Shepreth Wildlife Park

01/10/2025

Why do maras make the fluffiest omelettes?

They have the best whiskers! 🤡😅

29/09/2025

Hey homeschool families! 🐾

Take learning to a different level with our Home School Workshops at Shepreth Wildlife Park! Designed to ignite curiosity and strengthen your child’s connection to the natural world. Each workshop blends biology, ecology and conservation through exciting hands-on activities.

Our goal is to inspire empathy for wildlife and empower the next generation of scientists, conservationists and informed citizens. Expect interactive sessions, real-world conservation themes and plenty of unforgettable discoveries along the way.

📅 Save the dates this autumn:

▪️10th October 2025 – Invertebrates Around the World
👉 BOOK NOW: https://forms.office.com/e/9YJnxhw7p6

▪️7th November 2025 – Cats, Dogs and Everything in Between
👉 BOOK NOW: https://forms.office.com/e/AwjMQ1RiuC

▪️5th December 2025 – Enclosure Design
⚠ Bookings open on 24th October, 2025

These workshops are designed for children of primary school age, with activities and themes tailored to their learning level.

See you soon! 🌿

25/09/2025

Did you know that, as social media users, we have a responsibility for what we share? Every post we make can influence people across the world, and this influence can sometimes lead to harmful consequences, including fueling animal cruelty and threatening biodiversity.

Please take a look at these slides and share them. They are part of, and inspired by, the campaign created by the team at Battersea Park Children's Zoo, ShareSavvy.

23/09/2025

If I fitssss, I sitssss.

22/09/2025

It's Car Free Day!

Leave the car at home and hop on the train to us today. Show your same-day Shepreth train ticket on arrival and enjoy entry for just £11 per person*! 🚂

Good for the planet and good for your wallet 💚

*Offer available at the gate only. Not available for pre-booked tickets. Info correct as of September 2025.

20/09/2025

Happy Red Panda Day to Ago and Sundara! 🧡🍂 Want to make their day extra special? Support their wild cousins through the Red Panda Network, because every red panda deserves some love!

📸 by Scott French Photography

18/09/2025

Superhero landing: NAILED.

17/09/2025

🤔🌿 Ever wondered how culture and conservation come together in Madagascar? Keep reading to find out 👇

On August 25th, we hosted our latest Hedgehog Event in support of the SWCC - Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital and what a day it was!

One of the highlights was SWCC’s patron, Hugh Warwick: ecologist, author, hedgehog champion and engaging speaker. Hugh captivated the audience with one of his thought-provoking and entertaining talks. He even stepped outside his "hedgehog zone" to take part in this online interview.

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity (SWCC) not only raises funds for the patients at our on-site Hedgehog Hospital, but also supports wildlife conservation efforts across the globe. For several years, we’ve partnered with Oxford Brookes University to help fund lemur research in Madagascar. Sadly, lemurs are among the world’s most endangered mammals: as of 2020, nearly 98% of species are threatened and 31% are critically endangered.

Although lemurs may not be directly connected to European hedgehogs, we saw the Hedgehog Event as an opportunity to share this partnership. We were thrilled to host a live online interview with Marie Jeanne Razafiarivony, joining us all the way from Madagascar. Marie Jeanne, who earned her MSc in 2023 from the Department of Anthropology and Sustainable Development at Antananarivo University, shared her research and experiences working to protect lemurs in the wild.

With support from several Lemur Days fundraisers, Marie Jeanne is now working with Oxford Brookes University on a project titled “Narratives, beliefs and practices related to lemurs in eastern Madagascar cultures and their implications for conservation.”

In Madagascar, cultural taboos known as fady shape daily life, influencing diet, behaviour and interactions with animals. While different from conventional conservation rules, these traditions often protect species and promote sustainable practices. For example, some lemurs like the aye-aye are surrounded by powerful beliefs, while larger species such as indriids are considered ancestral beings and therefore not hunted.

The research team works across villages in eastern Madagascar to study how lemurs feature in local culture, stories and traditions, from tantara (histories) and angano (folktales) to fady (taboos), medicinal practices, rituals and hunting. Because these subjects are sensitive, they place strong emphasis on building trust and guaranteeing anonymity. Combining quantitative data with personal accounts, the team seeks to understand both the prevalence and the deeper meaning of these beliefs. Rooted in the emerging field of ethnoprimatology, the project aims to decolonise science, recognising local knowledge and contributing to conservation strategies that are culturally informed, respectful and effective.

📹 Curious to hear more? Watch the video to see Marie Jeanne share her insights live from Madagascar.

16/09/2025

We are delighted you had such a wonderful day with us! Thank you for your visit! 🥰

15/09/2025

Monday mornings be like...

14/09/2025

Slow Loris Outreach Week is drawing to a close 🌿

Here are some meaningful ways you can help slow lorises, as recommended by the Little Fireface Project, which we support:

💚 Speak up. Politely let people know that sharing videos or keeping slow lorises as pets is cruel and drives the species closer to extinction.

💚 Raise awareness. Organise events to educate others and raise funds for conservation efforts.

💚 Check labels. When shopping, look for products certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) to support sustainable practices.

💚 Report cruelty. Have you come across online animal cruelty content? You can report such content directly to the platforms. Watch the videos on https://www.smaccoalition.com/how-to-report to find out how to report animal cruelty to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok.

💚 Live sustainably. Walk more, drive less and consume thoughtfully to reduce your environmental impact.

💚 Support local shelters. Wild animals don’t need to be pets. There are countless domestic animals waiting for loving homes.

📸 by Keeper Ellie

11/09/2025

As we shared recently, Sundara, one of our much-loved red pandas at Shepreth Wildlife Park, has been named a finalist in the BBC Cambridgeshire's Make a Difference Awards!

Her keepers, Sam and Yve, recently spoke on BBC Radio about what makes Sundara so special and why she earned this wonderful nomination.

Good luck, Sundara! We’re all cheering you on! ❤️

📻👂

Sundara the red panda delights visitors with her high-fives and playful personality.