Building Works Update...
02/04/2023
As detailed in the post below, our new Tortoise House is finished. The tortoises are moving in this week, and some more plants will be added once they have arrived from the nursery. We always hoped this would be ready for Easter and it has worked out very well. It allows viewing of our tortoises year round, even when they are indoors during bad weather.
Work continues on the new Meerkat enclosure, but has been delayed by the miserable wet March and by our team having to be moved to work in other areas. We always have to be flexible, as much of the Parks development is outside our direct control, and this is why we rarely mention a planned completion date for any project - it is just impossible to know what is around the corner..
What we can guarantee - is whenever you visit, there will always be something new to see!
Due to a sudden change in the regulations regarding the quarantine of imported mammals, the old formal rabies quarantine requirements, in place before the EU 'free' market have been re-introduced for some mammals from certain countries.
Luckily at Hamerton, last year we took delivery of a new van which is now licenced for all types of local and international animal movements, and our maintenance team has been busy re-fitting our three former DEFRA-approved rabies-quarantine-units to give a total of 15 off-exhibit enclosures where mammals of various sizes can be isolated for the required 4 months. This has not had to be done for twenty years, and is quite some abrupt change, impacting us as heavily as Covid and the cessation of animal movements and breeding programmes caused by the 'fall-out' from Brexit.
We did not expect to have to do this work now at no notice, or indeed staff and fund it - and it has delayed the new Meerkat enclosure and the new development by the Tayras - but needs must!
We are very lucky that our small team is so competent and so flexible; and they hope that once the weather improves the planned work can be re-commenced.