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Kids Planet Knowsley Safari Park

Home > Nurseries > Kids Planet Day Nursery Knowsley Safari Park

Nursery at Knowsley Safari, Prescot!

Kids Planet Knowsley Safari provides the highest standard of care in a safe and stimulating environment for babies and children up to the age of 5 years old with the inclusion of a unique forest school and outside classroom. Located in the grounds and onsite of Knowsley Safari Park, just off the M57, the nursery is less than 30 minutes away from Liverpool. Our nursery fees go beyond and cover essential needs like wholesome meals, nappies, baby formula, and soothing baby wipes. Trust us for all-encompassing nursery care.

Lauren McBride

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Kids Planet Knowsley Safari Park Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot, L34 4AN

Nappies, wipes and formula included *up to the age of 12 months

We are open Monday to Friday 8:00am till 6:00pm 52 weeks of the year*

Safe and secure environment for your child

Never Miss A Moment

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Healthy, wholesome meals your child will love

At Kids Planet, we believe in a healthy approach to bodies and appetites, with sociable mealtimes, balanced nutrition and fresh, varied menus. Our menus are healthy and well-balanced. Each nursery setting has an on-site, qualified chef with an in-depth understanding of nutrition, food hygiene, and menu planning.

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Parent testimonials.

Would highly recommend Waverton Safari, a great place for learning as well as childcare. The staff are so helpful and friendly and the place itself is stunning especially for the forest school outside.

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Knowsley Safari

Top ways to experience Knowsley Safari and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

KNOWSLEY SAFARI: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• (0.43 mi) The Clock Face Prescot
• (2.49 mi) Premier Inn Liverpool (Tarbock) hotel
• (5.59 mi) Newsham Lodge
• (3.15 mi) Liverpool Rainhill Hotel
• (5.92 mi) The Arc Hotel
• (0.57 mi) Pinion
• (0.53 mi) Ray's
• (0.43 mi) The ClockFace Pub
• (0.56 mi) Albion Bakehouse
• (0.56 mi) The Lord Strange
• (0.01 mi) Knowsley Adventure Centre
• (0.06 mi) Delta Force Paintball Liverpool
• (0.29 mi) Knowsley Hall
• (0.54 mi) Shakespeare North Playhouse
• (0.53 mi) The Deanes House

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Kids Planet Knowsley Safari

URN: 2750674

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There may not be a report because:

• this service hasn’t been inspected yet
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31 August 2023

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Early years register.

Providers on the Early Years Register will normally be inspected at least once within a 6-year window.

We will prioritise the first inspection of newly registered providers on the Early Years register. This will normally be within 30 months of their registration date.

Good or outstanding - We will inspect them at least once within a 6-year window from their last inspection.

Requires improvement - We usually re-inspect all childminders, pre-school provision and nursery provision within 12 months of the latest inspection.

Inadequate - We re-inspect all provision within six months of the latest inspection.

Group provision will normally receive a telephone call at around midday on the working day before the start of the inspection.

Group providers that do not operate regularly, will usually receive a call no more than five days before the inspection.

We can also inspect without notice.

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Each year, we inspect 1 in 10 of those who are only on the Childcare Register.

We do not inspect any provider on the Childcare Register until it has been registered for at least 3 months unless we receive information about possible non-compliance.

We will usually only inspect a provider on the Childcare Register once in any 12-month period unless we receive concerns.

For inspections of providers of childcare on domestic premises that operate regularly, we will carry out an unannounced inspection.

For all other inspections (childminders, nannies and childcare on non-domestic premises and childcare on domestic premises that does not operate regularly), we give no more than five days’ notice.

About Kids Planet Knowsley Safari

• Type: Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
• Local authority: Knowsley
• Address: Knowsley Safari Park, Knowsley Park, Prescot, L34 4AN
• Region: North West

Contact details and general enquiries

• Telephone: 0151 426 6017

Registered by Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited

Open to show all providers under the same registered person.

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Knowsley Safari Park – A Safari Park In England

Are you visiting England and looking for something unusual to do? Want to get up close and personal with baboons? If you are interested in an exciting day out and seeing animals run wild, then Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool is the perfect place. Here, we will share everything you need about this safari park in England.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our  disclosure and privacy policy  for more information.

