Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

Last updated

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park.jpg
Entrance in 2014
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
52°27′02″N1°54′38″W / 52.450498°N 1.910430°W / 52.450498; -1.910430
Date opened1974 (1974)
Location Pershore Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
England
United Kingdom
Land area6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Memberships BIAZA, [1] EAZA [2]
Major exhibitsRed Pandas, Komodo Dragon, Eurasian Lynx, Many Species of Lemur, Tamarin and Monkeys, Asian Short-Clawed Otters, Northern Bald Ibis
Website Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, formerly Birmingham Nature Centre, and before that Birmingham Zoo, is a small zoo on the edge of Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, England. It is owned and managed by Birmingham City Council.

Contents

As well as catering to tourists and locals, the zoo is actively involved in many scientific programmes, such as the EEP captive breeding programmes with endangered animals, helping to highlight the plight of the world's biodiversity through educational talks and campaigns.

The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

History

Birmingham Zoo was opened on 1 May 1964 by the Dudley Zoological Society, within Cannon Hill Park. The site of the park was once part of a 16th-century fulling mill, known as Pebble Mill. [3]

It was designed to exhibit mainly young animals, but it also housed Dudley Zoo's collection of monkeys and two dromedaries for rides.

Once described as a little gem of a zoo, [4] it closed in 1973 for unknown reasons. It was reopened in 1974 by Birmingham City Council as the Birmingham Nature Centre. The centre and its entrance were originally part of the Birmingham Natural History Museum. In 2014 it was rebranded as Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. [5]

Earlier zoos

Birmingham has had a number of zoos over the years. The first was the Birmingham and Midlands Zoological Gardens in Balsall Heath, opened in 1873. The second was Aston Lower Grounds Menagerie in Aston, opened in 1880. The last was Birmingham Zoo, which opened in 1910 but closed in 1930. There was also said to be a travelling menagerie, named J. E. James's Menagerie. [6]

Animals

The zoo features mainly small mammals. Its occupants include:

Red pandas

A red panda at the centre Red Panda ( Ailurus Fulgens ).jpg
A red panda at the centre

The nature centre used to have a pair of male red pandas. However these have been re-housed as part of the national breeding programme. Ming Ming is visiting a female red panda in the Welsh Mountain Zoo.

Babu

Babu is a red panda who disappeared from the nature centre in November 2005 and spent four days on the loose before being discovered. Nature centre staff believe he was blown out of a tree and found himself outside his enclosure. His disappearance and the citywide panda hunt that ensued made national headlines. After being discovered by a dog-walker in Moseley, Babu was dramatically reunited with his brother Tensing live on Midlands Today . [7] [8] [9] [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ "BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums". biaza.org.uk. BIAZA . Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums". eaza.net. EAZA . Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park - Photos". Birmingham Conservation Trust. 4 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Schomberg 1970 , pp. 29
  5. ↑ "Birmingham Nature Centre to be relaunched as Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park". Birmingham Live. 28 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Bartlett Society - Closed collections". Zoo History. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Runaway Birmingham panda found up tree". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph (UK). 3 November 2005. Retrieved 18 September 2011.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Kelbie, Paul (4 November 2005). "The end of freedom for Babu the escape artist". findarticles.com. The Independent (London). Retrieved 18 September 2011.[ dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Red panda boosts visitor numbers". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  10. ↑ Bounds, Jon (10 September 2007). "Brummie of the Year 2005". birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk. BiNS. Retrieved 18 September 2011.

Related Research Articles

London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, the animals of the Tower of London menagerie were transferred to the zoo's collection. It was opened to the public in 1847. As of December 2022, it houses a collection of 14,926 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Zoo</span> Zoo in Bristol, United Kingdom

Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend" biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marwell Zoo</span> Zoo in Hampshire, England

Marwell Zoo is a 140-acre (57 ha) zoo situated in Colden Common near Winchester, in the English county of Hampshire. It is owned and run by the registered charity Marwell Wildlife. The zoo is home to 1,208 animals of 149 species. The charity undertakes a range of educational and conservation activities, with a particular focus on Africa in addition to work from its base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schönbrunn Zoo</span> Zoo in Vienna

