woburn safari park animal welfare

• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Vacation Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center

Fantastic day out, animal welfare is... - Woburn Safari Park

• Europe    
• United Kingdom (UK)    
• England    
• Bedfordshire    
• Woburn    
• Woburn - Things to Do    
• Woburn Safari Park

Really REALLY close up views of Southern white rhinos and American black bears made this an extra... read more

We had a lovely experience with Helen, she took her time to do a VIP experience and really... read more

Fantastic day out, animal welfare is paramount here

Visited the safari park while on holiday at Center parcs just down the road. What a find! This is a must visit safari. Excellent value for money. The park was quiet for our visit off season but this enhanced the experience. The best part about this park is the space given to the animals, you can really tell that animal welfare is at the core. We were able to do the road safari twice, there were no restrictions on this and also the diesel train around the park free to go on.

Dear alisonq2635, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your five-star review. We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the Park so much. It's brilliant to know that you found your visit to be of the great value for money that we always hope to provide and that you made the most of being able to enjoy unlimited circuits of the Road Safari too. We hope to welcome you back to the Park again in the future. Kind regards, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

We had a brilliant VIP experience with Bob. The children loved the experience , (7 and 9 year old) You get so close you to the animals that it makes it a such a great appreciation. Bob’s knowledge is amazing and so informative. We loved it and thanks for making it extra special !

Dear armstrongj2016, Thank you for your five-star review. We are so pleased to hear that you and your children enjoyed your VIP Experience so much! The staff and keepers are dedicated to caring for the animal residents and are always happy to take our guests behind the scenes to learn more about them and their daily care. Thank you for your kind comments about Bob too, we have passed your review on to the VIP team so that he can see it. We look forward to welcoming you back again in the future. Kind regards, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

We had the most incredible day exploring Woburn Safari Park! It was our first ever visit and my partner had booked the VIP Off-road Adventure for our group of 4 adults… honestly cannot recommend enough!! Our guide Bob was THE BEST and so incredibly informative!! He could see how genuinely interested we were and was incredibly kind fitting as much into the 90minute adventure as he could. Cannot thank him enough! If you want incredible lifelong memories this is the experience for you! Truly remarkable!

Dear KatieLucy25, We are really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your Off-Road Safari VIP Experience! We are delighted to be able to offer our guests special experiences to get close to the amazing animals. Thank you also for your positive comments about our staff; we have passed your review to the VIP Team so that Bob can see your feedback too. Many thanks, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

I took my wife here for her birthday and booked the Giraffe VIP experience. A big thank you to Bob who went above and beyond to make the experience truly special. The time with the Giraffes was great and we got to feed them and learn lots about them and the conservation efforts for many of the animals. The drive around Safari was excellent and we were able to get up close to many of the animals, there was a point when we had a monkey on the roof of our car but other than some muddy footprints it wasn’t a drama. the walking part was also good with a sea lion show and we learned about monkeys too from the staff. Staff were all friendly and I would highly recommend it as a day out.

Dear munror, Thank you for taking the time to leave your five-star review! We are really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your VIP Giraffe Encounter and that the rest of your day with us was also good. We are glad that your wife enjoyed her birthday visit, and hope you will consider returning again in the future. Kind regards, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

We went as a group of 4 adults + 1 child and paid £130. We thought quite expensive but felt it would be worth it and a good day out and all the things to do and see. The road safari when you arrive was excellent, lots of different animals and a really good experience driving so close to them. We really enjoyed this part of the day although didn’t see any Wolves. Sadly, the rest of the day was rubbish and hardly worth the bother. We only saw some otters and a sea lion swimming about a tank. Some of the attractions were still closed and we ended up doing a lot of aimless wandering. Be mindful if you arrive early that nothing seemed to open until midday. We were in the zoo area for 1045 with basically nothing to do. The zoo part of the site appears old, run down and in need of some work and overall this part of the day was really disappointing. I have since emailed customer services to raise these issues but like some other reviews I have read, clearly they do not believe what I am saying and assured me that everything was open and animals were probably just inside. Road safari was really good but I would say it wasn’t worth the expensive price tag on its own, considering the rest of the day was very average.

