I had ambitious plans to make first time visits to the three Tenby collections at some stage this year but the sad closure of Picton Owl Gardens meant this was scaled back to just Folly Farm and Manor Wildlife Park. I had not done very much research about either collection before visiting beyond a cursory glance at each website and as a result planned to scoot around Folly Farm rather quickly before moving on to, what I wrongly assumed, was a superior collection 6 miles (11 minutes away) for the majority of the day. Thank goodness I chose to do them in this order as I don’t think I would have allowed enough time to do Folly justice. Reading back through the respective forum threads on my return I can see that the viewpoint Folly is greater than Manor has played out time and time again. I also noted that although there have been some gallery updates it has been some years since anyone wrote a trip report for Folly so thought I would remedy this…. My preconception was that Folly would be a children’s petting farm and rides attraction with a couple of big-ticket animals like the lions and rhino with little in between. Possibly similar to Chessington. Pleasingly this was not the case, and I had a very enjoyable visit to Folly. Arriving for opening just after 10am and being marshalled into a parking bay in one of two huge parking lots it was apparent quickly I may have underestimated the collection. There were already perhaps a hundred or so cars in the car park and I joined a short queue amongst the strollers and toddlers of many young families for admission. I was the only solo adult visitor I saw all day but this doesn’t bother me. Passing through the admission booths my second indication that I had underestimated this collection was an enormous gift shop complete with revolving carousel of stuffed toys, themed and branded products everywhere, very swish. Leaving the giftshop, which also serves as entrance and exit gateway, I decided to make my way through the barn and farm attractions first as I wanted to see the Red Deer in this section and didn’t want to contend with throngs of children (whom I accept the area was designed for) that would invariably clog the area later in the day. Entering a large barn complex I turned left to the first enclosure for domestic Ferret, wire fronted, reasonably sized, lots of climbing and enrichment, deep sawdust and shavings and an active ferret. A reasonable start. The next enclosure was a sand floored pen holding Crollwitzer Turkeys (1:2) and this set the tone for a run of rare breeds that continued through the farm and barn. I will not agonise over describing each of these exhibits in detail but provide a breed/species list below. A “house” was the next exhibit containing Cockroach, Fancy Mice and Rats. I was reminded of Bristol Zoo’s old mouse house, that you accessed after the nocturnal areas, with the mice being held in glass fronted kitchen cupboards etc. Not as immersive as Bristol was but an interesting exhibit none the less. The final exhibit before heading back outside was a pair of Barn Owl aviaries; small uninspiring wire boxes, though they had reasonable height. The rest of the farm is accessed via an underpass. Emerging from the underpass you pass “Turkey Town” on your right. An enormous enclosure for 1:2 Bourbon Red Turkey, deep wood chip, multiple perches, substantial indoor space to shelter, detailed and informative signage. Signage was consistently excellent throughout the park and generally multilanguage (English and Welsh) though some signs were exclusively one or the other and not replicated but these tended to be supplementary signs and not the main animal information signage. A gravel path then leads past a giant rabbit pen, chicken pen and enclosed duck pond for Welsh Harlequin Ducks and a domestic mallard looking species before arriving at the “piggery”. This was a typical farm pigsty, concrete floors with hay cover but access to outdoor runs and muddy pens but fantastically well stocked; Middle White, Tamworth, Oxford Sandy & Black, British Saddleback were all represented and ready for a rub down. From here a path under a goat bridge (it would not make it into the thread on animal bridges and skyways!) took you into the paddock area of the farm. As usual the pens were laid out by a designer who seemingly only had a ruler at his disposal and worked to the principal that a straight fence is cheaper than a bendy one. However I’m certain there were no complaints from the inhabitants, residing in a series of well sized paddocks with rain shelters and all had held up surprisingly well following the wet winter and early spring we have been having with plenty of grass. Many of the species in the fields were also replicated in the barn in smaller pens more similar to a livestock market but presumably would rotate about. At the far end of the farmyard fields is the Red Deer enclosure which was simply enormous, sloping away from the visitor path it was difficult to fit the exhibit in shot on phone or camera. About 20 or so red deer were camped far to the other end of the field, near a pond that I am not sure was an