|
| |
|
GREGOR EDMUNDS, THE CURRENT HIGHLAND GAMES WORLD CHAMPION VISITS THE PARK.
Completing some film work, Gregor poses here with "Snatch" our White Tailed Sea Eagle as part of a documentary on Gregors involvement in, and the history of the Highland Games. The documentary will be aired on Channel 4 on 31st August at 08:30. The Highlander Challenge World Championship echoes the war games of our ancestors, particularly the introduction of gladiatorial events from wrestling, shiltron jousting and stone carrying to the traditional throws. Many of the implements have evolved from weapons of war and the rural activities of an ancient culture.
More information can be obtained from the following link.
http://www.albagames.co.uk/
We wish Gregor Edmunds ( Scotland ) every success in retaining his title at Scone Palace 19th & 20th July. |
|
DREAM NIGHT AT THE ZOO
 |
| Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park held its first “Dream Night at the Zoo” along with hundreds of Zoos and Safari Parks all over the world on Friday evening 6 th June after the Park had closed to the public. This is an annual event for chronically ill and disabled children and their families. The weather was very kind to us and the children, their families and the Park Staff who had all volunteered their services had a great night. |
|
 |
 |
Over the past few months a White Stork has been spotted around the park. Storks are from the Family Ciconiidae; they stand around 1m tall with a huge 2m wing span. They are completely white, except for their black wing tips, and orangey-red head and legs. They are wading birds and are normally found in marshy ground, feeding on insects, frogs, small birds and rodents. Our stork has also been enjoying sprat, provided by Pets’ Farm! You would usually find these birds breeding in warmer parts of Eastern Europe, and they migrate to Africa for the winter months; however we think our stork is from captivity as it has a leg tag.
White storks are listed as ‘of Least Concern’; there are no main threats to them as many people think of them as bringers of good luck and babies, and it has certainly brought us that!! |
|
 |
| In April, one of our female Ring-Tailed Lemurs from Lemur Land had a baby boy. Ring-Tails ( Lemur catta ), like all lemur species, are found only in Madagascar, and are threatened by habitat destruction; so we are all very pleased that we are increasing the size of our group. Our baby boy, who is yet to be named, is now enjoying playing with everybody in his family; but Mum is still quite protective. |
|
 |
| Our Drive-Through sections have also had some new additions. 2 baby Bison have been born; May, a female, who was born on 1 st May, and George, a male, who was born on St George's Day. Juvenile bison are of a lighter colour than the adults for the first few months of life, but their coat will darken with age. The American Bison ( Bison bison ) is originally from the Great Plains of North America and Canada. |
|
 |
| And we have also had 5 baby Fallow Deer and 2 baby Lechwe. The Fallow Deer ( Dama dama ) is native to Europe and was thought to be introduced to Britain by the Romans, back in the first Century AD, as a source of meat. Fallow Deer are abundant in the wild; but we intend to keep breeding ours and the males are already growing new antlers for this year's rutting season. Kafue Flats Lechwe ( Kobus leche kafuensis ) on the other hand is classed as vulnerable in the wild, so it's great that our population is multiplying! These antelope are found only in the Kafue Flats, Zambia ; which is a marshland area. These animals have adapted to living on wet grounds and their hooves are long and wide-spreading which stops them sinking. These animals can run at speeds of up to 45mph through this soggy ground! |
|
 |
| We have also been lucky enough to have 8 new ostrich arrivals! In the past our ostriches ( Struthio camelus ) have laid eggs but they unfortunately never hatched. So over the winter months we built a new shelter for our ostrich pair, which has a sandy flooring. In the wild ostriches would normally build their nests in the sand. The ostriches seemed to take a liking to this, and this year is the first for them to have built a proper nest and Mum and Dad took it in turns to sit on the eggs. Female ostriches are a light brown-grey colour and blend-in well with the sandy flooring, so the female sits on the nest during the day. Males on the other hand have mostly black feathers, so are well camouflaged against the night's sky, so males incubate the eggs at night time. And low and behold, about 6 weeks later appeared our 8 ostrich hatchlings! |
|
|
 |
KENYAN WARRIORS RETURN TO BLAIR DRUMMOND!
5th June 2008
The Osiligi Maasai Dance Troupe are back at Blair Drummond as part of their 2008 national tour of Scotland .
