Critically endangered fruit bats are going to be centre-stage with these new exclusive encounters.
What is involved in a fruit bat encounter?
We are incredibly lucky to be home to the Livingstone's Fruit Bats, a critically endangered megabat species from the Comoros Islands near Madagascar. These bats are rare in captivity with only 3 collections worldwide holding a breeding population, us and Jersey Zoo.
Their wingspans can be up to 1.2 metres, the 3rd largest bat in the world.
The Fruit Bat Island home was opened in December 2022 to the public and until now, visitors have not had the opportunity to actually go in with the bats.
The Experience
First, you will meet one of our keepers in the Bear Falls Cafe and chat about the dos and don'ts of this amazing encounter.
You will then be taken behind-the-scenes into the bat house where you will walk into the main flight area of the fruit bats.
Some of the bats are very friendly and inquisitive and your keeper will guide you around the exhibit and introduce you to some of our more charismatic individuals.
Your family and friends will be able to watch you go batty from the viewing area and you can hand over your camera to your keeper to take some memorable photos for you.
What's their favourite food?
During the encounter, you will find out what their favourite food is and see how cheeky some of the bats are. The keeper will answer all of your batty questions and explain why these amazing bats are so rare and why it is such a unique experience to get close to one of the rarest animals in the world.
Interested?
Vouchers available now in our online shop. All encounters must be pre-booked before you arrive at the Zoo.
Learn more about our bats and see what to expect from our LIVE Fruit Bat Q&A which was held with the keepers - this is on our Youtube Channel.