Paignton Zoo Feeding Experience

There aren’t many places in Britain where you can feel the tongue of a giraffe and tickle the chin of a tapir!

Paignton Zoo’s feeding experiences are equally popular with the young and old who bravely step into the animal enclosures at its 80-acre site just behind Morrisons. I was thrilled and a little apprehensive when I discovered my first animals of the day were among the biggest at the zoo; the two black rhinos Manyara and Sita. These amazing animals from south and east Africa weigh in at 1,000 kg and can charge at up to 34 mph.  I meet keeper Brian outside the rhino yard and he leads me up to the huge metal gate where I catch my first glimpse of Manyara or ‘Manny’ as he is fondly known. He certainly knows it’s lunchtime as he expectantly paces back and forth against the bars. Just as a dog greets its owner, Manny heads straight over to his keeper and lowers his head ready for an ear tickle, Brian is quick to oblige and offers him the first piece of fruit from the bag. “Just hold it through the bars, don’t be scared,” Brian says. I hold out my offering. Manny soon spots it and comes plodding over until I’m literally face to face with him. He takes the pear so gently, wrapping his tongue around each piece and pulling it into his huge mouth in one easy motion. The temptation to touch him is so great, but I wonder if that privilege is reserved only for his keepers. “You can stroke his horn or scratch his ears if you like,” Brian says, as if reading my mind. I seize my chance as Manny brings his huge head through the bars for a piece of apple. His horn wasn’t as smooth as I expected; more like the bark of a tree than a polished stone. He patiently waits until I have finished stroking him, nibbles a few more apples and then moves off. Brian says that’s our cue to go next door and meet Manny’s female companion Sita. 

Just like Manny, Sita makes her way over to her gate as she sees us approach, but unlike her male counterpart she is visibly nervous. However, her love of fruit soon outweighs any fears and as the bag opens she decides to take the plunge and pop her head through the bars. “In the wild, black rhinos eat grass and leaves which they strip using their effective v-shaped mouths,” Brian explains. The team at the zoo tries to replicate the rhino’s natural eating habits as much as possible, but once a day they get treated to this fruity feast. You need to be 16 to do this experience, but there’s no upper age limit and they often have 80-year-olds in the paddock. Brian says it’s the younger people who ask sensible questions and often the older visitors who come out with real corkers: “I’ve had people ask if they can go in to the actual enclosure and run around with them; one lady wanted to know if we groom them and do their nails!” The rhino’s behaviour this morning has been gentle and receptive and it’s easy to forget they are wild creatures. Brian says he often has to remind people that they have the potential to seriously damage each other and their keepers.  “The two of them generally rub along well and, as long as we respect them and stay this side of the gate, they seem to enjoy our presence too,” he says.

At that point Sita turns herself around and backs her rear end into the gate. I look at Brian slightly concerned that I’ve offended her with the way I offered the apple! Trying not to giggle he tells me, “She wants her bum scratched!” Well it would be rude not to! Sita soon closes her eyes and almost lifts her back leg in appreciation. She’s as solid as a boulder and her skin is as rough as sandpaper. After a few minutes she gives a relaxed grunt and disappears off round the corner, and that was that!

Next it was the turn of the giant tortoises with trainee reptile keeper Jack. He looks after six mischievous tortoises. All in their mid-30s, you might expect them to be settling down, but with a life expectancy of 120 they’re still just teenagers in tortoise years! With this experience you actually climb into the enclosure and children as young as eight can take part. First up it’s Elvis. At 220kg he’s the biggest of the bunch and also the most confident.  Forget what you’ve heard about tortoises being slow - when a tasty piece of cucumber is presented, these big fellas can put on an impressive turn of speed! I was surprised what a joy it was to feed 

these huge creatures, whom I thought might seem a bit tame after the rhinos. They seem to smile as they approach and it’s fascinating to find them truly holding my gaze with their large brown eyes. Jack says they definitely perk up when someone not in a zoo uniform comes into their space, as they know it means a treat. 

We move onto Miley - named after the singer Miley Cyrus, she’s a little promiscuous with the boys. Jack says she sidles up to her male friends when she’s in the mood. She isn’t backwards in coming forwards when it comes to gulping down the cucumber sticks either! Jack says these tortoises are from the Seychelles and would usually live in scrubland and mangrove swamps. You can tell he’s fond of the creatures. He says each one has a personality and smiles as he explains that every now and again one of them will creep up behind him and nudge him for a neck scratch! We walk around making sure each tortoise gets a treat and a scratch, and then it’s back to the grass for them and home to the cat for me. 

If you are after an unusual present for someone, the rhino experience is £79 and the giant tortoise one is £59, both include a day entry to the park. Go to www.paigntonzoo.co.uk

This article was first published in By The Dart Magazine December 2017

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