Spring has sprung with birth of exotic animals in Greater Manchester

Spring has sprung with the arrival of new animals at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre.

The college – which homes rare and wonderful wildlife from around the world – is now seeing its brood get even bigger.

One of the new faces is the fascinating baby Bali myna that joins a number of endangered birds that are cared for at the Middleton Campus. 

She’s been hand-raised on a diet that sees her eating a specially made smoothie every two hours from 6am.

This type of bird is so uncommon that her brother – also born at Hopwood Hall – is now part of an international breeding programme at Dudley Zoo.

The Bali myna, however, isn’t the only new addition to Hopwood Hall.

Instead, the friendly troupe of wallabies is also expanding as a number of the females have given birth.

The tiny joeys are now spending a period of time in their mothers’ pouches before they can stand alone.

They’re still very young, but some of their furry faces can already been seen poking out and enjoying the idyllic surroundings.

The Bali myna and wallabies are just some of the hundreds of different species of animals that you can find at Hopwood.

The enclosure features so much unusual wildlife, including potoroos, meerkats and pink flamingos.

These exotic creatures are homed at the college so they can be cared for by learners studying Animal Management. 

People of all ages come to study there, including school leavers and adults doing Higher Education.

Hopwood also opens its door to the public for its popular Animal Academy. 

This is an exciting week-long adventure in which school pupils aged 13 to 16-year-olds who want to work with animals have the opportunity to come to the campus and care for all the unique wildlife. 

Julia Heap, Principal and CEO of Hopwood Hall College and University Centre, said:

“The birth of these animals is just a small snapshot of the many exciting things that are happening at Hopwood Hall.

“In our community there’s such a huge appetite to work with animals and a growing job market to match.

“While our current students are no strangers to the rewards of caring for these exotic creatures, we’re now giving school pupils the same opportunity through our Animal Academy. 

“The next programmes begin in the Easter holidays and we’d be delighted to see any young people who dream of working with animals in attendance.”

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