A Wild Wrap-Up!

It’s finally summertime at Watatunga – and boy have we already got a lot to reflect on!

In the past few months so much has happened; we saw the return of the Mountain Bongo, experienced the heaviest downpour we’ve ever had, went to the Suffolk show and our local village fete, won the award for Best Small Visitor Attraction in England and this week we will be heading to the Royal Norfolk Show!

At the end of March, we were really honoured to welcome four individuals involved with the future of the critically endangered mountain bongo. Several weeks after their visit, we were beyond thrilled to introduce our latest arrival on the reserve… Mtoto! A 3-year-old full male, who’s name in Swahili means ‘child’. It is estimated that around 100 of these amazing animals remain in the wild, leaving them critically endangered on the IUCN red list. Last March, our founder Edward Pope was really honoured to be invited to the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy to witness the release of five mountain bongo to the first ever mountain bongo sanctuary in the world – Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary. Mtoto has settled in well; his first evening out of quarantine saw him discovering the reserve all night long, engaging well with the other species and now he is making himself known on tours! We are so pleased for our guests to once again be able to see this magnificent species.

Back in May, we hosted our first corporate event; a chance for businesses to celebrate their team or to find a unique space for team building. Well, what a day that turned out to be! 115mm of rain in 2 hours! It’s hard to express how apocalyptic it felt to be out in it – our socials didn’t compare to how it really felt; the noise of the thunder cracks and the hail went right through you so that when it ceased, after two hours soaked to the skin from dashing to clear one drain after another, it was an immense relief. By evening checks, the storm had abated and the animals were coming back out from their shelter. All appeared to be well but the water levels had risen so dramatically that the nests of many ground nesting birds had been destroyed. Rose Kennedy once said that ‘birds sing after a storm, why shouldn’t we?’ and fortunately, the birds did sing… two brand new oyster catcher chicks in fact! We were thrilled to hear such news after a misfortunate couple of days repairing damage and rescheduling tours.

Shortly after the storm, Julian packed up his truck and headed to Trinity Park, Ipswich for the Royal Suffolk Show! Joining the VENI (Visitor Economy Network Initiative) project stand, Wataunga was amongst some of the other businesses and individuals working and studying in hospitality and tourism, in and around the East of England. There were cookery demonstrations, tea & cake and lots of fun and games on the stand. With antlers, pelts, vouchers and a buggy in tow, Julian had a great time meeting many of you interested to learn more about conservation and what Watatunga has to offer!

At the beginning of the month, Watlington held its annual village fete. With multiple stands, demonstrations and competitions, this year’s event was a blast. The fete is such a positive event for the village; bringing the community together to support one another. Julian, Ed, Emily and Sheena took a slice of Watatunga to the village playing field, offering short trips into the reserve on a pay-what-you-can basis to raise funds for the Watlington Pre-School and solar panels on the village hall. With all your generous support, we managed to raise £233 – £18.27 more than last year! We are so grateful to everyone who donated. Many of you enjoyed meeting the youngest member on the stand… a 3-day old, bottle-fed Fallow fawn! All was celebrated later that evening with an entire team BBQ in the reserve; an experience you can now book too! (For more details, get in touch) We raised a glass to all the hard work our team puts into the running of the entire estate, ate good food and revelled in Watatunga’s newest accolade… the Best Small Attraction of the Year! Keep your eyes peeled for Anna’s account of THE most enjoyable evening…

Wow… what a way to kickstart the 2023 season!

Such wonderful times had by all, and more still to come! This week Julian will be heading to the Norfolk Showground for the Royal Norfolk Show. Once again joining the VENI project stand, we will be accompanied by Local Flavours Cookery Theatre, East Coast College, Blue Sky Leisure, Zoological Society East Anglia, Inside Out, Center Parcs, North Norfolk Railway, Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure and Foolhardy Circus. Come and find us at stand number 214 on Avenue 9, on Wednesday 28th & Thursday 29th, to bag yourself 10% off any of our guided tours! Will you be attending the show this year?