Tuesday 31 October 2017

Madhouse diaries : Halloween fun at the zoo


One of our traditional half term jaunts is a trip to our local zoo in Fort Mardyck. It's only a short bus ride away and is cheap to get in so we go at least once or twice a year, generally at Christmas and Halloween, as they put on special activities and displays.



The birds didn't seem to mind the fact that their enclosure had been turned into a graveyard for the occasion.


In fact, we thought that this pelican looked like he was pretending to be a ghost ... all that's missing are the clanking chains !


 We marvelled at just how bendy the flamingos' necks are, then, encouraged by a sign, Pierre took up the challenge to see how long he could stand on one leg like a flamingo.


The walk-through aviary had been spooked up with giant spiders for the occasion.



Time for some silly spider selfies !



And not just for the kids !


 This skeleton spider was pretty creepy, although Pierre wasn't bothered in the slightest ! We looked out for skeletons on our way round the enclosures too.


 Whoever was given the job of decorating the zoo obviously had great fun !


We arrived just in time for the otter's feeding time so they were excitedly climbing up the sides of the fence and making funny squeaky noises.


They look cute but they've got really sharp teeth.


They made short work of the fish and chicks that the keeper gave them - eww !


Despite much encouragement from us, the peacock steadfastly refused to fan out his tail.


Last time we came, the bears weren't looking too happy and had started pacing around, looking bored.


This time they had some new equipment to play with and they looked happier.


It's interesting to see how they upcycle things to make new toys for the animals. The bears had big crates and cable rolls to play with and there were car wash brushes in with the goats and reindeer.


The bears didn't seem interested in playing but they were looking more content and had stopped pacing. 



One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the newest residents - a pair of lynx cubs that were born this year.


I wasn't sure we'd get to see them or if they'd be hiding away, but they spent their whole time chasing each other around, play fighting and exploring their surroundings. They bounce around as much as Tigger !


The pigs were much more placid and spent the whole time buried in the straw !


Another walk through aviary got us up close to the storks, and this huge owl - a Great Grey Owl - which is the largest species of owl in length.


However many times we see him, the anteater still looks very strange. Apparently he can only open his mouth by a few millimetres, just enough to get his long tongue out.


The marmosets looked very grumpy !


This didn't stop Pierre monkeying around though ! Look out, it's behind you !



Country Kids

10 comments:

  1. Looks a fun day out - glad the bears were a bit happier!

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    1. It was sad to see them pacing around last time - they seemed very chilled this time :)

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  2. Looks like you all had a spooktacular day, we like visiting Bristol zoo which is our closest one, I don't know if they do anything like this though, we went trick or treating last night which Megan loved, I don't usually take them out as I feel cheeky but this year we haven't long moved, her daddy is working nights so needs his sleep so it wasn't practical to do a party xXx

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    1. We went out trick or treating and I was amazed at how many people answered the doors dressed up with scary makeup on - even if they didn't seem to have kids of their own !! lol

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  3. Fantastic spider web selfies! Looks like a wonderful fun day out for the whole family.

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  4. What a great day out, the zoo looks like it really puts in the effort for Halloween. The kids clearly enjoyed their time at the zoo with you, the decorations are fantastic, they must've really got you in the Halloween Mood. It's great to see Pierre trying out some of the challenges, how long did he manage to balance?

    Thanks for linking up your zoo adventure with me on #CountryKids.

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    1. He lasted about 30 seconds ! lol - the flamingos are definitely better !

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  5. What a lovely spooky day out! We've got wild lynx around us where we live (Sweden) but I've not bumped into any yet...phew! #countrykids

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    1. Ooh they're cute from a distance but I'm not sure I'd want to meet one in the wild !

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  6. We love how they creeped up the zoo. Especially the spooky spider webs. Its nice that more and more attractions are jumping on the Halloween bandwagon to make it more fun for kids x #CountryKids

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