Our Conservation, Research & Environmental Work
Learn more about the work we do here at Hobbledown to protect animals & the environment - visit our 'Research and Conservation' section.
With “Family Animal Contact Experiences to Forging Active Conservation Education” (FACE to FACE) as a driving force to our messaging, we seek to connect our guests to our animals to help inspire stewardship and care for the natural world and all of its resources.
Our animals
From Meerkats to Camels, Hobbledown is home to a wide collection of farm and zoo animals, all housed in spacious enclosures with plenty of room to roam and play.
Or try one of our Experience Days - whether it's Feeding the Meerkats or the Full Zookeeper Experience, we have plenty of ways to give your animal-loving Hobbling a very special day.
Armadillo
Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning 'little armored one' and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these fascinating looking creatures.
Ring-Tailed Lemur
The Ring-Tailed Lemur is an endangered primate native only to Madagascar. They can live for up to 15 years in the wild!
Bactrian Camel
These two-humped camels can grow up to 12ft! It's a myth that they store water in their humps - they actually store fat.
Meerkat
The Meerkat is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. They are known as the Hobbledown guards because of the way they always stand to attention!
Bennett’s Wallaby
These springy animals all the way from Tasmania click and chatter to communicate. Get up close and personal in their wonderful walkthrough.
Black-tailed prairie dog
The 'dog' part of the prairie dog's name comes from its incredible bark. They live in complex burrow systems, which is why they're always busy digging.
Asian Short-clawed Otter
With cat-like whiskers, webbed feet and smooth bodies, these otters love to swim and hunt for crabs.
African Pygmy Goat
Bearded goat with excellent climbing skills. Check out their wonderful walkthrough if you want to see them up close!
Mara
With strong hind legs, the Mara are members of the rodent family and can move extremely fast.
Alpaca
These funny-looking creatures come from the high altitudes of the South American Andes, and often spit up and chew their food over and over again!
Giant Flemish Rabbit
These cottontail rabbits are gentle giants; they can grow up to 1.3 metres long!
Capybara
These giant rodents are fantastic swimmers, extremely social, and very chilled-out! They are close relatives to the (much smaller) guinea pig.
Peafowl
The females are called 'peahens', while the males are the 'peacocks' - and they're the ones with the glorious fan of fancy feathers.
Sheep
Woolly-haired sheep that loves to lazily graze.
Miniature Horses
Yes, they're different to ponies! Miniature horses are often smaller, less muscular and stocky, and are more likely to be kept as pets than their working pony counterparts.
Pigs
Though they're very fond of rolling in wet mud to cool off, pigs are actually very clean animals!
Nilgai
Nilgai are the largest Asian antelope, and they can run up to 29mph. Their name literally translates to 'blue cow'.
Rhea
As a species of bird, it may surprise you to learn that Rheas cannot fly. Instead, they run about all helter-skelter, as they cannot move in a straight line!
Guinea Pig
A common pet and highly social animal, domestic guinea pigs originate in the Andes of South America. Despite the name, they're not actually related to pigs at all.
Lilac Breasted Roller
This beautifully coloured African bird can often be found nesting in natural cavities in trees or termite hills.
White-cheeked Turaco
Turacos use their long tails for balance, and can live for 10 - 12 years.
Goeldi's Monkeys
This small monkey has shaggy black hair, claw-like nails and a long tail.
Golden-handed Tamarins
These animals are likely named after King Midas from Greek mythology, who could turn objects to gold just by touching them. They are native to South America.
Common Marmosets
These monkeys have white tufts of hair on the sides of their heads, and their diet mainly consists of sap and gum from trees.
Tortoise
We have four species of tortoise at Hobbledown: Hermann’s tortoise – Near Threatened; Horsfield’s tortoise – Vulnerable; Leopard tortoise – Least concern; African spurred tortoise (sulcata) – Endangered.
