Woburn Safari Park is a
safariA safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
park located in
WoburnWoburn is a small Saxon village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is situated about southeast of the centre of Milton Keynes, and about south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway and is a popular tourist attraction.-History:...
,
BedfordshireBedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
in the UK. Visitors to the park can drive through the large animal exhibits, which contain species such as White Rhino,
ElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, Tigers and
Black BearThe American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s. It is part of the estates of the
Duke of Bedfordthumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
that also includes
Woburn AbbeyWoburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
and its 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) deer park.
Woburn Safari Park is a member of the
British and Irish Association of Zoos and AquariumsThe British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity. Founded in 1966 within the zoo and aquarium community to see the principles and practices of animal management adopted in the British Isles...
(BIAZA) and the
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria-External links:*...
(EAZA).
History
Woburn Safari Park first opened in 1970, established by
the 13th Duke of BedfordJohn Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford was a British peer and writer, the son of Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1985.- Biography :...
on the grounds of his estate,
Woburn AbbeyWoburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
, as a means to help improve the financial position of the estate and restore the Abbey, which had fallen into disrepair during the second world war. The
11th Duke of BedfordHerbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford KG KBE DL LLD FRS FSA was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford.-Family:...
had been president of the
Zoological Society of LondonThe Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and had introduced various species such as
American BisonThe American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
,
DeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
,
AntelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
,
LionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and
TigerThe tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
to the park.
Starting with upgrades to the wolf facilities in 2004 which allowed the wolves overnight access to the outside enclosure they share with the parks bears, the park had spent about £4 million by 2010 to upgrade off-show animal facilities in the park. The African Ungulate Conservation Centre (or "Antelope House") was built in 2007 to help conservation efforts with hoofed mammals, and what the park claims is "probably the biggest concentration of critically endangered African ungulates on Earth."
The Asian Elephant Conservation Centre, built to house the parks elephants comfortably even through the winters, opened in 2008. It was followed in 2009 by a new facility for housing rhinos and other savannah animals, as well as an upgrade to the giraffe house that doubled its size.
Animals
The park lets animals roam freely while visitors drive through their enclosures. The species held in the park include
RhinocerosRhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
,
ElandTaurotragus, commonly called Eland, is a genus of antelopes of the African savannah, containing two species: the Common Eland and the Giant Eland...
,
Scimitar Horned OryxOryx is one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx. Three of the species are native to arid parts of Africa, with a fourth native to the Arabian Peninsula. Their pelage is pale with contrasing dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight...
,
AddaxThe Addax , also known as the screwhorn antelope, is a critically endangered species of antelope that lives in the Sahara desert. As suggested by its alternative name, this pale antelope has long, twisted horns. It is closely related to the oryx, but differs from other antelopes by having large...
,
GemsbokThe gemsbok or gemsbuck is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of southern Africa, but formerly some authorities included the East African Oryx as a subspecies...
,
GiraffeThe giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
,
AnkoleAnkole, also referred to as Nkore, is one of four traditional kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdom is located in the southwestern Uganda, east of Lake Edward. It was ruled by a monarch known as The Mugabe or Omugabe of Ankole. The kingdom was formally abolished in 1967 by the government of President...
,
ZebraZebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
,
African Wild AssThe African Wild Ass is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae. This species is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey which is usually placed within the same species. They live in the deserts and other arid areas of northeastern Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia; it...
,
ElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
,
CamelA camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
,
BisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
,
BongoThe western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
, Lions, Tigers, Wolves,
Black BearThe American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
,
DrillThe Drill is a primate of the family Cercopithecidae , closely related to the Baboons and even more closely to the Mandrill.-Description:...
s and
Patas monkeyThe patas monkey , also known as the Wadi monkey or Hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. It is the only species classified in the genus Erythrocebus...
s and Barbary apes.
The Park also has a 40 acres (16.2 ha) leisure area featuring animal talks, petting zones, a gift shop, family restaurant and the Go Ape! 'high wire forest adventure' course. Animal in the leisure park include
lemurLemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
s,
squirrel monkeyThe squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...
s,
wallabyA wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
s and
emuThe Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s,
penguinPenguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s,
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s,
ponyA pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
s, reptiles and some free ranging
marmosetMarmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
s. It also has a soft play centre called Mammoth Play Ark. Although previously claimed to be the largest in Bedfordshire, Mead Open Farm in nearby
BillingtonBillington is a civil parish in Bedfordshire about three miles south of Leighton Buzzard. There are two settlements: Little Billington and one that is now called Great Billington . Its name is recorded in 1196 as Billendon and may come from Anglo-Saxon language Billan dūn = "hill of a man named...
has a larger soft play centre both in terms of equipment and available play area. Both the Woburn and Mead Open Farm soft play centres were designed and built by Taylor Design and Play.
Conservation
The park is committed to animal
conservationThe conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
and is involved in international
breeding programsCaptive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
to help save
endangered speciesAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, and includes one of the world's largest hoofstock facilities - The African Ungulate Conservation Centre, as well as an Asian Elephant facility.
The park manages the breeding programme for Africa's most endangered large mammal, the Mountain Bongo, and has been one of the most successful breeders of the
Rothschild GiraffeThe Rothschild Giraffe is among the most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred members in the wild. It is named after the famous family of the Tring Museum's founder, Lord Walter Rothschild, and is also known as the Baringo Giraffe, after the Lake Baringo area of Kenya, or as the...
in Europe. Woburn is also one of only a handful of zoos to hold the rarest primate in Africa, the Drill, and is one of few zoos in the UK to hold Vietnamese Sika Deer - a species extinct in the wild.
In addition, Woburn Safari Park has been top fundraiser for EAZA in-situ conservation campaigns twice in the past 4 years. Woburn has won BIAZA's (British Association of Zoo's and Aquariums) for animal welfare for its management of sea lions (2008) and giraffe (2004) as well as winning the BIAZA award for Education and Marketing in 2008.
Other features
Woburn Safari Park is part of the Duke of Bedford's estate and when combined with the acreage of the deer park which surrounds the safari park (home to the endangered Pere David deer), it represents the largest ex-situ conservation facility in Europe and the first 'captive' breeding facility to rescue a species from extinction in the wild with its success with the Pere David deer. Woburn was also instrumental in saving the Mongolian wild horse.
Criticism
In June 2010, the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) criticised the park for keeping lions in old overcrowded pens for up to 18 hours a day in winter, and keeping sea lions in chlorinated water causing eye ulcers and blindness. It also acknowledged that the park was already working to correct the situations, and praised other newer facilities within the park. Although a new, larger overnight facility for lions was already under construction and would allow outside access to the lions as well, Woburn Safari Park states that even the old facility was large enough because the lions could move between the pens. Despite initial plans to move the sea lions to another park due to the perceived problems with the chemical treatment of the animals pools water the animals were retained and a new biological water treatment installed.
The future
A new lion facility was completed in Autumn 2010. Planned future developments for the park include new tiger and penguin facilities by the end of 2011.