Wildwood Escot Saxon Village And Animal Park Devon.
Escot in the parish of Talaton, near Ottery St Mary in Devon, is an historic estate. The present mansion house known as Escot House is a grade II listed building built in 1837 by Sir John Kennaway, 3rd Baronet to the design of Henry Roberts, to replace an earlier house built in about 1680 by Sir Walter Yonge, 3rd Baronet (1653–1731) of Great House in the parish of Colyton, Devon, to the design of Robert Hooke, which burned down in 1808. Today it remains the home of the Kennaway baronets.
Escot house is currently used as a wedding and conference venue, with Wildwood Escot (a family attraction) being situated next door within the grounds of Escot estate).
Intro Music:-
Cinematic (Sting) by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
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Main Music:-
Daily Beetle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
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Lord of the Land by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
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Rewilding Wolves at Wildwood Escot
The wolves have arrived at Wildwood Escot!
March 3, 2017
Wildwood Escot
Wildwood Escot celebrates the arrival of their pack of wolves
Six beautiful grey wolves arrive safely at Wildwood Escot
The Wildwood Trust is delighted to announce that a pack of six wolves have arrived from Sweden to the Escot site in East Devon. After a two-day journey, starting at Stockholm, Sweden, all six of the siblings (four males, two females) have arrived safely and will now begin to settle into their new home. Their arrival has been highly anticipated, and marks a significant moment in the Trust in its newly acquired Devon location.
For many centuries, the European grey wolf, canis lupus, has been a much maligned animal – persecuted due to fear, hate and misunderstanding. Today, with a new understanding of the wolf, many myths depicting the wolf as a villain have been dispelled and it is coming to be respected as the awe-inspiring animal it truly is. It is the Wildwood Trust’s mission to continue to educate and inspire visitors on the facts about this animal, and their arrival to Escot sites the beginning of what will be an exciting campaign and research project. The six young wolves, Elvis, Sting, Lemmy, Moby and their sisters, PJ and KD, are part of an ongoing research project which began at Tovetorp in Sweden. The research, which will be continued by Wildwood staff, seeks to understand the crucial early stages of wolf domestication when our ancestors first invited these ferocious predators into their homes.
Wildwood CEO Peter Smith said, ‘the goal of the Wildwood Trust is to tell the story of the last thousand years of British wildlife, and this research project covers a vital part of that story. Wolves played an incredibly important role in our history, shaping our culture and even the landscape. It's a great privilege to have these magnificent animals at our Devon site to help us tell their story.’
Grey wolves are by far the most common and were once found all over the Northern Hemisphere. They are the size of a large Alsatian, but can blend in very well with their surroundings. The enclosure that Wildwood Escot’s wolf pack will now call home has been designed specially to tend to their natural needs. With copious places to hide, a pond for cooling off in the summer, and natural vegetation, there is plenty of space in this enclosure to meet the needs of this young pack. Wildwood keeper, Kerry James said, ‘we're really excited about the wolves. We visited them in Sweden as part of the transfer to meet their keepers and get to know them. They've each got their own personalities and it's going to be a real pleasure working with them.’
To allow the wolves to settle in as naturally and comfortably as possible, they will undergo a quarantine period of four months. They will not be on view to the public straight away but gradually introduced to protect them from and monitor any sign of disease. This quarantine period also allows them to get to know their keepers, surroundings, and establish a new routine.
Wildwood Escot is not just a wildlife park, but also a unique conservation project that tells the changing story of British wildlife. The Wildwood Trust is working to protect and conserve Britain’s most endangered wildlife and reintroduce animals to where they once lived. The wolves’ arrival is a huge step for the Trust, and they are excited for what the future has to hold.
Reintroducing the beaver in a bid to combat future flooding
Beavers build dams which hold water upstream, allowing it to dissipate more slowly into the rivers system, reducing potential flood risks.
There are calls for beavers to be reintroduced to the wild as part of the future management of water to prevent flooding. A native species hundreds of years ago, British beavers were hunted to extinction. The dams they build in tributaries and ditches hold back water upstream, allowing it to dissipate more slowly into the rivers system. reducing the potential flood risk. Campaigners believe a project to bring them back to the wild really could help and is achievable.
John Michael Kennaway is a landowner at Escot Park near Ottery St Mary in Devon.
Go Wild This Spring in Devon
Go wild this Easter in Devon's wildest adventure park & discover Britain's wild past: This Easter meet our wolves in the wolf woodland, daily animal feeds and talk, daily falconry display & new for Spring our 40m Zip-Line! wildwoodescot.org