New Forest Wildlife Park

Yes, I know that the New Forest is full of places to do serious hardcore birding.  But I am not a serious hardcore birder, and today really wasn't the day for sitting in the rain getting depressed about all the birds I can't identify/photograph/see.  So we went to the Wildlife Park, which is right on the edge of the Forest near Southampton.

I was really impressed with this place - huge enclosures, lots of 'free range' animals and a definite emphasis on conservation.  They take in a lot of injured native species and release them back into the wild; the ones who live in the enclosures generally have a disability or some other reason why they wouldn't survive back in the wild.  There was lots of genuine wildspace too, and plenty of garden-type nest boxes and feeders for the wild birds - very peculiar to see a blue tit eating peanuts just above the head of a wallaby!

Here's a few snaps.

Red-Necked Wallaby - they just bounce around amongst the visitors:

Sika deer - also very tame and free-range (one took a liking to my trousers and shoelaces!):

Asian Short-Clawed Otters - fabulous little creatures, very sociable and chat to each other with non-stop squeaking:

And lastly, Wild Boar.  Hard to imagine that these...

Once looked like this:

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