Super furry animals
As Battersea Park celebrates its 150th year, Vicky Smith and friends visit one of its most loveable – and secret attractions – the Children’s Zoo
Above: A trip to see the Meerkats at Battersea Park Zoo is a must
We are all used to seeing creatures of various shapes and sizes in London’s parks. Birds, squirrels, dogs and foxes can all be spied on a wander through your local green space but, in the heart of Battersea Park, you can expect to encounter something a little less common.
“Many people don’t even realise we are still here,” says Fiona Vella, a member of the 15-strong team of dedicated zookeepers and workers at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo. Three years ago the site was destined for closure after a severe lack of funding made it impossible to carry on. Luckily for local children (and parents), animal enthusiasts the Heap family stepped in and, two and a half years on, the zoo is flourishing.
When the Heaps (who are also in charge of conservation sites for English wildlife in the New Forest and Derbyshire) took over, the zoo was home to a host of breeds including a selection of farmyard animals. Although their initial plan was to turn it into a site similar to their existing otter and owl wildlife parks, it soon became clear that having animals, such as sheep, pigs and donkeys, was essential for many of the young visitors who, having grown-up in the inner city, had not encountered such creatures before. The result is a ‘new look’ zoo that’s home to a mixture of familiar breeds, exotic birds and animals from further afield (ring-tailed lemurs, squirrel monkeys and meerkats to name a few).
Although it’s not anywhere near the size of London Zoo, the experience at Battersea is just as important, engaging and informative. Instead of merely observing, visitors are offered the chance to get up-close to many of the animals. Chickens roam free and regular supervised sessions offer children the chance to pet smaller animals, such as guinea pigs and rabbits.
Encounters are imaginative too – the meerkats enclosure has a tunnel, which kids are encouraged to crawl through to get a meekats-eye-view of the sandy landscape and offering a face-to-face encounter with the twitchy, but sweet, mammals. Specialist trails are educational and entertaining, and fact-filled signs helpfully provide visitors with all they need to know.
Aside from the visitors, it is, of course, the animals’ welfare that is top priority. The ethos at Battersea is to ensure visitors get to see the animals behaving in a way that imitates how they would be in the wild. Keepers make every effort to ensure that livelier and intelligent breeds – particularly some of the monkeys – are kept stimulated. Young visitors can make food packages, which are buried for the monkeys to find, and which keeps them alert and entertained.
Many of the animals come straight from other zoos, whilst some residents started their lives as pets. Rocky, one of Battersea’s most popular inhabitants, is a brown capuchin monkey who moved to the zoo in 1990 after becoming too much for his owners to handle. The zoo was happy to take him on and he now shares his generous enclosure with Bonnie, a female of the same species. Many of the zoo’s ‘rescued’ animals are released back into their natural habitat – a family of hedgehogs, recently rescued and accommodated through the colder months, are due to be returned to the wild this spring.
A conservation programme also ensures that the list of animals is ever-changing. Success has recently come with the birth of a baby emperor tamarin monkey. There are also a number of cotton top tamarin’s residing at Battersea, a breed so rare that numbers in their native South America are down to only a couple of thousand. The zoo is keen to further its breeding efforts.
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo has more to offer than the animals, including an enticing children’s playground and a cafe for replenishment (located by the talking Mynah birds). With the bank holiday weekends and the half-term break ahead why don’t you take a walk on the wild side in SW11? l
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo is open 10am–dusk every day, excluding Christmas day and Boxing Day. Adults, £6.50, children
(2–15 years), £4.95 or £20.50 for a family ticket.
020 924 5826; http://www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk/
We're all going to the zoo tommorrow
Events coming up at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
Sheep Shearing Day
Saturday 3 May Starts at 11am. Free
Go and watch the sheep get shorn!
Animal Masks and Models
Monday 5 May Free. Get creative with the PTES (People’s Trust for Endangered Species) and make masks and models.
1/2 term (24 May–1 June)
Look into my eyes quiz trail
Saturday May 24 – Sunday June 1 £1 Find out which animal has the longest lashes! Use clues on the sheet to work out who’s eyes to look into for the answers!
Frog Fun Days
Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 May £1 Hop along to the zoo today to find out some froggy facts and fiction! Creative fun.
Father’s Day Offer
Sunday 15 June Kids – treat your dad to a warm drink this Father’s Day! A full paying child can claim a voucher at the zoo entrance shop. One voucher per family.
Insect Activity Day
Saturday 28 June Free. Creepy Crawlie fun. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Usual entrance fee applies to all.