From the cute and cuddly to the majestic and mighty, our animal experience days will definitely fit the bill to bring out the Doctor Dolittle in you.
Animal experience days make for truly unforgettable gifts, perfect for animal lovers of all ages and great gifts for kids. Whether it’s their first encounter with animals or an opportunity to deepen their connection with the natural world, these experiences offer a hands-on way to explore the wonders of wildlife.
What makes animal experience days so special is their ability to provide a personal connection with animals. Rather than simply watching them from afar, these experiences often allow you to interact, feed or even pet the animals, creating memories that last a lifetime. For children, this is a fantastic opportunity to foster empathy, curiosity and a love for nature. Imagine the joy on a child’s face as they feed a friendly farm animal or meet a meerkat for the first time!
There’s a wide variety of animal experiences to choose from, so there's something for everyone. For those who love birds, experiences such as falconry or meeting birds of prey offer a chance to get up close to these majestic creatures and learn about their incredible hunting skills. If the ocean is more their style, marine animal encounters can introduce them to dolphins, sea lions, or even turtles, providing a thrilling and educational adventure.
For those who want to discover a range of animals, a trip to a zoo or wildlife sanctuary can be a great option. Visitors can learn about animals in their natural habitats, while some sanctuaries even offer the chance to feed or care for the animals. Exotic animal encounters are also popular, where families can meet everything from sloths and meerkats to reptiles and big cats.
No matter what animals you choose, an animal experience day is a unique and meaningful gift that creates lasting memories and sparks a lifelong love for wildlife.
One of the most popular animal experiences we have at WonderDays is a very family friendly trip to the zoo, with Hoo Zoo, one of our top selling animal attractions.
The Telford zoo and ‘dinosaur park’ offers a variety of options to get up close and personal with a variety of different animals.
Our favourites include:
• Meerkat Experience sessions, with the chance to feed, play with and stroke these cute and cheeky animals
• Junior Half Day Zoo Keeper Experience
• Carnivore Combo Experience, featuring four top predators (the carnivores at Hoo Zoo are rather smaller than those at some of the various big cat sanctuaries here in the UK)
Hoo Zoo offers similar conservation and protection across a wide range of different exotic zoo animals.
A meerkat experience or more general zoo keeper experience can vary depending on the specific program and facility.
However, generally, these experiences offer a behind-the-scenes look at the daily operations and care of animals in a zoo or wildlife park.
During a meerkat experience, participants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with meerkats up close, observe their behaviour, learn about their diet and habitat and possibly even help with feeding or enrichment activities.
A zoo keeper experience, on the other hand, may involve shadowing a professional zookeeper as they go about their daily duties such as feeding and caring for animals, cleaning enclosures, providing enrichment activities, and monitoring animal health and behaviour.
Both experiences may also involve educational sessions where participants can learn about the conservation efforts of the facility and the importance of protecting and preserving wildlife.
These experiences are typically guided by trained professionals and follow strict safety protocols to ensure the well-being of both the participants and the animals.
If you're looking for other family-friendly experience days that don't necessarily involve animals, check out our full range of family experiences here.
The buying and booking was easy. Now we just wait for the experience as my son is very excited.
I cannot wait to cuddle those cows!
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