Gosh it’s been a hectic summer!

At last! - the new series is ‘in the can’ as they say
- it starts on

Tuesday 31 August 7.30pm ITV Wales, then every Tuesday for six weeks...

The TV cameras have been in the park since May - so long you forget that they are there! And it’s hard to look your best when you’re busy mucking out, or doing the daily poo round!

What with the Big Pond Dip, all the new arrivals, and bat-watch in the long evenings it’s been non-stop.But we did find time to go camping one weekend during this summer school holidays - me and my two girls and the great people who brought the Dragon back to life...

The Dragon? Well, it all started when Colin said he’d tracked down a very unusual species for the park. He had us guessing for days, then one morning those clever people who run the Glastonbury Festival rang to say that the Dragon we’d bought from them was arriving with us shortly!

He’s had a full makeover, even a little bit of dental work! So he’s raring to go - waiting to meet you! He’s set on the big lawn and we’ll be using his stage for concerts and functions. And the best thing is that he’s also available for birthdays and weddings.

And thank goodness for Candy - I think my whole family might have starved if it wasn’t for her! The home cooked and organic food coming out of the new Manor House kitchens is to die for - truly! Candy took over just as the finishing touches were being put to the kitchens and we haven’t looked back... home-cooked hams, slow-cooked beef, local produce, real food. Oh I’d better stop this I’m drooling.

This is our third season and the best yet. To celebrate we’ve made new plans to open all year! Yes! So on those long winter weekends you’ll be able to come along and enjoy the animals and a stroll in the park - some people just come for lunch! We look forward to seeing you all soon. - posted by Anna

DID YOU READ ABOUT STEVE IN LAST WEEK'S WESTERN TELEGRAPH?

SEE HIS PAGE FOR THE LATEST NEWS!

The pictures above were sent to us by talentend photographer Hilary Brinkman.

 

GLASTONBURY SYMBOL OF FREEDOM ARRIVES AT MANOR HOUSE WILDLIFE PARK

 

Colin has brought a new creature to Manor House... Born in the West Country in 2006 - and already 20 feet wide - it's Brian the Glastonbury Dragon.

He has stood through the last 4 festivals, and now he has come to Manor House. Carved out of a lightning-struck oak tree from the West Country, he stands at 29 feet from the base to the tip of his nose.

 

MORE SHOULDERS THAN THE STIG

 

With eight beautifully carved shoulders (five more than THE STIG), his crystal eyes have been sparkling with pleasure ever since he arrived!

Brian has a spiked collar worked from steel and copper, with two lengths of heavy gauge chain, symbolically broken to emphasise freedom - so he’s come to a fitting new home.

In his short life Brian's seen a lot - concerts, weddings, parties and he'll be staging a wide range of events on the park in the coming seasons.

Weighing in at seven and a half tonnes, the whole structure incorporates a 20 foot diameter octagonal stage, and the combined weight probably comes to twenty tonnes. All the timber used has come from sustainable sources, milled by one of the craftsmen who worked on the carving.

He’s arrived in Pembrokeshire with two of his old West Country Keepers - they’ll be putting him out to grass, making sure he’s happy and that all is in order before handing over care of Brian to Manor House at the beginning of August.

TOMMY THE TAPIR AND HIS NEW GIRL RIO

All's well with Tommy, the serial escapee. He hasn't tried to get out since Rio arrived! funny that!

PRZEWALKSI NEWS

We have a new female arriving in 2010. That'll keep our bachelor Boys on their toes!

MACAWS RE-INTRODUCED

Dolly and Macaulay are loving being back out with the public. They missed the human contact whilst their new quarters were being re-furbished. Dolly is as rude as ever!

NEW FOR 2010 - posted by Anna

Five Ostrich arrive in Spring 2010 - did you know that the ostrich has the largest eye of any land animal? Some people say it's bigger than its brain!

Scimitar Horned Oryx arrive in Spring 2010 from Fota Zoo in Ireland. Extinct in the wild this is a real feather in the cap for the park. It demonstrates just how far we've come over the last two seasons.

RHINOLAND

2010 will see the completion of the new Rhino House. We'll take in two or three young fellas, and bring them on to maturity. One will leave us in around 2013 to join a vital European breeding programme. White Rhino are critically endangered, and this is going to be a huge project for us - and eat up lots of our short resources.

MEERKATS - BREEDING PROGRAMME

Our first females arrive on the Park in 2010, once they are settled, maybe we'll hear the patter of tiny meerkat feet...