Over in our South America section we have a large mixed species exhibit which includes Brazilian tapir, greater rhea, capybara, vicuna and some smaller residents that resemble a cross between a small deer and a rabbit. These small mammals with long legs and long ears are actually rodents and are called Patagonian mara. We currently have a group of 6 female adults, a young mara that is 6 months old and recently we have had some more babies born.

For this week’s View from the Zoo we are going to tell you about a particular animal that we have to be very, very careful with! Our two Cape Porcupines have been going through a very special training regime over the past few weeks. Our male is 10 years old and he is called Grumpy! Whilst our female is 8 years old and called Mrs Prickles!

Here at Flamingo Land we are very proud of our zoo, and we hope you enjoy it just as much as we do. But who is responsible for how great the place looks? Our keepers of course!

In our ungulates section of the zoo, it was time for celebration as one of our Common Hippopotamus’ (Hippopotamus amphibious), Ernie, turned 14 on the 4th of August! Ernie was born here at the zoo as his mother Betty came to Flamingo Land pregnant over a decade ago. He currently lives with his Auntie Godzilla who is 19 years old. This is still relatively young for hippos as they can live up to around 30-50 years!

It’s that time of year again where a lot of our penguins are staying in their nests to look after their eggs and newly hatched chicks. This breeding season occurs twice a year and our Humboldt penguins will have just one mating partner.

This week we will be letting you know a bit more about one of our more ‘Sacred’ residents here at the Zoo. As part of the Bird Show and also our Aviary in Lost River we have a number of Sacred Ibis. Ibis are wading birds which means they have long legs which allow them to ‘wade’ through shallow water and mud. They get their ‘Sacred’ name because in Egypt the Ibis represented the god Thoth, god of wisdom, knowledge and writing, and was considered the herald of the flood. However sadly, it is now extinct throughout Egypt because of gradual acidification through swamp drainage and land reclamation. They can still be found in other Northern African countries as well as zoos just like Flamingo Land.

Flamingo Land is delighted to announce that it has become the first sponsor of the brand new community football stadium at Scarborough Sports Village.

This week at the zoo, some of smaller and well disguised animals have been increasing their numbers, and in a big way! Our giant thorny stick insects, which are within our Education Centre, have had many of their eggs hatch into nymph. With numbers already at thirty, this could double by next week!

At Flamingo Land we have a pride of nine African lions. As they are carnivores they receive a meaty feast usually two or three times a week. By gorging on a large amount of food it results in them not needing to eat again for a few days. This is how they would naturally feed in the wild, therefore we are trying to replicate their natural behaviour as closely as we can. However, it is discouraged to feed carnivores live prey within UK zoos, therefore we are unable to provide them with the ability to hunt like they would in the wild.

Costing in excess of £4m and created using the latest coaster technology, Mumbo Jumbo’s 112° vertical drop saw it enter the record books as the ‘world’s steepest roller coaster made from steel’, a position it held until 1st July 2011.

Recently at Flamingo Land we have had 4 scimitar-horned oryx calves born which means excellent news for the conservation of this species as they have been declared extinct in the wild since 1999.

Flamingo Land has confirmed that Union J will now be headlining the Party in the Park concert this Saturday evening, 1st July, replacing Matt Terry who can no longer appear.

This active play area is designed to bring animals and children closer together, creating a truly enjoyable and educational environment.

It’s that time of year when our Bactrian camels are shedding their hair! This natural process happens annually, and makes our camels look very shabby. The camels can lose up to five pounds of hair per year, and it will fall away from the body in clumps making their coat appear quite unattractive. This process will take around six to eight weeks to complete fully, so it is a very long, drawn out makeover! The moulting of the hair helps keep the camels cool during the warmer summer months, before thickening again ready for winter.

It has been a double birthday for our cute and popular red pandas here at the zoo this week. Tai Jang our female turned 5 on the 12th of June whilst our male Bai Jiao also became 5 on the 14th of June! They received their favourite ‘panda cake’ which consists of a variety of nutrients including protein, essential vitamins, minerals and high fibre. However bamboo, fruits, pellets and other leaves make up a majority of their diet.

This week has been a double celebration for some of our most popular and intelligent animals here at the Zoo. Our two sea lions Marvin and Clive share their birthday on the 11th of June! Marvin is turning 17 whilst the huge Clive is becoming 23! Both boys could live up to the age of 30 and live with two other males called Miguel and Merlin as part of our bachelor group. As a birthday treat they received lots of their favourite fish mackerel and sprats! Yum.

The African lion is a very large cat. Lions once roamed throughout southern Europe, Africa and southwest Asia. Today the African lion can only be found in sub-Saharan Africa and a small pocket of Asiatic lions are found in southern India.

The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tigers, compared to the Siberian tiger which is the largest. The stripes of the Sumatran tiger are narrower than other tigers and they have larger manes. The males are bigger than the females but they still only reach 2.5m in length. Their small size allows them to travel through the dense Sumatran rainforest with ease.

The hippopotamus, literally translated, means river horse. They spend their days in water as their skin is very susceptible to sun-burning. They are herbivores consuming between 1 and 1.5% of their body weight in vegetation every day!

Humboldt Penguins live in small colonies along the Pacific coastline of Chile and Peru. Like all Penguins, Humboldt’s are flightless marine birds, which have adapted superbly for life in the sea, they have flipper like wings and webbed feet which enable them to “fly” gracefully through the water at speeds of up to 15mph. Penguins feed on small fish such as sardines, mullet and anchovies.