Whipsnade Zoo

Whipsnade Zoo sits on 600 acres of rolling Chiltern Hills near Dunstable. The Zoological Society of London runs it as Britain’s largest zoo and one of Europe’s biggest wildlife parks. A giant white lion carved into the downs can be seen from the air. Visitors may walk, drive or ride the narrow-gauge railway between enclosures. Some animals roam freely while others live in large, naturalistic paddocks. The zoo began in 1931 after Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell returned from New York’s Bronx Zoo and bought Hall Farm. Early arrivals included Lady Amherst’s pheasants and red junglefowl. During the Second World War it sheltered animals from London Zoo, including giant pandas Ming, Sung and Tang. Bomb craters from 1940 still dot the landscape. Today it cares for 10,364 animals, many endangered in the wild. Inside, a walk-through lemur house lets visitors meet ring-tailed and black lemurs. The aquarium and butterfly house share a building where reptiles and birds move freely among guests. Passage Through Asia is a drive-through paddock with camels, deer and yaks. The lion pride includes Malik, Waka and Winta with their cubs. The elephant herd of six Asian elephants uses pools and mud wallows in a seven-acre paddock.