About Knowsley Safari Park

Knowsley Safari Park is exactly as the name implies – a safari park. However, it’s not your ordinary safari park. At Knowsley Safari Park, you can drive your vehicle through the park and get up close highly close to the wildlife. They are so close that some will mount your car if you choose to drive through the baboon encounter!

In England, this safari park is a part of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). It’s a well-known attraction situated in Prescot, England. Knowsley Safari’s primary goal is to conserve different animal species and research them. Knowsley Safari also participates in preservation projects. The park is in northern England, close to Chester, Liverpool, and Manchester universities. 

Knowsley Safari Park’s History

The founders are Jimmy Chipperfield and Edward Stanley. They opened the park in 1971.  The original drive was 3.5 miles through the park when it first opened.  Tourists can drive by lions, elephants, antelope, giraffes, and zebras. After a while, the park became popular among tourists, and because of this, the drive route was extended by 1.5 miles. Since 1973, additional animals have been added, and visitors can observe camels, rhinoceros, buffalo, and tigers. It’s now the longest safari drive in England.

As the park evolved, it added new attractions.  For example, there are two baboon sections – self-drive or the Baboon Bus .

Knowsley Safari Park Animals

Knowsley Safari aims to help people get closer to the animals.  There are approximately 500 animals within. One of the most popular is the baboons. They are so popular because they jump on your car if you ride through their enclosure in your vehicle.

And I can tell you from experience that they WILL damage your vehicle. I’ve been many times, and if you make it through the baboon enclosure only missing a windscreen wiper, you should consider yourself lucky. I have lost windscreen wipers, a side mirror, and an antenna!

Then there’s the fact that they might flash you, so if you have children be prepared to explain anatomy!

Flashing Baboons

About The Baboons

These animals are considered to be in a group of the biggest primates. They have been living on the planet for about 2 million years already! Five species of baboons exist now:

The size of baboons varies by species. Generally, these primates live 30 years. Baboons are not endangered, but the anthropogenic impact might cause a population decline.

Self Drive The Baboon Enclosure

This, people, is where you will experience the baboons jumping on your car and will pull off a piece or two. If this concerns you, you can opt to take the Baboon Bus.

Take The Baboon Bus

Many people want to lose a piece of their car, so Knowsley introduced the car-friendly route, the Baboon Bus.

If you take the bus, you don’t have a car or are worried about your vehicle becoming damaged. You can book a seat on the Baboon Bus for just £6.50 per person on top of the standard admission price. 

Amur Tigers

Endangered tigers inhabit the eastern parts of Russia and can also be found in China. They have thick pale orange fur that is covered with dark stripes. Tigers roam long distances, hunting for food. However, the natural habitat of these animals suffers from agricultural expansion and logging. These factors cause population decline.

In Knowsley Safari Park, you will meet two Amur Tigers –  Sinda and Miron, who came to participate in the tiger breeding programs. A special drive with tigers was opened for tourists in 2018. The territory is equipped with small forests, streams, and ponds.

White Rhinos

The white rhino is the biggest of all rhinoceros. White rhinoceros possess a huge, strong bodies with a small neck. Their heads are big, and their natural habitat is savannah or grassland. Rhinos consume grass and drink water two times per day. These animals also like to rest in mud pits because it helps cool their bodies.

Knowsley Safari Park possesses the biggest white rhino group for breeding. It is considered to be the largest and the most successful in Europe . As you drive through the park, you get to observe them.

Almost extinct, with an estimated 140 left in the wild, this is a rare opportunity to see these antelopes. These antelopes are distinct because of their striking reddish-brown coat with black-and-white markings or white-yellow stripes.

These animals have two horns, spiraling slightly. The natural habitat is tropical jungles. Bongos like to consume roots, grass, and leaves. The greatest danger for them is deforestation and hunting, which have caused the population to decline to near extinction.

You can see bongos while driving by the sixth zone of the African Savannah route.

Other Animals

In addition to the baboons, tigers, and bongo, there are lions, emu camels, giraffes, elephants, meerkats,s and many other species.

Animal Experiences

If you’ve ever dreamed of getting close to a giraffe or wanting to feed a meerkat its breakfast, then the Animal Experiences are just the adventure you’re looking for!

