The Missing Lynx | extinct exhibits at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

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Animals lost to Britain return for Easter

England’s lost wildlife will be returned to the country for a new exhibit of extinct British species at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire

Animals that once roamed England’s countryside before going extinct will feature in a new Wild Wild Whipsnade exhibit from Easter.

Natural England last week named more than 500 species that have already become extinct in England, and predicted further extinctions at the rate of two a week.

Now visitors to Whipsnade will be able to come face to face with lynx, brown bears, wolves, bison, moose and wolverine – the very animals they could once have bumped into in Britain’s rural woodland.

Zoo curator Malcolm Fitzpatrick says: “These amazing creatures, which once roamed Britain, have already died out here and we are on the brink of losing dozens more species. We hope that allowing people to see what’s already been lost will help them appreciate the importance of protecting what we’ve got left.”

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) uses zoo income to fund conservation projects protecting and reintroducing native species including red-barbed ants, field crickets and corncrakes. The launch of the new exhibit is timed to coincide with the International Year of Biodiversity.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London, the charity which also runs ZSL London Zoo.

Ends

• Sneak press preview of Wild Wild Whipsnade at 10am on March 30th. Please email christine.drabwell@zsl.org to register attendance or interest.

• ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London, the charity which also runs ZSL London Zoo. Whispnade is about 1hr out of London, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

• The beasts of old England are back at Wild Wild Whipsnade, the new exhibit opening at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on Good Friday (April 2nd). Species that once roamed rural England will be returning home to make their mark.

• Zoological Society of London (ZSL) founded in 1826 is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org

• 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, and people all over the world are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss. This is vital for current and future human wellbeing. We need to do more. Now is the time to act. ZSL is taking an active role in this campaign.

• Produced to coincide with the International Year of Biodiversity, Natural England’s Lost life report identifies nearly 500 animals and plants that have become extinct in England – practically all within the last two centuries. It also highlights how habitat loss, inappropriate management, environmental pollution and pressure from non-native species have all played a part in the erosion of England’s biodiversity.