Benoni Monkey And Bird Park — Attraction in Ekurhuleni Ward 24

I visited the Benoni Monkey and Bird Park yesterday (10 July 2025) with my sister and a friend. This was my third time visiting the park. It’s a lovely place to spend time with family and interact with animals, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to visit again. However, I’d like to share some observations—particularly regarding the bunny and guinea pig enclosure—that I hope can be taken as respectful feedback to help improve the well-being of the animals. The enclosure housing the bunnies and guinea pigs is a favourite among visitors, especially children. While it's wonderful that people are allowed to go inside, feed, and pet the animals, we noticed there were no park supervisors or staff members inside the enclosure to monitor interactions. Without supervision, children were left to do as they pleased, and unfortunately, we personally witnessed kids entering the enclosure without any adults and chasing the guinea pigs around. Every time I’ve visited this park, I’ve seen the same thing happen as soon as people enter the enclosure, all of the animals immediately run and hide. It seems like they’ve learned to expect being chased, which is quite sad. Guinea pigs are prey animals by nature and can become very stressed from being handled roughly or chased, which affects both their physical and emotional health. Another concern is that rabbits and guinea pigs are being kept together. While this may seem harmless, they have very different social and dietary needs. Rabbits can unintentionally injure guinea pigs, especially during play or when competing for food. Additionally, rabbits can carry the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica, which can cause respiratory illness in guinea pigs. This bacterium is harmless to rabbits but can be fatal to guinea pigs. I also noticed several health issues among the guinea pigs. Some of the baby guinea pigs had eye problems—swollen-shut eyes and signs of possible blindness. A few had patches of hair loss, which can be a symptom of vitamin C deficiency. Since guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C on their own, they must get it through their diet to prevent illnesses like scurvy. Additionally, the enclosures have wire flooring, which is not suitable for guinea pigs. This type of flooring can lead to a painful condition called Bumblefoot, where sores form on their feet from walking on hard or uneven surfaces. A solid base with soft bedding would be much safer and more comfortable for them. You can purchase carrots and lettuce to feed the animals, which is a fun activity for visitors. However, it's important to know that too much of these foods—especially lettuce—can cause diarrhoea and other digestive issues when fed regularly. A more balanced and species-appropriate diet would go a long way in keeping these animals healthy. Lastly, I visited the pet shop section and noticed the ball python enclosures were quite dry and dusty. Ball pythons need adequate humidity to shed properly, and some of the snakes appeared to be having trouble with incomplete sheds, which can lead to serious health issues. This review is meant with kindness and respect. I really hope the park will consider making some small but important changes to improve animal welfare. With a bit more supervision and attention to the animals' specific needs, this park could be a truly safe and enriching space for both animals and visitors. Thank you again for the experience—we hope to see some positive changes in...

Well wow!! This was a truly remarkable experience! We were scanning around for something to do on an off duty day, not really expecting to find great excitement in Benoni, and happened across Monkey and Bird Park. The name does not really do the place justice because it's SOOOOO much more than just a Monkey and Bird Park!!! First off entry fee is more than reasonable! Well worth the money. The variety of animals, birds, reptiles, etc., are simply mind blowing. One would for instance expect to see a few varieties of different birds, and monkeys. And that they have, and plenty of it. But the great thing is that there are even different varieties of the same bird or monkey or animal. Example, Capuchin Monkey - two different varieties, Cockatoos - three different varieties. To me it went like one of those Television Adds "But wait, there's more" and there really is!! I saw birds and animals there I've only seen in pictures before. I saw some birds and animals I've never even heard of before! From Ponies to Alpacas, four different types of Swans, Alligators, Turtles way too many animals to mention.... Looking at the animals themselves, they are healthy and happy kept in big enough cages to the particular animal need, that are well kept and clean. One of the most exciting things about the park is that there are animals that can be interacted with directly like free roaming deer. Bunnies and Guinea Pigs can also be interacted with and fed. Great feature for a kid's party I would think, as the Party Venue is right next to this enclosure! The Tuck Shop is another great feature. The food is well prepared, portion sizes more than reasonable and the price is really good for what you get. Staff are friendly and efficient and very helpful! Their passion for the animals shine through! In the front there is a Pet Shop also well worth visiting for their variety of supplies and pets! I mean, where will you go where you can even buy exotic Frogs! Or see something like a Golden Red Rump! Perfectly situated in the front of the Park so you can easily just get pet supplies and leave without entering the park itself. To end this essay (can't REALLY describe this wonderful place in just a few lines! And this essay is so inadequate) …. and then there are the Tigers! Man those Tigers.... I've seen a lot, and I mean a LOT of Siberians and White Tigers, but THAT White Tiger..... Oh Boy! The biggest I've EVER seen.... All the wildlife action/adventure right in the heart of Benoni! Not even all the pictures and videos available on the Web can truly describe this wonderful place! So best thing is to get there and see it...

One thing that struck me about the park is that it is extremely tidy and well kept. There still seems to be some construction and finishing off to be done. Some of the cages and containment areas were empty and obviously still under construction. There were a couple of spelling mistakes on a few of the signs outlining the details of some of the respective animals in their respective cages - nothing that would create confusion though. The animals all appeared happy and well looked after. The entrance fee to the park wasn’t very high - there’s good value for money, especially if you’re visiting the park with young children. Lots of cool activities for them; An array of jungle gyms, a jumping castle, a sand pit, an enclosed area with bunnies where they can interact with them. Really a great place to go for a day out over the weekend; especially if you have young children.

The tuck shop is well kitted out and had a wide selection of sandwiches, burgers, Prego rolls, boerewors rolls, pop corn, sweets, milkshakes, soft serve ice cream and milkshakes. It was slightly expensive compared to other places, however, I think it was really good value and considering that they probably do most of their business only on weekends, it makes sense to me that they need to cover their overheads by charging appropriately. I’m pretty sure that it’s not cheap to feed all of those animals and I don’t see the admission fee alone covering that cost. The food was good and their a friendly granny running the tuck shop.

I think that there was a lot of money spent on the place and the owners clearly have a passion for this kind of thing. A place like this was sorely needed in Benoni and it was really a great idea! Well done to the founders of the establishment for a...