On the second of July, I turned another year older, and decided to seize the day with an impromptu trip to Whipsnade Zoo.
As a big animal lover, I love a good trip to the zoo, and used to visit Whipsnade almost every year before I developed chronic pain a decade ago. I even did work experience there for two weeks when I was seventeen and studying animal care at college. I hadn't been back since I got ill in 2011, as I couldn't see a way to manage the two hour journey (each way) with my chronic pain, let alone how to walk around an enormous zoo all day. I'd resigned myself to never being able to go again, and mentally added it to the list of 'things I can't do anymore', which made me sad as I've always loved visiting the place, but it's just one of those things you learn to accept with chronic illness.
However, one of the great things about Whipsnade Zoo is that you can pay to take your car in, which allows you to drive around the zoo, and park up at various sections. It saves a hell of a lot of walking, and makes it much more accessible. We'd talked about attempting a visit this way for a while, so when my sister suggested a trip to Whipsnade at 10pm the night before, I jumped at the chance. Sometimes you just have to push through the pain to do something fun, and deal with the consequences later.
We prebooked our tickets online the night before, which wasn't cheap at £30 each plus £25 to bring the car in, but I promise you, it was worth every penny. The zoo is huge (600 acres), filled with awesome animals, and you really get your money's worth.
We arrived at the zoo at around 1pm, and the first thing we did was drive a lap around it to get our bearings and remind ourselves what animals we particularly wanted to see. I'd forgotten just how big the place was, and wondered how the hell I used to walk around it all when I was able-bodied. We didn't have time or the spoons to see everything, so we prioritised our favourites, and tried to fit in as much as possible. We drove around, parked up near animals we wanted to see, and walked around small sections at a time, which made our visit so much easier. We even just watched some animals from the car, which felt like being on safari without the fear or being eaten alive or having your car stripped for parts by monkeys.
Taking the car in gave us the ability to cover a huge area we would never have managed on foot, and made the place far more accessible to us. It made such a difference to my pain and fatigue levels, and my sister's leg injuries, and I coped so much better than I'd expected to. In fact, the car journey caused me more pain than the actual visit! I would recommend it to anyone with chronic pain or mobility issues, as well as for people visiting with young kids or elderly relatives who tire easily- especially if you can't use a wheelchair or rent a mobility scooter to help you cover more ground. Trust me; your body will thank you for it later.
My sister and I had such a lovely time wandering and driving around in the scorching sunshine, watching so many weird and wonderful animals, eating ice cream, and enjoying the views of the downs below the zoo. We got to see so many awesome animals, including elephants, hippos, white and one-horned rhinos, tigers, cheetahs, lynx, sloth bears, wild boar, penguins, chimps, oryx, flamingos, and so much more. We also saw plenty of wallabies and maras, which were free-roaming all around the zoo.
Whipsnade has an incredible collection of animals, with over 200 species and more than 9,600 animals to see, and no shortage of mega fauna and rare creatures to interest every animal lover. Whether you're in to big cats or primates, giant mammals or tiny insects, there's something for everyone.
I think my favourite part of the day was getting to see the rare greater one-horned rhinos, which I love because they look like adorable armoured-dinosaurs! Just look how cute they are! I could've watched them grazing all day.
We also really enjoyed the Passage Through Asia section, which is a huge drive-through exhibit of green space filled with different types of deer, camels, and yaks. There's a big lake in the middle, and there are no barriers separating you from the animals so it feels really natural, and like being on safari. The animals kept their distance, but it was amazing to watch huge herds of deer grazing, resting, running, and drinking from the lake, and getting to see lots of stags and fawns. We enjoyed this section so much, we went through twice. If you don't take your car in, don't worry; you can also view the Passage Through Asia on The Great Whipsnade Railway, which I believe has just reopened now that Covid restrictions have lifted.
Sadly, we didn't have time to see everything, and missed out a lot of animals in the middle of the zoo, where there's everything from giraffes and lions to wolves and monkeys, but we were more than satisfied with our visit, and it just gives us a good excuse to go back again, and cover what we missed. I particularly wanted to see the bird gardens, seals and sealions, and the children's farmyard again, as they were three of the sections I did work experience on all those years ago (the others were the chimps and elephants), but just being there brought back so many memories. (And we did drive past the farmyard, so I got a good glimpse of the animals around the outskirts). I'll definitely check them out properly next time.
If you want to see all the animals Whipsnade zoo has to offer, I'd recommend getting there when the gates open at 10am to give yourself a fighting chance. There's a lot of ground to cover.
Of course, we couldn't leave without checking out the gift shop. It only took me a minute to discover that they sold Kimchi and Coconut jewellery, and I came away with a galaxy-effect whale brooch that I instantly fell in love with. Well, it would've been rude not to treat myself on my birthday, right? Right!
As for visiting during the pandemic... we visited on a weekday during term time, so it wasn't too busy, and we rarely needed to wear a mask outdoors, which was a relief as the weather was so hot. I just popped mine on whenever I got close to a crowd, which wasn't often. Face coverings were required in indoor exhibits, and in the gift shop, as expected, and it's something they're still encouraging now that legal restrictions have officially lifted, so remember to pack a mask. You'll find more information about visiting during Covid times on their website.
We had a great day out at Whipsnade Zoo, and couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Cool animals, nature, sunshine, fresh air, ice cream, a new brooch... what a perfect way to spend a birthday. I'm already looking forward to our next visit, and now I've found a way to make the trip more manageable, I know it won't be long until we're back.
Well, you know me; I love a good trip to the zoo!
When was the last time you visited the zoo?
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