I was invited out for the day with my friend, her husband, her friend who I had never met and her daughter who was 3. I don't get out much so jumped at the chance. I had previously been to the Cotswold Wildlife Park but not since a school trip when I was at primary school. So I knew that I'd not remember any of it so it would be a good day out.
The Cotswold Wildlife Park is 2 miles from Burford on the A361. It is easy to find and there are plenty of brown signposts pointing you in the right direction. Those coming further afield than me would need to know it is off the A40 half way between Oxford and Cheltenham.
On entering the park you pay at a kiosk. When we arrived there was a bit of a queue but at least you're sat down! Once you have paid you can then park. We were lucky, as we got there not long after it had opened and we managed to park in the tarmac car park. They have an overflow car park, which is grass, but there weren't many cars there throughout the day. I'd imagine that during the summer and at half term this wouldn't be the case. We went at the beginning of June and had just missed half term I was told.
Once we had parked and met up with my friend's friend and daughter we decided going to the toilet would be the first port of call. Just by the car park there is a toilet along with some shops so that was handy. Those of you with small children (or weak bladders!) will be glad to know there are plenty of toilets dotted around the Wildlife Park. I counted 3 but after checking for this review there are in fact 4 toilet blocks.
***The Walled Garden***
Then we decided to head off towards the Walled Garden. This area is surrounded by a wall, no surprises there then! The reason for heading over this area first was this was where the penguins were and it was feeding time soon (11am and 4pm for those who are interested). We were a bit early so we had a look at them for a while and then decided to investigate some of the animals first before going back to see them get fed. When we did come back to see the penguins there was a huge crowd of children. The penguins were excited so they must associate the crowd with getting fed. The chap feeding the penguins was hooked up to a microphone and he told us all a few penguin facts. This was interesting but I don't remember them all. One that I do remember is that the species they have come from South America.
We went to the meerkats but they were well hidden so we didn't see them straight away. It was a hot day so they were asleep and cuddled up in a bundle when we saw them eventually. I have seen them in
TV programmes where they stand up on their hind legs and looking but we saw none of that!
The otters were adorable. As soon as they saw us approaching they ran over to us and loved the attention. I'm sure they were posing when they saw us trying to take pictures. They seemed to enjoy the hot weather and were running about and jumping in and out of the water that was in their pen area.
Inside the Walled Garden is a Tropical House, which provides a home to a few strange looking birds. I had no idea what they were but a quick look on the website tells me they were Crowned Pigeons. There were others but I can't tell what they were as no picture was provided of all the birds. The sloth is well worth going in to see although they don't do anything. I over heard someone who worked for the Park say they had been popular since Ice Age and Sid the Sloth.
For those that like parrots there were a couple of Macaws here. When we were looking at them a group of children were having a talk by someone that worked there. He was saying the reason they are brightly coloured was to attract the opposite sex.
There were various other animals and birds in this section such as lemurs and mongooses. They were asleep though. I'm assuming this is because it was a very hot day.
***Pheasant Aviaries***
This section is in a very shaded section of the park. Although I have no real interest in pheasants we did look around them all as we were so glad of it being so cool. It was so shaded by the trees is was dark. If only there had been a bench I said to my friend and we would have stayed there a bit longer! There were various different species of pheasants and I learnt that there is a difference between the male and females (apart from the obvious!) The males tend to be brightly coloured (like the parrots to attract the opposite sex) and the females were mostly a dull brown colour.
***Birds of Prey***
We spent ages looking at the owls as they are so cute. There were several different species (e.g. the Spectacled Owl and the Brown Wood Owl) as with most of the other animals. In one cage they had what looked like Mum, Dad and a chick. The chick was near the front of the cage and it was watching us. One of the parents was very unsettled at this and was protecting it, which I thought was sweet. For those that are queasy they do feed them things like mice and we saw many dead and half-eaten small mammals in with the owls. It didn't bother me but I'm sure this could upset small children who have something like a mouse or a gerbil as a pet!
There was also a huge aviary with vultures but we never stopped to look as we all agreed they were ugly looking!
***Primates***
Located in several areas of the park you'll find lemurs, gibbons and monkeys. As mentioned earlier the lemurs are featured in the Walled Garden. The Gibbons are near the restaurant and were swinging about from the branches and the ropenets they had in their enclosure. I saw the Spider Monkeys several times as we had to pass them more than once and we found ourselves watching them for quite some time.
***Big Cats***
Cats are my favourite animals but this section was a bit disappointing really. They have an Amur Leopard, which is rare. There are only thought to be less that 200 left in the wild which is sad. We almost didn't spot it as it was high up on a platform on a tree. The same happened with the Lion (Asiatic). They are in such huge enclosures it was like playing Where's Wally. To be fair to the park both the enclosures were large enough for the cats. In the lions one there was loads of long grass for it to hide in. It was sprawled out at the back sleeping in the sun though. Both the leopard and the lion are in their captive breeding programmes along with 20 other animals. This has been set up to ensure that certain animals don't become extinct and to keep the numbers of the particular breed in safe numbers.
