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Feature
Park
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PARADISE
WILDLIFE PARK - HERTFORDSHIRE
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 If
we had to sum up Paradise Wildlife Park in one sentence it would be "unique,
educational, exciting and fun". The park might be smaller in size compared
to some other wildlife parks, but they have proved that it doesn't take
miles of land to make a good wildlife park, but what it does take is a
care for their animals and a care for their visitors. Set in the beautiful
Hertfordshire countryside the park is a friendly, family run leisure park
offering something for everyone. |
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Animals
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 Its
plain to see that the staff's main concern is the welfare of their animals.
Unlike some parks where you don't see staff very often, at Paradise you
can always see members of staff around the park who are very alert and
aware of what's going on in the animal enclosures. We first noticed this
when on a hot day a Red Panda was not sitting up in the shade of a tree
(like her companion) but instead was walking around the ground of her
enclosure. A zookeper happened to notice this as she walked by and it
wasn't long before there were three of them making sure the Red Panda
was ok, checking her food and water and checking the red panda's general
wellbeing. The little furry creature was just hot, but how comforting
to see that the zookeepers, whilst getting on with their daily chores,
were still aware of the animals welfare.
If you like to touch animals you will love your day at Paradise as you
can actually touch and feed the Paddock animals. Freshly chopped vegetables
are sold at little kiosks around the park, with a big bag costing a £1,
or a cup for just 30p. We found ourselves feeding camels, zebras and reindeer
aswell as the farmyard animals. I think we enjoyed feeding the animals
as much as they did! Zebras are such beautiful animals and it is lovely
to be able to feed and stroke them at the park.
Tiger Lodge is home to three Bengal tigers and two Siberian Tigers. We
were amazed at how close we were able to get to these magnificent big
cats. So close infact that there is even a sign saying "Beware of raised
tails", and yes as sure as the sign stated, as we were watching the tigers
one of them decided to turn around, raise his tail and spray in our direction!
Now that's an experience you won't encounter at any other park! Interesting
tiger talks are held throughout the day. We met Brian the head cat-keeper
who was very helpful, and always happy to answer any questions we had.
It's things like this that make Paradise so unique.
 Cheetah
Retreat is home to two female Cheetahs that arrived from Marwell Zoo.
They are called Xani and Kizi, both are just over a year old, and are
part of an EEP breeding program. It's not very often that you get to see
Cheetahs so seeing them this close was a real treat.
The Lion Enclosure houses two lions. It is fascinating to view these big
beasts from the high viewing platform, looking over the lions as they
ate their food just given to them by the zookeeper Nick and then listen
to him hold a talk on the lions.
 Other
attractions to see are the Squirrel Monkey Island, Reptile House where
you can touch an iguana, the Farmyard where you can pet and feed more
animals. Other animals to see include wolves, lemurs, tapirs, wallabies,
rheas, red deer, ponies, raccoons, foxes, Birds of Prey and more.
Paradise Wildlife Park pride themselves on friendly and helpful staff.
Whichever part of the park you are in you will always someone who is helpful
and ready to answer your questions on the littlest of creatures such as
the chipmunks to the biggest such as the tigers and lions. We learnt so
much about the animals such as what they eat and how they are looked after.
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Other
Attractions
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 There
aren't just animals to see at Paradise. Kids will always find something
fun to do! The park has the world's largest inflatable paddling pool,
over 40ft across. There are lots of picnic tables and benches around
the pool for the grown ups to sit and take a rest too
Free rides include Tractor and Trailer ride (a great way to get around
the park), Children's Roundabout, Snake Slide, Children's Funland, Fantasyland,
Roller Racers, Loopy Karts, Pirate's Cove, Indoor Play Area and Fruit
Pastilles Bouncy Castle and look out for Safari Sam and Pants the Pirate
walking round the park.
There is also the Woodland Railway, Crazy Golf, Pony Rides and Gold
Panning for a small additional fee.
Unfortunately we didn't manage to fit in all the daily events (there
are so many!), but these include Meet the Reptiles, Meet the Meerkats,
Parrots in Space, Wolf Talk, Big Bug Show, Rainforest Experience, Big
Cat Talk, Birds of Paradise and Meet the Red Pandas.
We were happy to see so many picnic / rest areas around the park. It
is nice to have somewhere to take a rest and we never had to walk far
to find a picnic table, or a snack cabin for an ice-cream.
Safari Sams Diner is the main eating area with an indoor and outdoor
eating area. There are also outlets around the park including The Smarties
Bar, Snakeroos, and The Dog House.
Facilities are clean and have disabled access. The toilets were always
clean and even played music in them! What more could you ask for?
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Animal
Activities
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| Paradise offers some
unique lifetime opportunities such as Feeding the Big Cats, Walk the Wolf
and Shadow a Keeper. Each experience is amazing and a must if you love
animals. |
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Feed
the Big Cats
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 If
you are looking for a truly unique experience, for a small fee of £40
you can feed the Big Cats by hand from outside their enclosure. We fed
Rocky a 3 year old male weighing 32 stones and standing at 7' 6" when
on his hind legs.
 Words
cannot describe the experience - to be so close to such a magnificent
animal is amazing. And if nerves get the better of you (like they did
with me!) the zookeepers are very friendly and helpful. We were with Brian
and he told me we had nothing to be afraid of and showed us how it was
done first. You get a photo and a certificate at the end of it as a memory
of your fantastic experience.
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Walk
the Wolf
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Wolf Walks are either in the morning between 8.30am or in the afternoon
between 5.15pm and 6.30pm with up to 4 people per session. You will get
to walk with the 2 wolves Luana and Tatra in the woodland areas. The walks
last for approx 45 mins to 1 hour. Staff are on hand to take any photos
you may wish to be taken. The cost for the wolf walk is £50 per person,
admission to the park is included. |
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Shadow
a Keeper
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 Paradise
offers you the chance to be a keeper for a day. You will experience all
aspects of animal care - cleaning, feeding, food preparation, walking
animals, helping out at the daily events and more (the only section you
won't become involved in will be the Big Cats and Wolves). The day includes
lunch in Safari Sams and a presentation certificate as a memento of a
day you will always remember. |
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Conclusion
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In
short, Paradise Wildlife Park is great.
Take the whole
family and you couldn't ask for a better day out.
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