Animal Gallery

Tawny Frogmouth

Australia - Down-Under on your Doorstep

Our pair of Mainland Wombats arrived at Hamerton, from Queensland, in March 2018. They are now very settled into their new home, and our Wombat enclosure was opened later that year. They have had 3 joeys since and are still the only animals of their species in the UK.

Project-Australia Wombats

From the 11th June 2022, take a trip on our Road-Train and meet some of the planets massive extinct animals, and some of the 'modern' mammals which eventually rose from their ashes, following the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction 'event'. A massive meteorite strike in central America wiped out most of life on Earth. Train tickets cost £3.50 per person, and out of season, can be purchased from the Coffee-Shop and/or the train-driver. Please see the signs at the Park entrance for more info on the day, as a time-table may be in operation on quieter days. In season, tickets are available from the kiosk at the top of the Play-Area. This new extended route, price and detail replaces/supersedes the old ones and means our train no longer has to run on the Park paths.

K-T Express - A Journey through Evolution

New arrivals at the Park is our group of Syrian Bears. The smallest of the Brown Bear family and now extinct in Syria, only remnant populations are to be found in neighbouring countries. Our 3 young animals are two brothers and their sister, born in Zoo-de-Servion in Switzerland. They are the only Syrian Bears in the UK, and are part of an attempt to preserve the species which has practically disappeared from Europe's zoos. The plan is for the three youngsters to grow up at Hamerton before eventually being paired up with new animals to be imported from rescue centres in Armenia. Our new Bear Meadow consists of 4 separate dens connected to two outdoor enclosures, one stony and one grassed, covering an area of 6000 sq metres - around one and a half acres. It was in use by May 2020, and was open officially once visitors were allowed to come back to the Park by the Government, following the closure of all zoos during the pandemic.

Bear Meadow

Malayan Tiger

Big Cats

Oncilla or TigerCat

Small Cats

Other Carnivores

Ring-tailed Lemurs

Primates

Bennett's Red-necked Wallaby

Marsupials etc

Giant Anteater

Other Mammals

Little Bittern

Birds A to I

Kookaburra

Birds J to O

Ruppel's Griffon Vulture with nesting material

Birds P to Z

Grand Noir du Berry Donkey

Domestic Animals

Giant Spurred Tortoises

Reptiles

The Grey Partridge is a game bird native to England. Changes in agricultural management, wetter springs and uncontrolled increase in predators has resulted in a dramatic 90% reduction in its numbers in just a few decades. It has disappeared from the area around the Park, where it used to be found. In conjunction with a number of conservation bodies, Hamerton Zoo Park is starting a feasibility study in spring 2019 with a view to breeding the Grey Partridge in captivity here at the zoo, and releasing the young birds in the local area. Five pairs of Partridges will be arriving at the Park this year; one pair moving into one of our on-show aviaries and the others housed in specially constructed breeding pens in various secluded location.

Local Wildlife

Plans are being drawn up for a new attraction. Our new Zoo Museum will have three core displays. Its development is secondary to the animal collection and visitor facilities at the Park of course, and as we have to do all the work ourselves will be done at a time when we are not able to work outdoors. 1 - it will showcase model zoos and toy animals made in Germany, France, the UK, Denmark, East Germany and Czechoslovakia during the 20th Century. The animals and the models were often copied from the zoo buildings, enclosures and animal species of their time. They provide a fascinating insight into times gone by. The core collection is in secure storage and extends beyond 200 individual zoo buildings and several thousands of animals by a number of different manufacturers. 2- secondly, it is hoped to focus on exhibits and attractions of the past which are often unknown to modern generations, who know nothing of Chimps Tea Parties, Elephant Rides or Llama Carts; let alone human exhibits in Zoos, be they ethnic peoples in Germany or premature babies in America... 3 - in addition, the Museum will display information about the zoos which have opened and closed within our visitor catchment area. There is a surprising number, and details and knowledge of them is being rapidly forgotten. We have the offers of help from a number of different experts and specialists in this field. We are researching the following, and welcome any details on these: Thorney Wildlife Park Guilsborough Pets/Birds/Wildlife Coton Manor (Wildlife) Gardens Lilford Park Aviaries Stagsden Bird Gardens Clopton Bird Garden Peakirk Wildfowl/Waterfowl Gardens Lowlands Farm Park Melchbourne Bird Gardens Springfields Gardens Aviaries, Spalding Pheonix Tropical Birdland, Cowbit Brambles Pheasantries, Houghton Wellingborough Zoo Wicksteed Park Childrens Zoo Norfolk Wildlife Park Kilverstone Wildlife Park Kelling Park Aviaries Cromer Zoo Cromer Birdland Smallborough Waterfowl Collection Basildon/Vange Zoo Coombe Abbey Bird Garden Norton Bird/Pets Garden Flamingo Gardens, Olney Stapleford Lion Park

Zoo Museum (planned...)

A small exhibition of zoo models is planned to run for 2022. It will be in our coffee-shop and will feature part of our collection of model zoo enclosures and toy animals from various countries. The first display will be from New Zealand, featuring some charming 'scratch-built' models based on Auckland Zoo's old exhibits. This is planned to be temporary and will be replaced by others from the UK, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France and the former Czechoslovakia and DDR in rotation. Full details will be posted on social media as the exhibitions evolve. This will form a very modest 'taster' for the full museum we have planned - see left; which is a much larger project and will feature all of the collections, and more...

Up-Coming Exhibitions