Hope this is an okay thread to ask, but with the current offer on 25% off extra-ordinary experiences, has anyone done one and would they recommend it? What do the different animal encounters actually consist of?
Equidae, seeing as no one else has replied to your question, as someone who has done this experience three times, I can happily let you know what it involves. This is the full day one, by the way.
You start the day by having breakfast in the private room, where you have a breakfast bap and tea or coffee, or a soft drink if you prefer.
You are then taken down to the Elephant house, and given a tour, and you get to see the inside of the house. You will be shown a training exercise with one of the Elephants, and you will end up heading outside, where you will do a scatter feed for a couple of the cows. It used to be a hand feed but this is now no longer allowed by the zoo.
Next, you head to the Meerkats, where you go in a small hut and sit round the edge, where the keeper lets the meerkats in and throws bugs on you, so the meerkats climb all over you.
Following on from this, you head to the Sea Lions, and have your own private training show performed in front of you, which you get to participate in, but there is no touching or feeding of the sea lion. You pose for a picture with the Sea Lion at the end.
Next up, you wander around the zoo for a bit, before you do a scatter feed with the smooth coated otters.
Finally, before lunch, you are taken back to the Africa paddock, where you will feed the Giraffes in the house (in winter) and from the paddock (in summer).
You then head for lunch, where you get a main, and a side and a drink.
After lunch, you head back to the Africa House, and you are introduced to the White Rhino, which you get to have a feel of, and feed.
You next take a walk and meet the Ardvarks in their house, which are often asleep, before going down to the Tigers. You used to be able to tong feed them at the fence, but this has now changed, and you prepare enrichment for them, and place it in the exhibit, and then watch from the keeper area as the Tiger is let out of the house, to hunt down the food.
You walk down to Lemur exhibit, that the road train normally takes, and you have an encounter with the ring-tailed lemurs who jump all over you and get to hand feed them.
Your day ends by going up to the penguin exhibit and hand feeding a group of penguins.
Finally, you head back to your private room, for tea and cake and receive a souvenir, either a nice parker pen or a plush toy.
I have also scatter fed Gelada and met tortoises during this day, when something else wasn't available. I've not done the half day ones before.
I thoroughly enjoyed it every time I've done it, but I don't like to actually think too much of the day, as it plays on my mental health a lot, which is why I didn't initially reply, hoping someone else would. But I don't like to leave peoples questions unanswered if I can help. I done this day originally with a couple of people, who were the first zoo type people I had met, and thought of them as friends. I have no contact with them anymore, and this upsets me a lot, so although it's a great experience, personally its one that thinking back really upsets me for personal reasons. If you have any other questions about it, rather than clog up the thread, feel free to message me, and I'll be happy to answer or help if I can.
