£6.5m wildlife discovery centre opens in Cairngorms

BBC
·2-min read
Beccy Angus
Beccy Angus said visitors would feel at the centre conservation efforts [BBC]

A new £6.5m wildlife centre has opened near Kincraig in the Cairngorms National Park.

Based at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park, Scotland's Wildlife Discovery Centre has been built to help rare species such as wildcats and scabious mining bees.

The centre has an area with interactive games and exhibits, also a learning hub for schoolchildren and a hilltop building called the Conservation Den.

Head of discovery and learning, Beccy Angus, said: "Watching kids run in and start to play - that is everything we were hoping for."

The conservation den overlooks the park's wildcat breeding-for-release centre.

Ms Angus said the den also has views of the Cairngorms mountains, which have the types of habitats kittens born and raised in the centre have been released into.

She added: "I think sometimes conservation can feel like it is really far away, that you are not necessarily involved in it.

"Whereas bringing people into this space and putting them right at the centre of it shows them it is happening right here, right now."

The official opening of Scotland's Wildlife Discovery Centre
Local schoolchildren at the official opening of the new centre [RZSS]
Two boys inside Scotland's Wildlife Discovery Centre
The new centre has an area with interactive games and also a learning hub [RZSS]

RZSS's Stuart Owen said outreach work being done from the new site included a nature connections project.

It involves about 30 people with complex additional needs.

Mr Owen said: "We have tailored a volunteer programme for them.

"They do survey assessing our on-site biodiversity, the RSPB Big Garden birdwatch and butterfly counts."

Stuart Owen
Stuart Owen said the new centre would support RZSS outreach work [BBC]

Ben Supple, RZSS deputy chief executive, said one in nine species were at risk of extinction in Scotland.

He said: "It is more important than ever to engage and inspire people to create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.

“Access to nature can have tremendously powerful mental and physical health and wellbeing benefits and this project will help more people and communities experience the joys of being close to wildlife."

More on this story

Related internet links

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • World's smallest elephant in danger of dying out

    Only an estimated 1,000 individuals remain in the wild but conservationists remain optimistic.

  • Beat them or eat them: What should we do about invasive species in the ocean?

    Should we beat them, or eat them? In this episode of Ocean Calls, we’re embarking on a journey to unravel the mysteries of invasive species in EU waters. They unsettle the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, so what can we do about them?

  • Trump Did Say 1 True Thing At The Presidential Debate

    The former president spoke about one simple, "immaculate" truth about his first term in the White House.

  • Bornean elephant assessed as endangered in new threatened species list

    An update to the IUCN Red List of threatened species also warns of a threat to lizards from invasive snakes and impacts of illegal cactus trade.

  • 2 giant pandas set off from China to the US - for first time in over 20 years

    For the first time in more than 20 years, giant pandas are travelling from China to the United States. The five-year-old male Yun Chuan and nearly four-year-old female Xin Bao are expected to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in California later this week after setting off from China on Wednesday. The pair will travel 7,000 miles, accompanied by caretakers who will help them adjust to their new environment. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answer

  • The world’s biggest capital cities are heating up – and Asia tops the charts

    The world’s largest capital cities are seeing more extremely hot days than ever, according to a new study, which says the dangerous trend is being driven by scorching temperatures across Asia as the climate crisis worsens.

  • Female capybara goes to Florida as part of a breeding program for the large South American rodents

    A female capybara has arrived at a Florida zoo as part of a breeding program to bolster the population of the large South American rodents. Iyari, a 10-month-old capybara, went to the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in May from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

  • Last woolly mammoths were inbred, but that’s not why they became extinct

    The last woolly mammoths were inbred, scientists have discovered, but this is not the reason they became extinct.

