Northumberland College Zoo

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Newcastle upon Tyne
Northumberland College Zoo

With over 150 species of animals including lemurs, meerkats, wallabies, alpacas, armadillos, reptiles and much more!

Northumberland College Zoo opened in May 2011. The zoo is part of Northumberland College's Kirkley Hall Campus and was set up as an educational training facility for the college’s Animal Care students as well as becoming a tourist attraction on weekends and school holidays. Since opening the zoo has grown massively and now boasts over 150 species of animals, reptiles and birds including alpacas, r

ing tailed lemurs, marmosets, wallabies, kookaburras, snakes, lizards and smaller domestic animals in our petting barn. Visitors can meet our zookeepers, enjoy various animal encounters and even have the opportunity to hold reptiles and domestic animals when activities are available. In 2013 the zoo was awarded a prestigious TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award for consistently achieving outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. The zoo has a full zoo licence, is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and has links with various partners to actively promote the conservation of animals including the Wildlife Trusts, Red Squirrels Northern England and Newcastle University. As well as being a great family day out the aim of our dedicated zoo team is to educate people about the various species of animals we have and their behaviours and habitats.

18/06/2025

Zoo club dates now available online to book for the summer holidays

Please note if they fill up more dates will be added

Suitable for 6-14 years olds

Every day is different where the group will be supported to help out keeper team

Please note these sessions are NOW 10am till 3pm

Head to our booking site to book the sessions

17/06/2025

How’s everyone enjoying the lovely weather we’re having this week?

Our meerkats have been loving the sunshine so far this week :-)

We’re open Saturday and Sunday this week from 10am each day.

Don’t forget we offer experiences where you can go in with our meerkats and feed them. Head to our website for further details and how to book

15/06/2025

🦜 He’s got his eye on you …

🦜Bob our umbrella cockatoo loves to keep a keen eye on every thing that’s going on around his aviary.

🦜He was spotted spying the keeper feeding the ring tail lemurs the other day through the gap in the door frame.

🦜Come along and see Bob!!

🦜He’ll be waiting to say hello near the picnic area

🦜Open from 10 -4

🦜The lovely Polly the Face Painter will be in today (additional charges apply )

#ｓｕｎｄａｙｖｉｂｅｓ

07/06/2025

This week is Parrot Awareness Week -PAW 🪶 and today is Macaw day!

We have 2 macaws at the zoo- Oscar is our blue and gold macaw 🩵💛 and Ruby is or green winged macaw ❤️💚 Both are huge characters who love attention!

🗣️ Not all parrots mimic human speech, but you may occasionally hear Oscar say ‘hello’!

🦜 Macaws are large birds, require lots of space and enrichment and they can live for over 50 years! Meaning they are not suited to being kept as pets, unless the correct environment can be provided for their whole lives.

🌎 Macaws are native to Central and South America. There are 17 different species of macaw, they come in a variety of colours and sizes!

06/06/2025

This week is Parrot Awareness Week -PAW and today is Lorikeet day!!
We currently have 3 lorikeets at the zoo, they are very chatty, friendly little birds 🦜

🌈 Lorikeets are fantastically colourful- we have 2 Rainbow lorikeets and 1 Coconut lorikeet

👅 Lorikeets belong to the genus Trichoglossus- this means ‘brush tongue’. Lorikeets have a specially adapted brush like tongue that helps them collect pollen and nectar from flowers.

🌺 In the wild they would mainly feed on flower pollen, nectar and fruits. At the zoo we feed them a specially formulated lorikeet diet alongside fruit and vegetables

04/06/2025

This week is Parrot Awareness Week -PAW 🦜
Our parrots have recently moved into their new aviary, which gives them lots more space and fresh air!

Next time you visit the zoo make sure that you pose for a photo in front of our amazing macaw wings, which have been painted by the very talented keeper Leah! 🪽

Oscar is only slightly jealous of these enormous wings… 🩵💛

03/06/2025

This week is Parrot Awareness Week -PAW and today is Cockatoo day!!
This is Bob, our Umbrella Cockatoo- he is always very popular with our visitors due to his friendly and inquisitive personality!! You may have seen Bob, and you most definitely will have heard him!

🐦 Cockatoos originated from Australia and South East Asia. In the wild they are vulnerable, facing threats such as the exotic pet trade, trapping and habitat loss.

🪶 Cockatoos make popular pets because of their fun characters- however they are very intelligent so need lots of stimulation when kept as a pet to stop them from being destructive!

🌰 Cockatoos have a varied diet, including fruit, vegetables, and Bobs favourite- whole nuts!

parrotawarenessweek

02/06/2025

Pistachio our chameleon helping with the morning sprays ☔️

We’ve welcomed students back today so we are closed to the public until weekends, the next school holidays will be 19th July 2025 ☀️

📸SH - Keeper

31/05/2025

Today is World Parrot Day! 🦜

To celebrate we have parrot crafts and enrichment making in the barn, and Polly our face painter is here too! Take a photo with our new macaw wings- Oscar is very impressed!!

We also support the World Parrot Trust as one of our conservation partners. Your donations help them to carry out vital parrot conservation in the field and protect the welfare of captive parrots. 🪶

Come along today to join in the fun!

World Parrot Trust - UK

27/05/2025

This week is Love Your Zoo week! ❤️

As a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (or BIAZA for short) Northumberland College Zoo contributes to conservation, education and research. 🔬 📚🐒

Going forwards the mission of zoos will be focussed more on protecting species, providing vital conservation and education as well as championing animal welfare- so watch this space for lots of changes!

26/05/2025

It’s Love Your Zoo Week ✨

This annual nationwide event by BIAZA celebrates the essential contribution of zoos and aquariums to conservation, science, animal care, and education! 🐾🌍

This years theme is , showcased perfectly by Lilly, our donkey, enjoying a good grooming session from wild jackdaws, who will use her hair as nest building materials!

We’re proud to be BIAZA members here at Northumberland College Zoo, and we invite you to come celebrate the work our team, students, and volunteers do to make a difference to our animals lives 💗 all week we have :

Love Your Zoo trail - find all the answers for a sticker!🧡

Colouring inspired by our awesome animals!💚

Facepainting Monday , Wednesday and Saturday 💜

Address

Kirkley Hall
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE200AQ

Website

https://northumberland.ac.uk/for-visitors/northumberland-college-zoo/

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Our Story

Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens opened in May 2011. The zoo is part of Northumberland College's Kirkley Hall Campus and was set up as an educational training facility for the college’s Animal Care students as well as becoming a tourist attraction during school holidays. Since opening the zoo has grown massively and now boasts over 200 species of animals, reptiles and birds including alpacas, ring tailed lemurs, marmosets, capybara, emus, wallabies, kookaburras, snakes, lizards and smaller domestic animals in our petting barn. Visitors can meet our zookeepers, enjoy various animal encounters and even have the opportunity to hold reptiles and domestic animals. In 2013 the zoo was awarded a prestigious TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award for consistently achieving outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. The zoo has a full zoo licence, is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and has links with various partners to actively promote the conservation of animals including the Wildlife Trusts, Red Squirrels Northern England and Newcastle University. As well as being a great family day out the aim of our dedicated zoo team is to educate people about the various species of animals we have and their behaviours and habitats.