Dudley Zoo

There is just one week to go until our showing of Dirty Dancing! There are still tickets available, so why not join us for a fun filled evening in the castle courtyard. We hope to see you there!

We're highlighting the work of ABConservation - Arctictis binturong Conservation this #WorldBinturongDay.
If you've got five minutes please take a look at this video and learn about the work we help financially support.

It’s #WorldBinturongDay and we’re proud supporters of ABConservation - Arctictis binturong Conservation – the only association in the world entirely dedicated to the protection and study of the species.
Elliot and Ellie our binturong pair are brilliant ambassadors for their wild cousins who are classed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Numbers have decreased by at least 30 per cent in 18 years, due to deforestation, illegal trafficking and poaching.
As part of our ongoing conserv...ation efforts, DZG has pledged €1,000 a year for five years to the project, to help finance awareness and conservation actions on the field and we’re delighted to hear how the association are setting up camera traps in a new study site in the North of Palawan, Philippines, to determine if there are binturongs in the location.
And you’re doing your bit by simply visiting DZG – so thank you!
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It’s almost party time for our youngest visitors as we host our popular under fives days!
Bring your little ones for a day of fun and games in the castle courtyard next month, including puppet shows, balloon modelling and tombolas.
The event takes place on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th June and there’ll be a chance to meet DZG’s monkey mascot, Monty and his pals, as well as getting up close to furry friends during animal encounters and don’t forget buckets and spades for ...some beach fun.
Why not dress up and join our fancy dress parade around the courtyard, before spending the day touring the rest of the zoo site.
Click below for ticket details – it’s just £6 for adults and £6 for children aged between two and five.
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Daisy the Carpathian lynx enjoyed bubbles for her ninth birthday as big cat keepers treated her to frothy bath enrichment.
Staff filled a huge plastic tub with warm water and added baby bubbles into the water, where they’d hidden chunks of meat for the birthday girl to discover.
But Daisy quickly worked out she could fish the treats out of the water with her paw without fully taking the plunge into the bath.
... Acting Team Leader Sam Grove, said: “This was a new enrichment with the lynx, but we decided to try and present their food in a different way and it certainly caught Daisy’s attention, which we wanted it to do.”
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It was 1989 and a 16 year-old Matt Lewis thought he was visiting DZG for a day trip with his mum.
Unbeknown to him, he was actually coming for an interview for a trainee bird keeper’s position which his mum had applied for on his behalf!
Fast forward three decades and the rest they say is history as Matt secured the job and has risen through the ranks to Zoo Manager, where he now deals with all the operational work of the day-to-day running of the zoo.
... And on today’s 30-year anniversary, Matt received a long service award and was congratulated by team DZG!
Zoo Director Derek Grove, who presented Matt with gift vouchers in recognition of his achievement, said: “I’ve worked with Matt since he was a fresh-faced bird keeper, when he first helped start the zoo's Humboldt penguin colony. To this day, the colony remains one of the largest parent-reared groups in the UK and one of the zoo’s best success stories.
“Matt’s always taken a great interest in developing the zoo and there is no-one more dedicated to Dudley Zoo than him."
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/matts-milest one/
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We’re saying a huge THANK YOU to kindhearted pupils at a Dudley primary school who carried out some scent-sational fundraising for our Orangutan Appeal.
The crafty seven and eight year-old children in Owls class at Woodsetton School made lavender scented hearts from recycled materials, which they sold for 50p each, during a recent Recycling Day.
Class Teacher Gemma Lewis suggested sending the £31 proceeds to our appeal after reading all about our efforts to raise £800,000 to ...build a new outdoor enclosure for our four critically endangered Bornean Orangutans.
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/scent-sation al-fundraising/
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Calling all macaque fans – how do you fancy owning your own unique painting by our very own Simon?
The original canvas by the 11 year-old Sulawesi crested macaque is just some of the limited edition merchandise for sale as part of our International Macaque Week fundraising for Selamatkan Yaki.
Other items include a framed hand and footprint by our alpha male, Tambo plus photo badges of Tambo and keyrings which feature Simon’s artwork and photo.
... All merchandise can be purchased over the phone by calling 01384 215313.
The painting is £20 (plus £3 p&p) Two hand and footprint frames are available at £10 each (plus £3 p&p) Badges and keyrings are priced £1 each (plus £1 p&p)
Macaque lip smacks in advance for your support!
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Dudley Zoological Gardens is 82 years-old today - and we want to say a huge THANK YOU for your support!
If you're visiting us this Bank Holiday Monday, join us at the Carpathian lynx enclosure at 12pm for a one-off enrichment keeper talk.
And don't forget to join our World Tapir Day celebrations outside the South American paddock throughout the day - where you may even win the chance to tickle a tapir!

