TURKEYS ARE FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

Our Turkey’s at the Park are for life ~ not just for Christmas!! 
I was looking at our three Turkeys today…. strutting around the Wallaby Paddock, chattering away to one another and thought if only they knew how lucky they are!  Lots and lots of space, a nice shed bedded down with straw and food on tap!  One of them has been a little ‘ fiesty’ lately chasing and biting the Keepers when we let them out in the mornings – we all laugh that they have a good spirit and look so funny running after us !
Some Turkey Facts:
Did you know the UK consumes around 10 million turkeys at Christmas. 
Turkey's scientific name is Meleagris gallopava (mel-e-AY-gris-low-PAY-voe) from Latin gallus, meaning cock, and pavo, meaning chickenlike. Meleagris is the Roman name for guineafowl, suggestive of the early confusion of the turkey with guineafowl.
It is by no means clear how the turkey gained its name - one colourful theory claims a certain resemblance between the turkey stag's head and the helmet of a soldier of the Turkish Empire.
Another suggestion is from the wild turkey's call which sounds like turk-turk-turk. Another likely explanation is that in the 16th century, merchants trading along the seaboards of the Mediterranean were known as Turkes. They probably included the birds in their merchandise and they became known as turkey fowls.
One theory is that Columbus thought the new world was connected to India and that turkeys were really peacocks, so he named them "Tuka" which is peacock in the Tamil language of India.
In Spain, the turkey was often referred to as Indian fowl, an allusion which is repeated in the French ‘dindon’ formed with d'Inde which means ‘from India’.
Turkeys have been around for 10 million years - there are fossils to prove it.
The American Indians hunted wild turkey for its sweet, juicy meat as early as 1000AD. Turkey feathers were used to stabilise arrows and adorn ceremonial dress, and the spurs on the legs of wild tom turkeys were used as projectiles on arrowheads.
Turkeys are believed to have first been brought to Britain in 1526 by Yorkshireman William Strickland - he acquired six birds from American Indian traders on his travels and sold them for tuppence each in Bristol.
Henry VIII was the first English king to enjoy turkey, although Edward VII made eating turkey fashionable at Christmas.
Enjoy your Turkeys this Christmas – Our three just don’t know how lucky they really are !!!!

A Vacancy for a Animal Keeper / Presenter has arisen…..

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen to join the dynamic Animal Care Team at the Island’s largest, multi-award winning Wildlife Attraction.  This is a seasonal position from January to the end of October, 2013.
The position involves all animal husbandry duties and giving daily talks to the public.  The successful incumbent will be an exceptional ‘ people-person’ who has the ability to lead promotional events such as  ‘ Keeper for a day ‘ , ‘ Junior Wildlife Experience ‘ , ‘ One-On-One Wildlife Encounters’ and ‘ Wildest Place for a Special Date ‘ .
A mature, friendly, outgoing person is required with a very hands-on approach.  Applicants should be well spoken, team-orientated and physically fit, able to roll up their sleeves and willing to get involved!
This is a demanding, outdoor role, five days a week including weekends and bank holidays.  Previous hands-on animal care experience and a relevant qualification is preferred.
Hours when Park is closed 9am – 2.00/2.30pm Hours when Park is open 8.30am – 4.30pm
Applicants should live locally with own transport arrangements as accommodation is not provided.
Closing date Friday 21st December, 2012.  Please send current up to date CV and covering letter to Lorraine Adams, Director either via email at info@seaviewwildlife.com or by post to Seaview Wildlife Encounter, Oakhill Road, Seaview, Isle Of Wight.  PO34 5AP.

Four Wallabies on the move

Yesterday Matt from Specialist Wildlife Services came to the Park with his friend and volunteer Debra to collect four male wallabies from our productive Mob. We have a very successful breeding programme each year with these marsupials and over crowding in Wallaby Walkabout and in-breeding are the reasons behind the decision to move some of the surplus males on to new homes.
Many thanks to Matt who has a very interesting Job travelling around the UK and to Europe to rescue all sorts of creatures from Annie the Elephant to bears, wolves down to tiny hedgehogs!  Our ‘boys’ have arrived safely at the Berkshire Agriculture College that is a Vet training college and hosts an animal management course.  Our Wallabies are going to be seriously loved, pampered and very well looked after!

