Celebrate elephants at Shepreth Wildlife Park conservation event

A jam-packed day of events and activities aimed at promoting the plight of elephants will be held at Shepreth Wildlife Park on Saturday (February 12).

The numbers of African and Asian elephants have plummeted in recent times, with the former being targeted by poachers for the illegal ivory trade and the latter facing habitat loss.

Elephant Event Day gives visitors the chance to listen to expert speakers on what charities are doing to help these beautiful creatures.

This year’s guest speaker is eminent entomologist and veterinarian Dr Greg Dickens who will tell visitors everything they’ve always wanted to know about the Dung Beetle and its vital role in the life cycle of elephants.

Vertebrate palaeontologist Hanwen (Steven) Zhang, will be making his way from The University of Bristol to give a talk all about elephants, fresh from his star appearance on the show Attenborough And The Mammoth Graveyard.

Other highlights include a talk by author Peter Meyer, who will tell visitors about his life growing up in the wilds of Africa, and offer a book signing.

There will be a raffle, an auction and a selection of elephant-related artwork for sale. There will also be live music from Dave Streatfield.

The event is being organised by Shepreth Wildlife Park’s education officer and trustee of Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity Liz Dams.

Liz said: “Just because we don’t have elephants at Shepreth it doesn’t mean we can’t help them!

“Elephants are my passion and I want to inspire people to get involved and do all they can to help save these beautiful creatures.

“While visitors won’t see any real elephants on the day, they’ll be able to learn all about them thanks to talks and activities. And, of course, they’ll also be able to meet and learn about all the other wonderful animals at Shepreth, from aardvarks and tigers to alpaca and red panda.”

The event will be the second Elephant Event Day, with the first held in 2020.

Liz added: “2020’s event was fantastic. Everyone had a great time and we raised lots of money for charity. I hope the 2022 version will be even more successful as we have a packed programme that includes something for everyone.”

The 2022 event will be extra special as it passes the baton onto the next generation. The programme features 11-year-old Florentine, who will take to the stage to share her thoughts on a host of topics, from why she loves elephants to why she believes poaching is wrong.

“I think children are best placed to communicate key messages, not only to other children, but also to adults, because they are determined to make a difference,” said Liz.

All proceeds will be split between two chosen elephant conservation charities.

Elephant Event Day is held in conjunction with The Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity, which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2022 with a packed programme of events throughout the year.

The event will run from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, February 12 at Shepreth Wildlife Park.

Admission tickets must be purchased in order for visitors to attend Elephant Event Day.

For more information about Shepreth Wildlife Park including ticket prices, visit: sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk.