Animals and Nature

Nestled within the Wiltshire countryside is a realm waiting to be explored. Discover various species of animal from around the world including lions, tigers, wolves, koalas, red panda and sea lions as you travel by road, rail, waterway and foot.

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, in Wraxall, North Somerset is home of the big zoo animals including African Elephants, White Rhino, Giraffes, Lions and Spectacled Bears. You’ll be amazed at the variety of nature you’ll see with over 100 species of animals, set in 100 acres of beautiful Somerset countryside.

Phased Re - opening to the public from the 15th June.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary is set in 72 acres of countryside on the Devon/Somerset border. Ferne takes in unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals and gives them a fantastic life either at the sanctuary or by finding them a special forever home

It’s your outdoors – come and explore at Wimbleball Lake

Independently owned wildlife park on edge of Exmoor and Somerset with over 28 acres of animals, dinosaurs and botanical gardens.

Somerset’s top award winning farm attraction, open all year.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of this magical wetland, created by the RSPB when peat extraction ended on this site.

As a county rich in wildlife, Somerset unsurprisingly has a huge number of nature reserves. These are great places to visit. Most are open all year and many allow dogs. With such a diverse landscape, Somerset’s reserves encompass meadows, cliffs, hills, downs, woods, waterways and wetlands.
Somerset Wildlife Trust looks after 70 of the County’s reserves and they are listed on its website: www.somersetwildlife.org along with a range of events throughout year organised by the Trust.

Nature reserve in Somerset near Bridgwater, wildlife, otter, deer and hares as well as birds.
One of the country’s largest new wetland reserves lies to the east of Hinkley Point, created by the Environment Agency to defend villages inland as sea levels rise. Managed by The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), Steart Marshes have the added benefit of providing rare saltmarsh habitat and attracting wildlife. Since its completion, avocets have bred on the reserve and it has been visited by glossy ibis, spoonbill and ringed plover. Water voles and otters are resident as are the cattle and sheep that graze there. A network of paths lead you round the reserve, to the River Parrett and Combwich village.