Once in a Wildlife: Family Days out for Animal Lovers

Has it been too long since your last family trip out? There are plenty of options across the country for animal-lovers. Whether you’re into your crocs or your camels, you can find them all in the UK, without booking a flight ticket.

Longleat Safari Park

First of its kind, outside of Africa, Longleat Safari Park has been open since 1966. This ground-breaking safari park gets its name from the wonderful Longleat House – a fine example of Elizabethan architecture that still stands today, and one of the most beautiful stately homes in the UK. Other than the exotic animals you can find in the safari park, you can really make a day of it by visiting all fifteen attractions on offer.

Chester Zoo

Proclaimed one of the top 15 zoos in the world, Chester Zoo is conservation-focused, and with 11,000 animals to discover, you’ll have to come back another day just to say you’ve seen it all. With 100% of your donations going directly to animals struggling in the wild, it’s well worth digging deep to help these beautiful and endangered creatures.

Knowsley Safari Park

Knowsley Safari Park can boast one of the most majestic and endangered herds in the animal kingdom – the Pere David’s deer went officially extinct in the wild, and have been successfully reintroduced in China. This is another safari park that’s based in the grounds of a stately home. Knowsley Hall dates back to 1385 and was recently used as the set of Coronation Street’s Christmas Special!

Edinburgh Zoo

Situated in one of the most beautiful cities in the UK, Edinburgh zoo must be pretty chilly for some of the more exotic animals. Nevertheless, it still stands as one of the leading centers of conservation, research, and education. Safari rides are available and you’ll get an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the animals.

After you’ve finished marveling at the 1,000 rare and endangered creatures, you can head over to Edinburgh castle for another Scottish attraction. They’re even open on Christmas Day!

ZSL London Zoo

With 90% of people willing to recommend London Zoo, they hardly need to promote themselves. You can grab yourself a milkshake outside Penguin Beach and head on down to the Reindeer enclosure – who ever said you needed to travel to Lapland to meet Rudolf? London Zoo is great for days out with the kids during the festive season.

Howletts Wild Animal Park

One of the most popular animals at Howletts, the Canadian Timber Wolf is a wild dog that’s played its part in legend for hundreds of years. Misunderstood and hunted by man since time immemorial. In the UK, wolves were exceptionally numerous in the Roman and Saxon period. Yet, this beautiful animal was driven to extinction by deforestation and a bounty system. By the reign of King Henry VII, it’s generally thought that wolves had been exterminated. But the beautiful wolves in Howletts are still very much living, so come and visit them today.

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