LETTER OF THE WEEK

Lovely Al is a regular visitor to the Park and each season his Mum treats him to a Keeper For A Day as a special treat.  Al is blind and is accompanied by his fantastic carer Tim ….. We received this lovely card from Al’s Mum…..

“  Dear Lorraine,  Thank You SO very much for Al’s wonderful hands on experience at his ‘ Keeper For The Day ‘ on 16th September.  As always you and your team provided a unique opportunity for him to meet the animals and birds which was truly the “ hands on” time which he needs so as to fully understand and appreciate everything at Seaview Wildlife Encounter.  Your staff are exemplary in their interaction with Al – please pass on my grateful thanks to the members of the team who worked with and met Al on his KFAD.
Yours  Lindy ( Al’s Mum)

Letter of the Week from Ex Keeper Holly

Hi everyone! 

Sorry it's been a while since I last messaged,I have been extremely busy! 

Things are going really well here and I am loving the course. Made some awesome new friends and can't believe how much I have learned so far and how much more there is still to learn! I don't think you ever stop learning here out in the bush.

Where do I begin, the topics I have covered so far include mammals, amphibians, arthropods, ethology, taxonomy, botany, reptiles, viewing potentially dangerous animals, grasses and geology to name a few! 

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Last semester we had a whole week dedicated to tracking, basically a whole week staring at the ground. Doesn't sound very exciting but it was so interesting. Learning how to identify and interpret tracks and signs or as they call it 'reading the bush newspaper'! 

Last week I was also very fortunate to be on the game drive vehicle that tracked and found a pride of 9 Lions!! Just magical.

I have attached a few photos.

Hope all is well at Seaview and that the park had a busy summer holidays. The new rat Alfie is so cute.

Love to everyone and all the animals :)
 
Holly xx

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Fantastic TripAdvisor Review from Keeper for a Day

 This week we received an amazing review on TripAdvisor from Amanda Hurst who took part in a Keeper for a Day experience with us this summer!



“My favourite place in the world!”

OK, so I must admit a little bias as I've been coming since here since I was a child, when it opened as Flamingo Park (early '70s). I first visited with my parents and grandparents and now I am returning with my own child. I love this place. I love how you get mugged by the ducks upon arrival (come in the morning when they're most hungry), I love the walk down to the lake at the bottom, feeding the ducks, swans and geese (get down and feed them by hand, don't just throw seed at them), I love the Wallaby Walk and the slightly mad alpacas, I love giving the pigs a good scratch on the back, I love the shouty parrots and trying to spot Dippy (a penguin with a Facebook page) amongst the penguins, I love the tranquillity of the Tropical House and the buzz of the cafe. 

Speaking of the cafe, I don't think it's changed since I was a child and that is a compliment. Excellent food (crab sandwich for me, every time), a nostalgic vibe and absolutely the best milkshakes in the world. Oh, and a decent proper cup of tea. In a cup. And all at very reasonable prices (we spend less in a day visiting here than any other attraction on the Island).


If it's possible, I love Flamingo Park (as it will always be to me) even more after my visit this year and my Keeper for a Day experience (thank you Sally, and the other keepers for the most amazing day). Meeting Dippy and the other animals was amazing, and being in the with meerkats was the highlight of the day (don't tell Dippy though). If you're visiting the Island, book a Wildlife Encounter in advance, it'll honestly be the highlight of your holiday.

Any reviewers that say they can be in and out of here in an hour or so are clearly not getting this place at all. This is the Isle of Wight, not a theme park. Slow down, enjoy the scenery, smell the flowers, feed the ducks, watch the animals, feel the sun on your face (hopefully), have an ice cream and forget the mainland. Yes, there is something old-fashioned about the place but it's lovely, it's a reminder of British summer holidays the way they used to be. That IS what the Isle of Wight is about, traditional bucket & spade holidays, and Flamingo Park is the tiniest and the best piece of that. 


Visited August 2014

EMAIL OF THE WEEK

This week we received a lovely message from Jhuma, the mother of Sohum who took part in his Keeper for a Day experience with us this summer!



Dear Lorraine, 

Sohum would like to thank Sally and the entire team for giving him a grand experience that left life time memories.. 

We are all very grateful to Sally for teaching Sohum how to care for animals, being very helpful and making Sohum at ease and taking excellent photographs. We are also very thankful to Charlotte, Becky and others for making this an enjoyable and memorable experience for Sohum. I hope you can pass this on to the animal keeper team. 

During our earlier visit on 19 July, when we decided for Sohum to come back as a KFAD, Sohum took a beautiful snap of peacock, enclosed. You may want to add this in your collection of photographs on the website - we are very happy with it. We would also like to enter this picture in the photography competition for children. 

We have already given permission to use Sohum's KFAD photographs for your website - Please could you email us to notify, when you do so. 

Thank you. 

Best,



Jhuma (Sohum's mum)