Overview

We have visited the zoo (Now WildHeart Animal Sanctuary) many times. I have visited whilst able bodied, in a wheelchair and using a mobility scooter. Whilst able bodied we paid the car park fee like everyone else. Once I became disabled and had a blue badge we decided to park across the road in the council car park which is free to badge holders. On our last visit, on exiting, we saw that the zoo car park is now free to Blue Badge holders, so one move in the right direction. There is a new entrance but it is still a steep slope and only one door was unlocked. It was not wide enough for either my chair or scooter (Which is average size) so it required someone to open the other door. This took some time. When paying for tickets, I wasn't asked for any documentation and have never been asked to show anything. But we do always carry this info with us. The zoo paths are as the other reviewers have described, broken concrete and deep gravel. In a wheelchair, a route around needs to be carefully planned. Some areas are too sleep or deep for someone to manage to push a wheelchair up or through. A scooter copes better but the deep gravel in the lion viewing area is far too deep even for Bessie (My scooter) However the lions can been seen around the other side which is where they normally hang out anyway. If they are on the rocks near the viewing area, they are high enough up to be able to see from a bit further back. Whilst most of the paths are manageable, don't expect a smooth ride. But some areas have been worked on so hopefully it will all get a makeover eventually. I agree that the fencing makes taking decent photos hard but this is the same whether standing or in a wheelchair as the fences are quite high (Thankfully) There is an indoor disabled toilet in the cafe. This gets used by anyone and everyone who is in the cafe. I used it once but it had a rather pungent smell that wasn't pleasant so I avoid if possible. There is another outside with the 'normal' toilets. This is also shared with baby changing but I've only had to wait once. The door doesn't close properly and I'm never quite sure if the lock actually works. The room is full of spiders, so I make my visits as brief as possible. I have some mobility so if I think I'm up to it I'll use the ladies toilets which are up 3 or 4 steps. Despite the zoo not being particularly wheelchair friendly, I always manage to see all the animals except the koi fish as the glass is always filthy and even standing up I'm not tall enough to see over the tank. All staff we encountered were pleasant.

Transport & Parking

Access

Toilets

Staff