Diverse look at the world around us

GREEN fingers were getting busy at a wildlife park last weekend.

Shepreth Wildlife Park held a day of events to mark the international year of Biodiversity, a global awareness campaign which is attempting to highlight the loss of biodiversity across the globe.

Rebecca Willers, animal manager at Shepreth, said: “We had various events taking place throughout the day in the Discovery Centre, and our keepers were offering hands-on experiences with a variety of species to highlight the diversity of animals which visitors can see throughout the grounds at Shepreth.”

While the animals were getting acquainted with visitors to the park, the Shepreth gardening team were lending a hand by planting various trees, including bamboo, all over the site.

“We even planted some in the tiger enclosure,” added Rebecca.

Hundreds of organisations and groups across the UK are joining together to play a part in the International Year of Biodiversity, which aims to help people discover the connections between themselves and the world around them and to realise the consequences of biodiversity loss, as well as the huge benefits that are shared if the Earth is conserved in a sustainable way.

“The celebrations and events across the world will act to highlight the loss of biodiversity, which, as a result of human activities, is estimated to be as high as 1,000 times the natural rate, and is expected to rise further as a result of the impacts of climate change,” said Rebecca.