Wellington Zoo Big Cat Encounter - 2 people

A once in a lifetime experience that will excite, move and captivate you!

Go behind the scenes with the big cat keeper and learn how the lions and tigers are trained. Learn about why the keepers do medical conditioning and what it is used for.

The tigers are trained with a tennis ball on the end of a stick, as the ball moves, the tiger moves so zoo staff can check over different parts of its body. The male lions stand on their hind feet so keepers can check over their legs and stomachs, and may also do station training with the lions where they are trained to step onto a platform where they can be weighed.

For medical training the keepers get the cats used to a pinch near the base of their tail, so if zoo staff ever need to take blood from them, it can be done easily and there is less stress for both cat and staff.

Your guide will be with you at all times during the tour. Staff at Wellington Zoo will take all practical steps to reduce the risks in their activities to acceptable levels, supply instruction on safe practices, and make participants aware of the level of risk in each activity. However all activities require a shared responsibility.

Access to the rest of Wellington Zoo is included with this experience.

This experience is available every day, except Wednesday, at 10.30am. The weather does not normally affect this tour, but this can be confirmed on the day.

Duration: 45 minutes