Dartmoor, Dartmoor Wildlife Park(Ben's Zoo) Reviews

Click here if this is your business
Dartmoor, Dartmoor Wildlife Park(Ben's Zoo)
★★★★☆
3.6
67.0% of users recommend this
Click here if this is your business
  • Value For Money

? Ask our helpful community of experts about this product or company
Dartmoor, Dartmoor Wildlife Park(Ben's Zoo) - Ask a question now

Media Gallery for Dartmoor, Dartmoor Wildlife Park(Ben's Zoo)

Refine your search

  • Average Rating Over Time
  • Within the last month ***** (From 0 reviews)
  • Within the last 6 months *** (From 0 reviews)
  • Within the last 12 months * (From 0 reviews)

Latest Reviews

“Not such a Grand Day Out!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by phil_mb on 28/08/2012

Following all the recent hype both from the film "We bought a Zoo" and the DVD about the zoo and various marketing blurb online from various sources including their own website - a trip to the Dartmoor Zoological Park (DZP) seemed the perfect day out when down in the west country this week. I don't know which zoo some of the other contributors have visited, but it wasn't this one! Or if I was being cynical I may suspect that these contributors had some connection to the DZP. I visited the park some years ago with my family and it was evident that the park / zoo was struggling then. Since then the place has changed hands and was being redeveloped / rebranded and improved. However, upon visiting the park and spending almost an hour walking round the entire site I have to say I was less than impressed. It was a case with many of the enclosures of, guess if there is, in fact an animal in there or not, since some of the enclosures were so overgrown and unmaintained, it seemed impossible for anything to be in residence. The only semi-redeeming enclosure was of the two lions, one of which had its own land rover, presumably for a quick getaway later. This park needs to buck up its ideas and get down to some serious development work if it has any chance of attracting any repeat visitors. They need to take a leaf out of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park's book. This site has progressed year on year creating fantastic spacious and well laid out areas for each new attraction. It seems there, that the gate receipts are being ploughed back into the park for the benefit of the animals they have and the visitors who seem keen to come back again and again. Come on DZP get it right or close it down. The country does need places like DZP and it would be great to see it grow and prosper for both the animals and the visitors, but at the moment it does neither.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.

Andy_Bed's Response to phil_mb's Review

Written on: 07/09/2012

On my recent visit to Dartmoor zoo I can only agree with Phil_mb

Feel totally ripped off, £35.00 family ticket to enter a very run down park, looked like a junk yard with some very very unhappy animals.

We drove 200 miles after seeing the film thinking it might resemble in some way the zoo that was used in the film (I know it was film in the states) but it took my family 45 mins to discover all the animals, and wonder what to do with the rest of the day we had planned as thought we would be a park all day!!!

Nearly all enclosures are run down or closed all I can say is don't waste your money. and I've made a complaint to local zoo licensing authority as the animals need re-homing with a zoo that can keep them active and interested.

Reply to this comment
If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.

Rumpy68's Response to phil_mb's Review

Written on: 30/05/2013

thank you for your comment I WONT be wasting my money on visiting this so called zoo

Reply to this comment
If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.

Musicaltone's Response to phil_mb's Review

Written on: 15/03/2013

I could not disagree more.....i visited this zoo on a photographic day out with several other photographers. We were made very welcome by the staff on arrival, after a brief introduction we were then shown around the various animals,which in my eyes were very well looked after. I have very fond memories of Dartmoor Zoological Park and plan a return visit in the next few weeks.....Highly recommended !

Reply to this comment
If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“Brilliant day out”

★★★★★

written by tracy9807fab on 13/08/2012

Visited DZP with my sister and her two kids last week (age 8 and 10). Zoos aren't really my thing generally, but have to say that I have a completely different view having spent the day at DZP. Staff were lovely and friendly from the start of the day, right to the end. The animals are very well looked after, have lots of space, and its amazing to be so close to them. It's not a big sprawling zoo so it's easy to walk round without getting over-tired, and it has a really nice friendly, family feel about it. Amazing to see the tigers, the bears, the otters, didn't see the wolves (must have been hiding!) and so many more. The birds of prey show was also amazing. My words mean nothing here though - you MUST visit it to see for yourself. Price wise, I think it was £32 for a ticket for 4 - so really good value - and the prices once inside were not silly as you see in some places. The food in the restaurant was also really tasty, really good quality and sensibly priced. Really, really impressed, and really really lovely to meet Benjamin Mee - made my day! Bought the book, saw the film, and now been to the actual zoo. REALLY recommend this place to you if you're in a hour or so's drive of it. Really worth the trip - oh and the niece and nephed loved it too! LOL.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“DARTMOOR ZOOLOGICAL PARK IS FANTASTIC!!!!!”

