Today is World Wildlife Conservation Day; a day to remind us about the serious effects of wildlife crime and the importance of wildlife conservation. Although it should be in our minds all year round, it’s great to have a day that reminds individuals that their small lifestyle changes have a huge impact on our wildlife/planet in the long run.
Here at Bulldog, we like to help out whenever we can, so when we got the opportunity to take a trip down to Shepreth Wildlife Park and help out with their conservation efforts, we were elated! Shepreth Wildlife Park educates their visitors about species which are threatened with extinction, while also raising and providing funds for their on-site Hedgehog Hospital. They’ve run many conservation projects since 2002 and continue to amaze the public with their passion, hard work, and amazing facilities. We’d recommend visiting if you’d like to educate yourself and have an incredible day out. Click here to learn more about Shepreth’s conservation efforts.
So, after a week of knuckling down and hitting targets, we headed to Shepreth Wildlife Park on the morning of Friday 30th November. We were greeted by the lovely conservation team and given a rundown on the jobs that needed doing. After quickly splitting into groups, we got our gloves on and headed outside. There was plenty to get done – from giving the exhibitions a lick of paint to de-weeding the tiger enclosure and lugging heavy objects across the park. It certainly was a culture shock for us, considering we spend our days sitting at our desks indoors! We have nothing but respect for the Shepreth team braving the cold and doing this every day.
After hours spent working on our tasks, we were treated to some warm drinks and then given a tour of the park. Shepreth Wildlife Park may look small on arrival, but this illusion soon disappears when you realise just how many animals are being looked after here! From otters to meerkats and lemurs to donkeys, there is certainly something for everyone.
We were rewarded for our hard work with animal experiences – result! The cold weather was soon a distant memory when we were hand-feeding lemurs, sitting in meerkat enclosures and cuddling skunks; just to name a few.
After a very thorough tour of the park, we were given some lovely cake made by the owners (does it get any better?!) and said our goodbyes. Safe to say that we were smiling from ear to ear by the end of the day.
If you’re looking for a great day out, then we couldn’t recommend Shepreth Wildlife Park enough. Every single person there is passionate about wildlife conservation and is stacked with knowledge on the topic. We would go back and help in a heartbeat!
Here is a a very special #behindthebulldog video, which showcases just how our experience went! 🌳🐯🐍🐇🐒
