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Original poster

To ask if you've driven through a safari park...

138 replies

whothehellknows · 30/03/2015 10:02

Did the monkeys really try to eat your car? I'm driving a hire car until mine is fixed, and I'm not keen to return it with missing wipers etc. Is all that just a myth, or should I not do it?

OP posts:
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10
MangoBiscuit · 30/03/2015 11:39

We lost an aerial and the windscreen washer cap. A friend lost her rear light fitting!

To ask if you've driven through a safari park...
To ask if you've driven through a safari park...
hedgehogsdontbite · 30/03/2015 11:40

The Longleat monkeys got my back wiper and the rubber bits that direct the windscreen wash. Bastards! They got the roof box open of the car in front. It was like the January sales the way they were rummaging through everything and fighting over the good stuff.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 30/03/2015 11:42

OMG do not go through in a hire car.

I have been through Knowsley and Longleat monkey enclosures and it is normally the highlight but it isn't for the faint hearted. I was very, very lucky last time as I was in our new-to-us car and my DH made me swear I wouldn't go through the monkey enclosure when taking my mum and children to Longleat. Whilst there though, I had a 'sod it' moment and went in. The car was quickly covered in monkeys (great) then they just started getting very interested in the wipers and wing mirrors. My heart sank quickly but luckily a plumber came up next to me with lots of pipe strapped onto the roof of his van. The monkeys quickly left my car and jumped straight onto the top of the moving monkey playground van and I was let off the hook big time. Clean smalls please!

ghostyslovesheep · 30/03/2015 11:45

We broke down in the rhino enclosure at West Midlands which was fun!

TheoriginalMrsDarcy · 30/03/2015 11:45

I had a front seal, just underneath the bonnet stolen off my car at Knowsley, along with slightly bent front windscreen wipers. I was not pleased. But I got off lightly compared to the lovely brand new Range Rover next to me, who got their wipers stolen, front screen water sprayer taken apart, exposing all the wires and busted aeriel. No more monkey enclosures for me now.

Vanillaradio · 30/03/2015 11:55

We have done Longleat and Woburn. Car emerged fine on both occasions, although at Longleat one of the monkeys did a massive wee sitting on the roof of our car, (nearby garage was very entertained when we stopped on the way home to wash off the monkey pee!) However at Longleat we did see one car with both wipers ripped off and being chewed up. As a child I went to West Midlands Safari Park (when there were still monkeys there!) in the school minibus and the monkeys chewed up the leather cover for the spare wheel (school was not happy!) So I would say too risky in hire car!

Onelittlepiglet · 30/03/2015 11:58

Trimpy - that's what happened to us! We got blocked by the car in front and our car had a windscreen wiper and a black strip off the roof pulled off. I was livid because if the people in front had pulled in we could have got past but they thought it was hilarious.... We couldn't beep because we didn't want to upset the animals. Cost us over £100 to get fixed!

Hoppinggreen · 30/03/2015 11:59

Yes, they ripped off my rear windscreen the little bastards!!
It was deliberate too, they took their time over it

mariamin · 30/03/2015 12:14

Anyone seen that video on the net where the monkeys manage to open the storage area on the underside of a coach driving through? The monkeys proceed to pull out suitcases and bags and rummage through the contents. Hilarious to watch, not so funny if it is your suitcase.

MyLeftElbow · 30/03/2015 12:31

Oh yes! They love a bit of car! Grin

To ask if you've driven through a safari park...
Sparklingbrook · 30/03/2015 12:33

I found this but it looks a bit of a set up to me....

queenofwesteros · 30/03/2015 12:36

I haven't been to a safari park for many years now but the last time I did we went through the lion enclosure with our friends in the car in front. A massive boy lion wandered up, gave friend's car a wee sniff and then nonchalantly pissed all over it. For AGES. It was their pride see what I did there and joy but they couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks afterwards.
Don't do it OP!

OurGlass · 30/03/2015 12:55

You can skip the monkeys at Woburn.

BarbarianMum · 30/03/2015 13:05

I was a keeper at Windsor many years ago. The baboons did quite ften take aerials and wipers, as well as leaving muddy footprints and worse on cars but that was nothing to what 'Dunlop' the tiger did to any car to whose tires he took a fancy.

If we had particularly horrible visitors (think verbally abusive to staff/throwing rocks at the alligators etc) we used to radio ahead to the baboon keepers who would subtly herd the troop onto their cars and keep them there for a long time while.

froomeonthebroom · 30/03/2015 13:07

sparkling apparently they had to 'euthanase' the monkeys at your/my local safari park because they had a disease.

I always thought euthanasia had an element of choice for the participants. I wonder if anyone asked the monkeys? Sad Grin

Sparklingbrook · 30/03/2015 13:13

Oh blimey froom that sounds cheery. I wonder why? I always find that Safari park a bit depressing.

paxtecum · 30/03/2015 13:16

The monkeys are horrors and the ones at Knowsley are MASSIVE.
Don't do it.

PrimalLass · 30/03/2015 13:17

We lost a bit of room trim at Woburn. We wouldn't have stopped but were stuck behind another car - it got pulled to bits.

paxtecum · 30/03/2015 13:19

The monkeys are all addicted to wiper fluid too.

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 30/03/2015 13:20

We skipped the monkeys at Woburn, I'm too much of a coward. Ds2 videoed our safari unknown to the rest of us and the random conversation and crap David Attenborough impressions are very amusing.

On the whole we loved the safari park though, we went in June and it really wasn't busy at all. We sat in the rain watching a bird of prey display with 3 other peopleGrin

StillProcrastinating · 30/03/2015 13:21

Yes defo at woburn. But you're right, you can easily miss that section out.

PrimalLass · 30/03/2015 13:21

roof trim

AndHarry · 30/03/2015 13:22

I've been through Woburn many times and have never had anything damaged by the monkeys. I wouldn't risk it in a hire car though as it would be just my luck if they took a shine to it! There's a walk-through monkey exhibit in the main part of the park so you can get up close to the monkeys there.

Hathall · 30/03/2015 13:23

Longleat monkeys pulled bits off my car too and snapped the rear windscreen wash nozzle off!

PrimalLass · 30/03/2015 13:31

After the Woburn incident we nearly didn't go through the monkey bit at Longleat. But it was very quiet and we kept stopping where there were no monkeys to let the car in front get far ahead. At one point it did stop beside loads of monkeys idiot but we managed to get past.

A mum and baby sat on our bonnet at Woburn to distract us.