Dear Dan, Thank you for your comments. We were sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your visit. I'm sorry to hear that you felt nothing was open in the Foot Safari. We do include links in the email confirmations to the Park maps, keeper talks timetable, and the visitor information leaflet which contains all of the opening times for the leisure activities in the Foot Safari to help visitors plan their day at the Park. All of the walk-through animal enclosures open at 11am, with the exception of Australian Walkabout which opens at 9.30am and the timetable of keeper talks begins at 10.30am. We offer a full day out, if guests choose to experience all that we have to offer. Included within admission costs are unlimited circuits of the drive-through Road Safari, the Foot Safari which houses a number of walkthrough enclosures, as well as a full programme of talks and demonstrations, plus indoor and outdoor play areas such as the Mammoth Play Ark and the Great Woburn Railway. I'm also sorry that you felt that the Foot Safari is 'run down', we have heavily invested in the Park in recent years. This has included bringing in new species to the drive-through and the redevelopment of various enclosures in the Foot Safari including, most recently, the Land of Lemurs, Humboldt Harbour and Monkey Mayhem. Currently, the only enclosure that is still temporarily closed due to social distancing is the Dissscovery Zone, but just as in the Road Safari all of the animals in the Foot Safari have access to shelters that they can use as they wish to throughout the day. We would also recommend visitors return to an enclosure later in the day, or attend some of the talks and demonstrations if they missed seeing a particular animal on their first visit to the enclosure. We are really pleased to hear that you enjoyed the experience of driving through the large animal reserves though and hope you made the most of the opportunity to enjoy unlimited circuits of the Road Safari during your visit. Kind regards, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

Road safari was great! Foot safari not so much We had a lovely drive round, got super close to the tigers and had the monkeys jump all over the car which was great fun! However the foot safari, nothing was open! Like.. at all! Paying £55 for 2 people I cant help but feel like I expected a bit more from it to be honest. One shop open, one food place and that was literally it. I was super excited to go into the bird house but was then informed there were only 5 birds in there and they didn’t want to be around people, not how I remember it with birds flying onto you and being given a cup of nectar to feed them. The only animals we saw a glimpse of were the sea lions and the tortoises literally every other animal was nowhere to be seen. I was excited to go into the lemur bit but again, closed. Park was like a ghost town Seems such a shame because having been here a few times in the past I know what you should see/have available and as the tickets are the same cost the price does not reflect what is on offer. I understand staff shortages and things having changed since Covid but prices should not be full price if you aren’t offering the full experience

Dear rosieashby, Thank you for your review. I am sorry you found your trip to Woburn Safari Park disappointing. I'm sorry to hear that you felt nothing was open in the Foot Safari. The walk-through enclosures open at 11am, with the exception of Australian Walkabout which opens at 9.30am and the programme of keeper talks begins at 10.30am and runs throughout the day. Currently, the only enclosure that is still temporarily closed due to the pandemic is the Dissscovery Zone and as you stated, we are still taking the precaution of not feeding the lorikeets at this time to keep our staff, visitors and animals as safe as we can throughout the pandemic. Land of Lemurs has recently opened again, with all visitors aged 3+ required to wear masks when entering the enclosure so I'm sorry to hear that you missed this during your visit. You haven't mentioned if you watched any of the keeper talks and demos that run throughout the day in the Foot Safari. These are a great way to make sure you see more of the animals at the Park and give you the opportunity to find out more about the individual animals living here, and ask the keepers any questions you may have. I'm pleased to hear, however, that you enjoyed the experience of driving through the large animal reserves in the Road Safari and hope you will consider a return visit in the future to see some of the animals that, by the sounds of it, you missed seeing on this occasion. Kind regards, Shannon (Marketing Executive)

4 bear cubs take time to 'paws' and reflect during lazy afternoon on water at England safari park

RIDGMONT, England – A sloth of North American black bears was recently treated to a relaxing afternoon on the water at the Woburn Safari Park in England after recent heavy rain created a small lake within their enclosure.

