Call Of The Wild Zoo — Attraction in Chelmsford

It was an absolute treat being back at Call of the Wild Zoo with the family. Growing up we used to visit multiple times a year when it went by "Tropical Wings" For those that don't know about this lovely Zoo in Chelmsford, they have recently reopened a couple months back after Tropical Wings closed down 5 years ago, left to the elements.

The folks who took the Zoo over had worked their prior to closure, and the whole family have been working tirelessly to build it back from the ground up. Work continues, but its down to people like us, visiting in the early days, acting as patrons to get the Zoo back to the prime it once had.

Every member of the team there were lovely to us, from the girls working in the ticket office and gift shop at the start of the day, to the various keepers that took time out of their day to speak with us about the animals. No matter how old you are, or how much you know, everyday is a learning day, and these guys definitely made it fun. Our family ranged from A 7 month old baby, 8 year old niece, all the way up to my 60 year old mum and all of us ended up learning a whole bunch.

The animals were carefully looked after, treated well, and doted upon. All of them really had their own characters which is lovely to see. You can tell the team here really truly cares about the Animals, and that's the most important thing.

Obviously, if you're expecting a Zoo that's family run, still being built, and expanded.. to be full, and thriving in its experiences, animals, & density then you're wrong. But that's down to us to change that, to help this wonderful place grow. There's a wonderful amount of animals there still, some I had never even heard of, let alone see before. So i urge anyone and everybody to go and see this place, help it grow, they've, and nourish because its evident Call of the Wild will be an Essex staple once again in years to come thanks to...

Call Of The Wild Zoo is a wonderful place for both children and adults. There is much to see and do, there are so many different animals who all appear to be well taken care of and loved. The keepers and other staff members are friendly and always smile and say hello which is so nice as it really makes you feel welcome.

During our visit today my wife and I stopped off at the Marshfields ice cream stand and were promptly served by a smiley young man named Jake Reynolds. Jake asked if we had any allergies or intolerances and I informed him that I am gluten intolerant. He clearly and politely explained that I would need to take a look at the allergen booklet before selecting my flavour and that I would need to have it in a tub as opposed to a wheat filled cone. He then explained that a second member of staff was required to double check that the flavour I chose was indeed okay for me to eat as well as explaining that he would change gloves and use a separate scoop. It was made clear to me that although every care was taken to avoid cross contamination, there is always a risk which I was fine with. We waited a minute or two for the second member of staff to double check everything and then Jake fulfilled my order with a smile and wished us a lovely day. I have never received such care when it comes to my intolerance and Jake truly went above and beyond, he is a credit to you! Thank you Jake for enabling me to enjoy a cool ice cream on a hot day without fear of...

Just spent another fun day at Call of the Wild, arrived at 9.45am and left at about 3pm. By keeping an eye on the clock we caught the Ring-tailed Lemar, Croc and Birds of Prey zookeeper talks, these are an excellent way to pace out the day and keep the kids interested.

A day out at Call of the Wild is far more relaxing than the big zoos and wildlife parks. Less walking, more opportunity to slow down and visit favourite animals multiple times, which the kids are really keen to do.

The tropical house now has butterflys everywhere and plenty more in the incubator hatching all the time. Some lovely reptiles at one end of it and work being carried out on more new displays. My kids were really excited to see the Croc display and armadillo, all new since our last visit in June.

Some bits have been renovated, some rebuilt and others like the tropical house are being improved in stages. Also much improved are the walk through enclosures for the Lemar and Goat/Wallabies/Pigs. Lots of work has gone into making them nicer since our last visit

Not sure what they plan to do next. There were signs for a flamingo pond and leafcutter ant display all due to be completed in their plans.

The ticket prices are good. For a decent size site with lots of staff, catering facilities and new animals it is good value. Food prices were standard for an attraction of this type and certainly less than...