DIPPY’S ADVENTURES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Today  I went to Yarmouth with my two goat friends, Basil and Olly. My magic 

lighthouse whiz zed us to Alum Bay, we then walked across Headon Warren, through 

the little village of Totland, and along Colwell Bay until we reached the small 

town of Yarmouth.

We hired 3 bicycles with helmets from a store in the town and set off for our 

bike ride on the old railway track which ran along the River Yar. It was 

delightful weather, the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky and there 

was a slight breeze, which was very pleasant as we pedalled along the wide and 

very long pathway, all the way to the bridge at Freshwater. 

Basil suggested on our ride back we could have some fun racing games, Olly won 

nearly all of these because he was so super duper fast at pedalling, I won one 

of the races which was cycling for 10 metres standing up and not touching the 

bicycle seat!! 

Once back at Yarmouth we had a stroll around the Harbour, the boats rocked 

gently on the sea and the masts made tinkering noises like little bells, as the 

flags danced high above, amongst the many seagulls flying by. There were a few 

more clouds in the sky now and although the sun kept peeping through a shower of 

rain suddenly poured down upon us and soaked us completely. We were all 

shivering and now dripping wet, when Olly shouted out with delight to look up at 

the sky. There above us amongst the grey rain clouds and bright blue sky was the 

most enormous rainbow!!! What a treat to see such a beautiful site, I shut my 

eyes and made a wish.

We had a hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows in the cafe on the 

pier to warm ourselves up and then came home back to the Park for a long soak in 

a very deep bubble bath.

CATERING VACANCIES FOR THE 2014 SEASON

Our Catering Department has a vacancy for a Catering Assistant for the 2014 season from March 29th to the end of September / October. (flexible)
To assist in the smooth running of the catering department, assisting Chef with food prep, serving customers, use of tills, clearing tables and maintaining high levels of cleanliness.
Five days a week to include bank holidays and weekends.  Hours per week (flexible) anywhere between 10 - 25  hours per week - to increase over busy bank and school holiday  periods.  Hours need to be flexible due to weather and trade.
We are looking for candidates  with excellent customer care skills and a ‘can do’ attitude that will work well within a team environment.
Please Email your details and current CV to  info@seaviewwildlife.com or by post to The Catering Manager,  Seaview Wildlife Encounter, Oakhill Road, Seaview, Isle Of Wight. PO34 5AP.   References will be required.
Closing date: February 28th, 2014.  Experienced candidates particularly welcome. Must have accommodation arrangements local to the Park and be 18 years of age or older due to H & S restrictions.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

PENGUIN FOLLOWS KEEPER EVERYWHERE !

LOVE ME! Penguin desperate for attention follows zoo keeper everywhere http://t.co/028PPyexDf =)

Henry our resident Hedgehog

During the winter, our ‘fish house’ has been home to Henry the very cute hedgehog. Henry was first found to the surprise and shock of one of our Keepers a few months ago, wrapped in a pair of old waterproof trousers. Since then he vanished and reappeared this week, so the Keepers have made him a more permanent lodging during hibernation in the form of his very own cosy hedgehog house. We think that Henry had been surviving on a diet of flamingo pellets, as they are stored where he was found, hopefully he will survive the winter.

Hedgehog Facts
Hedgehogs are the only British mammal with spines. When threatened they will roll into a tight ball, with the spines providing sharp protection from predators. Young hedgehogs are born with soft spines under the skin to protect mum, with a second set of spines emerging within days. Hedgehogs aren't fussy when it comes to food: worms, slugs, frogs and even bird eggs can be taken during a two kilometre nightly forage, a resistance to adder venom can also put this snake on the menu.

Did you know?
The name for a baby hedgehog is a hoglet.

Why do Hedgehogs go into Hibernation?

Hedgehogs hibernate for one simple reason: to survive the winter. Because hedgehogs feed on insects, food becomes scarce in the cold of winter, so they go to sleep. During hibernation, the metabolism rate of hedgehogs falls dramatically, so hedgehogs burn much less fat. Doing this, they are able to survive the winter with no (or little) food.

We will keep you updated on Henry’s progress and fingers crossed everyone that he makes it through his hibernation!

UNIQUE VALENTINE GIFT IDEAS

WONDERFUL TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS

“Wonderful animal experience with Dippy”

Reviewed 9 October 2013
All the staff were very welcoming and keen to share their knowledge of the animals. I took part in a penguin encounter- that is where you get to go in with the penguins and feed them. During my visit we were lucky enough to see a baby wallaby! The cafe served fresh good value food. All the animals look very happy and healthy. It is a must for all animal lovers young and old!

http://www.seaviewwildlife.com/wildlife_encounters/Penguin_Encounters/

DIPPYS TRIP TO COMPTON BEACH

I popped into my magic lighthouse this afternoon, which whizzed me over to the Needles. I was meeting up with some friends on Compton Beach to do a bit of surfing!!
When I arrived the crabs were all lined up with their boards, they very kindly let me borrow an extra surf board they had stored under the wooden steps.
The waves were perfect, huge rolling white crested waves which carried us as we balanced upon our surf boards. The crabs were experts, especially Snippy who had won several competitions.
After several hours of enormous fun and laughter we came out of the sea and warmed up on the beach as we sat huddled together around a roaring camp fire. We sipped nice hot tea from the shell cups the crabs had brought and toasted some Hot Cross Buns over the hot flames, which we all munched up very fast with creamy butter and strawberry jam.
Once I had warmed up I decided to take a little wander along the beach around to Brook Bay. The tide was now on its way out so I jumped across the rock pools filled with multicoloured seaweeds and collected a few pebbles for the otters Frank, Sammy and Dean back at the Park. They were redecorating the inside of their house and the bathroom walls were to be covered head to toe in pebbles, instead of  the traditional square tiles they'd had before.


I was about half way across Brook Bay when I spotted two seals sitting on the sand, it was when I got a bit closer I recognised them as my friends Mr and Mrs Grey who I had met a few summers ago. They were delighted to see me and invited me to join them on their knitted blanket which was spread across the dark black sand.
They were on their way to France for a winter holiday and had stopped at Brook for a rest before swimming through the night. We shared some fresh sardines together, which they had caught in Sandown and they drew a map in the sand of where they were going to stay. It was on a small campsite situated right next to a beach, self catering but all tents and equipment was inclusive which was very handy!
It was now 4.30pm and the sun was beginning to set and turn the white fluffy clouds into colours of pinks and purples. We said goodbye and I wished them both a safe and speedy journey.
Back at Compton the crabs were packing up, I helped to carry the surf boards to their secret hiding place and thanked them for a wonderful afternoons winter fun.
That evening at the Park, I told all the penguins at the pool about my brilliant afternoon adventure.