Wildlife park opens hub featuring erupting volcano
Josh Lovatt,at Shepreth Wildlife Parkand Aimee Dexter
Josh Lovatt/BBC
A wildlife park has opened an interactive conservation hub to help young visitors learn about nature.
Shepreth Wildlife Park in Cambridgeshire said the new building featured a range of interactive screens and projections to aid understanding, including an erupting volcano.
Rebecca Willers, director of the park, said: "We are so excited to have this different way of bringing children to the wildlife park and getting them to leave with a message."
Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity (SWCC) said the project received funding from South Cambridgeshire District Council's Rural England Prosperity Fund.
Josh Lovatt/BBC
SWCC was set up in 2011 and raises funds to educate visitors about species at risk of extinction. It also funds the park's on-site hedgehog hospital.
Willers said the idea of a conservation hub had been discussed for about eight years.
"It is a dream come true, as when we started the charity, our aim was to get a hedgehog hospital [and] to raise money for charities all over the world; we have done that, and our next step was a conservation centre," she added.
Josh Lovatt/BBC
The new building included two areas: Wild Play and The Hive.
She said Wild Play had three interactive activities, including a sandbox where scenarios are projected and a 6ft (1.8m) touchscreen where people could play conservation games.
Willers said the charity was looking for volunteers to help run Wild Play and to speak to visitors about conservation and nature.
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