Knowsley Safari Park offers a range of animal experiences, so you can find something on your bucket list . And you’ll get an up-close animal encounter that is the best animal experience around. 

All Animal Experiences must be PRE-BOOKED using vouchers.  Contact the park directly to check availability and book using your voucher. Email [email protected]

Knowsley Safari Park Programs

Knowsley Safari park has several exciting programs you can participate in.

Junior Rangers Program

This event is for children from 11 to 14 who like nature and are interested in the animal world. Kids work with park representatives and try their hand as a zookeeper.

Kids experience multiple interactions with the park’s inhabitants, such as animal care and enclosure cleaning. The program provides special lessons connected with the wildlife of the park. There is also a possibility of enjoying a safari drive on a Baboon Bus or exploring the small forests within Knowsley Safari Park. At the end of the program, every kid gets a certificate with a memory photo.

The Junior Rangers program lasts for two days during the weekend. It begins at 9:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm.

• Knowsley Academy

This special weekend event is for people aged 15 to 18 who want to become educators, veterinarians, or zoologists.

The program includes various theoretical lessons and practical get first-hand experience with the animals. Participants will study biology and discover more information about the inhabitants of Knowsley Safari Park. The other activities are animal care, visiting carnivores, and behavioral research. Woodland activities and foot and drive safaris are also possible. At the end of the event, participants receive a special certificate, guidebook, and portfolio.

Knowsley Academy lasts two days, and the opening hours are from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

• Mini Explorers

Designed for children from 6 to 7. This is a great outdoor activity for wildlife lovers!

During the Mini Explorers event, participants observe the inhabitants and have an opportunity to make unique gifts for the animals at the park. There are also various crafts and outdoor games. The members of the Learning team run all of the activities.

The program lasts three days, starting at 9:30 am and ending at 3:00 pm daily.

Events At Knowsley Safari Park

Every year there are new events at the park. In 2012, the Olympic torch relay took place here. Six thousand plus families and children watched. It was also the venue for the Britain cycling tour stage two in 2012. The same tour was hosted in September 2013.

Knowsley Safari Park Opening Hours

The park is open from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends. The last entry to the drive is 4:00 pm.

Knowsley Safari Park Tickets

You can buy tickets online before you visit.

Standard Tickets

The standard ticket includes the following:

• Safari on a vehicle
• Safari by foot
• Animal shows

Adult tickets start at $12, and there are various discounts like children or seniors, and you can buy a family ticket. You can also add extra activities to the standard ticket. Some examples of add-ons are:

• Junior Rangers Programme

Carers Enter For Free

Disabled people can bring a registered carer to enter the park for free. However, this option is available only if the full-price pass is bought and if the proof documents are brought, such as:

• Carers Allowance

Where To Eat At Knowsley Safari Park

The food court is located outdoors and is accessible during the foot safari.  It is close to the enclosures with bush dogs. Visitors eat pizzas and loaded fries or choose their favorite dessert.

The Oasis Restaurant

The specialty of The Oasis Restaurant is fresh dishes, such as salads, bespoke sandwiches, or carvery. The homemade cuisine menu provides fish and chips, penne bolognese, and more! There are also special menus for vegetarians.

Outdoor Grill

You can go to the Outdoor Grills, which is near the Oasis Restaurant. Tourists are welcome to try sausages, burgers, hamburgers, chorizo, beef, pork bratwurst, and more!

The Coffee House

If you like sweets and warm drinks, go to the Coffee House. This place serves homemade cakes, coffee, and other light meals. The location of Coffee House is located near the children’s playgrounds.

How To Get To Knowsley Safari Park

Knowsley Safari is in Prescot, not that far from Liverpool. There are various ways to get there:

It’s one of the most convenient ways to get to the park and the most fun! After all, if you arrive by car, you can drive through the baboon enclosure and the lion enclosure.

If you don’t have your own vehicle, it’s an excellent option to book a 9-seater car hire in Liverpool , especially when you bring friends! It takes only 14 minutes to drive there from John Lennon Airport. If you need to have your luggage with you, try a 9-seater minibus hire in Liverpool.

