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Animals!
Take a leisurely walk around the park to see and pet many of our field animals and enjoy closer encounters at our scheduled guided activities…
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Wallabies
Wandering our paths you may find the
Wallabies
Our mob of Bennetts wallabies are gentle and shy, but enjoy getting close to visitors during our wallaby encounter sessions. Join our guide in their enclosure during morning and afternoon slots.
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Ponies
Wandering our paths you may find the
Ponies
We have a range of gentle ponies to see, pet and hand feed in our fields such as Shetland, Miniature and Dartmoors. Other ponies, including Welsh and Cobs are available for children from 2.5 years to have short rides at weekends & school holidays. Simply buy a token at our entrance (£3.50)
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Goats
Wandering our paths you may find the
Goats
Our popular giddy goats, including Dairy, Pygmy & Angora cross, are super friendly and love to gently eat from the palm of your hand!
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Small furries
Wandering our park you may find the
Small furries
Come and meet our soft bunnies, including Lionhead, Lop, Dwarf and Dutch, and our sweet little Guinea Pigs. Drop by our popular small animal petting sessions, which run daily next to our small animal barn (see events board by the entrance for times).
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Donkeys
Wandering our paths you may find the
Donkeys
Our friendly, soft, donkeys love human company and are particularly partial to a stroke between the ears. One of our noisiest animals, you might hear them before you see them! Donkeys should have their animal food thrown to the ground, rather than hand fed.
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Emus
Wandering our paths you may find the
Emus
The second tallest living bird breed in the world! Meet Bernard and Beatrice who may look daunting due to their size, but are in fact very gentle.
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Fallow Deer
Wandering our paths you may find the
Fallow Deer
These elegant animals have a field and beautiful woodland to enjoy at the park. Known to be very timid, go gently and see if you can gain their trust to have them eating from your hand.
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Chickens
Wandering our paths you may find the
Chickens
The closest living relative to a T-Rex! Come and identify our varied breeds, from Red Caps, to Frizzles, Pekins, Leghorns and Silkies.
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Suffolk Punch
Wandering our paths you may find the
Suffolk Punch
Suffolk Punches were used in the WWII artillery and today are one of the rarest horse breeds in Britain. Come and see our mighty Zeus - he really is rather statuesque!
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Alpacas
Wandering our paths you may find the
Alpacas
Originally native to South America, these beautifully soft Huacaya alpaca love human contact, especially petting and hand-feeding. Look out for times when we do short alpaca walks at the park too.
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Giant Tortoise
Wandering our paths you may find the
Giant Tortoise
Say hello to Ralph! Ralph is an African Spurred Tortoise who came to us in March 2024. At only 10 years old, he already weighs a whopping 55kg!
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Pigs
Wandering our paths you may find the
Pigs
See our rare breed Mangalitsa siblings Rachel and Ronnie, a curly haired variety native to Hungary. With their bad eyesight and over-enthusiastic nature, please do not hand feed them - throw their food to the ground instead.
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Meerkats
Wandering our paths you may find the
Meerkats
Meet our super mob of meerkats, led by alpha female Martha. Watch them work together as a team, care for one another and exhibit quirky behaviour! Learn more about them too at our daily meerkat feed and talks!
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Golden Pheasants
Wandering our paths you may find the
Golden Pheasants
Not just a Pheasant, but a Golden Pheasant! Meet Dean, Sam and Cas the new trio on the farm! Dean is only a juvenile, but when he is fully grown, he will have stunning brightly coloured feathers.
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Tortoises
Wandering our park you may find the
Tortoises
See these super Horsefield tortoises in our small animal barn and in our petting area during Spring, Summer and Autumn. Fascinating reptiles, they move faster than you think!
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Sheep
Wandering our paths you may find the
Sheep
What a splendid variety of sheep you’ll find at Matlock Farm Park: Jacobs, ‘Teddy bear’ style Ryelands, Zwartbles, Texels and rare breed Swiss Valais Blacknose! There are also sweet cade lambs donated to us by neighbouring farmers during the Spring, who need extra care. See some of our sheep get involved in sheep races (Spring-Autumn) and get involved in a daily sheep walk too!
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Shire Horses
Wandering our paths you may find the
Shire Horses
Come and meet the wonderful Una and Waverley. Known for their incredible strength, these traditionally British horses were bred for hundreds of years to be the ultimate work horse.
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Ducks
Wandering our paths you may find the
Ducks
We have a range of ducks, from Indian Runners, Muscovies, Aylesburies, Calling Ducks to larger geese, you’ll often hear them going quackers!
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Cows
Wandering our paths you may find the
Cows
See our wonderful Dexters Hillary and Gail who are also Mum and Daughter! These ladies are so gentle and very interested in who is coming to visit.
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Llamas
Wandering our paths you may find the
Llamas
Meet our Llamas Edwina and Paddington. Originating in South America, llamas were first used as pack animals 5,000 years ago. A thicker, more rugged coat than their cousins the alpacas, they really do have super gentle mouths for hand-feeding from our visitors.
Why not buy a bag of animal food and have many of our four-legged friends eating out of your hand?
Animal food is £1.50 a bag from our entrance/tuck shop. Our animals are very friendly and love to be fussed.