Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo located in Whipsnade, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos (the other being London Zoo in Regent's Park, London) that is looked-after by the Zoological Society of London, a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.
The park covers 600 acres (240 hectares), and can even be located from the air because of the Whipsnade White Lion, a large lion-shaped hill figure carved into the side of the Dunstable Downs (part of the Chiltern Hills.)
Due to its size, visitors may walk or drive their cars between the various animal enclosures. Cars are able to access a drive-through area where animals are able to roam free around the cars. There is also a train service named Great Whipsnade Railway it is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway.
Whipsnade Zoo is the UK's largest zoo and one of Europe's largest wildlife conservation parks. It is home to 10,364 animals, many of which are endangered in the wild. The majority of the animals are kept within sizeable enclosures; others, such as Patagonian maras, and red-necked wallabies, roam freely around the park.
Alex Fox
