Marwell Zoo

Marwell Zoo is situated in Hampshire, England, near Winchester. Opened in 1972, it was one of the earliest zoos in Europe to place an emphasis on animal conservation and is considered one of the leading instituations in that field. It is best known for its Lemurs, holding a large colony of Ring-tailed Lemurs. It also holds a group of Giraffes.

In 1977, a giraffe called Victor collapsed on his stomach, and was unable to get up. The Press claimed that he had slipped while trying to mate. All attempts to get him on his feet failed, and his plight became a major international news story. The Royal Navy were brought in, and made a sling to winch him onto his feet. Unfortunately, he died of a heart-attack very shortly afterwards. 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, Victoria.

An interesting feature at the zoo is a multimedia guide that runs on Palm handheld computers. Visitors can use the guide to learn about the animals, and to visualize images and movies about them. It was developed by www.lapavalley.com

The zoo's logo is a scimitar-horned oryx seen in silhouette.

External link

• http://www.marwell.org.uk/index.asp