Entertaining new residents and all the usual popular attractions – that is the promise from the Curraghs Wildlife Park this summer.

The park reverts to its summer opening hours on Saturday (1st April) and will welcome visitors from 10am to 6pm daily until October, with last admissions at 5pm.

Arriving soon to the park is a group of African yellow mongoose.

‘The mongoose will share the porcupines’ enclosure, a sort of timeshare,’ said David Cretney MLC, Member of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture in charge of the park.

‘The porcupines are nocturnal so the mongoose will be seen out and about during the daytime,’ Mr Cretney said.

‘Confusingly, they are sometimes known as red meerkat due their colourings and their behaviour is similar to meerkat, so we expect them to be just as popular with visitors.’

A visit to the park in Ballaugh also offers the chance to see the pair of silvery gibbons which arrived last year as part of an international endangered species’ breeding programme and are settling in well.

Mr Cretney said, ‘Another big draw is the lynx that arrived at the park in July and the family of Brazilian tapirs with their youngster Rio.

‘With the Enchanted Woods and Adventure Zone play areas, free parking and, at weekends, the volunteer-run Orchid Line miniature railway, a visit to the park is a great day out for all the family.’

For details of ticket prices, concessions, season tickets and special events throughout the summer, visit www.curraghswildlifepark.im/