Tea with tigers
Do you remember the tiger that came for tea? He ate all the food at Sophie’s house, drank all the water from the taps, and then left to never be seen again. Now the tigers invite you to join them for tea, and the good news is that there is plenty of food for everyone. At Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, visitors can have afternoon tea at the Treetops Café after enjoying a special guided tour with a member of the park’s cat team. The team will provide interesting information about tigers (did you know their fur is striped just like their fur?) And will also answer any questions about tigers you may have. You can then walk the Big Cat Walk to get some souvenir snapshots of these majestic cats before exploring the rest of the park.
Walk with wolves
If you’ve ever wanted to get up close to a wolf, this is your chance. On the outskirts of Reading, UK Wolf Conservation Trust volunteers head out into the surrounding countryside with two adult wolves on metal leashes in front of them. The Foundation owns the surrounding field; you must take precautions to ensure that the wolves do not meet any dogs. Larger canines often like to play fight, a fight that could be potentially fatal to them when facing a wolf with bare teeth. During the hike, there are plenty of photo opportunities and visitors may even get a chance to pet the wolves, not like you would a dog. Wolves must be petted on the lower part of your stomach for you to submit to them.
Meet the meerkats
Not everyone likes their wild, well, wild animals. If you are interested in meeting some of the cutest creatures in Africa, there are several experiences that allow you to get up close and personal with meerkats, whether in Hertfordshire, Chester or Preston. Although experiences differ from place to place, most experiences will have you chatting with members of the meerkat team and preparing lunch for the meerkats. When you walk into their pen spraying food, you’ll see that naturally curious meerkats are more than happy to show up and say hello. Once you have met the meerkats, you can take a walk through the rest of the safari park and meet the rest of the animals.
Whatever type of animal you like, you are sure to find an animal experience to suit your needs. So before you start planning exotic trips to experience your favorite animal first-hand, why not look at the experiences available closer to home?