You may have noticed from some of my builds (exhibits A and B) that tropical houses are some of my favourite exhibits at zoos. After learning that Woodside Wildlife Park, located not too far away, had not one but two tropical houses, I just knew I had to make a visit!
This was my second visit to a zoo in Lincolnshire, a county in England which seems relatively abundant with zoos. I visited on a weekday in the hopes of a quieter visit and, for the most part, I succeeded aside from two visiting school groups.
The zoo began life as Wood Farm in 1999. In 2001, it became the Woodside Falconry and Conservation Centre, housing birds of prey which the owner had accumulated over the years. The zoo then diversified with the addition of reptiles and butterflies and, in 2009, renamed itself Woodside Wildlife and Falconry Park. The collection continued to expand with the notable additions of wolves, tigers, lynx and penguins, and simplified its name to Woodside Wildlife Park in 2014.
The zoo has a compact layout with no discernible path circuit in place, typical of most small- to mid-sized zoos. This wouldn't have been an issue if not for the fact that the zoo had no maps, printed or otherwise, meaning I had to retrace my steps to avoid missing something. The only guide I had for a species inventory was the website on my phone but it was far from comprehensive. In the end, it did transpire that I missed a few animals, a fact I'm not too happy about, but life goes on!
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| The entrance to the zoo |
The entrance is composed of a row of buildings which I presume were once part of the farm. There's a small gift shop, a ticket desk and a cafe. We stopped by the cafe briefly to eat some cake before leaving for our first animal enclosures: the Asian small-clawed otters and Poppy the green-winged macaw who was conveniently placed by the entrance to greet people.
The pair of otters had an elongated enclosure which was a wholly-rocky/concrete landscape. There was no greenery to be seen and only a small pond. A combination of glass and low concrete walls offered decent viewing but in all honesty, it wasn't the best opening enclosure.
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| The Asian small-clawed otter enclosure — not the greatest first impression |
What did make a better impression was the nearby meerkat enclosure. It was a good size with lots of natural substrate for the meerkats to dig in. Low walls and glass panels meant viewing was good for both humans and meerkats alike, and the enclosure was themed with a generic African mud hut facade, a concrete well and a termite mound. This theming extended to the surrounding area which featured mock rock walls and appropriate plants. The meerkats were clearly happy and active.
The first of the two tropical houses was next. Passing through the wooden door, I was expecting to be hit by the usual stifling heat and humidity of most tropical houses but, instead, I was met by a cool temperature. Immediately on my right was a mixed species enclosure for panther chameleon and Madagascan day gecko. Large in size and packed with so many natural furnishings, it was a challenge to spot either of the lizards in this enclosure (not necessarily a bad thing). Next to it was a narrow stairway to a raised vantage point, which I briefly visited to get an overview of the house. The walkway then lead towards a children's play area which seemed to take up a quarter of the building — an unnecessary use of space which could have been used for animals.
Returning to the main path, it meandered around a dense wall of vegetation made up of towering palms and a thick green floor of smaller plants. It all looked lush and well cared for; much of it was grown in-house in a room which was partially on-show. One observation that struck me was how narrow the paths were and how cramped the layout felt, something which wasn't an issue on my visit but could be an issue for overcrowding on busier days.
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| Part of the tropical house |
A small room off to the side contained three reptile enclosures for a carpet python, Australian water dragons and blue spiny lizards. Adequately-sized, these enclosures were well furnished with lots of use of the floor-to-ceiling vertical space. The visitor space was a bit bleak and could have been decorated to fit the tropical house a bit more. This is also where I noticed some of the zoo's signage which was very simple (maybe too simple) and definitely wouldn't win any awards for graphic design.
Leaving the room, there was a row of three small enclosures, presumably for reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates, but they were all empty. Behind them was an indoor ring-tail lemur enclosure: a square white room with wood shavings on the floor, a few small shelves, some logs and a piece of rope — functional but a stark contrast with the very green and naturalistic tropical house. They also had access to another space behind which was furnished a bit better. The nearby indoor red ruffed lemur enclosure was more of an eyesore and a lot smaller. Fortunately, both species had access to a large outdoor area which I'll describe later.
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| The marmoset and sloth mixed enclosure |
Across from the lemurs was a large mixed species enclosure for Geoffroy's marmosets and Linnaeus's two-toed sloth. It was everything the lemur enclosures should've been: spacious, green and with lots of natural climbing furniture. These animals had free access to the tropical house and ropes suspended in the air teased the prospect of sloths climbing overhead but sadly this wasn't something I got to experience.
In the centre of the tropical house was a small pond with a bamboo waterfall. For some reason, it was enclosed by a tall wooden fence, meaning it could only be viewed through a few openings. I thought this was an odd design choice as it hid what could have been a very attractive focal point. A row of signs nearby indicated that the following birds were kept (as labeled): pied imperial pigeon, Asian glossy starling, Madagascan fody, Pekin robin, African speckled pigeon, ringed teal, Java sparrow, western moustached laughingthrush, black breasted thrush and speckled mousebird. Aside from a fleeting glimpse of the starlings, the tropical house felt otherwise devoid of these birds and the glaring omission for this experience. The final enclosure was found underneath the vantage point from earlier: a bat cave, and so authentically done, with real rock walls, a steel walkway and metal supports, that I didn't have the courage to stay in it for long! It was also pitch black but my phone's low light camera did give me a better view (flash was not used). Egyptian fruit bats were apparently kept in this snug space but I didn't see any (they may have had access to the rest of the tropical house).
