Move over Doctor Dolittle – Fred’s spent the day talking to the animals! Yesterday I spent the day at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield, just over 3 miles from East Grinstead.
I enjoyed the half-hourly talks by the keepers at different enclosures throughout the day – this meant I could see a lot of the animals up close.
I particularly enjoyed the Scottish wildcats, deer, otters, foxes and the owl display. The otters were so inquisitive and spent a while watching me; They knew it was their feeding time and as more people gathered they came out of the pond. The way they jumped up and down with excitement as the keeper arrived was so funny to watch!
The badger being handfed was quite a sight too – This particular badger could never live in the wild because she’s too friendly so she now lives at the centre. The foxes, likewise, while wary of their keepers are also far too friendly to be released in to the wild – they’d approach people wanting food and attention!
In the evening, my AirB&B host, Catherine, invited me to join her as she was feeding her horses in the evening. We agreed to meet in the yard, 18:30, and then headed across the road to the field the horses were in.
Once the horses had been fed I gave them some treats and was also able to get one of them to do a couple of tricks for me. Bonding with a horse like this is quite an intimate moment, so fun and rewarding. Look how happy we both are together! Best friends for life!
Today I’m going for a guided tour of the house used to film the BBC’s Ghosts series, then for lunch at a nearby National Trust property with my cousin Tom.
FH.
