Monkey business

When we visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Park we are always pleased to see something that we haven't seen before.

A relatively new feature of the park is the sea lion enclosure which features two large lakes. The surrounding area has been designed to mimic the natural habitat of the family of six Californian seals that live there. It isn't the first time that we have watched the seals but there is something very therapeutic about watching them swim.

Also enjoying the water were the polar bears. Currently there are eight bears living in the park in two different areas. One area houses a mother bear and her three 'cubs'. The cubs, two males and one female are around two years old and two of them are shown in the top two photographs below. I'm amazed how such a large animal can float!

Four adult male bears live in a separate area, far enough away from the female bear to avoid any 'restless' behaviour. Three arrived recently to join the bachelor group after two other bears left as part of a breeding programme. I'm not clever enough to tell the bears apart but I think that the two cubs splashing in the water are the two males. It's the first time we have seen them albeit at some distance away.

We saw some other animals for the first time on Monday. They aren't new arrivals it's just that, during past visits, they haven't chosen to come outside when we have been close by.

It's the first time the we have seen the Roloway monkey family. They are one of the most endangered primates so it was a cause for celebration when a baby was born at the park last year.

Another first sighting for us were the white-faced saki monkeys.

As we were leaving the park we were treated to another first as the keepers were putting some more fresh food out for the tapirs. Just lucky timing!

Not a first sighting as the baboons are always out and about but I couldn't resist including this photo of a mum tenderly holding her baby.

Swans were browsing the weeds in the area set aside for British wildlife.

Despite our regular visits to Yorkshire Wildlife Park we have yet to see any of the hyena family, other than the top of a head and ear poking out from the vegetation. Other no sightings are the biturong and the white wallaby. We have only managed to have glimpses of the cotton top tamarinds by peering through the foliage in their indoor area.

So there are still plenty of reasons for a return visit.

If you are interested, Martyn posted a video of our visit on his Youtube channel here.

Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett