The nearest that I have to a local zoo is now open, and I visited it for this time today. Although the visit looked iffy due to a dull morning, it really brightened up mid-afternoon and turned into quite a nice day!
The main entrance to the zoo is quite a long way off the car park, but once you get in you arrive at a courtyard where the cafe, gift shop and play area are. You then come to a small aviary for Guayquil Squirrels (I've probably spelt that wrong!), which was a great start. Nearby there is an area for domesticated animals, as well as Guanaco and a single Red Deer which has apparently adopted the Llamas as it's family!
The park currently follows a circular route, and you can walk around in either direction. I passed the African paddock first, which looked pretty impressive. The Lechwe are the highlight, and the main viewing area has been designed so that visitors can look straight out at the paddock, without any obstruction - perfect for photography! A nice waterhole and maybe some more interesting species would improve this exhibit, but it looks good already. Zoo critics will not be pleased to see a lone Emu here, but hopefully it will move at a later date!
Passing a walk-through Wallaby enclosure we come to the Hunting Dogs which have a good sized enclosure, and were very active late in the day; they look superb. Then you enter 'Lemur Wood' where 3 species of Lemurs (Ring-Tailed, Brown, Black & White Ruffed) roam freely. This part of the zoo occupies some woodland and looked far better than I expected; there are some really tall trees that the lemurs love climbing to the very top of, and the enclosure is really large. This is bound to be a big favourite with visitors.
On leaving Lemur Wood there is a charming woodland walk, where you may spot some native wildlife with a little luck. The path then winds back towards the entrance area, past some raptors including a Tawny Eagle and an unidentified Vulture, which are used for flying displays twice daily. We then reach two open-topped enclosures housing the inevitable Meerkats and two Raccoon Dogs: the only ones in a British zoo? They were wonderful!!! Apparently they were there when it was still a farm, but the YWP have given them a much better enclosure and they seem to appreciate it, as they were quite lively. Unfortunately they're quite old so breeding is unlikely, but you never know!!
That's it, in a nutshell. I should also mention that the cafe already puts those of many established collections to shame, and they have a good range of hot food to tempt you with! The shop was mainly stocked with cuddly Lemurs and Hunting Dogs, but will probably get some better stock in the future.
The current collection is being referred to as Phase 1; hopefully Phase 2 will open next year. It is planned to get Lions and Gibbons next year, with Tigers, Giraffes, Rhinos and even Elephants on the wish-list. I think that the YWP is a very impressive new zoo with a lot of potential, and it should be good to watch it grow over the next few years. This area has been like a black hole for zoos for so long, so I think the owners deserve a pat on the back for doing this, and trying to make the park as interesting as possible, with a few surprises amongst the more common animals.
The main entrance to the zoo is quite a long way off the car park, but once you get in you arrive at a courtyard where the cafe, gift shop and play area are. You then come to a small aviary for Guayquil Squirrels (I've probably spelt that wrong!), which was a great start. Nearby there is an area for domesticated animals, as well as Guanaco and a single Red Deer which has apparently adopted the Llamas as it's family!
The park currently follows a circular route, and you can walk around in either direction. I passed the African paddock first, which looked pretty impressive. The Lechwe are the highlight, and the main viewing area has been designed so that visitors can look straight out at the paddock, without any obstruction - perfect for photography! A nice waterhole and maybe some more interesting species would improve this exhibit, but it looks good already. Zoo critics will not be pleased to see a lone Emu here, but hopefully it will move at a later date!
Passing a walk-through Wallaby enclosure we come to the Hunting Dogs which have a good sized enclosure, and were very active late in the day; they look superb. Then you enter 'Lemur Wood' where 3 species of Lemurs (Ring-Tailed, Brown, Black & White Ruffed) roam freely. This part of the zoo occupies some woodland and looked far better than I expected; there are some really tall trees that the lemurs love climbing to the very top of, and the enclosure is really large. This is bound to be a big favourite with visitors.
On leaving Lemur Wood there is a charming woodland walk, where you may spot some native wildlife with a little luck. The path then winds back towards the entrance area, past some raptors including a Tawny Eagle and an unidentified Vulture, which are used for flying displays twice daily. We then reach two open-topped enclosures housing the inevitable Meerkats and two Raccoon Dogs: the only ones in a British zoo? They were wonderful!!! Apparently they were there when it was still a farm, but the YWP have given them a much better enclosure and they seem to appreciate it, as they were quite lively. Unfortunately they're quite old so breeding is unlikely, but you never know!!
That's it, in a nutshell. I should also mention that the cafe already puts those of many established collections to shame, and they have a good range of hot food to tempt you with! The shop was mainly stocked with cuddly Lemurs and Hunting Dogs, but will probably get some better stock in the future.
The current collection is being referred to as Phase 1; hopefully Phase 2 will open next year. It is planned to get Lions and Gibbons next year, with Tigers, Giraffes, Rhinos and even Elephants on the wish-list. I think that the YWP is a very impressive new zoo with a lot of potential, and it should be good to watch it grow over the next few years. This area has been like a black hole for zoos for so long, so I think the owners deserve a pat on the back for doing this, and trying to make the park as interesting as possible, with a few surprises amongst the more common animals.
