{{Short description|Zoo in Hampshire, England}} {{Redirect|Marwell}} {{Use British English|date=April 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox zoo |zoo_name=Marwell Zoo |logo=Marwell_logo.png |logo_width=173px |logo_caption= |image=Marwell Hall, March 30th 2016.jpg |image_width=260px |image_caption=Marwell Hall, March 2016 |date_opened=1972 |date_closed= |location= Owslebury, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom |area={{Convert|140|acre|ha}} |coordinates={{Coord|50|59|35.39|N|1|16|39.85|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=it}} |num_species=149 (2019) |num_animals=1208+ (2019) |annual_visitors= 488,557 (2025)<ref name=ALVA>{{cite web |title=LATEST VISITOR FIGURES |website=ALVA|url=https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> |members= BIAZA,<ref name="biaza_list"/> EAZA,<ref name="eaza_list"/> WAZA,<ref name="waza_list"/> IUCN<ref name="iucn_members"/> |exhibits = Roof of the World, Into Africa, Heart of Africa, Life in the Trees, Wild Explorers, African Valley, Fur-Feathers-Scales, Energy For Life: Tropical House, Aridlands |website={{URL|https://www.marwell.org.uk/}} |embedded={{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Grade I Listed Building | designation1_offname = Marwell Hall | designation1_date = 5 December 1955 | designation1_number = {{NHLE|num= 1350871|short=yes}} }}}}
'''Marwell Zoo''' is a {{Convert|140|acre|ha|adj=on}} zoo situated in Colden Common near Winchester, in the English county of Hampshire. It is owned and run by the registered charity Marwell Wildlife. The zoo is home to over 500 animals of 145 species.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.marwell.org.uk/zoo-news/marwell-zoos-annual-stocktake-celebrates-record-births-and-conservation-successes/ | title=Marwell Zoo's annual stocktake celebrates record births and conservation successes | date=12 February 2025 }}</ref> The charity undertakes a range of educational and conservation activities, with a particular focus on Africa in addition to work from its base.
==History== The zoo was founded by Dr John Knowles, opening in 1972. He sold a Rolls-Royce of his to buy some zebras. It was one of the earliest zoos in Europe to place an emphasis on animal conservation.<ref name="bbc-building-marwell"/> Within a few years of its establishment, it became an important breeding centre for several species, some (e.g. the Mongolian wild horse) already extinct in the wild, others (e.g. the snow leopard and Siberian tiger) close to extinction.<ref name="knowlesbook"/>
The park is situated in the estate of Marwell Hall, a Grade I listed building originally built around the year 1320 by Walter Woodlock<ref name="AboutMarwellHall"/> and largely rebuilt in 1816 by William Long.<ref name="Owslebury"/> In the 16th century, the Hall belonged to the Seymour family, and there is a local legend that Henry VIII courted Jane Seymour there.<ref name="OwsleburyHistory"/> Between September 1941 and March 1944, Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft used the area (part of the managing director's personal estate) as an airfield to support the manufacture of military aircraft at its nearby factory in Eastleigh. After the end of World War II, the area was returned to agricultural use until the establishment of the zoo.<ref name="dailyechomarwellhall"/><ref name="daveg4otu"/>
In 1977, a giraffe called Victor tore a muscle in his leg, collapsed on his stomach, and was unable to get up. The press suggested that he had slipped while trying to mate and compared his situation to the splits.<ref name="Victornews"/> All attempts to get him on his feet failed, and his plight became a major international news story. Portsmouth Dockyard made a hoist to attempt to raise him onto his feet. He died of a heart attack very shortly afterward in the arms of his keeper Ruth.<ref name="victorvideo"/> The publicity turned Marwell into a major tourist attraction, and interest was revived the following summer, when Victor's mate, Dribbles, gave birth to a female calf named Victoria.
In the late 1980s, a number of scimitar-horned oryx and nyala antelope were transported from Marwell Zoo to the Pearl Coast Zoological Gardens in Broome, Western Australia.{{sfn|Bonser|1988|page=19}} The Pearl Coast Zoo was a project of Lord Alistair McAlpine, opened in 1984.<ref name = FP>{{Cite news|last=Prior|first=Flip|date=2012-03-15|title=Lord returns to tourism 'ark' |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/lord-returns-to-tourism-ark-ng-ya-326242 |access-date=2025-01-24|newspaper=The West Australian|language=en}}</ref>
In 1991 Dr John Knowles was appointed an OBE for services to conservation.{{cn|date=June 2021}}
In 1999, the zoo lost all of its penguins (22 African and 5 macaroni) to avian malaria.<ref name="penguinmalaria"/> There were other cases in the UK but Marwell was the only zoo to lose its entire colony, which had arrived only two and a half years before to stock the new ''Penguin World'' exhibit. After consulting with experts, the exhibit was restocked with Humboldt penguins, which whilst endangered in the wild, are present in greater numbers in captivity.
