Longleat’s animals see themselves in a new light

A selection of Longleat’s safari animals came face to face with their Chinese lantern counterparts recently.

The Wiltshire attraction is currently staging its spectacular Festival of Light outdoor event which features thousands of illuminated artworks.

Alongside figures from Chinese history, myth and legend; including emperors, soldiers from the terracotta army and a giant dragon boat, the team of Chinese designers also created their own version of Longleat’s famous Safari residents.

Keepers were so impressed they decided to see how the real lions, zebras and monkeys reacted to their silk recreations.

Longleat’s Steve Mytton said: “The Chinese artists spent a long time studying the various animals to try and get them just right so it was fascinating to see how they compared in real life.

“The zebra was particularly impressive and really blended in with the rest of the herd. Our male lions were less sure of their female lookalike and were particularly surprised when she fell over as soon as they touched her.

“Surprisingly our macaque monkeys, which are usually extremely confident and inquisitive, were quite puzzled by their silk cousins.

“We thought that it would only be a matter of time before they jumped on them but they actually kept their distance and perhaps they have finally met their match,” he added.

The Festival of Light, which runs throughout Christmas and in to the New Year, features 23,000 individual lanterns, alongside a twenty-metre-tall Porcelain Pagoda made out of 80,000 porcelain cups, bowls and plates.

Among the other extraordinary artworks is a 50-metre-long floating dragon boat, a 20-metre-tall pagoda made up of 80,000 pieces of porcelain, the Chinese zodiac and a stunning recreation of the famous terracotta army.

The Festival of Light runs daily from 11^th December – 3^rd January. Pre-booking in advance recommended.

For more information and to book online visit www.longleat.co.uk.