Review of Twycross Zoo-A Conservation Charity

Founded over 60 years ago by former pet shop owners turned conservationists, Molly Badham MBE and Nathalie Evans, Twycross has transformed from a small local zoo into a vast and pioneering conseravation charity.

They’re the only UK zoo, home to four great apes: chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and gorillas who are joined by hundreds of other animals including penguins, rhinos, giraffes, a snow leopard, deer amongst others, as well as not forgetting a very famous Gruffalo and friends in the interactive Gruffalo Discovery Land which delighted my daughter, Florence, 3.

As you venture into the wood and meet Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved characters, these bedtime stories come to life with genuine owls, snakes, butterflies and more. Imaginations are sparked whilst children learn and play in the forest, with live entertainment, animal discovery zones and even a chance to become a Gruffalo ranger.

There are enchanting playgrounds dotted around the zoo to keep children of all ages entertained, including a new Wet ‘n’ Wild play park to keep cool in, along with cafes, picnic shops and fairly priced gift shops to boot, meaning you can spend all day there (although there’s so much to do and see, you’ll want to keep coming back). An annual ticket is only £19.95 providing brilliant value!

My sons, Oliver and Alexander, 15 and 12 were enthralled by the animals, marvelling at everything from stunning snakes to fluttering butterflies, beautiful zebras (who we learnt have black skin with white stripes), curious and cute meerkats and more.

The brilliantly affable and informative Meg was our tour guide, sharing facts about the animals and insight into the dedicated work of the team at Twycross Zoo who are committed to animal welfare. Meg is a conservation education team leader and it was a privilege to hear from her throughout our visit.

Twycross Zoo is home to more than 500 animals from nearly 150 species, many of which are endangered in the wild and are in conservation breeding programmes. These breeding programmes aim to preserve threatened species and create self-sustaining populations. Twycross helps to improve welfare, health care and promotes conservation, that is their purpose and the beating heart of the zoo. They’re committed to supporting high quality research at all levels too, from high school projects to post-doctorate theses and have plans afoot to encourage even more access and education for children worldwide.

And there’s more. They’ve recently launched the genius Twycross Zoo Monopoly board game we took home with us, you will love!

We adored every minute at the zoo and highly recommend a visit.

Find out more here.

We were gifted tickets but as always, my words are honest.