In 2003, after constructing a new enclosure for critically endangered Amur leopards, a female leopard (Jade) escaped and fell from a tree to her death after being shot with a tranquiliser dart<ref name="bbc-leopard"/> only days before the official opening of the exhibit. Following a replacement after the death of Jade, in 2005 the first cub born to the new Amur leopard pair, Amirah, escaped into the male's enclosure and was killed by her father.<ref name="bbc-leopard" /> On 18 November 2007, a female Amur leopard cub (named Kiska following a public vote) was born as a result of a European Conservation Breeding Programme.{{cn|date=June 2021}}
Both the park and charity changed their name to "Marwell Wildlife" in April 2009,<ref name="namechange"/> to promote awareness of conservation work beyond the park. The charity had previously been called the Marwell Preservation Trust, and the park had been Marwell Zoological Park.
In August 2022 another female giraffe died unexpectedly.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-62568723 | title=Marwell Zoo announces sudden death of giraffe | work=BBC News | date=17 August 2022 }}</ref> In September 2024 a Giraffe calf had died from a disease just a month after its birth
==Animal exhibits==
The park includes a number of themed areas, including:thumb|Giraffe
*'''Roof of the World''' is themed along the Himalayan mountain range. *'''Lemur Loop''' is a walkthrough exhibit that opened in 2017. *'''Penguin Cove''' was refurbished in 2012 and was home to 14 Humboldt penguins in 2021.<ref name="penguincove">{{Cite web |url = https://www.marwell.org.uk/media/other/INVENTORY_2020.pdf |title = Marwell Wildlife Penguin Cove |work = marwell.org.uk |publisher = Marwell Wildlife |access-date = 22 June 2021 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 24 June 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203947/https://www.marwell.org.uk/media/other/INVENTORY_2020.pdf }}</ref> thumb|Penguin Cove * '''Aridlands''' * '''Fur, Feathers & Scales''', formerly '''Australian Brush Walk''' was redeveloped in 2015 [[File:Pithecia pithecia -Marwell Wildlife, Hampshire, England -male-8a.jpg|thumb|right|A male white-faced saki]]
===Mammals=== {{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}} thumb|Meerkats Mammals in the zoo's collection include Amur tigers, bearded emperor tamarins, binturongs, common kusimanse, coppery titi monkeys, cotton-headed tamarins, crowned lemurs, golden lion tamarins, golden-headed lion tamarins, Linne's two-toed sloths, long-nosed potoroos, meerkats, narrow-striped mongoose, pygmy marmosets, red pandas, red ruffed lemurs, red-bellied lemurs, red-necked wallabies, ring-tailed lemurs, rock hyraxes, servals, siamangs, snow leopards, white-faced saki and yellow mongooses.
===Birds=== {{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}} Birds in the zoo's collection include Asian fairy-bluebirds, blue-crowned laughingthrushes, blue-faced honeyeaters, Brazilian tanagers, common ostriches, crested partridges, Fischer's turacos, greater flamingos, hamerkops, Humboldt penguins, Sclater's crowned pigeons, southern caracaras, swift parrots and village weavers.
===Reptiles and amphibians=== {{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}} Reptiles and amphibians in the zoo's collection include casquehead iguanas, crocodile monitors, Egyptian tortoises, emerald tree monitors, emerald tree skinks, Gila monsters, Mexican beaded lizards, northern curly-tailed lizards, Rio Cauca caecilians, Roti Island snake-necked turtles, rough-scaled plated lizards, royal pythons, Solomon Islands skinks, starry agamas, Utila spiny-tailed iguanas, and yellow-throated frogs.
