Port Lympne Wild Animal Park - Animal Collection

Animal Collection

Port Lympne also houses the critically endangered Sifaka and the largest breeding herd of Black Rhinoceros outside Africa. As well as Siberian and Bengal tigers, there are small cats, monkeys, Malayan tapirs, Barbary Lions, which have just given birth to two cubs, African Hunting Dogs and many more rare and endangered species, some of which are on the circular walk. ‘The Palace of the Apes’ is the world’s largest gorillarium and home to a complete family group of gorillas. There is also an open enclosure near some of the rhinos and colobus monkeys.

A recently introduced feature at Port Lympne is an ‘African Experience’ safari trail. Visitors are transported on specially modified vehicles around the park to view Rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, deer and wildebeest.

The collection was known for being unorthodox, for the encouragement of close personal relationships between staff and animals, and for their breeding of rare and endangered species. In 2000, a 27-year-old keeper was killed whilst working in the stall of a female Indian elephant called La Petite.

The zoo has recently moved its herd of Asian Elephants following numerous deaths amongst them related to a persistent outbreak of a strain of herpes virus found in captive elephant populations. In 2005, after many years of stillbirths, two infant mortalities, and several premature adult fatalities, the first surviving mother-reared calf, Sittang, succumbed to the virus. This incident occurred one month after an adult female produced a stillborn calf and also perished. Port Lympne's remaining calf, May Tagu, who was born in April 2005, was transferred to Antwerp zoo following the spate of deaths, along with her mother and one other cow. The remaining adults were moved to Terra Natura in Benidorm, Spain, where many other former Port Lympne elephants reside. This move has allowed the park's to focus on their tremendous success in breeding African elephants. Three cows have been moved from Howletts, followed soon after by a bull named Kruger from Knowsley Safari Park. Howletts is home to the UK's largest herd of African elephants, which currently numbers at 12.