I've just come back from Twycross (yet again) and am still of the opinion that it is the best Zoo I have ever been to.

I took my kids aged 7 and 3, and they had a whale of a time.

The zoo was originally founded my 2 ladies - one of whom was Molly Badham - both had an overidding interest in primates - and the funding for the zoo originally came from them providing the chimps for the PG tips adverts.

If anyone has the chance to read any of the books about or by Molly Badham please do - her life has been fasinating, the struggles she has had to promote the conservation efforts around the world and the successes she has had with her captive breeding programmes.

Twycross is a traditional zoo on the surface, with lions, elephants and giraffes, but if you read the literature and the posters, you start to realise how many 'firsts' the zoo has had with regards to their captive breeding programmes - they are also responsible for the 'stud' books for a number of species throughout Europe - such is their standing in the zoological community.

I last went a couple of years ago, and in that time they have added and improved a number of enclosures - there is a new Lemur house - the orangs, chimps and gorillas all have new/improved cages, the elephant area has trebled in size and has been landscaped, the penguins pool has been revamped and as i type the builders are in building a new big cat enclosure.

It is definately a full day out - take a picnic - either eat it in the car park or drag it to one of the many grassy areas around the cages - there are a couple of restaurants and numerous ice cream stands.

For those people that say animals should not be kept in a cage - well I think the owners of Twycross would be the first to agree with you - however - life is not that simple - the habitat for the majority of the animals on the 'at risk' or endangered register simply does not exist anymore, o
r if it does exist, there is often the danger of poachers. the zoos captive breeding programme is the only way to ensure that these animals do not become extinct, then hopefully in time their natural homes can be made safe, and eventually these fantastic animals can be returned to their original wild habitats.