Twycross Zoo — Zoo in Twycross

Twycross Zoo and its collection

Twycross Zoo, opened in 1963, is a zoo in Atherstone, United Kingdom.

Annual attendance sits near 700,000. The zoo is designated a World Primate Centre and holds one of Europe's biggest primate collections.

History

Molly Badham and Nathalie Evans set it up in 1963, having outgrown Hints Zoological Gardens, which they had started in 1954 at Hints in Staffordshire. The first premises were a former rectory in Norton Juxta Twycross.

Animals and collection

More than 500 animals of over 125 species are kept, a good many of them endangered, and no other zoo in Britain shows gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee and bonobo together, nor holds bonobos at all. The great apes number 14 bonobos, 14 chimpanzees, four gorillas and four orangutans.

Exhibits

The Himalaya Visitor Centre opened in 2010, is free to enter and serves as the zoo entrance. Gruffalo Discovery Land opened in 2021.

Conservation and approach

A Conservation Welfare Fund was set up in 2006 and has since supported over 55 projects in 27 countries.

What the venue says

• Visitors can choose from multiple sit-down locations and grab-and-go kiosks, such as _The View Restaurant_ (overlooking the snow leopard enclosure with a range of hot meals, pizza, and pasta) and _Catch Fish Bar_ .
• On-site vehicle parking is available just steps from the main entrance, charged at a flat rate of £4 per vehicle per visit, with designated spaces reserved for blue badge holders near the front.
• The 80-acre site features wide, step-free, and level paved pathways designed to make navigation smooth for wheelchair users and pushchairs.
• Accessible toilets and ramped viewing points are available across most major areas, and manual wheelchairs or mobility scooters can be hired on-site through Guest Services.