Animal news: new arrivals and milestone moments

The summer holidays have been buzzing at Marwell, with Zoofest bringing music, crafts and festival inspired fun to the zoo.

Beyond the festivities, August has brought plenty of memorable animal moments – from welcoming a new tiger to celebrating the 40th birthday of oldest Southern white rhino in the UK.

Here are some of the stories you may have missed this month.

Amali’s first adventure in the big field

Our youngest Southern white rhino reached an exciting milestone this month when she explored the main field for the first time.

Amali spent plenty of time following her mum, Zahra, as she investigated her new surroundings. The pair even enjoyed wallowing together in their mud bath.

Mud helps rhinos regulate their body temperature and creates a protective layer on their skin, helping to shield them from the sun and biting insects.

Watch the video of her big field adventure on our Facebook page.

Celebrating scimitar-horned oryx

We marked Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day with a weekend dedicated to these remarkable animals and the conservation work helping to secure their future.

Visitors could discover more about the species through talks, activities and fascinating artefacts, including horns, a skull, camera traps and a GPS collar.

Once declared Extinct in the Wild, scimitar-horned oryx have since been reclassified as Endangered thanks to conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes supported by Marwell and partners.

Rizzo and Thien Than settle into their new home

Our new Asian small-clawed otters, Rizzo and Thien Than, have been busy settling into life together at Marwell.

The pair were introduced earlier this summer and have been getting to know one another while exploring their habitat.

Asian small-clawed otters are highly social animals and the smallest of the world’s 13 otter species. Unlike many other otters, they use their sensitive front paws to search for food, including crabs, molluscs and other small aquatic animals.

You can also help us make further improvements to their home through #VoteWild. Their proposed project would create a warm indoor pool and new nesting areas, giving them even more opportunities to swim, explore and choose where they spend their time.

Kiri turns 40

We celebrated a very special birthday in August as Kiri, the oldest Southern white rhino in the UK, turned 40!

Kiri has been part of the Marwell family for many years and is a much-loved member of our rhino herd.

At 40 years old, she has reached an incredible milestone for her species, and her birthday provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate her with the people who know her best.

Luca arrives at Marwell

Four-year-old Amur tiger Luca joined us from The Big Cat Sanctuary.

Luca will be staying at Marwell for up to six months while work is completed on his habitat at home.

After taking some time to settle in behind the scenes, he has started exploring his new surroundings and spending time outside. As with all our animals, Luca can choose where he feels most comfortable, so visitors may need to be patient if he decides to stay out of sight.

Keep an eye out for Luca during your next visit.

Meet Gary and Lemmy

Our Bactrian camels, Gary and Lemmy, have been settling into life at Marwell – and we thought it was about time you got to know them a little better.

Although they may look similar at first, spend some time watching Gary and Lemmy and you’ll soon begin to notice their individual personalities. Watch our Facebook video to learn how to tell them apart.

Bactrian camels are instantly recognisable by their two humps, which store fat that can be used when food is scarce. Their thick coats, long eyelashes and closable nostrils also help them cope with the extreme conditions of their native desert habitats.

A tiny new arrival

Some of August’s new arrivals have been much smaller.

A collared hill partridge chick hatched this month, shortly after the arrival of an adult bird in May.

Native to forests across parts of Southeast Asia, collared hill partridges spend much of their time on the ground, where their colouring helps them blend into the leaf litter.

You may need a sharp pair of eyes to spot our newest chick!

Saying goodbye to Bruce

Sadly, August also brought a difficult goodbye as Bruce, our Himalayan monal, was euthanised on medical grounds.

The decision was made by our veterinary and animal care teams to prevent further suffering and ensure his welfare remained the priority.

Bruce will be greatly missed by everyone who cared for him.

More stories to come

From important conservation work and animal milestones to new arrivals finding their feet, every month brings something different at Marwell.

Thank you for continuing to support our animals and the work we do to protect wildlife. We’ll be sharing more news from across the zoo soon.

You can also stay up to date via our social media channels:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.