Keeper Cheyenne Darkins is hard at work training our three Carpathian lynx and Dave is proving to be her star pupil.
The seven-year-old lynx is excelling at the target training sessions, so much so he’s flying ahead of Daisy and son, Dakota who are still only getting to grips with the basics.
Cheyenne said: “I started the basic training with all three cats about four months ago, getting them to touch a wooden target with their nose and hold for five seconds until I click a bu...tton and reward them with a chunk of meat.
“I’ve also been able to get them to step onto weighing scales using the target training which is helping us monitor their health, but it’s Dave who is progressing massively and I’ve been able to move onto injection training with him, which will hopefully help with minor veterinary procedures in the future.”
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/daves-a-star -pupil/
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We’re going macaque mad this weekend as we celebrate International Macaque Week.
Today and tomorrow keepers will be talking to visitors about the threats critically endangered Sulawesi crested macaques face as well as fundraising for Selamatkan Yaki – a project which supports them in the wild.
Weekend activities include macaque mask making and fundraising games and raffles and we’ll also be selling keyrings which feature impressive artwork by our alpha male, Tambo.
... Keeper Stephanie Ballard said: “We’re proud to support the work of Selamatkan Yaki, who work tirelessly to protect a species which has reduced in number by 90 per cent over the last three decades.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand over the weekend and hope you can help us to help them.”
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If you're visiting us tomorrow - head to the castle courtyard between 10am - 2pm to join in with Dippy the clown's fun and games!

Enjoy hands on history and discover the colourful past of Dudley Castle during our family friendly Castle Capers event.
Take part in medieval games and Horrible History sessions, watch bird of prey displays and archery demonstrations and dress up in armour during our evening event in the courtyard of the 11th century castle on Friday May 24 between 6pm – 9pm.
Zoo Manager Matt Lewis said: “This afterhours event has been designed specifically with children in mind, allowing fa...milies to learn more about the castle’s rich history in a fun and educational way and all funds raised will go towards its ongoing upkeep and restoration.”
Tickets, which are available below, or by calling 01384 215313 cost £5 for adults and £3 for children (3-15 years). A family ticket valid for two adults and two children is £15.
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It’s #NationalGardeningWeek and keepers have started their own veg patch for our primates.
The Lower Primate team have transformed an off-show undeveloped area on the zoo site and started growing a selection of greens for the likes of our chimpanzees, spider and howler monkeys including runner beans, spinach, beetroot, courgettes, aubergines and parsnips.
Keeper Harley Hunt said: “Our animals always enjoy a daily diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, which is sourced by our s...toreman, but you can’t beat home-grown food and we researched which foods are nutritionally best for our primate species to plant. “Hopefully by growing our own vegetables to use in the primates’ daily diets, it will save us money which will enable us to spend the funds on more expensive items. “We’re looking forward to providing our primates with lots of tasty treats in the coming months.”
The week-long RHS - Royal Horticultural Society event this year celebrates #EdibleBritain and highlights how everyone has space to grow something delicious to eat.
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Our evening of #DirtyDancing is just over 2 weeks away!
What's your favourite song in this classic film and will you be joining us for a sing-a-long?
Don't forget to buy your tickets! 😍