  • Climber Rappels Next to 'Raging Waterfall' That Developed During Flash Flood

    A “raging waterfall” cascading down the Morning Glory Arch was not enough to deter an experienced outdoorsman on June 21, with jaw-dropping visuals showing him rappelling down after a flash flood hit the area.Video by 16-year-old Spencer Grover shows Tyler Erickson rappelling from a sandstone cliff outside Moab, Utah, within touching distance of a muddy waterfall that “spontaneously developed”, Spencer’s father, Michael Grover, told Storyful.Speaking to Storyful, Erickson said that although the canyoneering adventure “unexpectedly turned into a test of resilience and preparedness,” at no point were he and his group in serious danger.“We were well prepared, equipped with headlamps, sufficient food, and water,” Erickson said.“Despite the situation, the temperature remained a comfortable 70 degrees, and no one was at risk of hypothermia. The storm was described by search and rescue as a once-in-150-years event, catching even experienced guides off guard.”Erickson said that the unexpected flash flood brought close to four inches of rain in just 20 minutes. He highlighted “the importance of preparedness and staying calm in unexpected situations”, but said the experience, while challenging, was also “an unforgettable and humbling adventure”.“It was a testament to the resilience and teamwork of our group, and a reminder that nature can be unpredictable,” he said.Separately, a group of 20 people had to be rescued during the same extreme conditions, local media said Credit: Spencer Grover via Storyful

  • Renewables surge: Green energy made up the majority of the EU’s electricity in 2023

    Wind and solar power increases combined with a sharp drop in fossil fuels pushed renewables into the lead.

  • Deaths mount as Pakistan swelters in heatwave

    Soaring temperatures in Pakistan have led more people to head to hospitals seeking help.

  • Bornean elephants endangered due to human activity

    STORY: Elephants living on the South Asian island of Borneo have become endangered.And human activities such as agriculture, mining, and logging are to blame.That’s according to a recent assessment by wildlife experts.The International Union for Conservation of Nature says there are around 1,000 Bornean elephants left in the wild.Craig Hilton-Taylor heads the IUCN Red List Unit, which assesses animal species' risk of extinction. "A thousand individuals, of which only 400 are mature. Those are the breeding individuals. It's a small population, and it could easily disappear if we just let development happen without any conservation actions.”The IUCN says the number of Bornean elephants has decreased over the last 75 years - initially due to extensive logging.The animals have since entered human-dominated areas, searching for food.That in turn can cause them to destroy crops and face retribution killing.Malaysian and Indonesian authorities are working on conservation action plans to help the species cope with human development.The plans will require extensive coordination with corporations, private landowners and conservationists.

  • Garbage dumps may be ‘burping’ toxic ‘forever chemicals’: Study

    As many municipal landfills belch out gas from decomposing organic matter, they are also releasing toxic “forever chemicals” into the air, a new study has found. Scientists measured unexpectedly high levels of airborne per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at three dumps they surveyed — demonstrating the ability of these persistent contaminants to escape into the…

  • Panda express: First pair to enter the United States in 21 years arrive in California

    San Diego’s newest giant pandas landed in California on Thursday, according to Chinese state media – marking the first time Beijing has granted new panda loans to the United States in two decades.

  • Sembcorp secures long-term power purchase agreements with GSK subsidiaries

    The agreements have tenures of up to 10 years and will commence Jan 1, 2025.

  • New drone footage shows 97% of coral is dead in northern Great Barrier Reef

    Bleaching event, which follows a similar one last summer, is fifth in eight years after parts of reef subjected to extreme heat stress

  • Damage to protected chalk stream left unchecked by Natural England for 11 years

    Damage to a protected chalk stream has gone unchecked by Natural England for more than a decade, according to new analysis.

  • 'Not crazy to be optimistic' on climate tech, Gates tells investors

    Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday urged investors to get behind cutting-edge climate technologies he says would drive a "green industrial revolution" and a next wave of global prosperity.- 'Green industrial revolution' - Less than a decade ago, Gates said, there was very little investor interest in climate technologies. 

  • Sime Darby Property Continues to See High Demand for the City of Elmina with 98% Overall Take-up for Elmina Ridge 1

    The overwhelming response reaffirms the strong demand for exclusivity and sustainable living in the award-winning township of the City of Elmina.

  • How the Midwest Floods Nearly Took Out a Century-Old Dam

    The warning from the county government was grim. The Rapidan Dam, a feature of the southern Minnesota landscape for more than a century, was “in imminent failure condition.” “We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place,” officials said Monday as dead trees and other debris piled up at the dam and floods overwhelmed the Upper Midwest. At one point, a support structure alongside the dam partly failed and gushing waters carved out a nearby cliff. Video footage showed a near