Animal Cwtch

05/09/2026

Looking forward to this!

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05/09/2026

How do we know our animals actually want to take part?

It’s a question anyone working with animals should be able to answer.

There’s increasing discussion within the zoo and animal sector around structured welfare assessment — looking beyond “the animal looks healthy” and considering behaviour, environment, physical health and the animal’s actual experience.

For us, this isn’t new. It’s already part of how we work.

Before an animal leaves with us, we’re checking and recording things.

Are they healthy?
Are they behaving normally?
Do they actually want to come?
When did they last eat?
When did they last work?
What have they done over the previous few days?
Is there anything different that another member of the team needs to know?

And those checks don’t stop once we leave.

During sessions, our team constantly watches the animals and communicates with each other.

“Penny doesn’t want to come out today.”

“This animal is much more interested in exploring than handling.”

“They’re behaving slightly differently.”

“They’ve had enough.”

Those things matter.

We record them so the next person working with that animal knows what happened. Sometimes it means changing how an animal participates. Sometimes it means finishing early. Sometimes it simply means: day off tomorrow.

And sometimes an animal says no before we've even left.

That's okay too.

We work with living animals, not equipment. They don't perform exactly the same way every day because they aren't supposed to.

Good welfare isn't just food, clean enclosures and veterinary care. It's knowing the individual animal well enough to notice when something has changed — and having systems in place so the whole team knows too.

The animal doesn't have to fit around our booking.

We fit the booking around the animal.

That's something we're quite proud of.

04/09/2026

Before you squash that hornet… do you know which hornet you’re looking at?

Wales has now recorded its first confirmed yellow-legged hornet — also known as the Asian hornet — after a dead nest was discovered near Wrexham.

This is an invasive species we genuinely need to look out for. Yellow-legged hornets prey on honey bees and other pollinating insects, and preventing them becoming established in Wales matters.

But our native insects matter too.

A large hornet or wasp is NOT automatically a yellow-legged hornet, and we don’t want native species being killed because they’ve been mistaken for one.

Look for:

• A very dark brown/black body
• Distinctive yellow ends to the legs
• A single yellow/orange band towards the rear of the abdomen
• Slightly smaller than our native European hornet

Think you’ve spotted one?

Don’t approach or disturb a nest. Take a photograph from a safe distance and report it through the Asian Hornet Watch app or the official reporting system.

Knowing the difference matters.

Protecting wildlife sometimes means controlling an invasive species — but it also means protecting our native species from mistaken identity.



Photo: Alex Abair / Yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) / CC BY 4.0.

03/09/2026

Should we be allowed to keep reptiles as pets?

Our answer is yes.

But that comes with an important word: responsibly.

Reptile keeping has changed enormously over the last 10–15 years. Our understanding of husbandry, welfare and behaviour continues to improve — and responsible keepers should continue learning and changing their care as the evidence develops.

Can we do better? Absolutely.

Where we have concerns is the growing call for “positive lists” — where only certain species are permitted to be kept and everything else is prohibited.

It sounds like a simple welfare solution.

But is restricting species actually the same thing as improving welfare?

Responsible Reptile Keeping argues that we don't currently have the robust data needed to demonstrate the reptile welfare crisis often used to justify these restrictions.

Their analysis highlights an interesting comparison. Across the organisations they examined between 2018–20, the annual averages entering rescue were:

61,928 cats
19,049 dogs
627 reptiles

That doesn't prove reptiles have better welfare. Rescue figures alone can't measure that.

But it does demonstrate why we need proper evidence before assuming that exotic animal ownership itself is the problem.

There are absolutely reptiles we wouldn't recommend for the average home. Some require considerable knowledge, space, money and commitment.

But specialist keepers can provide exceptional care for those same animals — and experienced private keepers have contributed enormously to what we know about reptile husbandry today.

We support better welfare standards.

We support responsible breeding.

We support better education before someone buys an animal.

We support evidence-based husbandry and continuing to improve care as our knowledge develops.

And we support action where animals genuinely aren't being cared for properly.

What we're not convinced by is banning species simply because they don't fit on an approved list.

A positive list tells us what species somebody is allowed to own.

It doesn't tell us whether the animal in front of them has a good life.

Animal Cwtch's view?

Regulate responsibility, not species.

Use evidence, not assumptions.

And hold all animal keepers to high welfare standards — whether they own a gecko, a python, a rabbit, a cat or a dog.

Find out more:
Responsible Reptile Keeping — Positive Lists
https://responsiblereptilekeeping.org/positive-lists-dont-work

02/09/2026

The flames go out.

