Park People
Predators on the prowl
A firm family favourite since its opening 50 years ago, Longleat safari park in the south west United Kingdom is diversifying its offering to ensure year- round visitor returns. Bryony Andrews speaks to CEO Bob Montgomery about the park’s upcoming seasonal exhibit Predators on the Prowl
it can facilitate our morbid fascination with the more gruesome aspects of the animal kingdom. Longleat’s guests are predominantly families,
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explains CEO Montgomery, and its new exhibit, Predators on the Prowl, embraces the weird and wonderful of the wild in an exciting, interactive way that is perfect for uniting young guests and adults.
In partnership with entertainment design firm Forrec, Longleat is in the process of refining its design for a resort hotel, conference facility and water park. “40% of our guests are coming from more than two hours away,” says Montgomery. “A third are staying over nearby, so we are missing out on an opportunity if we don’t provide them with a place to stay.”
hen it comes to bringing families together over a shared interest, there is nothing to beat the wonder of nature – especially if
Highlights of Predators include an interactive Venus
flytrap that eats over-sized flies thrown by guests; a unique ‘in-mouth’ perspective of a deep-sea anglerfish, and the lair of a shrike, also known as the butcher bird, which has a grisly habit of impaling the bodies of its insect victims on thorn bushes. “With this theme, we can feature animals that our
visitors wouldn’t expect, provoking new reactions and getting them to engage in new conversations,” says Montgomery. “It fits well with the rest of Longleat, but as the exhibit is only available for a few months, it gives visitors a sense of urgency – a summer buzz – and keeps momentum moving all year.” The semi- permanence of the exhibit, which runs from March to September, is key, because it provides a significant window in which to visit.
Teamwork and technology Longleat used its own in-house team of designers to design 14 dynamic scenes featuring a collection of moving models, outsourcing the manufacturing of the fibreglass figures to Chinese group VYA. “We have done really positive work with VYA in the past with our dinosaur display, and we have really pushed the envelope for this project, spending more on special effects like audio, and a mister with cold air.” Each of the models is set within its own environment, linked by a series of interpretation boards describing how the animals use their unique adaptations to become some
of the planet’s ultimate predators. Particular attention was paid to the animals’ eyes,
skin, fur, feathers and scales to make them as realistic as possible. “You can’t usually see these things up close,” says Montgomery. “We were very particular about the design - we needed a deep level of detail and it required a lot of coordination. Working for an inside exhibit you need to be much more precise – it is easier when you’re outside!” On May 24, meanwhile ‘
T.rex: The Killer Question’ opens at the park. Featuring eight animatronic dinosaur models and a towering T. rex skeleton, it will create yet another a high quality, educational attraction for guests. Longleat expects to see significant return on its
investment this summer, especially over the Easter break, and predicts a 10 per cent lift in the park’s visitor count from May to September. With a breeding pair of tigers and two new species coming to the safari park later this year, plus special events such as the Sky Safari balloon show and the annual Festival of Light, this seems well within the realms of possibility. “We have such striking grounds and so much space, and we are lucky with the weather in the valley. We can do just about anything!” says Bob. “Not many places have that luxury.”
Predators runs from March 24 – September 3 at Longleat.
www.longleat.co.uk
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