ANIMAL lovers can get up close and personal with creatures either fluffy or scaley at a relaunched urban farm.
The Tropical Zoo, when based in Brentford, did not have hot water for hand washing so it could not offer visitors an interactive facility.
However, since it moved to its new home at Faggs Road in Feltham a few weeks ago guests have been invited to touch the animals.
Zoo founder Tony Purdy said: “One of the first things that we knew we had to do was to re-introduce animal contact at the farm, people come to interact with the animals and were dismayed they were not allowed.
“Hot water was installed last week, the barriers have come down and people can now stroke the animals and even bottle-feed our new-born lambs.”
The Tropical Zoo moved from its original home at Syon Park as a result of a planning condition and the original zoo was bulldozed last week.
As the Chronicle went to press nothing remained of it and work was due to begin on landscaping the site to become part of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel next door.
Alice Purdy, the zoo’s educational director added: “Animal encounters are an essential part of our ethos, people have a greater understanding when they are able to experience things in this way.”
For more information on the zoo visit www.hounslow.info/parks/urbanfarm .
