Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens With over 260 different animal species in 160 acres of parkland and gardens, with train (Apr-Oct), adventure playground, cafe and gift shop.
(27227)

Please see our website for opening times: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

Cotswold Wildlife Park shortlisted for School Travel Awards 2025.  We are delighted that Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gard...
27/06/2025

Cotswold Wildlife Park shortlisted for School Travel Awards 2025.

We are delighted that Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens has been shortlisted as a finalist and we are now in the running for the 'Best Wildlife Attraction' category in this year’s School Travel Awards.

Education Manager Helen said "It is absolutely fantastic that we have been shortlisted for the 'Best Wildlife Attraction' Award for the School Travel Awards 2025 and your vote could help us win. With over 25,000 children, pupils and students visiting every year we are always working hard to ensure that everyone enjoys their time at Cotswold Wildlife Park. The fact that we have been nominated by our school visitors makes the award even more special. Please vote by the 31st July 2025 and share with other teachers and schools."

Vote here - https://awards.schooltravelorganiser.com/yandellpublishingltd/form/SchoolTravelAwards2025FinalistsVotingForm1/formperma/CBggDMk6u-jwSdPFfEGRytc_Dc9Ne97MckLXlp2kvII

Thank you for your support and well done to our Education and Activities Team for being nominated

The Park In Pictures - June 2025.**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast,...
21/06/2025

The Park In Pictures - June 2025.

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dog Trust provides useful information on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-care/warm-weather-advice.**

As summer arrives, we wanted to share photos taken around the Park recently by photographer Rebecca Louise. They include new arrivals; an adorable Bactrian Camel calf (more news about her coming soon), an African Pygmy Goat kid and a new male Reindeer called Kenny who recently joined the collection. She also took some great photos of our Weaver Birds building their intricate nests in their new exhibit inside the Walled Garden. Read more in the latest edition of the Park's monthly newsletter - Word From The Wild (https://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/whats-on/park-news/word-from-the-wild-the-latest-news-from-the-park-may-2025/).

Rebecca also took some wonderful photos of the gardens which have been spectacular again this year. This week, our gardeners finished planting the summer bedding displays and we'll share some highlights with you in the next couple of weeks.

We'd love to see any photos you've taken at the Park. Please feel free to post them in the comments section - many thanks.

As today is World Giraffe Day, we'd like to share these great images of our Giraffes enjoying cooling ice enrichments ma...
18/06/2025

As today is World Giraffe Day, we'd like to share these great images of our Giraffes enjoying cooling ice enrichments made by their keepers. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is home to five males - the eldest is 19-year-old Century (pictured), Shingo (pictured), Melvin, Tisa (pictured) and Remus. As the heatwave continues to sweep across the UK, our team of dedicated keepers are busy making sure the animals at the Park are kept cool in this exceptionally hot weather. Thanks to Paul Nicholls Photography for the photos.

**PLEASE NOTE: We would like to remind dog owners that with high temperatures forecast, please reconsider bringing your dog to the Park during the heatwave. The Dog Trust provides useful information on their website: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-care/warm-weather-advice.**

Latest visitor information: With good weather forecast, the Park expects to be busy this weekend. TO REDUCE QUEUING, WE SUGGEST ARRIVING AFTER OUR PEAK TIMES (which are tending to be between 10.30am - 12.30pm). As we are open until 6.00pm, there's plenty of time to enjoy the Park if you arrive later in the day. The Park is open every day from 10.00am to 6:00pm, with last admission at 4.00pm. For more information about the Park, there's a helpful 'PLAN YOUR VISIT' section on our website: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

Giraffe facts:

• The first Giraffes arrived back in 2010 for Cotswold Wildlife Park's 40th Anniversary. It was the first time this elegant species had gone on show at the collection since it opened in 1970.
• Over the years, our Giraffes have met many famous people including Sir David Beckham, Simon Cowell and local poet Pam Ayres.
• The collective noun for a group of Giraffes is ‘a tower’. They are the tallest land mammal in existence.
• 21 June 2025 is World Giraffe Day. It's a day for everyone to celebrate these iconic creatures and was created by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness and support for the plight of these animals in the wilds of Africa. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Giraffe are extinct in seven African Countries. In fact, for every four Elephants, only one Giraffe remains in the wild in Africa—a drop of approximately 30% in the last three decades. To find our more, please visit: www.giraffeconservation.org

Images taken by Paul Nicholls from the archive.

