Are you looking for a truly unique animal encounter? At Marwell we have two opportunities for you to experience our world of animals: Be a Keeper for a Day or come Face to Face…
Face to Face Experiences
New experiences just added! Siamang gibbon & White rhino
Come face to face with our lemurs, tigers, penguins or giraffes for a truly exciting one-to-one experience . You will meet the keeper and go behind the scenes with the opportunity to meet the animal of your choice and in most cases feed them too.
Sessions last for 30 minutes and are usually held in the afternoon. Age restrictions apply - please see below.
£100 for 30 minutes, includes entry to the Park. Accompanying guests are admitted at group rates.
For more information and to book please call Nina on 01962 777988.
Age restrictions apply as follows: giraffe - any age, lemurs & gibbons - minimum age 7, rhino, tiger & penguin- minimum age 10. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Keeper for a Day
Enjoy this unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and shadow one of our keepers, including mucking out, preparing food and feeding the animals in the park. You also get the opportunity to join the keepers for coffee breaks and enjoy being part of a busy day. This experience is a one-on-one and the minimum age for Keeper for a Day is 16 years.
- All Keeper for a Day participants receive a certificate, photo CD of their day, lunch and Marwell Wildlife souvenir mug.
£350 for a Full Day (8.30am-6.00pm, May– Sept, excluding Mon and Fri). Accompanying guests are admitted from 10am at group rates.
For more information and to book please call 01962 777988.
What you need to know
- As Marwell is a registered charity, the monies raised from the Animal Encounter experiences are used by the keepers to help with improving animal housing and providing training to aid care and conservation work.
- All animal encounter experiences must be pre-booked by calling 01962 777988
- As only a limited number of experiences are available per month, 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 the experiences, are valid for 12 months from date of issue and are non extendable or refundable. Bookings for Keeper for a Day are made between May and September.
- Face to Face encounters for children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- GIraffe Face to Face encounters only run from October-March
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.
- Cancellation Policy – If you cancel your Animal Encounter less than 5 working days before it is due to occur, you will be charged 50% of the fee.
- 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 the Keeper for a Day programme.
- 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.