Welcome to your online guide to visiting the world of wildlife!
Logo Discover Animals - Retina

Sign up to the Discover Animals newsletter:

Walking with alpacas

Geoff Moore visits Cary Alpacas in Yeovil for Discover Animals to find out how retired Navy wren and prison officer Kim Williams went about setting up her farm. Realising the pleasure that visiting the alpacas gave to people, she decided to focus on offering two-hour experiences, including a chance to walk with them, to anyone … Read more

A visit to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary

Geoff Moore, our roving reporter, speaks with the team at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary about the important work being done to rehabilitate seals found on the southwest coast. We also learn about a typical day at the centre located in Gweek, Cornwall, and what to do if anyone comes across a seal pup on the … Read more

A walk on the wild side at Paignton Zoo

Ashleigh Ridler from the Discover Animals team enjoyed a day out at the zoo last week and shares her experience here: Located in Devon, Paignton Zoo is one of the South West’s most exciting visitor attractions. It’s a place to roam, discover and get in touch with your inner animal. With over 2,500 animals across … Read more

A day out at Kent’s Port Lympne Reserve

We chose a beautiful sunny day in August to take the kids to Port Lympne wildlife park in Kent and enjoyed a great day out visiting some rare and endangered animals from around the world. Our tickets, booked in advance as required, allow visitors to choose half-hour arrival slots to ensure social distancing is maintained from … Read more

A visit to the Isle of Wight’s Monkey Haven

During a recent trip to the Isle of Wight, I visited Monkey Haven with my daughter – an award-winning animal sanctuary with charity status located a short drive from the island’s centre of Newport. On arrival, we were welcomed by friendly staff who handed us an activity booklet, packed full of fascinating facts and a … Read more

A visit to Monkey World Dorset

GTO’s Sarah Jeffery recently visited Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day, the rescue centre has assisted governments around the world to stop the smuggling of primates from the wild since it was set up by Jim Cronin in 1987. Monkey World was originally created to … Read more

Wildlife in the Cotswolds

As part of a recent holiday to the Cotswolds, Discover Animals’ Editorial Director Abbe Bates paid a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens in Burford with her family. The 160-acre site is a mix of beautiful landscaped gardens and parkland, animal enclosures, aviaries, insect and reptile houses, farmyard, and adventure playgrounds. Its beginnings … Read more

A visit to Chimpanzee Eden at Twycross

Val Baynton from the Discover Animals team was invited to the official launch of Chimpanzee Eden at Twycross Zoo last month, and tells us more about her visit here. The first five years of a 25-year plan, which will see £55million invested in improving the infrastructure at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, has been completed with … Read more

Marwell’s spectacular new Tropical House revealed

Marwell Zoo in Hampshire unveiled its spectacular new ‘Energy for Life’ Tropical House this week and I attended a preview to experience this sustainable, ground breaking project for myself. Costing £8m to build and constructed using the same state-of-the-art technology as the Eden Project, the new exhibit is housed under a huge curved roof spanning two levels, … Read more

A day out at Drusillas Park

We visited Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex on a beautiful, sunny half-term day, which made for a perfect family outing. My eight-year-old daughter had been very excited at the idea of seeing lots of animals, especially the cotton-top tamarins and their new babies, who were easy to spot clinging to their mothers’ back. A handy animal spotter … Read more

A visit to Raystede Animal Sanctuary Sussex

Raystede is an animal charity and welfare centre based in Ringmer, East Sussex. Relying entirely on donations, the sanctuary rescue, shelter and re-home unwanted and abandoned animals. I recently visited Raystede to see how the centre operates its 43 acre site. Open to the public, the centre houses many animals, including goats, rabbits, dogs, cats … Read more

West Midland Safari win top attraction award

Discover Animals were proud sponsors of the Best Animal or Sea Life Attraction at the Group Travel Awards which took place on Friday 2nd June at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London. The annual award ceremony celebrates the very best in the group travel industry and this event was particularly special as it marked 21 years … Read more

Up close at Longleat

Sarah Jeffery from the Discover Animals team recently spent a day exploring Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire with her daughter Caitlin. It had been a few years since the pair last visited, so they were excited to see what was new. ‘Marvellous Monsters’ is a new outdoor exhibition for 2017 and features 20 larger-than-life animatronic … Read more

A VIP day out at West Midland Safari Park

Sarah Jeffery of the Discover Animals team was recently invited to attend a special VIP Experience Tour with her family at West Midland Safari & Leisure Park in Bewdley, Worcestershire. The park’s VIP Tours are a unique treat for animal lovers that want to see what goes on behind the scenes. Accompanied by Dave Higgin, … Read more

Play and learn at Drusillas

I was able to make a return visit to Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex, recently with my family. There is so much to do there for a full day out, I am always very impressed. With my son Herbie always interested in the animals on show, we were able to use the Animal Spotter Books that can … Read more

Jurassic seas in Brighton

The world’s oldest operating aquarium – Sea Life Brighton – recently opened a new feature, Jurassic Seas, looking at the underwater age of the dinosaurs, and I was pleased to be invited to the press launch with my husband, Rich, and son, Herbie. The new section is part of the ongoing £10 million refurbishment project … Read more

Taking flight at Leeds Castle

I was lucky enough to meet Pringle the Tawny Owl from Leeds Castle’s falconry on my visit to this year’s Excursions, the annual group travel exhibition held at London’s Alexandra Palace. Found in England, Scotland and Wales, Tawny Owls are responsible for the characteristic courtship ‘twit-twooo’, which is actually a duet between male and females. … Read more

Have you ever heard of a ‘walker’ shark?

I visited the French National Sealife Centre, Nausicaa, in Boulogne and was introduced on a back stage tour with keeper Simon Becue to a ‘walker’ shark.  Actually called epaulette sharks, they get their nickname from the way they ‘walk’ along the sea bed by wriggling their bodies and pushing with their fins rather than swimming. The … Read more

Borneo adventures

Rebecca at Mount Kinabalu

On my summer holidays, I travelled to South East Asia to conquer Malaysian Borneo’s mighty Mount Kinabalu and explore the unique and beautiful wildlife of the island. After flying into the city of Kota Kinabalu, I headed to Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,095 metres is the highest … Read more

Got to taste some of ZSL London Zoo’s Butter Fudge recently. It’s palm oil free, which is good news as there’s been a lot of controversy recently over palm oil use. It is the most popular vegetable oil used in one in 10 supermarket products but comes from large plantations that grow in the same areas where … Read more