There’s a clear tell-‘tail’ sign our newly arrived female Coppery titi monkey, Tilda, is already making an impression on male, Frank!
Tilda, aged four, has recently been paired with ten year-old Frank following her relocation from La Vallée des Singes in France and the couple were spotted tail twining within days - which is a sign of bonding and affection.
The pair have been temporarily moved into the indoor lynx enclosure (which the lynx have vacated!) to form a mixed exhib...it with our pair of 13 year-old Goeldi monkeys, Francisco and Santiago, who have been off-show in the primate house, while a new exhibit will be built for the small primates in place of the tortoise enclosure in the coming weeks.
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/a-tell-tail- sign/
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Trainee Gardener Jordan Share proved to be a cut above the rest when he was named Employee of the Month.
Jordan, who joined the gardening team in 2017 through a horticulture apprenticeship scheme, was chosen for the top title after impressing Zoo Manager Matt Lewis with his diligence and was presented with a certificate and gift vouchers.
Zoo Manager Matt Lewis said: “Jordan recently cleaned the Tecton kiosk on the upper zoo site from top to bottom and made a really good job ...of it.
“He cleaned it all by hand using a bucket of soapy water and a sponge, which wasn’t the easiest way of doing it, but he was also really mindful of visitors on site and went above and beyond what was expected of him.”
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/jordans-a-cu t-above/
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Following a rainy #WorldTapirDay on Saturday we'll be continuing our fundraising this coming Bank Holiday Monday (May 6) with tapir-themed raffles and games outside the South American paddock.
We'll also be selling special keyrings featuring the footprints of Meena, Chico and Luna at a cost of £1.
However, if you can't make the day, but would still like a keyring, you can purchase one over the phone for an additional £1 to cover p&p - just call our friendly receptionists on 01384 215313.

Just over a year ago, DZG vowed to make a noise about the plight of songbirds stolen from forests in Southeast Asia – and we certainly have!
And we’ve been joined by a very special ambassador who is helping us continue to raise awareness and funds for the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) conservation campaign ‘Silent Forest, Asian Songbird Crisis’, with the arrival of a critically endangered Bali Mynah – one of the most iconic songbird species on the planet.
Bi...rd’s Section Leader Nicola Wright, who is heading up DZG’s support for the campaign, said: “We’re thrilled to have a flagship songbird species here at the zoo, especially as we enter the second year supporting the conservation campaign.
"The male Bali Mynah has settled in well to his aviary and we’re hoping he’ll soon be joined by a female so we can start breeding this critically endangered species.”
Read more: https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/funds-soar-f or-a…gbirds-in-crisis/
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Went for our Orangatan experiance with my other half ait was amazing! 5 stars and the man Adam that was talking to us about them was fab! Thanks Adam! The whole place it's self is quite small but it's a lovely walk. Going on a week day means the show on the site are not all open as in food places and also the little fair must only be open on weekends? But we had taken a picnic so this did not bother us. The only thing I was a bit miffed about was timing as we were on our experiance we didn't get to see in and around the castle or a few other animals but I wouldn't of swapped that for anything to be honest but it was bear enough closing so we did not have time also having to pay £3.50 for a token to get out of the place..So take some change else the barrier will not go up. All in all fantastic day lovely weather and I hope next time I go everyone would of raised enough money for the new Orangatan enclosure as they do need one it would be a lovely revamp for them as there are 4 and one is a giant lol! Thanks Dudley!

We went on Friday to feed the Sumatran tigers, Daseep and Joao. It was an amazing experience and well worth the money. The keeper, Josh, was very knowledgable and friendly. He provided lots of insight into the tigers and many of the other animals in his area. The tigers were beautiful and it was great tp get so close. Enjoyed wandering around the rest of the zoo too.

We always go to the zoo as a family with our lads. But today we did the orangutan experience which was a Christmas present to me and my partner. It was brilliant and we really enjoyed it, the keeper was a young lady but we didn't catch her name and she was great . I would recommend this to anyone plus the zoo is great and lots of new babies to see. See you soon . Cheers.

