ZOO OPENING TIMES
We are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from 9am until:
| 6.00pm | April - September |
| 5.00pm | October & March |
| 4.30pm | November - February |
2009 Events
Find out what's happening
at the Zoo in 2009.
Events include owl flights,
wildlife lectures, quiz nights and
a wine tasting.
Research in the Wild
We use information gathered from studies of animal populations in the wild for the benefit of zoo animals, for example, wild animal diets are broken down so that we can provide a balanced diet for that species in the zoo.
By studying the species in the wild, we can learn about natural social groupings and natural forms of locomotion, and apply this knowledge to the way we house animals in the zoo to ensure they are kept in as natural a manner as possible. Environmental enrichment studies are vital to help us to ensure our animals are kept healthy and active. By carrying out these investigations we can determine the best ways of doing this for our varied species.
Our research programme also allows us to aid in the training of young scientists. Field scientists can learn certain techniques such as animal identification, the use of audio and visual recording equipment, and faecal identification used in animal tracking, within the zoo environment. In recent years we have assisted in training field scientists who carried out work with chimpanzees in Uganda and Anoa in Indonesia.