2022: A Year in Photos
January 1, 2023
Happy New Year! We hope you’ve all had fun reigning in the new year as we look ahead to what 2023 brings. This time of year is often one for reflection, so we’re looking back at some of our favourite moments from 2022…
Welcome, Zalika!
We gave a warm welcome to Zalika, our female pygmy hippo. Zalika has been settling in well since her arrival in February and we hope that one day she and Oliver will contribute to the European ex-situ breeding programme for this Endangered species.
Hello, hoglets!
In a first for Marwell, we welcomed 2 red river hoglets in August. These adorable youngsters have been named Matonda (male) and Kika (female)!
Red river hogs are native to the West and Central African rainforest. They are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as “Least Concern”, although populations are declining in the wild.
A tall order
Mburo is the first male giraffe at Marwell for five years and will live with our females, Makeda, Christa, and Ruby, who were all born at the zoo.
Every giraffe can be identified by the pattern on its coat, which is completely unique, much like a human fingerprint. Amongst a number of distinguishing features that will help make him easy for guests to spot, Mburo has a love heart on his left cheek.
Even MORE new arrivals!
We’ve been delighted to welcome lots of new species and animals to the zoo throughout 2022! Just some of these include our two clouded leopards, Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal, a Grevy’s zebra foal, Red-necked wallaby joeys, Goeldi’s monkeys, red-bellied lemurs, Beisa oryx, sitatunga, addax, Przewalski’s horse foal, lesser kudu and more! Can you spot them next time you visit?
We launched our new app
In April, we launched our brand new Marwell Zoo app. It includes fantastic features for you to make the most of your day, such as an interactive map, extra animal facts, animal feed times, day planner, exclusive offers and more!
Download the app for your next visit.
A highly prestigious award
Her Majesty the Queen gave the royal seal of approval to our environmental commitments with a coveted award: The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development. Announced on The Queen’s Birthday, the award programme is the most prestigious in the world, recognising and encouraging outstanding achievements.
BRICKOSAURS! Evolution
BRICKOSAURS! Evolution was our world-first event featuring brand new sculptures of prehistoric creatures!
It took you on a leap back in time! Along the route, there were incredible toy-brick sculptures of roaring raptors, a towering 3-metre-tall Brachiosaurus (the tallest brick sculpture ever seen at Marwell!) and loads more!
The launch of Glow!
In yet another first for Marwell, we launched our Glow Marwell light event in November. The magical trail saw more than 250,000 LED lights twinkling along the route, with delicious food, stunning displays and more. Thank you for joining us!
Supporting our local community
In 2022, we were proud to have donated more than 250 Marwell tickets to the local community in support of fantastic causes, charities, and fundraisers. We also worked alongside Winchester City Council to donate more than 1000 tickets to Ukranian families staying in Hampshire. For the last 50 years, we have been proud to be part of your community, so it’s always wonderful when we are able to give back.
Did you know Marwell is also a charity? Find out how to support our global conservation efforts.
Volunteer hours
We are hugely grateful to have a fantastic team of volunteers supporting us throughout the year. In 2022 our volunteer team gave us 5,200 hours of their time to support the zoo and the work that we do as a charity.
From those helping you spot our sloth in Energy for Life: Tropical House and supporting our keepers with their duties, to keeping our archives up to date and helping with admin; every role is important, and we can’t thank you enough!
50th Anniversary
We celebrated our 50th anniversary! That’s 50 years of conservation and sustainability efforts and educating the next generation to take care of the natural world we all share.
From our early beginnings as a breeding centre for endangered species, Marwell has evolved into a more holistic conservation organisation focussing on the restoration of species and ecosystems, promoting sustainable living and catalysing changes needed to improve the fortunes of people, wildlife and the wider environment.
Thank you!
We’d also like to say a massive thank you to our staff and volunteers, plus everyone who has visited, purchased adoptions, memberships, and more, or fundraised for us throughout the year! We’re grateful to be part of your community for 50 years – Here’s to a wonderful 2023.