★★★★★

written by on 05/06/2012

We travelled for 7 hours to go to Dartmoor Zoological Park after our son watched the movie and became obsessed with it (He has aspergers syndrome hence the obsession :) We were so happy we did as it was fantastic! People keep commenting on the steep walk up to the zoo but we loved it,(we had a buggy and two 75 year olds and they enjoyed the walk too) there are animals all the way up and they have huge enclosures to roam around in. The whole feel of the zoo is so different to all the other manufactured zoos we have visited as theres a huge picnic area in the middle and its a mini adventure getting to each section of the zoo without tons of ice cream trucks etc distracing the childrens attention from the main reason we visited. The animals! They are fantastic, Tigers, Lions, Brown bears, and loads more. Not to mention the adorable otters. We all (6 adults 3 children) had lunch in the restaurant and were amazed how good the food was. The jacket potatoes came with loads of fresh salad and were boiling hot with good quality toppings. The shop had a lovely assortment of books, stuffed animals, pictures and toys. After reading other peoples reviews im shocked at how people can complain that there were stingy nettles, lol, the zoo is set in the middle of the country side! What do people expect? The whole place has a magical feel to it and we had an amazing day there, if we lived closer we would visit every weekend!! The staff were so helpful and stopped to answer any questions the childrens had to ask no matter how silly lol. This is the best zoo we have visited by far (and weve been all over the country!)

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“This is the 4th or 5th time I have visited this place....”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 26/04/2011

This is the 4th or 5th time I have visited this place. Many years ago as a child I went with my parents and can only remember the smell. It was disgusting. Have been since and each time come away with a feeling of depression,mostly with an instilled memory of a poor bear sat waiting for people to throw peanuts to him. Since the fuss about a film etc I thought i'd give it another chance and hoped things had changed when I made the decision to take my 2 children. Well....what can I say....Nope things have not changed in the slightest. The whole place has a feeling of abandonment about it. While I admit the animals look to be in good condition, the surroundings are not. My son actually spent most of our time there avoiding being stung by the multitude of stinging nettles. The enclosures look tired and run down. The childrens playarea ( and i use that decription loosly) consisted of a swinging log ( which was actually far from swinging) and a few wobbly cable drums. ( an accident waiting to happen in my opinion). The only new enclosures I saw were one housing a few monkeys and to be honest this looked like it had been hastily erected without much thought to design or ease of cleaning. The second was a meerkat enclosure outside the restaurant.The walk in enclousure housed a few goats and upon leaving it we noted that the hand sanitizer was empty and had been for some time by the looks of it. After being there for about 30 mins and having seen all the animals we decided to enter the restaurant. Having looked at the very slim pickings on the menu we decided on what to eat and made our way to a table before ordering our food. On pulling out the chair I saw it was filthy and stained. We then decided to forgo food and left. So all in all I was left with a feeling of depression, I understand that money issues have plagued the place but the car park on that particular day was packed. Does it really cost too much for someone to go round and tidy weeds etc? On another note while walking around I heard a family discussing if there were elephants at the park. I sincerely hope they never have permission to keep them. We left after about an hour,that was more than enough for me and my 12 yr old daughter, who had announced that she didnt like it there after about 5 mins because she felt none of the animals were happy.I really really hope the film enables them to put a lot of resourses into the place and smarten it up, but to be honest I'm not hopeful. I wont be giving it anopther chance I'm afraid. I'll stick to Paignton and Bristol which in my opinion are wonderful zoos.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.

Guest's Comment

Written on: 30/10/2011

'zoo'! Thats a laugh.The resturant is an embaresment ,the staff seem depressed .the film will not be close to the real tale so i wont go again .A lot of money for a 10 minute visit.What a rip off.

Reply to this comment
If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“One of the best days out we have had. A mixture of...”

★★★★★

written by on 22/04/2011

One of the best days out we have had. A mixture of zoo and walk round safari park. Staff were helpful and the animals looked so happy and natural. Drinks expensive but loads of picnic places. The surroundings are beautiful. You can easily spend a full day here and not want to go home. Went with a 7 year old and 2 10 year old and they all thoroughly enjoyed it, including the 2 adults. Hope they don't put prices up as it is wonderful to get value for money for a change nowadays.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“Our thoughts are that the Dartmoor Zoological Park...”

★★★★☆

written by Rewsefamilydayout on 28/12/2010

Our thoughts are that the Dartmoor Zoological Park could do with being better sign posted, around the area and at major route juntions, also a good sized "We are Open" at the entrance during holidays, such as just after Christmas. This would quite possibly draw more visitors!
This Zoo is very good and gets top marks for the animals, who are well kept and their enviroment. Well done keepers! The grounds are well kept, though the garden area (with the grave stones), could do with a over path branch clip! The restaurant has a good menu, with quality food served quickly and pleasantly by the courteous staff. The shop stocks quality products that are not over priced. We visited on an overcast,grey, and misty day but the roar from the magnificent Tigers and Lions, and chatting with the cheeky parrots, admiring all the other animals was well worth the journey. We plan to come again soon. Good Luck for 2011, and may it be prosperous year, so you stay open!

