As zoo owners we have done exactly that in the past. I have no experience of what Broxbourne's catchment is like, but here it is VERY mixed. Generally groups from smaller rural market towns in our area are noticeably better behaved, but I fear the issue you raise is an indicator of societies standards in general.
sad state of affairs. It really is - you can hardly blame the kids when the adults are just idiotic. I tend to agree with you - especially on the litter front... but it is a pretty sad state of affairs.
As a teacher (and one who has taken children on educational visits to a zoo) I am so sorry that not all teachers are respectful and expect their children to be respectful. As a zoo enthusiast, I absolutely love sharing my passion with the children I teach and enjoy planning the visit with them almost as much as actually being there with them. My favourite moment will always be when a tough and troubled boy in my class was so excited to see the Siamangs and their throat sacs (though it took me a while to convince him they weren't fruit sacs!) And the highlight for one class was not seeing elephants or any of the other abc animals (though they did love them) but the Yellow throated martens. On those visits with my classes, and when I have visited zoos at the same time as other schools (when my holidays are at a slightly different time to another area, for example) I have seen adults and children from other schools not being respectful and it makes me sad. It's not even limited to zoos - we recently visited a museum and the school which was there at the same time was... not very pleasant to be around. Background is no excuse - my school is in an extremely deprived area and many of the children have very difficult backgrounds, but everyone who visits the school, and everywhere we visit, notices the excellent behaviour. It is certainly better than the posh, middle-class school I worked at a few years ago! But it is all down to the expectations of the adults and having a supportive leadership team - I am lucky in my school. I apologise once more for those schools that do not teach or expect good manners and respect from their young people (and even some staff). It isn't all schools, nor even most schools, but as always, the ones that do spoil everything for the rest of us.
I agree that catchment area may have an influence. Coincidentally I've also experienced very badly behaved school parties at this zoo (by far the worse of similar experiences at other UK zoos). The worst ever were from a religious school (which I naively thought would be better behaved as I'd always thought religious schools were stricter -that was one of my prejudices blown). A keeper I chatted with said that school were always very badly behaved (I wondered why they didn't just ban them? Financial and political issues to balance I suppose).
Certainly not any need for you to apologise! You are right, it is of course only the odd problem one which sticks in the memory. A group here last week with children in a crocodile, no horrid hi-viz jackets, neat blazers, gingham dresses, white socks and straw boaters does give one a bit of a jolt and a reminder of a largely bygone era...
That's it in a nutshell I think. As one who was formerly involved with Zoo Education( a long time ago admittedly), I fully support the use of zoos as educational resources by schools- its one of the several valuable services they can perform. BUT the way in which lack of discipline and resulting out of control behavour(particularly during the post exam/ late summer term visits) often makes a mockery of this opportunity, is very sad indeed. The 'indicator of society's standards in general' is a reflection of that I think too.
I mentioned this on another thread a while ago, but schools are actually banned. Some years ago I remember sitting in the office of the Curator of Mammals at Antwerp and looking at a map of the local area, liberally sprinkled with black dots, most of which were on the French side of the border. On asking what they indicated; the answer was indeed that they were banned schools... School visits provide increasingly little income. Ever discounted entry prices leave little after taxes are taken off, and the 90% that brought pocket money to spend in the shops when we first opened, is probably less than 5% now. As general visitor numbers rise, school visit numbers fall as a result of crippling coach prices and ever burdening health and safety requirements. It is no longer an important market sector, and we would not hesitate to ban a school which disrupted other visitors enjoyment or animal welfare to an unacceptable degree.
I think that certain zoos themselves, including Paradise, are to blame because they blur the boundaries between what is a zoo and what is a theme park. You would not put a Weatherspoons inside St Albans Abbey so why mix animals and fairgrounds? Money is obviously the motive but there will be consequences when theme park behaviour spills over into the animal areas.
If the people trusted to supervise 30 odd 7 year olds on a day out lose all reason because there is a slide and choo choo train on offer then we really are all doomed.
There is a lot more than a slide and a train though, my impression was that the animals are becoming secondary to the entertainments.
Not really - for kids there are indoor / outdoor play areas, the Dinosaurs with the train ride, a splash pool and a small crazy golf course. The play areas might be a bit tacky but they are just slides and swings and climbing frames - nothing more. There is also a random speedway museum but I don't think that is aimed towards kids. Your criticism would be better aimed at Chessington, Flamingo Land, Drayton Manor, Paultons Park or WMSP - but interestingly I have seen better behaviour overall at all of those parks (obviously you'll always get idiots but I'm just going on my own general experience) than PWP. Regardless - rides and wotnot may well bring on a bit of over excitement and poor behaviour from kids. It is no excuse for adults to allow, encourage or model that behaviour themselves.
Overall, I am sure it is all down to catchment. Zoos, like any other 'institutions' are a reflection of the society they exist in - be that geographically, economically or politically...
It's four years since I visited, but I definitely felt that PWP was trying to be two things at once and only really doing an OK job at both of them (to be kind).
@Zia There is an upcoming Jaguar move that was announced on their website earlier this month Keira the Jaguar Leaves Home - Paradise Wildlife Park
Gremlin, the male Lar Gibbon and Megatron, the male Anaconda have both passed away this month: Paradise Wildlife Park
Looks like my speculation was correct - posts on social media today confirm the young female Jaguar Keira has moved to the Big Cat Sanctuary site where they have built a new enclosure. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=738577853221069
