Situated in the north of the Isle of Man Curraghs Wildlife Park is the closest you’ll get to a zoo on the island. In saying that the natural surroundings in which the park is situated goes some way to making up for what it lacks compared to some of the larger zoo’s in the UK.
The main bulk of the park is set out into zones covering various habitats from all over the world. This layout allows the park to make the most of its available area and there are a surprising number of animals on show.
The Pampas (Grasslands located in Argentina) – Lots of bird life in this area including Humboldt Penguins, Chilean Flamingos and Coscoroba Swans.
The African Bush – Here you will find the Marsh Mongoose, Grivet Monkey as well as several species of Pelican.
The Asian Swamp – The Short-Clawed Otters are the firm favourite in this area but other species include Fishing Cat, Sika Deer and Red Panda. Like the other areas of the park there are also a large number of habitatt specific waterfowl present.
Other areas covered include the European Marsh, Amazon Forest and the American Trail (Complete with Raccoons).
Besides the more tropical areas of the Wildlife Park there are a couple of locally cantered attractions, namely the Nature Trail and Butterfly Trail. The WildLife park is situated in the most important nature reserve on the island so both these trails offer great opportunities to see natural flora and fauna. Although not likely to be seen, the Curraghs in which the park is situated contains one of only a handful of wild Wallaby populations in Great Britain, they escaped and seem to have done really well for themselves!
As you’d expect with any modern attraction there is plenty of car parking space, toilet facilities and a visitor cafe. Public transport links are provided vis the bus service. For children there is a miniature railway, play area and petting farm. The Wild Life park is open from Easter until the end of October daily and then at weekends over the winter period. As has been said before it’s not like the larger more traditional Zoo’s found elsewhere which may take several days to see everything, but for a nice family afternoon out where you’ll not have to walk your feet off Curraghs Wildlife Park provides great value for money (Only £18.50 for a family day ticket – 2 adults + 2 children) and a chance to see something a little different on the Isle of Man.
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Enjoyed a visit here almost 50 years after the first one. My one comment would be that the cafe was disappointing although admittedly it was a very quiet Monday in June. However, there was a notice saying they use as much local produce as possible BUT they were selling UK I’ve cream – why when Manx ice cream is so good.