18.
REPORTS OF CLUB MEETINGS
Howletts Park, near Canterbury, Kent
25th March 1979
Ten friends attended this visit on a
fine March day. The meeting was arranged to
focus attention on some of the work that is
being carried out in this country to breed
endangered species of animals. A far cry
perhaps from observing wild mammals in our
own County, but surely an aspect of efforts
to conserve wildlife as a whole that must be
supported.
Howletts is owned by John Aspinall and
it is obvious that the rare animals are not
"exhibited" for public interest and amusement
but to prosper, propagate and eventually
return to the wild. To illustrate his con-
cern for the welfare of the animals, perhaps
I could mention the example of the collection
of tigers. The cubs are allowed to stay with
their mothers for much longer than the three
month limit usually set by zoos as being the
most desirable (and lucrative) age to sell
the animals. Regular reports are published
on scientific observations made on the animals
and we saw many of them, including Diana
monkeys, Chimpanzees, Canadian Timber Wolves
(which were howling eerily on our approach),
African Honey Badgers, Northern Lynx,
Clouded Leopard, Indian and Siberian Tigers
(these magnificent animals were exhibiting
spectacular courtship behaviour while we were
there), Cheetah, African Elephants, various
antelopes with young and, of course, the owe-
inspiring colony of the Lowland Gorillas.
The gorilla colony provided the highlight
of our day. This is the largest breeding