intentional feature. Sadly, the path along the side of the exhibit is open to the land train only and this would offer better views I am sure. I was unable to distinguish a sex ratio as from the distance I could determine if any had cast their antlers. The indoor barn had some informative exhibits about chicken rearing, furry creature petting areas (Rabbits etc) and more pens. Here is a breed/species list for the farm species not listed above; Bagot Goat Golden Guernsey Goat Donkey Greyface Dartmoor Sheep Coloured Ryeland Sheep Balwen Sheep Anglo-Nubian Goat Sebright Chicken Scots Grey Chicken Shetland Pony Pygmy Goat Swiss Valais Blacknose Sheep Miniature Pigs (Potbellies) Buff Oprington Chicken Miniature Donkey Llama Aplaca Poitou Donkey Suffolk Punch Horse A commendable effort to hold rare breeds and not generics with the notable exception of any cattle species. I realise I have prattled on for over a 1000 words on the farm part of the collection but wanted to set the scene that I had been impressed and was now all the more eager to look into the zoo part of the collection. Leaving the barn you face toward an indoor section that has been called many things over the years but in its latest iteration is called “Tropical Trails”. The first section is a darker room with brightly lit tanks for reptiles. Regrettably I don’t think I jotted down every species in this section but the tanks were of a reasonable size with appropriate climbing structures, foliage, shelter and of course fake rock. Species I do have note of were Madagascan Tree Boa, Pancake Tortoise, Utila Spiny-tailed Iguana and an unsigned skink species (it didn’t look like rainbow skink as listed on ZTL but perhaps blue tongued or possible Berbers as it had orange barring on its back). An interesting feature in this small reptile room were drawings on the floor representing larger snake species that the facilities would be too small to house. Leaving the reptile room you face the end of the pool for a pair of West African Dwarf Crocodile who were surprisingly active but preferring their smaller woodchipped land area to their sizeable pool. The zoo poked fun at the renowned inactivity of the inhabitants with a donation box with voting slots for “are the crocodiles real? Yes or no”. On the opposite wall to the crocs is a small marine tank which wouldn’t look out of place in someone’s living room with common species; Yellow Tang, Clown Fish, Black Clown Fish, Lipstick Tang and Green Chromis. Next a vacant floor to ceiling glass fronted enclosure then another small fish tank for some tropical fish; Bristlenose Catfish, Boesmani Rainbowfish, and Red-tailed black shark being the inhabitants. Other fish tanks in this area included a small tank for Malawi Cichlids which were not signed to any more detailed level and a Piranha tank which was empty except for a sign explaining that the stock was off show due to an accident and a significant crack in the base of the tank. Fish, though housed well, were not a strong point for Folly in terms of interesting species but there was one exception; a West African Lungfish was exciting to see. An albino individual very active and swimming end to end of it’s tank. I have only every known lungfish to be fairly sedentary when I have seen them rising to the surface to breathe and sinking down again so this was a pleasant surprise. The largest exhibit within Tropical Trails was a mixed exhibit for Linnaeus’ Two-toed Sloth, Rodriguez and Egyptian Fruit Bats. Reading the forum I realise these are a series of knocked through exhibits that had formerly held small monkeys etc, but the space is reasonable and the bats had no issues navigating the various ropes for the single sloth to creep around. The exhibit was, unusually for bat exhibits, brightly lit and both species were active, flying and eating. I witnessed some animosity between the two bat species with the small Rodriguez species moving on the Egyptians from a preferred roosting spot. Doubling back on myself you can see a separate sloth exhibit which is also a free flight aviary. Two sloths in this area and they were involved in a keeper experience when I visited the first time, one sloth having the courtesy to roll over on to its back from its nesting box and sleepily take a piece of food whilst a keeper tried valiantly to maintain enthusiasm. An odd choice for a keeper experience but each to their own! The following birds flitted about the enclosure, Java Sparrow, Napoleon Weaver, White-Rumped Shama, Mount Omei Babbler, whilst on the floor in a nest box in the far back corner was a Collared Hill Partridge who shared the floor with Elongated tortoise who were signed but not seen. There were also two further species who were signed but not seen, Pink Pigeon and Madagascar Fody, though the former was seen elsewhere in the zoo. The final exhibit in the sloth room is a tank for Five Keeled Spiny Iguana. The last few exhibits in Tropical trails were; a tall tank for Assam Leaf Turtle hinting at a now defunct former mix. A small vivarium for Yellow Headed Day Gecko who were typically plastered high on the glass. A gorgeous vivarium for