The route is quite simple. From A561 Speke Road, turn to Knowsley Expressway, and then lead to M57. When you get there, leave the road at the second junction. Look for the signs of Knowsley Safari, situated by the roundabout, and you will reach the park.

The road from the center of Prescot to Knowsley Safari Park takes 12-15 minutes. You can walk the footpath that will lead you straight to the main gates of the park.

Not wrecked, but if you enter the baboon enclosure, you will lose an antenna, potentially a mirror, or windscreen wipers. The baboons are notorious for ripping pieces of cars off.

It’s a five-mile safari drive that takes about an hour to drive. You are not limited to one drive; you can go around the park as often as you like.

Pets can not be brought to Knowsley Safari Park. The only exception is for Service Dogs.

The best time is around 10 am during the summer weekends when the schools are out. Or, go when the kids are in school!

Closing Thoughts

Knowsley Safari Park is one of the most unusual days out in England. Kids absolutely love it! Even though you might have to replace an element of your car, it’s worth it. There’s nothing quite like a baboon that’s showing off its lower regions while taunting you as it tears off the windscreen wiper. 

The lions at the park are huge, and when you drive through their enclosure, they will come up to the cars, so keep your windows closed! Now you know that there is a  safari park in England, add it to your list of “must-dos.”

Looking For Other Places To Explore In England? Start Here:

• 15 Best Things To Do In Blackpool
• Castle Howard – Yorkshires Brideshead Revisited
• Chatsworth House – England
• Explorers Retreat at Gulliver’s Kingdom-  Matlock Bath
• Harrogate’s Victorian Turkish Baths
• Lotherton Hall – Yorkshire
• Yorkshire Lavender Farms  

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Nikki Webster is a travel writer who covers how to travel while grinding a day job without breaking the bank. Nikki is always in search of off-the-beaten-track experiences and unique stays. She is particularly fond of Florida and writes extensively about the state. She flies around 60,000 miles annually and has visited 74 countries, 50 states, and six continents. You can read all about her travels at www.britonthemove.com or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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Knowsley Safari Ticket Portal

• Home Visit our homepage
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• Call us 0151 430 9009
• Email us [email protected]
• Visit our website https://www.knowsleysafariexpe...
• Admission Tickets

**Important Information – Please Read**

Please note: We're currently building exciting new homes for our amazing animals in the Africa section, please bear with us whilst there is some disruption to this area.

You are booking for your ARRIVAL time, please do not arrive more than 15 minutes early for your time-slot and you can arrive anytime after your selected time upto our last entry time.

High Winds - During periods of high winds access to the baboon and lion enclosure may be restricted for your safety. Certain rides may not be able to run. All animals will have access to shelters fo rsafety reasons.

Refunds are not available for online tickets; tickets may be transferred to an alternate date in the same price bracket up to 24 hours before your visit. Ticket prices may be higher when purchased on the day or at the gate. Tickets purchased online cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Please visit our website for details about carers, concessions and our accessibility statement.

Opening Times

We are open every day from 10:00am to 5:30pm and the last entry onto the Safari Drive is 4:00pm. 

Please do not attempt to enter the drive after the last entry time as you will be refused entry so allow plenty of time in your day to do everything.

Amusement rides :

Our rides are open weekends and school holidays please check our website for more details.

Our Animals : All our animals have access to shelter and later in the day and during inclement weather it should be expected that some of the animals will return to their houses so may not be visible. The lions, giraffe and rhinos may not be free roaming or visible after 3:00pm so please plan your day accordingly and book an early arrival time to make the most of your day.

Carers Concession - From January 1st 2024 we will only be accepting the Nimbus disability Access Card as proof that a visitor requires an essential companion to assist you with your visit. To apply for an Access Card please click the following link. https://www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/access-card Please allow 10 days for your application to be processed before visiting. Visitors without an Access Card will be charged the standard admission price on arrival.

Please note

You enter the park at your own risk, we accept no responsibility for any loss or damage caused to your vehicle by our animals under any circumstances.

Do not attempt to feed the animals they are on specific diets and feeding the animals may be harmful. Visitors breaking this rule will be asked to leave the park and no refund will be given.

