Visiting the Newborns at London Zoo!

Our final day in London was spent at the London Zoo. Day 4 of 4 of our London adventure!

Click here to watch the vlog or see below.

Another early morning, thanks to the builders, meant we were woken early. We had a quick trip to the shops on the way back yesterday so we had some cereal and milk in to have for breakfast. After eating that in my bedroom, we set off on a brisk but pleasant walk from my flat to ZSL London Zoo.

I haven't been since the very first Spectrum trip back in 2014 so it's been almost 3 years which is kind of crazy. But I also haven't been properly because I was obviously volunteering at the time and focusing on my child. Not only that but we also only had a total of 2 hours there, one of which was spent eating and playing with the rest of the group, so not really looking at the animals.

This time was all about the animals! Walking in just after opening time meant we could go to the talks which I personally love. We raced to the first one, then to the penguin one and then to the animal display presentation. By that point dad was over the presentations. He thought they weren't all that great and we weren't actually enjoying the animals themselves. I realised it was kind of true.

I really enjoyed the animal presentations though. The zoo keepers were very informative and the animals were really intriguing. The way they did it was very unique as well because they had a voice over and a map as though we were travelling country to country.

After that, we did each animal, following the map. We headed over to the other side, underneath the tunnel and explored Africa and the nocturnal animals, leading on to the reindeers.


 Disappointingly, some of the animals were really hard to see. The okapi's are kept in a really dark room and while they did go out right at the end, the long grass made it difficult to see. The zebras were impossible. The whole of the viewing area has been left to overgrow which means you can't see them inside or outside at all. The hunting dogs were lost for ages because they have such a large enclosure but we did eventually find them. It was so sweet how they all huddled together in their den formation.

It took a little longer than expected so by the time we got back over, we HAD to have lunch. Dad was famished and admittedly, I was getting a bit peckish too. I'd offered to make a packed lunch but dad decided against that idea and to eat that on the train back instead, but I'm pretty sure he regretted that decision. It was so incredibly expensive in there! We both really fancied the fish and chips but when we saw the price decided against it. It was £11 just for the fish plus £3 for the chips!!! I ended up having a pizze (cheapest thing) and dad grabbed a sandwich. We each got a piece of cake and a can of fizzy drink to complete our meal.

Before long, we went back out and enjoyed all the wonderful animals.

I think my favourite was defintely the lemurs! We seriously went at such a perfect time because they had just had their food put out. They were on top of the entrance way sunbathing in the heat but after a few minutes, they slowly began making their way down towards the fruits and vegetables on offer around the enclosure. It's defintely an experience to be right next to them!


The lion enclosure is completely new since I last came and it's very impressive. It's huge and it has three routes just to get around! They've tried really hard to make it an experience for both the lions and the visitors alike, with lots of intricate details and different aspects.



Likewise, since the popular Jurassic Park franchise has been given a rebirth, they've created a dinosaur exhibit. It sounds stupid and it is a little gimmicky but it's very creative. The dinosaurs all move and talk but the best thing is the passport that you can fill in with little details found throughout the area. It even sprays you with water!

However, the best part was seeing all the newborns! I don't think I've ever seen so many in such a short period of time. There were quite a few that weren't easy to see but the gorillas had a toddler with them and there were 2 other babies in the monkey family. Unfortunately, since the gorillas were getting distressed by the public, they've painted on the glass making their enclosure very difficult to see.

In the walk through enclosure of the monkeys, there was a sleeping sloth in the doorway which was fun to see and dad ended up having a very detailed conversation with one of the staff on hand about his trip to Costa Rica. The mustache monkeys were very curious about one of the new monkey breeds being introduced in. They were separated while they got acquainted.

Anyway, I diverge, in that area, there are some enclosures as well and one of them had the absolute cutest little baby monkey. She ended up breastfeeding it and his little head was just the sweetest. Seriously!
Just before we left, we also met another two little guys. One of them was a little older but still small and the teeny one was trying so hard to play along and join in. Unfortunately, that meant he kept falling off the ropes but nevertheless, it was very cute to watch. My heart...

When we checked the time, we realised we better start heading back because it was already 5pm and I still needed to pack, make the packed lunch and then walk down to the station ready for the train journey back. It didn't seem too late as we set off but as we arrived back, it was pitch black and I was exhausted.

It was a fun, action packed trip and well worth it!

To see the full album of pictures click here

Have you read the other 3 days? Click here for yesterday's post. 

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