Tortoise gets his own catwalk to freedom at Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre, Eccleshall.

Express & Star

Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre rescue and re-home animals from other zoo's etc and unwanted owners, and we meet Hamish.  As he has grown his weight was becoming a problem for staff moving him from his house to his run, alas the problem is no more as they have built a very special walkway for them.

Transcript

00:00We're here at Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre near to Eccleshaw and we're with Jen the boss and

00:04Jen we're about to meet one of your big tortoises. Yeah we are. We are and he's and he's got a special

00:10little catwalk and we'll find out a bit more about that but Gentleshaw is a rather special

00:15place just talk us about the kind of the ethos it's not a zoo is it you know what is it? Yeah

00:21we are a little bit different so we're a rescue sanctuary so we have animals from lots of different

00:26places so some are simple re-homes owners can't keep them anymore they've become poorly they're

00:32elderly and then we've got rescue cases as well that have come from welfare seizures and then we've

00:37got a little handful that were born here at the sanctuary as well so we've got a bit of a mixed

00:40bag but yes a lot of the guys are rescue cases. And there's not many places doing what you do is

00:46there really in that sense? No we are quite unique we are zoo licensed so we can open to the public

00:50and you can come see everybody but yes we are a bit different in that we're taking the unwanted

00:55exotics. So just bear that in mind guys when you come and visit Gentleshaw are you which you really

01:00should it's a fantastic family day out um you they're helping they're helping that future work

01:05aren't they in terms of re-homing and rescuing them. Straight back into the sanctuary all the staff

01:09are volunteers um so they only get a cup of tea if they're lucky so yeah admission fees donations if

01:14you buy something in our little gift shop all goes back into looking after the animals. Right lead

01:18the way to this turtle then. Here we go. Max while you're there we may as well collar you while you're

01:35your boy with your friend Hamish. Little Hamish. Little Hamish or not so little um we're just

01:42checking out he's always had his little penny his little home and he's got a little run over there

01:47so staff were having to pick him up and physically put him in his little run but he's getting a big

01:56lad isn't he? He's getting a very big lad. Yeah well and it's not just Hamish there's another one or two

02:00so um so the what's the other one called? Hetty. Hetty. And um so basically it was too much wasn't it

02:09you know you're putting your backs out into lifting. Yeah the younger ones it wasn't too bad for. Yeah

02:15yeah but but us older ones I'm not gonna lie those older ones is finding it a little bit tougher. Yeah

02:21well I tell you what come around here let's watch him going in as we film you behind. So um yeah so

02:27so yeah basically so your guys have created this. It's wonderful isn't it? Hamish's own catwalk all

02:34the way to his pen. His little runway. It's great isn't it? And you popped the door open and he just

02:41come trundling out didn't he? You're kidding there he goes. It was great getting them out but getting

02:46them back in was always the problem. Yeah yeah so this makes life much easier for everyone. Yeah. Yeah

02:52yeah. And uh what do you uh he's he's beautiful isn't he? So what exactly is he? He's a what a turtle a

02:59tortoise? He's a tortoise. He's a sub-carted tortoise and they're an African breed. Yeah. And he's

03:07how old do you think he is? Early 20s. Early 20s. Early 20s. And he's a lovely. Just like you.

03:16Is he popular with visitors? Yes he is. Yeah. They're just so cute aren't they? I don't know

03:23there's something about them. It's one of those weird things that when people see a tortoise they go

03:27crazy. Yeah yeah and you know you just it's it's like in a way it's like um meeting a living dinosaur

03:34isn't it? You know when you look at their skin and their shell and yeah. So what other sort of um

03:40animals do you have down here at Gentleshore? Well in with some carters we have the meerkats. Yeah.

03:49And next door we have raccoons and coates. Yeah. And they're American breeds. We've got a couple of

03:56wolf dogs. They're popular aren't they? They're very popular. Yeah yeah. Unfortunate they prefer to be

04:00indoors. Yeah. So don't see them. Yeah yeah. We've got some savannah cats. A couple of lemurs. Some

04:09cappuccine monkeys. Cool. And the um you do a flying show as well don't you? Yep two o'clock every day.

04:16During school holidays we've got our flying display. Great stuff. And you'll see a couple of owls.

04:23One of our harris hawks is doing a bit of training on the display. Yeah. And one of our redleg

04:31cerimus likes to do a little bit of a show as well. And it's a bargain isn't it? Are we looking at

04:36is it five for adults and four pounds for children? Four pounds for children. It's a that's a bargain

04:43isn't it? Over three year olds. Yeah yeah. I mean you know for a good bargain day out you can spend a

04:50good couple of hours here and we're just at the back of the garden centre. There's train rides just

04:54over the way that people can pay a couple of quid and get on and crazy golf. It's a good fun family day

04:59isn't it? It is yeah. But as long as the weather's down mind you. It doesn't matter whether the weather's

05:03good or not. Yeah yeah. Just dress appropriately that's all. Cool well thank you for um introducing

05:10us to Hamish as he strutted along his catwalk. Alicia how you doing? Um I know. Cool. Now we've got

05:17we've got a little look at him he's coming he's got a new little run and um he's using it.

05:23What do you think of the big um tortoises? Is it turtles? Tortoise. I knew that.

05:29It's cute isn't he? Yeah. Wow. And what sort of animals have you seen today then? Um all of them.

05:39Yeah. Did you watch the flying display? Um no. Oh you missed that. But have you had a nice day?

05:44Yeah. Yeah you'd definitely put a thumbs up and come back again would you? Yeah. Cool well done. That's the right answer.

05:50A very friendly little chap here.

06:00A very friendly little chap here.

06:02A very friendly little chap.

06:11Yeah.

06:13A very friendly little chap here.

06:17Yeah.

06:19A very friendly little chap here.

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