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“While the zoo is still in need of some renovation the...”

★★★★☆

written by Carol D on 27/11/2010

While the zoo is still in need of some renovation the enclosures are of a good size for the animals housed there. If you love big cats,especially, tigers, this is a must visit for you. I have never been so close to these beautiful animals at any of the other parks we have visited and they are stunning. Vlad, the 10 year old male is awesome. The Jaguar is also stunning to look at. At £9.50 for an adult the entry fee is also one of the lowest. I am sure if I thought it was this good in the middle of winter it must be even better in the summer. The owner, Ben Mee, also took the time to answer questions on the tigers, even though he was busy with a camera crewe. Great day out for everyone.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 1 0

“11 of us visited with age ranges from 1 to 59 for a...”

★★★★★

written by on 28/10/2010

11 of us visited with age ranges from 1 to 59 for a birthday. We all had a fantastic day and the kids are still going on about it days after. Would definately go again and definately recommend. Food in the restaurant was also really good value for money and it was good having a few toys and books for the little ones whilst the big ones rested their legs a bit!

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“We visited the Park after I had read an article in the...”

★★★★★

written by on 19/09/2010

We visited the Park after I had read an article in the WMN re the tigers. I thought it was a lovely place, the animals look so well looked after and happy. We paid the £10 to see the tigers and I rate it as one of the best things I have ever done, what does it matter if some areas of the Park need some TLC, surely the animals wellbeing is the most important thing and I hope the money is raised to keep it open. We will certainly visit again in the not too distant future.

It wasn't easy to find so maybe more advertising would help.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“My partner and I are both 49+ and my mother is 80. ...”

★★★★★

written by on 05/09/2010

My partner and I are both 49+ and my mother is 80. What do you buy your 80 year old mother for her birthday when she already has everything including a family of 6 Yes you got it a keeper for the day at the Zoo. We travelled from the north east and thoroughly enjoyed our day. On arrival mum managed the hill and we had a coffee before starting. Staff were very friendly and it may not be a 5* restaurant but it is a zoo. we set off on our day and yes we were lucky as we had an escort the whole of our visit. How many 80 year olds do you know have stood 6 inches from the jaw of a magnificent lion like solomon he wasnt as pleased to see us as we were to see him. On our visit it seemed all animals wanted to be seen tigers the cheetah and even Ben the bear. How many 80 year olds have held a snake, stick insect or cockroach, my mum did under the supervisopn of Sylvia who convinced her to participate. We found the animals were very happy in an environment which suits them. It may not be freshly mowed lawns but they are happy. We will certainly visit again and wish Ben and all his staff the best of luck at this difficult time.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 1 0

“As a child I used to visit Dartmoor zoo with my...”

★★★★★

written by on 04/09/2010

As a child I used to visit Dartmoor zoo with my parents and have been meaning to visit again since watching Ben's zoo on the TV.I am so glad we did I can see a lot of time and effort has been used to improve enclosures and all the animals were in amazing condition. A visit to this zoo is a must there is no other place that you can get such a up close experience of these beautiful happy relaxed animals.We will definately be visiting again and will be recommending it to friends and family.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“As my daughter (age 6) loves big cats we thought that...”

★★★★★

written by on 04/09/2010

As my daughter (age 6) loves big cats we thought that Dartmoor Zoo would be the place to go and I have to say we were not disappointed in the slightest. We all had a fantastic time. You could tell that all the animals were content and well cared for. We spent a great deal of time with the tigers and couldn't believe how close we could get to them!! My daughter was so excited. We have also been to Paignton Zoo and Longleat in the holidays and my daughter and I both agree that Dartmoor Zoo was the best of all three for seeing the big cats. Will definitely be visiting again. A suggestion I would make is to have a great deal more merchandise in the Gift Shop i.e. t-shirts, cuddly toys, mugs, pens, key rings, books etc.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“August Bank Holiday. Arrived at the zoo restaurant at...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 31/08/2010

August Bank Holiday. Arrived at the zoo restaurant at 10.20pm to find about a dozen keepers and staff sat around tables drinking coffee or tea, thought this was strange since the zoo opened at 10pm, just a glance in our direction no smiles or welcomes! Gifts in "shop" woeful, toilets unclean.
Basic layout of the zoo remains pretty much unchanged since our last visit about 11 years ago but a lot more appears to be derelict. The loss of the viewing tower, falconry displays and flamingos seems a great shame. We walked around the zoo twice and the only staff we saw were putting food for the bears! No ice-cream kiosk open in the picnic area. We have stayed all day in the past on several occasions but we left after two hours thoroughly disappointed!

