Aviemore
For our 12th wedding anniversary, we decided to spend the weekend in Aviemore. We'd booked this a few months in advance and only found out later that the Friday night we'd be there, there was an open evening at the Highland Wildlife Park. We were invited because we sponsor animals at Edinburgh Zoo, and we couldn't believe the timing!
So on the Friday we got to Aviemore as quickly as we could and hightailed it over to the HWP. It was a lovely evening with plenty of visitors there, and some of the animals were more visible than they usually are when we visit. We were especially thrilled to see one of the beavers swimming about and eating leaves in full view of us visitors; he must have been out for 20 minutes before a loud child frightened him into hiding in his lodge. I wanted to smack that child!
On a very sad note, we were gutted to hear that Yuri, the male adult tiger we’ve been visiting possibly as long as we’ve been married, is drinking far more water than he should. Based on this indication that he is unwell and the fact that he is actually older than tigers usually live in the wild, we were told that he could be euthanised within the next few months if he is deemed to be in a lot of pain.
Meanwhile as part of the open evening, there was a silent auction of various items, including a tiger experience in which the winners could get closer to the tigers. I was determined to give Chris, who is especially fond of Yuri, a chance to get closer to Yuri and the other tigers so I made sure we won the tiger experience. I also got us the “adopt any animal and meet the keeper” experience so we could learn more about the red pandas. As luck would have it, we were told we could have both of our experiences on Sunday, our anniversary! We couldn’t wait.
On Saturday, we spent some time at the RSPB’s osprey centre at Loch Garten. We were thrilled to find out that the three osprey chicks have all fledged but are still in Loch Garten. They’ll all fly to Africa in the next few weeks, but for now they’re still visible from the visitor centre. It’s a lovely centre staffed by people who really care about the ospreys and know everything about these particular birds. They’re amazing creatures, the birds and the staff!
From there, we visited the cake shop at the Inshraich Nursery. We consumed cake and tea while viewing the many birds and squirrels at the feeding stations in front of a long viewing window. It is so lovely there, and the wildlife viewing is truly hypnotic. It was only the sound of more and more customers arriving (and the knowledge that there aren’t enough seats at the window for everyone) that prompted us to surrender our places and depart!
We then spent a few hours walking around the very scenic Loch an Eilein. There were other visitors dotted around, but it was so peaceful and lovely. We especially enjoyed the various dogs who were there with other visitors but were willing to trot along with us for a while. Cute! We capped off the lovely day with delicious curry at our favourite Indian restaurant in Aviemore and a sighting of one of the Loch Garten ospreys flying over the B&B with a big fish in his/her talons!
The next day was all about our animal experiences at the HWP. First we met the keepers at the tiger enclosure. We got close to the tigers in their indoor enclosure, where they’d been locked in so that meat could be placed in various spots in their outdoor enclosure. It was thrilling but unnerving to be so close to them inside the enclosure. They are so huge and gorgeous. We wanted to reach right through the bars and pet them, but the keepers thankfully kept us right. We then helped distribute the huge hunks of meat around the large outdoor enclosure, not a pleasant task but certainly an interesting one! Then we were safely outside the enclosure when the tigers were allowed back outside, but we had a close vantage point for watching them. All of this lasted for about an hour and a half, but it felt much longer than that. And we were much relieved to learn that Yuri doesn’t seem to be in any pain for now. We sincerely hope that he’ll get better.
We then had our red panda experience. The keepers of the tigers and the red pandas were so nice to us, telling us so much about the animals and getting us as close to the animals as safely possible. For the red pandas, we got to help put apples slices throughout the enclosure, and then the main keeper tried so hard to get the pandas to come down from up in the trees so we could feed them. The pandas were looking down at us but didn’t feel like moving. The keeper was so patient; she tried for about half an hour before it was time for us to head back to the tigers. The red pandas are gorgeous, and just being that much closer to them was well worth the experience!
When we got back to the tigers, it was time to assist the keepers in examining the tigers for any obvious injuries/problems. We were each given a stick with a bit of meat on the end, and we took turns luring a tiger into standing up against the mesh wall of the enclosure. While each tiger stood up with his/her paws against the mesh, the keepers could check their paws and bellies. The tigers, even the cubs, are HUGE. It was surreal indeed to have a huge cat standing up right in front of me, with only a seemingly thin sheet of wire mesh separating us. The keepers were kind enough to take pictures of us with the tigers, and here we are with Yuri:
We were delighted with our tiger and red panda experiences. It was so special to get so close to such gorgeous creatures, very special indeed. It was certainly an anniversary to remember. Thank you, Highland Wildlife Park!
So on the Friday we got to Aviemore as quickly as we could and hightailed it over to the HWP. It was a lovely evening with plenty of visitors there, and some of the animals were more visible than they usually are when we visit. We were especially thrilled to see one of the beavers swimming about and eating leaves in full view of us visitors; he must have been out for 20 minutes before a loud child frightened him into hiding in his lodge. I wanted to smack that child!
On a very sad note, we were gutted to hear that Yuri, the male adult tiger we’ve been visiting possibly as long as we’ve been married, is drinking far more water than he should. Based on this indication that he is unwell and the fact that he is actually older than tigers usually live in the wild, we were told that he could be euthanised within the next few months if he is deemed to be in a lot of pain.
Meanwhile as part of the open evening, there was a silent auction of various items, including a tiger experience in which the winners could get closer to the tigers. I was determined to give Chris, who is especially fond of Yuri, a chance to get closer to Yuri and the other tigers so I made sure we won the tiger experience. I also got us the “adopt any animal and meet the keeper” experience so we could learn more about the red pandas. As luck would have it, we were told we could have both of our experiences on Sunday, our anniversary! We couldn’t wait.
On Saturday, we spent some time at the RSPB’s osprey centre at Loch Garten. We were thrilled to find out that the three osprey chicks have all fledged but are still in Loch Garten. They’ll all fly to Africa in the next few weeks, but for now they’re still visible from the visitor centre. It’s a lovely centre staffed by people who really care about the ospreys and know everything about these particular birds. They’re amazing creatures, the birds and the staff!
From there, we visited the cake shop at the Inshraich Nursery. We consumed cake and tea while viewing the many birds and squirrels at the feeding stations in front of a long viewing window. It is so lovely there, and the wildlife viewing is truly hypnotic. It was only the sound of more and more customers arriving (and the knowledge that there aren’t enough seats at the window for everyone) that prompted us to surrender our places and depart!
We then spent a few hours walking around the very scenic Loch an Eilein. There were other visitors dotted around, but it was so peaceful and lovely. We especially enjoyed the various dogs who were there with other visitors but were willing to trot along with us for a while. Cute! We capped off the lovely day with delicious curry at our favourite Indian restaurant in Aviemore and a sighting of one of the Loch Garten ospreys flying over the B&B with a big fish in his/her talons!
The next day was all about our animal experiences at the HWP. First we met the keepers at the tiger enclosure. We got close to the tigers in their indoor enclosure, where they’d been locked in so that meat could be placed in various spots in their outdoor enclosure. It was thrilling but unnerving to be so close to them inside the enclosure. They are so huge and gorgeous. We wanted to reach right through the bars and pet them, but the keepers thankfully kept us right. We then helped distribute the huge hunks of meat around the large outdoor enclosure, not a pleasant task but certainly an interesting one! Then we were safely outside the enclosure when the tigers were allowed back outside, but we had a close vantage point for watching them. All of this lasted for about an hour and a half, but it felt much longer than that. And we were much relieved to learn that Yuri doesn’t seem to be in any pain for now. We sincerely hope that he’ll get better.
We then had our red panda experience. The keepers of the tigers and the red pandas were so nice to us, telling us so much about the animals and getting us as close to the animals as safely possible. For the red pandas, we got to help put apples slices throughout the enclosure, and then the main keeper tried so hard to get the pandas to come down from up in the trees so we could feed them. The pandas were looking down at us but didn’t feel like moving. The keeper was so patient; she tried for about half an hour before it was time for us to head back to the tigers. The red pandas are gorgeous, and just being that much closer to them was well worth the experience!
When we got back to the tigers, it was time to assist the keepers in examining the tigers for any obvious injuries/problems. We were each given a stick with a bit of meat on the end, and we took turns luring a tiger into standing up against the mesh wall of the enclosure. While each tiger stood up with his/her paws against the mesh, the keepers could check their paws and bellies. The tigers, even the cubs, are HUGE. It was surreal indeed to have a huge cat standing up right in front of me, with only a seemingly thin sheet of wire mesh separating us. The keepers were kind enough to take pictures of us with the tigers, and here we are with Yuri:
We were delighted with our tiger and red panda experiences. It was so special to get so close to such gorgeous creatures, very special indeed. It was certainly an anniversary to remember. Thank you, Highland Wildlife Park!
posted by Trace at
10:39 am
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