Whipsnade Zoo

 
 



Whipsnade Zoo has lots to see and do with animals, habitats and events!  It’s located on the Chiltern Hills near Hertfordshire in 600 acres of stunning parkland.   Over 10,000 animals have their home there, and many of these are endangered in the wild.  Each and every animal at Whipsnade Zoo matters.

And with that in mind, there's GREAT news from Whipsnade!  An endangered rockfeller chick has hatched at Whipsnade!  Nicknamed noisy, the little chick will be hand-reared by keepers at first.  Northern Rockhopper penguins are part of an international breeding programme which is co-ordinated by zoos.  The aim is to increase their numbers. The numbers are really low, so zookeepers are stepping in to give the chick the best chance of survival.   Good luck, little one!  Find out more and see the video here.  You can also find out about conservation breeding here.

And in April, the four 12 week old African lion cubs had their first health check!  They were microchipped and vaccinated as well by the zoo’s vets and vet nurses.  Mum Waka and Dad Malik are proud parents to three females and a male.  Grow strong, little cubs!  

 

 

There's a Walk of the Week
There's a Walk of the Week until the 17th July each Thursday at 10:30am
starting from the Visitor Centre at the main entrance and lasting for 90 minutes.
Each walk has a different theme.  Find out more here.
 

What animals are at Whipsnade?  

There’s a full species register document available so that you can see who’s there.   The animals include the African dwarf crocodile, the stunning Amur tiger, Boreray sheep (the rarest breed of sheep in the UK), the Bagot goat (the oldest breed of goat in the UK), Dartmoor ponies, the gorgeous European brown bear, the Grevy’s Zebra (one of the rarest animals at the zoo, with just 2,000 left in the wild), the greater one-horned rhino, hippos, red pandas, reticulated giraffe, Rockhopper penguins, the Royal Golden Guernsey goats, yaks and others. 

There are animal talks throughout the day (not given by the animals themselves!) 

There’s the Whipnsade Railway! - you need to check the times it's running as it does close from 3 November to February 2025.   You can take a journey on one of the two steam engines, Excelsior and Superior, as they make their way through the territories of some of the world's most inspiring animals - elephants, rhinos, camels and deer!  A safari adventure with a bit of a difference, if you like!

And there are plenty of events, too!

 Did you know that there are events to celebrate Animal Celebration Days?  Here are the ones for May:   (Our sister website, AnimalsCharities.co.uk has a long list of awareness days around the world, by the way.)

  • Wednesday 28th: World Otter Day - join Whipsnade for an otter talk and feed
  • Saturday 31st: World Parrot Day - join at the Birds of the World display at 11:15, 1:30, and 3:30. And there are parrot themed carft sessions as part of the  Mister Maker Half Term event.
  • Saturday 31st: World Bongo Day - meet our bongos Pembe and Kora at our talk and feed

May Half Term sees the Mister Maker Half Term Event, which has live shows to craft workshops.  Children can find out about the importance of the 3 Rs - reducing, recycling and reusing, and also all about parrot conservation.    There's lots more information about it here, so that you can be prepared!  

All the information you need to plan your visit to Whipsnade Zoo is here:  opening times, accessibility, how to get there, what’s available to eat and drink at the zoo, events taking place, even experiences you can have.  There's a Plan Your Visit page with even more information, such as a map of the zoo, information on car parking, membership, universal credit tickets, the Community Access Scheme, and lots more.  And there are Frequently Asked Questions here.  And the Whipsnade App will help you plan your day so that you can find the animals you want to see, and the habitats, take a look at dining options with the GPS enabled map. 

If you want to visit on a number of occasions, why not take out a membership? or give a membership?  It gives you free, unlimited entry to both Whipsnade AND London Zoos all year round, so there’s plenty to see and do.  The other nice thing is that you can watch the animals from their arrival at the zoos, over a period of time.  And the other really nice thing is that by becoming a Zoo member, you’re supporting the zoos’ global conservation work, creating a world where wildlife thrives!

Give a gift membership to Whipsnade Zoo!

Give a year of adventure with a Gift Zoo Membership

 

Visit Whipsnade Zoo's website here.