Twycross Zoo Avis 

We visited Twycross Zoo yesterday with four children under seven, and I left feeling deeply saddened by the state of the place. While there was plenty of focus on bright play areas, an all singing all dancing carousel at the entrance, and Gruffalo Land to entertain children, the same level of care and attention clearly hasn’t been given to the animals themselves.

Many of the enclosures were cold , bare, and depressing, with very few animals visible at all. The few we did see looked lethargic, bored, and desensitised and hiding in windows away from visitors (the gibbons looked desperate to get away from prying eyes) The lack of natural surroundings in almost every pen was shocking — bare concrete floors, cracked glass panels, and no signs of enrichment, comfort or stimulation.
One orangutan had tried to bury itself in shavings of straw/hay to snooze and looked so sad.

The tortoise enclosure, for example, was just concrete and a small grubby pool of water which even my six year old commented on being sad for the animal, with no soil, grass, or plants to mimic their natural habitat. The monkey pens were dull and empty, with only wooden planks and strapping to climb on — no trees, no greenery, and nothing remotely resembling their tropical environment. The giraffes were confined inside a large cement building with only a few bare branches hanging from the ceiling, and the tanks we saw were murky and lifeless.

It’s clear the focus here is more on creating attractions for children than on ensuring the wellbeing of the incredible animals that make a zoo worth visiting. The entire experience was disheartening and felt incredibly cruel.

The staff were all friendly and polite. The parking was an overcrowded nightmare. The zoo certainly seems like more of a ongoing sales pitch from the moment of purchasing your tickets to the minute you step out of your car everything costs extra at ridiculous prices.

Until significant improvements are made to the animals’ living conditions and enrichment, I would strongly urge others to avoid visiting. These animals deserve so much better.

Very disappointed. Very gimmicky. The zoo focuses on kids - and has a lot of (censored) playground style things. From fake animals to fake landscapes and children's playground furniture across the zoo's grounds. Also, staff dressed in fancy dress Halloween costumes etc.
Twycross zoo is like an unfun fair. Tacky.
I also felt that I was not welcome there. I found, to my surprise, that I was not at a zoo, but at a large children's playground, instead.
What are you doing here? You're not a child or with a child, was a palpable feeling that I got from staff and a couple of different adults with their children.
The animal displays' lighting conditions to take photographs with film was lacking. A lot of the windows looking into the enclosures were misted up or just plain dirty. Fences blocking views. The animals were often far away or difficult to see.

I compared it to Colchester Zoo, in my mind, where I went a number of years ago. What a difference.
I suppose Twycross is more interested in money and, thusly, are aiming at families for it, rather than catering for middle-aged adults like me, who would actually like to see the zoo's animals and plants. The Meerkats and the humbolt penguins were an exception. Hence a two and not a one star review. These amazing creatures I did get some great views of, videos and photographs of, too. Won't visit Twycross again. I'd rather drive to Colchester Zoo or another Zoo, than go to Twycross again.

Awful day out! Where are all the animals?! We were looking forward to a family day out after myself and my husband having an extremely busy week running events and we were very disappointed - even our 6 year old said before we made any comment about how bad it was. We also pre booked the feed the lorikeets at 2:30pm - when we arrived there was a queue and people paying to go in. When we came to the desk we were told it’s been busy and the lorikeets may be too full to eat! We went through anyway as naturally the children were excited. The keeper inside said they were only letting pre booked in which was a clear lie as we just watched families pay to come in. Why let people come through who haven’t pre booked? Just work on pre booked basis. There were over 70 people in there so no wonder the Lorikeets didn’t want to eat any more! Taking money for nothing and highly unfair on those who had pre booked. The enclosures themselves seemed very small and un kept. Our 13 year old said we see more animals at our family farm. The snake house has 1 snake out of the 2 enclosures there. Activities around the gruffalo trail were broken and not working. For a day out that has code over £80 for a family of 4 - it was extremely disappointing and we would not recommend going to anyone. There are far better zoos such as Cotswold wildlife park, longleat and West Midlands safari. Do not waste your money here. Very sad.

Too many people allowed in, car park organised. Not an enjoyable day. Also, where are the animals?!

Awful day out! It’s was bound to be busy because it was the summer holidays but it was so poorly managed. Layout is chaotic and the flow of people wasn’t managed at any of the pinch points. At some points people were struggling to move past each other. Toilets were disgusting and the queue for the ice cream stand took about 30 mins. 1 line to pay and then you had to queue again for your ice cream. Also barely saw any animals. Worst day out of the summer holidays I’ve done only free activities up until now and it felt like a total waste of money.

There are quite a few animals there, but I hated the layout. It was chaotic, with no natural flow. I must have counted 6 enclosures that were simply abandoned. Much of the zoo looked dated and run down. Paint was peeling all over the animal side of the gorilla enclosure. I looked at a picture we took there 14 years ago and the amount of decay is unreal. I liked seeing the animals, but majority of the primates seemed bored stiff. I'm glad we took a pack-up with us, as for 2 adults and 3 kids it cost us almost £130 and the food prices were crazy high. £2-50 for a can of coke??? The carnival theme attractions like hook a duck were expensive too. You have no choice but to have an annual pass, but I don't see myself using it to return. My kids seemed to enjoy themselves, which is what matters most to me and the only reason I'm not giving a 1 star review. I managed to see part of the back of a tiger and felt sorry for the leopard who seemed to be in an enclosure alone and just pacing. My wife was in a wheelchair and really struggled to see a lot.

