Animal Experiences

Are you looking for a truly unique animal encounter? Then choose one of the following Keeper Experiences...

Experience	Number for a group	Mucking out	Food Preparation	Feeding	Close encounter	Behind the scenes	Days
Penguin face to face	1						Monday and Friday
Giraffe face to face	1						Wed/Sat/Sun
Keeper for a day	1						Tues/Thurs/ and some weekends 8.15am - 5pm - Apr to Oct
Keeper Experience	3						Wed and some weekends 8:30am to 1pm Apr to Oct
Junior Keeper Experience	3						Wed and Sat 9am - Midday During school holidays, see time table below

New! Junior Keeper Experience!

An unforgettable opportunity to see how our keepers spend their time through this packed three-hour experience. Join a group of up to three participants (plus one accompanying adult per participant) as you work with our trained staff in preparing food and enrichment for our animals, mucking out their enclosures and then meeting and feeding some of them behind the scenes.

For 8-15 year olds, this new experience costs £150 and lasts from 9am-midday. All Junior Keepers must be accompanied by an adult who enjoys free entry and is welcome to participate in certain activities. Any other accompanying

guests are admitted to Marwell from 10am at group rates.

Junior Keeper Experience participants will receive a certificate, refreshments voucher and Marwell Wildlife souvenir drawstring bag, notebook and pencil.

Note for the accompanying adult – please bring along your camera as there will be some fantastic photo opportunities!

Availability is strictly limited. 

Current available dates: 25 May; 1 June; 24, 27 and 31 July; 3, 7, 10, 17, 21, 24, 28, 31 August; 23, 26 October and

2 November.  

For more information and to book an experience call our Fundraising Team on 01962 777988.

penguin face to face

Meet and feed our penguins at our newly opened Penguin Cove, Our knowledgeable staff will take you behind the scenes and let you prepare their food, learn about all our individual penguins and feed them fish too.

Each experience last 30 minutes and includes park entry and a gift pack for £75. Accompanying guests receive group rates and are able to watch whilst you enjoy your experience.

Minimum age is 12 years

For more information and to book an experience call our Fundraising Team on 01962 777988.

keeper experience

Get a sense of how our keepers spend their time through this packed half-day experience. Join a group of up to three participants as you work with our trained staff in preparing food and enrichment for our animals, mucking out their enclosures and then meeting and feeding a few of them behind the scenes.

All Keeper Experience participants will receive a certificate, lunch voucher and Marwell Wildlife souvenir mug. The minimum age is 16 years.

This experience costs £175 and lasts from 8.30am to 1pm (May to October inclusive), on Wednesdays and some weekends.

Accompanying guests are admitted to Marwell from 10am at group rates.

For a limited period current annual members can purchase a Keeper Experience at a 20% discount.

For more information and to book please call our Fundraising team on 01962 777988.

 

Keeper for a Day

This once in a lifetime opportunity will give you a unique insight into the day-to-day life of our keepers and their charges. Budding keepers might prepare food for the lemurs, muck out the giraffes, feed the rhino and even go behind-the-scenes at our big cats, all of which will make a day to remember for any animal lover.

All Keeper for a Day participants will receive a certificate, guide book, gift card and photo, photo CD of their day, lunch and a Marwell Wildlife souvenir mug. The minimum age is 16 years

This experience costs £350 and lasts a full day from 8.15am to 5pm (April to October inclusive) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and some weekends. Accompanying guests are admitted from 10am at group rates.

For more information and to book please call our Fundraising team on 01962 777988.

Giraffe Face to Face - *SOLD OUT*

Meet our giraffes face to face for a truly unforgettable experience. Our knowledgeable staff will look after you and share their passion for these amazing animals as you go behind the scenes and hand feed them from the gantry in the giraffe house.

Each experience last 30 minutes and includes park entry and a gift pack for £100. Accompanying guests receive group rates and are able to watch whilst you enjoy your experience. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

This popular experience has now sold out for2013. We will start selling for January - June 2014 in October 2013.

What you need to know

• As Marwell is a registered charity, the money raised from these Marwell Experiences helps fund the care of our animals in the park and our conservation projects both in the UK and Africa.
• All Marwell Experiences must be pre-booked by calling 01962 777988
• To get the most from your experience and to ensure safety, please wear suitable clothing, including trousers (not shorts) and footwear, eg: walking boots.  Clothing should be in neutral colours, no brights please as this may upset the animals.
• It may be necessary, due to animal husbandry reasons, for participants to use a disinfectant footbath. Please ensure suitable, robust footwear is worn.
• As only a limited number of experiences are available, we advise you book as early as possible to avoid disappointment, please allow 10 working days. Times may vary depending on season and section.
• Payment is required upon confirmation of booking.
• Gift vouchers are available for all experiences except junior keeper experience. All vouchers have an expiry date, this date is non extendable and gift vouchers are non-refundable. Please call to make your booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult on the giraffe face to face, and must be of walking age due to health and safety reasons. Babies are unfortunately, not allowed.

Terms and Conditions

• Due to unforeseeable animal health or staffing issues, Marwell cannot guarantee that all animals and exhibits specified will be available.
• Due to animal behavioural issues, experiences may vary.
• Experiences include general admission for the participant, any additional guests may purchase tickets at a discounted rate at the time of booking, however, they will not be able to take part in the experience.
• Waiver of Liability – Marwell Wildlife accepts no liability for any person or body for any loss, injury or property damage from any action or cause whatsoever undertaken at the park. Participants must abide by staff instructions at all times. It is a condition of participation that guests observe all warning signs, do not venture over safety barriers and do not enter the park’s off limit areas, unless instructed and supervised by staff.
• Due to the hands on nature of this experience, participants of ‘Keeper for a Day’ must be physically fit and suffering no severe health problems. For insurance purposes, the scheme is only available to those aged 16 years and over and unfortunately cannot accommodate wheelchair users in this instance due to access restrictions behind the scenes.
• Please be advised that it is your responsibility to inform us if you have any medical condition (e.g. pregnancy) that you or your doctor feel we should be aware of in order to ensure your safety.
• Please note that for health and safety reasons, pregnant women will not be able to participate in any of our animal experiences.
• Please do not apply if you have any convictions relating to animals.
• Please state any disabilities to enable us to try and adapt our encounters to suit.