Golden Mantella and in the middle of the wall opposite a tiny porthole to a vivarium for Regal Jumping Spider which I just found captivating. The spider struck those typical jumping spider poses and leapt about its tiny tank seemingly disappearing and re-assimilating elsewhere before your eyes could follow it, I cannot recall every seeing an active spider species like this at a zoo, brilliant. Passing through the black plastic flaps that keep in heat and perhaps a second barrier to escaped bats/birds there is indoor viewing for Barbary Dove and Vietnamese Pheasant in what I understand to be the former armadillo enclosure. These species could also be viewed in outside runs from the tropical house and on the opposite side a trio of Princess of Wales Parakeets. Next there was a short walk toward the “zoo” proper, passing a farm kitchen restaurant, indoor arcade and fun fair which I did not visit. The path was quite busy as by now the zoo had begun to fill up and I shot off up a side ramp thinking I would pop out in the zoo, which I sort of did but only after navigating the adventure playgrounds! The first outdoor zoo exhibit I saw was “Pride of Pembrokeshire” for the African Lions. Large grassy paddocks with a central mound surrounded by high green caging, very typical but spacious. 1:5 lions as far as I could tell unless there were maneless males in the pride were all cohabiting though it looked like it was possibly to segregate into multiple outdoor spaces. Indoor viewing was plentiful, perhaps too plentiful in my opinion as there was no standoff barrier and signs requesting patrons don’t encroach on the lions space beyond a painted line on the floor appear to have been ignored by at least some, based on the significant scratching and muddy smearing that was apparent on the inside of the windows. There was a brilliant faux rangers office as well with window viewing to both indoor and outdoor enclosures, information signage on identifying the lions, information on tracking, a 3d model of an African reserve and webcam to a watering hole. A real effort had been made to theme the area and whilst it was no Kilimanjaro Safari’s the result achieved for what appeared to have been spent was fantastic. Dotted around the perimeter of the lion enclosure was a sign that made me chuckle, simply saying “Caution! Lions are dangerous” which must be the epitome of stating the obvious. I am used to seeing “dangerous animal” or “this animal may bite” but the absurd bluntness that you might need to tell Joe Public that lions are dangerous gave me a chuckle. Adjacent to the lions is one of the newest additions to the park “Venom’s vs Poisons” which aims to address a personal pet peeve; explaining the difference between the two and how they are often erroneously used interchangeably as well as the benefits of toxicity from an evolutionary and medical research standpoint. Good signage yet again. Exhibits within were for Strawberry Poison Frog, Gila Monster, Mangrove Snake, Gooty Sapphire Tarantula and Asian Forest Scorpion. Leaving the small house and walking along the side of the lion enclosure the background noise of predictable African drum music gave way to a lion talk broadcast by speaker and seemingly on a constant loop as it was going each time I walked past. I wonder what effect these have on animals with the constant drone, supposedly they just get used to it much like someone living near a motorway or under an airport flight path. Straight ahead was an enclosure for Bongo I saw three individuals, all gorgeous, they had access to a decent sized enclosure but had opted for the firmer ground within their stable or just outside its entrance. The indoor viewing was interesting and unexpected for these notoriously skittish antelope. Viewing was through a glass tank that formerly held mongoose, now empty, which I assume serves as an effective noise insulator, it was a shame to see it empty as it appeared a fairly unique design. On the rear wall of the stables was an incredible mural of a bongo, Tropical Trails also had some incredible artwork of dart frogs and cock of the rocks as well as vegetation drawings etc. Murals like this often leave me feeling a little cold, as though there were some attempt to immerse the bongo into the forests of Africa simply by spray-painting a brick wall but these seemed to all be art for the sake of art and executed brilliantly. Kudos to the artist whoever they may be! Sharing a roof, but on the opposite side of the walkway to the bongo were some Bactrian Camels looking a bit rough as they moult. From here I turned left toward the “Kifaru Black Rhino Reserve” passing a large enclosure for Sulcata Tortoise one of whom even braved the wet and wind for a jaunt outside which included some raised beds with tortoise friendly plants. The indoor housing was a hexagonal building with sand base, pond and heat lamps galore. Next there was an area of construction, there was no signage of what was being developed or if it was a revamp of an old enclosure, from what I could see it was a shipping container sized indoor housing with three viewing windows and a kidney