Animal Encounters – Animal Explorer

Meet a variety of awesome animals, some slimy, some with fangs and pinchers, and some that like to scuttle around in the dark! Come face to face with these exciting creatures.

Calling all young explorers! Get up close and hands-on with some awesome exotic animals. Meet the likes of Snakes, Tarantulas and Giant Snails to name just a few of the amazing creatures you get to meet as you learn all the fun, fascinating facts about them from our Zoolab animal expert!

What you need to know..

What does it involve?: A fun and interactive session with real animals delivered by ZooLab. Includes live mini beasts and exotic pets.

Duration – 45mins

Location: Queen Victoria’s House, Floors Castle Walled Garden TD5 7RN. Please make your way to the Gardens Ticket Kiosk on arrival. We do ask that you arrive 10 minutes before hand to allow time to get to location of Workshop. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

What to bring: Yourselves and your ticket

About Zoo Lab: For over 20 years, ZooLab has amazed, educated and inspired through their ethical and engaging animal encounters. They believe that working with young people is a great way to unlock a child’s desire to discover and explore the natural world around them. They create and deliver workshops to motivate children and all ages through active learning and storytelling around animals.

Additional Support Needs (ASN) Sessions. 

Additional Support Needs (ASN) are welcomed to participate in the Zoolab experience this Summer in a specially designed session each day specifically for them. In these workshops, our ranger will work to meet the needs of groups with SEN.

We will typically bring along an excellent range of animals which the learners can look at, touch and interact with. The kinds of animals we bring along vary from session to session. A typical group might include a cuddly mammal, giant or unusual invertebrates like snails, cockroaches and tarantulas, reptiles such as lizards and snakes and amphibians such as frogs.

All the children are encouraged to experience the animals as much as possible. However, some children may well choose to look from a distance! The very experienced ranger will aim to reduce anxieties that children have around individual animals. We have found that by creating a calm and purposeful environment, this can often be achieved.

*Please make sure you select  the ASN session at checkout

Ticket information:

Ticket price – £12 per child (Includes 1 accompanying adult. Additional adults £10). Your ticket also includes entry to our Walled Garden and Grounds for the day.

Suitable for ages 3+ , younger children are also welcome but will be required to pay full ticket price.

Tickets must be booked in advance. You may be able to purchase on the day if tickets are available, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Additional Information

-We are afraid snacks and drinks aren’t allowed during your session

-Be aware of any safety signage, advice and instructions from session leader.

-Many of the animals eat foods which contain nuts and seeds as well as vegetables and fruit. Please contact us if you suffer from severe air-born allergies before booking as unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a complete allergen free environment.

-We will provide anti-bac gel for everyone (including staff) to wash their hands before the session begins, please let us know on the day if this may cause a problem.

-Please don’t put your hands near your faces or in your mouths until you have washed them properly at the end of the session.