They will be here at the park every weekend in June
The show they performed here at the park is exciting and colourful. They put on a total of four shows, depicting various different areas of their culture, which is usually expressed through dance. They told stories of an infant's journey through childhood to becoming a formidable Maasai warrior and displays of their weapons and survival techniques for protecting their livestock from lions.
The 2008 tour of Scotland is building on the success of the previous 2004 & 2005 tours of England and last years tour of Scotland . They aim to raise money for their tribe back in Kenya where the lives of the troupe and their families are tough.
They graze their cattle in areas of extreme drought, fresh water is scarce, infant mortality is high and education is basic and overcrowded. The financial benefits of the tour are starting to improve their lives and the community. The tours are non-profit making except to the troupe and it's a great comfort to see that all funds they collect actually go straight back to improving their community.
The highlight for the public was when they were invited up to ‘jump' with the Maasai, the actions they are best known for. There was also handcrafted jewellery available that the Maasai had made and brought with them.
TROUPE TO SET WORLD RECORD
The above Troupe is set to establish a world individual standing jump record at the Safari Park, where they are appearing every weekend in June , it will take place on Sunday 15th June. Subsequently at their concert in the Albert Halls, Stirling on Friday 27th June they will seek to establish a world team standing jump record.
The Troupe member making the individual attempt is Kamayet Ole Pamari ( known as Sarge ). He has thrilled audiences throughout Scotland with the height and repetition of his leaps.
Read more info in their Tour Brochure |
|
 |
Have you ever wondered;
How far fleas can jump?
How long a cockroach can live without its head?
How much weight an ant can carry on its back?
If you have ever wondered about insects and what amazing creatures they are, then Blair Drummond’s insect week is for you!!
That’s right, national insect week is back through the royal entomolgical society and we are taking part. It will run from the 23rd-29th june and will be fun for all the family!
We will have creepy insect facts and information, along with our very own insect table-top safari, giving you a better chance to see these beasties up close. plus crafts and competitions for the kids!
The buzz is back at Blair Drummond Safari Park, so come along!!
|
|
|
 |
PRACTICAL PARTITIONING
There have also been changes to our Pets’ Farm area. We had found that over the past few years some of animals, such as Llamas, Goats, Wallabies and Pigs, in the petting area were becoming stressed. This was unfortunately due to the fact that some people were not just petting the animals but were chasing them and pulling their coats.
We tried different methods to try and combat this; such as giving the animals sectioned-off or ‘rest bite’ areas, which they could go to if they were feeling stressed and needed to relax. However this did not fully solve our problem. So over the winter months we erected fences, in order to give the animals a bit more space especially on our busiest days.
But don’t worry; you can still pet these animals! We now sell cups of feed and the animals have the choice to come to you. Since this change we have found that the animals in the Pets’ Farm area are a lot happier! |
|
Kids’ enjoying feeding and petting the Llamas. |
|
|
View of Chimp Island’s new platform from the Boat Safari. |
BUSY BUSY BUILDING
Even though the park has been closed over the winter months, we here at Blair Drummond Safari Park have been very busy making important improvements for both the animals and you.
There has been a lot happening over at Chimp Island; they now have got a huge brand new house overlooking the island and our lucky apes have also got a new climbing platform.
|
This platform gives the chimps another level to their environment, and will keep them entertained, and fit and healthy; whilst also giving you better views of these animals from the Boat Safari.
Talking about new houses; we are in the process of building a new house for our 5 Grant’s Zebra. We will keep you up to date on our progress. |
|
New Birds of Prey amphitheatre on a busy Bank Holiday Monday |
|
Not all of our improvements are aimed at the animals; the team at the Birds of Prey Centre have built a new amphitheatre. Now able to seat between 500-550 people; this provides excellent views of our flying display irrespective of where you sit. By moving the location of the flying area we have also opened up the views to Ben Vorlich and the Trossachs, providing an unrivalled natural setting to our flying arena. Our falcons can now fly even faster because they are not closed in by a wood and the White Tailed Sea Eagle and Vulture now has room to sore directly overhead.
A new path has been laid leading from the Adventure Playground down to the Elephant enclosure. Allowing you to walk between the Lions and Giraffe and Zebra, it gives you better access to the Lion Viewing Platform and great views of these animals.
Other minor works include new flower beds and fencing, adding to both the aesthetics and safety of our park.
|
|
 New path leading from the Restaurant and Adventure Playground to the bottom of the park. |
|
|
