Keeper in the Butterfly House Experience
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a zoo keeper but never got the chance? If so, this experience could be perfect for you or someone you know! During this hour long experience you will help one of the visitor experience keepers with different jobs in our warm butterfly house. What's more, the zoo will still be shut to the general public so you get to see what goes on behind the scenes when it is just the keepers and the animals!
Enjoy 15% off of Keeper in the Butterfly House experiences in July. Discount automatically applied at checkout.
What your Keeper in the Butterfly House Experience includes:
- A fun packed hour long experience working in the butterfly house
- A friendly and experienced keeper host
- Learning how zoo keepers work to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare
- Closer animal encounters and cleaning
- Complimentary butterfly pin badge
What to expect from your Keeper in the Butterfly House experience
This experience begins at our main entrance where you'll be met by one of our friendly volunteers, who will run through the plan for the experience before escorting you down to the butterfly house where you will meet one of our keepers.
| Time | Activity |
| 8.30am | Arrive at our Keeper for a Day meeting point outside the Visitor Centre, ready to meet one of our friendly volunteers. Make sure you have your ticket and comfortable closed toe shoes! |
| 8.40am | Head to our volunteer messroom to drop off any valuables in our lockers but don't forget your phone to take pictures and a water bottle. |
| 8:45am | Head to our Butterfly House to meet one of our keepers who will work with you for the one hour teaching you some of the jobs they do before the zoo opens to the public. |
| 8:45-9:45 | Jobs can include: Recording temperatures and humidity for different enclosures. Preparing and delivering fruit and sugar water for butterflies. Washing display windows so they are squeaky clean before the public arrive. Feeding fish in the crocodile pool. Putting food out for the bird species that live in the butterfly house. Putting food into the vampire crabs enclosure. Learning how to safely handle butterflies and release them from their puparium into the butterfly house. |
| 10.00am | You'll be taken back up to our Visitor Centre for the end of your experience. This experience does not include Zoo entry. If you wish to stay in the Zoo for the day you will need to purchase general admission tickets or hold ZSL membership and these will be scanned at the end of your experience before you will be free to head into the Zoo.
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*Roles are subject to change on any given day, you may also be required to help with other jobs including watering plants or counting the species of butterfly that we can find.
Prices
The Keeper in the Butterfly House experience is £60 per person.
ZSL Gold Members, Patrons and Fellows receive a 10% discount on this experience. Please login in at checkout with the email address attached to your membership to activate your discount.
- Participants must be aged 12+ years and have a reasonable level of fitness.
- Children aged 12-15 years must be accompanied by a supervising adult aged 18+ years
- Two people per experience.
- 8:30 am on selected Fridays.
- Unfortunately, wheelchair access is not available for this experience and participants must have good mobility. For more information, please discuss it with us when you book.
- Pregnant and nursing mothers within 6 months of giving birth are unable to take part.
- Those with disabilities can be accompanied by an essential carer to support them during the experience. Should you require an essential carer please add this information at check out.
- The temperatures in the butterfly house can be hot, even in the morning, so wearing suitable cooler clothing is advised, as well as bringing a bottle of water.
- Appropriate closed toe footwear must be worn for the experience and use an antiseptic foot dip when starting and finishing the experience.
- Enjoy a complimentary butterfly pin badge after your experience has finished.
- The experience itinerary, content, duration and availability are subject to change without notice
- Please arrive on time, we advise guests arrive at least 15 minutes before the experience begins
- Admission to the Zoo is not included and must be purchased separately or ZSL membership held.
- Please see our full terms and conditions for further details.
If you need to manage your booking please contact us using this form
Butterfly House
Our butterfly oasis
Our heated tropical Butterfly House is home to species from all over the world. See if you can spot our African dwarf crocodiles too!