Madhouse diaries : Halloween fun at the zoo

One of our traditional half term jaunts is a trip to our local zoo in Fort Mardyck. It's only a short bus ride away and is cheap to get in so we go at least once or twice a year, generally at Christmas and Halloween, as they put on special activities and displays.

The birds didn't seem to mind the fact that their enclosure had been turned into a graveyard for the occasion.

In fact, we thought that this pelican looked like he was pretending to be a ghost ... all that's missing are the clanking chains !

 We marvelled at just how bendy the flamingos' necks are, then, encouraged by a sign, Pierre took up the challenge to see how long he could stand on one leg like a flamingo.

The walk-through aviary had been spooked up with giant spiders for the occasion.

Time for some silly spider selfies !

And not just for the kids !

 This skeleton spider was pretty creepy, although Pierre wasn't bothered in the slightest ! We looked out for skeletons on our way round the enclosures too.

 Whoever was given the job of decorating the zoo obviously had great fun !

We arrived just in time for the otter's feeding time so they were excitedly climbing up the sides of the fence and making funny squeaky noises.

They look cute but they've got really sharp teeth.

They made short work of the fish and chicks that the keeper gave them - eww !

Despite much encouragement from us, the peacock steadfastly refused to fan out his tail.

Last time we came, the bears weren't looking too happy and had started pacing around, looking bored.

This time they had some new equipment to play with and they looked happier.

It's interesting to see how they upcycle things to make new toys for the animals. The bears had big crates and cable rolls to play with and there were car wash brushes in with the goats and reindeer.

The bears didn't seem interested in playing but they were looking more content and had stopped pacing. 

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the newest residents - a pair of lynx cubs that were born this year.

I wasn't sure we'd get to see them or if they'd be hiding away, but they spent their whole time chasing each other around, play fighting and exploring their surroundings. They bounce around as much as Tigger !

The pigs were much more placid and spent the whole time buried in the straw !

Another walk through aviary got us up close to the storks, and this huge owl - a Great Grey Owl - which is the largest species of owl in length.

However many times we see him, the anteater still looks very strange. Apparently he can only open his mouth by a few millimetres, just enough to get his long tongue out.

The marmosets looked very grumpy !

This didn't stop Pierre monkeying around though ! Look out, it's behind you !