Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire in the UK. Visitors to the park can drive through the large animal exhibits, which contain species such as White Rhinos, Elephants, Tigers and Black Bears.

History

Woburn Safari Park first opened in 1970, established by the 13th Duke of Bedford on the grounds of his estate, Woburn Abbey, as a means to help improve the financial position of the estate and restore the Abbey, which had fallen into disrepair during the second world war. The 11th Duke of Bedford had been president of the Zoological Society and had introduced various species such as American Bison, Deer, Antelope, Lion and Tiger to the park.

Animal species and conservation

The park enables animals to roam freely while visitors drive through their enclosures. The species held in the park include Rhinoceros, Eland, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Sitatunga, Lechwe, Gemsbok, Giraffe, Ankole, Zebra, Elephant, Camel, Bison, Bongo, Lions, Tigers, Wolves, Black Bear, Colobus,Vervet and Patas monkeys and Barbary apes.

Animal in the leisure park include lemurs, squirrel monkeys, wallabys and emus, penguins, goats, ponys, seals, reptiles including snakes, and some free ranging marmosets. The park is committed to animal conservation and is involved in international breeding programs to help save endangered species.

The park has had recent success (October 2006) breeding Rothschild Giraffe, an endangered sub-species of Giraffe.

In recent years under the management of Dr Jake Veasey, considerable progress has been made to enhance Woburn Safari Park's conservation activities. Woburn Safari Park manages the Eastern Bongo breeding programme in Europe, one of the rarest large mammals in Africa, and has recently constructed one of the world's largest hoofstock facilities; the African Ungulate Conservation Centre. Most recently it has constructed an innovative Asian elephant facility designed by Dr Veasey. In 2007, Woburn Safari Park become the largest fundraiser for EAZA's Madagascar in-situ conservation campaign.

There are also plans to have up to 18 elephants within the next few years.

Other features

Other features of Woburn Safari Park include an African Ungulate (hoofed animal) Conservation Centre as a focal point for conservation and breeding programs for endangered African species, believed to be the largest such facility in Europe. The park also has a 40 acre leisure area featuring an Elephant Encounter area, Sea lion Displays and Birds of Prey demonstrations. There are also play facilities for young children, a large gift shop and a restaurant.

Unknown to many visitors, there is a public footpath that runs along many of the animal enclosures. From a short distance you can view many of the exhibits, such as elephants for free.

Woburn Safari Park is part of the Duke of Bedford's estate and when combined with the acerage of the deer park which surrounds the safari park (home to the endangered Pere David deer), it represents the largest ex-situ conservation facility in Europe and the first 'captive' breeding facility to rescue a species from extinction in the wild with its success with the Pere David deer. Woburn was also instrumental in saving the Mongolian wild horse. Currently Dr Jake Veasey of Woburn Safari Park manages the European Endangered species Programme (EEP) for the critically endangered Eastern Bongo.

In 2008, Woburn will open its new Asian elephant facility which boasts numerous innovations to omptimise elephant welfare and conservation.

References

External links

* [http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/ Official website]