Belvoir Castle to open new animal park at the Retail Village
Donkeys, pigs, goats, cows and sheep have made Belvoir Castle their home at a new animal park which is set to open later this month.
Located behind its Belvoir Retail Village at the foot of the Regency castle, visitors will be able to see the recently re-homed animals when the new park opens on Saturday 19th October, as well as enjoy cuddling the smaller animals.
From a family of goats and a duo of rescue donkeys to lambs which were originally born on the Belvoir Estate, as well as chickens and geese, families will be able to feed the animals their favourite snacks as well as read about them on special information boards.
Shorthorn cows and calves have also settled in at Belvoir Castle after being bred on the estate, and smaller animals including guinea pigs and rabbits have been getting comfy in their newly decked out pens.
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 has helped to set up the new animal park and believes this will be a fabulous new offering at the Leicestershire attraction.
She 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 to Belvoir Castle’s new animal park can be purchased on the website and are available at £4.50 for adults and £4.50 per child when purchased with a playground ticket.
Alternatively, tickets to just access the animal park only are available at £6.50 for adults and £6.50 per child. Visitors will receive a 10% discount when purchasing online, or alternatively can buy tickets at Belvoir’s Farm Shop or the Belvoir Bistro as well as the ticket office.
For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.belvoircastle.com/animal-park/