Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens With over 260 different animal species in 160 acres of parkland and gardens, with train (Apr-Oct), adventure playground, cafe and gift shop.
(27225)

Please see our website for opening times: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

The Giant Tortoises are back! We are delighted to announce that after two months in the making, our new Giant Tortoise H...
11/07/2025

The Giant Tortoises are back!

We are delighted to announce that after two months in the making, our new Giant Tortoise House is now complete and our Tortoise trio, George, Sheldon and Darwin, are back in their usual exhibit in front of the Manor House for visitors to see.

**Please see latest visitor information below if visiting the Park this weekend - thank you**

As you can imagine, moving three Giant Tortoises is no mean feat. Keepers filmed them moving out of their previous home back in May and moving into their brand new facility this week. We'll share the video with you soon but in the meantime, here are photos of their moving day.

The Park's Head of Reptiles, Meg, announced: "The boys are back! This week, the Giant Tortoises have returned to their enclosure complete with a brand new house! This new home means they have even more space, extra windows (with a lovely view into the Rhino Paddock which George seems to be particularly enjoying), a large basking area and a brand new indoor bathing area. All three had a good look around their new home, with George heading straight to the windows and Sheldon having a good explore around the full area. We've also revamped their outdoor pond which we are sure they'll be making good use of in the upcoming hot weather! While we as keepers have been spending plenty of time with them while they've been off-show, it is really great to have them back out and on display for everyone to see. They've definitely missed the attention!"

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dogs Trust provides useful warm weather safety advice for dog owners on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/.../dog.../warm-weather-advice.**

Latest visitor information: With good weather forecast, the Park expects to be busy this weekend. TO REDUCE QUEUING, WE SUGGEST ARRIVING AFTER OUR PEAK TIMES (which are tending to be between 10.30am - 12.30pm). As we are open until 6.00pm, there's plenty of time to enjoy the Park if you arrive later in the day. The Park is open every day from 10.00am to 6:00pm, with last admission at 4.00pm. For more information about the Park, there's a helpful 'PLAN YOUR VISIT' section on our website: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

Thanks to Head of Reptiles Meg and Conservation Officer Beth for the photos. We'll share a behind-the-scenes video of their move with you soon.

Mud, mud, glorious mud!In the current heatwave sweeping Oxfordshire, we ensure all our animals have access to adequate s...
07/07/2025

Mud, mud, glorious mud!

In the current heatwave sweeping Oxfordshire, we ensure all our animals have access to adequate shade and plenty of water. Head Keeper Mark, with a little help from gardener Lisa, have created a new watering hole in the Rhino paddock. Not only do our Rhinos drink from it, they also love to wallow in the cooling mud. Mud baths not only protect their skin from sunburn and insect bites, but they also help maintain their skin's moisture and regulate their body temperature.

In the wild they construct the wallows themselves. They provide more than just a mud bath for the Rhinos - research has shown these wallows also act as important sites for communication and interaction. Biologists observing the wallowing patterns of Rhinos recorded bouts ranging between 15 minutes and 6 hours*.

At the Park, it's not only our Rhinos who are enjoying the new watering hole - it's proved very popular with the local wildlife too. Many bird species such as Wagtails, Swallows, Swifts and House Martins have been spotted swooping down to drink and bathe in the water (which is sourced from a natural water borehole on-site).

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dogs Trust provides useful warm weather safety advice for dog owners on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/.../dog.../warm-weather-advice.**

Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you to the Park.

Thanks to Mark, Lisa, Liam and Charlotte for the photos and videos. *More than just mud bath - the importance of wallows to Javan Rhino ecology and behaviour (University of Queensland, 2019).

Cotswold Wildlife Park shortlisted for School Travel Awards 2025. We are delighted that Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gard...
27/06/2025

Cotswold Wildlife Park shortlisted for School Travel Awards 2025.

We are delighted that Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens has been shortlisted as a finalist and we are now in the running for the 'Best Wildlife Attraction' category in this year’s School Travel Awards.

Education Manager Helen said "It is absolutely fantastic that we have been shortlisted for the 'Best Wildlife Attraction' Award for the School Travel Awards 2025 and your vote could help us win. With over 25,000 children, pupils and students visiting every year we are always working hard to ensure that everyone enjoys their time at Cotswold Wildlife Park. The fact that we have been nominated by our school visitors makes the award even more special. Please vote by the 31st July 2025 and share with other teachers and schools."