Thank you so much for making my daughter's birthday special. The hosts did an amazing job. They interacted well with the kids and kept them fully engaged throughout. I would definitely recommend Dudley zoo for birthday parties xx thank you to all staff who put a big smile on Jaya's face xx

So much to do, great for the kids especially. There has obviously been quite a lot of investment whilst still maintaining the character of the zoo (chairlift, etc). My daughter absolutely loved the train, giraffes and farm yard animals. Staff are friendly and the area is well maintained. Top marks all round. We will be returning for sure.



We are lucky to have this in our area.

Our first visit to the zoo and all we can say is wow. What an amazing day we have had. Was with you walking round taking photos and looking at all the animals for over 5 hours. Brilliant. Thank you.

(Would take your own picnic as food was expensive).

Just had the best birthday party for our 6 year old. The party was well organised and very well run by the party hosts. Some of the best face painting ever seen. Fantastic value too with the added benefit of sunshine we got to enjoy the zoo for the whole day. He and his friends had a great time and I would highly recommend.

Just had our Daughters 5th Birthday here and it was so good! Brilliant value for money and everyone loved it... can't recommend it enough! Brilliant day out... staff were excellent and we will definately do it again... really impressed.. they even did a special unicorn cake which was amazing... thank you Xx

Just got back from a fab day out....the staff at the zoo were very welcoming and it was immaculately laid out and clean. There has clearly been some money spent on reinvesting and improving enclosures. The castle setting is a beautiful spot for a picnic and the new play beach is a lovely touch. We were very impressed and all the children loved every second.

I did the chimpanzee experience today and would like to thank Jade for such an amazing experience! Jade was so lovely and really informative. Going home a very happy girl and will definitely recommend the chimpanzee experience �

Had our little girls 3rd birthday party here today couldn't of wished of a more perfect day. Staff were great, children loved the animal encounters, lovely crafts and a very friendly masscott. All the children loved the meerkat feed. Big thank you to all the lovely staff for making her birthday party so special ��

Had an absolutely amazing day today for my son’s 7th birthday party, staff were great & everything was taken care of, all the guests had a fab time & I had 1 very happy birthday boy. Thanks to everyone involved for making it great.

Brilliant day out. Took our little girl who is 20 months old she absolutely loved it too. Tonnes of stuff to do with kids there besides all the animals. I haven't been here since I was young myself so was lovely to re visit. I can't understand all the negative comments I have heard and seen on here about the place as there are so many animals to look at and so many areas for the kids to play and it is maintained really well for an older zoo. Will definatley be visiting again.

Booked my daughters the Junior Zoo Keeper for the Day for their birthdays, it was an amazing experience for them Laura the zoologist took the girls round she was absolutely fantastic with the girls, Laura is so knowledgable about every animal in the park! I highly recommend a zoo keeping day! Thank you so very much Laura for making my girls day and looking after them x

Been here today with my little boy and he loved it! Some of the animals we couldn't spot like your bear but we don't mind.



He loved being able to get close to the tigers! One of them put on a show for him haha!



We went into the bird experience with nector and I got bombarded by the birds (so be warned if you dont like stuff like that) after the nector was gone I had a stowaway on my head hehe! He said there from begining to end.



It's a lovely walk around. Very nice place. Make sure if you have a buggy or a wheelchair you take a map and go the disabled way. We went one way and there was wood in the way that we had to carry the buggy over.



One of the cafes were closed so the other cafe was filled to the brim and we waited ages just to pay for an ice cream.



Some of the animals cages seemed to be a bit small and the animals looked a bit sad. For example the sealions hardly had any water in their pool but this is probably for a reason. The owl cages looked small to me as well but I'm not a zoo keeper so I wouldn't know.



