South East - Hampshire

Walk through shady paths to see animals in well-planned and spacious enclosures, surrounded by trees, shrubs and ponds. Meet some fascinating mammals, reptiles and birds in this lovely woodland setting, such as vocal giant otters Meamu and Panambi, friendly barn owl Hobbit, and Hamish, the playful pine marten. 

You can follow the knowledgeable keepers on their feeding rounds to discover more about the park’s animal characters, and to listen to talks on conservation and animal welfare. See mouflon, a type of wild sheep with impressive horns, or mighty European bison. Meet Munchkin, a magnificent Eurasian lynx, or rescued red foxes Copper and Autumn. 

Walk through the deer encounter enclosure to get close to deer that have been rescued from injury or abandonment in the wild, such as Dandelion, a sika deer, and fallow deer Spirit with her new fawn. Admire the wild boar as they trample in the mud, the boisterous Asian short-clawed otters as they squeak, chatter and play, and the lively polecat brothers, named after characters in TV’s Games of Thrones.  

New Forest Wildlife Park helps rehabilitate injured or abandoned animals such as Eurasian otters and deer. So there are some animals that aren’t on show to the public, which need to be cared for before they can be released back to the wild. But there are plenty of animals for visitors to admire, including those that are part of European breeding programmes for threatened or endangered species. 

Eurasian otters Mille and Chestnut, hedgehog Hattie and her hoglets, North American river otters Jasper and Kodiak, plus wolves, wallabies, ferrets, polecats, pine marten, Scottish wildcats, bullfrogs, stick insects, water voles, red deer and more make for an enjoyable and educational day out. 

Children and the young at heart can have a ball in the amazing Go Wild Adventure playgrounds and there are fun-filled activities during the school holidays, such as quiz trails, arts and crafts activities and competitions. 

There’s a tropical butterfly house open from Easter to September, where visitors can see hordes of colourful butterflies flying around their tropical hothouse home. The park is also home to several species of owls, including snowy owls, little owls and the popular burrowing owls, which have proved a hit with many visitors.  

The park’s friendly keepers are happy to answer questions and also host animal encounter sessions throughout the day. After meeting all New Forest Wildlife Park’s amazing animals, there’s a well-stocked gift shop and tempting cafe to enjoy too. 

Find out more at www.newforestwildlifepark.co.uk or on the park’s Facebook page.