Vote here - https://awards.schooltravelorganiser.com/yandellpublishingltd/form/SchoolTravelAwards2025FinalistsVotingForm1/formperma/CBggDMk6u-jwSdPFfEGRytc_Dc9Ne97MckLXlp2kvII

Thank you for your support and well done to our Education and Activities Team for being nominated

The Park In Pictures - Summer 2025.**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecas...
21/06/2025

The Park In Pictures - Summer 2025.

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dog Trust provides useful information on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-care/warm-weather-advice.**

As summer arrives, we wanted to share photos taken around the Park recently by photographer Rebecca Louise. They include new arrivals; an adorable Bactrian Camel calf (more news about her coming soon), an African Pygmy Goat kid and a new male Reindeer called Kenny who recently joined the collection. She also took some great photos of our Weaver Birds building their intricate nests in their new exhibit inside the Walled Garden. Read more in the latest edition of the Park's monthly newsletter - Word From The Wild (https://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/whats-on/park-news/word-from-the-wild-the-latest-news-from-the-park-may-2025/).

Rebecca also took some wonderful photos of the gardens which have been spectacular again this year. This week, our gardeners finished planting the summer bedding displays and we'll share some highlights with you in the next couple of weeks.

We'd love to see any photos you've taken at the Park. Please feel free to post them in the comments section - many thanks.

As today is World Giraffe Day, we'd like to share these great images of our Giraffes enjoying cooling ice enrichments ma...
18/06/2025

As today is World Giraffe Day, we'd like to share these great images of our Giraffes enjoying cooling ice enrichments made by their keepers. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is home to five males - the eldest is 19-year-old Century (pictured), Shingo (pictured), Melvin, Tisa (pictured) and Remus. As the heatwave continues to sweep across the UK, our team of dedicated keepers are busy making sure the animals at the Park are kept cool in this exceptionally hot weather. Thanks to Paul Nicholls Photography for the photos.

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dog Trust provides useful information on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-care/warm-weather-advice.**

Latest visitor information: With good weather forecast, the Park expects to be busy this weekend. TO REDUCE QUEUING, WE SUGGEST ARRIVING AFTER OUR PEAK TIMES (which are tending to be between 10.30am - 12.30pm). As we are open until 6.00pm, there's plenty of time to enjoy the Park if you arrive later in the day. The Park is open every day from 10.00am to 6:00pm, with last admission at 4.00pm. For more information about the Park, there's a helpful 'PLAN YOUR VISIT' section on our website: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

Giraffe facts:

• The first Giraffes arrived back in 2010 for Cotswold Wildlife Park's 40th Anniversary. It was the first time this elegant species had gone on show at the collection since it opened in 1970.
• Over the years, our Giraffes have met many famous people including Sir David Beckham, Simon Cowell and local poet Pam Ayres.
• The collective noun for a group of Giraffes is ‘a tower’. They are the tallest land mammal in existence.
• 21 June 2025 is World Giraffe Day. It's a day for everyone to celebrate these iconic creatures and was created by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness and support for the plight of these animals in the wilds of Africa. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Giraffe are extinct in seven African Countries. In fact, for every four Elephants, only one Giraffe remains in the wild in Africa—a drop of approximately 30% in the last three decades. To find our more, please visit: www.giraffeconservation.org

Images taken by Paul Nicholls from the archive.

12/06/2025

Earlier this week, Bird Keeper Chris underwent quite the transformation by shaving off half his beard and half his hair (known as a 'halfsie') to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. The leading men’s health charity has supported two of his good friends who are currently undergoing treatment for the disease. Chris’ challenge comes during Men’s Health Week as Prostate Cancer UK is encouraging more men to check their risk of getting prostate cancer - the disease that 1 in 8 men will get, and the only common cancer still without a screening programme.

Penguin Keeper Laura generously volunteered her services and shaved Chris by the Penguin pool in front of a supportive crowd of visitors and colleagues. We were delighted to be joined by Chris Jarrett, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, for the fundraiser too (who you'll see in the video).

Thanks to the amazing generosity of visitors, friends and Cotswold Wildlife Park staff, Chris has so far raised £2,337 for the charity. He has vowed to keep his 'halfies' for another week, in which time he hopes to raise even more funds for Prostate Cancer UK. The donation page will remain open for the next few weeks. If you would like to support Chris, please click on the link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-green-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015. Chris said: "I'm now half the hairy man I used to be but am thrilled that by shaving off half my beard and hair off for Prostate Cancer UK, we've hopefully helped raise awareness and funds for this life-saving charity. I'm lost for words at everyone's generosity. Thanks to all those who have supported me.”

About Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to save and enrich the lives of men with prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
• 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer and around 510,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.
• Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have symptoms. Go to www.prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker for their 30-second online Risk Checker to find out what you can do about it, and learn about a free blood test you can get from your GP.

