Whipsnade - What’s Happening at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo!

Dear Affiliates,

We just wanted to let you know about some great promotions we currently have running with ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

Online Family Offer

ZSL Whispande Zoo offers additional savings for families with our online family offer (2 adults + 2 children or 1 adult + 3 children).
Enter code SAVER in the promotion code box when purchasing tickets. Only available online and not at the gate.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Group booking Discounts

Groups of more than 10 paying people receive a 25% discount on ticket prices purchased online in advance and a 15% reduction if you buy at the gate.

Free Entry
Did you know that children under 3 years go free!

What’s Happening at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo!

Bright eyed and busy tailed: Lemurs born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Four new-born ring-tailed lemurs are being introduced to the world at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on Tuesday 28th April.

The four, bright eyed and bushy tailed babies were born to mums Daphne, Hannelies, Pien and Naomi between the 6th and 12th April. The babies share their home, the Zoo’s walk-through exhibit ‘In With the Lemurs’, with their mothers, siblings, and father to all four, Quaker. The four babies are, as yet, unnamed, as their sex has yet to be determined by keepers.

Senior Keeper Jane Storr said: “The new-borns are doing really well. They are just at the point where they start to show some signs of curiosity about the world, climbing around onto their mothers’ backs and shoulders to get a better look around.

“Daphne, Hannalies, Pien and Naomi, who are experienced mums, are all brilliant with the babies, and Quaker, the male lemur who fathered all four is also jumping around alongside them, looking like a proud dad.”

Native only to Madagascar, ring-tailed lemurs are at risk in the wild from illegal hunting and the effects of widespread habitat loss. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s young ring-tailed lemurs are welcome additions to the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

Brand New Butterfly House to open at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Whatever the weather, local residents will soon be able to bask in the tropical warmth and stunning colours of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s brand new Butterfly House.

Opening May half-term, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s Butterfly House is set to be one of the largest butterfly biomes of any UK Zoo. The beautifully designed, chrysalis-shaped exhibit will be filled with hundreds of colourful butterflies, including 30 different species from all over the world.

The Butterfly House will be an exquisite tropical experience, as well as a wonderful place for families to learn more about nature. At the Metamorphosis Zone visitors will be able to see every stage of the caterpillar/butterfly life-cycle, including butterflies hatching from their chrysalises. Those visiting during May half-term can also enjoy a range of afternoon talks about colour and camouflage, metamorphosis and how to look after butterflies.

To celebrate the opening of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s Butterfly House, young visitors will be treated to an appearance by CBeebies’ leaf-size hero Tree Fu Tom, in a live show that transports children into the enchanted world of Treetopolis. Visitors can see Tree Fu Tom LIVE at the Zoo from 23rd – 25th May, and take part in a special Tree Fu Tom Trail, featuring spotter sheets, trivia and butterflies, which runs throughout May half-term.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo has always been renowned as the ‘land of the giants’, drawing visitors from across the world to see its Asian elephants, brown bears and tigers, but from Saturday 23rd May, the brand new Butterfly House will show visitors that although ‘big is beautiful’, tiny, delicate creatures can be just as stunning,
fascinating, and vital to the natural world.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Visitors Centre 2015

Now open, the new indoor Visitor Centre allows access to tickets and facilities before the zoo is open so you can make the most of your day. Plus, you can treat yourself to a coffee and cake in our cosy café, make membership enquiries or choose a gift from the extended range in the shop at any time during your visit.

Designed to improve the visitor experience, the new visitor centre will not only sell tickets, membership and experiences, but also tasty hot food, cakes and coffee. Plus, in a first for the Zoo, it will be selling a brand new range of animal-themed homeware and gifts, designed especially for ZSL by Sarah Mulligan.

The new visitor centre has been designed to be ultra-sustainable, gaining an A-rating for energy efficiency and becoming a hub for recycling projects such as turning used plastic drinks bottles into new benches for the Zoo.

Owen Craft, General Manager of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, said: “We can’t wait for first-time visitors and regular members to experience the stunning new visitor centre.

“Obviously the reason people come to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is first and foremost to experience the animals, like the baby boom that we’re currently enjoying of lambs, pygmy hippos and chicks, or the larger-scale visitor favourites like the elephants and tigers.

“However, whether it’s finding a beautiful gift for a loved one or just enjoying a delicious coffee before the drive home, I think the visitor centre will bookend a day at the Zoo in a lovely way and make the experience absolutely first rate.”

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is part of international science and conservation charity the Zoological Society of London, and profits are used to work for wildlife in more than 70 countries around the world. A new indoor, immersive butterfly exhibit is also being launched to delight visitors from May half-term.

Whipsnade Visitor Centre 2015 | Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

Best Regards,
ZSL Affiliate Team