Marwell Zoo — Attraction in Winchester

Their annual membership is disingenuous - take note and dont pay extra for advertised discounts! These can and will be taken away midway through your membership period.

I have an annual membership which is valid for a few more months. When I bought it, it included 10% discount at their shop/cafe (and a discount on the Glow event). When I visited today and bought a toy, the person at checkout asked if I have membership, which I do. Only to be told that discounts are now only available to people with the new type of annual membership. So even though mine included the 10% discount at the time it was bought, and it's still valid for several months more, they've taken the discount away. I said that seemed a bit off and was told "Oh yes, we all think its really unfair too, Im so sorry." I'm adding this review so the zoo will know its not just their staff members who feel that way, its their customers too.

Recently the zoo decided to introduce 3 tiers of annual membership, one that costs £58 and includes entry only, another that costs £75 and includes the 10% discounts mentioned above (ie the same ones current annual members used to have) and another that costs £115 for some unspecified discount days that I wouldnt touch with a barge pole. Increasing their annual membership prices would be fair enough in itself, if it didnt affect current members. When our memberships expire we can decide if we want to renew at the new price or not. But to remove benefits from current memberships that still have months of validity left is disingenuous, and erodes the trust of the very people who buy these annual memberships. Its not even a huge amount of money, its only 10% off, its the fact that they're charging so much more now for the same "benefits" that they've proven they'll revoke midway through the year. Dont think they wont do the same thing again as soon as they up their prices. The following clause is still in their current Ts&Cs:

"All benefits and facilities are subject to change and may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice."

It's hardly going to encourage us to renew our memberships at the more expensive tier is it? I already paid for a membership that included 10% discount and its been taken away midway through the year, so I'd be an absolute mug to pay extra next time...

Adding my Email I sent to Marwell as after more than two weeks no one got back to me.

Subject: Disappointing Visit Experience Feedback on My Recent Trip

Dear Marwell Team, I’m writing to express my disappointment following my visit to Marwell this past Tuesday. Having visited over many years, it’s disheartening to see how much the zoo appears to have declined. Sadly, it feels like a shadow of its former self. I was genuinely shocked at the current admission price of over £30 per person — the value for money simply isn’t there considering the noticeable lack of animals and the number of empty, overgrown enclosures. For example, the “Senses Glasshouse” contained no animals at all, despite advertising species such as Killifish (which were nowhere to be seen). The park as a whole gave off a feeling of neglect. Many areas looked abandoned, and the frequent “animal experiences” seemed more like an attempt to generate extra income rather than enhance visitor enjoyment. While the retail areas were clearly well maintained, other facilities were not — for instance, Café Graze was extremely slow despite it being half term, serving minimal portions while long queues built up. I understand that this is considered low season and that the zoo operates as a charity, but it was concerning how few animals there were to see. The once-diverse collection has been reduced dramatically — no otters or anteaters, very few big cats or birds of prey, and only a single species of monkey. Even the children’s farm area seems to have disappeared. While I appreciate that external factors such as Covid, Brexit, and funding challenges have affected many organisations, these events occurred several years ago, and one would hope Marwell would have found ways to adapt or appeal for additional support by now. With several other zoos having closed in recent years, it’s disappointing to see Marwell heading in the same direction. At this point, I find myself asking: what exactly am I paying for? Sadly, I’ve seen more animals and better presentation at local farms. I hope you’ll take this feedback seriously and offer some transparency about the zoo’s current situation and future plans. Marwell has long been a special place for many visitors, and I sincerely hope it can recover some of the magic it once...

An absolutely fantastic and amazing zoo that strives excellently for conservation and has an amazing array of different animals to see. The size of the place is fairly vast and they recommend at least 4 hours for a visit to ensure you cover the whole site and see everything. There is a decent range of animals to see including Giraffes, Zebras, Antelope, Okapi, Amur Tigers, Bongo, Tamarins, Marmosets, Gibbons, Lemurs, Crocodile Monitor, Gila Monsters, Beaded Lizards, Snow Leopards, Tapirs and Pygmy Hippos, Meerkats, Sloths, Rhinos and Red Pandas to name but a few. There is also a the Wallaby Walkthrough and the Aviary Walkthroughs where you can catch a great glimpse of the Wallabies and the Tropical Birds, which are very tame and inquisitive. The animals enclosures are fairly vast and mimic their wildlife habitat very well giving a great glimpse into their life in the wild and also very tidy showing their welfare is very much cared for and this is one of the best zoos in the UK to catch great glimpse of the animals right up close and marvel at their beauty. The highlights of the animals are The Amur Tigers due to the wonderful majestic beauty and also the Giraffes as they look elegant wandering around their huge paddock. Other areas of the zoo include Marwell Hall and its Gardens which look wonderfully bright and vibrant and also there is the thriving through nature which has houses the Sandlizards and The White Tailed Crayfish and information about the conservation projects to save them and there is Cold Blooded Corner housing the Skinks and Royal Pythons. The Wild Explorers Section has some brilliant information about the conservation of Zebras, Oryx Antelope and White Rhinos in Africa. The great things about this place is that it is has contributed to a lot of Conservation projects and displays some informative information about this and it does a lot of Conservation projects compared to a lot of zoos. There is a lot of places to eat and drink at the site and they sell food and drink at very reasonable prices and there is a gift shop which sells a variety of decent souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this is an absolutely fantastic and phenomenal place to visit which makes for a very pleasant and endearing day out. Well worth a visit whilst...