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Wildlife & Nature · West

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

The best places to see wildlife in the West of England (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire (incl. the Cotswolds), Bristol, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands): zoos & wildlife parks, birds & nature reserves, butterflies.

Zoos & Wildlife Parks

  1. Longleat

    Near Warminster, Wiltshire

    The UK's first safari park, opened in 1966, with a drive-through safari and a winter festival of lights.

    See details →

  2. Bristol Zoo Project

    Edge of Bristol

    A habitat-based wildlife park with safari-style animal encounters for children.

    See details →

  3. West Midland Safari Park

    Bewdley, Worcestershire

    A drive-through safari of some 150 acres with cheetahs, elephants, zebras and camels, and safari lodges for overnight stays.

    See details →

  4. Paignton Zoo

    Paignton, Devon

    Opened in 1923, with over 2,000 animals of more than 250 species; run by the Wild Planet Trust and the highest-rated zoo in a Which? survey.

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  5. Newquay Zoo

    Newquay, Cornwall

    Paignton's sister zoo, also run by the Wild Planet Trust; allow about three hours.

    See details →

  6. Cornish Seal Sanctuary

    Gweek, Cornwall

    Rescues 30 to 70 seal pups every year, and is home to Icelandic puffins and a small colony of beavers.

    See details →

Birds & Nature Reserves

  1. WWT Slimbridge

    Slimbridge, Gloucestershire

    Where Sir Peter Scott founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in 1946; the Trust has since opened nine more reserves around the country.

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  2. Abbotsbury Swannery

    Abbotsbury, Dorset

    The only managed swannery in the world, on the Fleet Lagoon, with over 600 mute swans, records back to 1393 and daily feeds at noon and 4pm; open mid-March to October, with cygnets from late May.

    See details →

Butterflies

  1. Stratford Butterfly Farm

    Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

    Opened in 1985, with some 1,800 free-flying tropical butterflies in a rainforest-style flight area.

    See details →

  2. Buckfast Butterflies & Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary

    Buckfastleigh, Devon

    A tropical house of free-flying butterflies, some 40 species, beside an otter sanctuary with British, Asian short-clawed and North American river otters, on the southern edge of Dartmoor.

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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 West of England →