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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be worried about the drive through safari?

109 replies

slipperandleggings · 14/08/2021 13:48

Anyone been?
Do the animals really wreck your car? Kids are begging to go but I'm worried about loosing a mirror!
I know we can walk a different route but they really want to drive... just risk assessing before booking!

OP posts:
Bigboysmademedoit · 14/08/2021 15:42

Another vote for West Midlands - no destructive monkeys in the drive thru Safari 😀

MakeItRain · 14/08/2021 15:43

Agree that the Longleat monkeys are pros! I had several bits pulled off my (old) car, or else parts were ripped or broken. My windscreen washer jets were twisted off and wrecked! The second time I went through I thought I was being clever taping them down (the car was pretty old!) but they made a beeline for them, spat on the tape and took it off in seconds Shock. Luckily they were so pleased with themselves they left the actual jets alone that time! My little (at the time) son talked about the "naughty monkeys" for years after Grin. The rest of the safari is fine in terms of car damage, but I'd never take my newer car through the monkey enclosure! You can easily just avoid them via the short cut though.

eurochick · 14/08/2021 15:45

Just skip the monkeys. They took a tiny bit of a rubber seal off our car that cost nearly 500 quid to replace.

Handsnotwands · 14/08/2021 15:50

The key is to not stop or slow down too much. If you see them approaching drive a bit faster

onthinice · 14/08/2021 15:55

At longleat you can bypass the monkeys. Top tip: get the DC to go to the toilet before you start, we got stuck in a hold up in the lion enclosure and DD was crying with how much she needed a wee.

LaurieFairyCake · 14/08/2021 15:59

I love this thread GrinGrin

I definitely want to go (we have a shit car we don't care about)

MikeWozniaksGloriousTache · 14/08/2021 16:01

As others have said you can usually skip the monkeys which are definitely the worst offenders. One, possibly Woburn or West Mids has plenty of signage so you can avoid and a lovely feature wall of all the retrieved number plates, bumpers, aerials etc Grin.

Not stopping is a good tip but other drivers sometimes make this difficult when they stop in both lanes so you’re penned in. We had one on the top of our car, slid down the back, pulled at the wiper but then just walked off so no damage. Did see a group stripping on the rubber seal from a sunroof on a bmw that had sped round to get in the middle of a group. He looked most annoyed when we passed at the exit and he was trying to mackle some of it back in Grin

LadyJJ · 14/08/2021 16:01

We watched the (i think) baboons strip the metal trim strips and any rubber parts off the people carrier in front of us at Knowsley. They did loads of damage, but only to that one car.
It was dark blue with lots of chrome effect strips idk if that attracted them.
We had a VW T4 at the time so fairly indestructible, but DP took the wipers off it beforehand just in case.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 14/08/2021 16:07
Grin
pennee · 14/08/2021 16:12

Another victim here of the Knowsley windscreen washer thief crew 🙋🏻‍♀️
Couldn't even wash their poo of afterwards either. It is absolutely hilarious when they come at you but take the bus if it's on offer 😂

ClaraThePigeon · 14/08/2021 16:13

He looked most annoyed when we passed at the exit and he was trying to mackle some of it back in 

What does mackle mean?

TableFlowerss · 14/08/2021 16:23

[quote Naunet]Just take the warnings to lock the doors seriously!

[/quote] OMFG 😱😱😱😱😱😱
keziahmee · 14/08/2021 16:48

Mackle: To mend in a makeshift way, or to assemble something out of scrap materials. Common usage in Northamptonshire/east midlands.

HelloChompy · 14/08/2021 21:33

We were at West Midlands years ago, going through the lion enclosure. The 4 x 4 in front of us had a soft cover over their spare tyre. One of the lionesses had a bit of a sniff at the tyre as she walked past. The car drove forward a foot, then stopped, then drove forward a short distance again, almost goading her to chase them while they looked out of the back window, laughing.The next thing we knew she was up at the tyre, sinking her teeth in and ripping the cover off! They didn't find it quite so funny then - we got some good photos though!

blahblahblah321 · 14/08/2021 21:39

Longleat monkeys are absolute little shites, they stripped a load of rubber off one of our cars previously.

Not quite as bad as the Camels who decided to have a wrestle alongside our car at Whipsnade. I feared they were going to flatten us!!

SemiFeralDalek · 14/08/2021 21:53

@Sirzy

We go to Knowsley. I won’t drive my car through the monkeys but you can go through on a minibus if you want or on the safe route you can pull up and watch other cars being ruined the monkeys
This, basically.

We went recently and were behind an eye wateringly expensive vehicle that turned right into the monkey enclosure. We were at a similar speed but on the outside of the fence and watched it get, essentially, vandalised, the driver was horrified.

GintyMcGinty · 14/08/2021 22:01

We have a membership at one and go at least once a month.

We've never had any problems or damage to the car.

ignatiusjreilly · 14/08/2021 22:10

We watched the monkeys at Longleat pull the rear parking sensors off the car in front. The baby monkeys were swinging happily on the wires hanging out.

DH was horrified and drove out of there as fast as he could Grin

Figgygal · 14/08/2021 22:14

Dh refuses to take cars into the one at Longleat after watching a car have its rubber door seal pulled out along the full length of the car

I went without him in may and we watched the car in front have it’s aerial bitten clear off and monkey run away with it

They’re right little fuckers

Phoxinusphoxinus · 14/08/2021 22:15

Knowesly was so much fun we went through twice. Apart from a bit snapped off the rear wiper and shit on the car it wasn't too bad. Kids loved it - especially when they decided to use our bonnet to have a shag! We did see them trying car doors, chewing on aerials and tugging at rubber door seals. But you can't do a safari without the monkey bit as that's the best bit.

Elliania · 14/08/2021 22:19

We went to Longleat some years ago but opted to skip the monkey enclosure. We also weren't allowed into the deer enclosure because it was their breeding season.

We had two minor issues; we got stuck in a herd of buffalo with a very pissed off looking male pawing the ground whilst staring at our car & then when we went through the lion enclosure one of the lionesses walked in front of the car but was so close to the bumper, we lost sight of her. I was half convinced she was gonig to hop onto the bonnet for the warmth from the engine.....

Sunshineandalltherainbows · 14/08/2021 22:57

The monkeys at Longleat the other week took my washer jets off in 2 seconds flat. They are complete pros. Although initially annoyed, I was relieved it wasn't the parking sensors like the person parked next to us.

LokiOfAsgard · 14/08/2021 23:02

Had to laugh at someone in a car group I'm in. They went through and when they got out the other side the monkeys had removed every letter from their fancy gel numberplate leaving them with an empty yellow rectangle.
They had to ask a ranger to borrow a sharpie 😂

Madcats · 14/08/2021 23:03

@onthinice

At longleat you can bypass the monkeys. Top tip: get the DC to go to the toilet before you start, we got stuck in a hold up in the lion enclosure and DD was crying with how much she needed a wee.
Ah yes "mummy, I need a wee!".

Not advertised, for obvious reasons, but there certainly did used to be some portaloos between the gates in and out of the two lion enclosures at Longleat.

HelloDulling · 14/08/2021 23:07

The bus at Longleat is great. High up, and nice for the car driver to just look and not have to drive too.

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