ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is commonly referred to as Whipsnade Zoo and was known before as Whipsnade Wild Animal Park. Whipsnade Zoo is not an ordinary zoo since it is both a zoo and safari park in which you can enjoy the best time whether it is with your family and children or alone. This fascinating place is located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable, England and is owned by ZSL which is the Zoological Society of London and this is why the zoo is called ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. The zoo extends to cover 600 acres (2.4 km2). It was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1826, was opened for animals in 1928 and was opened to the visiting public for the first time in 1931. The zoo has a large number of animals which are endangered making the zoo one of the most important and largest conservation parks for wildlife in Europe and the whole world. The number of animals that can be found in the zoo is approximately 2,955 and the number of species that are protected there is nearly 193.
♦ Its role during the World War
The white lion figure that can be found in this zoo and is considered to be one of the most distinctive features there was completed in 1933. The zoo played an important role during the World War II as it was a refuge for the animals that were evacuated from one of the zoos in London which is the Regents Park London Zoo.
♦ Means of transport
The park is very large to the extent that there are many services which are available there to facilitate the process of moving from one place to another especially for those who cannot walk long distances. In this park you can find a bus service, train service and you can even drive your car to freely move and enjoy watching animals around you.
♦ Free animals
This park is really different from other parks that you may have visited before as the animals are usually kept in large enclosures, but in this park you will find sizeable enclosures for keeping most of the animals while there are other animals that are left to freely move around the park without being kept inside enclosures such as the Australian wallabies, South American maras and peacocks. Allowing some animals to roam freely around you in the park makes visiting such a park more interesting and increases its visitors.
♦ Enjoy visiting exhibits and seeing shows
Among the exhibits that you can visit in Whipsnade Zoo are Lions of the Serengeti, Passage through Asia, Elephant herd, Discovery Center, Rhinos of Nepal, Cheetah Rock, Wild Wild Whipsnade and Children’s Farm. You can also enjoy seeing different shows with your children such as (birds of the world & sea lion splash).