Anyone who knows me even reasonably well will know I am a massive animal lover, especially for cats. So if a zoo is on the proverbial cards, I'm there. As part of our groupon to the Isle of Wight we visited the local zoo.
It's kind of teeny tiny, but it is truly lovely. I think what makes it is the keepers and guides who are honestly so friendly and happy to talk. Out tour guide Georgie was just so lovely and so informative and you can see the love, care and dedication the staff have for their animals, which is very humbling.
Yes perhaps run down in places, BUT all the animals appear happy, chilled, safe and healthy, or at the very least cared for as some of the animals are quite old in age so are developing typical ailments due to ageing.
Plus for such a little zoo they have an outstanding collection of big cats, with more rescues from circuses due soon. We were able to hear the tigers 'talk' and chuff and the resident African lion have dinner - from the top of a tree.
We spent an entire afternoon wandering around enjoying really personal talks and laughing at the Meerkats. The work here is great and they support some amazing conservation projects abroad to help lemurs and Indian tigers.
^^a huge thank you to Georgie who took these photos for me through the bars of their enclosure... aren't these tigers just stunning!^^
Very beautiful animals! I just love meerkats! They're so cute.
ReplyDeleteRenee | Lose The Road