shaped outdoor area with green wire fencing perhaps 12 feet high with an overhang and some more viewing windows so perhaps a cat or primate species… The rhino reserve begins with some hard hitting but informative signage with images of poached rhino’s etc which might be challenging for younger audiences but sadly reflective of reality. Outdoor pens had suffered from the bad weather but only in patches, one Black Rhino used the hardstanding and another didn’t leave the house. I saw only two but believe there are three. With off exhibit indoor housing this is entirely plausible. Within the house itself you could see only one pen with one rhino bedded down in the straw. The door auto close slammed the door shut disturbing the rhino each time which was a shame for a species that is renowned for needing quiet. There were wo tank displays within the house, one empty and one with additional pancake tortoise. You could walk the perimeter of the paddocks but I chose not to, instead doubling back on myself, here I saw another highlight for my visit, a well planted, long and narrow enclosure for Patas Monkey. A gorgeous large male with striking orange colouration strode about whilst a younger individual darted in and out of the indoor housing which had been closed off due to a “zoo baby” as per the sign on the barrier. It had been a long while since I last saw a Patas and i forget how large and striking they are. Adjacent to the monkey run is a Dwarf Mongoose exhibit which was a very standard indoor viewing and external sand pit with low wall affair. This marked the beginning of the “Asian Adventure” section. Whilst I have praised the lion theming heavily, potions of this section seemed a bit over the top and hammy, the Red Panda enclosure in particular looking like a budget Chinese pagoda just didn’t land as well with me for some reason. The enclosure was ok for the inhabitants with plenty of climbing structure and certainly a lot of space but a bit more height or a substantial tree would not have gone a miss. Opposite the panda is a waterfowl pond with Pink Backed Pelican, Mandarin Duck and red Crested Pochard. Reasonable size, open topped so clipped pelicans as is usual, an established reedbed providing shelter for any ducks who didn’t wish to battle the pelicans for the wooden shelters. A trio of Dhole put on a good show enjoying a carcass feed in a lengthy grassy paddock with some good height provided which one of the dhole was surveying from. Passing a lack lustre elephant climbing frame there is one more mammal at the far end of the park, a pair of Dusky Pademelon, who were huddled indoors. Their indoor enclosure was heavily soiled and in need of a clean, the outdoor area was a grass paddock with some small Asian inspired structures which struck me as a little out of place and not particularly New Guinean in appearance but there are worse sins. A small oblong aviary held, Baer’s Pochard, Red-billed Blue Magpie and (signed but not seen) Temminck’s Tragopan and marked the turning point in the Asian area where you doubled back behind some of the enclosures and passed a field exhibit for Reindeer who were seeking refuge from the mud on their hardstanding. The next section of zoo is somewhat of a hodgepodge of enclosures for Binturong, Meerkat, Ring Tailed and Black and White Ruffed Lemur all of which were functional and typical to any decent UK zoo. One feature I really did like was in the meerkat area there was a display of prey items in Perspex which I hadn’t seen done before and was providing more entertainment and education for some of the younger guests than the meerkats themselves. As I said, I had not researched the zoo too extensively and opposite the meerkats was an enclosure that didn’t have any signage at the particular viewpoint I chose and I just couldn’t place an animal within it in my minds eye. It was an absolutely enormous lake with an island in the middle with no structure on it, a grassy perimeter perhaps a meter or two wide and a ramp from the water to my left led to a wooden lean-to shelter. I guessed seals. I was wrong… Tapir! With the chilly weather the three tapirs were all sheltered indoors but to see this semiaquatic mammal utilising this incredible enclosure would be awesome. Looking through the gallery now I am back I can see that they do use the island. I questioned whether the land area was large enough and concluded that on balance it probably was, as although it is only offered in a narrow strip the perimeter was a long one. Another lake nearby held an island with Red Ruffed Lemur. I am never sure what to make of primate islands that are so far off, as you never get fantastic viewing, a lemur tried hard to change my mind charging around the available climbing structures which were low and horizontal and a shed looking house. I believe capybara also share/shared this exhibit but I saw no trace. An African aviary was the last enclosure in this portion of the zoo which was viewed from a mock bird hide, some of the birds had clearly been using the portholes to roost and you were consequently confronted with a big pile of bird droppings when looking