Tilgate Park

09/12/2024

Congratulations to Keeper Dan who has won a copy of the new Zoos of Germany book!

He was nominated for the prize by Senior Keeper Bibby who said Dan's "passion and work ethic never fades. He recently moved to Tilgate, to diversify the taxa he works with, and commutes 3 hours in total each day without a single complaint."

Well done, Dan! How's that for an early Christmas present? Alf the tapir looks like he wants a read too!

If you want a copy of the new book, head to: https://orlo.uk/IxeUK

08/12/2024

Christmas is slithering closer...have you got your ssssecret Sssssanta ready yet? Don't panic! Baldrick the festive python is here to help!

Here at Tilgate Nature Centre, we have a number of animal encounter experiences that make the perfect gift!

Choose from:

Scales & Shells
Meet the Meerkats
Armadillo Afternoon Tea
Keeper Experience

For more information on each, please see the following link, and get in touch via [email protected] or call us on 01293 521168 to purchase your gift voucher.

That's presents sssssssorted!

Link: https://orlo.uk/MxBlD

08/12/2024

Regrettably, due to the weather conditions, Tilgate Park’s Magical Christmas and the Nature Centre won’t be open today, 8th December. If you’ve booked Santa’s grotto (or Story Time), the team will be in touch over the next couple of days to offer an alternative date for a Santa experience.

07/12/2024

Scamp of the Week!
No stranger to being a scamp, Milo's dedication to digging has been directed at his fence this week! Despite huge areas to dig in - and a brand new ramp installed after he undermined the previous one - this week he's been really going for the fence. It goes down deep underground, of course, but he can't help being destructive! Armadillos have powerful claws for digging and Milo is no exception. Next time you visit, see if you can spot them!

📸 Keeper Billie

07/12/2024

Due to today's adverse weather conditions, we have taken the difficult decision to not operate Magical Christmas and to close the Nature Centre.
If you have booked to visit our Santa's Grotto or Storytime with Santa, we will be in touch to offer you an alternative date.
If you have booked to visit the Nature Centre, then we will be in touch to discuss transferring your booking to another date.

06/12/2024

Is slime still popular with 'da kidz'? It is with us!

This beautiful slime mould was spotted on some neatly stacked logs in the Heather Garden this week.

Slime moulds are suprisingly cool! They do not need damp conditions like 'moulds' in the home; a small number of species occur in regions as dry as the Atacama Desert and as cold as the Arctic.
Estimates believe that there could be between 1200 and 1500 different types.

Please be advised: do not eat any mushrooms that you cannot safely identify. It is best (and safest) to enjoy the fungi by just taking a few pictures and maybe even writing down your findings.

📷 Parks Team Kaiden

05/12/2024

Charity begins at home, but 'chari-tree' requires something different! 🦨

Thank you to those who entered our naming competition for our skunks, Francisco and Fresno! We asked for a small donation with each entry for the World Land Trust, which is an international conservation organisation. They work to create protected areas for wildlife, plant trees and empower local partners and we are so grateful to have been able to contribute to this vital work! We reckon the skunks are too; when you can whiff as much as them, it's nice to have some positive press! If you'd like to find out more about them, follow the link here: https://orlo.uk/GItLv

📷 Education Officer Richard

04/12/2024

🎅🏼 Looking to get into the festive spirit? How about a nice story read by Santa Claus himself?
Find out more below!

New for 2024 at Tilgate Park’s Magical Christmas – Storytime with Santa!

This year, Tilgate Park’s Magical Christmas is thrilled to bring you a brand-new experience: Storytime with Santa!

Gather around in Santa’s cosy grotto as he shares a magical story from his legendary book, filled with tales from his incredible adventures across the world.

Afterwards, enjoy a special moment with Santa himself, capturing the magic before you step into the Elves’ Workshop. Here, you’ll get to choose a special cuddly toy to take home and cherish.

Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind storytelling adventure with Santa – it’s the perfect way to make new Christmas memories together!

Book now at https://orlo.uk/L9H8e

03/12/2024

🦜 Who said parrots have to be colourful?

The bright array of feathers in the parrot world rival the finest Christmas tree baubles or fairy lights, but there is something to be said for a timeless slate grey outfit.
The vasa parrots may seem a bit dreary compared to the macaws, galahs or eclectus parrots, but amongst their grey plumage is a variety of textures (and sometimes turning brown or black). You can really see how the feathers lie against each other in their more monochromatic styling. Grey may not a Christmas colour, but silver is... Perhaps we'll swap a robin for a vasa parrot on our Christmas cards this year!

