Born to be wild (From Daily Echo)

Behind the scenes at Marwell Zoo near Winchester

4:01pm Monday 6th April 2009 in News Review By Sally Churchward, Senior Feature Writer

WHEN John Knowles opened Marwell Zoo in 1972 he had greater ambitions than just displaying animals for visitors’ interest and amusement.

The conservation of rare and endangered species was always a key part of his, and Marwell’s, aims.

The zoo opened its gates for the first time on May 22, 1972, charging an entrance fee of 30p for adults and 20p for children.

Mr Knowles described the park that day as being “full of mud and construction materials” and noted that because the animals weren’t used to being round people they were all hiding – one visitor even suggested to him that he get some animals for the zoo.

Among the animals avoiding the public gaze were scimitar oryx and Grevy’s zebra – two species in whose survival Marwell would be key.

Over the years since the zoo first opened its gates, conservation has remained one of Marwell’s core values, with important work being done across the globe to save vulnerable species from extinction.

But visitors to the zoological park in Colden Common may not have been aware that the zoo is just part of what Marwell – which is actually a registered charity – does.

And this is one of the reasons why yesterday Marwell launched its rebrand.

Marwell Zoological Park is now Marwell Wildlife.

It also has a new selection of logos – a hand imprinted with images of plants and animals, highlighting the connection between visitors to the zoo and the conservation work that the organisation is involved in.

While rebranding can sometimes be a cosmetic exercise, in Marwell’s case it is a shift in its public face to represent the reality of the important global conservation work it does as well as its role in educating the public about wildlife and conservation.

Marwell Zoological Park is owned by the Marwell Preservation Trust Limited, a charity dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources. Part of its important work is as an international conservation organisation, working predominantly in Africa.

James Cretney, Marwell’s chief executive, explained that a gap has widened between the public perception of Marwell and what the organisation actually provides.

In highlighting Marwell’s overseas conservation work and involvement in important breeding programmes of rare species, it is hoped that being called Marwell Wildlife will draw attention to the organisation’s charity status and encourage people to donate money, as well as visit the park.

Mr Cretney acknowledged that zoos have not always had a good reputation among those concerned with animal welfare.

But he said that today they play an important role in conservation, without which many species would already have been lost.

“We’ve got a breeding programme of amur leopards, of which there are only about 25 to 30 left in the wild,” he said.

“This species is only being kept alive through captive breeding – there are around 200 in captivity.

“We’ve also been very involved in putting scimatar oryx back into the wild. They were classified as extinct but it’s being reintroduced to the wild through a captive breeding programme. It’s being given a second chance through the zoo community.

“There are a lot of animals that are facing potential extinction and captive breeding is one way of safeguarding their future. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need these breeding programmes but the reality is that we do.”

Although Marwell is shifting its emphasis to highlight its conservation work, the zoological park itself will remain key to its operations.

Some 95 per cent of the charity’s income comes from ticket sales and money will be put back into the park to improve facilities for both the animals and visitors.

Yesterday, Kenyan High Commissioner His Excellency Joseph Muchemi opened Marwell’s new African Valley. The facility includes rare Grevy’s zebras which are part of a European breeding programme which Marwell spearheads. Marwell also plays a key role in the conservation of these animals in the wild.

This year Marwell is raising funds with its Sprint campaign, to improve the cheetah facilities at the park, educate visitors about this species and work on the ground towards their conservation.

As well as raising funds through ticket sales, Marwell is hoping that its branding change will help encourage people to be generous with donations towards the work.

Shakespeare wrote: “what’s in a name?”. In the case of Marwell Wildlife, the answer would appear to be “quite a lot!”.

n For more information about how you can help Marwell, visit marwell.org.uk Competition time!

YOUR family could win the chance to visit Marwell for a year for free. We have a great prize of two adult annual passes and passes for your children to give away.

As well as allowing you to visit the zoological park as many times as you like throughout the year the pass also lets you visit 11 other zoos for free.

You will also be kept informed about Marwell Wildlife’s conservation work and what is happening at the zoo with a copy of Marwell News.

Junior pass holders can join the Oryx Club, which is perfect for children who want to get involved with the zoo and learn more about the work they do overseas. Oryx Club activities include free monthly meetings on wildlife and conservation themes at the zoo.

Other benefits of owning an annual pass include a ten per cent discount for your guests on their tickets, access to an exclusive programme of talks and events and discounts at facilities in the park.

The adult passes are worth £48 each and the junior passes are worth £32 each.

We also have runner-up prizes of two family day passes, worth £56 each, to give away. These are valid to visit the park once for a year.

For more information about Marwell Wildlife, visit marwell.co.uk To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question: n How many amur leopards are there left in the wild?

Send your answer with your name, address and telephone number to: Marwell Competition, Sally Churchward, Southern Daily Echo, Newspaper House, Test Lane, Redbridge, Southampton, SO16 9JX by April 15.

Marwell Wildlife may wish to contact you with information and offers. If you would prefer not to be added to their mailing list, write ‘NO’ on your entry.