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“Dartmoor Zoo. Oh my. What an awful experience! I had...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 23/08/2010

Dartmoor Zoo. Oh my. What an awful experience! I had just finished reading Ben's book and was inspired to visit to see the improvements that the book refers to. I took my 5 & 7 year old kids. Firstly the steep hill on entrance and the general unkempt walk up was not a good start. Everywhere need a good tidy: overgrown grass, messy paths, general feeling of uncleanliness. We had to visit the so called toilets in the middle of the zoo to wash our hands (as the hand disinfectants were all empty despite plenty of signs emphasising the importance of washing your hands). The toilets were delapidated and should have been closed off. The toilets in the restaurant were filthy. The tigers were amazing but that's about it. £40 worse off for the most awful day out. Gutted.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“Really love visiting to watch the tigers for hours on...”

★★★★☆

written by on 14/08/2010

Really love visiting to watch the tigers for hours on end (one of my passions in life) but really disappointed in facilities. I have been a constant visitor for many years and even now, have become a member. I have no issues regarding the animals but i do think that the paying customers, myself included, expect to find clean toilets for example. On this visit as well as my previous, i have found that on entering the restrooms they are extremely smelly to the point of my feeling the urge to throw up. Not a good start!
Years ago, the shop was bursting with goodies, some inexpensive for pocket money spending and other more expensive items for a lasting keep sake. I now find it filled with tacky odds and ends.
Come on, you can do better than this. I really want this to work for them but feel that they have to look after the customer, for the customer to then spread the good word and return.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“set in beautiful woodland sencenery, with very close...”

★★★★★

written by maddazza35 on 28/07/2010

set in beautiful woodland sencenery, with very close access to the animals and unobstructed photo oppurtunities !! i was very pleased with the keepers who were very friendly and spent time talking about the animals, overall a good value for money day out with the family, strongly suggest you visit for a once in a lifetime experience.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“bit shocked lots of disused pens, the cafe needed...”

★★★☆☆

written by on 19/07/2010

bit shocked lots of disused pens, the cafe needed work on, i am sure if they put a bit more money in to it ,it could be great, at that price i am sure they can , 1 bear two lions three tigers, one jag, two meerkats, it reaily needs to sort it out, needs more imagination , there staff needs something in curictor with a zoo

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“Went during the week so it was quite quiet which was...”

★★★★★

written by newtonorient on 16/07/2010

Went during the week so it was quite quiet which was nice. Amazing weather so we had a picnic in the picnic area while watching the animals around us.A couple of the animals were hiding but we managed to see most of them, including the lion feeding.
Went many years ago (approx 15) before the real decline and would say its back to those standards.
Quite a few derelict buildings on the sight and you find yourself looking for animals in them. You can see the amount of work and effort that is going on at the zoo and with lots of work still to be done, it gives you an idea of how bad the park had deteriorated.
After visiting the animals we went to the education section and my 4 year old daughter held a millipede and a giant African snail which she thought the highlight of the day!!!
Had a good day out and spent 4 hours there.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“We had a fantastic day out here; inexpensive, not...”

★★★★☆

written by on 15/07/2010

We had a fantastic day out here; inexpensive, not overly commercial with no crowds and great viewing of animals (other than those which chose not to be on show - and that's really up to them!). Never have I been so close to tigers and lions!
The children (13, 11 and 4) loved it, as did the adults.
Our only complaints are that the shop is lacking in merchandise (more T shirts with the DZP logo please, in child sizes) and the restaurant could be better supplied?
Will definately return.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

“I first went to Dartmoor Zoo before Benjamin Mee took...”

★★★★★

written by on 14/07/2010

I first went to Dartmoor Zoo before Benjamin Mee took it over and loved it's grungy feel, so much less an animal prison than other zoos. Having read the book 'Ben's Zoo', I was interested to take another visit and have to say it was very good value at £8.50 to get in. The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and obviously take great care of the animals. The Zoo is easy to get around, no insanely steep hills and the resteraunt prices are reasonable.
My only criticism is that the ice cream stalls were not open on what was a hot summer day.

The new owners have done a great job in turning the Zoo's fortunes around and deserve massive credit for their work and how healthy the animals look. The Meerkats are as cool in reality as on the TV and I'd recommend the Zoo to everyone.

For my money Dartmoor Zoo is a far better place to visit than it's 'competition' who always seem more a business than a Zoo to me (money, money, money). Dartmoor Zoo is down to earth, grungy, real animals in a real setting...and I love them for that.

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0

Do you have a question about this product or company? Simply type it in the box below and one of our community will give you an answer

Our helpful community of likeminded people will be happy to answer any questions that you have.

Thanks for asking a question.

Once we've checked over your question we will put it live on the site and our strong community of experts will hopefully give you some great answers that you find useful.

We will email you when the question is on the site

overview