Beale Wildlife Park opens new Halloween exhibit near Pangbourne
Beale Wildlife Park will unveil its long awaited new Twilight Zone for October half term.
After a year of planning and a three-week build, the park aimed to move the animals into their new enclosures by last night (Tuesday).
Keepers will be running free mini tours each afternoon starting from this Friday.
The park, situated between Pangbourne and Lower Basildon, has a host of exotic nocturnal animals on offer inside the Twilight Zone, all rehomed from other zoos that have closed down.
The unused space, formerly a toy museum, has been refurbished to house the giant-eyed slender loris, the possum-like cuscus and a pair of Rio Fuerte beaded lizards called Tequila and Jalapeño, one of only three species of venomous lizard in the world. As their names suggest, their bite packs quite the sting.
There are also 10 naked mole rats, which can live up to 30 years.
Assistant living collection manager Chris Lusby described them best. "Although they look creepy, they’re probably one of the most interesting animals that we have in the whole zoo," he said. "They’re going to be great for our educational programme.
"We've been getting animals for a fair few months now to go in the Twilight Zone, but they’ve been held off show, because we’ve been waiting to drop it at the right time.
"We figured Hallowe'en would be a perfect time to do it because it’s dark and a bit creepy.
"We wanted to do a nocturnal house but put a different spin on it and make it a bit more modern, rather than the traditional one where the animals are kept in glass cases under red lights.
"We’ve got this building now where the daylight cycle is reversed, so when guests go inside in the daytime, it’s going to be night for the animals."
Visitors can learn more about each species on LED informations boards displayed on each enclosure.
Another event to look out for is the 'Boo at the Zoo' trick or treat evening on Friday, October 28, from 5pm to 6pm.
Tickets cost £4 per child as an add-on to the day admission.