may just have laying around, are old CD’s! No, not to listen to! The penguins (as well as some of our reptiles) enjoy chasing the refection the disks create in the light, especially when they are in the water (replicating their natural instincts to chase fish when they’re swimming). 

Easter egg hunt

Our Easter egg hunt is back in 2023 but with even better prizes! As with previous years, all children (both paying day visitors and members) can enter the hunt once they come into the park. Plus, it’s FREE to take part in this little extra game! Children who participate can then be entered into a prize draw to win one of the TWELVE experiences up for grabs!
All they have to do is –

🥚 keep an eye out for the colourful Easter eggs hidden around the park

🥚 remember where 6 of them were

🥚 tell one of our friendly reception team members when leaving the park (they will take some details to enter you into the prize draw). Three winners will be chosen for each the Easter Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday respectively, receiving an experience of their choice to be booked at any time within the next year. 

PLEASE NOTE: this is only open for participating children (15 and under), there are no alternative prizes and tiger experiences are excluded. Winners will be contacted before the 16th April.

Good luck!

Daily Easter activities

As well as our Easter egg hunt we also have FREE daily activities for you and your little monkeys to enjoy throughout the school holidays.

From crafts to making animal enrichment to touch tables there’s lots to keep you busy at WWP this Easter!

Tapir live stream 

As you may know by now, we have a 24 hour live stream on our Twitch channel. But, now once a month we will also be celebrating international days, birthdays etc. in exciting live streams with our keepers, getting you even closer to all the action from the comfort of your own home!

April’s live stream will take place with our Tapirs, Nando and Kathleen and Head of Mammals, Matt to celebrate World Tapir Day. Join us on 27th April at 1:00pm to ask us all your questions and learn all about this popular pair!

Celebrations this month

Here is a little round-up of the Birthdays and celebratory days to come in the next month so that you can visit your favourites on their big days or, if you want, even treat them to a special gift from the Amazon Wish List to help make their day as special as it can possibly be!

3rd- Palamedes & Kermit (Penguins) turn 15

4th- Luna (Jaguar) turns 12

8th- National Zoo Lovers Day

9th- Easter Sunday

12th- Mindy (European Wildcat) turns 15

14th- Colonel Tom (Cheetah) turns 3

15th- Pippin (Penguin) turns 6

17th- Jill (Asian Short-clawed Otter) turns 15 and Bat Appreciation Day

20th- Poppy & Daisy (Raccoons) turn 14, Lily (Penguin) turns 15 and Shadow and Ghost (Wolves) turn 4

22nd- International Mother Earth Day

25th- World Penguin Day

26th- International Flamingo Day

27th- World Tapir Day

30th- Hurricane (Penguin) turns 14

A look back at March

Sing and Sign

There are exciting new signs around the park thanks to Sing and Sign East Kent! This award-winning baby and toddler signing and communication class have VERY kindly designed and provided signs for some of our wonderful animals.

We hope you and your littlest ones love learning the Makaton signs for all your favourites together the next time you are at WWP!

Last month’s blogs

As you know our keepers produce a new blog for you every single week.

Now is the perfect time to revisit the blogs you loved last month or to catch up with those you missed.

Princes among tigers

Last month Sarah wrote all about tigers following on from Troy and Blade’s birthdays.

The versatility of card tubes

Becky shared some of the toys you can make at home for our birds using things you may just have laying around!

Mother’s Day

Ruth was inspired by Mother’s Day to talk about the babies we have welcomed over the last year and the challenges their mothers face.

Meet the Goats with Meg

Senior Mammal keeper Meg introduced us to all goats sharing their names, unique characters and photo ID’s so that you know exactly who you are interacting with on your trips to WWP!

World Autism Awareness Month

George was inspired by World Autism Awareness Month to talk about ASD, Autism in animals, the benefits of therapy animals and what we are doing here at WWP to be more accessible and inclusive.

Cover photo competition

Congratulations to Roxie Kershaw for winning our cover photo competition for March, with this adorable photo of Mika soaking in her pool.

We, as always, were blown away with last month’s entries and are so grateful to everyone who took part. 

The theme for April is Penguins as not only is it World Penguin Day on the 25th but several of our Humboldt penguins will also be celebrating their birthdays this month too!

Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter pages as we will be choosing our winner today!

We hope you have a wonderful April and look forward to welcoming you to the park, particularly to see the brand new Reptile House soon!