Learn about our sustainability initiatives at Marwell Zoo. Your visits help us to complete important projects like these, so thank you for your support!

We’ve reintroduced the UK’s rarest lizard back into the wild! After teaming up with Forestry England and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, we have worked hard to release around 200 young sand lizards back into the wild at Puddletown Forest, Dorset. Dorset is a stronghold for this protected species and is home to 80% of the UK sand lizard population. This reintroduction comes at a vital time after a huge fire at Wareham Forest devastated one of the country’s remaining sand lizard habitats this summer. Sand lizards, once more widespread in England, declined rapidly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries owing to large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation. The species was lost from 12 counties in England and Wales and native populations now only remain in Merseyside, Surrey, and Dorset. As part of Marwell Wildlife’s conservation efforts to restore habitats and species, we have been home to a captive population of sand lizards for over 30 years. This summer has seen an exceptional number of sand lizards hatch, enabling a great boost to the numbers released in Dorset. #SandLizardRelease

Ever wondered what ‘dating’ is like for animals at the zoo? 💘 Keeper Rhianna and Conservation biologist Tanya are here to explain how breeding programmes work at the zoo and why they’re so important! Plus, we’ve welcomed some exciting new arrivals… 🦛 #ValentinesDay

Marwell Zoo has become the first of its kind to generate renewable energy using animal waste. Zoo poo from endangered species such as Grevy’s zebra, Scimitar-horned oryx, and African wild ass will heat our largest buildings using biomass technology. Read more about the incredible initiative on our website: www.Marwell.org.uk/zoo-news

On Sunday 23 October, just after 4pm, what can only be described as a ‘tornado’ swept through the car park at Marwell Zoo. Experts have now confirmed that it was in fact a tornado. Thankfully, the wind was highly localised, and the rest of the zoo was undamaged. Both the zoo’s animals and staff are also safe. CCTV footage caught the sudden moment extremely high winds caused damage to signage, lamp posts, trees, and cars. Marwell staff and volunteers have been all hands on deck with the clean-up effort to get the car park safe again and capacity back to normal during half term week. The zoo will be open as usual tomorrow (25 October). James Cretney, Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife said: “I couldn’t believe it. The car park looked like something from a Hollywood movie set, such was the force of this tornado. “More evidence, as if we needed it, of the increased volatility and ferocity of weather due to climate change. “Thankfully no one was hurt, and it didn’t affect the zoo. My sincerest thanks to the emergency services, AA and of course Marwell staff for sorting the mess out.”

Many of our animals have natural adaptations suited to hot climates, but some species may need a little extra help keeping cool at the zoo. Our keepers recently offered them ice-pop treats! Our Asian small-clawed otters, bokiboky, and binturongs dug into the frozen ice pops. Natural enrichment is really important to keep our animals engaged and stimulated. These frozen ice pops really encouraged some natural behaviours in each species. Each species displayed different reactions and natural behaviours as captured in our video below! In the wild, Asian small-clawed otters and bokiboky spend time searching for and manipulating their food, so keepers added food inside the ice to encourage foraging behaviours. Bokiboky forage for invertebrates on the ground, digging for them in sandy soil and rotting wood. Our Asian small-clawed otters had to manipulate the icy treats in order to retrieve the food inside by using their sharp teeth to crunch the ice. Otters are playful and sociable animals and eat crustaceans in the wild. Their ice pops were made with frozen water, whitebait and crayfish. Asian small-clawed otters are considered to be tactile creatures, spending time playing with objects they find using their agile, hand-like front paws. This species of otter is playful and sociable, and they are often found in groups of 12 or 13. These otters have broad, powerful molars for crushing the shells of crabs and shellfish, so crunching the ice was no problem! These clips show how a novel and unexpected item like a frozen treat can benefit animal welfare by promoting positive emotions and expression in species, such as curiosity, interest and contentment! Learn more how some species at Marwell Zoo have adapted to live in hot climates: https://bit.ly/3celx75

🦩🦏 SCHOOL’S OUT! 🐯🦥 Who’s excited to visit us during the holidays? We can’t wait to see you around our 140-acre park soon! Make sure you’re in-the-know before you visit, so you can focus on having a great day out. We’ve updated our Guest Guidance video to give you an easy to digest rundown of the measures we’re asking you to follow now that lockdown has eased further.

Go behind the scenes this #InternationalZookeeperDay! We are so lucky to have a team of passionate and dedicated people offering the highest standard of care to the animals living at Marwell – thank you for all that you do! What’s your favourite thing about visiting us? 😄 International Zookeeper Day is on 4 October 2021.

🦖 1 WEEK TO GO! 🦕 BRICKOSAURS! Evolution is almost here… and tickets are on sale from tomorrow! https://bit.ly/3JyVbs1 Visit on opening weekend and you’ll be in for an extra treat: come and say hello to our very own dinosaur characters, Spike the Stegosaurus and Poppy the baby Parasaurolophus, plus get up close to the spectacular Styracosaurus sculpture! Here’s a behind the scenes sneak peek of what’s in store…