12/06/2025

Earlier this week, Bird Keeper Chris underwent quite the transformation by shaving off half his beard and half his hair (known as a 'halfsie') to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. The leading men’s health charity has supported two of his good friends who are currently undergoing treatment for the disease. Chris’ challenge comes during Men’s Health Week as Prostate Cancer UK is encouraging more men to check their risk of getting prostate cancer - the disease that 1 in 8 men will get, and the only common cancer still without a screening programme.

Penguin Keeper Laura generously volunteered her services and shaved Chris by the Penguin pool in front of a supportive crowd of visitors and colleagues. We were delighted to be joined by Chris Jarrett, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, for the fundraiser too (who you'll see in the video).

Thanks to the amazing generosity of visitors, friends and Cotswold Wildlife Park staff, Chris has so far raised £2,337 for the charity. He has vowed to keep his 'halfies' for another week, in which time he hopes to raise even more funds for Prostate Cancer UK. The donation page will remain open for the next few weeks. If you would like to support Chris, please click on the link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-green-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015. Chris said: "I'm now half the hairy man I used to be but am thrilled that by shaving off half my beard and hair off for Prostate Cancer UK, we've hopefully helped raise awareness and funds for this life-saving charity. I'm lost for words at everyone's generosity. Thanks to all those who have supported me.”

About Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to save and enrich the lives of men with prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
• 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer and around 510,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.
• Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have symptoms. Go to www.prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker for their 30-second online Risk Checker to find out what you can do about it, and learn about a free blood test you can get from your GP.

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service:
www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, 10am to 5pm on Wednesdays.

Thanks to Conservation Officer Beth for filming Chris' beard shave, to Laura for her clipper skills, the team at Prostate Cancer UK for their support and to Philip Joyce who took some incredible photos which we will share with you shortly. Well done Chris. We all love your new look!

As Volunteers' Week draws to a close, our Mammals, Reptiles and Education teams would like to say a few words of thanks ...
08/06/2025

As Volunteers' Week draws to a close, our Mammals, Reptiles and Education teams would like to say a few words of thanks to their volunteers.

Mammal Keeper James: "On the Mammals team we are blessed with a growing number of volunteers. They join the keepers on their rounds assisting in tasks such as cleaning out the animal houses and paddocks, food preparation and even washing windows. Our longest serving volunteer is Dave who has been assisting us for 17 years and always brings with him his endless humour and can-do attitude. Many of our younger volunteers including Faye, Tegan, Josh, Bobby, Lucy and Alex come from our successful work experience programme. Even though many of them are still at college and work part time they still give up their spare time to come and volunteer with us! We are particularly pleased that even when they go on to their next stage in life, volunteers like Alex still come back during the holidays when home from University.”

James adds: "We would also like to make a special mention of Lucy who has volunteered with us for over a year now, and joins us every week. Lucy has now secured an internship with us after her college course finishes in the summer which is a true testament to her dedication, reliability and keenness to learn and she should be very proud! We are also very lucky to have Jack and Jess help out on the Children's Farmyard once a week. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers as we celebrate them all this national volunteer week!"

Meg, Section Head of Herpetology, said "We have taken on a few weekly volunteers on the Reptiles Section recently, all of whom are really enthusiastic! As a team, it's great for us and always useful to have an extra pair of hands for any bigger jobs such as enclosure refurbishing or refreshing, or even just to achieve more in the day. We'd like to thank Harry, Maddie and Layla - we're really grateful for all they do to help us out!"