The food and snacks are extremely expensive. A fridge sandwich was £4. The gift shop is also expensive, I spent over £25 on 2 small teddies but I was expecting this and didn't mind if it helps the animals �



I am coming again with my son, hopefully soon. Would totally recommend.

Absolutely the best family day out from start to finish. We had to travel in a taxi and having 3 children and a Pram that isn’t a travel system we didn’t want to carry our sons car seat around all day and the staff were only too happy to store it for us until we were ready to collect it.



I viewed the comments before coming and although most are 5 stars and for good reason, there is the odd 1 star and I have to say to the people that have given that rating, you’re all insane. There were things written like “staff don’t know anything” or “staff are always on their phone” let me tell you now I didn’t see ANY staff on their phones, they were all polite, professional, friendly and courteous, we heard lots of talks going on and when a few other guests asked questions they were only too happy to answer. The staff really seem to care about what they are doing at Dudley and also seem to care about the many species of animals they look after.



The grounds are beautiful, there are lots of animals and every animal listed on their website we did indeed see today, there’s also the castle ruins to explore, plenty of children’s play areas and lots of places to sit and pose for photos or rest.



My only bug bear about this place is the food is a tad expensive. We brought 2 adults fish and chips, 2 children’s fish and chips,2 slush puppies and 2 bottles of Coca Cola and it came to a whopping £35! The portions were decent but it wasn’t the nicest food either if I’m totally honest, tasted a bit bland to me, but sometimes this is what you get when visiting a fast food outlet... next time we will be doing what many other visitors did and taking a packed lunch.



All in all one of our best family days out. Thanks!

Came to visit yesterday and was very disappointed at the state of the animal enclosures very small and run down, reindeer as well as other animals looked depressed and malnurished, zoo keepers were not helpful at all, i had a bird on me which was really hurting me and the zoo keeper was not bothered at all, i will NOT be returning, very disappointed

We were so looking forward to our day at the zoo but we were sorely disappointed. We arrived around 12.30 to be told that the "train" driver was going on his lunch break so we had to walk up the hill (not easy when you're already struggling physically). He drove off and sat in his train for approximately an hour.



So many animals seemed depressed with small, tired, boring, rundown enclosures , the poor solitary bear seemed to have lost its wits, rolling his head from side to side and just peering out and ducking back inside.



The tiger's enclosure was so boring and small, there didn't appear to be any stimulation for them at all.



In all, we came away feeling very low and very sorry for the animals. Even my two children commented that the animals seemed sad and bored.



The prices are very high for what you experience, £15 per adult and £9.50 per child entry.



This is not somewhere we will be visiting again.

Travelled from Manchester after recieving a voucher for mums birthday. Sadly informed by a local the day before we are in for a shock and told take your own food/drink. The local wasn't wrong, most staff are on their mobile phones, I check with one girl where the orangutans/monkeys were as one was stuck to the window if this a Dudley Zoo hobby as never seen so many zookeepers on their phones... she didn't even look up. Saw people banging on windows by the old entrance and staff just walking past ignoring it, quite sure that would not be okay. Only one talk happening, but to be hones if we hadn't spotted a leaflet we would not have know there should be talks. The talk was outside the discovery centre by a girl who I am not sure if she even works for the zoo. It lasted 1 min, 'this is the thing, we can't go inside and you need to touch it'. When people asked her questions she didn't know anything not even it's name but her favourite one Rosie is poorly today. Some animals appear to be missing and there is nobody around to ask about the animals. The Lemor wood looked promising as soon as you go in there are two girls and one shouts ' don't touch and feed them'. Then you go to ask her anything and she doesn't know. It was a hot day, but most the animal enclosures were not set up for this. The castle was really good though. Luckily we went to Trentham Monkey Forest the day after and that really was amazing, the keeps interact with the animals and visitors and have lots of knowledge. Dudley however the only people who knew anything was someone from the office who took time out to tell us where the entrance was and a lad on the tills that we met going in/out who remembered us and said have a good onward trip. Hopefully on our next visit it has either shut or massively improved.