📷 Education Officer Richard

01/12/2024

"There! I heard it! Mariah Carey! It's unmistakable!"

December is here! Whether you're Christmas-crazy or a certified-Scrooge, the countdown has begun!
And it just so happens that if you're looking for some lemurs this Christmas, or for a different take on a Christmas carol, then our animals have you covered!
We have several festive Tilgate Tales storytimes to get you in the spirit.
Hear about Rambony the lemur's first Christmas tree here: https://orlo.uk/f9x03
or discover what melted Scrooge the eagle owl's grumpy grinchy heart here: https://orlo.uk/aJUqX

Let us know if you enjoyed them, and then why not write your own Christmas story about one of our animals?
If you do, we'd love to read it!

📷 Suzanne Sullivan

30/11/2024

⭐️ Star of the Week ⭐️

Checking the dart frogs each morning can take quite a while. Despite their bright colours, they can be tricky to spot in the undergrowth of their vivarium. Fortunately, they have taken to greeting their keepers this week, which has sped up the process considerably! Their bright colours are a warning to would-be predators that they are poisonous to eat; this is called 'aposematism'. However, their poison comes from their food in their natural habitat, and so ours at the Nature Centre are perfectly safe and, apparently, quite friendly!

📸 Education Officer Richard

29/11/2024

Happy National Tree Week!

A major feature of Tilgate Park is the range of heritage trees that have been planted over the past 200 years. Many of these trees are not only fine specimens, but are also rare examples of lesser known species.
Some of our trees have appeared on the Tree Register of the British Isles for being champion trees of their particular species. Champion trees are individual trees which are exceptional examples of their species because of their enormous size, great age, rarity or historical significance.

Have you done the tree trail at Tilgate? There are 30 exceptional trees to find!

We hope you enjoy these beautiful pictures taken of some of our trees over the seasons, courtesy of Park Team member Kaiden.

29/11/2024

Don't panic but...Christmas is coming!!

Looking for the perfect present can be hard, but don't worry, we've got you covered!

There are some great animal experiences on offer at Tilgate Nature Centre! Meet the Meerkats, Armadillo Afternoon Tea, and Scales & Shells are all available as gift vouchers which are valid for a whole year from Christmas Day. If you'd like to purchase a voucher (or two!) check out the details at the link below and get in touch with the team via [email protected] who will be able to help you get your present in the bag (or should that be stocking?)

https://orlo.uk/HC2JS

28/11/2024

🍂 Is there a creature more effortlessly autumnal than a barn owl? 🦉

As we say start to bid a goodbye to November, enjoy the last gasps of falling leaves alongside Fezziwig's beautiful mottled feathers. These are designed to camouflage her against wood when roosting in a tree; fall fashion can be functional too! Who knew? Or should that be 'hooooo' knew?
(NB: Barn owls screech, not hoot, but as Christmas comes closer, who can resist a really corny pun?)

📷 Education Officer Richard

27/11/2024

She looks so 'Ellie-gant'!

Often overshadowed by her meerkat neighbours, let's take a moment to appreciate the beauty of Ellie the yellow mongoose!
While she is widely referred to as 'the cartoon-fox-thing', Ellie here shows off some of her unusual mongoose features, such as her rectangular eyes which improve her field of vision and depth perception for spotting predators. Yellow mongooses co-habit with meerkats where their ranges overlap, so she and the meerkats are natural roommates, even if they do take the spotlight some of the time. But clearly not ALL of the time, as Leah Jones sent us this beautiful photo of her for our Visitor Viewfinder.

📷 Leah Jones
If you would like to share your photos of our animals from your visit, then please send them to us, along with your preferred credit name, to [email protected].

26/11/2024

🌳 Tilgate Park 🤝 Battersea Park 🏞️

The Tilgate team was pleased to welcome Jack from Battersea Park Children's Zoo last week for a keeper exchange day!
The zoo community is a close-knit one, and sharing ideas and knowledge with our peers is a vital part of building a wider culture of conservation across the industry.
Jack joined our carnivore section first for morning routines, before meeting Janina the condor to hear about how we work with her safely and provide enrichment for her. In the afternoon, he assisted with some bark-chipping in the tapir and capybara house, before finishing up with PM feeds for our mammals and a having a tour of some of the site facilities.
Thank you for all your help Jack, you're welcome back anytime! Perhaps everyone at Battersea Park Children's Zoo will see one of us soon!

📷 Education Officer Richard

25/11/2024

We are thrilled to now be a part of BIAZA'S Spotted on Site campaign, where we've been logging all the native species we've found out and about in the zoo! What will you spot on your visit?