Matt Challis, MyVillage said on 08th July ...

"‘Three pounds for a brochure,’ says the lady at London Zoo’s front desk. I politely decline, having paid the £17 entry fee and thinking to myself that when I visit the gift shop at the end of the day there may well be snakes squeezing the last pennies out of my wallet. Upon entering a painted line suggests the best path to take throughout your day. I couldn’t help but notice everyone ignoring it. Is there something wrong with this route or is it just because it takes you to the butterfly house first instead of the tigers? It’s here that I become aware of big changes at London Zoo. The larger, more interesting appeal for the kids is missing. With the exception of the giraffes that never stop eating or the lions that seem more interested in gaining a tan than showing off to the viewers, the main attractions are moving out to Whipsnade, a more appropriate home for residents that welcome the open spaces and comfortable habits. As an adult I don’t find myself too disappointed at this. I would have liked to see a rhino or something equally menacing but the smaller of earth’s creations can be just as interesting. Taking a walk through the reptile house or the aquarium you begin to take into account the amazing sides of nature that you don’t notice while watching a documentary on tigers ripping apart a weaker species. The ability of smaller creatures to change in their habitat, fight off attacks on a daily basis and generally survive through evolution comes as something we take for granted as we stroll through life worrying about who is next to be evicted from the Big Brother house. But does this keep the attention of a child? It’s very unlikely that it does. Kids want to see the danger of larger creations even if a poisonous toad can kill you when it’s the size of your little finger. The only problem is that these species (as well as others) are disappearing, not only from the zoo but from the world completely, and London Zoo keeps you aware of this fact throughout the day. It’s a sad thought that in years to come our grandchildren may never see some of these amazing animals. As they swing from branch to branch or feed out of our hands the tiny paws of monkeys and the pecking beaks of penguins may be gone. London Zoo is worth every penny of our hard earned cash and though we may think to ourselves that the price to enter these places is steep what price can we put on a living thing that needs our help to survive?"