Nature Safari

MERRY CHRISTMAS SAFARI FANS 🎄❤️

With just one more sleep ‘til Santa Paws arrives, our critters can’t wait to see what lovely treats he will bring them tomorrow - they are very excited indeed! 🎅🏻

Field Officer Julia has also asked Santa Paws to spoil you all too, to thank you all for your amazing support (and critter snuggles!) this year, and all the years since we first started back in 2012 too.

As many of you know, after 10 amazing years we made the difficult decision to close our doors in the summer 😞💔 Post-pandemic challenges and big changes in our “behind-the-scenes” lives meant we couldn’t commit to providing the fantastic standard of service we have always prided ourselves on delivering 😢

Our critters still remain with us as beloved family pets, and are enjoying life in retirement - though Bernard Guinea Pig misses all his cuddles 🤗 George Tortoise would love to wander around you all again 🐢 and both Monty Python and Lois Chinchilla are primed and ready to be their famous snakey-scarf and fuzzy-hat when needed! 🐍🧣 🐭 🧢

Our doors may be closed but we’re still keeping the key in a safe place… so who knows, we may see you all again in the future! 🚪🔑 😃

From all of us here at (new!) Safari HQ, we wish you a very merry Christmas filled with fun, laughter and love - and lovely gifts too! 💚❤️ 🎁 😊

FAREWELL ROCKY 💔

It has been a sad day here at Safari HQ today, as we say a tearful goodbye to our beautiful boy Rocky Guinea Pig 😢

Cecil joined the crew back in 2017, and immediately became a firm favourite with his cheeky personality - and a squillion toes! 🐾 😳

He was a shy little piggie, and earned his nickname of “Rocky Lightning Bolt” with how speedily he could run away whenever a camera came out! 🏃‍♀️💨

Despite this Rocky was a loveable character, and was anyones friend for a carrot or a slice of pepper 🫑😋

At over 5yrs old Rocky was a very elderly pig, and his health had started to deteriorate over the last few weeks. After enjoying a lovely day in Safari Gardebs yesterday, he sadly passed away in his sleep last night 😞

Goodbye Rocky, you were an utterly loved member of Safari HQ and your empty hutch has left a huge hole in our hearts. We will miss your evening squeaks and fuzzy cuddles. We hope you are enjoying all the dandelions and peppers in the sunshine over the rainbow bridge 🧡🌈

ANOTHER NEW HOME 🏡

Our 4th shelled warrior has now left Safari HQ for his forever home with Kim and young Lewis this afternoon - and already he looks to be settling in well! 🐢 😍

With Pickle, Sheldon and Morty all also enjoying life with their new families, it leaves us with just one little ninja still awaiting their new life 💚

If you would like to give our final Esio a new home, please drop us a message for more details!

ANOTHER HOME FOUND! 💚

Just like that, the third of our 5 tortoise babies has been waved off with their care pack today, as they go to join their beautiful new forever home wave 👋🏻 🏡 🐢

We have absolutely no doubt that this little shelled warrior is going to be utterly spoiled to bits by their new family!

Thank you Micky for offering a turtley-amazing place for this little ninja warrior ❤️

We now just have two awaiting collection to their forever homes, all being well they both be leaving for their new lives next week.

Safari HQ will feel very quiet without these cheeky little characters causing mischief! 🐢

A NEW HOME! 💚

We are absolutely blown away with the phenomenal response following our request for new forever homes for our shelled warriors. We have been absolutely flooded with offers, so much so that each of our littles have now got homes reserved at present, with a waiting list should any reserves fall through 😃

We remain hopeful that each of our tortoise crew will be part of their forever homes by the end of the month - and we are pleased to announce that one of our guys has already left Safari HQ this evening, and is settling well into their new home in Armthorpe 🐢🏡 🥰

Thank you Safari Fans for all your amazing efforts in helping locate new homes for these gorgeous guys. You are all absolutely fantastic! 👏🏻 🌟 💚

HOMES STILL NEEDED!! 🐢

Thank you to everyone who has messaged about giving one of our shelled warriors a new home - we are overwhelmed at how many of you have been in touch already!

Unfortunately FB has removed our original post (we don’t understand why), so for anyone who has enquired or is interested in offering a home, please drop us a private message or email us at [email protected] and we will provide all details requested 😊

LEAVING HOME TIME! 🐢

It’s happening - the first of our beautiful baby tortoises is leaving for their brand new home!

Our care pack is ready to go with them to their new owner, which we’ve designed to cover all their care needs while they settle into their forever home.

Our care pack includes:
- Food (salad, pepper, carrots, rocket, coriander, strawberries and hay)
- Cuttlefish bone
- Carrot baby food (for bathing)
- Food bowl
- Water bowl for bathing
- Nutrobal powder
- Calcium powder
- Dusting powder applicator
- Slate rock (to keep their nails down)
- Disinfectant spray
- Wooden hide
- Care sheet, Birth Certificate and Recording Sheet.

We still have a few babies looking for their new homes; if you would like to adopt one drop us a message for more details and prices!

NEW HOMES TIME! 🐢🏡

Do you remember our beautiful baby tortoises which were born last year? 🤔

Well, they are growing up fast! So much so that we now feel they are ready to go to their new forever homes 🥰

As dedicated Safari Fans we are allowing YOU all first access to offering a home our gorgeous shelled warriors.

