Some of the animals were given an early Easter treat today (Wednesday 28 March) as they were let loose into their grass paddocks for the first time this year. 16 energized Scimitar-horned Oryx and 15 Grevy’s Zebra ran into their paddocks at full speed, kicking out hind legs and charging up and down the paddock - obviously delighted to be out on the grass following the winter months confined to their hard stands.

Scimitar-horned Oryx originate from North Africa, but they are now extinct in the wild due to uncontrolled hunting and increased competition with domestic livestock for land. A group have been at Marwell since it opened 35 years ago, and the park is currently co-ordinating a conservation project to reintroduce these beautiful desert antelopes back into their native homelands.

Grevy’s are the largest of the zebra with narrow, elegant stripes and very large ears. Less than 3000 remain in the wild and Marwell is also involved in conservation projects in Kenya and Ethiopia to help save these endangered populations.

After a few minutes of galloping around, the Oryx settled down and started to nibble on the grass. Whilst the Zebras remained thrilled with the extra space and continued to run around and chase each other, until finally they ran out of energy.

Over the next couple of weeks (dependent upon weather conditions) all of the paddocks will be opened to the remaining animals. From the Przewalski’s Horse (only surviving species of wild horse) to the Giraffes and Rhinos, all will soon be exploring their larger paddocks with the same energy as the park witnessed today.

 

The animals are removed from the paddocks during the winter for several reasons. First and foremost for the animals safety: the land becomes unsuitable for grazing and the animals risk an injury on the wet grass. The hard stand provides an ideal ground for hooves to recover and get back in shape. With no animals galloping and eating the grass, the paddocks are also able to recover over the winter months.

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