Animal Park is a BBC docuseries that tells us a lot of information in an entertaining and educational way about the lives of the zookeepers and animals at the Wiltshire Longleat Safari and Adventure Park in England.
The show, presented by Ben Fogle since the 2000s and with a rotating cast of guests like Hamza Yassin, Kate Humble, Jean Johansson, and Paul Heiney, constantly features a different thing every episode.
You’ll learn about the animals, the people that work at the zoo, and how a zoo is run. But if you’re curious to know a little more concerning the production details of this program, like its filming locations and other things, we’re going to provide you with that information.
Animal Park Filming Locations
Animal Park, the long-running conservation and zookeeping show running on the BBC, is filmed entirely in the United Kingdom, particularly in Wiltshire, where there are two locations where cast and crew meet to make this show come to fruition. One is the Longleat House, and the other is the Longleat Safari Park, so let’s take time to explore those.
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Longleat House, Wiltshire, England
Seat to the Marquesses of Bath, Longleat House is an estate and manor that dates back to the 1540s; it is a beautiful Elizabethan structure with amazing green fields, a maze, a huge garden, and the Longleat Safari Park, which we’ll cover further in this article.
Because of its vast expanse, and beautiful locations, Longleat House in Wiltshire has been chosen by filmmakers and television producers as a venue. Pictures like 1959’s Libel, several episodes of Doctor Who, and a Hindi film called Mohabbatein were shot there. Furthermore, because of its vast terrain, Longleat House was the place where they staged the Red Bull Air Race back in the early 2000s.
Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
The bulk of the show, the exterior shots, and the scenes with the animals roaming around and where the zookeepers and hosts interact take place at the Longleat Safari and Adventure Park. This place opened up its gates in 1966, and it was the first of its kind: A Drive-thru safari park located outside Africa where visitors can be marveled at the wide array of animals that live there.
The park, as stated earlier, is located on the grounds of the Longleat House, it is open to the public, and thanks to its concept it became the home of the show Animal Park, featured on the BBC since 2001 with Ben Fogle as the host.
The park features an East African Reserve with giraffes, zebras, ostriches, tapirs, tortoises, lemurs, and goats. It also has the famous Jungle Cruise, where we can see Gorillas and colobus monkeys. Speaking of monkeys, this safari park also features the Monkey Temple, with all kinds of tamarins and marmosets. Additionally, there’s a petting zoo.
And there’s also a railway called the Longleat Railway. It’s a miniature ride and one of the most popular in England. It’s two kilometers long, and the lines to ride it are very, very long, but according to the reviews and testimonies, it’s well worth your wait. With three locomotives in activity and a museum to see the previous ones, it is a very entertaining venue should you decide to visit.
Longleat Safari Park has been the place where they filmed Animal Park and two other productions by the BBC; one is a 55-part docuseries called “Lion Country” that took place back in 1998, and the 1967 documentary “The Lions of Longleat” starring Jimmy Chipperfield.
Animal Park is shot in the United Kingdom’s Longleat House, an Elizabethan manor that was opened up to the public as one of the first drive-thru safari experiences outside Africa, it’s been home to conservationists, animal lovers, and it is where the BBC shoots Animal Park. If you’re curious about the show, it is on iPlayer if you live in the United Kingdom, and if you reside outside the UK, the show is available on Prime Video.
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