New animal park to launch at Belvoir Castle

The new offering, which launches on Saturday October 19 at the adjoining Belvoir Retail Village, will enable families to feed the animals their favourite snacks, as well as read about them on special information boards.

Among the newly-rehomed animals are a family of goats, a duo of rescue donkeys, lambs originally born on the Belvoir Estate, chickens and geese.

There are also shorthorn cows and calves bred on the estate and smaller animals, including guinea pigs and rabbits.

The animals are being looked after by a dedicated team of experts who provide the highest standard of care and affection and the park itself has been meticulously created with the needs of the different species in mind.

Rebecca Vernon, who works on the farm at Belvoir Castle and has helped to set up the new animal park, said: “Providing our visitors the chance to see these wonderful animals up close and feed them too will be a lovely new experience to enjoy during a day out at Belvoir Castle.

“Our animals are full of character, and we are all immensely fond of them – we’ve formed such close bonds with them very quickly.

"It’s been a huge privilege getting them all settled in at their new home.

“Some of our new residents have had a difficult start in life, and we feel incredibly lucky we get to look after them and make sure they’re happy here.

"One of our lambs, who we’ve affectionately named Dobby, was found in a field and, despite reuniting them with their mother, the little lamb wasn’t taken back in by the mother sheep – something which can often happen.

"Freya, in our team, has since hand-reared Dobby, making sure his every need is met and he is now thriving, which is wonderful to see.”

Tickets are £4.50 for adults and £4.50 per child (when bought with a playground ticket) and £6.50 for access just to the animal park.

Visitors will receive a 10 per cent discount when buying online.

Click Here for more information and to book tickets.