Marwell Zoo, Conservation Fun
An African-themed Hotel Complements a Hampshire Zoological Park
© Ja Woolf
The wild animals' luxurious enclosures at Marwell Zoo are part of a major conservation programme, while visitors can stay in an African safari themed hotel.
It’s always best when animals, reptiles and birds can survive and thrive in the wild. But if their natural habitats are endangered, then captive breeding is often the best option.
Marwell Zoo, in England’s Hampshire, combines its role as a family attraction with the even more important task of breeding endangered animals. Occupying over a hundred acres in Colden Common, near Winchester, the zoo cares for about two hundred different species, ranging from tropical frogs to kookaburras, or big cats to red pandas. It's open from 10 a.m. daily, and costs £14.50 for adults, £10.50 for kids.
Vital Conservation Work
Income from the zoo’s visitors helps fund its worldwide conservation schemes, such as work with wild rhinos in Zimbabwe. Details of its captive breeding programmes, and information about the animals and their natural habitats are explained on helpful signs throughout the park. There are always trained volunteers to hand, too, to answer visitors’ questions and encourage them to get more involved with the zoo's work.
Home Sweet Home
The animals’ homes are designed specially to encourage natural behaviour, enabling them to live more fulfilling lives in captivity. Some of them, in fact, are almost like playgrounds. The Siamang gibbons’ enclosure, for instance, boasts an artificial lake spanned by rainforest-themed footbridges, and a beautiful longhouse where the apes hang out.
The zoo’s golden-headed lion tamarins are dainty, monkey-like creatures, and they live in a wooded area designed to evoke the forest in which they naturally live. But there are no feeding times. Instead, to reinforce the animals' natural wild behavior, mealworms are dropped at irregular intervals from a tube amongst the trees, thereby encouraging the tamarins to go out and search for food.
Other enclosures allow the animals the chance to view the visitors! The giraffes roam a large open meadow with trees, and alongside the meadow is a viewing platform for people. The giraffes often come over to take a look at the visitors on the platform. Then, their heads – with little horns, long eyelashes and all - are almost near enough to touch.
Starring the Meerkats
Among the zoo’s most popular creatures are the meerkats, members of the mongoose family. These quaint creatures stand on their hind legs to survey the surrounding countryside, and the zoo provides them with a high rock as a look-out point. One meerkat is appointed sentry, and, as the others burrow, he conscientiously scans the horizon for predators. It’s all quite unnecessary in cosy Hampshire, but of course the meerkats are blissfully unaware of that! They also seem unaware of the attention they get from visitors.
Getting Around
Marwell’s layout is well designed and simple, with everything within easy reach of one long circular road. For those who don’t like walking, a land-train – a tractor pulling carriages – does frequent circuits with plenty of stops, and there’s also a little diesel train which shuttles between the zoo’s two tiny stations. They are both free.
"Out of Africa" hotel
Just outside the zoo entrance, and still within the Marwell property, is a hotel that has been subtly themed as an African lodge to complement the whole zoo experience. The Marwell Hotel (Tel: (44) 1962-777681) is arranged in a series of low-rise “lodges” connected to the main block by glassed corridors. The décor features wild animal prints, ceiling fans and slatted shutters.
An elephant’s head fountain and metal lizard sculptures adorn the dining room walls, and each bedroom has a verandah leading out into woodland. Amongst these trees another splendid adventure playground is hidden – but this one is for small human animals - ones whose parents have booked rooms in the hotel!
Animal lovers may also be interested in reading about horse-drawn adventures on a Modern British Stagecoach Ride
