Thomas's visit to Lotherton

As the Tropical World Ambassador, I have had the opportunity of recently visiting Lotherton.

When I first arrived, we looked around the gardens which had a variety of birds, including Parakeets, Owls, Emu’s and many more. Sadly the weather that day was so cold many of the animals wanted to stay hidden or inside their enclosures!

Meeting Arthur the Tapir

The most exciting part of my visit was when I met Arthur, the Tapir who is a new animal to Lotherton, and is one of my favourite type of animals. I got to meet Arthur in his enclosure, and I was lucky enough to stroke its chin and belly.

Tapirs are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and South Eastern Asia. The four species that have been evaluated (all save the kabomani) are all classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, which include horses, donkeys, zebras and rhinoceroses.

You can see Arthur when you visit Lotherton. You can see inside his enclosure through the window, or if the weather is nice he can be seen outside along with the Capybaras that are his friends. He is really cute, you would love to see him, so go and visit him at Lotherton!

Flamingos and penguins

After visiting Arthur the Tapir, I had a private visit to see the Flamingos, who were inside due to the bad weather, trying to keep warm.

Next I visited the penguins who have recently arrived to their newly build enclosure especially for penguins. I watched them as they splashed about in their pool. I also hand fed the penguins at the same time as trying not to fall in!

New animals, new developments

It was really fun feeding the Penguins. There are lots to see and I have been told there will be older penguins coming soon to help settle the younger Penguins in.

While we walked around with Rob Young, Head Keeper at Lotherton, he told me about the possibility of new animals and new developments that maybe happening soon, so keep an eye out for news from Lotherton.

I can’t wait to visit Lotherton again in the Easter and Summer!