Animal encounters
Get close to your favourite animal species - learn about their habitat and how we take care of them at Heythrop Zoological Gardens
Heythrop Zoo is set at a private location in the beautiful Cotswolds. We are only open by appointment only. We are not open to the public like a normal zoo. Our mission is to educate on animal welfare and behaviour, advance animal training standards worldwide and inspire the next generation to be the guardians of the wonderful animals and nature on our planet. As we are not open to the general public on a day-to-day basis, we are able to offer you exclusive and unforgettable animal experiences by appointment only.
Information for Visitors
Safety procedures are in place to protect you, our staff and our animals. Due to our zoo not being open to the public, we have limited visitors and guests, and can therefore reassure you that strict hygiene, health and safety measures are in place to comply with government guidelines - this may change depending on government guidelines.
Facemasks/Face Shields are optional for all Encounters. You are more than welcome to bring your own if you wish to wear a mask. Your handler may or may not wear a mask for the encounters, but will wear one if you would like them to .
See our range of animal encounters below:
Know someone who loves animals? Book them an animal encounter for a once in a lifetime gift from the list below!
Combined Two-Toed Sloth and Reptile Encounter
This is your opportunity to get up close to one of our Two-Toed Sloths, “Talita”. Your encounter will entail feeding her from your hand with pieces of fruit, with the possibility of stroking her. The encounter will take place within an area of our reptile house. You cannot hold the sloth due to health and safety reasons.
The Reptile Encounter is a completely hands-on encounter with our Baby Crocodile, a Python and a selection of 4 other reptiles/amphibians or tarantulas chosen by HZG staff on the day.
Things to know:
This combined encounter is a 1 hour encounter, 20 minutes with Talita and 30 minutes with the reptiles.
Minimum age restriction of 14 years old and above (spectators minimum of 8 years old)
Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access for this combined encounter (only)
Two-Toed Sloth Encounter
Enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one of our Two-Toed Sloths. Your encounter will entail feeding her from your hand with pieces of fruit with the possibility of stroking her.
Things to know:
This is a 20-minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 14 years old and above (spectators minimum of 8 years old)
If you require wheelchair access, or have any phobias with any reptiles, please let us know upon booking.
Reptile encounter
The Reptile Encounter is a completely hands-on encounter with our Baby Crocodile, a Python and a selection of 4 other reptiles/amphibians or tarantulas chosen by HZG staff on the day. We can take a maximum of 6 people per Reptile Encounter, including spectators.
Things to know:
• This is a 30 minute encounter
• Minimum age restriction of 5 years old and above (spectators minimum of 5 years old)
Lion Encounter
This is your opportunity to spend time with two of our beautiful African Lions. You will be protected within a safety cage inside King and Ghana’s enclosure! You will be given a 2ft bamboo cane to put your pieces of meat onto, before feeding the lions up close and personal.
Things to know:
This is a 20-minute encounter
Minimum age restriction of 14 years old and above (spectators minimum of 12 years old)
Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access for this encounter
Tiger Feeding Encounter
Our beautiful and majestic big cats are fascinating to learn about and meet. Your tiger encounter entitles you to get up close (but not too close!) to our Bengal; Tigers. You will get pieces of meat and a 4ft bamboo cane to put your meat on to feed the tiger.
Things to know:
This is a 20-minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 8 years old and above (spectators minimum of 6 years old)
Squirrel Monkey Encounter
Meet our Olive Capped Squirrel Monkeys “Tia” and/or “Antonio” and have one to one interaction with them. Your encounter will entail feeding them from your hand as they jump and climb around you.
Things to know:
This is a 20 minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 8 years old and above (spectators minimum of 8 years old)
Llama Encounter
This is your opportunity to get up close with our llamas Annie and/or Jolene.. You will be able to hand feed and stroke her/them. You will then take the lead and go for a walk around our field area and depending on how the llama is on the day, into the woodland area as well. Photo opportunities are available along with our Peruvian costumes if you like.
Things to know:
This is a 30 minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 5 years old and above (spectators minimum of 5 years old)
Zebra Encounter
Here’s your chance to get up close and personal with our Chapman Zebras, “Maasai” and/or “Aled”, depending on how many take part. You will stand behind a small waist height barrier whilst you feed and stroke him/them, and learn about their training techniques from one of our main trainers. Depending on how the zebras get on with you on the day, you may also have the opportunity to groom them as well.