Our animals are wild and have access to shelter and we cannot guarantee which animals will be visible at the time and location you are on the Safari Drive or Foot Safari during your visit. You can go round as many times as your like before last entry time.

Please wear your seatbelt, do not sit children on knees and stay within the speed limit.

Please be aware that all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Cars with soft tops or vinyl sunshine roofs are not permitted to drive through the Lion or Baboon enclosures. Convertibles must keep the roof closed for the entire safari drive, open top vehicles not permitted. Also, vehicles with PVC skylights will have to take the car friendly route.

Vehicles with cracked windscreens or any safety defects are not permitted in the baboon and lion enclosure. Rooftop boxes are not permitted through the baboon enclosure.

We reserve the right to refuse entry of any vehicle to any part of the Safari drive on safety grounds for both public and animal welfare.  

We regret that dogs are not permitted except for assistance dogs where restrictions to certain areas apply. Dogs are not allowed on the Safari Drive under any circumstances.

• Call us : 0151 430 9009
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• Registered Company Name : Stanley Enterprise
• Branch Address : Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 4AN
• Registered Company Address : Estate Office, Knowsley Hall, Knowsley Park, Prescot , Merseyside , L34 4AG

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We enjoyed our visit to 'Knowsley Safari Park' which supported our Science topic,  'Living Things and their Habitats'. 

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Knowsley Safari’s Edward Perry – Connecting Communities to the Natural World

Words:  Lalla Merlin

| 11 min read

Knowsley Safari, one of the North West’s leading attractions , has been welcoming visitors for over four decades.

Edward Perry , Director of Operations at Knowsley since 2012, spoke to Blooloop about the role of safaris in both conservation and the community. And, why the experience is as important as the animals.

A Perfect Tonic

Perry left school at 18 and served with the Coldstream Guards before running a small printing company:

“It was a perfect tonic for leaving the Army actually, because it was just a big wide commercial world.”

Perry then had what he calls his ‘academic guilt trip’, and went to university, studying Heritage Interpretation & Environmental Education at Birkbeck College, University of London from 1993 – 1995.

“At the same time I had a fantastic opportunity. I worked for a very brilliant, but mad, professor in experimental archaeology. Most archaeologists, particularly in the early 90s, would look at the past two-dimensionally, creating plans with post-holes and various other artefacts.”

Experimental Archaeology at Butser Ancient Farm

“I was the education officer there for about four years. It was the perfect anti-establishment role, having spent eight years as a soldier. I met my future wife there. But, eventually I thought, I can’t carry on like this. I hadn’t worn a suit for years, I had hair everywhere.”

Perry took a year out. He worked for the National Trust before managing Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire.

“I was tasked with transforming this beautiful house which was full of potential, but rather backward and unprofitable, into a going concern. Fast forward to now: it does weddings, it does concerts, it does a very good game fair that I set up.”

A New Role at Knowsley

In his forties by this stage, Perry felt he still had a long way to go.

“And then, in 2004, I was called by a head-hunter saying that there was a new role at Knowsley Hall near Liverpool.”

The move meant uprooting his family from an idyllic rural life in Northamptonshire.

“It was a bit of a culture shock, ” he says.

Knowsley Hall is a magnificent stately home complete with (non-resident) family, art collection, and surrounding parkland. It is not open to the public but is used as a venue for hospitality and events.

“It’s really top end accommodation and top end events; we tend to cream off the celebs and the A listers, the individuals who want to do a corporate or private entertainment in the Liverpool city region.”

He had been running the Hall for two years when a call came from Lord Derby , in 2008, asking him to transfer to the Safari.

“It was a leadership role that was required, that could balance the often opposing and contrasting needs of the animals, the teams that look after them, and the commercial side.”

The Circus Connection

“Many of these peers weren’t particularly commercially oriented; they had finished the war to manage their estates, but post-war Britain wasn’t particularly kind to landed estates. Jimmy Chipperfield seemed a blessing to many of them.”

One of those peers was Edward Stanley , 18th Earl of Derby, who opened Knowsley Safari with Jimmy Chipperfield in 1971.

Knowsley’s situation gave it an immediate advantage. Not only could it tap into the population of a large city, it was also 20 minutes from Liverpool’s waterfront, 35 minutes from the centre of Manchester and within a stone’s throw of the M62.

