Dartmoor zoo park, Devon - Jaguar, Brown Bears & big cats workshop

Dartmoor Zoo Park

Following a recommendation from two of our customers, Photographers on safari have found a great new venue that offers subjects in superb surroundings that are not easily photographed elsewhere in the UK. We have gained privileged access to a number of animals, enabling you to leave this venue with some absolutely stunning images. Just take a look at the Dartmoor Zoo Park Photo Gallery to see what can be achieved. It may be a considerable journey for many people, but I can assure you that it is a journey that will be well worth the effort. Dartmoor Zoo Park is quite a compact zoo set in some 30 acres of rolling Devon countryside, but with specialist access, the enclosures are really superb for photography.

Jaguar

The star of this venue is undoubtedly Sovereign - a beautiful male Jaguar. We will have special access from which to photograph this stunning cat. He is the third largest member of the cat family - being outweighed only by lions and tigers. We will have two sessions with Sovereign, one of which will hopefully entail him stalking the head keeper. This makes for some really great photography as Sovereign is quite slow and deliberate in his movements, usually allowing everybody plenty of time to get the shot. His large enclosure provides you with some perfect backgrounds for that "in the wild" feel. Jaguars are sometimes very nervous and difficult to photograph. This is definitely not the case with Sovereign.

European Brown Bears

Three beautiful Brown Bears live here in a natural woodland setting. Bears are naturally lazy and, left to their own devices, will do little more than sleep for 90% of the day. For these subjects we will have a special feed to tempt them into the best open areas. This is a family group - mother, father and a half grown cub that is much lighter in colour than it's parents. Their faces are endearing and their paws huge. No wires glass or fencing will obstruct your view here.

Two Lions & Three Amur Tigers

DZP houses a gorgeous male Black-Maned Lion and his female partner. They are in stunning condition and are very vocal. They were both regularly roaring and the whole park almost vibrated as a result. They have a large enclosure with a huge tree in the middle of it. Great shots can be taken from the specialist access we will enjoy as they regularly patrol their enclosure. Next to them are two female and one male Amur Tigers. These have an even bigger area, complete with a large 20 feet tall rock in the centre. One tiger spends much of his time looking down from this superb vantage point. Once again we will have special access to make the most of these superb animals. The fact that there were three tigers in one enclosure also seemed to make them more active, often interacting with each other.

Cheetah

The cheetah has the largest enclosure in the park. The centre of this enclosure is a small hill that provides an amazingly natural backdrop for your photos. The hill has long grasses and when she is sitting on the top she looks quite similar to how she would be if surveying the plains below in the wild. Sita is a friendly cat and will follow our keeper around inside the enclosure into the most photogenic spots, thus enabling you the opportunity to capture some absolutely stunning images

Wolves, Lynx, Tapir & Raccoons

Photographers on Safari have also arranged for privileged access to the Wolves, Lynx and Tapir. The wolves are in a wooded area on a hillside and the Tapir has a small paddock with a pond at the bottom. Both of these situations should again present some great photo opportunities. Some of the wolves are white in colour and some almost black. The Lynx have a double enclosure in the middle of the park. The raccoons are adorable. These are not guaranteed, however. Apparently they emerge when they want to and no amount of coaxing will influence this. It is usually just before the park closes that the opportunities for these guys are best. Fingers crossed.

Various Other Species

There are other subjects that we may, or may not, have time to photograph during our day. We will concentrate on the animals previously mentioned, and will also have the following animals "in reserve", Two enclosures near to the Lynx contain Asian short-clawed otters and Agoutis - not together I might add. Then in paddocks we could choose from Reindeer, Alpaca, Roe Deer, Llama, Lechwe Antelope and Ostrich. Whatever we choose, a great day is certainly on the cards. Lunch is also included.

Customer Feedback

This venue was run for the first time in 2010. All nine workshops were fully sold out. The general feedback from the vast majority of customers who attended was that this was the best UK workshop on offer. Many of those who attended in 2010 have vowed to return in 2011. It may be quite a distance away for many people, but I can assure you that it is worth the effort. The photo opportunities are amazing.

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