We are thrilled to announce you can now choose to feed our Asiatic lions!
Get ready for a once in a lifetime experience. Come face to face with our Asiatic lions, Amur tigers, Jaguars or even our adorable Snow Leopard, as you get to hand feed one of our big cats in an up close and personal moment with some of the world’s largest cats.
Enjoy a warm welcome by the Hertfordshire Zoo team at our exclusive animal experience hub within Zoo HQ where you will receive a complimentary refreshment and a personalised goody bag prior to meeting one of our expert zookeepers.
During your experience you will also learn about the conservation work at Hertfordshire Zoo, overseas and at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent.
We are now able to offer Snow Leopard feeds as part of the Feeding a Big Cat option, however PPE MUST be worn when hand feeding our Snow Leopards. You are required to bring your own Face Mask/Shield.
Choose from one of our 3 time slots, throughout the day. Including our most exclusive experience time at 9:00am, offering special, early access to the zoo before the general public arrive.
Be inspired by the background and personality facts that your expert keeper is telling you about your chosen cat as well as our conservation efforts to protect these incredible species, as you continue hand feeding your chosen big cat.
Due to a risk of toxoplasmosis, our Feeding the Lemurs and Feeding a Big Cat Experience are unable to be booked on the same day.
Our Gift Vouchers can be redeemed across all of our experiences, including our Big Cat Feeding package! Perfect as a gift for friends or family.
Day tickets are not included with this experience and must be purchased separately.
So you can spend the whole day to explore all of our facilities we have to offer around your experience if you wish.
You can bring guests who pay normal admission prices online in advance but cannot participate in the experience.
Please read through our terms and conditions below regarding our experiences before booking.
Day tickets are not included with this experience and must be purchased separately.
Our Big Cat Experience package is the perfect choice for an individual or as a group of 2. Share the fun and bring a friend!
We encourage bringing a camera and making the most of the photo opportunities!
We offer tiger, jaguar and snow leopard feeding experiences. The animals that are available for the big cat experience is dependant on the feeding schedules of the available animals on the day.
You can feed tigers at Hertfordshire Zoo in the UK through our Big Cat & Tiger Feeding Experience. The 30-minute session runs daily at set times (9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am) and must be booked in advance. Participants must be at least 16 years old, and a general zoo admission ticket is required in addition to the experience. During the encounter, you’ll hand-feed the tigers under expert supervision and learn about the zoo’s ongoing conservation work.
Tigers are strict carnivores: in the wild they feed on large prey such as deer (Sika, Red, Roe, and Elk) and wild boar. Hertfordshire Zoo At Hertfordshire Zoo, the Amur Tigers are fed a diet that mimics their wild diet with meat from animals like Sika Deer, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Elk, and Wild Boar.
In the wild, lions don’t eat every day. They typically make a kill every 2-4 days, depending on prey availability and success. After a big meal, they will rest and may go without eating for a day or more. In zoos and sanctuaries, feeding schedules try to balance the lions’ natural feeding patterns with health, enrichment and welfare. Some zoos feed lions daily smaller meals; others mimic the wild pattern more closely, giving larger meals fewer times per week. Programs may include “fast” or non-feeding days to encourage natural behaviours and reduce boredom or anticipatory pacing.
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