Exmoor Zoological Park

This is a nice, friendly, comfortable family-run zoo.  There are various tame (and in the case of the prairie dog, not so tame!) animals around, and there are frequent encounter sessions with reptiles, insects, spiders and hand-reared animals such as giant rats.

Bilbo moved here from Cricket St Thomas, and has proved to be a great escaper. After one of his escapes, Bilbo was found 15' up a pine tree - he went up and scrounged eggs from a nest, but found it harder to come down (tail first and fell the last bit). Another time, the guard dogs detected him at the outside sink of the kitchen (off site) where sprats were defrosting, fishing for his breakfast!

The otters have thick, glossy coats, and bright eyes, and are not all that interested in the public unless they hear the rustle of sandwich wrappers.  The pen is carefully constructed with lots of barriers to line of site, such as mounds of earth and bamboo patches.  This means that to patrol their territory, the otters have to move about, and are encourage to vocalise when out of sight of each other.  There is a 'proper' holt off exhibit, and they have also made one in the earth mound.  They have made otter paths through the vegetation, and the pond and cascade have muddy bottoms because the otters like to feel through it for water insects.  It is a large enclosure, and the otters seem to use it all. 

The park is on a gentle slope, and all the paths are tarmacked.  There is a large car park.  The entrance leads into the shop and cafe, which serves jacket potatoes, burgers, sandwiches and toasties.  There are also picnic areas with benches.

The Exmoor Zoological Park is at South Stowford, Bratton Fleming, near Barnstaple in north  Devon.  It is on the A399, and is west of Barnstaple and south of Ilfracombe.

I last visited the park in October 2002.