The Isle of Wight Zoo is a family-run zoo with a special interest in tigers and lemurs. The zoo was built within the ruins of a Victorian Fort built to guard Sandown’s coast, which means we face one of the Isle of Wight’s nicest beaches. Once upon a time the zoo owners used to walk tiger cubs on the beach, and we’re still famous locally for it. Nowadays we focus on looking after older tigers and giving them a happy retirement.

Our fundamental goals can be divided into Care, Conservation and Education.
Providing top-quality day to day Care for the animals at the zoo is our ongoing mission. This isn’t just about the keepers and veterinary staff – it also involves people such as the maintenance and horticulture staff who look after their enclosures. Every single person who works or volunteers at the zoo makes a contribution to animal welfare.

Our long-term goal is to keep contributing to Conservation. Many of our animals are threatened in the wild, largely through human activity. We fund conservation projects in India and Madagascar, and also participate in European Endangered Species breeding programmes for some of our Madagascan animals.

Through Education, we want to inspire our visitors and friends with a passion for the natural-world. We are always looking for ways to make it fun and easy to find out more about our animals. Our tour guides make the experience interactive, with friendly presentations in which they share some of the animals’ secrets. We also work in formal education, hosting school groups and going out to visit classrooms.