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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Nature's SAFE, Charitable organisation, Chapel Field Stud, Whitchurch.

We are a wildlife biobanking charity on a mission to Save Animals From Extinction through cryo-conservation, in collaboration with our Conservation Partners across the UK.

21/10/2026

Thank you to our valued corporate sponsor, the Raven Cafe! The cafe's fundraising for Nature's SAFE has supported our charity in various ways over the years, including the development of our merchandise which allows us to raise much needed funds and awareness. This year we released our wildlife notebooks with custom species illustrations by the fantastic Rachel Brooks, printed on eco-friendly elephant poo paper. So far, they've been a hit!

Thank you to the Raven Cafe for your continued support of our mission.

14/10/2026

The African Grey Parrot is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. They are found in the forests of central and west Africa; spanning from Côte d'Ivoire, across the Congo Basin and reaching into Kenya.

Populations in the wild are declining due to:

🦜 Trapping for the pet trade - Grey parrots have been heavily exploited as one of the most popular pet bird species worldwide. Although trade is now restricted, regular exceeding of quotas and illegal trafficking still occurs.

🌳 Habitat loss - Forest loss, particularly loss of large trees used for nesting, is impacting the species.

The maintenance of ex-situ populations is a recommended conservation action for the Grey Parrot to assist with reintroduction efforts and supplementation of wild populations. This is being carried out alongside work within their countries of origin to increase monitoring of exploited populations and enforce existing trade restrictions.

Nature's SAFE has added the African Grey Parrot to the species preserved our living biobank. Cells and tissues preserved from this species can provide a resource for assisted reproduction to supplement these ex-situ breeding programmes if needed in the future.

Learn more about the work of Nature's SAFE at: https://www.natures-safe.com/species-preserved/

12/10/2026

Nature’s SAFE has been an observer member of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) since March 2026.

GGBN is a network that connects researchers to biobanks across the globe to carry out vital research which benefits the environment and society alike. Through the GGBN, the participating members jointly develop and increase the capacity for biodiversity repositories from across the world to foster collaboration, ensure consistent quality standards, improve best practices, facilitate legislation-compliant sample exchange, and provide transparent access to samples through an access and benefit sharing framework.

We recognise the need to support data availability and sample access for the research that is fundamental to fighting the biodiversity crisis. That’s why we are working towards becoming a full data-sharing member of GGBN to make samples which have been made explicitly available for research by our Conservation Partners discoverable to researchers worldwide.

Read more about GGBN in the recent publication ‘Connecting biodiversity biobanks in the global infrastructure landscape’, available open access here: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biag138

Image credit to the authors (Droege at al., 2026). The map (Figure 3) shows GGBN members and records of biological material available on the GGBN Data Portal. The diagram (Figure 7) illustrates the three core activities of GGBN that underpin its role in advancing biodiversity research and conservation.

09/10/2026

Thank you to our long-time corporate sponsor Lymm Truckwash, whose funding enables the Nature's SAFE team to travel and present their work at conferences across clinical, conservation and educational sectors to share knowledge and expertise to build capacity around wildlife cryobanking.

Learn more about our corporate partnerships at: https://www.natures-safe.com/corporate-partners/

07/10/2026

This we are excited to shine a light on the research being conducted by the University of Edinburgh on population genetics for the species, which we are supporting by providing samples from our biobank.

This project, led by Alexa Hepworth and Rob Ogden at the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Sciences, aims to evaluate the maternal genetic diversity present within ex-situ red squirrel populations by analysing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), inherited exclusively from mothers, of red squirrels from zoos and wildlife parks in the UK. This data will be compared with published data from wild UK and European populations to determine how well captive populations represent maternal genetic variation in the wild. These findings will inform future conservation breeding, genetic management, and potential reintroduction strategies by identifying whether captive populations represent a valuable reservoir of genetic diversity for the species.

