Twycross Zoo: By Priti Draper
Over the recent Easter break, I had the pleasure of visiting Twycross Zoo in Atherstone. It was a 30 minute journey from Birmingham and my family and I were lucky that the sun was out in all its glory! The zoo was super busy but with ample free parking and pushchair accessibility it was an easy adventure throughout.
Set in a vast open space in the country were acres of well landscaped greenery and with over 500 animals to see, we arrived just after lunch and stayed until closing. The zoo is a registered charity which is dedicated to animal conservations, environmental preservation and public education. It supports worldwide projects helping safeguard against extinction of breeds and protecting animals in the wild. It was evident for the benches commemorating loved ones to the knowledgeable and happy nature of the staff that this attraction is making a difference.
The zoo provides visitors with the chance to adopt and animal as well as allowing children and adults to learn what it is like to be a zoo keeper. You can even attend photography workshops if you are passionate about wildlife photography.
The zoo has various outdoor play areas and a massive indoor soft play to keep the children busy! There are independent cafes and food stalls catering to every diet and plenty of changing areas and bathroom facilities.
The zoos main allure for me was the beautiful giraffe and elephant enclosures. The animals had a good amount of space to roam and were just mesmerising to watch. As you would expect, there were all types of animals from meerkats to orang-utans, monkeys to birds of prey. As it was Easter there was an egg hunt for the kids to participate in, and special discounted prices.
The butterfly walk was especially memorable. The temperature inside was tropical and with butterflies landing on oneself and the foliage, it made for great Instagram snaps! (And did I mention the free wifi?) The zoo’s babies (new arrivals) included twin snow leopards and a baby gorilla. It was fantastic to observe these not so little ones with their mothers and family.
My daughters found the whole experience just magical. Even the gift shop was enlightening, not only was there a huge selection of books and souvenirs, but also by purchasing ‘because I’m a girl’ soft toys at the shop, money raised from these helps towards underprivileged girls in Nepal receive and education. (www.wesupportplan.org) to me this illustrated the zoo’s compassion.
The visitor’s reception’s wall was adorned with Biaza (the governing body for zoos) plaques highlighting Twycross zoo’s achievements and awards. Notably “Team of the Year” and “Best Education Project” for schools and welfare brilliance of the animals.
People often think that zoo’s are preventing animals from being in their natural habitat, and although this is true, Twycross zoo showed me and my family that it is doing so much to ensure the sustainability of species and long term conservation, educating and empowering future generations and continuously improving its offering through workshops, experiences and seasonal events. Keep a look out on the website for their forthcoming attraction “chimp eden”! And if you are looking for an unusual venue space to hire, look no further. Twycross zoo is so much more than a zoo and I would recommend a visit for and exciting day out.
Priti Draper
