Gandalf’s Frosty Friends Tour!
A very special penguin is inviting people to meet a whole host of frosty friends at a series of fabulously festive events at Blackpool Zoo this Christmas.
Gandalf the Magellanic penguin is currently on a quest to find some new pals at the zoo and has been busy learning about animals that have adapted to colder climes in their natural habitats.
His journey is being followed by almost 40,000 Facebook users on Blackpool Zoo’s fan page and on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th December the Frosty Friends Tour will take visitors on a fun and educational journey to meet tigers, wolves, camels, penguins and, of course, reindeers.
Father Christmas will welcome guests to the reindeer paddock at the end of the tour, where they can help to feed his companions to get them ready for their epic worldwide journey on Christmas Eve.
Jude Rothwell, Marketing and PR Co-ordinator at Blackpool Zoo, said: “Gandalf is a very special member of the Blackpool Zoo family and was hand-reared by one of our expert keepers, Lynsey.
“She has been taking him to see lots of the animals here at Blackpool Zoo and his progress has been charted on our Facebook page.
“The Frosty Friends Tours will take in some of our most interesting animals including tigers, camels and wolves and we are really looking forward to the fabulously festive weekend!”
The tours are only available to book on the day and the first one will commence from the Lake View Café at 11.00am.
Penguin fans can follow Gandalf’s Quest on Blackpool Zoo’s Facebook page and try to solve the clues to guess who he’s meeting next.
The zoo will also be running Facebook competitions to win the chance to meet Gandalf or a full family membership throughout December.
ENDS
Picture shows: Gandalf setting off on his quest!
More information about Blackpool Zoo
Blackpool Zoo announced record figures for the fifth consecutive year in 2013 as it continued with investment in facilities and attractions, introduces new species and enjoys success in international breeding programmes for endangered animals.
Visitor numbers were up 10 per cent, school visits seven per cent, internet bookings saw an 55 per cent increase, membership sales rose by 10 per cent, which all led to a 12 per cent rise in revenue.
Blackpool Zoo is owned by Parques Reunidos, the second largest European leisure parks operator and a leading world-wide player. The zoo is home to over 1,500 mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates set amidst thirty-two acres of mature woodland and lakes.
The zoo’s signature animals include elephants, giraffes, big cats, gorillas, orang-utans, sea lions, primates, zebras and kangaroos. It is open every day of the year, apart from Christmas Day, from 10am.