Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
Entrance in 2014

52°27′02″N 1°54′38″W / 52.450498°N 1.910430°W / 52.450498; -1.910430
Date opened	1974 (1974)
Location	Pershore Road Edgbaston Birmingham England United Kingdom
Land area	6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Memberships	BIAZA,^[1] EAZA^[2]
Major exhibits	Red Pandas, Komodo Dragon, Eurasian Lynx, Many Species of Lemur, Tamarin and Monkeys, Asian Short-Clawed Otters, Northern Bald Ibis
Website	Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, formerly Birmingham Nature Centre, and before that Birmingham Zoo, is a small zoo on the edge of Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, England. It is owned and managed by Birmingham City Council.

As well as catering to tourists and locals, the zoo is actively involved in many scientific programmes, such as the EEP captive breeding programmes with endangered animals, helping to highlight the plight of the world's biodiversity through educational talks and campaigns.

The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

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History

Birmingham Zoo was opened on 1 May 1964 by the Dudley Zoological Society, within Cannon Hill Park. The site of the park was once part of a 16th-century fulling mill, known as Pebble Mill.^[3]

It was designed to exhibit mainly young animals, but it also housed Dudley Zoo's collection of monkeys and two dromedaries for rides.

Once described as a little gem of a zoo,^[4] it closed in 1973 for unknown reasons. It was reopened in 1974 by Birmingham City Council as the Birmingham Nature Centre. The centre and its entrance were originally part of the Birmingham Natural History Museum. In 2014 it was rebranded as Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park.^[5]

Earlier zoos

Birmingham has had a number of zoos over the years. The first was the Birmingham and Midlands Zoological Gardens in Balsall Heath, opened in 1873. The second was Aston Lower Grounds Menagerie in Aston, opened in 1880. The last was Birmingham Zoo, which opened in 1910 but closed in 1930. There was also said to be a travelling menagerie, named J. E. James's Menagerie.^[6]

Animals

The zoo features mainly small mammals. Its occupants include:

Red pandas

The nature centre used to have a pair of male red pandas. However these have been re-housed as part of the national breeding programme. Ming Ming is visiting a female red panda in the Welsh Mountain Zoo.

Babu

Babu is a red panda who disappeared from the nature centre in November 2005 and spent four days on the loose before being discovered. Nature centre staff believe he was blown out of a tree and found himself outside his enclosure. His disappearance and the citywide panda hunt that ensued made national headlines. After being discovered by a dog-walker in Moseley, Babu was dramatically reunited with his brother Tensing live on Midlands Today.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

Notes

^ "BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums". biaza.org.uk. BIAZA. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
^ "EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums". eaza.net. EAZA. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
^ "Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park - Photos". Birmingham Conservation Trust. 4 January 2016.
^ Schomberg 1970, pp. 29
^ "Birmingham Nature Centre to be relaunched as Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park". Birmingham Live. 28 March 2014.
^ "The Bartlett Society - Closed collections". Zoo History. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^ "Runaway Birmingham panda found up tree". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph (UK). 3 November 2005. Retrieved 18 September 2011.^{[dead link]}
^ Kelbie, Paul (4 November 2005). "The end of freedom for Babu the escape artist". findarticles.com. The Independent (London). Retrieved 18 September 2011.^{[dead link]}
^ "Red panda boosts visitor numbers". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
^ Bounds, Jon (10 September 2007). "Brummie of the Year 2005". birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk. BiNS. Retrieved 18 September 2011.

External links

v t e Zoological gardens in the United Kingdom
Zoos	Africa Alive! Amazon World Zoo Park Banham Zoo Beale Park Belfast Zoo Birdland Park and Gardens Birdworld Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park Blackpool Zoo Borth Wild Animal Kingdom British Wildlife Centre Calderglen Country Park Chessington Zoo Chester Zoo Colchester Zoo Cotswold Wildlife Park Crocodiles of the World Curraghs Wildlife Park Dartmoor Zoological Park Drayton Manor Zoo Drusillas Zoo Park Dudley Zoo Durrell Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Flamingo Land Resort Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Hamerton Zoo Hawk Conservancy Trust Heythrop Zoological Gardens Howletts Wild Animal Park International Centre for Birds of Prey Isle of Wight Zoo Lakeland Wildlife Oasis London Zoo Manor House Wildlife Park Marwell Zoo Monkey Sanctuary Monkey World New Forest Wildlife Park Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Northumberland Zoo Northumberland College Zoo Paignton Zoo Paradise Park, Cornwall Paradise Wildlife Park Peak Wildlife Park Plantasia Ponderosa Zoo Screech Owl Sanctuary Seaview Wildlife Encounter South Lakes Safari Zoo Tropical World (Leeds) The Living Rainforest Tropical Birdland Tropiquaria Twycross Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Whipsnade Zoo Wildwood Discovery Park Wild Place Project Wingham Wildlife Park Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Safari parks	Blair Drummond Safari Park Highland Wildlife Park Knowsley Safari Park Longleat Safari and Adventure Park Port Lympne Wild Animal Park West Midland Safari Park Woburn Safari Park
Former	Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Bristol Zoo Coventry Zoo Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park Glasgow Zoo Knaresborough Zoo Lambton Lion Park Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens Living Coasts Manchester Zoological Gardens Oxford Zoo Penscynor Wildlife Park Rare Species Conservation Centre Royal Surrey Gardens Southam Zoo Southport Zoo Windsor Safari Park
Category List Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animals

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This page was last edited on 15 October 2023, at 16:10

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