Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo

Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo

Lemur island at Folly Farm
Date opened	1988
Location	Pembrokeshire, Wales
Coordinates	51°44′36″N 4°43′49″W / 51.743329°N 4.730273°W / 51.743329; -4.730273Coordinates: 51°44′36″N 4°43′49″W / 51.743329°N 4.730273°W / 51.743329; -4.730273
Number of animals	700+
Number of species	200+
Annual visitors	400000
Website	www.folly-farm.co.uk

Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo (also known as Folly Farm), situated to the north of Saundersfoot and Tenby in Pembrokeshire, is a visitor attraction in Wales with over 400,000 visitors each year. Initially a farm attraction, the park is now also home to an indoor vintage funfair, a zoo with over 200 different species of animal and extensive indoor and outdoor adventure play areas. New to Folly Farm in 2013 was Penguin Coast, a state-of-the-art saltwater penguin enclosure which is home to 24 Humboldt penguins and was the setting for an unusual proposal of marriage.^[1]

Giraffe at Folly Farm

Areas and Attractions

Folly Farm is made up of four areas: a farmyard; a zoo; an undercover vintage funfair, including a Wurlitzer organ;^[2] and an 'adventure play' area.

Zoo

The Zoo animal collection includes: Bactrian Camel, bongo, fossa, lemurs, meerkats, the only giraffes in Wales;,^[3] lions and Eastern Black Rhinos. The aviaries are home to: parrots, owls, cranes, herons, stocks, Kookaburra, turaco, ibis and lovebirds. The reptile collection includes snakes, tortoises and iguanas.

The Zoo is a member of EAZA and BIAZA taking part in a European breeding program for Eastern Black Rhinos, which are listed as critically endangered animals according to the IUCN red list.^[4]

History

Folly Farm started life as a dairy farm. After noticing families stopping by the roadside to pet and watch their cattle, the Folly Farm founders decided to diversify into tourism. In 1988, Folly Farm was born. The former dairy farm was converted to receive visitors; now guests could stop to visit the Folly Farm cows and see them being milked. Over the last 25 years Folly Farm has grown with continued reinvestment. The first zoo animals arrived at the park in 2002.^[5]

Further information

Winners of the Wales Tourist Board's 'Best Day Out in Wales' award in 2015, 2010 and 2005.^[6] and Pembrokeshire Tourism's 'Best Family Day Out' award in 2009 before taking over sponsorship of the award.

A limited company, owned and operated by the Williams and Ebsworth families, Folly Farm holds Investor in People status and is a major employer in Pembrokeshire with 60 full-time employees and an additional 100 seasonal members of staff.

Notes

↑ "P-p-please will you marry me?". ITV Wales. 4 September 2013.
↑ "Folly Farm Pembrokeshire, A look at the past". ridemad.com. December 30, 2006.
↑ "Camels: one hump or two?". BBC Wales. 13 November 2007.
↑ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/three-critically-endangered-eastern-black-8662030
↑ "All the fun of the farm". South Wales Evening Post. 2013-06-15. Archived from the original on 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
↑ "County Scoops Top Accolades in National Tourism Awards". Western Telegraph. 25 October 2010.

External links

Official website

Amusement parks in the United Kingdom

Operated by Merlin Entertainments:	Alton Towers Chessington World of Adventures Legoland Windsor Thorpe Park

Other theme parks:	Adventure Island Adventure Wonderland Barry Island Pleasure Park Barry's Amusements Blackgang Chine Blackpool Pleasure Beach Brean Leisure Park Codonas Amusement Park Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Park Drayton Manor Dreamland Margate Flamingo Land Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach Joyland (Great Yarmouth) Lightwater Valley M&Ds Scotland's Theme Park New Pleasureland Oakwood Paultons Park Pleasure Island Pleasurewood Hills Robin Hill The Needles - Landmark Attraction Twinlakes

Zoological gardens in the United Kingdom

Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animals

Zoos	Africa Alive! Amazon World Zoo Banham Zoo Beale Park Belfast Zoo Birdland Park and Gardens Birdworld Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park Blackpool Zoo Borth Animalarium Bristol Zoo British Wildlife Centre Calderglen Country Park Chessington Zoo Chester Zoo Colchester Zoo Cotswold Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas Curraghs Wildlife Park Dartmoor Zoological Park Drayton Manor Zoo Drusillas Zoo Park Dudley Zoo Durrell Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Flamingo Land Resort Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Hamerton Zoo Hawk Conservancy Trust Howletts Wild Animal Park International Centre for Birds of Prey Isle of Wight Zoo Lakeland Wildlife Oasis London Zoo Marwell Wildlife Monkey Sanctuary Monkey World New Forest Wildlife Park Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Paignton Zoo Paradise Park, Cornwall Paradise Wildlife Park Peak Wildlife Park Plantasia Royal Surrey Gardens Screech Owl Sanctuary Seaview Wildlife Encounter South Lakes Safari Zoo Tropical World at Roundhay Park The Living Rainforest Tropical Birdland, Leicestershire Tropiquaria Twycross Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Whipsnade Zoo Wildwood Discovery Park Wingham Wildlife Park Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Safari parks	Blair Drummond Safari Park Highland Wildlife Park Knowsley Safari Park Longleat Safari Park Port Lympne Wild Animal Park West Midland Safari Park Woburn Safari Park

Permanently closed	Belle Vue Zoo Glasgow Zoo Coventry Zoo Manchester Zoological Gardens Southport Zoo Windsor Safari Park Rare Species Conservation Centre Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park

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