“In the late 60s and early 70s, your average worker, your average resident, was never going to go to Africa. This was an extraordinary venture: bringing Africa to the English countryside.

“Safari culture was very much based on that African experience, and the management was essentially white, male, middle-class, and ‘Out of Africa’: very different from the zoo leadership, which tended to come from a keeping or scientific background.”

This world still existed at Knowsley in 2008.

“I felt that Knowsley had, in a way, built a wall around itself, by sticking to the traditional audience, the traditional market, ” says Perry.

He immediately set about addressing several issues that were barriers to growth.

The model of many leisure attractions post-war, including Knowlsey, was to accept losses in the off-season. The hope was that things would pick up in the spring half term, or failing that, Easter. Another factor was that the park was relying on exotic animals to show themselves at the right time, at weekends, the half term, or in the holidays. It was seat-of-the pants economics.

Preserving the DNA of a Safari Experience

“I needed to recruit a commercially oriented, highly professional, highly motivated, diverse senior management team to lead the way, ” says Perry.

Despite the need for change, he was determined to keep the DNA of a safari experience.

“Safari means, ‘come on: let’s go on a trip, an adventure.’ The brand proposition is ‘truly wild adventures’.

“In other words, each time you come you can do something different. There has to be a frisson of excitement. And, you do get that. After all, you are a window’s width away from a lion. You have primates jumping all over your car.”

A key priority for Perry was to move away from the conventional African theme towards more northern species.

“Now, we have European bison; there will shortly be forest reindeer; we are looking at bears; we have Tibetan Kiang. What we have successfully done is to iron out those peaks and those troughs and to eliminate those loss months.

“Something we hope to be doing in the next two years is taking advantage of all the festivals and commercial opportunities – Christmas, Hallowe’en and so on, that lots of zoo attractions are doing really well.”

Last year, Knowsley attracted 600, 000 visitors, 20, 000 of whom were schoolchildren. But, says, Perry, to be a successful attraction nowadays takes more than just numbers through the door.

“It’s not just a numbers game. It’s got to be a qualitative game as well. We are developing measures to analyse not only the quality of our experience, but also the emotional and spiritual outcomes of visiting a wildlife attraction.

“Now, it’s more about turnover; it’s more about spend per head. So, we are now looking at a very different approach to our communities, a very different approach to the commercial model, a very different approach to the health and well-being agendas and the ethical and the welfare side.”

Inviting the Community In

In 2012, Knowsley Safari changed its mission statement to ‘Connecting communities to the natural world for the benefit of future generations’.

“Those words are really important, ” says Perry. “Connect is an informal introduction. We are not going to ram facts down your throat. We are going to make it fun. And, if you like that, then we are here if you want a little bit more knowledge, and we will guide you through the process.

“It is not Africa; it is about the natural world, and the natural world can be microscopic, or it can be cosmic as well. And communities, as well, are very important.

“We have come a long way from the traditional 70s model, to something that is more socially aware, ethically aware. It is about stepping out of the confines of the wall of the traditional zoo, and inviting the community in.”

Fewer Species, Larger Herds

“You can fit Chester Zoo in our rhino enclosure, which just gives you a sense of scale. I think some of those traditional Victorian footprint zoos are doing a really fantastic job in providing the welfare and the experience to the guest, but the safaris have the space. What we are doing, like a lot of other safaris, is not about species collections: it’s about habitats. Therefore, we are able to have fewer species, but larger herds.

“There is no better sight than going to Longleat and seeing their herd of 14 or 15 giraffes. There is no better sight than coming to Knowsley and seeing nine white rhino, not just packed into a tiny little paddock, but behaving naturally.

“What’s even better is that you will then be able to see a young, frisky wildebeest, or a zebra, almost challenging or taunting the little baby rhino, and then the rhino mum just booting the little wildebeest zebra out, while the eland just watch nonchalantly.

“So, there are moments, in the rhino section, for example, when you can see five species all grazing very happily, and you think, why go to Africa? So, I think safaris are in a perfect position to play their role in species conservation.”

