Devon holiday park takes orphan owl under its wing

An orphan owl adopted by a Devon holiday park is winning the hearts of visiting families as she settles in to what will now be her permanent home.

Zula is a six-week old barn owl, and has been taken under the wing of Woodlands Family Theme Park near Dartmouth after being found abandoned.

But despite Zula’s shaky start to life, its future is now very bright – for the park is also an acclaimed wildlife centre which is home to over 40 birds of prey.

They include Whisp the Tawny owl, Tundra the snowy owl, and Samantha the Bengalese eagle owl, all of which take part in flying displays.

It’s hoped that after Zula is fully fledged, she will begin training to take part in the feathered formations which delight park visitors.

Spiros Spozitos, marketing manager for Woodlands Family Theme Park, said that Zula has already found her feet at her new home, and is enchanting guests.

She enjoys being handled and receiving attention, said Spiros, and is also very inquisitive.

He added that the park was thrilled to be playing host to a barn owl which is an endangered species of which there are estimated to be around only 5,000 breeding pairs in Britain.

Set in 90 acres of Devon countryside, the family-run park is a wildlife wonderland for families with its huge and ever-growing stock of animal species.

Among its many other attractions is a recently opened dinosaur attraction in its grounds complete with prehistoric monsters which give a mighty roar as they are approached.

Proving a big hit with visitors, especially youngers, Dino Trek recreates the sights and sounds of a landscape more than 160 million years ago.

A member of the Best of British parks group, Woodlands’ accolades include the Alan Rogers “Best Family Campsite in Europe” award, and the “AA Campsite of the Year” award.

For more information, see the park’s website at www.woodlandspark.com