But for wildlife, that isn't necessarily the end of a wildfire.

When we see photographs of a blackened Welsh hillside after a fire, it's easy to think:

“It'll grow back.”

And eventually, much of it probably will.

But recovery isn't as simple as waiting for the grass to turn green again.

A wildfire can burn away the vegetation that animals rely on for food, shelter and breeding.

Nests can disappear.

Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates may be unable to escape the fire itself.

Animals that do survive can return to find the cover they relied on gone and their food sources dramatically reduced.

And then there's something we don't always think about.

The ground beneath them.

Fire can remove the vegetation and organic material that holds soil together, leaving bare ground vulnerable to erosion. Ash, soil and other material can then be washed into streams and rivers when the rain finally arrives.

Heat can also alter the structure of the soil and its ability to hold water.

And some of our most important Welsh habitats are particularly vulnerable.

Peat isn't just dirt.

Healthy peatland stores huge amounts of carbon, holds water and supports incredibly specialised communities of plants, insects and other wildlife.

When peat itself burns, the effects can last far beyond the fire.

Research on a UK peatland found measurable effects still present five years after a wildfire.

Even when somewhere starts looking green again, that doesn't necessarily mean the ecosystem underneath has recovered.

Different habitats recover at different speeds. Grass can return relatively quickly. Heather, bog and peatland communities can take much longer, and severe fires can change which plants and invertebrates live there afterwards.

There is some fascinating evidence from Wales showing the other side of this too.

At Llyn Gorast in the Tywi Forest, restored, rewetted peatland remained wet enough during a wildfire to help slow the fire's spread. Green pools of sphagnum survived while neighbouring damaged peatland was scorched.

Those wet areas may even have provided somewhere for fleeing wildlife to shelter from the heat.

So when the rain comes and the flames disappear, the story isn't over.

The black hillside might become green again.

But underneath it, recovery can take years.

And sometimes what grows back isn't quite the same as what was there before.

Preventing a wildfire isn't only about preventing the flames.

It's about protecting everything that would have to recover afterwards.

Find out more:

Natural Resources Wales — The devastating consequences of wildfires in Wales:
https://www.cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/blogs/2025-blogs/the-devastating-consequences-of-wildfires-in-wales/?lang=en

Natural Resources Wales — How restored Welsh peatland helped stall a wildfire:
https://www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/2025-news-releases/indicators-that-rewetted-peatland-stalled-wildfire-spread/?lang=en



Photo: Dan Santillo — used with permission. Thank you, Dan, for allowing us to share your photograph.

01/09/2026

It’s seal pup season in Wales.

And sometimes the kindest thing we can do for wildlife is… absolutely nothing.

From August into autumn, grey seals come ashore around the Welsh coast to give birth. That means over the next few months people may come across those beautiful fluffy white pups on beaches and rocky coves.

Seeing a pup apparently alone can immediately make us think it’s been abandoned.

But mum may simply be nearby or out at sea.

Getting too close can cause stress and disturbance — and dogs can be particularly frightening to seals. Around West Wales, guidance recommends staying at least 100 metres away, keeping dogs on a short lead and staying off beaches where pups are present.

So if you find a seal pup:

• Give it plenty of space.
• Keep dogs well away.
• Don’t touch, feed or try to move it.
• Watch quietly from a distance.
• If the seal starts watching you, moving position or heading towards the water, you may already be too close.

And if you genuinely think it’s injured, sick or in trouble, contact an appropriate wildlife rescue organisation for advice rather than trying to intervene yourself.

A pup being alone doesn’t necessarily mean it has been abandoned. Mum may be nearby in the water and needs enough space to feel safe returning.

Wildlife doesn’t always need rescuing.

Sometimes it just needs us to give it space.

Find out more:

National Trust — responsible seal spotting in West Wales:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/marloes-sands-and-mere/seal-spotting-responsibly-in-west-wales

Natural Resources Wales — Skomer Marine Conservation Zone and responsible seal watching:
https://naturalresources.wales/guidance-and-advice/environmental-topics/wildlife-and-biodiversity/protected-areas-of-land-and-seas/skomer-marine-conservation-zone/?lang=en

National Trust — wildlife to spot in Wales:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/nature-and-wildlife-to-spot-in-wales



Photo: Grey Seal pup, Rhossili © Sally, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

01/09/2026

Back to school! 📚🦎

As September begins, we’re getting ready to head back into classrooms across South and West Wales — and we absolutely LOVE this part of what we do.

Animal Cwtch school visits are much more than simply bringing some animals along.

Our sessions can be tailored to what your learners are actually studying and linked to the Curriculum for Wales — from habitats, adaptations, food chains and classification to biodiversity, conservation, sustainability, animal welfare and human impact on the natural world.

We work with:

• Nurseries & Early Years
• Primary & Secondary Schools
• Special Schools & ALN settings
• Colleges & Sixth Forms
• Universities
• Elective Home Education groups

Sessions can be adapted for different ages, abilities, sensory needs and communication styles, and we can work with individual classes, smaller groups or across a whole school day.

Teachers — if you're planning your autumn term and have a topic you think we could bring to life, have a look at our Educational Visits page:

https://animalcwtch.co.uk/educational-visits/

And learning doesn't have to stop when the school day finishes!

Our Zoology Clubs are returning this September too, with opportunities for children and teens who want to go much deeper into zoology, animal behaviour, biology, conservation and animal care.

Find our current Zoology Clubs and events here:

https://animalcwtch.co.uk/our-events/

Here’s to another year of asking questions, getting hands-on and inspiring the next generation to care about the animals and natural world around them.

31/08/2026

What a summer. ❤️

As the summer holidays come to an end, we need to say a MASSIVE thank you to our incredible Animal Cwtch team.

It has been absolutely non-stop.

Libraries, holiday programmes, community groups, ALN sessions, care homes, private bookings, shows, events, workshops, ticketed sessions… thousands of miles, a LOT of animals packed and unpacked, early mornings and some very long days!

But one of the things we're most proud of this summer is watching our team push themselves outside their comfort zones and absolutely SMASH IT.

Taking the lead on sessions. Working with new audiences. Speaking in front of bigger groups. Trying completely new events. Taking on more responsibility. Stepping in when something doesn't go to plan.

We've asked a lot of everyone this summer, and every single time the team has stepped up.

Animal Cwtch might have started with Kevin and me, but it simply couldn't do what it does now without the people around us.

The care you give our animals, the way you support each other and the way you make sure every person who comes to one of our sessions gets the best experience possible means everything.

So a HUGE thank you to Emma, Gemma, Jess, Josh, Sadie, Lucy, Vikki, Sarann, Jacob, Sam and Kevin — and everyone else who has helped, supported, carried, cleaned, driven, presented, cared for animals or generally kept the Animal Cwtch chaos moving this summer.

We're incredibly proud of what this little team has achieved.

And even more excited about where we're going next.

Thank you all. We genuinely couldn't do it without you.

What a team.

What a summer.

Now… onto September!

31/08/2026

We had THE BEST day being part of the Welsh Camera & Optics Show! 📸

Seeing Animal Cwtch officially listed alongside Stewart Wood and OM SYSTEM still feels pretty special.

We absolutely loved working with Stewart, OM SYSTEM and the team at Carmarthen Cameras for the live macro workshops — and seeing what incredibly talented photographers can create with our animals and some seriously impressive equipment was just amazing.

The photographs are STUNNING. Genuinely, we’re having some of them printed and framed for our own home!

It’s opened our eyes to a whole new side of what we can do with our animals, education and photography, and we honestly can’t wait to work with more photographers, brands and events in the future.

Huge thank you to everyone involved for making us so welcome and for giving our animal ambassadors their modelling moment!

Go and have a look at the photographs from the shoot over on our Instagram — they’re incredible.

31/08/2026

🦁 National Zoo Awareness Day 🦁

Today is National Zoo Awareness Day, so we wanted to talk about something we’re very passionate about…

The role of responsible animal education.

Modern zoos and wildlife organisations do so much more than simply allow people to see animals. At their best, they play an important role in:

🌱 Conservation — supporting projects that help protect endangered species and habitats.

📚 Education — inspiring people to understand, respect and care about the natural world.

🔬 Research — helping us learn more about animals, their behaviour and how we can better protect them.

❤️ Welfare — providing expert care, enrichment and lifelong commitment to the animals they look after.

This is exactly why we do what we do at Animal Cwtch.

Every time someone meets an animal, learns something new or changes the way they see a species, there is an opportunity to create a little more understanding.

Conservation starts with connection.

When people understand animals, they are much more likely to care about protecting them.

Whether it’s a tiny insect, a reptile, a bird of prey or a huge mammal, every species has a story worth sharing.

Today we’re celebrating everyone working to educate, protect and care for animals around the world.

🌍 Educate. Respect. Protect.