Alexa Hepworth shares more about the project:
"The results will give an initial snapshot of the genetic baseline of the captive population. This can guide breeding and translocation decisions so captive animals act as a real reservoir of diversity and safety net against further losses in the wild.

Biobanked samples make this kind of research possible without disturbing the animals every time a study arises. The samples stay available for future research, so this work can be built on as red squirrel conservation develops.

It is my hope that more collections will get involved in the future, widening the scope of this work and helping conservationists plan breeding that strengthens genetic diversity in our wild red squirrels."

How are we able to facilitate research like this? Samples preserved in our living biobank remain under the ownership of the submitting institution. However, the sample owner can opt in to donating a portion of each sample to research projects which further knowledge on wildlife health, population genetics, and/or assisted reproductive technologies to inform conservation strategies.

This project is just one of many ways we are working with expert networks to progress innovative conservation efforts and protect vulnerable species from extinction. Learn more about the work we do by visiting our website: www.natures-safe.com

05/10/2026

Biological samples from the blue crane were first preserved in the Nature's SAFE biobank in April 2026.

The blue crane is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. They are found in grasslands and agricultural areas of Southern Africa.

The main threats to this species are:

⚡️ Power line collisions: around 12% of the population in Overberg, Western Cape is killed annually in collisions.

❌️ Illegal capture: for food, traditional medicine, and illegal wildlife trade.

☠️ Accidental poisoning: cranes are accidentally poisoned as non-target species by pest control measures.

Ex-situ populations contribute to the global actions taken to prevent further decline of this species, which include protection of grasslands, altering agricultural practices to decrease accidental poisoning, and better planning of power line routes.

Nature's SAFE has now preserved tissue samples from the blue crane in our living biobank to provide a resource for further research and assisted reproduction if needed in the future to supplement ex-situ breeding.

To learn more about the species preserved by Nature's SAFE, visit: https://www.natures-safe.com/species-preserved/

30/09/2026

We will be hosting the second annual Biobanking for Biodiversity conference on the 24th February 2027 at our site in Whitchurch, Shropshire.

This conference aims to bring together technical staff working in, supporting, or planning biobanks across the UK. Through talks, workshops, panel sessions and networking opportunities, it will encourage the sharing of practical insights, techniques, and challenges – helping to foster knowledge exchange and strengthen collaboration across the sector.

If you are interested in attending or presenting your work, please register your interest by scanning the QR code or using this link: https://bit.ly/4ro8K4d

28/09/2026

We have some big news to share with you about our UK native species conservation work.

We are now part of a £1.5 million Species Recovery Programme funded by Natural England to support the recovery of the Endangered white-clawed crayfish. Our project will be part of a multi-pronged programme of scientific research into crayfish genetics, plague-resistance, pathogens and biobanking of biological material, which will underpin the long-term health, resilience and survival of the species.

White-clawed crayfish are under threat due to disease and geographical isolation of small populations. This means that we now require a strategic multi-method approach to prevent the species from going extinct in the UK.

As part of this programme, we will be developing cryogenic techniques to freeze white-clawed crayfish gametes for long-term population preservation in collaboration with Bristol Zoological Society and University College London.

Follow along and we will keep you all updated with our progress.

25/09/2026

We are hosting a virtual workshop with ABWAK on December 2nd at 19:00 GMT walking you through how to collect biological samples for Nature's SAFE and the journey of your sample, from arrival to processing and storage, once it arrives here at our laboratory.

This virtual workshop will provide you with practical techniques for collecting and preparing your samples to ensure high quality preservation. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions throughout, with a dedicated Q&A session at the end. The workshop is designed to help zoo and aquarium professionals feel more confident about collecting samples that can make a valuable contribution to conservation.

This workshop is free to ABWAK members, or £15 for non-members.

Please sign up here: https://www.abwak.co.uk/natures-safe-sample-collecting-virtual-workshop

For further enquiries, contact James Cork: [email protected]

Address

Chapel Field Stud
Whitchurch
SY134BP

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+441948666295

Website

http://www.natures-safe.com/

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