Dear All, Just got back from our holiday in the South west and managed to fit in 10 animal collections whilst down there ; )
Location wise we had a few days based in Exmouth and then nearly a week in Looe.
Sorry for the long post but here is a brief impression of each collection:
Ferne Animal Sanctuary - Ferne Animal Sanctuary - Welcome to Ferne Animal Sanctuary
A refuge for unwanted domestic and farm animals, Ferne is free to visit but they obviously hope you will make a donation. Ferne had a wonderful free and unfussy feel to it and although it covers around 50 acres is very easy and pleasant to walk around. We also visited their charity shop in Chard.
Axe Valley Wildlife Park - Axe Valley Animal Park - Home Page
This little zoo near Axminster was a a little gem. From the outside I did not have high expectations as it looked like too many enclosures were squeezed into too small an area and I also expected it to be mainly birds (sorry I prefer mammals). However every turn brought another unexpected bonus, Raccoon dogs, followed by Japanese squirrels followed by Palm civets followed by a Tree Porcupine. Great value for the £5.50 entry fee (£4 for children).
The Donkey Sanctuary - Together we can help end the suffering | The Donkey Sanctuary
This sanctuary for donkeys was much busier than Ferne and probably because of its location nearer to the holiday centres on the coast was much more geared up for visitors. It is also free to enter but it didn't grab our attention in the same way that Ferne had.
Dartmoor zoo - We Bought A Zoo - Dartmoor Zoo is the real life zoo, home to the real Benjamin Mee - A Great Day Out In Devon for you and the family - Wedding Venue in Devon - Keeper For A Day - The real Rosemoor Animal Park
So being the first big zoo of our holiday we were really looking forward to seeing the bears and big cats at Dartmoor. Unfortunately for us something did not quite work at Dartmoor. Yes it has a remote location and I understand that larger carnivores must be more expensive to keep but the upkeep of the enclosures and the signage just seemed limited. We were particarly diasppointed with the enclosure for the Silver fox. There were some interesting animals like the Lynx and Brown bears but we still drove away disappointed. Admission was £11 for adults £9 for children.
The Monkey Sanctuary - The Monkey Sanctuary
Now this small monkey sanctuary is just outside of Looe but down some very narrow lanes. Checking their website before visiting they listed 4 species of monkey, as we paid to go in (£8 adults/£5 children) we learned they only had three species (they no longer have Patas monkeys). So paying that much to see around 26 monkeys should have been frsutrating but instead it was a joy. There were two reasons for this firstly it had a very welcoming new age feel and had many interactive displays and games for children (we really enjoyed the orienteering) and secondly your admission ticket gives you membership for a year so as we were based in Looe we went back for a second visit. The three monkey species are Woolly, Barbary Macaques and Black-capped Capuchins (they were the most numerous)
Newquay zoo - Get Closer at Newquay Zoo in Cornwall.
Great day out at Newquay zoo, it really delivered on layout, enclosures, signage and a few interesting animals thrown in (Owston's civets, Kinkajous, Wildebests, Fossas). The only animal we did not see was the Fishing cat. Close to the entrance of the zoo there is an exhibit called Toad Hall and this contains around 10 amphibians and is one of the easiest places to see newts. Only gripe was the car park charge, as it is a pay and display car park you don't know how long you will need for the zoo (we went for four hours) Admission was £12.05 for adults and £9.30 for children.
Notter Bridge animal park - Home
This is a small animal collection squeezed onto a hill at the side of the A38. It doesn't look much from the roadside and is very quick to walk around but what saved it for us was a wonderfully helpful volunteer who clearly loved the animals. In between the guinea pigs, meerkats and turkeys there are some unusual animals like the albino chipmunk, Japanese squirrels and the ferrets that were awake! It was only £1 to get in but I think that is a pre-Easter price.
Wingz bird and animal sanctuary - wingzbirdsanctuary.co.uk
As mentioned above birds are not my main interest but my son loves them so we visited Wingz. Our enjoyment wasn't helped by it being the coldest and rainiest day of our holiday but there were still some highlights like the Kookaburras laughing, seeing out first cardinal bird and particularly seeing an emu sitting on several eggs. Non birds were Meerkats, Japanese white-bellied squirrels, Chipmunks (some albino), Guinea pigs, Tortoises, Wallabies, Marmosets. Admission was £6 Ad/£4 ch.
Porfell Animal Park - porfellanimalland.co.uk
Porfell is a mixed bag as some of the signage is out of date i.e. still showing Lynxes and Ocelots which they no longer have and it looks run down in places but there are still some interesting animals like the Savannah cats, Serval and Sugar Glider. There is a reconstructions of a Masai village and some nice woodland walks. There are also some question trails for children. Admission £9/£6.
Our final visit was on the way home where we were lucky enough to see that Secret World (near Highbridge) was having an open day -
Secret World Wildlife Rescue - rescue, rehabilitation and eventual release of orphaned and injured wild creatures
Secret World is a charity that specialises in the rescue, rehabilitation and eventual release of Britain’s orphaned, injured and sick wildlife and the theme of this open day was Badgers. Being Good Friday it was absolutely packed and the day had a fete like feel. The highlight was certainly seeing the baby badgers and foxes.
Ok that's it well done if you made it to the end
Thanks for all those that gave recommendations.
Any questions please feel free to ask.
