Traffic Free Week and Rainforest Roadshow makes Whipsnade Wild Animal Park your natural environment!

Enjoy a stroll around the park or alternatively hop on one of our regular safari buses to help navigate the beautiful 600 acre park, the only sign of congestion will be the free roaming animals all vying for a place in the sun! After visiting the penguins, zebra foal and Amur tigers, you could always sit back and relax on one Whipsnade's famous old steam engines as they take you on a voyage of discovery.

The environmentally friendly week is in support of The Atlantic Forest Campaign which Whipsnade and many other European Zoos are fundraising for in 2002.

The Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil is increasingly threatened by habitat destruction and the campaign is being held to raise awareness of the unique wildlife and tribal people.

Whipsnade will also be hosting the fascinating Rainforest Roadshow which is taking place from Monday 5th to Friday 9th August. The Roadshow consists of four sessions each day, each lasting approximately 40 minutes.

Visitors to the park will be invited to attend one of the free sessions to have the chance to learn more about the rainforest and meet some unusual invertebrates close up. The Roadshow host Dave Shaw will also indulge the visitors in a variety of genuine tribal artefacts he has collected on his travels - including a very large blowpipe!

Rainforests are the most biological diverse ecosystems on the planet, and it is thought that millions of species remain undiscovered. The Roadshow brings the exciting rainforest environment to life for you, by using extraordinary genuine artefacts, live invertebrates and our own personal experiences.

In addition to the plants and animals, the Roadshow also focuses on the lifestyle and culture of tribal peoples, environmental issues, and our impact on the tropical rainforests.

To continue the fundraising, Whipsnade will be organising something for everyone by offering games, face painting, mask-making and running fabulous quizzes and trails with the chance to win your very own fluffy tamarin! These great activities take place Monday - Friday throughout the summer holidays.

For further information please contact the Zoological Society of London Public Relations Office:

Joe Laing / Debbie Curtis / Peter Beatty
Tel: 020 7449 6236 / 6363 / 6361
Fax: 020 7449 6362
Email: publicrelations@zsl.org

Notes to Editors

• The Roadshow sessions will be at 11am, 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm.