If you’ve ever wanted to cwtch a meerkat or feed a capybara then now is your chance
I spent the day playing with meerkats and capybaras(Image: Indigo Jones)
Like everyone else, I enjoy a good ol’ doom scroll on TikTok. More often than not my ‘For you’ page is filled with complete and utter rubbish.
But then one day I was scrolling and I saw a video about a wildlife park in Caerphilly where you can interact with meerkats, capybaras and more than 300 different animals.
Growing up my favourite animal has always been a meerkat yet I’ve never had the chance to be up close to one. So when I realised I could do just that at The Meadows Wildlife Park I absolutely jumped at the chance to spend my 27th birthday there, dragging my partner and mother along with me to celebrate.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to cwtch a meerkat or feed a capybara, here is what you can expect when visiting The Meadows. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here.
They have more than 300 animals on site to visit(Image: Indigo Jones)
The Meadows opened in 2019 and was very different to the park visitors know today. It was originally created primarily for schools, community groups, and members with a strong focus on hands-on, interactive education.
Back then a busy day for the team might meant welcoming a group of around 30 people and visitors would be invited to help feed, groom, and care for their small collection of animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, cows, goats, sheep, alpacas, horses, reindeer, turkeys, donkeys, pigs, chickens, and ducks.
They now have more than 300 animals which includes their former collection as well as lemurs, capybaras, meerkats, armadillos, llamas, prairie dogs, wallabies, reptiles, and lorikeets among others. They also rival the likes of Caerphilly Castle when it comes to visitor numbers which they say they never could have imagined when welcoming those first small groups in 2019.
Having grown up going to the likes of Folly Farm or West Midlands Safari Park I couldn’t quite believe that I hadn’t heard of The Meadows, which was just 40 minutes away and off junction 32 of the M4.
We thought we’d get around the park in a couple of hours but it really was a full day affair(Image: Indigo Jones)
When we arrived at the park we were completely shocked at the size of the site and at how big the grounds were. We thought that we’d get around the park in a couple of hours but it really was a full day affair.
We started by visiting the prairie dog, porcupine, kookaburra, and the meerkats which gave us us a sneak peek of our experience later in the day before moving on to the farm animals. We had the opportunity to feed the alpacas and brush the goats making for a very interactive day from the get-go.
The llamas were really friendly(Image: Indigo Jones)
Throughout the park there were several chances to be immersed whether that was during the walk-throughs of the wallaby and lemur enclosures or by feeding the lorikeets. This is what makes The Meadows the perfect family friendly day out because it is enjoyable for both children and adults and allows you to really learn about the animals on site.
Moments like these is when you can tell that it is a small family-run business as it truly caters to everyone’s tastes. Katherine Watkins opened the park in 2019 and since then she has been running the organisation with the help of her daughters and an incredible team of staff and volunteers.
We were able walk through the wallaby enclosure(Image: Indigo Jones)
One of the volunteers turned staff members, Phil, led both our meerkat and capybara experiences. His passion for the animals was clear from the outset and he was devoted to ensuring that we had a great day at the park and kept us entertained with plenty of facts.
We first took part in the meerkat experience and I have to say it was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. To be that close to three little meerkats named after South Park characters, and have the opportunity to not only feed and play with them but to give them a cwtch too, well, nothing will ever top that in my opinion.
Prices to take part start at £60 for one person, £90 for two, and £45 for each extra guest but I have to say that it is well worth the money as it was like a dream come true and you wouldn’t get this experience elsewhere.
We had the best time at the meerkat experience(Image: Indigo Jones)
Next up, was the capybara experience where we got to sit down and feed them their favourite fruits and veggies. We sat with Karen and Keith who were tentative at first but soon became more comfortable meaning we were able to smooth them and give them scratches.
The whole experience felt extremely relaxing, almost quite meditative, as we sat quietly offering up leaves and sweet potatoes. I imagine it is a similar feeling to puppy or goat yoga sessions that I see advertised online.
The capybara experience was a slightly pricier at £70 for one person, £100 for two people, and £50 each extra guest but again this is well worth the money and great for a special event like a birthday or anniversary.
Both experiences (among others they offer) include the price of entry meaning you can not only experience the individual animals but also venture around the park too.
The whole experience felt extremely relaxing(Image: Indigo Jones)
Considering just a month ago I hadn’t really heard of the park I was extremely impressed. They truly had something for everyone whether that was animal experiences for those over 10 years old or play areas, dinosaur robots, and foam parties for kids.
I’d recommend getting there early so you can make the most of seeing absolutely everything the park has to offer. They have set times for the walk-throughs and the interactive activities so spending the day there means you can really do everything without rushing around.
They also have a café on site which means you can get some delicious food, drinks, and ice cream to sustain you throughout the day, or alternatively you could bring a picnic to enjoy with the family. We opted for some loaded fries, and honestly we could have shared a portion as they were enormous. We then ended our day with GG’s Gelato from the café because every trip to the park should end in an ice cream.
A generous supply of loaded fries(Image: Indigo Jones)
I honestly had an amazing day at The Meadows Wildlife Park and I’ll absolutely be going again in future. Entry tickets start at £11.50 for adults and £5.50 for children, which is a fraction of the price of more mainstream wildlife parks and zoos.
Knowing you’re supporting a local family-run business makes the experience even better. They have so much more that they want to achieve with a number of improvements and expansions in the pipeline too and I can’t wait to see what they have planned.
I can honestly say that the animal experiences were a dream come true and if you have the opportunity to do them then I completely recommend it. It’s safe to say my 27th birthday will definitely be a difficult one to top.