A great day out
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Recommendation added: 31/01/2006 23:21
By: sandemp (YSUK rating +19)sandemp has been thanked 3 times for this contribution
"As it's half term I decided to take my four little munchkins out for the day, so I asked them where they wanted to go. After much discussion it was decided that a visit to Colchester Zoo was in order, so as I could only manage two of them at a time (one is in a wheelchair and another has behavioural difficulties) I've made two trips to the zoo this week and now I'm going to tell you all about it.
---Getting There---
We live in Basildon, and although it's only 35 miles away, we had to use a total of four buses in each direction, this means that for us at least it's not very easy to get to. The worst part is the fact that the final bus between Colchester and the zoo only runs hourly, and we always seem to just miss it and have to spend 50 minutes waiting for the next one.
I've never travelled to the zoo by any other means but there are comprehensive instructions on all methods of transport on the website, including rail, road and bus. You can even get step by step printable instructions (and a map) for your road journey by simply entering the postcode you will be starting from.
---Parking---
There is a reasonably large car park, with areas for disabled and gold card holders near to the entrance along with a separate coach park. There is also a large toilet block with a good sized disabled toilet before you even enter the zoo, which means that you don't need to be waiting in a queue with your legs crossed which is a relief after a long journey I can tell you.
---The Entrance---
After we'd all emptied our bladders it was time to actually enter the zoo, and the kiosk where you pay is actually indoors which means you won't get wet if there is a long queue and it happens to be raining. We had already paid for our tickets on-line but the price "on the door" is a very reasonable 12.99 for an adult, 6.99 per child (aged 3-14), and 8.99 for a senior citizen (aged 60+). Children under three get in for free and disabled persons and their carers get in for the reduced price of 4.99 each (only one carer per disabled person).
In that as I had already paid for my tickets, queuing time was relatively short, I think we waited less than five minutes to get in, which was very reasonable.
---The Zoo Proper---
And so we finally entered the zoo and immediately the children were clammering over which animals they wanted to see first, and there was an enormous choice of different species to look at all housed in themed zones. You can either trek from one attraction to the next in a random manner, or follow the suggested easy route (which is more suitable for wheelchair users). Which ever way you choose to view the residents, it's unlikely that you will be able to see everything in one visit, I know I certainly didn't, but as I've visited twice this week I think I should be able to tell you about the highlights (and lowlights).
---The Beginning Zone---
This is probably the best place to start the tour, and it's here you will find one of my favourite primates - the Orang-Utans. These adorable sad faced creatures are well housed in a large enclosure with plenty of stimulating toys, a good platform for them to hide (I remember when one was a lot younger and spent his time cuddling a blanket). As well as the actual Orang-Utans, there are a good number of signs which hold interesting facts (did you know the reason the Orang-Utan looks so sad is because it has fewer muscles in it's face so it really can't smile). Even more fun for both young and old are the electronic interactive quizzes, even if they don't understand the questions my children have fun pressing the buttons.
* The Orang-Utans are fed at 12pm, unfortunately I managed to miss this not once but twice.
Also housed in this zone are the Lar Gibbons, which provide a great contrast with their exuberant climbing and swinging antics. They seem to housed in a reasonably sized enclosure with plenty of ropes for them to climb and swing on.
---The Aquatic Zone---
One of the highlights of this zone is the penguin pool, which can be viewed from either above or below the water. I found it fascinating watching the penguins actually swimming beneath the water and was amazed at how curious they were at the strange bipeds that were gawping at them. I'm sure they thought I was the exhibit and had been brought on for their amusement.
Whoever was the actual exhibit made no difference to the wonderful photo opportunities available, I got a great picture of a penguin swimming towards me.
*Penguins are fed at 12pm and 4.30pm and was a brilliant event to view.
Although I thought the penguins were amazing, they were actually outdone by the Sea lions in the "Playa Patagonia", which is a new attraction where you can actually walk through a tunnel that runs for 24 feet beneath the sea lion pool. We spent a good twenty minutes here as we stayed not only for the feeding display, but also for a good time afterwards as I was impressed by their grace and the children amused by trying to work out where they would appear next. Although I thought I'd be able to get some great photos here, they didn't actually turn out that good, the sea lions are just too fast, although camcorder footage was fantastic.
*Sea lions are fed at 11.30am, 1pm, 2.30am and 4pm and this is an un-missable event.