behind which was an assault on the senses. Opening a few doors I found one, sans poo, that I felt comfortable looking through. View to a fully netted enclosure centred around a pond immediately outside the “hide” was great with the highlight being a Hamerkop who was circling and calling. Also seen, Pink Pigeon, African Crowned Crane, Cattle Egret, Ruddy Shelduck and Helmeted Guineafowl. Crossing back across the zoo there is an outback enclosure with some Emu and supposedly some wallaby species, but I didn’t spot any wallaby, admittedly I did not look hard as they fall into the same category as meerkat in terms of their ubiquity. Rescued Barbary Macaques from the pet trade have a sensibly portioned exhibit filled with lots of climbing opportunities. Penguin Coast I thought was again fantastic and held my attention for a long while. Above and below water viewing for an active and large group of Humboldt and Macaroni penguins in a clean pool mixed with Eider. Access to a mix of substrate, rocks, concrete, sand, grass and lots of nesting shelters. Some really good signs for identifying the whole colony of penguins from their coloured armbands were fun for some of the young families. Some of the Macaroni’s simply had their names printed on their armbands. Facing the penguins is an enclosure for Chilean Flamingo who had a large fully netted aviary with some significant height as they were mixed with Inca Tern, Rosy-billed Pochard, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Masked Lapwing. Also signed in the enclosure but not seen (and unsure where they could have been hiding) Buff-necked ibis. There was indoor viewing which was a dark and unremarkable rubber matted area for the birds to retreat to in inclement weather. Down the slope from the birds is the Giraffe house, containing three zoo mix males, some signage offers explanation as to why they hold a bachelor group and how giraffes are transported. I have seen comments whilst reading the forum today that the giraffe house was designed to hold up to 12 giraffes but this seems ambitious in my opinion, particularly in the climate where it is likely they will want to be indoors for significant portions of the year. At the far end of the indoor walkway is a glass fronted exhibit for Marginated Tortoise that previously held cusimanse. Attached to the giraffe house is an aviary for Vasa Parrot mixed with some very lost Vietnamese Pheasant. Like many zoos geographic theming is attempted here but not a hard and fast rule that is adhered to. The outdoor offering for giraffes includes a paddock and a hard standing with a feeding platform. In the paddock I suspect I missed some Nile lechwe having reviewed the forum today but I did see a pair of Chapman’s Zebra. Ascending back up the hill at the far end of the hoofstock area you come to an exhibit for “Welsh” (read “Scottish”) Wild Cat which eluded me. One of the few animals to benefit from no indoor viewing. Plenty of climbing opportunities, vegetation, netted roof. Predator prey exhibition comes in to play slightly here with a tank of Harvest Mice in the shelter that overlooks the cat enclosure. The final pair of enclosures are for small monkeys, White Faced Saki which I did not see and Common Squirrel Monkeys which I did spot briefly through indoor viewing window however neither species was particularly cooperative as a keeper was in the indoor area occupying their attention. In summary then (for anyone who is still with me) a brilliant collection for young families or zoo enthusiasts alike with some rarities and ABC’s mixed in, which runs circles round its local rival who I may post a much briefer review of in due course. Will stick some pictures I couldn't fit in the thread in the gallery.
A few additional notes I believe that the red deer are an all female group,if I remember correctly from the excellent commentary on the tractor trailer ride, also if you didn't do this you will have missed the mule that is housed in one of lower paddocks. I suspect that the unlabeled skink, could well be something slightly more interesting,in the form of Haitian galliwasps. But other than that an excellent review of the far better collection in the area, I certainly haven't bothered visiting manor for over ten years now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
I visited Folly for the first time last year, and just like you I didn't have much in the way of expectations... Just like you I was blown away with certain enclosures, it's a zoo that doesn't get the recognition it deserves on here! Thanks for the write-up, seems the Patas enclosure is new (they were in a small cage next to where you've described and that area was being built on), and no mention of the Exmoor Pony or mule? Should've done the tractor ride...
No problem, I have been really enjoying other peoples trip/visit reports lately, so am planning to try and pop up some reviews more frequently. Particularly when I venture to less well represented collections and would encourage others to do the same if possible. Quite.... I don't mind being a solo adult visitor to a zoo but drew the line at the tractor ride!