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Our Chilean Flamingo Chick is doing so so well – you may remember some blogs back that we told you about our little orphaned Chilean Chick.  He is doing really well – feeding by himself and is very vocal and responsive.  We have all grown rather fond of him ( or her we are not sure yet!)  His legs have become dry and Matt suggested yesterday that we stand him in water for a while each day.  In the wild they would be in water for many hours dabbling and searching for food so the next best thing the Keepers could think of was standing the little flamingo in a bucket of warm water!  He didn’t seem to mind one bit and just  stood very still and quiet.

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CALIFORNIA KINGSNAKE A LITTLE OFF COLOUR

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Our Californian King Snake has been a little ‘ off ‘ colour and not eaten for a few weeks so we took him up to the Vets to have him checked over.  Nothing to worry about – just an infection in his tail.  The vet administered antibiotics and the keepers are checking him everyday and putting sudacrem on the infected area to help the healing process.  (Sudacrem is a miracle cream and we use it here on all sorts of birds and animals to help heal up wounds etc..)  Some facts on Californian Kingsnakes
Native range:  Found in the southern States from California to Arizona
Size:  Aprox eight to ten inches long at birth, they average three to four feet in length as adults.
Handling:  These snakes rarely attempt to bite!  They need to be handled gently without pinching or squeezing.
Food:  Fed a diet of mice mainly.  Hatchlings usually feed readily on newborn ‘pinkie’ mice and should be fed about every five to seven days.  Increase in food as the snake grows.
Reproduction:  Although examining the tail can sometimes determine the sex, many adult snakes can only accurately sexed by ‘ probing ‘ Most specimens will require hibernation to breed, but some will readily reproduce under normal circumstances.  Typical clutches consist of 10-15 eggs although some clutches of over 20 have been recorded.  Incubation takes from 55 to 60 days at an average temp’ of 81F.

Chilean Flamingos Transfer to Belfast Zoo!

This week saw the transfer of some of our Chilean Flamingos to their new home at Belfast Zoo. The Park has had another successful year of breeding with 11 chicks hatched this season so it was time to move on some of our flamingos that were bred in 2010/2011 to avoid over crowding to our enclosure and to swell flock numbers for Belfast to help aid their breeding programme.


Yesterday, Andrew Hope the Curator at Belfast Zoo Northern Ireland made the journey to the Isle Of Wight to collect sixteen Chilean flamingos. The round up went very smoothly and these exotic birds were put into specially designed flamingo boxes that kept the birds sealed in nice and tight and safe ready for their journey to Belfast. We look forward to hearing that they all arrived safely and are doing well in their new home.

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DUCK FEEDING FRENZY

With no visitors to feed the ducks during our closed winter period the frenzy each morning at the lower lake is a sight to behold!  The noise alone is crazy with geese honking and chasing the keepers with the buckets of grain, ducks quacking and splashing in the water fighting each other for every morsel,  the Park clowns the guinea fowl run crazily around  jumping in the buckets to get at the food.
We have to feed quite a lot this time of year and when it gets a lot colder   even more so!  They always put a smile on the Keepers faces even when it is cold and grey.

Winners of 2012 photographic competition

Congratulations to Linda Phipps (adult) and Craig Gregory (junior, aged 9) whose images have been selected as winners in their categories of our “Animals in Action” photographic competition 2012!
First prize for each is a family pass into the Park and a choice of a personal, V.I.P. Wildlife Encounter (Penguins or Meerkats) to be enjoyed during the 2013 season (23 March – 3 November inclusive) plus a surprise gift that will be forwarded by post.
Thank you to all those who participated; we received some lovely images.  We invite you all to try again next year – and to those of you who didn’t, grab your cameras and give it a go in 2013!


Above: winning image, adult category 2012 – Chilean Flamingo with chick – Linda Phipps


Above: winning image, junior category 2012 – Pelican being fed – Craig Gregory (aged 9)