Those are you who follow my main blog will probably recall posts from past visits to 'Blackbrook Zoological Park'. Blackbrook went into administration a while back and was sold to new owners last year. The site has now partially re-opened as Peak Wildlife Park.
It is not fully open yet, but for a reduced ticket price visitors can see the animals currently in residence and help to support the conservation work.
Knowing that there is still work to be done at the park, I wasn't expecting a lot and to be honest, I didn't really go to see the animals this time but more to support the park so that they can continue their work.
I was really impressed! The changes that have been made are brilliant and although there isn't a lot to see at the moment, the experiences in the various areas are so much better than they were before and are especially good for children to really give them a close encounter with the animals that they'll probably remember forever! Rather than all the animals being in separate cages and enclosures, visitors can now walk through various zones - amongst the animals - and the conditions and habitats are much better. The staff were all very pleasant too - friendly, helpful and informative.
I didn't arrive here until about 3:45 and that seemed to be afternoon nap time for many animals! First we passed the otters - there was no sign of them, but we passed again later and they were out then. The otter photos were taken through glass so they're not great.
In the warty pig enclosure there was a moorhen with three chicks...
and then we found two sleeping warty pigs around the other side. Again, a terrible photo taken through a window.
The tortoise was out and checking his perimeter!
Then I came to the Humboldt penguins. These are part of the European Endangered Species Programme - you can read a more about them via the link above to the park website.
The new information boards at the park are excellent...
In the same enclosure as the penguins, you can see a mara
and three capybaras...
Guess what they were doing?!
It was feeding time for the lemurs so there was a lot more activity in 'Lemur Heights'. This ruffed lemur preferred to select his own snack...
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| ring tailed lemur |
The ring tailed lemurs were very active; running, jumping, climbing and having the occasional scuffle with the ruffed lemurs.
This one has a baby on board - you can just see the head!
The brown lemurs were much more calm and civilised than the ruffed and ring tailed!
Next was a walk through 'Wallaby Wanderland'. I'd heard there was a mini version of the Roaches (the rocks where I grew up) so was looking forward to seeing this. Mini version of the Roaches was a very grand term for the rock pile in here, but it was a nice touch anyway (I'd pictured it more of a small scale, realistic model!).
One of them had a joey...
You can carefully stroke the wallabies in here too :)
Reaching these cages, I started to see if any of the owls etc were still here but then I saw the notice...
Isn't it brilliant :) I don't know where all the birds have gone (before it became Blackbrook Zoo, this site started out as Blackbrook Bird World) - I assume they have been re-homed and hopefully gone on to better places.
The meerkats are still there and will be moving to a new enclosure next year, which is currently a work in progress.
There's also an enclosure called 'Himalayan Falls' where you can find rheas, guineafowl, runner ducks, peafowl and Waldrapp ibis. Due to the very bright sunshine, I could hardly see so my photos were rubbish, but here are a few...
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| Waldrapp Ibis (or northern bald) - critically endangered |
I noticed a few sparrow nests around. This male house sparrow was about to deliver a meal to the chick below.
Do take a look at the website to find out more about Peak Wildlife Park. I can highly recommend it!
Before heading home, I called in a RSPB Coombes Valley, which isn't far away, as I fancied a bit of 'grasshoppering'!
The first thing I spotted was a fly, like the one I found in the garden in yesterday's post. This one has the fungus clearly visible though and as it's rather like the earwig I found affected by this last year, I'm guessing it's the same kind of fungus - Entomophthorales, or 'insect destroyer'.
I found a green weevil
There were little spiders all over the ground, carrying egg sacs.
Then I finally heard some grasshoppers and after a bit of looking...
The last photo is the grasshopper from my finger safely returned to the wild :)
How did you go wild today?
My daughter spent a happy hour chasing grass hoppers and eventually catching one just for a brief moment in time to look at it ;) ...i showed her your wonderful bugs/insects photographs she loved them. I love a wildlife sanctuary that is all about 'getting them better and letting them back into the wild...my father looked after wild animals when we were young a small sanctuary for owls, birds, we even had a fox for a year after finding it run over, but all of the animals were wild and thats how they should stay so it was all about getting them better and letting them go free back to their natural habitat, Though, Bazil our fox went to a lovely man in the woods who ran a huge fox sanctuary and he lived out his years there...he's got too used to humans to go back to the wild. we never had pets or went to the zoo, only on school trips. But i do take my daughter to the zoo and we have a hampster~ but i still feel that inner guilt looking at an animal behind bars. ive really enjoyed your '30 days of wild' will you keep it up? after the 30 days. x
ReplyDeleteIts been a while since I have visited a wildlife park. Peak looks like its going to be a lovely one. Day 27 I paddled in a stream. It was rather cold!
ReplyDeleteLooks a great place to visit. I've been impressed by how many places you've been as part of this challenge. Mine have been much more home bird activities. I'm off for a couple of weeks now though so am looking forward to getting out and about. x
ReplyDeleteMost of the places I've been to are close to home for me. The trip to Hull and seabird cruise were booked months ago, before I knew of 30 Days Wild so that was happening anyway and all the other walks and visits I probably would have done anyway! There are days though when I have only bothered to get out because of this!
DeleteSuper photos Louise, love the otters and lemurs. Are these European Otters? I was lucky enough to get some photos of Asian Otters on Day 14 of the Challenge whilst at Martin Mere, they're lovely animals. Not sure you saw that post.
ReplyDeleteThese are Asian short clawed otters. I will take a look at your day 14.
DeletePeak looks like a nice place and all the animals look relaxed and healthy, I'm not a fan of kept animals, but I know they have there place in the world, and they are much better looked after than when I was a kid, when I was about 9 or 10 I wrote to Morecambe council to complain about the zoo there. Thankfully it has been gone for years...
ReplyDeleteAmanda xx
Magical photos of the new wildlife park - I'm looking forward to visiting soon, glad those old heavy wood cages are gone I used to find those a bit spooky I don't know why - looks like they are doing a good job there now:)
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