To ensure they are well looked after when they leave us, as part of their purchase price we are including (per tortoise):
* Wooden sleeping hide
* Small bathing pool
* Small feeding bowl
* Calcium powder (tub)
* Nutrobal vitamin powder (tub)
* Cuttlefish bone
* Food starter pack
* Care sheet (including husbandry, feeding and recommended vets)
* Our support and advice!

Tortoises will require an adequate set up of a large vivarium/tortoise table, UV lighting and a heat lamp - we will need to see evidence of your set up prior to our tortoises leaving our care.

If you are interested in taking on one of George And Hetty’s little warriors, drop us a message or email us at [email protected] for more information and prices! 💻 📧

FAREWELL HETTY 💔

It’s been a deeply sad day for us here at Safari HQ, as we have had to say a tearful goodbye to our beautiful girl Hetty Tortoise 🐢😞

Hetty joined our Critter Crew back in 2017, following a rescue by the RSPCA where she had been discovered mistreated and living in a tiny cramped box. Hetty was understandably nervous, and needed a lot of TLC to get her back to being a lovely healthy lady.

Hetty soon “came out of her shell”, and quickly proved to be a confident, sassy and no-nonsense girl! She soon became the object of affection for George Tortoise… which wasn’t always welcomed, with her regularly flipping him upside down when she’d had enough! 🙈

Hetty loved being outside enjoying the sunshine in Safari Gardens ☀️🥰 and would often be found buried in the flower beds – and chomping all the plants too! 🌸🍽🙄

Over the last week Hetty’s health suddenly deteriorated, going from a healthy, active and greedy girl to very lethargic and no appetite. An appointment was made for the vets, but sadly she was found passed away in her sleep this morning 😢

As she was a rescue we had no idea how old she was, and its likely she was a much older lady than we guessed her to be.

Farewell Hetty, you were a gorgeous lady full of personality and are already hugely missed here at Safari HQ. You leave behind 6 beautiful babies (including Penny Tortoise) who all share the same confident, sunny attitude (and appetite!) of their mum. We hope you are enjoying sunbathing and chomping lots of carrots, peppers and strawberries over the rainbow bridge 🌈💚

SANTA PAWS HAS BEEN! 🎅🏻 🐾

It’s been a very excitable morning here at Safari HQ, as our critters have all hopped, scuttled and slithered to see what Santa Paws has brought for them under the tree. Thankfully they are all in his good books - they have been very spoiled indeed!

With Christmas dinners prepared and snuggles being given, we think our critter crew are feeling very much loved today. However, we know many creatures out there won’t be having the same experience today - spending Christmas in a shelter, abandoned or being abused.

If you are considering taking a pet into your home in 2022, please think of these animals desperate for a loving home before you visit the pet shop. If you are looking to support an animal charity, consider donating or volunteering at a small local centre.

Many of our critter crew are rehomes or rescues, which makes Christmas at Safari HQ so special. Every animal deserves to be loved and spoiled.

From all our critters, we wish you all a very merry and snuggling Christmas 💝🎄🎅🏻

GOODBYE FREDDIE 💔

It’s been a bitterly cold day here at Safari HQ, as we say a very sad farewell to our gorgeous boy Freddie Guinea Pig 😞

Freddie was born here at Safari HQ back in 2015, and instantly won our hearts over with his quirky little ways. Always up for a cuddle, he was a hugely social little piggie - and loved to bounce around trying to get in on all the gossip!

A complete and utter fruit-loop, he loved to pull a daft pose for the camera 📸 but his most favourite activity was singing - he was always squealing a merry song, and was the loudest of all the guinea pig crew!! 🎤

At almost 6.5yrs old Freddie was a very old man, and his health had started to deteriorate. Singing and bouncing away until the very end, we found him peacefully passed away in his hutch this morning.

Farewell Freddie, you have been a fantastic part of the Safari crew and your cheerful sing-song personality it already hugely missed. We hope you are reunited with sister Phoebe and brothers Ruff and Jett, and are enjoying lots of carrots and squeaking over the rainbow bridge 🌈 🎶

FAREWELL COLE 💔

The winter sun is shining down in Safari Gardens this morning, and it’s warm glow reminds of our sunshine boy we have had to say a sad farewell to today - our gorgeous Cole Corn Snake 🐍💛

Cole was a founding member of our Safari Critter Crew, joining us all the way back in 2012. Cole was a rescue who had been abandoned by his owner - yet from first arriving with us he was the most friendly and sweet boy, and his cheeky personality soon cemented his place in all our hearts ☺️💕

At around 20yrs old last year, Cole was retired from his critter crew duties. He enjoyed lots of basking under his heat lamp ☀️ slithering around his enclosure 🐍 munching his mice 🐭- and of course, lots of cuddles! 🥰

Sadly over the past few weeks his health rapidly deteriorated, to the point the decision was made to end his suffering 😢 However, as always Cole had his ideas, as we found him peacefully passed away in his vivarium.

Farewell Cole, it has been an absolute pleasure to have you as part of our crew for so many years. We have loved your cheeky antics (who can forget your escape up the wall?!) and you will be very hugely missed. We hope you are reunited with Aspen and Pandora, and are enjoying slithering around and basking in the sunshine over the snakey rainbow bridge 🌈🧡