Amazing Animal Encounters
TONBRIDGE, Kent
(89)
TONBRIDGE, Kent
(89)
Amazing Animal Encounters provide educational static displays, animal handling for education and therapeutic purposes, pet and wildlife help and advice, within 40 miles from our smallholding between Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Tonbridge.
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89 customer reviews
MOIRA PUGHE
This was definitely the most marvellous animal centre I have ever visited in my life. My husband was equally impressed and thought the whole afternoon was amazing and my little granddaughter could not stop talking about it all the way home. We all loved petting and feeding the foxes and cradling the skunk. My granddaughter loved feeding the rabbits on her own. The huge tortoises were amazing too. We are definitely going back in the winter when my New Zealand family are over as there are no foxes in NZ. Maria obviously loves the animals she cares for and is very good at explaining everything. It was a perfect afternoon in every way possible. More...
Chi Chi Revolver
We had an absolutely wonderful time visiting Vincent and Mimi. But the highlight for us and our 2 year old daughter was cuddles with squirt the skunk. Truly fantastic place
Reviewed on Facebook
Helen Meyer
Hi Maria, I can't thank you enough for tonight. The brownies and all the leaders loved it. It was so lovely to see the girls faces filled with excitement and joy at meeting these wonderful animals. the animals were friendly and calm and it was obvious they are well cared for and happy to be there. I would highly recommend this experience to everyone. Thanks again Helen More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Sarah Nicholl
Amazing is definitely the best way to describe Maria and her wonderful animals. Our son loved spending time at her house for a 1 to 1 experience, feeding the various animals and meeting Vincent the fox!
Reviewed on Facebook
Kelly Wissenden
my daughter was extremely anxious but everything was taken at her pace and she was made to feel at ease. She totally fell in love with Squirt and now wants a skunk. hope to come back to see some of the other animals More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Debbie Davies
today my boyfriend and i done a fox encounter. it was by far the best animal encounter we have been on! Maria was brilliant! she was friendly and very informative. i highly recommend this for animal lovers! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Lisa Dobson
Thank you for a lovely Fox one to one experience with Vincent and Mimi. It was a surprise gift for my mum and she loved it. Your knowledge and dedication to all of your animals is admirable. Thank you for taking the time to allow us to visit your home. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Julie Brien
What a fantastic experience, this was organised by my daughter for me as a surprise! How wonderful to see these mysterious, beautiful creatures up close, feeding them treats was amazing and to witness the wonderful companionship of Vincent, the fox and the staffie was incredible X Thankyou Maria for a lovely afternoon X
Reviewed on Facebook
Aby Mason
Truly wonderful experience meeting and feeding the foxes Vincent and Mimi, and learning lots about them from the lovely Maria (who really knows her stuff and shows so much love for all the animals in her care). Also fab to meet Martha the Tanuki, Bob and Hermione the sheep, Spud the dog plus other assorted dogs too! Maria you’re doing an awesome job, thank you for a great day! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jane Everest-Brown
Such an amazing experience and the animals are so clearly loved and well cared for. Highly recommended.
Reviewed on Facebook
Rebecca Baxter
Brilliant experience with foxes then meeting a few other lovelies at the end too thank you!