*** Larger Enclosures***
There are much bigger areas for some of the larger animals. The largest section of the park is in fact for the rhinos and zebras (unless you count the car park!) There were also bigger sections for ostriches, emus and the camels. With the camels we noticed one was inside its house. There was a sign describing two different species of camels, one from somewhere cold (sorry I forget where) and the Bactrian Camel from warmer climates. So we guessed that either the camel was shut in the house to keep it cool (if it wasn't used to the heat) or it could have possibly been ill or pregnant as my friend guessed. They also had some Giant Tortoises which were HUGE! I have taken a picture but it isn't obvious how big it really is. I was really surprised how quick they were moving as well.
***Children's Farmyard***
This area is great for kids and those who love to handle animals. When we went the goats were the only ones that you were really able to touch. Be warned though as my friend approached one from behind it farted and then proceeded to have a poo! This was amusing but had she been any closer then I don't think she would have agreed! This was all in an open area where they could move around freely. Enclosed were things like rabbits and guinea pigs and there was a huge pig as well but I forget what breed he was. Also dotted around were enclosures with carious
Pictures of Cotswold Wildlife Park
Penguins
types of goats, llamas and Shetland Ponies. As you enter and leave the Farmyard there is a sink where you can wash your hands if indeed you have touched them.***Insects***
There is an Insect House next to the children's playground. Inside you'll find many insects from ants, stick insects, worms, scorpions and spiders. We had a good look but for those that find Tarantulas and other creepy crawlies disturbing then you might want to miss this bit out!
***Reptiles and Amphibians***
Next to the Insect House is the bats and the Reptile House. In the Reptile you'll find plenty of snakes, crocodiles, lizards and frogs. As with the Insect House these areas are quite dark so your eyes take a while to adapt. I found going from being outside on such a bright day to the dark quite disorientating at times. On a duller day I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem though.
*** Narrow-Gauge Railway***
There is a train that runs around the park. I personally didn't go on this but I did notice that it cost £1 for an adult and 50p for children. It did look like fun and it would be hard to say no if you had children with you. According to the website this only runs from April to October and is weather permitting.
***Playground***
The Adventure Playground is great. It has plenty of things as well so children won't get bored. They have swings, a slide, seesaw and even a carousel, which was operating when we were there. There are plenty of benches to have a picnic on and for the adults to sit on and relax. The playground is located near the restaurant and has a huge lawn where you can sit and have a picnic if the weather is nice enough.
Many people take a picnic with them and this is exactly what we did. There are plenty of picnic areas throughout the park and you have easy access to your car which means you don't have to carry your food around with you, which I thought, was nice. They do have a restaurant, which sells hot food as well as sandwiches. We popped in for a cold drink and an ice cream and it looked clean and nice enough although it was very empty.
***Prices***
It costs £9 for adults, £6.50 for Senior Citizens and Children (ages 3-16). Under 3s are free. Season tickets are available and can be bought on the day and then are valid for a year from that day. This would only work out cheap if you went more than a few times, as the adult price is £45. I won't list all the prices as these can be found on the website and it is likely that they could change over time.
Guidebooks are available as you enter and at the gift shop at a cost of £2.
***Opening times***
The park opens every day from 10am and is only closed on Christmas Day.
***What did I think?***
I enjoyed myself and I really do recommend it to those with children. That's not to say you don't need to have children to enjoy yourself here though. It is more family orientated though and there does tend to be a lot of school trips here as well. The park is spread over 160 acres so it can be tiring for those little legs. It is spread out rather well and you don't really realise how much walking you have done. The train is good for that though as you could hop on it to get back if you were feeling tired.
The animals were all really nice and I was surprised at how many they actually had. Most the enclosures were large enough for the animals but I did feel sorry for the cheetah. There are plenty of information boards about the animals so you can learn bits about them all even if you don't remember half of it like me!
The park does have a good captive breeding system going on as well. They have had plenty of births and if there has been they put a sign up so you can look out for any of the young. There is further information about their conservation on their website and you can also adopt animals from the website as well. So those interested about the well being of the animals in the park can look there for further information. They do take good care of the animals and those of you that are anti zoos will be glad to see that they do have enough room.
Another thing worth mentioning is that dogs are allowed around most the park as long as they are kept on a lead. I noticed an area where they had a tap and water bowls so anyone with a dog could make sure it had plenty to drink. There are a few sections dogs aren't allowed (such as the Children's Farmyard) but this is well sign-posted.
The park is wheelchair and pushchair friendly as well. It is mostly flat so it is easy to get around. Wheelchairs are available which are free of charge which I thought was rather good.
For further info:
www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk
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Jun 21st, 2006
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