Things to know:
This is a 30 minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 8 years old and above (spectators minimum of 6 years old)
Raven Training Demonstration
Ravens are one of the world’s most intelligent birds. If you are interested in learning more about how they think and solve puzzles, Raven Training is for you! All being well, you will be able to handle the raven and have hands on animal training experience.
Things to know:
This is a 20-minute encounter
Minimum age restriction of 14 years old and above (spectators minimum of 10 years old)
Penguin Feeding Encounter
Penguin feeding is a favourite of all friends of HZG. Make sure you wash your hands as you will be hand feeding lots of fish to our happy penguin friends!
Things to know:
This is a 20 minute encounter
There is a minimum age restriction of 3 years old and above (spectators minimum of 3 years old)
“5*, 10 out of 10, a must do don’t think just book, you won’t regret it. Honestly best time of mine and my girlfriends life see you very soon would have come back the next day. Honestly if there was a 6 rating i would rate it 10 it was that good , totally made my girlfriends birthday not sure how I’m ever going to top this , Niall was amazing full of Information about the zoo and the animals all questions where answered. You can tell he is passionate about his job and how could you not be with a beautiful girl like Talita. What an amazing sloth, 20 minutes was not long enough, will definitely be back for a guided tour the zoo. Its so interesting can’t wait to see more , I’ll be talking about this zoo to everyone I meet for so long, so glad I found you guys. Booking with Hannah was simple and fast emails back which was a dream , see you guys again very soon!”
“We booked the Zebra encounter/experience at Heythrop, we had a great time feeding, stroking and grooming the zebras, whilst learning all about them. You could tell they were very well looked after and had a good relationship with staff. Staff member answered all our questions, told us about Heythrop in general and the animals. We didn’t feel rushed and managed to get time for some photos and videos. The experience was much more than we expected and we left really happy. Next time we are in the area we would love to come back and see more of the animals. Thank you for a lovely time.”
“I booked a “tiger” encounter ss a birthday present for a family member. Hannah was so very helpful on the telephone, in emails and text messages when I first enquired. She always came back to me straight away with information, directions etc. Thank you Hannah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
On the day we were greeted by Barbara, a very nice lady, who explained everything to us and escorted us in to meet Raja and Madras. Two absolutely stunning tigers. They looked so healthy and well cared for. It was an awesome time spent feeding them. An experience of a lifetime. Thank you Barbara for telling us about these beautiful animals, showing us what to do, and taking photos too ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I would highly recommend the tiger experience. Raja and Madras are unforgettable and the staff were very kind”
“I cannot express how impressed I am. I have always loved Sloths and it is a dream come true to not only meet one but stroke and feed Talita the Sloth. If you love Sloths like me please go you will not regret it.”
“Had a lovely sloth experience today with Talita. The whole experience was great from initial booking to the visit. A fab and friendly young girl spent plenty of time with us and answered all our questions. Talita was beautiful. Such a gentle creature.”
“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Hard to add anything. Spent an hour walking Beowulf a beautiful creature. This was a seriously life enhancing activity.”
“What an amazing place, loved it! Visited many zoos over the years but this zoo is so different, you see the animals on such a different scale it could never be compared to an average zoo experience. Thank you for the perfect day.”
Please note:
For prices - please contact us
All persons participating must be able to follow instructions at all times without fail
Participants with disabilities are advised to contact Heythrop Zoological Gardens before booking; we will do our best to accommodate you
You will have the opportunity to take photographs (you will need to supply your own camera). Our staff members can also take the photos for you
Spectators will not be involved in the encounter (other than taking photos)
Your visit will end with a signed certificate of your encounter
Please note, the zoo is not open to the public and we cannot give private tours of the area during the encounters. You will be signed in and taken to the encounter, then escorted back to your vehicle - depending on the encounter, you may see some of the other animals on route, but we cannot class it as a tour!
If there is anything not listed that you would like to enquire about, please email with your request
Please either call 01608 683 420 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Enquiries will be answered within 24-48 hours Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays). Please call if you haven’t heard back within the timeframe
(please check your junk folder).