v THE HERALD - Your Community Magazine v 6th August 2026 • The HERALD • Page 59 ANIMAL MAGIC Victoria: 07503 813594 Daniel: 07584 534818 SELF SERVICE DOG WASH No Appointment Necessary Forestsidegrooming.co.uk 189 Long Lane, SO45 2PA I’m a reliable and caring local horse, pet and house sitter dedicated to giving you peace of mind while you’re away Whether it’s looking after your horse, caring for your beloved pets, or keeping your home safe, I treat everything as if it was my own. I am fully insured, DBS checked and have 30 + years of experience with animals. lwequineandpetcare.co.uk • 07788 102785 lwequineandpetcare@yahoo.com New Forest Wildlife Park is delighted to announce the return of wolves to its Hampshire home for the rst time since the passing of its wolf pack in October 2024. e new pair travelled from across Europe to reach their new home. A two-year-old female arrived from the Reserve d’Animaux Sauvages in Belgium, and a oneyear-old male from Parc Animalier de Sainte Croix in France. e pair rst spent time in Belgium to bond before making the journey to Hampshire together. e park is now home to the only European grey wolves (Canis lupus lupus) in Hampshire. “Wolves are a highly complex social species and they are one of the most challenging species to keep well in captivity. We’ve always had the intention of bringing wolves back to the park and our visitors have been incredibly patient. Post-Brexit paperwork for moving animals across borders is a real challenge, but we’re delighted that we’ve been able to work with the EAZA EEP coordinator for the species as well as excellent zoos in Europe, to make the right choice for a new pair of two unrelated European grey wolves and bring them home to a brand new purposebuilt enclosure. We can’t wait for our visitors to meet them,” explained Jason Palmer, Curator of Collections, New Forest Wildlife Park. Bringing the pair to Hampshire has been no small undertaking, with the coordination of partners across France and Belgium required to nd the right pairing. European grey wolves are apex predators and a keystone species, playing a crucial role in ecosystem health. By regulating prey populations, they promote biodiversity and support the health of forests and grasslands, while their control of smaller carnivore populations indirectly bene ts a wide variety of prey species further down the food chain. ey are highly social animals and typically live in packs of around seven, led by a dominant mated pair, and are remarkably adaptable and capable of surviving across various environments. Once among Britain’s top predators, wolves were driven to extinction by centuries of hunting and persecution, disappearing from the UK by the 18th century. In recent decades, however, their story has begun to change. Since hunting was banned in Poland in the 1990s, populations have been steadily recovering, with wolves now re-establishing themselves in Germany and spreading naturally into the Netherlands, Denmark and France. Although wild wolf populations are recovering, accredited wildlife parks continue to play an important role in their future. rough Wolves Settle Into New Home At New Forest Wildlife Park coordinated European breeding programmes, captive populations help maintain healthy genetic diversity, support long-term conservation efforts, and inspire visitors to understand and value a species that was once part of Britain’s own natural heritage. e wolves join what is becoming a notable collection of apex predators at the park. Bodie the wolverine, Hampshire’s only wolverine, arrived last year to great excitement, and earlier this year, lynx sisters Tora and Inga moved into a purposebuilt new enclosure constructed on the very footprint of the former wolf habitat. Visitors can now see the wolves at New Forest Wildlife Park. The new female wolf at New Forest Wildlife Park (Credit: Helen Pinchin) The new male wolf at New Forest Wildlife Park (Credit: Helen Pinchin) East Boldre Hedgehog Rescue is a self-funded small rescue helping sick, injured and orphan hedgehogs in the New Forest. To help raise funds for the rescue centre volunteers sell little knitted hedgehogs at outreach events throughout the year. ey are looking for knitters to help knit more stock for future events. If you are able to help you can pick up a pattern from e Herald o ce in Hythe. CAN YOU KNIT TO HELP HEDGEHOGS?
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