Cotswold Wildlife Park

Get Back To Nature At The Cotswolds Wildlife Park

When visiting a beautifully rural county like Oxfordshire, you would expect to be able to get back to nature and enjoy a nice relaxing break surrounded by an amazing and green landscape whilst admiring the creatures that live in it. The Cotswolds is one such area in the county that allows you to do just that for a variety of reasons, but none as significant as the existence of the Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens. The gardens, which are located on the Bradwell Grove estate in Burford, have been there since 1804 and were opened to the public in 1969.

The Cotswolds Wildlife Park is one of the biggest wildlife attractions in the UK today and gives every single visitor a taste of the nature that can be found all over the world. Around 350,000 people visited in 2005 and that number is thought to have risen over the past few years. Once you have visited once, you will want to go back again and again.

The creatures that can call the Cotswolds Wildlife Park home range from mammals to invertebrates to reptiles to amphibians to birds. It has one of the largest animal populations in the UK in terms of the amount of creatures and the range (255 as of 2006). In fact, the Cotswolds Wildlife Park is renowned for its population of endangered species and efforts to help the various creatures survive. There were 40 known endangered species in the park in 2006 so it is a real opportunity to experience them now. In fact, there is actually an exhibition to promote the plight of Madagascan species that are endangered there at the moment, which is absolutely fascinating for nature lovers.

The park occupies 48 acres but the other attraction, the gardens, occupy 160 acres and make for some beautiful walks and rambles. There is a Walled Garden that is a must visit. It has been there since Victorian times and is one of the true delights of the area. Missing out on this experience would be a real shame so make the most of it!