Isle of Wight Zoo

Overlooking the sandy beaches of Sandown Bay, this is the Island’s original zoo.

The 'Tiger Milk Feeding Experience' or the 'Keeper for a Day' packages are available at the Isle of Wight Zoo or you can adopt an animal and get updates on 'your' animal.

Tigers, lions and jaguar, they have them all and they're beautifully kept and in top condition. Plus they have new tiger, Simi, star of Prime Minister's Question Time; rescued from a Hamburg zoo.

Most of the animals have been rescued: some from private individuals who treated them badly, others from overstocked zoos and some from circuses who sadly still use animals in their acts. But almost all were born in captivity, or taken from their mothers when they were babies, so cannot be returned to the wild.

The life they have at the zoo is full of 'enrichment' and activity, with keepers interacting with the animals during their non-stop 'Walking Safari' tours with their 'animalogists' from 10.30 till 4.30. Plus their lives are made more enjoyable by making sure that each of them either has a friend to share their lives with or that there are others nearby to 'talk' to.

There's a huge collection of cute lemurs you can have a feeding experience with and small primates – the Spider Monkeys are really fun. You can have an encounter with the Meerkats, there's a pen full of domesticated animals such as goats that you can pet and huge house- trained Giant European Rabbits, Otto and Abella.

And don't miss the new Poo Museum – it's full of the stuff, encased in resin.

Availability

• open daily all year except Christmas Day - please call the isle of Wight Zoo directly on 01983 403883 to check opening if inclement weather

Opening times

• generally opens at 10:00 - please check the calendar on the left for specific days and times

Last admission

• 60 minutes before closing time

Parking

• large car park which is charged at £3 for the whole day

Accessibility

• wheelchair access available throughout as no part of the zoo relies on the use of the steps
• disabled toilet facilities
• for animal welfare reasons assistance dogs are not permitted

Children

• children aged 2 and under are free of charge
• baby changing facilities available
• children under 16 will not be admitted without an adult
• children's play area

Cafe

• serving hot and cold food, drinks and ice creams

Gift shop

• great range of animal gifts to remember your visit by

Animal Experiences

The Isle of Wight Zoo offer 'Hands on Wildlife' Animal Experiences which may be purchased directly from the zoo, to find out more click on the link above, and you can enjoy a

• Big cat training experience
• Tiger milk feeding experience
• Lemur feeding experience

We hope you enjoy your visit and don't forget to tweet a pic
( @RedFunnel  @IsleofWight_Zoo)

Isle of Wight Zoo Address: Yaverland Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight PO36 8QB