Flying start for Castle Creatures
Our Castle Creatures experience has got off to a flying start – with a successful grand opening and the birth of THREE baby bats.
The third Egyptian fruit bat pup was found within hours of Saturday’s official opening of the interactive exhibit and today DZG can reveal the first incredible pictures of the tiny creatures.
ABOVE AND BELOW: All three baby bats were born within a week of the opening of Castle Creatures
Crowds gathered at the event on Saturday, May 16th when Lisa Worledge, representative of the National Bat Conservation Trust and local group BrumBats, cut the ribbon to declare the £250,000 attraction open.
ABOVE: (Left to right) Guest of honour Lisa Worledge, DZG Zoo Director Derek Grove and DZG Trustee Cllr David Sparks OBE at the opening ceremony, as Lou the Bat looks on.
Youngsters made bat hats, were pictured with our giant bat character Lou and everyone enjoyed a slice of cake.
Zoo Director Derek Grove and Trustee Cllr David Sparks OBE also handed over a £500 donation to support Brumbats volunteer work in bat conservation.
Lisa said: “Brumbats were delighted to be part of the special day and it’s really great to have this connection with the zoo.
“We hope some people who have visited Castle Creatures will be interested in finding out more about bats in their own area and get involved in what we do.”
She said Brumbats, also known as Birmingham and Black Country Bat Group, had just embarked on a project called Batlas, a survey to produce a bat atlas of where the creatures are located in the region.
The DZG donation will go towards the Batlas project and the work they do in caring for injured bats found by members of the public.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Brumbats or The National Bat Conservation Trust can call the National Bat Helpline on 0345 130 0228 or visit www.brumbats.org.uk
WATCH THE OPENING CEREMONY IN OUR VIDEO BELOW
Castle Creatures, which was supported by the European Regional Development Fund, has seen tens of thosands of visitors explore the story of the Earl of Dudley’s family and the history of the Castle since the experience opened on March 30.
It features informative games and houses animal exhibits showing how medieval folk lived in close proximity with species, such as rats and bats.
