| Beale Wildlife Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Miniature train | |
 Interactive map of Beale Wildlife Park | |
| 51°30′N1°6.5′W / 51.500°N 1.1083°W /51.500; -1.1083 | |
| Date opened | 1956 |
| Location | Lower Basildon Reading Berkshire RG8 9NH |
| Website | bealepark.co.uk |
Beale Wildlife Park is situated by theRiver Thames, between the villages ofPangbourne andLower Basildon inBerkshire,England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped gardens and woodlands; and children's play areas.
In 1956, Beale Park was formed by Gilbert Beale who decided to give the 350-acre (140 ha) Thames-side park land to ‘the people’ by converting it from private farmland into a non-profit making, charitable trust. In those days it was little more than a track and a couple of ponds.
Over recent years, the park has expanded to accommodate a wide variety of visitors, especially the youngest ones. The park has recently built a Roplay area, a pets area, sand pits, paddling pools,Little Tikes Play Area, and the Beale Railway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) section of10+1⁄2 in (267 mm) narrow gauge railway on which is run a diesel locomotive, "Sir Humphrey Davy"; and previously a steam locomotive, "John Remmy", each capable of pulling 5 carriages and 50 people.[1] Thirteen people were injured when a steam train crashed on the Beale Railway on Saturday, 27 June 2009.[2]
For older visitors, there are thegardens,lakes, and themodel boat exhibition.
There is also agift shop,education centre, andrestaurant on site.
Beale Park's aviaries are home to a wide variety of bird species that are threatened with extinction. Most notable are thegreen peafowl, themountain peacock pheasant, and theBali starling. There is also successful breeding programme and several birds have been released back to the wild.
There are many themed aviaries around the park including: Regional aviaries (home toAfrican,Asian andAustralian birds), the walkthrough aviary, the owlery,Madagascan aviary, and theflamingos.
Over recent years, the park has expanded greatly to a morezoological collection, the park now houseslemurs,owls, and in 2007,meerkats,prairie dogs, andtamarins arrived.
2008 saw the arrival of various new exhibits and attractions including aNew Zealand exhibit with wallabies andArapawa goats.
Media related toBeale Park at Wikimedia Commons