I’ve been bringing my kids to Woodlands near Dartmouth for about a decade now, at least two to three times a year.
It’s a farm/zoo park with a very dated, yet quirky & family friendly theme park based around lots of outdoor wooden playgrounds & assault type courses. It’s a couple of miles inland from Dartmouth.
The list of species of note for Zoochat includes Bennett’s Wallabies, ASC Otters*, meerkat, Cape Porcupine, Sugar glider, Egyptian fruit bat, Rhea, Llama, Caiman, Tegu, Fallow Deer, Raccoon, Luzon Cloud Rat, Coati, Spiny Mice, Eclectus and A Grey Parrots and a sulphur Cockatoo.
* The new addition since my last visit is a red brick walled enclosure for the otters. It’s one of the worst otter exhibits I’ve ever seen, which saddens me no end as there is so much space available to the owners of this lovely attraction. It’s so small I’m amazed it’s been licensed.
The nocturnal house is done really well and I got great viewings of bats, Sugar Gliders, Tortoise and Cloud Rat.
There is a good Bird of Prey area which is now managed by the Devon Bird of Prey Centre of Ipplepen Newton Abbot. This is the team that had the lease/license to lead the bird shows at Paignton Zoo for many years. It’s the usual barn type set up with small holding aviaries for Hooded Vulture, Raven, Northern Goshawk (a treat!), Boobok, Burrowing, Barn, Eagle, Snowy & Tawny Owls, plus two species of Caracara, and numerous mixed bred falcons.
Overall, there is enough to warrant a visit if you have small kids.
It’s a farm/zoo park with a very dated, yet quirky & family friendly theme park based around lots of outdoor wooden playgrounds & assault type courses. It’s a couple of miles inland from Dartmouth.
The list of species of note for Zoochat includes Bennett’s Wallabies, ASC Otters*, meerkat, Cape Porcupine, Sugar glider, Egyptian fruit bat, Rhea, Llama, Caiman, Tegu, Fallow Deer, Raccoon, Luzon Cloud Rat, Coati, Spiny Mice, Eclectus and A Grey Parrots and a sulphur Cockatoo.
* The new addition since my last visit is a red brick walled enclosure for the otters. It’s one of the worst otter exhibits I’ve ever seen, which saddens me no end as there is so much space available to the owners of this lovely attraction. It’s so small I’m amazed it’s been licensed.
The nocturnal house is done really well and I got great viewings of bats, Sugar Gliders, Tortoise and Cloud Rat.
There is a good Bird of Prey area which is now managed by the Devon Bird of Prey Centre of Ipplepen Newton Abbot. This is the team that had the lease/license to lead the bird shows at Paignton Zoo for many years. It’s the usual barn type set up with small holding aviaries for Hooded Vulture, Raven, Northern Goshawk (a treat!), Boobok, Burrowing, Barn, Eagle, Snowy & Tawny Owls, plus two species of Caracara, and numerous mixed bred falcons.
Overall, there is enough to warrant a visit if you have small kids.
