South East
A conservation charity dedicated to native British wildlife, with parks in Kent and Devon.
Kent's red-billed chough reintroduction project has received funding from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme to support DNA analysis research into the birds' diet and habitat surveys. The research will guide the next phase of the programme and help identify optimal foraging habitats to support long-term population establishment.
FeaturedEight red-billed chough chicks fledged in the wild across Kent this summer, bringing the total wild-born population to nine and the overall Kent population to 35 birds. The milestone marks significant progress in the species' recovery after more than 200 years of absence, with birds now expanding their range beyond Dover into Thanet and Folkestone.
FeaturedWildwood Trust has released 70 white-clawed crayfish into a protected Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve, establishing the first new wild population through the Saving Devon's Native Crayfish project. This milestone represents a crucial conservation intervention for Britain's only native freshwater crayfish, which faces extinction due to habitat loss, water quality decline, and invasive American signal crayfish.
FeaturedWildwood is managing four breeding pairs of red-billed choughs across Kent and Devon as part of its fifth-year effort to rewild the species in Kent. The project has already established 24 choughs on the Kent coast, including the first wild-bred chough in 200 years, with new chicks currently being reared for release.
Wildwood has installed network cabling and a solar-powered Wi-Fi camera at its Kent and Devon aviaries, funded by Natural England, to enable staff to remotely monitor breeding choughs in real time. The technology allows rapid response to any issues during the critical breeding and incubation season.
FeaturedWildwood Kent has been recognised with the 2026 Great British Wildlife Restoration Award for over 20 years of water vole conservation and breeding, having released around 2,000 water voles across the UK. The award, decided by Members of Parliament from 26 native species projects, highlights the zoo's critical role in restoring water vole populations and combating biodiversity decline.
FeaturedWildwood Kent bred and released approximately 50 water voles into the Upper Hogsmill River and Chamber Meads wetland in Epsom & Ewell in July 2025, marking the historic return of the species to Surrey where it had been absent for decades. Early monitoring indicates positive signs, with suspected breeding activity expected to be confirmed in spring 2026.
FeaturedWildwood Kent has been recognised with the 2026 Great British Wildlife Restoration Award for over 20 years of water vole conservation and breeding, having released around 2,000 water voles across the UK. The award, decided by Members of Parliament from a shortlist of 26 native species projects, highlights the zoo's critical role in restoring water vole populations and combating biodiversity decline.
FeaturedWildwood Kent bred and released approximately 50 water voles into the Upper Hogsmill River and Chamber Meads wetland in Epsom & Ewell in July 2025, marking the historic return of the species to Surrey where it had been absent for decades. Early monitoring indicates positive signs with suspected breeding activity expected to be confirmed in Spring 2026.
Wildwood Trust experienced exceptional breeding success with hazel dormice in 2025, with one pair producing three litters in a single year. Mild winters and warm summers are improving survival rates for later-born young that might otherwise lack sufficient fat reserves for hibernation.
Wildwood experienced exceptional breeding success in 2025, with one pair of hazel dormice producing three litters in a single year. Mild winters and warm summers are improving survival rates for young dormice that would normally struggle to build sufficient fat reserves for hibernation.
FeaturedWildwood Trust is a leading centre for captive-breeding hazel dormice for reintroduction to UK woodlands, with over 1,000 animals successfully released to date. The zoo serves as studbook keeper for the species and works with the national Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group to maintain genetic diversity for the endangered population.
FeaturedWildwood Trust is a leading centre for breeding hazel dormice for the national reintroduction programme, with over 1,000 animals successfully returned to suitable woodlands where they had become extinct. The zoo's conservation team acts as studbook keepers for the species and works with the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group to ensure healthy genetic diversity for future releases.
The Blean Bison Project is expanding the herd's roaming range from 50 to 200 hectares through the installation of the UK's first bison bridges. These structures will enable wider movement for the animals while protecting the public footpath network across the woodland.
FeaturedThe Blean Bison Project is expanding the herd's roaming range from 50 to 200 hectares through the installation of the UK's first bison bridges, enabling wider movement while protecting public footpaths. The expansion will support genetic diversity and help establish further herds across the UK.
FeaturedThree new bison calves have been born in the Blean woodland, bringing the total number of calves born at the site to seven since the herd's release in 2022. The births mark continued success for the Blean Bison Project, with the herd now numbering nine animals.
FeaturedThe Blean Bison Project has established a proven model for landscape rewilding and conservation across the UK, with documented changes in woodland structure and species recovery now informing future wilding efforts. The project demonstrates that bison act as natural land managers, creating open spaces and increasing biodiversity while building landscape resilience against climate change.
The matriarch of the Blean Bison Project, the first European Bison to roam freely in Britain for thousands of years, has died at age twenty-one. Her death comes days after three new calves were born, marking the continuation of the rewilding programme she helped establish since her release in 2022.
The matriarch of the UK's first free-roaming bison herd has died at age twenty-one, just days after three new calves were born in the Blean woodland. Released in 2022 under the Blean Bison Project, she led the herd's growth to nine animals and shaped the landscape through natural behaviours, becoming a cornerstone of bison rewilding in Britain.
FeaturedThree new European Bison calves have been born in the Blean Bison Project, bringing the total herd to nine animals. This marks the latest milestone in Britain's bison rewilding programme, with seven calves now born in the woodland since the project's launch in 2022.