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| Inside the bat cave |
After leaving the tropical house, I was welcomed by the sight of a red panda posing on a branch. The striking animal lived in a good-sized, low-walled enclosure, rich with vegetation, including a large tree. There were several shelters and some decent climbing opportunities with various branches and a network of wooden walkways. Opposite was an aviary-style cage for pied tamarins which was densely packed with foliage and home to an active and vocal group. They also had access to an enclosure in the second tropical house which I'll describe later. The signage in this area was of a much higher quality.
The largest enclosure in this area was a large concrete and steel structure containing a lemur walkthrough — the outdoor space for the lemurs I saw in the tropical house. It was sadly closed on my visit so my only views were from the outside. This was far from ideal as there were only a few mesh openings to see through. From what I could see, it was a decent space with some theming (mock rock walls shaped like sandstone blocks and some logs). One curious feature of this enclosure was a large pond with an underwater viewing window. Given the pond was empty, it took a search online to find that it once contained fish. The waterfall also had a cave behind it which I assumed the lemurs could sit in. A large netted roof also alluded to the presence of birds but a lone sacred ibis is all I saw.
Nearby was the zoo's newest enclosure, an outdoor space for newly-arrived Colombian black spider monkeys. The monkeys had arrived from Banham Zoo quite recently and were still being kept indoors whilst they settled in. Their indoor accomodation was heavily themed, featured lots of climbing opportunities and was given the appellation Wild Amazonia. The outdoor space was large, low-walled and featured an impressive climbing frame with several bushes for greenery. A sign nearby suggested the planned introduction of capybaras and tapir to create a mixed species exhibit — This seems like a fairly common mix and one I'd love to replicate in Planet Zoo if we ever get a spider monkey!
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| The new spider monkey enclosure which may also eventually house tapirs and capaybaras |
Then, from one of the newest enclosures at the zoo to some of its oldest: first, a mixed species enclosure for raccoons and raccoon dogs and then an enclosure for Geoffroy's cat. Both of these enclosures were old wooden cages in desperate need of a fresh lick of paint. The raccoon/raccoon dog enclosure was enclosed with solid walls on three of its four sides and was partially covered with a solid roof meaning the animals had limited sunlight. The Geoffrey's cat enclosure was built the same way but against the sun, making it even more dark and dingy. The zoo's web page for this species made a specific mention of its swimming ability but their enclosure had no water to facilitate this natural behaviour. A third enclosure belonged to coppery titi which was a great size and had lots of climbing opportunities and foliage.
There was a building nearby where an animal show took place but it was packed with school children so I gave it a miss. A sign curiously mentioned lynx as one of its participants; videos online show birds, red foxes and genets, among others, performing natural behaviours on stage.
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| The Stellar's sea eagle aviary |
Moving on, I found a pair of Stellar's sea eagles which lived in a large netted aviary. The size of this aviary was undoubtedly its best feature but it also had multiple perches, lots of grass, varied terrain, a small pond and a wooden shelter. Its only shortcoming was taller foliage which could have easily been accommodated in an aviary of this size. The birds may have also been the only birds of prey on display outside the animal show — a disappointing fact given the zoo's history as a falconry centre.
Directly opposite the sea eagles were the Humboldt penguins which were housed in a walkthrough aviary. As I entered, a small building allowed for views of their filtration system, along with signage explaining how it all worked — I liked this as it reminded visitors of the complexities and expenses of keeping marine animals. The aviary was surrounded on all sides by solid walls, which did help create a sense of surprise when you saw the animals, but it did make me wonder how they'd be seen if the walkthrough was closed (as many have been due to the prevailing threat of avian flu). The penguins were confined within an enclosure, so it wasn't a true "walkthrough" experience with them sharing the same space as you. Nevertheless, they were exhibited well with a large pool, a sizeable beach area, a waterfall and lots of natural rocks, with it all set against a gabion backdrop. Viewing was also very generous with low walls all around, windows by the beach area and an underwater viewing area for the pool. To enhance the experience further, the penguins were exhibited alongside free-flying inca terns which were accommodated with their own rock face to nest on.
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| The "walkthrough" penguin enclosure |
Leaving the penguin walkthrough, I was immediately greeted by the tiger enclosure. Rectangular in shape, it looked intentionally overgrown with lots of tall grass and bushes. Other features included a large wooden platform, a natural pond and a glass viewing area. It was the overgrown planting which elevated it above most tiger enclosures I'd seen at comparable zoos, as it more closely emulated a natural habitat than the usual manicured lawn. It all looked naturalistic, with even the housing mostly shrouded behind plants. That housing was also publicly-accessible and provided a view into one of the dens. The den itself was understandably designed to be more functional than attractive, with bare concrete surfaces, a single platform, some wood shavings and logs. Signs nearby proudly declared that the zoo was awarded a bronze award by BIAZA for its efforts to rescue and house two ex-circus tigers. In the future, the zoo hopes to accommodate tigers from a European breeding programme.
