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Wildlife & Nature · South

Wildlife in the South of England: Zoos, Birds Reserves, Butterflies

From white storks nesting in Sussex for the first time in six centuries to red pandas, birds of prey and clouds of tropical butterflies: the best places in the South to see wildlife, for families, birdwatchers and anyone who loves nature.

Zoos & Wildlife Parks

  1. Drusillas Park

    Alfriston, East Sussex BN26 5QS

    A much-loved family zoo just off the A27, with sloths, lynx, red pandas, capybaras and penguins, and the new Conservation Station for 2026. Open every day except 24–26 December.

    See details →

  2. Marwell Zoo

    Near Winchester, Hampshire

    One of southern England's largest zoological parks, set in some 140 acres.

    See details →

  3. Howletts and Port Lympne

    Near Canterbury and Hythe, Kent

    Two wild animal parks run by The Aspinall Foundation, devoted to rare and endangered species.

    See details →

  4. Hawk Conservancy Trust

    Andover, Hampshire

    A conservation charity for birds of prey, with some 60 years of rescue, research and education, and daily flying displays.

    See details →

  5. British Wildlife Centre

    Newchapel, near Lingfield, Surrey

    Over 40 native species, from otters and badgers to pine martens and owls, with Britain's first walk-through red squirrel enclosure and keeper talks every half hour; open weekends and school holidays.

    See details →

Birds & Nature Reserves

  1. Knepp Wildland

    Near Horsham, West Sussex

    England's famous rewilding estate, where white storks have bred since 2020, the first in the UK for 600 years. Knepp and nearby Storrington are Britain's only European Stork Villages.

    See details →

  2. RSPB Pulborough Brooks

    Pulborough, West Sussex

    Wet meadows in the Arun valley, beside Amberley Wildbrooks: wonderful for wildfowl in winter and a feeding ground for the storks.

    See details →

  3. WWT Arundel Wetland Centre

    Arundel, West Sussex

    The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust's reserve beneath Arundel Castle, with ducks, geese and swans up close.

    See details →

Butterflies

  1. London Butterfly Gardens

    Hall Place & Gardens, Bexley, south-east London

    A tropical butterfly garden in the grounds of the historic Hall Place.

    See details →

  2. Horniman Butterfly House

    Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, south-east London

    Hundreds of free-flying butterflies in a tropical indoor garden, open all year.

    See details →

Checked October 2026. Opening times and seasons change, so please check before you travel.

Read our guide to Britain's wildlife → · Gardens and the best garden & home addresses in the South of England →