The nation has been hyped up about the new ‘Paddington in Peru’ film, flocking to the cinemas to catch the latest adventures from the UK’s favourite bear. And now, bear lovers can meet the real-life Paddington bears that inspired the character at Knowsley Safari!
Knowsley Safari has introduced its new bear experiences, inviting guests to come meet, and feed, their Andean bears. Earlier this year, the park welcomed male Chui and female Bahia to its Bear Country on Knowsley’s Foot Safari, as part of a global breeding programme.
As a result, bear lovers can now enjoy a personal experience with the Andean bears, where they get to go behind the scenes and prepare some of their favourite foods like vegetables, porridge balls, coconuts or bamboo sticks filled with honey and peanut butter. Unfortunately, the real-life bears do not eat marmalade sandwiches, not to shatter anyone’s hopes or anything!
Andean bears, also known as the Spectacled bears, are an endangered species, with only 2,500 mature individuals remaining the wild, including Peru. Knowsley Safari is also working in partnership with Peru-based Spectacled Bear Conservation Society, which helps protect the species.
On top of food, the 60-minute bear experiences at Knowsley Safari include making and providing enrichment for the bears, as well as asking the animal experts everything one wants to know about the species.
The Andean bear experience costs £149 for one person and £259 for a family of four, available to book from March until September on Tuesdays and Fridays on Knowsley Safari’s website. Once you receive your experience voucher, you then have to either phone or email to book a time and date.
Nicola Watson, Learning & Development and Research & Conservation Operations Manager at Knowsley Safari, says: “Our brand-new Bear Experiences give visitors exclusive access to keeper areas which are usually out of bounds to the public. It’s an exciting and interactive opportunity to learn more about Bahia and Chui and the wider species. Of course, guests will also be rolling their sleeves up to get involved in feeding and enrichment.
The new Bear Experiences are an enjoyable way to help spread awareness of the plight of Andean Bears. So, once you’ve seen Paddington in Peru, come and see the real bears who inspired the character!”