If you are living in the Cotswolds area, no doubt you and the children around you will have gone to several farms for a real life replay of Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run but if the idea of petting yet another animal of the woolly kind feels a bit meh, Crocodiles of the World near Carterton offers the closest experience to visiting Jurassic Park.
Crocodiles look almost the same as they did 60 million years ago indeed and I find this reason enough to visit, along with the fact that many different species of crocs can be found in this large greenhouse.
The main attraction is to arrive at feeding time, which I think is every hour. Crocodiles don’t do much otherwise and could be mistaken for dead branches when they stay immobile but come feeding time and they move faster than a lightning bolt in order to get to the dead flesh they are presented with.
The reptiles then shred it apart in a primal undertaking that does not exist in human beings except when another driver is 20mph below the speed limit and you can’t overtake. Two year olds and their grandparents alike were fascinated by the powerful jaws snapping up food in an instant and it is a good way of seeing the law of the jungle in action.
Crocodiles of the World is really worth a visit unless you are going to Florida or Australia any time soon. To go further, they also offer the possibility of being an animal keeper for the day and have a number of educational resources ready for children and adults. With 14 different species of crocodiles on their book, plus various species of lizards and tortoises, the only type you won’t find there is the crocodile with a GPS or Navi-gator…