Whipsnade Zoo

I went to Whipsnade Zoo at the week-end. It costs £28 to get in which includes a voluntary donation.  It would have been £25.45 otherwise, but you are not going to argue with the nice young woman on the counter about that are you?  Then she asked if we were tax payers so she could get gift aid, but also had your contact details for future promotions then!  Quite canny really.

It was a beautiful day and it is an amazing campus with some lovely views. Since I last went years ago when the children were small they now let cars in as it is a lot of walking.  They also do talks.  We went to one on chimps, sea lions and birds.  The bird one was best.  There was a stork who was incredibly tame and some other mini toucans with red bills.  She had them swooping low over the audience.  The talks are interesting and informative, a nice length and they always say thank you for coming and how much your visit has supported conservation.  It’s all slick and well managed.  The animals all look well.  Even those with shaggy coats look like they have been brushed that morning.  They put special emphasis on making changes to their routines every day and they teach them ‘tricks’ which are to do with husbandry so animals like chimps will come to the edge of their enclosures and put their hands through to have blood taken or injections because they like the treats and the sea lions will open their mouths to get their teeth checked.

The new butterfly house is the best I have been in to date.

They have lots of benches in nice places for picnics, eating places, toilets, parking. It was heaving with people, but it is supremely well organised.  We were there 7 hours.

https://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/exhibits