Unorganised set up, backwards and forwards to see everything. Some of the animals looked bored stiff. Leopard walking round in circles in small enclosure, disturbing to see. Rediculous food pricing, hotdog and a few chips £11.50.Will not be returning.

Didn't see many animals as the enclosures were over grown and in need of considerable maintenance. The animals we did see looked sad and not well cared for. The staff were mainly young people who didn't seem to see the animals distress. I was asked for my email address when I purchased the tickets but said I was unable to give it for personal reasons, I was then told I wouldn't be eligible for the 'come to the zoo anytime free for a year' entitlement. My e mail address is personal and it should be my decision who I give it to. We would not be coming back to this zoo again.

I was so disappointed with my recent visit to Twycross Zoo. Took my four year old grandchild who wanted to leave after a hour. The lack of visible animals, viewing through glass is not easy due to the reflection on the glass. The animals that were visible looked bored. There was a lack of interactive attractions for children to explore about the animals. The Gruffalo trail was dated. You cannot just buy a day ticket you have to purchase an annual pass, which I will now not use. For me it was not value for money.
One positive is it is wheelchair and pushchair friendly.

I'm sad to say that this zoo has had a massive fall from what it once was. My older children now in their 20s loved this place when they were young, abundance of animals and nice enclosures. You could hear the howler monkeys from the carpark!
On returning with my two year old it was hard to hide my disappointment from her. I get that animals can't be put on show, and it now declares as a conservation project and all that jazz, but as others have said it is a game of spot the animal. Those that were visible looked bored and not stimulated, difficult to spot for adults let alone children.
Most enclosures look old, run down and neglected, broken glass, or wood over viewing windows with minimal holes to look in. One of the small monkey enclosures was full of branches with dead leaves on it, not an animal in sight.
The layout is difficult to navigate, minimal signage, and routes that are tight and cramped, huge puddles in front of doors, covering most of the dirt paths, like the enclosures paths and walkways falling apart. There are some newer areas, but these are so busy and with no natural flow through them become clogged and just uncomfortable to be in.
Food is expensive and generally subpar, but the staff at the kiosks were friendly. A reminder of the 80s with old fairground games costing way to money for garbage prizes, cheapening the whole experience.

Sad to say this place has seen its better days pass-by, now clutching on for dear life. They need to spend a lot of money or give it up move the animals to better zoos and close.

Drive an extra hour or so North and go to Yorkshire wildlife, which also has free parking.

I felt very sorry for the monkeys at Twycross Zoo. Most looked lethargic, bored and quiet. There were many other cages that were empty and the place looked tired and run down.
A very disappointing experience for the money and very concerning for the welfare of some of the animals. Other guests were also commenting about welfare.
Won’t be returning again.

We visited today myself, mother in law and my 4 year old son.

Good;
Plenty of animals to see all seem well cared for with plenty space and the zoo is clean and maintained well. Cafe was clean though a little pricy. Soft play is great size and secure which was really good. The splash park is a great addition and thoroughly enjoyed by my son. The gruffalo trail is brilliant lots to see and listen to my son loved it and bonus meet the gruffalo too. Parking is well organised and well sign posted. Toilets are all clean and sign posted well. The zoo itself has monopoly style activity and lego sculptures which was also a nice touch. It wasn't crowded, though busy and we didn't really wait for anything other than to get into soft play. There are lots of seats and picnic benches around.

Bad;
Splash park was slippy on the bottom edge near penguins where it had gone green saw 3 children slip over on this area.

Not v punctual we were late being let in for our soft play slot and the gruffalo meet and greet started late.... with a 4yr old with communication delays this was frustrating.

Soft play is charged at £5 and can't be avoided by little eyes on arrival, only 1hr slots which need booked.

Damn right ugly;
There is a monopoly challenge which on the whole was a great idea, maps and stamps really great, interactive activities and a badge at the end. Until we encountered a member of staff running the water station who asks questions, allows child to turn wheels and then presses a pump on the wall to allow water to flow down the pipes and into the trays on the floor, my son took no time in darting behind her to have a press of the pump.... she said leave it as im moving around her to grab him as he continues to try and press it she yells leave it at him and removes his hand. He had a complete meltdown and was shaking and crying for 10mins and unsettled for 40mins and took a lot to calm him so he could move on and enjoy the rest of the day. This was totally inappropriate and unnecessary......another member of staff was sat there and said "not a good start to the day" had she have moved aside i would have been able to grab him calmly.... not that he was really doing a huge amount of harm. Staff expected to communicate and customer face with children should not behave in this way. The staff running the other stations were excellent and encouraging. Really put a dampener on what was otherwise a good day out

Hardly any animals were out. The monkey sanctuary oh bless. They were bord nothing to do. The cleanliness was 0 The hygiene levels 0 we didn't see one space large enough for any animal. There were really dirty animal areas with not one cleaner on site. There were filth in the toilets months old. The staff were less than caring and so very rude. I firmly believe that this Zoo should be closed for the safety of the animals.

