Chester Zoo Trip

Last weekend we made a trip over to Chester Zoo for the day. I'd heard good things about it but after going to Longleat last year I wasn't sure anything could top that but this came very close! We got there just as it opened at 10am and it took us around 3-4 hours to go round and see everything. 

They had such a variety of animals and all of them had great environments with plenty of room and stimulation and we were able to observe them from a distance that would not bother them too much but allow us to see them clearly. I feel that zoos are a very grey area to a lot of people and I myself sometimes feel a little sad when I see animals that should be out in the wild, in zoos and enclosures however it was amazing to see them and see the work the zoo does for them especially the conservation of the endangered animals that are close to becoming extinct in the wild. 

The big cats they had there were incredible. The ones I have pictures of on here are breath taking however there was one thing that I will always remember. We had walked around the lion enclosure and seen one of the female lions sitting on top of the rocks sleeping and as we walked over to get some lunch, Niall was ordering and I just walked over to this hut on the edge of the lions outside enclosure. It was dark inside and so I assumed that it was empty however as I got closer to the glass I could see movement inside. It was dark but the light caught the face of this huge male lion. He was in there with another female and as I was stood in front of the glass he stood up and came closer to me and just looked at me. I couldn't believe just how big he was but also his presence and how handsome he was. He just calmly sat and then laid back down. Shortly after a few other people came over and then a crowd gathered so I moved away but I felt honoured that I had been able to have that experience with just me and that magnificent animal. 

It really was an amazing day out and I will definitely be going back in the future. All the animals were up and about and exploring their environments, the rhinos we saw even put on a display for the crowd as they playfully battled and the giraffes all posed together and in turn for photos. There was so much to see and it was a great day out for everyone!