---Valley Zone---
The valley zone is home to the king of the beasts, the Lion. There are two lions, a male and a female and they are housed in a fairly impressive enclosure, although I must say that I felt that the male was quite intimidated by some of the on-lookers (there was an particularly aggressive bunch of teenage homo-sapiens who were teasing and taunting him). For my youngest son, a highlight was when the male came up and growled at him, although he jumped he thought it meant the lion liked him. Unfortunately the lioness won't be at the zoo for much longer, she has tumours on her leg that are inoperable, and the zoo is now just trying to make the rest of her life as comfortable as possible.
Once suitably impressed by the lions we moved on to the white tiger, and I was very disappointed with what I saw. This majestic beast was pacing his rather small enclosure, in a way that I'm sure I've read (or watched) means that he was in distress and bored. This was the one and only animal I saw behaving in this way, and of course I don't know his history before he arrived at the zoo.
*The Lion feed begins at 4pm (except Fridays) and then moves on to the white tiger and jaguar
---Lakelands---
In the lakelands you get the chance to watch majestic birds of prey displaying their hunting skills. Or perhaps you would prefer to watch the graceful flamingos as they paddle in the lake. Or are seals your thing, if so it's in this zone that you'll find them, but I'm afraid that my children weren't that interested in birds, and had already been amazed by the sea lions and didn't really want to struggle to see what they thought was more of the same.
*Seals are feeds are at 1pm and 4pm
---Kidz Zone---
This zone is a hands-on experience for your children (and yourself of course) all the animals here can be petted, stroked and (except for the pigs) fed. As you enter the zone you get the chance to buy a cup of food for 50p (all profits go towards the zoo running costs) and then there are a huge number of different animals to feed. These include farmyard favourites such as horses, cows and sheep and the more exotic in the form of llamas. As you move further into the zone there is a meekat enclosure with a tunnel for the children to crawl through so they can look straight into the meerkat's home. While the children crawl through the tunnel, you can go through a double gate and all of a sudden you find yourself surrounded by goats, which will try to nuzzle their way into your bags in search of food. The more nervous child can feel overwhelmed at this point, so you might find yourself making a quick exit, but before you do don't forget to clean your hands, using the alcoholic gel that is provided at several points in handy dispensers.
The kidz zone is not just about animals though, there is an activity centre, where the children can make rubbings or badges, and the Gold Valley River, where they can pan for gold for a not too badly priced 1.99 (when they've collected enough gold, they can swap it for a medal).
There is also the KD theatre, where encounter sessions are held, including a chance to touch some creepy crawly bugs, or even a snake. These sessions are actually a favourite with my children, who want to prove just how brave they are.
---African Zone---
The African zone can be split into three parts, each of which are as interesting as the others :
The first is the Spirit of Africa where all time favourites, the elephants can be found. These are not kept in a small concreted enclosure (London Zoo anyone) but instead they are allowed to wander in a huge grass enclosure, which is actually split into two sections, the larger section holds three elephants (which includes a youngster) and the smaller holds a mother and her baby. Elephant feeding time is a huge attraction, and you should always try to get there at least 15 minutes before the event. Why? Well you get the chance to actually join in and feed them.
*Elephant feeding times are 11.15am, 12.45pm, 2.15pm and 3.30pm
After checking out the elephants you really should move on to Kingdom of the Wild (Outside), which is a wonderful outdoor enclosure that houses an amazing mixed herd of vegetable munching animals. Here you will find Rhinos, zebras, ostriches, and giraffes (among others) peacefully grazing in a massive grassed area, much as they possibly would on the savannah. The rhinos are normally aloof, and keep themselves separated from the rest of the herd, but the others mix wonderfully.
*Giraffe feeding times are 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 4pm again you get the chance to actually feed them.
If you finally drag yourself away from the giraffes then you should give the inside area of the Kingdom a good look. Although there are a few less interesting animals in here, and some that are positively gross (cockroaches for example) the thing that will hit you is the smell. It positively pongs, and that's because it's here that you'll find the pygmy hippos, and they don't half whiff. Even so they are very cute, and well worth the visit, along with the Aardvarks, which are actually the first pair to successfully breed in this country and the family unit consists of mum, dad and the twins. The final really interesting group of animals here are the ones that my son christened "Timon's Friends", that is a troupe of Meerkats. These are fascinating little creatures for both young and old, and we spent a good fifteen minutes just watching them.
