Animal News May 2026

It’s been a busy May here at Marwell and our animals have been enjoying the warm weather. Here’s what’s been happening around the zoo…

Say hello to Carry

We’re delighted to welcome two-year-old Rothschild’s giraffe Carry to Marwell as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

Carry arrived from Belfast Zoo and is already settling in well with Marwell’s other giraffes, Mburo and Christa.

Adorable new baby arrivals

We’ve welcomed some adorable baby animals. A Chacoan mara pup has been born in Life Among The Trees, while a potoroo joey has been born to mum Truffle, and is starting to emerge from mum’s pouch. Visitors to the Upper Walkthrough Aviary may also be able to spot our fledgling red tailed laughingthrush chicks.

Our female snow leopard, Zaya, gave birth on Wednesday 20 May 2026. It’s still early days, so the cub or cubs remain in the cubbing box out of sight and we can’t yet confirm how many cubs she has had. It will be several weeks before they are big enough to leave the cubbing box. We’ll keep people updated on their progress and when they might be out and about – please stay tuned to our website and social media for updates.

Amali takes her first mud bath

Our animals have been finding plenty of ways to stay cool in the heat – and baby white rhino Amali is no different. She’s already a fan of one of a rhino’s favourite ways to beat the heat – watch her take her first mud bath on our Facebook channel.

Rolling in mud (known as wallowing) helps protect rhinos’ skin from the sun while also keeping them cool.

New birds complete their quarantine

The blue-crowned hanging parrots, collared trogons and grosbeak starlings have now completed their quarantine and can be seen in the Tropical House. Keep an eye out for them on your next visit.

Samba the capybara update

Our animal teams continue to carry out thorough searches every day and have now followed up on more than 150 potential sightings, the vast majority of which have turned out to be muntjac deer. We’ve also acquired a further 10 camera traps to help us increase our coverage.

 If you believe you may have seen Samba, please take a photo, send it to 07436 167401 and include the What3Words or Google Maps location.

For the latest updates, please check our Samba Update webpage and stay tuned to our social media channels.

Big Give Sand Lizard Campaign

A big thank you to everyone who donated to the Big Give Earth Raise campaign to support our Sand Lizards. Thanks to your generosity, we raised £16,390, which will help us take an important step forward in the protection of England’s rarest lizard.

Stay connected

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