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service:
www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, 10am to 5pm on Wednesdays.

Thanks to Conservation Officer Beth for filming Chris' beard shave, to Laura for her clipper skills, the team at Prostate Cancer UK for their support and to Philip Joyce who took some incredible photos which we will share with you shortly. Well done Chris. We all love your new look!

As Volunteers' Week draws to a close, our Mammals, Reptiles and Education teams would like to say a few words of thanks ...
08/06/2025

As Volunteers' Week draws to a close, our Mammals, Reptiles and Education teams would like to say a few words of thanks to their volunteers.

Mammal Keeper James: "On the Mammals team we are blessed with a growing number of volunteers. They join the keepers on their rounds assisting in tasks such as cleaning out the animal houses and paddocks, food preparation and even washing windows. Our longest serving volunteer is Dave who has been assisting us for 17 years and always brings with him his endless humour and can-do attitude. Many of our younger volunteers including Faye, Tegan, Josh, Bobby, Lucy and Alex come from our successful work experience programme. Even though many of them are still at college and work part time they still give up their spare time to come and volunteer with us! We are particularly pleased that even when they go on to their next stage in life, volunteers like Alex still come back during the holidays when home from University.”

James adds: "We would also like to make a special mention of Lucy who has volunteered with us for over a year now, and joins us every week. Lucy has now secured an internship with us after her college course finishes in the summer which is a true testament to her dedication, reliability and keenness to learn and she should be very proud! We are also very lucky to have Jack and Jess help out on the Children's Farmyard once a week. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers as we celebrate them all this national volunteer week!"

Meg, Section Head of Herpetology, said "We have taken on a few weekly volunteers on the Reptiles Section recently, all of whom are really enthusiastic! As a team, it's great for us and always useful to have an extra pair of hands for any bigger jobs such as enclosure refurbishing or refreshing, or even just to achieve more in the day. We'd like to thank Harry, Maddie and Layla - we're really grateful for all they do to help us out!"

Harriet from our Education Department: "Every week, we have a fantastic team of volunteers who give up their time to help us run our on-site Museum. As a very popular part of the wildlife park, attracting hundreds of visitors on a busy day, we are so grateful for the help of the volunteers to keep the Museum running smoothly! Thanks to Sylvia, Dave, John, Katie, Katherine, as well as Frances, Hollie and Jules who have been helping in the Museum for years. They all do fantastic work engaging with the visitors who come into the Museum, overseeing the handling of artefacts such as Giant Tortoise shells, snakeskin sheds, bird eggs and feathers. They make sure the Museum is clean and tidy and provide a friendly face for all our visitors who come into the Museum. Our volunteers can also sometimes be found in the Goat Walkthrough enclosure on busy days, helping to oversee the visitor-animal interactions which is hugely appreciated by the Mammals team. They also give up their time for 'Dreamnight at the Zoo' by showing our special guests some animal artefacts on the night. Thank you so much to all our Museum volunteers for their hard work and friendly faces!"

Thanks to James, Meg and Harriet for the photos. Most of all, thanks to all our volunteers who help to make the Park such a special place.

As we continue with Volunteers' Week, one in particular deserves a special place in the limelight. Possibly the happiest...
05/06/2025

As we continue with Volunteers' Week, one in particular deserves a special place in the limelight. Possibly the happiest person we've ever met, Michael is one of our longest standing volunteers of 13 years. You might recognise him from giving you a warm welcome into 'Madagascar'.

Over to Natalie, Section Head of Primates, Small Mammals and Birds, for some well-deserved praise: "We are incredibly lucky to have an amazing team of volunteers here at the Park who dedicate so much of their spare time to help us in many aspects of Park life. Our team of Madagascar volunteers are the smiley faces you see when you arrive at our Lemur walkthrough. They are there to meet and greet all of our visitors and be on hand to answer any questions throughout the day. They also help us to clean the exhibit as well as help to prepare food and feed the Lemurs their dinner at the end of the day. The team also help run our fundraising stall during our annual 'Lemur Week' which is always a big success. Our Lemur walkthrough wouldn’t be the success it is without our wonderful volunteers, so we are all so grateful to them."

Thank you to Michael - the Park wouldn't be the same without your ever-smiling face.

Our great thanks to all our volunteers, past and present, for giving up their time to help at the Park. We think you're incredible.

02/06/2025

To mark Volunteers’ Week, which runs from 2 - 8 June, we're shining a much-deserved spotlight on volunteers. From our very own volunteers at the Park to those who give their time to the many conservation programmes we proudly support (including White Stork Project, Impact Madagascar, Help Simus and Tusk, to name just a few).

