Little Africa houses a number of animals native to the continent, including fennec fox, African crested porcupines, meerkats, Savannah monitor lizards and giant train millipedes, as well as one of the largest rodents in Africa, the Gambian pouched rat, and also the smallest, the African pygmy mouse.

The weather was distinctly British at the ribbon cutting opening, with some rather cold rain, however this didn't put a downer on the event with most of the attraction being under cover. We were also treated to a traditional African dance performance.

At the centre of Little Africa is an impressive aviary where a mix of bird species such as the trumpeter hornbills, Madagascan teal and black-crowned night herons, will share the same environment that has been designed to replicate an African water hole. 

Geoff Masson, livestock manager at Paultons Park, added, “We’re very excited to launch our new animal attraction, Little Africa, ahead of February half term. Little Africa has given us the opportunity to bring new, interesting animals to the park and expand our already vast educational facilities. We held a family-friendly press launch on Saturday, February 10 for local press to visit the attraction before we open to the public on the following day. This was a succesful event and we were pleased to also welcome Ann Turner, one of the original founders of the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project (MGHP) in South Africa, who cut the ribbon at the official launch of Little Africa. The MGHP is one of the conservation projects Paultons Park supports.”

James Mancey, operations director at Paultons Park, told us, “Now in our 35th year we want to continue to improve and add to our offering. 2018 is set to be an exciting year to visit Paultons Park, with the launch of two new attractions, there will be something new for children of all ages to experience. Little Africa is going to be an educational, interactive and exciting attraction. There will be a number of animals that children, and even parents, will have not seen before.”

Paultons Park is a 40 minute drive from Bournemouth, just off the M27.

* In June 2017 Paultons Park won TripAdvisor’s best-rated UK amusement park for the second year in a row.