Lights, Camera, Conservation: Wingham Wildlife Team Mammal Awards

Hi everyone. I hope you’re all well and have had a great start to the new year. Britain have just celebrated the BAFTAS on February 22^nd, so I thought it would be fun to do our own version. So, here it is, welcome to the very first Wingham Wildlife Team Mammal Awards. Where we celebrate some of our animals greatest qualities and achievements. And maybe, even some of our keepers too. From exciting new arrivals and conservation milestones to the everyday dedication of our incredible team. The red carpet is out, so get your popcorn ready and join us as we celebrate the achievements that make our section so special.

Before we go onto the awards, I’d like to talk a little bit about the section I manage and why it’s the best section. First of all, I could not run this section without my fabulous team of 10. We work extremely hard and show how important teamwork is. On Mammals, we cover a wide range of species, 20 to be exact. This includes giraffe, pygmy hippo, red panda, capybara, meerkat, porcupine and tapir. We have the widest variety ranging from hoof stock, to marsupials, to rodents and even some birds. That’s right, you heard me, we even house African crowned cranes on our section. We are a very hands on section, going in with all of our animals and offering lots of animal experiences too. I’ve been on team mammals since I started here nearly 11 years ago because I truly believe it’s the best. From starting off as a trainee to now being head of section. I’ve never even thought about wanting to try anything else.

 Back to the awards where the meerkats are already causing security concerns…

Best Hair Day

Move over shampoo adverts – this year’s Best Hair Award goes to our very handsome Achilles the Visayan warty pig. With that iconic mohawk, can we really argue. Male Visayans grow a long, thick and spiky mane during mating season. This is to attract females and to intimidate rival males. The porcupines were definitely a close runner up with an impressive 30,000 quills covering their body but there was somebody who just slightly edged it for me. A ‘bald’ contender and showing that less is more: Mammals Keeper, Zac.

Outstanding New Arrival

This one was such an easy choice. It had to be our very own celebrity, Haggis the pygmy hippo. She has stolen the hearts of the nation since the day she was born. News crews followed her journey and even documented her 1st birthday here at Wingham Wildlife Park. From tentative first steps to confidently owning her space and becoming the sassy queen that she is today. She’s a favourite amongst our supporters and her keepers. They’re an endangered species, estimated that fewer than 2500 individuals remain in the wild. Haggis’s arrival was very important. Not only was she Wingham’s first ever hippo but we believe she is a first for Kent too. She will be a very important part of the European Ex-Situ Programme once she’s fully grown and mature. We look forward to being a huge part of her journey.

The No Shame Award

Or have they had too many celebratory drinks? Nando and Kathleen are our lowland tapir pair who proudly take home this year’s No Shame Award for their outstanding commitment to full body relaxation with absolutely zero concern for dignity.  They love nothing more than a tummy tickle and a good old nap. While this may not be their most glamorous angle, this pose is actually incredibly important. Lying flat out like this allows our keepers to carry out those all-important health checks, particularly inspecting their hooves and checking for any lumps, cuts and bruises in those tricky to see areas. The perfect award for the perfect pair.

Best Beard

There was absolutely no competition here. When it comes to facial hair excellence, the champions have to be the African pygmy goats. I’ve picked Irene in particular for this year’s Best Beard award. At the grand age of 15, 16 in April. She has the best beard down at the paddocks. (Some may argue that Keeper Toby could be a keen runner up though). Both male and females of this breed grow impressive beards and horns. They’re a curious and confident breed that love to climb and thrive in groups. Why not come down and compare beards with our lovely 7 individuals.

Most Photogenic

That effortless “I just woke up like this” energy. Unsurprisingly, this year’s Most Photogenic award goes to our resident superstar, Mai the red panda. I mean, look at her. Rain or shine, morning or night, she always looks fabulous. Whether perched elegantly on a branch or scoffing her food, she always finds a way to look camera ready. There’s no such thing as a bad photo for her; it’s just natural talent. Did you know there has been 7 vocalisations recorded from the red panda? The most common is a noise called a “chutter” which sounds like a cross between a growl and a squeak repeated several times very quickly. However, it’s very rare but if you’re lucky, you may hear it. I’m obviously very unlucky as I’ve never heard it in my nearly 11 years of red panda keeping.

Excellence in Species Continuation

Living in high social groups of up to 50 individuals in the wild and having a grand total of 19 here at the park. Meerkats are all about family. Pups are raised by multiple adults taking turns babysitting and teaching them vital survival skills. We have been successfully breeding here for many years with mum typically giving birth to 1-4 pups at a time. Our pups have gone onto becoming some of the most confident individuals, even excelling at crate training from such a small age as pictured. Congratulations to our ever-watchful award winners.

The Keepers’ Favourite Award

I always find this question extremely difficult when I’ve worked for the collection for such a long time. I love them all for different reasons and I guess who is behaving on the day. I’ve always loved the weird and the wonderful, so the porcupines and warty pigs have always been up there for me. Everybody always walks past the warty pigs which breaks my heart. The warty pigs are one of the most endangered species in our park with only a couple of hundred left in the wild. They have no natural predators, so this is all down to humans causing habitat destruction, poaching and using them for sport. Maximus and Achilles are like giant dogs. They love a scratch and are extremely intelligent and as mentioned earlier, they have the best hairdos. The porcupines I just love for their uniqueness and their characters. I also love educating people about them are when we explain that they can’t shoot their quills. I promise you, it’s a complete myth, otherwise we would all be wearing armour every day.

So, for this category. I thought I’d pick a couple of people from the section to tell you their favourite and why:

Amber – Loves the red pandas Mai & Kai because they’re cheeky and good at their training.

Jess – Loves all of the animals but the warty pigs in particular. She says they make cute noises and are always interested in what you’re doing.

Toby – Loves the giraffes as everyday is different with them and they keep us on our toes.

Zac – Loves Haggis the hippo as he loves an animal with a personality and she’s got it in abundance. She’s chaotic but in the best way possible.

Elliot – Loves the tapirs because they’re the best animals to be in with. They have big cheesy grins and are very loving animals.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented to: The Mammal Team: Meghan, Toby, Jess, Zac, Elliot, Sophie, Amber, Lincoln and Karys. For the early mornings and the late evenings. The quick thinking and for knowing every personality and preference. They landscape habitats, calculate diets, repair fencing, design enrichment, monitor behaviour, answer questions, manage supplies, give daily talks and experiences, complete training sessions and still smile for photos. We are tonight’s real stars. The people behind the scenes who make every single working day possible. We show up, work extremely hard and get the job done. I couldn’t be more proud of my team. Thank you to each and every one of you for making Team Mammals what it is today.

If you’d like to volunteer on Team Mammals. Please have a look at our volunteering page. We would be nothing without our hard working volunteers that help us every day as well. We hope to meet you all soon.