Schönbrunn Zoo is a 17-hectare (42-acre) zoo in the city of Vienna, Austria. Established in 1752, it is the world's oldest zoo still in operation. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, being a part of the Schönbrunn Palace gardens. It generally receives more than 2 million visitors every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoo Atlanta</span> Zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoological park in Atlanta, Georgia. The current president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta is Raymond B. King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colchester Zoo</span> Zoo in Essex, England

Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. The zoo opened in 1963 and celebrated its 60th anniversary on 2 June 2023. It is home to many rare and endangered species, including big cats, primates and birds as well as many invertebrates and fish species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Zoo</span> Zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Edinburgh Zoo, formerly the Scottish National Zoological Park, is an 82-acre (33 ha) non-profit zoological park in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Zoo</span> Zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast Zoological Gardens is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paignton Zoo</span> Zoo in Devon, England

Paignton Zoo is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo was started as a private collection by avid animal collector and breeder, Herbert Whitley, in the grounds of his home Primley House. It was opened to the public on a number of occasions, originally as Primley Zoological Gardens, and closed twice due to disputes with the tax authorities. The commercialisation of the zoo came when animals and attractions were relocated from Chessington Zoo during World War II, and the site was named as Devon's Zoo and Circus

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woburn Safari Park</span> Safari park in Bedfordshire, England

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exmoor Zoo</span> Zoo in Exmoor, North Devon, England

Exmoor Zoo is a conservation centre in Exmoor, North Devon, England. The zoo developed from Exmoor Bird Gardens, opened on the site of a farm in 1982. The current owners took over in 1993, and have enlarged and developed the zoo, now specialising in the conservation of smaller animals. The zoo has been a member of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, since 1995 and recently became a member of EAZA in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newquay Zoo</span> Zoo in Cornwall, England

Newquay Zoo is a zoological garden located within Trenance Leisure Park in Newquay, England. The zoo was opened in Cornwall on Whit Monday, 26 May 1969 by the local council. It was privately owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin from 1993 until 2003. In August 2003 Stewart Muir became the new Director and the zoo became part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, alongside Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts. The zoo is part of a registered charity, and was awarded various South West and Cornwall 'Visitor Attraction of The Year' and 'Sustainable Tourism' awards for excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Newquay Zoo is now run as part of the Wild Planet Trust, the new name for the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Alive!</span> Zoo in Suffolk, UK

Africa Alive! Zoological Reserve, formerly known as Africa Alive! and Suffolk Wildlife Park, is a zoo located in Kessingland, Suffolk, UK. It is situated off the A12 at Kessingland 2 miles (3 km) south of Lowestoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banham Zoo</span> Zoo in Norfolk, England

Banham Zoological Gardens is a 50-acre (20 ha) zoo in Banham, Norfolk, England. The zoo itself, which today is home to more than 2,000 animals, opened to the public in 1968, became a charity in 2013, and has since been often awarded the prize of Norfolk's Top Attraction, by numerous different organisations, with an annual visitor attendance of in excess of 200,000 people. It is part of the Zoological Society of East Anglia, a registered charity which also owns Africa Alive Zoological Reserve near Lowestoft, Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barcelona Zoo</span> Zoo in Catalonia, Spain

Barcelona Zoo is a zoo in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The zoo used to be internationally known as the home of Snowflake, the only known albino gorilla, who died in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Wildlife Park</span> Wildlife park in South Yorkshire, England

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a wildlife conservation and rehabilition centre and tourist attraction located in Branton, south-east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It opened in 2009 on the site of Brockholes Farm, a former riding school and petting zoo, and features 500 animals of 100 species. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is an official member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curraghs Wildlife Park</span> Wildlife park in the Isle of Man

Curraghs Wildlife Park is a wildlife park in The Curraghs, an area of wetland in the north-west of the Isle of Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropiquaria</span> Zoo in West Somerset, United Kingdom

Tropiquaria Zoo is a small tropical house and zoo in West Somerset, England. It is located 16 miles (26 km) from Taunton and 9 miles (14 km) from Minehead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilgate Nature Centre</span> Zoo in Crawley, West Sussex, founded 1966

Tilgate Nature Centre is a small BIAZA-accredited zoo located within Tilgate Park in Tilgate Forest, South-East Crawley, West Sussex, England. The nature centre holds 144 different animal species, and are actively involved in breeding programmes to preserve many threatened wild species from extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mogo Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

Mogo Wildlife Park is a small privately owned zoo in Mogo, on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.