I'm sad to say that this zoo has had a massive fall from what it once was. My older children now in their 20s loved this place when they were young, abundance of animals and nice enclosures. You could hear the howler monkeys from the carpark!On returning with my two year old it was hard to hide my disappointment from her. I get that animals can't be put on show, and it now declares as a conservation project and all that jazz, but as others have said it is a game of spot the animal. Those that were visible looked bored and not stimulated, difficult to spot for adults let alone children.Most enclosures look old, run down and neglected, broken glass, or wood over viewing windows with minimal holes to look in. One of the small monkey enclosures was full of branches with dead leaves on it, not an animal in sight.The layout is difficult to navigate, minimal signage, and routes that are tight and cramped, huge puddles in front of doors, covering most of the dirt paths, like the enclosures paths and walkways falling apart. There are some newer areas, but these are so busy and with no natural flow through them become clogged and just uncomfortable to be in.Food is expensive and generally subpar, but the staff at the kiosks were friendly. A reminder of the 80s with old fairground games costing way to money for garbage prizes, cheapening the whole experience.Sad to say this place has seen its better days pass-by, now clutching on for dear life. They need to spend a lot of money or give it up move the animals to better zoos and close.Drive an extra hour or so North and go to Yorkshire wildlife, which also has free parking.
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