UK safari park turns spooktacular for Halloween with new baby tigers on view too

Half term is fast approaching and many parents are looking for activities to keep kids occupied.

Halloween falls on Friday, October 31 this year and families who live within driving distance of Knowsley Safari in Merseyside are in for a terrifying treat.

The park's Foot Safari is being transformed into a spooktacular adventure between Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, November 2, with ghoulish activities included in the admission price. Children between the ages of four and 10 years old, between 11am and 4pm each day can learn frightful facts about conservation by immersing themselves in Halloween-themed activities.

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There'll be squeals aplenty as youngsters encounter the Poo Keeper, who will reveal hidden surprises if they're game enough to dig in a Poo Box, while educating how animal poo helps protect endangered species. A Marine Boo-ologist will uncover how pollution affects marine life and if younger family members dare to step foot into the Safari Chef’s grimy kitchen their senses will be tested to the max with a Smell Box Challenge, complete with rotten food scraps, while learning how their diet keeps creatures thriving in the wild.

There will also be a spooky Tipi Shack for youngsters to visit if they dare, where the eccentric lost explorer the Dread-venturer will be leading a ghoulish quest, taking families behind the scenes of Knowsley Safari's global conservation work.

Fang-tastic Halloween crafts on offer include badge making, seed bombs and plant pot painting and there will be Trick-or-Treat stations and a fancy dress competition for a chance to win a children's annual membership to the attraction.

The 550-acre park boasts 500 Safari animals including Amur tigers, meerkats, giraffes and Bushdogs on its Foot Safari and rhinos, African lions, Bactrian camels, ostrich and Iberian wolves on the five-mile safari drive. With less than 1,000 Amur tigers left in the wild, the arrival of two tiger cubs on July 29 caused great excitement at Knowsley.

Six-year-old big cat Yuki is their mother and has been feeding and bonding with her babies in a cosy den at the attraction. Yuki, who arrived at the park in February as part of a global breeding programme, is the first Amur tiger to give birth there in almost 30 years.

It's too soon to know the sex of the two tiger cubs, who are set to have health checks at the end of this month. Halloween visitors may be able to see them however, as the family trio has started to venture outside. And if they remain indoors, there is a Cub Cam offering a glimpse of the young tigers. The cubs' father is seven-year-old Makari, who remains in his neighbouring paddock in the 10,000 square metre Tiger Trail.

All of the spooktacular activities are included with a paid admission ticket apart from plant pot painting, which incurs an additional charge. Children aged 3 to 15 years old go half price with a full paying adult between Saturday, October 25nd and Sunday, November 2 when booking in advance. Visit www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk