Celebrating pets

DZG keepers are marking National Pet Month  by raising awareness of responsible pet ownership.

The UK is known for its love of pets and here at DZG, that’s no exception and keepers are always keen to celebrate animals of all sizes and varieties.

Senior Keeper, Lesley Lewis, pictured right, said: “Owning a pet can reap so many benefits for people young and old, but can also be hard work and takes years of dedication.

“Here at DZG we have petting sessions in the farm barn, where we let visitors touch and stroke our small tame animals.

“We always get children to sit down first and show them how to hold the animals correctly and explain about the foods they eat, the bedding they sleep in and how they need cleaning out regularly.

“On the farm we have the animals most people have as pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and goldfish, although we are also hearing lots of children say they have more exotic pets at home, such as snakes, ferrets, rats and giant African land snails, so we point them in the direction of the Discovery Centre, where they can go and find out more about those particular species.”