So, please. Bear with us. You’re about to read some em bear issing bear puns.

BLACK BEAR SURPRISES FLORIDA BEACHGOERS AFTER TAKING DIP IN GULF

Staff came up with the idea to keep the bears entertained after the lake formed and noticed one of the park’s swan boats was waiting for new pedals.

"So, we had the idea of turning this into interesting enrichment for them," said Tommy Babington, Deputy Head of the carnivores section of the park.

The swan boat was then placed on the lake with the hopes that the bears would find the new addition bear y interesting.

WATCH: BEAR COMES WITHIN INCHES OF CHILD'S FACE DURING PICNIC 

Keepers said they were delighted to see the four younger cubs, named Harvard, Maple, Colorado and Aspen, named for their North American origins in the wild, head right over to the swan boat.

Babington said the bears were "immediately intrigued" and "wasted no time in investigating the swan paddle boat."

Woburn Safari Park shared photos and videos of the bears discovering their new friend on the water and showed them taking some time to take in the sights and paws and reflect on their short lives so far.

BLACK BEAR SPOTTED AT DISNEY WORLD'S MAGIC KINGDOM FORCING MORE THAN A DOZEN RIDES TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE

One of the photos shows a cub getting comfortable on the boat with bearly any room for its brothers and sisters.

"It was great fun for visitors to see them climb on board," Babington said. "We love devising new ways to provide food, scent and habitat enrichment that stimulates their natural foraging behaviors."

The park says the young sibling black bears, two males and two females, spend a lot of time foraging, play fighting, eating and sleeping.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The park said that bears are naturally very curious animals, and keepers will encourage that behavior with different kinds of activities for them to help keep their minds and bodies active.

While it may be a "less conventional approach" to keeping them stimulated, the park said "it certainly was a hit."

And the story of the bears is quickly going viral after the park shared a video of the bears enjoying their time at the newly formed lake on TikTok .

Original article source: 4 bear cubs take time to 'paws' and reflect during lazy afternoon on water at England safari park

• Flamingo Specialist Group’s Small Grants Fund
• BIAZA Photography Competition

Job opportunities

• Job Opportunities

Animal Research Internship

Woburn Safari Park

Animal Research Internship – Starting September 2024

This is a 3 day a week placement; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. 

General working hours are 9am to 4pm.

Tasks include:

• Participate in in-house research projects; conducting non-invasive (mostly observational) research.
• Collate data, perform statistical analysis where required, interpret data and produce written reports.
• Communicate findings with the research department, animal teams and, where appropriate, to the wider zoo world. 
• Assist with annual animal welfare audits of all taxa across the park.
• Some possible lab work where required.
• Can be linked with a 2 day animal keeper internship if the opportunity is available.

This is a 10-12 Month placement on the animal research department, for students participating in placement years within a higher education, animal based course. 

Candidate MUST be able to drive and have access to a vehicle. 

Candidates MUST be participating in a sandwich course of a relevant degree. 

This internship is unpaid and unfortunately we can’t offer to refund any expenses you incur such as travel costs. 

Apply for this job:

To apply please visit:   https://www.woburn.co.uk/careers/vacancy/?Category=Animal%2520Keeping&Advert=jyvW6KxtAes3pux6%2Fj0mJQ%3D%3D

BIAZA, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY

General enquiries : 07593 580605 For press enquiries: 07593 580603 Email : [email protected]

BIAZA's office hours are 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. Contact outside of those times will get a response when we are next in the office.

If your enquiry is urgent and you need a response before the BIAZA office reopens, please call Jo Judge on 07593 580602. If you wish to reach one of our members, please contact them directly.

The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales number 6789783. Registered Office Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY. Registered Charity Number is 1128168 and SC040783 (Scotland)

• Terms of Use