==Conservation== [[File:Oryx dammah -Marwell Wildlife, Hampshire, England-8a.jpg|right|thumb|A herd of scimitar oryxes grazing]] In 2012 Marwell Wildlife conservation programmes included Managing Biodiversity in Hampshire, assisting Grevy's zebra and its ecosystem in Kenya; supporting threatened species in Zimbabwe and managing the population of small, vulnerable populations; and reintroducing the scimitar-horned oryx to the Sahara.<ref name="conservation"/>
The zoo has been involved in reintroducing wild horses, golden lion tamarins, roan antelopes and scimitar-horned oryxes to the wild.{{CN|date=July 2023}} The oryx was extinct in the wild, but more than 200 calves have been born and reared at the zoo since 1972 and many of these have been released back to the Sahara with animals from Whipsnade Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo.
The charity carries out a range of research and education activities and provides the office for the IUCN antelope specialist group.
Marwell Zoo has had notable success breeding various endangered animals including: black and white ruffed lemurs (critically endangered), scimitar-horned oryxes, Amur leopards<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-28840102/endangered-amur-leopard-born-at-marwell-zoo|title=Endangered Amur leopard born at zoo|work=BBC News |date=18 August 2014}}</ref> (critically endangered) and snow leopards.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-23332564|title=Snow leopard cubs revealed at zoo|work=BBC News |date=17 July 2013}}</ref> In July 2015 a critically endangered Sulawesi-crested macaque baby was born.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/News/13599459.New_arrival_to_send_crowds_wild_at_Marwell/|title=New arrival to send crowds wild at Marwell|website=Daily Echo|date=15 August 2015 }}</ref>
October 2018 saw the birth of a Hartmann's mountain zebra at the zoo. First time mother, Dorotka, is genetically very important to the European population and the last successful breeding of the vulnerable species at the zoo was back in 1997.{{CN|date=July 2023}} On 24th February 2021, a Javan Chevrotain was born at the zoo.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 February 2021 |title=Rare Javan chevrotain mouse-deer born at Marwell Zoo |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-56182152 |access-date= |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Facilities== The family attraction additionally includes five children's playgrounds, various food kiosks, two indoor picnic lodges, and Bushtucker Bites, as well as picnic areas on Marwell Hall lawn and various other areas across the zoo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://britishzoos.co.uk/southern-england/marwell-zoological-park/|title=Marwell Zoological Park|website=britishzoos.co.uk}}</ref> There is a hotel adjacent to the park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marwellhotel.co.uk/|title=Marwell Hotel|website=www.marwellhotel.co.uk}}</ref> thumb|Wild Explorers Playground at Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, England thumb|left|Marwell Wildlife Railway The '''Marwell Wildlife Railway''' (MWR), was a {{Track gauge|15in|lk=on}} gauge railway operating around the front half of the zoo site. It was commonly known as Marwell Zoo Railway, although its locomotive is lettered MWR to reflect the former name. The line ran for a little less than a kilometre, and was served by two stations, ''Treetops Junction'' and ''Park End Halt''. The line opened in 1987<ref>See Marwell entry at [http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A87773890 Hampshire's Miniature And Narrow Gauge Railways].</ref> and operated using the original rolling stock. It operated daily during school holidays, and at weekends for the rest of the spring, summer, and autumn, but ceased operating in 2022 <ref>{{cite web |title=Road Train at Marwell Zoo {{!}} Plan your visit |url=https://www.marwell.org.uk/plan-your-visit/road-train/ |website=Marwell Zoo |access-date=2 January 2023}}</ref>
Rolling stock on the railway was supplied by Severn Lamb. The only locomotive was a {{whyte|2-6-0|DH}} steam-outline locomotive named ''Princess Anne''.<ref>Locomotive details at [http://www.miniaturerailwayworld.co.uk/MarwellZoo.html Miniature Railway World] website.</ref> There were four passenger coaches, each capable of seating 16 adult passengers. The coaches were roofed, but open-sided. There was a 4-wheel open wagon for maintenance trains.
