Visitors to Wildwood are in luck this week with sightings of our baby red squirrels.
These new babies, born 3 weeks ago and now venturing out of their nest boxes are Wildwood’s first brood this year. After maturing at the park they will be released as part of Wildwood’s red squirrel conservation project aimed at preventing their nationwide extinction by re-introducing red squirrels back to the UK.Once grown up the squirrels will be transported to two sites in Wales to live wild and free, helping form a population to safeguard and expand the species. After efforts to reintroduce pine martens over the last 3 years by the Vincent Wildlife Trust, it is now hoped the red squirrel can out compete invasive grey squirrels from North America to once again become part of lives, eventually being restored across Southern Britain.Red squirrels went extinct in Kent in the 1960’s and many of us can remember them from our childhood and many areas like Kent once teemed with these beautiful acrobats of the trees.Peter Smith of Wildwood Trust’s said:”Red squirrels are one of the most beautiful animals in the U.K. and visitors can watch these playful animals over the summer until they have grown up enough to be released to the wild. If we can help restore areas of woodland to a native state, reintroduce animals like Pine Martens to control invasive grey squirrels, we might just be able to tip the balance back in the Red Squirrel’s favour. Our eventual plan is to once again see them back across Southern Britain, including Kent.”Wildwood Trust, as a charity, is committed to restoring our native and once native species and will continue to champion the restoration of natural woodlands.”Red Squirrels are just some of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood Discovery Park near Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 01227 712111. Wildwood’s ‘Wildlife Conservation Park’ is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come ‘nose to nose’ with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.
Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury. |