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| The overgrown tiger enclosure |
Retracing my steps, I then viewed the Siberian lynx enclosure. The sibling pair was housed in a spacious netted enclosure which offered a lot of greenery, climbing opportunities and even a small cave. Its naturalistic appearance was only reduced by a tall wooden wall on three of its four sides.
Nearby, I visited the Endeavour Tropical House, the second of two tropical houses. The building was previously the Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory in Lincoln before it was saved from demolition and donated to the zoo in 2016. The entire building was dismantled, moved and then rebuilt in a process which involved 16,000 bolts, 1,000 tonnes of soil, 800 tonnes of stone and 300 tonnes of concrete. Signage around the building recounted the voyage of discovery to the Pacific of its namesake, HMS Endeavor and its commander Captain Cook. There were a few themed elements to reinforce the story, such as water barrels and wood panelling, but the animals and plants were always the stars of the show. For the most part, only geographically-relevant species were kept with each highlighting a relevant conservation issue. Their enclosures were located around the edges of the square building, with a crocodile enclosure in the centre.
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| Inside the Endeavor Tropical House |
The immediate view upon entry was of a wall of tall vegetation, with a small goldfish pond in front; these were the original residents of the conservatory before it was moved to the zoo and it was nice to see the zoo kept them around. Opposite the pond was a small mesh-fronted aviary for bali starling and crested partridge, part of an exhibit which highlighted the Asian songbird crisis, but neither species were visible on my visit. Their aviary was a reasonable size and featured multiple perching options for the starlings, as well as a natural substrate and a few plants on the ground for the patridge. Around the corner, the path split and I followed it into an enclosed viewing area in the centre of the building for a breeding pair of critically endangered Siamese crocodiles, an uncommon species in zoos. The viewing area was darkened to accentuate the enclosure which, in contrast, was fully lit by natural light and very naturalistic in its appearance, with a sandy substrate, a pond, lots of rocks and tropical plants. The land area was next to the viewing windows, which gave me an up-close and full-body view of both crocodiles as they basked. A bench opposite the viewing windows gave me the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the experience at my leisure. Behind it, there was a rack of six reptile and invertebrate tanks for (as labeled) royal python, blue tonged skink, Dumeril's boa and Chile rose tarantula. These tanks were very basic but just about suitable and almost reminiscent of an isle in a pet shop. Poison frogs were exhibited in a corner nearby and their enclosure was a lot larger and naturalistic.
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| The Siamese crocodile enclosure and the highlight of my visit |
Exiting the viewing area, I ventured back to the main circuit where I found a mixed species, partially glass-fronted enclosure for golden-headed lion tamarins and coppery titi monkeys. It didn't have the largest footprint but it compensated with vertical space which was used for branches and plants. Speaking of plants, the zoo clearly put a lot of effort into transforming this once-decaying building into such a vibrant and lush landscape — the butterflies definitely appreciated it. I then climbed a small staircase to get a raised view over the crocodiles. This was a pretty interesting experience as the barrier appeared to be a flimsy wooden trellis!
I then returned outside to view my final series of enclosures. The first one was a large overgrown space with a pond which seemed to hold only a single white stork. The path around it then led to an enclosure for a small pack of Hudson Bay wolves. Their elongated enclosure was slightly raised and dense with vegetation. This, combined with the thick mesh fencing and guardrail, made viewing the animals very difficult. The best view I could get was of the tops of their heads in the distance. The addition of a raised viewing area or a window could have enhanced the experience greatly. Lastly, I visited two spacious paddocks for a mix of capybaras and South American tapir — both basic but more than suitable. If these animals do end up moving in with the spider monkeys, I do think they'll miss the space.
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| The best view I could get of the Hudson Bay wolves |
To wrap up my visit, I browsed the gift shop which was housed in a rustic farm building with exposed brickwork and wooden beams. It was a fair size and sold everything you'd expect from plushies and toys to stationary and mugs. Sadly, due to cost, the zoo did not offer any branded merchandise.
Woodside Wildlife Park was a great way to spend a few hours seeing mostly common species with the odd rarity here and there. The zoo's latest investments have clearly produced some very high quality exhibits, namely those for the crocodiles, tigers, lemurs, spider monkeys and penguins. I just hope the rest of the zoo can catch up, as everything else was mostly average. Many enclosures could be elevated to greatness by only a few small tweaks. Information could've been better too; the lack of a map made navigating quite frustrating and the website did little to compensate with only a small part of the collection listed. What wasn't communicated poorly was conservation; it was seemingly at the heart of everything (as it should be), with the zoo involved in numerous in-situ and ex-situ conservation projects and breeding programmes.
All in all, I left Woodside feeling very positive and optimistic about its future and I do see myself returning some day.
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