I just love visiting Knowsley Safari Park. We all have a great time whenever we go there, despite the repeated damage inflicted on the car as we drive through the baboon enclosure. Our most recent visit was Sunday the fourth of February. It was our twin boys' birthdays, and also the last day we could use our season ticket, which we bought when we visited for their birthday last year.

We loaded up the car with lunch and refreshments, and soon we were on our way to Prescot. I almost felt as though we were going on holiday, after repeated back seat questioning; 'Are we there yet?'

We arrived at the main gates, and a rush of excitement swept through us all. By now, we know that no two visits are ever the same, and we wondered what the various animals had in store for us today. Previous visits have resulted in things like having my finger 'bitten' by an emu to the point where it drew blood, or being chased and intimidated by the unpredictable camels.

So what did we encounter this time?

Arriving later than initially planned, we were able to fit in two 'circuits' of the park before the last entry at 3pm. We were informed by the assistant in the ticket booth that some animals may not be out for us to see, due to the cold weather. But we continued on, and just hoped that we could make the most of the last day of our season ticket.

Early on in the drive are the placid fallow deer, alongside some unpredictable and occasionally vicious emus. This is where I made the previous mistake of 'testing' one of them by holding my hand out to it. Of course, its disappointment at me having no food in my hand was made clear when it aggressively snapped at my finger. I eventually learned my lesson a few visits ago about these creatures with long necks: If your window is fully wound down, there's a very strong possibility that your car will instantly become a very attractive and interesting new environment for the creature to snoop around in. And if there's food on display, you're in for it! I was able to snap some photos of the fallow deer relaxing, but then at the first sight of an emu by one of the children, the windows were up and we were on our way!

Next up are the tigers. From what we've seen, they have two tigers, and they are both huge and very beautiful. Even on quiet days like this, we have to queue in a line of cars along the tall fence, to be able to be just feet away from these rare, magnificent cats. Today though, it was worth the wait; we arrived just as the tigers were being fed. Just moments before, the keeper had been in the enclosure for the hyenas, which we'd never seen before, and the tigers were as close to the fence as they could be, providing all the visitors with excellent photo opportunities. They were, in fact, patiently waiting for their lunch.

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As we sat taking pictures of the tigers, oblivious to our surroundings, something grabbed the attention of the one we had our lens fixed on. The keeper had left the hyena paddock, and was carrying a huge bird over to the cage for the tigers. With one almighty throw, the bird was lobbed over the high fence, straight into the clutches of the other tiger. It was quickly carried away to a quiet spot, where the tiger could enjoy its feast in private. This was closely followed by another enormous bird, intended for the other tiger, who followed suit and retreated to a secluded area of the enclosure. Our photo opportunities were finished, but we'd just been given a very rare treat that we'd never experienced before.

The lions were next up on the trail, so your windows go up, and your doors are locked. (I've never known a lion open a car door before, but we did what the signs said anyway.) Usually in this area, you can drive along slowly and the lions will just walk across the road as if you weren't there. On this occasion however, there were no lions to be seen, because they were kept in their small enclosure by the keepers. We managed a brief stop for photos, and then we were on our way.

Once you leave the lions' area, you can wind your windows down and get up close to the antelopes and axis deer. Most of the time they're very wary of people sticking their hands out of cars, but occasionally there is the odd one that will approach you, just out of curiosity. In fact, more often than not, the one that decides to come over for a sniff, usually ends up with its entire head inside the car, snooping around for your sandwiches! Quite a remarkable, if slightly intimidating sight, but a wonderful experience nonetheless. These beautiful, graceful creatures provide more photo opportunities, and soon we are on our way again.

By this stage, we know we're approaching the baboons, so sadly, the next area is usually given minimal attention. This comprises wildebeest (usually grazing), buffalo (usually sleeping), ankole, lechwe (more deer-type creatures I think?), and sitatunga. Don't get me wrong, these are all very beautiful creatures, and we got numerous excellent photographs, but they just don't captivate us the same as the tigers and the baboons.

Okay, this is it; we're approaching the baboons. We love driving through this enclosure, because the baboons are always so welcoming! No sooner have you driven a couple of hundred yards in, when a big baboon will run up and jump onto the bonnet of your car, as if to claim ownership of the space. Very often, if you just drive through at a steady pace, you can be with your companion for the entire journey through the enclosure. If you're lucky driving through this area, the worst damage that your car will be inflicted with is lots of dirt and the result of a few impromptu 'toilet stops' from these wild creatures. On a couple of occasions I've lost my rear windscreen wiper, but the number of cars I see driving around missing their rear numberplate is astounding. On this occasion we got away lightly, but we decided not to push our luck the second drive around, and took the optional 'car friendly' route. This enables you to stay at a safe distance, while watching the baboons tear other people's cars apart...

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The rest of the tour I'm going to leave to your imagination, but after the baboons there are elephants, camels, rhinos, giraffes, ostriches and bison and more. This is a great day out for the family, and I strongly recommend you consider a season ticket if you enjoy it the first time around; it's well worth the extra. There's much more to see and do, and more than enough to keep the kids occupied.

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Knowsley Safari Park Homepage

Enjoy!

Matt

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Guess what? More pics!

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