Identical twin fun

Animal mad identical twins, Molly and Emily Freeman, had a day to remember when they became keepers for the day at DZG.

The girls, from Widnes, near Liverpool, tickled tapirs, stroked a snake and held a lizard as part of their day out to celebrate their ninth birthday and DZG was specifically chosen because they were able to experience it together.

The girls’ mum, Hannah, said: “What drew us to Dudley in particular was not only the amount of activities and animals they got to interact with, but also that you offered the chance for them to do it together. A lot of zoos I researched only offered individual experiences, but the whole point is being able to experience it with someone special and the girls do everything together.”

And after watching the girls having so much fun, Hannah is even considering signing up to do an adult keeper experience here at DZG with her husband.

She added: “My favourite part was watching them interact with the penguins. They looked like they were having so much fun feeding them fish and getting up close. I got the feeling that it was tickling the tapirs that really got them excited, as they came away with the biggest grins on their faces.

“Everything about the day was fantastic – the keepers were superb. There was a huge range of animals and they all looked very happy and well cared for. The whole day was really well organised and the goody bags the twins received was packed full of brilliant treats. We travelled a long way, but it was worth every minute. Thank you ever so much.”