UK’s leading non-profit wildlife attraction, 51-hectare site in Cheshire
The Doctor Who screenwriter has spoken about his husband Andrew Smith’s death from glioblastoma in 2018. He says caregiving was hard but he would have done it for 50 more years. Smith and Davies were together 20 years, married in 2012, and Davies is dating Oliver Cole. Davies will publish a memoir about his career this year.
Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed a pygmy hippo calf born on July 31 to Gloria and Otto. The gender is pending health checks; the calf is bonding with its mother in private, away from public view, while keepers monitor its early development.
The Japanese macaque Luka has fled his Highland Wildlife Park home near Kingussie overnight, triggering a search with thermal-imaging drones. Public are urged not to approach; sightings should be reported to the listed number. A 2024 escape by a monkey from the same park is recalled in background.
Chester Zoo has used electrochemotherapy to treat a fibrosarcoma in a 50kg reticulated python named Jodie Foster. The procedure, adapted with University of Liverpool cancer specialists, has left Jodie cancer-free and eating normally. The operation required two operating tables joined to accommodate the snake, and the team notes the treatment’s potential for veterinary medicine and broader translational research.
Autumn triggers a surge in house spider activity across the UK, with males venturing indoors in search of mates as temperatures cool. The Scottish autumn season sees a high variety of harmless species, with False Widow sightings increasing in the Borders. Cleaning and pest-management steps can reduce insect prey and, in turn, spider presence.