---The Heights---
This the final zone, contains one of the most entertaining groups of animals, which just happen to be some of our closest relatives, that is the Chimps. They have a truly massive enclosure, with not one but three separate areas. There are the sleeping quarters, where one lazy so and so could be found on our last visit, and then there are the day quarters, which is filled with toys and ropes to keep them amused on those rainy days and finally the outdoor area, with yet more toys and ropes for climbing. This seemed a particularly well designed home, and if not the best I've seen it must be nearly there.
* The chimps are fed at 5pm
Now I could go on all day telling you about the various animals, but I think I've given you enough information about the diversity of animals to whet your appetite, so I'll move on to some other aspects of the zoo.
---Amenities---
There are toilet blocks in each zone, that include a disabled toilet (no RADAR key needed), I can't talk for the gents (afraid the blokes might complain if I inspected their domain) but both the ladies and disabled toilets were clean, with plenty of toilet paper and soap in the dispenser. There were also a few baby-changing rooms available, which again I didn't use, (not having a baby there wasn't really any point, was there?)
There were several eateries dotted about the zoo, which ranged from "chips and dips" to a licensed restaurant. I've never actually eaten in them, as picnic is far more economical, but the prices seem on par with other tourist attractions. For those who like me prefer to supply their own lunch, there are plethora of picnic areas, many of them undercover, along with benches in prime locations so that you get a good view of the animals while you eat.
There used to be shops dotted around the zoo, but on my last two visits only two were open, the main "souvenir" shop that sells the standard tee-shirts, books, toys and "zoo poo" and another that sells items that were very nice, designer and out of my price range.
---Other Attractions---
As well as the animals there are a couple of train rides that are free. One is in the Kidz Zone, and is a short ride without wheelchair access, and the other takes you around the new Lemur Island, this train does have disabled access but the queue tends to be very long.
---Maintenance---
On the whole the zoo appears to be very well maintained, with several new living areas being prepared, for such animals as Komodo Dragons. But I did notice a few cracked viewing windows, which put me off a little (and is the main reason the zoo only got four stars instead of five).
---Animal Welfare---
Of course there is no way that the zoo is going to be able to perfectly match the animals original habitat, but I really feel that the majority of the animals are housed in the most humane conditions possible. I was particularly impressed with the chimps and African exhibits and felt that the zoo was doing everything possible to make the animals lives as comfortable and interesting as possible.
---Conservation---
In an ideal world there would be no need for zoos, but as more and more animals come under the threat of extinction zoos have begun to take on a role as saviours of some species. Colchester is a great example of this, there have been many successful births here and 41 of the over 200 species are part of Endangered Species Breeding Programs.
---Education---
As well as providing education packs for schools, any visitor to the zoo can't help but notice the interactive displays that inform as they amuse. There are notices giving basic information displayed near all the animal enclosures, along with little did you knows. Even at my age I left the zoo having learnt something new.
---Exercise---
The zoo is actually quite hilly, and it is very tiring to try and get round the whole place in one go, especially if pushing a wheelchair. There are also several very steep slopes where it's quite difficult to keep control when going down and a lot of effort to push the chair up. Please bear this in mind when visiting, and remember that the fact there are a few animals you can't see if you're manoeuvring a wheelchair (or large buggy for that matter) is the reason that the disabled/carer's entry fee is so greatly reduced.
---Gold/Platinum Card---
If as I did you've enjoyed your visit you can buy a card that will give you year long unlimited access to the zoo at a very reasonable price. The prices for this can be found on the website, so I'm not going to go into a great deal of detail here, except to say that as well as giving unlimited access to Colchester Zoo (Gold 1yr/Platimum 2yrs), but will also allow free entry to a few other zoos dotted around the country including Bristol, Chester, Edinburgh, Marwell, Paignton and Rotterdam. I felt this was excellent value, especially as the entry fee I had paid for the day was taken off the price.
---Opening Times---
The zoo is open every day (except for Christmas day) and is open from 9.30am to 6.30pm (July/August)/ 6pm (Easter-October) or 5pm or dusk if earlier (October-March)
---My Final Opinion---
If you've got this far congratulations, I didn't realise how long this would be when I started, but I love this zoo so much that I couldn't help myself. If given the choice between visiting this zoo or one that is placed in Regent's Park I know which I would choose. In fact I (and my children) love this zoo so much that despite the three hour bus journey to get there, I've bought Gold Cards for us all so that we can visit as often as we like throughout the year.
Having just returned from my second trip of the week, I'm tired, my children are tired, but we're all happy and have learnt something from our visit into the animal wonderland that is Colchester Zoo, and my recommendation is that if you're in the area, why don't you give it a visit, I'm sure you won't be disappointed"
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