Zoo Nights at ZSL London Zoo has returned and every Friday until July 25 adults can book a visit after closing time for some adults-only fun.
With street food vendors and cafes selling beers and cocktails, this is an experience that day-time visitors do not get.
Coming from work and having not eaten since lunchtime, we grabbed a halloumi burger and chips from one of the many places to eat before exploring the zoo at dusk.
The Regent’s Park attraction is home to more than 300 different species – from endangered Galapagos giant tortoises and Asiatic lions, to critically endangered Sumatran tigers.
We got a chance to see this sleek cat as it climbed down from its tree outpost and slowly sauntered back into the lodge.
We were too late to see the majestic giraffe, the world’s tallest land mammal. As we got to the enclosure it too headed back into its Grade II-listed Giraffe House, one of the oldest zoo buildings in the world that is still used.
My friend found it hard seeing some of these animals in captivity. The giraffe, for example, can run at a pace of 10mph for considerable distances and sprint as fast as 35mph in a short burst if threatened.
But conservation is at the heart of what ZSL London Zoo does and giraffes face threats including poaching, the illegal wildlife trade and getting caught in snares back in their savannah heartlands.
Two zebras hung around as we visitors gawped, drink in hand.
The gorillas were taking it easy when we popped in to see them. One was lazing in a hammock and the other lying on its back. Two baby gorillas were born this year to mums Effie and Mjukuu, but we didn’t catch sight of them.
People can visit the new reptile house, The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians, which showcases the crucial conservation work happening around the world to save reptiles and amphibians from the brink of extinction.
They can also walk through the Butterfly Paradise tent and see a vast array of species fluttering around.
At 9pm, when all the animals went to bed, people sat on deck chairs to listen to musicians sing excerpts from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Lion King, which was in the most ideal setting outside Africa.
Tickets for Zoo Nights cost £21.50, which is cheaper than a child’s ticket at the weekend, so make the most of it as it truly is a magical way to spend an evening.