Harriet from our Education Department: "Every week, we have a fantastic team of volunteers who give up their time to help us run our on-site Museum. As a very popular part of the wildlife park, attracting hundreds of visitors on a busy day, we are so grateful for the help of the volunteers to keep the Museum running smoothly! Thanks to Sylvia, Dave, John, Katie, Katherine, as well as Frances, Hollie and Jules who have been helping in the Museum for years. They all do fantastic work engaging with the visitors who come into the Museum, overseeing the handling of artefacts such as Giant Tortoise shells, snakeskin sheds, bird eggs and feathers. They make sure the Museum is clean and tidy and provide a friendly face for all our visitors who come into the Museum. Our volunteers can also sometimes be found in the Goat Walkthrough enclosure on busy days, helping to oversee the visitor-animal interactions which is hugely appreciated by the Mammals team. They also give up their time for 'Dreamnight at the Zoo' by showing our special guests some animal artefacts on the night. Thank you so much to all our Museum volunteers for their hard work and friendly faces!"

Thanks to James, Meg and Harriet for the photos. Most of all, thanks to all our volunteers who help to make the Park such a special place.

As we continue with Volunteers' Week, one in particular deserves a special place in the limelight. Possibly the happiest...
05/06/2025

As we continue with Volunteers' Week, one in particular deserves a special place in the limelight. Possibly the happiest person we've ever met, Michael is one of our longest standing volunteers of 13 years. You might recognise him from giving you a warm welcome into 'Madagascar'.

Over to Natalie, Section Head of Primates, Small Mammals and Birds, for some well-deserved praise: "We are incredibly lucky to have an amazing team of volunteers here at the Park who dedicate so much of their spare time to help us in many aspects of Park life. Our team of Madagascar volunteers are the smiley faces you see when you arrive at our Lemur walkthrough. They are there to meet and greet all of our visitors and be on hand to answer any questions throughout the day. They also help us to clean the exhibit as well as help to prepare food and feed the Lemurs their dinner at the end of the day. The team also help run our fundraising stall during our annual 'Lemur Week' which is always a big success. Our Lemur walkthrough wouldn’t be the success it is without our wonderful volunteers, so we are all so grateful to them."

Thank you to Michael - the Park wouldn't be the same without your ever-smiling face.

Our great thanks to all our volunteers, past and present, for giving up their time to help at the Park. We think you're incredible.

02/06/2025

To mark Volunteers’ Week, which runs from 2 - 8 June, we're shining a much-deserved spotlight on volunteers. From our very own volunteers at the Park to those who give their time to the many conservation programmes we proudly support (including White Stork Project, Impact Madagascar, Help Simus and Tusk, to name just a few).

Today is the turn of Witney and West Oxfordshire Food Bank who we have supported since 2022. We invited their volunteers out for a day at the Park in recognition of their contribution to helping families in need. Over to Maria Grindley, Chair of West Oxfordshire and Witney Foodbank, who explains more in the video.

Maria adds: “We are so pleased to receive this generous gift from Cotswold Wildlife Park during Volunteers’ Week. Most people don’t expect recognition for helping with a cause they believe in so this is particularly welcome. We couldn’t support the families in our area experiencing food poverty if it wasn’t for a team of dedicated volunteers and we are grateful for all they do.”

Thanks to Conservation Officer Beth for the video and to Deputy Head of Mammals Jenni for her help with the Animal Encounters.

31/05/2025

Keeper Chris' fundraiser for Prostate Cancer UK.

Regular visitors to the Park might recognise Chris - an incredibly popular keeper with staff and visitors alike. Once met, never forgotten!

Chris is famous for his beard at the Park. He's even gained a following on social media praising his impressive facial hair! After nine months of growing it, he wanted to do something different to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK - a charity very close to Chris' heart - and has pledged to shave his hair and beard off for the charity. Over to Chris at the Penguin enclosure to tell you more about his fundraiser.

If you would like to support Chris, here's the link - thank you: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-green-2?utm_medium=FR&fbclid=IwY2xjawKIJDRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHinqYAR1VeIHCGE9tRh7hznCq7Pd4s0UQg4xU9tW7AJeQvnFY_-bngLb8TTC_aem_w8htSKiJmXymAVm9ZWBQ2g

Our boisterous colony of Humboldt Penguins aren't usually camera-shy in the least, but on this occasion, they stayed out of the limelight to let Chris take centre stage for this important cause. We'll post an update on Chris' charity shave (taking place on 11 June in the Penguin enclosure), on our social media. Thank you for supporting Chris and for helping to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK

VISITOR UPDATE - The planned Oxfordshire County Council roadworks on A361 near Cotswold Wildlife Park on Sunday 1 June 2...
29/05/2025

VISITOR UPDATE - The planned Oxfordshire County Council roadworks on A361 near Cotswold Wildlife Park on Sunday 1 June 2025 HAVE BEEN POSTPONED.

We have just been informed by Oxfordshire County Council that the roadworks will NOT be taking place on Sunday 1 June 2025. A rescheduled date will be announced soon and we will keep you posted with any developments - many thanks.

Updated 3.56pm, Friday 30 May 2025

To celebrate  , we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to when the first Otters arrived at the Park. According to ...
28/05/2025

To celebrate , we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to when the first Otters arrived at the Park.

According to Rhinos on the Lawn, the first official book to be published about Cotswold Wildlife Park, Otters were one of the first small mammals to join the collection in 1970: "In the south-east corner of the Walled Garden, a pair of Smooth Otters gambolled in their landscaped sloping enclosure, which included a large tank and viewing screen through which they could be seen swimming underwater". Then in the 1971 summer issue of our visitor newsletter, Wild Life Park News, we welcomed another: "A male Smooth Otter recently arrived as a mate for our two females. Part of the purchase price was donated by the children of Speedwell Infant School, Littlemore, Oxford. The children have christened the Otter "Speedy". They proved so popular with visitors, Otters were chosen for the front cover of the 1972 guide book.

Our current pair of Asian Short-clawed Otters, male Kyoto and female Rita, were introduced to one another in August 2022 and immediately developed a very strong bond. You’ll see them side by side the majority of the time. They are very playful and spend lots of time grooming one another. Otters also like to share water with each other. One will take a drink, and then they’ll ‘kiss’ to pass the water between them - a very sweet sight to see!

Additional information:
• Asian Short-clawed Otters are the smallest species in the Otter family.
• Unlike the larger Otters, they do not swim to catch prey in their mouths, but search through the mud with their forepaws.
• Their ears are small and can be closed when swimming. All four feet have five webbed toes.
• You can see our Otters in their enclosure opposite the Prairie Dogs inside the Walled Garden.

World Otter Day is celebrated across the world every year and was founded by the International Otter Survival Fund. The day helps raise awareness of the dangers faced by these wonderful creatures and to educate people on how to help protect their natural habitats.

Thanks to Jackie Thomas and Rebecca Louise for the lovely photos of our Otters. Thanks also to David Gully from Abingdon for his photo featured on the 1972 Guide Book cover. Please feel free to share any photos you've taken of our Otters in the comments section - we'd love to see them.

Cotswold Wildlife Park crowned 'Best Zoo in the UK' for the second year in a row. We are delighted to announce that Cots...
13/05/2025

Cotswold Wildlife Park crowned 'Best Zoo in the UK' for the second year in a row.

We are delighted to announce that Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens has once again been crowned the 'Best Zoo in the UK'. Affordability, reviews, the range of species on show and overall zoo popularity were taken into consideration to reveal the best UK zoos for families in the nationwide poll conducted by Outdoor Toys.

"Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire has come out on top as the best zoo in the UK for 2025 with an impressive score of 8.71/10. Exhibiting over 260 different species of animals, spectacular sights include the Rhinos grazing in front of the Park’s Gothic-listed Manor House and the boisterous Lemurs in the Madagascar exhibit."

Reggie Heyworth, Managing Director of Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, commented: "To receive this ‘Best zoo in the UK’ accolade two years in a row is amazing. Everybody here is delighted at the news, especially as Outdoor Toys are completely independent and their analysis includes really vital indicators such as visitor reviews and admission prices, which are incredibly important and often overlooked. We have always tried to keep our admission prices low and we are proud to be regarded as offering such good value for money, when many attractions have become so expensive. We would also like to thank our visitors who have given us such generous reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Google and other social media outlets, they really have made all the difference to us over the last few years."

In the last couple of years, we have been fortunate enough to have been named 'Best Family Attraction' at both the Muddy Stilettos Awards and Little Ankle Biters' Awards. We were also voted 'Best Animal Attraction' in the Red Kite Days Oxfordshire Awards in 2023. All of these awards are voted for by members of the public and we can't thank our visitors enough for taking the time to vote for us.

To celebrate this happy news, we'd like to share these photos taken at the Park by award-winning Oxfordshire photographer and Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, Philip Joyce. He captured these stunning images at the Park as part of an upcoming photography project.

We'd like to thank Outdoor Toys for ranking us number one for the second consecutive year and to our loyal visitors for supporting Cotswold Wildlife Park on review sites. It really means so much to all of us here at the Park.

Coming soon... exciting news about our spring arrivals.

We'd like to thank everyone who supported World Binturong Day on Saturday. It was great to see so many people taking par...
12/05/2025

We'd like to thank everyone who supported World Binturong Day on Saturday. It was great to see so many people taking part and visiting our World Binturong Day stand at the Park. All money raised will go to ABConservation - the only association in the world dedicated to the study and protection of Binturong.

• This species sparks a great deal of curiosity from visitors due to its bizarre appearance and unmistakable sweet-smelling aroma. Binturong are the only creature in the world to emit a completely unique scent which smells like buttered popcorn. Another striking feature is their prehensile tail. Strong enough to support their full body weight, it acts like an extra limb which can be used to navigate the canopy, grip branches and help it climb. Binturong are one of only two carnivores that possess such a tail (the other is a Kinkajou).

• Keepers have achieved remarkable breeding success with this rare species. Assistant Animal Manager at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Chris Kibbey, said: “Since introducing our Binturong pair in 2018, they have been doing a fantastic job of contributing to the captive breeding programme. In 2023, they produced their 8th and 9th kits here at the Park. Young from previous years have already gone to other zoological collections which helps to maintain the captive ‘safety net’ for this vulnerable civet species. We are proud to boast that with six individuals, we currently have one the largest groups of Binturongs in the UK”. Only one other zoological collection in the UK has a group this large on show.

• In late 2019, Himala gave birth to her first cub (named Coconut). Since then, Dobby and Himala have successfully produced eight more cubs together, four of which are currently on show to visitors in the Binturong exhibit opposite the Insect and Invertebrate House. They include breeding successes from 2022 – Billie and Bobbie, along with Barry and his twin sister Bennie, both born in 2023.

• Now in its eleventh year, World Binturong Day aims to highlight the plight these relatively unknown animals face in the wild. Population numbers have declined by 30% in the last 20 years. They are listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Main threats to their survival include deforestation to make way for palm oil, rubber and teak plantations. They are also sold as pets or used for their fur and meat in the illegal wildlife trade. To find out more about ABConservation and their vital conservation work to save one of nature's most unusual mammals, please visit: https://www.abconservation.org/fr/.

Lastly, a huge thank you to Keepers James, Abbie, Jo and Conservation Officer Beth who gave up their time to help run the stand. Thanks to Brian Lilly, Philip Joyce, Rebecca Louise and Beth for these photos.

Thank you for supporting World Binturong Day 2025.

Address

Chipping Norton

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share