Today is the turn of Witney and West Oxfordshire Food Bank who we have supported since 2022. We invited their volunteers out for a day at the Park in recognition of their contribution to helping families in need. Over to Maria Grindley, Chair of West Oxfordshire and Witney Foodbank, who explains more in the video.

Maria adds: “We are so pleased to receive this generous gift from Cotswold Wildlife Park during Volunteers’ Week. Most people don’t expect recognition for helping with a cause they believe in so this is particularly welcome. We couldn’t support the families in our area experiencing food poverty if it wasn’t for a team of dedicated volunteers and we are grateful for all they do.”

Thanks to Conservation Officer Beth for the video and to Deputy Head of Mammals Jenni for her help with the Animal Encounters.

31/05/2025

Keeper Chris' fundraiser for Prostate Cancer UK.

Regular visitors to the Park might recognise Chris - an incredibly popular keeper with staff and visitors alike. Once met, never forgotten!

Chris is famous for his beard at the Park. He's even gained a following on social media praising his impressive facial hair! After nine months of growing it, he wanted to do something different to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK - a charity very close to Chris' heart - and has pledged to shave his hair and beard off for the charity. Over to Chris at the Penguin enclosure to tell you more about his fundraiser.

If you would like to support Chris, here's the link - thank you: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-green-2?utm_medium=FR&fbclid=IwY2xjawKIJDRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHinqYAR1VeIHCGE9tRh7hznCq7Pd4s0UQg4xU9tW7AJeQvnFY_-bngLb8TTC_aem_w8htSKiJmXymAVm9ZWBQ2g

Our boisterous colony of Humboldt Penguins aren't usually camera-shy in the least, but on this occasion, they stayed out of the limelight to let Chris take centre stage for this important cause. We'll post an update on Chris' charity shave (taking place on 11 June in the Penguin enclosure), on our social media. Thank you for supporting Chris and for helping to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK

VISITOR UPDATE - The planned Oxfordshire County Council roadworks on A361 near Cotswold Wildlife Park on Sunday 1 June 2...
29/05/2025

VISITOR UPDATE - The planned Oxfordshire County Council roadworks on A361 near Cotswold Wildlife Park on Sunday 1 June 2025 HAVE BEEN POSTPONED.

We have just been informed by Oxfordshire County Council that the roadworks will NOT be taking place on Sunday 1 June 2025. A rescheduled date will be announced soon and we will keep you posted with any developments - many thanks.

Updated 3.56pm, Friday 30 May 2025

To celebrate , we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to when the first Otters arrived at the Park. According to ...
28/05/2025

To celebrate , we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to when the first Otters arrived at the Park.

According to Rhinos on the Lawn, the first official book to be published about Cotswold Wildlife Park, Otters were one of the first small mammals to join the collection in 1970: "In the south-east corner of the Walled Garden, a pair of Smooth Otters gambolled in their landscaped sloping enclosure, which included a large tank and viewing screen through which they could be seen swimming underwater". Then in the 1971 summer issue of our visitor newsletter, Wild Life Park News, we welcomed another: "A male Smooth Otter recently arrived as a mate for our two females. Part of the purchase price was donated by the children of Speedwell Infant School, Littlemore, Oxford. The children have christened the Otter "Speedy". They proved so popular with visitors, Otters were chosen for the front cover of the 1972 guide book.

Our current pair of Asian Short-clawed Otters, male Kyoto and female Rita, were introduced to one another in August 2022 and immediately developed a very strong bond. You’ll see them side by side the majority of the time. They are very playful and spend lots of time grooming one another. Otters also like to share water with each other. One will take a drink, and then they’ll ‘kiss’ to pass the water between them - a very sweet sight to see!

Additional information:
• Asian Short-clawed Otters are the smallest species in the Otter family.
• Unlike the larger Otters, they do not swim to catch prey in their mouths, but search through the mud with their forepaws.
• Their ears are small and can be closed when swimming. All four feet have five webbed toes.
• You can see our Otters in their enclosure opposite the Prairie Dogs inside the Walled Garden.

World Otter Day is celebrated across the world every year and was founded by the International Otter Survival Fund. The day helps raise awareness of the dangers faced by these wonderful creatures and to educate people on how to help protect their natural habitats.

Thanks to Jackie Thomas and Rebecca Louise for the lovely photos of our Otters. Thanks also to David Gully from Abingdon for his photo featured on the 1972 Guide Book cover. Please feel free to share any photos you've taken of our Otters in the comments section - we'd love to see them.

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Chipping Norton

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+441993823006

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