My blog this week is in celebration of International Primate Day which is on 1st September. This is an annual event which began in 2005 and celebrated by zoos and charities worldwide. Its purpose is to highlight the wide and diverse group of primates, covering all species from great apes to lesser apes, marmosets to…
Hi! For those that don’t yet know me, my name is Ellie Gilbey, junior journalist for Wingham Wildlife park and this is my first blog of a series of experiences at Wingham. Right from my entrance to the park, I found a variety of different species that instantly grabbed my attention as I was pleasantly…
So this week I’ll be talking about my favourite group of primates, Gibbons. Not only are they a striking animal to look at but they are also unique amongst other primate groups in their genealogy, social structure and behaviour. All these aspects added together make them my favourite primates to have the privilege of working…
My blog this week is in celebration of World Chimpanzee Day which is on the 14th July (this also happens to be Fritz’s birthday so it’s a double celebration). So why is World Chimpanzee Day held on this date? The 14th July, 1960 is the date a young woman called Jane Goodall first stepped foot…
Get ready for rainbow flags and parades! June is pride month. So what is pride month? For the month of June people celebrate the history and differences of LGBTQ+ people. Whilst people are waving their rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ community, little do people know that there are homosexual occurrences found throughout nature!…
Whether it be buying the animals extra treats, making things at home for them, coming in on our days off to see them or spending more of our day with them than with our own family and friends, zoo keepers definitely love their animals. Some even to the point of having them immortalised on their…
Macaque Madness!!! So here at Wingham Wildlife Park we just celebrated International Macaque week (5th-11th May). This is an annual event to raise awareness about a much neglected group of primates. Not only do we celebrate this event to highlight the diverse range of species of macaques, but also what threats they face in the…
You may have heard zoos talking about enrichment for their animals but what does it mean? Enrichment is providing animals with different things to improve their environment based around their natural instincts and behaviours. As zoo keepers we want to stimulate the animals to get them to think about and enjoy their environment. We want…
At the end of last year we decided at the park that we would change all of our primate’s diets to fruit free to cut out as much sugar as we could and increase their fibre intake. This was a result of continuing research being carried out across zoo’s all around the world into what…
The 19th of January 2019 was a very special day for Wingham Wildlife Park, as it marked the day Elizabeth, our baby chimpanzee, celebrated her first birthday. To commemorate the occasion, I’ve put together this blog to share with you what happens during the first year of a baby chimpanzee’s life, and all the milestones…
