Britain’s Hidden Exotic Animal Kingdom
Don’t let the concrete shopping centres and the grey cities fool you – the UK still has pockets of wilderness. Here’s our pick of the best places to see rare animals, birds and insects in these isles.
Grazing Giraffe Taken at Longleat Safari Park, UK by Alan Hern
1. Woburn Abbey Deer Park
Many different types of deer live together at this deer park, including the shy and retiring Musa deer, the Sika, Axis, Chital Deer, and Barasingha. Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer are more aloof and you may see these miniature friends hoofing around solo. The 11th Duke of Bedford founded the Deer Park as he wished to preserve many species on his estate. Today you can visit the 3,000 acre estate and see the deer on foot as you roam through.
2. Otters! Nationwide…except Kent
Otters are now back in healthy numbers after spending the last decade on the brink of extinction. There’s only one place you can’t see an otter in the wild: Kent! Thanks to the work of bodies like the Sussex Wildlife Trust, otter numbers have returned to healthy levels in most of the country.
3. Golden Eagle, Scottish Highlands
Golden eagles are not a common sight in the UK but there are a couple of places you can see them. This massive and impressive bird of prey traditionally homes in the open moorlands and wild mountains of Scotland. Eagles are incredibly loyal to their traditional nesting sites and don’t like to have their territories or routines disturbed. Consequently, it’s hard to conserve eagles without the right habitat.
4. Dragonflies and damselflies
Dungeness RSPB Reserve is a great place to see British birds and of course, beautiful jewel-like dragonflies. Dungeness is made up of miles of shingle, particularly across the beach area. Altogether there are 40 species of dragon and damselflies in the UK. The sound of a dragonfly buzzing over a pond is one of the most familiar sounds of British summertime.
5. Longleat Safari Park
See all of nature’s charismatic megafauna at this famous and much loved wildlife park in the South West of England (between Bristol, Glastonbury and Southampton). You can see giraffes, lions, elephants and cheetahs all gambolling around the grounds of Longleat manor. Longleat is an 18th century house in 900 acres of manicured parklands, providing a grand setting for corporate events and weddings.
Be careful when out trekking in the UK. Although we have adders and vipers (venomous snakes native to the UK) , we don’t have anything too dangerous lurking in our wilds. That will take care of those clinical negligence claims you’re thinking about filing when you’re flailing about in A&E).
Remember to plan ahead if you’re going somewhere remote and bring a fully charged camera with you, or a notepad, or whatever you use to collect your data or make memories!
Doreen Cruise loves nature conservation and social media – sometimes together!
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