The summer seems to have passed in the blink of an eye and now, with schools reopening next week, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the last few months. So, how’s the North Yorkshire summer treated us this year? Well, in between the rain, blue skies prevailed, bringing glorious sunshine and temperatures in the high twenties!

The animals have been moving in and out with the changing weather. The ducks loved the rain, as did the hippos, who were delighted to roll around in the resulting mud! However, the rhinos and giraffes proved themselves once again to be dedicated sun worshippers.

Our zookeepers saw the birth of a camel calf and two Humboldt penguin chicks, plus two ring-tailed lemurs who are already fantastic climbers. Four capybara babies were also born at the side of the lake in our South America region and are now keenly exploring this area. Two flamingo chicks are still in the nest, yet to take their first steps, watched over by their dedicated parents and the other seventy-four flamingos who share the lakeside enclosure. 

Three wallaby joeys emerged from their pouches and can already be seen hopping around, finding their feet. Two baboon babies have been welcomed into the clan on Baboon Island and almost immediately began to explore the ice-lolly enrichment provided by our primate team. They’ve also learnt how to rip open the papier-mâché balls, constructed and packed with food by our Zoo Academy Troopers. We also have 14 baby maras, but as their birthing season isn’t quite over, we’re not drawing the line just yet!

So, it’s been a fantastic summer for almost all of the animals in the Flamingo Land Resort Zoo. And with the days now looking even more like summer, the animals are still out and about enjoying the sun. As for the zoo team, we’ll be taking a deep breath at the end of August before we start preparing to welcome winter visitors to both the Zoo and Children’s Planet.