Last weekend Mark and I took the boys for a day out to Hamerton ZooHamerton Zoo. We were offered tickets in exchange for a review and we were excited to go and see all the animals. The thing with Hamerton Zoo is it is constantly being upgraded and enclosures were being built all the time. I have been taking my family here for about 15 years, ever since bringing my nephew (now 18) for the first time! Although the layout hasn’t changed much, a lot has.
Hamerton Zoo
Hamerton Zoo is around a 20/25 minute drive from Peterborough. There are all sorts of animals from Tigers to Meerkats, to Kookaburra and Wallabies. Our favourites, however, are the Lar Gibbons and Ring-Tailed Lemurs, the boys and I can spend ages just sitting there and watching them. In fact, that was one of the first enclosures the boys said they wanted to go and see.
The Animals
Hamerton Zoo is home to hundreds of animals from birds to Tigers. We spent a lot of our time watching the Lar Gibbons and we could have spent a lot longer there had the weather been nicer.
Another favourite is the Tigers. They have a great enclosure which includes a waterfall! There are currently 2 Malaysian (orange) tigers and 2 Bengal (white) tigers.
It isn’t a visit to the zoo without seeing Meerkats. They are my favourite animals and I love just watching them. Currently, there are 2 ‘gangs’ of Meerkats in 2 separate enclosures.
One of the oldest residents of Hamerton Zoo is the tortoise.
Hamerton Zoo is also home to Cheetahs. The fastest animal on the planet! Usually when we visit they are either sunbathing or resting in the far corner so we can’t see them. This time, this Cheetah was happily playing with a log and rolling around, just like a cat would!
I couldn’t leave the animal section without a mention to the new baby donkey which was born earlier in the month. It was lovely to see both mum and foal together, grazing.
There have been a few babies born so far this year, one of the camels gave birth and an egg from an endangered Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture hatched!
These are just a small selection of animals! There are snakes, owls, birds, foxes, a variety of small cats, marsupials, and lots more.
New enclosures and building work
As it had been a while since our last visit Mark and I were both keen to see what had changed. From the entrance it didn’t appear anything had, however as we made our way around, we saw building work and new enclosures. One of the biggest changes (and there were a couple) was the addition of the “Outback Aviary”. The boys loved walking through and seeing the birds free to fly around. We stood and watched the zebra finches eating their seeds and then fly around.
There was also a lot of signs of building work as we made our way around. The cafe/shop is getting an upgrade and there were storage containers in the middle of the zoo. I was excited to see what was to become of some building work which was being built opposite the Anteater enclosure, however, it appears unfinished. I always love signs of building work as it tends to mean improvements and bigger/better enclosures and that is always a winner.
Tiger Express Railway
During our trip, we were also given tickets to ride the Tiger Express Railroad. At £2 per person, I was keen to see whether it was value for money or not and to be completely honest, as an adult I wasn’t all that impressed. However, and a big, however, the boys loved it! all 3 of them were smiling all the way around and cheesy music which played was rather addictive. For us, it would have cost £10 for a ride around half the zoo and it wouldn’t be something that I would do regularly. As a one of treat every now and again then I would as the boys seriously loved it!
Renewable energy
For me, one of the biggest positives for the park is its use of renewable energy. I always try to live more sustainable, so it is refreshing to see a wildlife park do the same. Hamerton Zoo is run completely on renewable energy from their solar panels and wind turbines.
“Stroll-a-Safari”
It wouldn’t be a trip to Hamerton Zoo without a visit to the “stroll-a-safari”. It is always a winner and an opportunity to feed the goats. The feed costs 20p and uses a dispenser to dispense it, so you need to make sure you have a 20p coin. The goats have cottoned onto what happens, as soon as you walk through the gates, they are at the foot of the machine. Even jumping up as the food is getting dispensed in the hope it all gets dropped. The boys found it hilarious and it was totally worth the 20p!
There is handwashing available, however, it isn’t within the perimeter of the stroll-a-safari. If you have children who like to eat their hands then I would advise a bottle of antibacterial gel to use until you can get to the handwashing facilities.
*We were given entry and railroad vouchers in exchange for an honest review.
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