Small, industrial enclosures. All the animals looked sad, bored and unhealthy. The giraffes were in a dreadful bare featureless enclosure.
It broke my heart and brought me to tears more than once.
The whole place needs sorting out. The animals should be sent somewhere they can live in peace and space within natural environment. Seems more interested in getting people to spend money than caring for the animals.
The toilets were disgusting with virtually all the seats hanging off . Dirty unhygienic.
Place utterly overrun by wasps.
I was shocked .

My baby girl was stung twice by wasps during our time at the zoo — an absolutely terrifying and traumatic experience for us as parents.

The zoo was completely overrun with wasps. Everywhere we turned, people — including parents holding newborns, elderly guests, school children, and individuals with additional needs — were visibly distressed and trying to get away from them. Bins were overflowing and surrounded by wasps, creating an unsafe environment throughout the venue.

Once my daughter was stung, we had no choice but to leave. We were told by staff that “everyone is leaving because of this,” which only confirmed how serious and widespread the issue is. But shockingly, there were no warnings at the entrance — no signage, no staff informing visitors of the risk, and no opportunity to make an informed choice before entering.

This level of negligence is unacceptable. A wasp sting in a small child can cause serious allergic reactions, and not providing clear warnings puts children’s health and safety at serious risk.

To add insult to injury, when I contacted the bookings team, I received a dismissive response. I was told we couldn’t receive a refund because we hold an annual pass and can “return at any time.” That’s not the point. The issue is not about entry access — it’s about the fact that your venue was unsafe today, and we were forced to leave early due to a serious health hazard. Offering the chance to return on another wasp-filled day is not a solution.

I am incredibly disappointed by the lack of responsibility and customer care shown in response to such a distressing experience. I urge you to reconsider your stance and issue a refund — and more importantly, to start warning your guests about the wasp problem at the entrance. Families deserve to make informed decisions when it comes to their children's safety

I'm also confused by some of the reviews on here. The zoo is well run and large, the chimp, gibbon and in fact all the enclosures are massive. The gibbons never stopped singing from 10am. You buy a ticket and get to revisit free for a year, I do not know how you can slate that deal. The web site has an icon that says book a repeat visit I can't think how they can make it easier. The butterfly house is great it's one of my favourite things to do you get up close to all the insects and you get a great briefing off the keepers, thank you jodie.all in all a great zoo well run.

I'm really confused as to why there are so many bad reviews! We absolutely love a good zoo, this is the 6th zoo we have visited and this one is by far the best! It's really well laid out so we didn't have to walk too far between enclosures but every single animal had absolutely tons of space with plenty to keep them occupied. They all looked really well looked after and all the staff were lovely. We paid for the turtle experience and my 6 year old loved feeding Tim and Speedy. We found it really reasonably priced and the keeper was fantastic we really learnt a lot. We couldn't believe how close we were able to get to all of the animals especially the gorilla's, orangutans and all of the monkeys! I can't fault it at all and we will deffinitely be returning soon!

came home feeling heartbroken..the animals live in terrible conditions there was one monkey a chimp i think who looked really old he was bald and just lay in the foetal position looked like he was at end of life..the space these animals have is no where near big enough... needs inspectors in to save these poor animals

Dont even want to give it one star.
Its the worse zoo i ever bin to in my life.
Small places for the animals and harldy any animals to see. The park looks verry old and not looked after. An absolute disappointment. Will never go here again.

This is what zoos must have looked like in the 1960's. It's an awful place it really is whether this is due to a lack of funds or care I'm not sure but the whole zoo is an eyesore in my opinion. There doesn't seem to be any care or pride taken into the overall look be it the dilapidated enclosures with grubby unclean glass, the unkept grass, the dirty muddy pathways of dust and gravel and even down to the signage which seems to have been there since the place opened.

That's the decor but the experience of the seeing the animals is even worse. On our visit yesterday we saw around 5 animals that were out in their enclosures. Twycross may say it cares about animals mental health so they leave the doors to the inside open and of course if you're an animal you are 100% going to default to your place of comfort which is inside!. I've been to the ultimate, London Zoo, and this simply doesn't happen there. I don't think a few hours outside for the entertainment of the public who have paid a lot of money to see them is going to ruin their mental health. In any case it seems the primates that we did see were not in the best of health anyway they looked quite sad in my opinion.

Maybe the zoo should try a trial where they don't have the inside entrances open so the viewing public can actually experience the animals. The Amur Leopard and Tiger for example I don't think I've ever seen and it's those animals that are the main draw. Also the enclosure for the Leopard is painfully too small for such a magnificent beast so I'm not surprised it chose to stay inside!

Seriously do not waste your money at this place this is an honest review as I experienced it with no bias. It's a shambles from its decor, presentation to the animals on show. I wish I'd chosen the Cotswolds Safari Park.... ah well there's always next time!