Malvern grandmother's lockdown zoo on show at Longleat

A zoo of animals made from buttons and beads has found a permanent home at a safari park.

Julie Thomas, from Malvern in Worcestershire, began making the creations to show her two grandsons on video calls during the lockdown.

Her animals now have their own display at Longleat Safari Park.

Mrs Thomas said it was lovely to see people enjoying her creations at the Wiltshire destination, which she hoped would make people smile.

After grandsons Seb and Ralph asked her to make a giraffe from her collection of buttons and beads, Mrs Thomas began making something each day and eventually created over 200 animals for her lockdown zoo.

She then began to wonder what to do with all her animals and, after sending out a few emails, Longleat said it would be happy to display them. Her creations went on display on Friday.

"It was lovely seeing people going up and looking at it, school parties and stuff, they really enjoying looking at them up close and working out how it was all made," she said.

"The other strange thing is people always ask what my favourite animal was that I made and I always say the meerkats and that is the animal the display is right next to.

"Some friends have asked 'Aren't you sorry to see it go?' But it is in the right place, it is lovely seeing kids pointing at them and just enjoying what it is all about, I never wanted monetary gain, I just wanted to make people smile, and it has worked.

"It is a good way to finish things off."

"As the first safari park to open outside of Africa back in 1966 we do have a lot of experience looking after exotic animals, but Julie's menagerie is definitely something else," said Darren Beasley, head of animal operations at Longleat.

"The time, effort and love that Julie has put into the collection deserves to be seen by as many people as possible and I am sure its new home at the entrance to our Jungle Kingdom will provide a lot of enjoyment for our visitors."

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