british wildlife centre

Thanks for your kind comments about the day and we're pleased to hear your young ones enjoyed the visit.We're sorry to hear that some of the photographers were less than considerate of other visitors. Our keepers work hard to ensure all visitors at the keeper talks get a good close-up view of our fantastic animal residents.We hope you'll visit again.

We're glad to hear you enjoyed the talks, we like bringing people close to our wonderful British species. The welfare of our animals is our greatest priority, we pride ourselves on providing large enclosures, landscaped to match natural habitats, and the enclosures are a generous size relative to other animal collections. By comparison the owl aviaries are small but this for for the owls' welfare and feeling of security. They were designed with the help of a birds of prey specialist and an avian vet. The owls are flown daily.Be assured that the owls do not have weights on their legs. What you saw was lightweight 'telemetry', a tracking device which allows us to trace the birds should they fly out of sight. They do not cause the owls any discomfort.If you have any concerns in future please do speak with one of our keepers whilst you're here, they will be more than happy to answer your queries.

I brought my teenage nieces and mother here at half term. We all really enjoyed seeing the animals at close proximity. It was really geared to younger children. Tickets flexible in that we could return to car for picnic saving us money as family ticket was £35, although going to a good cause. Best bit was seeing the otters being fed and walking through the walkway seeing the munckjack deer and red squirrel. Really good outing for animal lovers.

I have been visiting the centre for over 10 years now, both with my son (now 17) and friends and family and on each visit I see something new. Personally I just love the foxes but I usually take in a couple of keeper talks and then do the rest on my own. Over the years I have done nearly all the talks but each time I seem to learn something different and the keepers are very approachable and happy to give you their time after the talk has finished. What I think I like most about BWC is that by going at different times of the year you see the animals behaving differently and you just have to accept that wildlife have their own agendas and seeing humans is probably last on their list so you have to be patient and know you wont see all the animals. I have never seen the mole/s but I say the stoat once and sometimes the badgers asleep in their set. There are always sighting of deer, otters, wild cats, foxes, squirrels etc etc. The last but one time I visited was in the late autumn of 2014 and I had such a surprise as we watched the field mouse "stocking up" on bull rushes for his winter sleep, instead of just catching glimpses, we were thrilled. I have picniced there as well as eaten in the little cafe - I wouldn't say the food was wonderful but perfectly adequate, the loos are new and clean the shop is great for children's pocket money gifts but the rest is a bit of a disappointment but to be fair, I didn't go for the gifts but for the animals. I understand all the profits go into the centre and this can be seen now that the wetlands area is open and the new aviary.See you soon, BWC

Went with my two daughters during the February half term break. Very well run, good selection of wildlife on show...some are hiding, some of the time but with a little patience you'll see them. The keeper talks are well worth attending. I used a voucher from a local paper for a reduced entrance fee...it might be a little overpriced otherwise. All in all though, a fun afternoon had by all.

I went with my husband and we had a lovely day here together. Both animal lovers, we thoroughly enjoyed all the talks, very well delivered by the staff, and all the animals were great to see. We underestimate our fantastic wildlife in this country - I highly recommend a visit here for all, you won't be disappointed. Highlights for me were the playful Otters and seeing Badgers in their underground set. If you go - don't forget to enjoy the wildlife you're seeing, spend some time just watching them. I think too many people go just to get the 'perfect photo', poor animals get 'papped' constantly it seems! Take some binoculars, they do come in handy for extra close viewing, although all the animals aren't too far away to watch.

Great place. Well set out. Very educational. Animals were to keen to come out and the Owl display at the end is worth sticking around for. We turned up just after lunch and didn't see everything before it closed. We will be going back once or twice a year.

I attended a photography day and thought it excellent. The keeper, Tom, who escorted us was friendly and informative, and presented the animals very well from a photographic point of view. The animals were in very spacious and natural enclosures and seemed happy and well looked after.I would definitely recommend the BWC a to any photographer interested in wildlife.

I took my young son last week and he absolutely loved it. It was a freezing day but the keepers lively talks and feed ensured that we saw plenty of wildlife. A highlight for my son and I were the otters. Great value family day out.

Winter time is quite difficult to find entertaining places for kids to go, but I came across a leaflet for the British Wildlife Centre and thought I'd give it a go. My nephew is 12 and at that age where he is easily bored, but he cannot wait to go back here and neither can i. Ok, it's not as big and packed with animals as your Howletts and London zoo's. An average walk around can be done in around 2 hours. However the experience of being able to get up close to the animals is amazing and I was surprised at how long we actually stopped and watched each animal for. Now I don't think it's any surprise when I say we all loved the red squirrel's the best! To have them running all around you is amazing, and if your lucky they will even jump on you. The talks from the keepers were very interesting and they were all happy to help with any questions you had. The otters were great, and the owl's too, especially as you could get a lot closer to them, unlike most zoos where you have to watch from quite a distance. There are many other animals to see I haven't mentioned but all were just as good. What was the best thing about the whole day...The animals all looked happy, healthy and cared for. Will I go back, DEFINITELY!

What a great day out, to get so close to nature is such a priviledge and with really knowledgeable keepers. If only i lived nearer an annual pass would be a must!!

A great day out for all the family, the animals are really well looked after and it's great to see that most of the entrance fees are put back into the centre.You can adopt an animal for a minimal amount. The photographic days are great, you can get up close with the animals for some great shots!The restaurant is always well stocked and not overpriced.If you plan to visit more than once, I would highly recommend becoming a member.

The BWC is a fantastic place to spend a few hours looking at, photographing and even interacting with (in the case of the red squirrels) some great British wildlife. Personal favourites were the Otters, Scottish wildcat and weasels. Admission is reasonable (£11/adult) and if you live close enough and want to visit often, annual membership may also be an option worth looking at.

Thanks for taking the time to write a review and we're so pleased you enjoyed seeing all our wonderful wildlife up close. You mention visiting in term time (weekdays when the children are at school). Just to make it clear, I think you're referring to one of Photography Days, which occur when we are closed to the public and must be pre-booked. They are excellent for keen amateur photographers and include access inside selected enclosures. But I would say that many of our visitors take some super close-up shots of the animals during public open days as well. Samples can be seen on our website.

Was a little worried when we got here and found that the animals were hiding! But went along to the feeding sessions and had a great informative time.