Ventura Wildlife Park Ventura Wildlife Zoological Gardens

the website has now replaced the banner at the top of the zoo page so there are no misleading pictures (good move), and there is now more text with more animals mentioned, including Cuban hutia:
Zoological Gardens WELCOME TO VENTURA EVENTS
Ventura Wildlife’s Zoological Gardens opens on Saturday 23rd July 2016 at Van Hage Garden Centre in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire. Our brand new beautifully landscaped zoo gardens are home to a variety of exotic wildlife species set within two distinct themed zones.

Enter through the gates of Ventura Wildlife’s Zoological Gardens and you will be transported into the heart of a tropical island paradise complete with tropical plants, a running stream and even a mini waterfall as you journey into ‘Adventure Island’. This zone is home to some of the worlds most charismatic tropical island dwelling species. Here you will come face to face with ring-tail lemurs, red fronted lemurs, fossa, Burmese python, lorikeets, tropical wader birds and the UK’s only Cuban hutia exhibited in a zoo.

In August 2016 we will open our Tropical House which will take you even deeper into the realm of the tropical islands to see various tropical island dwelling reptiles and small mammals.

Once you have enjoyed the wonders of ‘Adventure Island’ your journey will take you into ‘Sidly’s Wildlands’ where you will join Ranger Sidly on a mini adventure around the world taking in North America, Northern Europe, Australia, Africa and South America. Here you you will be able to get up close to a variety of species including reindeer, emu, red necked wallabies, parma wallabies, grant’s zebra, llama and alpaca.

There is loads more to do an see at Ventura Wildlife’s Zoological Gardens with daily animal encounters, animal talks, animal feeds plus character meet and greets with Sidly the the Skunk during the school holidays and on weekends. Remember with your admission ticket you can enter and exit the zoo as many times as you wish during your visit.
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According to their Facebook page, they will be officially opening this weekend

***Opening Hours***
Monday - Saturday - 10.00am - 5.30pm
Sunday - 10.00am - 4.30pm
***Admission Prices***
Adult - £6.50
Concessions - £6.00
Child (3-16) - £5.00
Under 3's - Free
Family ticket - £20.00
(2 adults and 2 children/ 1 adult and 3 children)
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Me and Lynsey visited today en-route to collect her birthday present e got confused at first as there is a little animal collection at the back of the Van Hage Garden Centre, free of charge with Marmosets, Coatis and Raccoons. We then found the Wildlife Centre (to the back right of the garden centre)and paid the £6.50 admission. Inside is small but pretty impressive, the enclosures are pretty good, but the number if animals is pretty limited at the moment, although they are going to expand. Inside are two species of lemur (ring tail and red fronted), one Fossa, Emus, wallabies, reindeer, a Burmese Python, one Grants Zebra and his donkey companion, alpacas and llamas, and the amazing Cuban Hutias, they are a lot bigger than I'd imagined. Worth visiting for these alone!

The amazing animal show was good, the keeper bought out various animals, from tarantula, skink, corn snake, to young African Wood Owl a lesser tenrec, most of which could be touched, and some held. The kids were loving it!

Admission price for what is currently there is maybe a little steep, but with the nimal collection opposite free, it makes it worth a visit for an hour or two.
 
Visited today and really enjoyed it. The free animal area in the garden centre is a little forlorn compared with the new Ventura Zoo area. Ventura isn't large, the whole site can be done in around an hour, although it is worth going to one of the animal encounter talks, which last half an hour. The enclosures are good, although some are maybe a touch on the small side, but they are planning to add new species and expand the zoo further. They also plan on getting a male fossa to pair with their female.

Have added a few photos to the General gallery.
 
Max Blundell said:
Both, Van Hage Zoo Gardens and Ventura Zoological Park
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Most of what they have at Ventura is listed a few posts earlier.

Van Hages

From memory :
Siberian? Chipmunk
Common Marmosets
Meerkats
Coati
Racoon
Striped Skunk
Ferrets
Degu
Chinchilla
Rats
Barn Owl
Cockatiel
Budgies
Golden Pheasant
Blue Peafowl
Sulcata Tortoise
Leopard tortoise
Mississippi Map Turtle
Yellow Bellied Slider

Plus a few other domestics such as pigs, pygmy goats, Turkeys, geese, ducks, rabbits but I dont recall what they were.
 
I Have Just Been Reading Information About Ventura and It says that KANGAROOS will be Coming soon to the Collection :D, The Collection is Just Growing
 
:MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VENTURA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS:

: Ventura Zoological Gardens Will Be Expanded to 3 Acres

: Red Kangaroo Are Arriving onto the Park Next Wednesday (14th Sept)

: New Tropical House Being Built at the Moment (Includes reptiles, bugs and small mammals) Hoping to be Opened By The October Half Term
 
According to Facebook, the Red Kangaroos have arrived
 
Three Straw Necked Ibis and a single Hammerkop have arrived from Zoo Praha
 
1.0 Fossa is due to arrive this weekend from Reserve Zoologique Calviac in France
 
Updates from today's visit:

The Cuban Hutia youngsters (b. 12/11/2016) are on show, absolutely wonderful to see (unfortunately, with the all-glass viewing, my pictures are all very poor quality). There were two adults with the young, presumably the parents, so assuming the rest of the adults are off-show (if I remember right there were about three or four on our last visit)

The lone female Grant's Zebra 'Zelda' has been joined by two males from Lake District Wildlife Park, 'Storm' and 'Shadow'. They arrived on 16th November.

Only saw one Red Kangaroo.

The Burmese Python exhibit has been finished. The Tropical House is looking like it should be finished soon. A small Invert House ('Creepy Creatures' or something, can't remember exactly) is open, but the door was locked today.

The female Fossa 'Orana' was visible, although didn't get a view of their new male 'Stevie' who was asleep in his nesting box.
 
On the 9th December, 4 Reindeer arrived from Zoo Basel in Switzerland, The Reindeers names are Jupiter, Comet, Eclipse and Galaxy
 
Also Ventura Zoological Gardens has Nearly completed the New Reptile House Which will housed Tenrecs, Blue Tounged Skink, Different Snakes and Small Mammals, The Zoo is Planning on Opening the Reptile House this Christmas or Early 2017.
After they have opened the Reptile House They will work on the New Section of the Zoological Gardens which will House Raccoon Dogs, which will have a Woodland Enclosure towards to The back of the zoo behind the Australian Enclosure, The Zoo is Planning on opening the New Section in the Spring or Summer of 2017
 
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