The Bedford Estates, LondonWe all know that 2020 has been a tough year; with sad goodbyes to some of the much-loved animals, to having to close three times, the Park has definitely had some lowlights.
But we wanted to look back on the year and share some of the highlights that we have experienced, in amongst the chaos.
Woburn Safari Park's 2020 highlights
From the adorable new babies to the new arrivals that have joined the Park, there has been lots to celebrate too...
Camel baby first birth of the year
Towards the beginning of the year, just shortly after the first UK COVID-19 lockdown was announced, a baby camel was born at Woburn Safari Park.
Little 'Ump' was born to Bactrian camels, Saturday and Khan. The young female was quickly described as sweet and very squeaky by her keepers. And it didn't take long for her to show her cheeky character - as she was often caught sticking her tongue out at keepers!
Adorable meerkat pup arrives
The tiny pitter patter of paws were heard in Desert Springs, where meerkats Sue and Spnce had given birth to an adorable pup.
Birth of two bear cubs
Next, two beautiful bear cubs were spotted venturing out from their den along with mum, Phoenix, for the first time.
The cubs, named Koda and Georgia, are the first to be born at the Park since the last surprise trio arrived in 2016.
Large litter of lion cubs
In July, Dakota, one of Woburn Safari Park’s African lionesses gave birth to a large litter of lion cubs.
Born in the early hours of the morning, the lion cub males were later named Zulu, Hasani and Iniko, while the one female was called Amara.
Flock of ostrich move into the Savannah Reserve
In 2019 the Park welcomed the arrival of a flock of four males and four female ostriches. After spending some time in their own paddock to the side of the Road Safari, getting used to the cars and different park noises, the flock was moved out in the main reserve, where they are enjoying mixing with all the other African animals.
Herd of zebra arrive
This year the Savannah Grasslands Reserve also welcomed some stripey new arrivals. The zebra arrived from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire and joined the three resident Grevy's zebra; Nguvu, Mia and Olivia. They settled in well to their new home, which they share with a diverse mixture of African species including Southern white rhino, sable antelope, Ankole cattle, and Congo buffalo.
Manuel the mongoose joins the family
The Animal Encounters team have recently welcomed a male yellow mongoose to the Park. The 3 1/2 year old arrived from Rotterdam Zoo and has joined the resident female mongoose, Miss Tibbs.
Looking forward to 2021
The Park has been able to finish the year on a high too, after the Government announced an amendment to the Tier 4 restrictions which meant that the Park was allowed to reopen to visitors just after Christmas.
So, there you have Woburn Safari Park's highlights from 2020!
The Foot Safari is also undergoing some exciting new redevelopments behind the scenes this winter, so there is plenty to look forward to in 2021 too!