==References== {{Reflist |colwidth=30em |refs=
<ref name="biaza_list"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.biaza.org.uk/find-a-zoo/ |title=BIAZA Find a Zoo |work=biaza.org.uk |publisher=British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums |access-date=11 December 2012 }} </ref>
<ref name="eaza_list"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.eaza.net/membership/Pages/Zoos%20and%20Aquariums.aspx |title=EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums |work=eaza.net |publisher=European Association of Zoos and Aquaria |access-date=11 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819151758/http://www.eaza.net/membership/Pages/Zoos%20and%20Aquariums.aspx |archive-date=19 August 2010 }} </ref>
<ref name="waza_list">{{Cite web |url=http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums |title=Zoos and Aquariums of the World |work=waza.org |publisher=World Association of Zoos and Aquariums |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215751/http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="iucn_members"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.iucn.org/about/union/members/who_members/members_database/ |title=Members Database |work=iucn.org |publisher=IUCN |access-date=11 December 2012 }} </ref>
<!--unused<ref name="penguincove"> {{Cite web |url = https://www.marwell.org.uk/media/other/INVENTORY_2020.pdf |title = Marwell Wildlife Penguin Cove |work = marwell.org.uk |publisher = Marwell Wildlife |access-date = 22 June 2021 }} </ref>-->
<ref name="namechange"> {{cite web |url = http://www.marwell.org.uk/CallusMarwellWildlife.asp |title = You can call us Marwell Wildlife |publisher = Marwell Wildlife |access-date = 11 December 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121106074820/http://www.marwell.org.uk/CallusMarwellWildlife.asp |archive-date = 6 November 2012 }} </ref>
<ref name="OwsleburyHistory">{{cite web |url=http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/central/winchester/owslebury.htm |title=Owslebury |publisher=Hampshire County Council |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624110532/http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/central/winchester/owslebury.htm |archive-date=24 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="knowlesbook">{{cite book |last = Knowles |first = John |author-link = John Knowles (zoologist) |title =My Marwellous Life: In Zoos and Conservation |publisher = Book Guild Publishing |year = 2009 |isbn = 978-1-84624-365-3 }} </ref>
<ref name="Victornews"> {{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/southtoday/content/articles/2008/10/03/telltom_victor_feature.shtml |title=South Today > Tell Tom > 1977 - Victor the giraffe |access-date=11 December 2012 |publisher=BBC }} </ref>
<ref name="victorvideo"> {{cite video |title=Victor the giraffe |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7655626.stm |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 December 2012 |date=6 October 2008 }} </ref>
<ref name="penguinmalaria"> {{cite news |title=UK penguins struck by avian malaria |publisher=BBC News |date=11 October 1999 |access-date=11 December 2012 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/467989.stm }} </ref>
<ref name="conservation">{{cite web |url=http://www.marwell.org.uk/conservation/default.asp?css=1 |title=Marwell Wildlife Conservation |work=marwell.org.uk |publisher=Marwell Wildlife |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217002503/http://www.marwell.org.uk/conservation/default.asp?css=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name=AboutMarwellHall> {{cite web |title = About Marwell Hall |url = http://www.marwell.org.uk/behind_the_scenes/about_marwell_hall.asp |work = marwell.org.uk |publisher = Marwell Wildlife |access-date = 11 December 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130217155618/http://www.marwell.org.uk/behind_the_scenes/about_marwell_hall.asp |archive-date = 17 February 2013 }} </ref>
<ref name="Owslebury"> {{cite book |last=Page |first=William |title=A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3 |year=1908 |publisher=Victoria County History |pages=332–335 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41990 }} </ref>
<ref name="dailyechomarwellhall"> {{cite web |title=Wartime secrets of Marwell Hall |url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/archive/2004/06/02/Hampshire+Archive/5572118.Wartime_secrets_of_Marwell_Hall/ |access-date=11 December 2012 }} </ref>
<ref name="daveg4otu"> {{cite web |title = Marwell Hall Airfield |url = http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/mwh.html |access-date = 11 December 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110926233128/http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/mwh.html |archive-date = 26 September 2011 }} </ref>
<ref name="bbc-leopard"> {{cite news |title=Rare cub ventures into public eye |publisher=BBC News |date=28 February 2008 |access-date=12 December 2012|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7268902.stm }} </ref>
<ref name="bbc-building-marwell"> {{cite news |title = Building Marwell zoo from scratch |url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8295000/8295886.stm |work = BBC News |date = 13 October 2009 |access-date = 8 April 2018 }} </ref>
}}
==Sources== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last=Bonser |first=Phil |title=Pearl Coast Zoo - Broome, Western Australia |year=1988 |publisher= Phil Bonser Research and Presentation Pty Ltd|location=Broome|isbn= 0-7316-2605-2}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline}} * [https://www.marwell.org.uk/ Marwell Wildlife website]
{{British zoos}}
{{authority control}}
Category:1972 establishments in England Category:Tourist attractions in Hampshire Category:Zoos in England Category:Buildings and structures in Hampshire Category:Zoos established in 1972 Category:Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire Category:Grade I listed zoo buildings Category:Jane Seymour