Latest news with #WestMidlandsSafariPark
BBC News
15-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
West Midlands Safari Park welcomes red panda cub twins
Red panda cub twins have been born at a safari park in a milestone moment for the endangered species, keepers had been suspected at West Midlands Safari Park that mum Mei Lin was having twins on 16 June, when staff heard squeaks from a nest box.A few days later, keepers confirmed there were two cubs, when she was seen moving one to a different next box before going back to collect the Sewell, head keeper at the Worcestershire park, said the team was "absolutely thrilled", adding the births were "incredibly special", not just for them, but for the wider conservation of the species. She said it is thought the wild population has less than 10,000 individuals, adding that every successful birth helped to secure a future for red Sewell said: "Although it is still early days, we look forward to sharing their journey with our visitors as they grow." 'Truly magical' Keepers will monitor the cubs and Mei Lin from a safe distance for the next few weeks, so that she can adapt to becoming a will not be clear whether the cubs are male or female until they are about 16 weeks old and start to venture out of the nest boxes and, at which point keepers will choose their names. One park visitor said they had caught a glimpse of the cubs."Not only did we get to see the red pandas, but we also caught the first glimpses of the new cubs, which was truly magical," Mari Mascarenhas, a GP from Perth in Western Australia, said after taking her daughter to the park. Keepers said the park had been enjoying a "baby boom" this year, with the birth of tiger cub triplets, an Indian rhino calf, lion cub triplets, barasingha fawn and blesbok calves. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Endangered Indian rhino calf born at West Midlands Safari Park
Keepers at a safari park have welcomed the birth of a rare Indian rhinoceros baby rhino arrived at West Midlands Safari Park (WMSP) in Bewdley, Worcestershire, on 6 female calf is the second successful Indian rhino birth at the Park in its 52-year history - the first was the calf's half-brother in safari park said both mum and baby were doing well, after keepers had to step in to assist with the birth. Veterinary nurse Sarah Smith said: "After a long, restless night monitoring the CCTV, the team continued their normal morning checks and found her behavioural changes that confirmed her labour was progressing. "When we hadn't seen the usual progression we expected, closer inspection showed us there were back feet visible, telling us we had an abnormal delivery."The Indian rhino, also known as greater one-horned rhino, is classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of are found in India and Nepal, but face threats such as poaching, habitat destruction and conflict with humans. In the 19th Century they were hunted almost to extinction."A breech birth brings many difficulties, and research shows a large number require intervention and usually end in calf mortality."This can also lead to the mother's life being in danger, so we knew we had a short window of time to act. We were able to apply calving ropes to the calf's hind legs and assist Sunny with her contractions and help birth the calf."We're so proud of her and the team," Ms Smith added. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