Staying Relevant

Native species have their place at Knowsley, too. There are, for instance, red squirrels. Perry believes that to lecture about the plight of African species to a family living in a high-rise is to risk losing relevance.

“Knowsley itself has sat very firmly in the bottom of the education league tables for the last few years; there are social challenges.

“It is better to start in the kitchen, to start in the garden, or with a species or an animal that they can understand or connect with, perhaps through literature. Maybe it’s The Gruffalo or Edward Lear , whose appeal is, of course, timeless.”

(There is a connection between Knowsley and Edward Lear, who was commissioned to paint animals from the Knowsley menagerie in the 19th century.)

“There’s that lovely saying that you can start with an acorn, and end up explaining the history of the universe, ” says Perry.

“What we’re trying to do is to engage people. The danger with a lot of biodiversity institutions is they start with the scientific angle, and disconnect with the guest.”

Accidental Learning

“We call it the tiger trail: the words ‘park’ and ’enclosure’ do suggest a containment of the animals.

“I said to the architect: actually, you’re not designing a tiger trail. You’re designing an experience. If a family went all the way round the trail and didn’t see a tiger once, they’d still say: wow.

“In other words, it’s not about the animals. It’s about the bigger picture, the vegetation, the birds that flit from tree to tree, the ecology, in the proper sense. It’s almost accidental learning. That’s really what we’re trying to achieve. And I think, again, safaris are really well placed for that way of teaching.

A Closed Loop System

“The elephant house is a really exciting opportunity, ” says Perry. “It’s easy to look at these animal houses and think, they cost a lot of money: it’s like digging a hole and shovelling cash into it.”

Perry is keen, however, to create an elephant house which promises a return on the investment. He is exploring renewable energy from waste.

“We’re big fans of the closed loop system. In other words, you recycle everything.

“And, I think elephants are a classic example of being able to recycle. And then, if that elephant house then has guest access, it gives you an all-year round opportunity which, therefore, is incremental revenue.

“You can then have a café or, even better, a conference room, above the elephants. Then, you’ve got a revenue-making machine.

“There’s also an interesting concept I was discussing yesterday with Mike Maunder , (Dr. Mike Maunder, Executive Director of The Eden Project). He was talking about building places with a biodiversity debt, in other words, getting a return in animal conservation terms.

“An elephant house may cost £2million, but we need to ask, are we in credit with biodiversity? We need to be looking at that evaluation.”

Using VR to Bring Nature to the Community

He is a keen proponent of the benefits of bringing nature to the community.

“Research is really beginning to show contact with nature is hugely beneficial. We’ve been working with Alder Hey Hospital for children, and thinking about how we can bring Safari into the wards.”

The answer is through virtual reality.

“In effect we do 3D photography and video, then it gets churned through the software, and the children on the wards put on their goggles: it’s a fantastic experience.”

Knowsley Safari has had a very good few years since the recession.

“This year, we are looking to attract three quarters of a million. This has entailed about £1 million in infrastructure changes: new roundabouts, making the landscape better, making the signage better, making a better experience.”

Analysis of digital marketing shows that conservation messaging has better uptake and spreads better on Twitter. Facebook is more about the operations side: where to stay, and so on.

“We are interested also in finding out what people’s motivations are. For example, 54% are coming with a social motivation: they want a good day out. We tend to appeal to a certain segment of the market called Explorer Families: typically A, B and C1s, possibly C2’s as well, who want to get something intellectual out of the experience. These are the same people who go to museums and science centres.”

A Tapestry of Knowledge

“Something else it would be fascinating to find out is how many visitors change their behaviour as a result of a safari. That, of course, would take decades to measure. Now, I think we’re not going to change an attitude or behaviour with just one visit. This is where biodiversity institutions really have to work together, not in competition, to provide a tapestry of knowledge.”

Does the proximity of Chester Zoo affect visitor numbers?

“I think we are fishing from slightly different pools. Further than that, I think having Chester Zoo on our doorstep actually complements us. A good zoo like Chester is a great advert for us. A bad zoo is a terrible advert for everybody.

“We are really working to understand our market. We’ve now transformed into quite a calculating beast that really has to target its resources in order to get the right person at the right time, so they come away with a sense of wonder.”

Images Courtesy of Knowsley Safari

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