Reviewed on Facebook
Liz Pain
Amazing experience today with Maria and her wonderful animals. Can’t tell you how fabulous this place is. The animals are all so well cared for and loved. I loved each and every one, but it was particularly wonderful to feed Mimi and Vincent the stunning foxes and to walk with Vincent was such a unique experience and one I shall never forget. I also was privileged to have the most wonderful cuddle from Squirt the loveable skunk and Daisy May the pig/boar - just adorable. Highly recommended for any animal lovers out there. Also learnt such a lot about animal behaviour which was fascinating. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Lurnd Keaney Jnr
Such a privilege to have spent time with Vincent & Mimi, foxes are beautiful creatures & very intelligent. Our experience here has sealed our love for these gorgeous creatures. Thank you for a lovely time & your wealth of knowledge - and to Vincent, for being the perfect gentleman More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Justin Denne
Had a lovely evening stroll with Vincent and Spud, wonderful experience for my daughter walking and feeding treats to a beautiful fox as obviously the ones we get in our garden we can't get to close to. Both Vincent and Spud the dog are very gentle and a delight to spend time with. Also had the added bonus of meeting the ducklings as well, would definitely recommend a visit. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Abbi Cooper
We met Vincent, Meme, and Spud today, and also Maria. What an absolutely wonderful experience from start to finish. Thank you so much for such informative afternoon. We really loved our time with you and the gang. We might be back to visit “your girls” one day. Highly recommend. Thank you so much More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jo Montague
We had a wonderful encounter within this picturesque orchard with the lambs , bunnies & wallaby , loads of information learnt by a friendly lovely lady and my 13 year old has been on a high all afternoon . Highly recommend , just don’t follow the postcode link through Facebook as it didn’t work , just put it straight in your sat nav ! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Kellie Milano
Club AUsome visited Amaxing Animal Encounters From the moment we arrived Maria was wonderful, there was lots of understanding for children with additional needs and nothing was too much, and mire importantly there was no pressure for the children to do things. It was calm, it was welcoming and I couldn’t recommend it more. We look forward to returning in the summer. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Abigail Hope de Garis
Had the most wonderful afternoon with the foxes. My daughters loved it. Lots to learn. Will definitely go back again! X
Reviewed on Facebook
Renee
Thank you. All the children at the party loved the animals especially the skunk. It was enjoyable for adults to and would definitely reccomend this. 2 parents said it had given them ideas for a party. More...
Reply from Amazing Animal Encounters
Hi Renee thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It was lovely meeting everyone today - such a well behaved bunch of children and young people
Sue O'Reilly
Had a wonderful visit with Vincent today. What a beautiful, gentle creature.
Reviewed on Facebook
Charlotte Kent
Had a wonderful 1-2-1 lambing experience for my son. He is 8 and thoroughly enjoyed it! He loved feeding time and handling the lambs. Maria was lovely and we can’t wait to return for an experience with the lovely foxes! Thank you again. It’s a must for any animal lover. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Tiffany Howell
My mum and I had a lovely session with the amazing character of Vincent the fox and his girlfriend mimi so beautiful and well looked after , was lucky to meet 3 day old lambs a pig and the lovely dog spud who showed us about and the lovely lady that knows her stuff and you can tell she really loves her furry family. . well worth a visit ,thankyou and keep up the good work xx More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Francesca Young
Highly recommend Maria’s parties, 1:1 sessions and classes ! We have been to several parties and 1:1 sessions, as well as attending her classes for several years while my boys were younger. Highly recommend
Reviewed on Facebook
Hayley Rawlings-Browne
Today we met with a special lady called Marie from Amazing Animal Encounters who rescues animals down in Kent and the boys and I got up close and personal with an array of fabulous creatures that ordinarily would be in the wild but sadly have to be looked after and Marie has opened her home to these wonderful animals. Oh my what an experience for the boys and also me to share an afternoon with these furry and some not so furry creatures .. so well worth the trip. Please support Marie and your children will have an experience of a life time. Thank you Marie for an amazing afternoon and for opening your home and letting us be part of your animal gang .. we loved it thank you More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Charlotte Chapman
we had a great time today, the animals are so calm and good with people. It's a very calming environment
Reviewed on Facebook
Vikki Jump
Had a birthday party with them today, children were quite disappointed they couldn’t handle many at all. We had tortoise, guinea pig,tarantula,hedgehog,sugar gliders and skunk. They couldn’t touch the tarantula or hedgehog or sugar gliders and could only stroke the tortoise and guinea pig and skunk. The only saving grace as such was a few adults being allowed to hold the skunk. Which was lovely, overall it was ‘ok’. Without the skunk we would have been very disappointed. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Steffan Elliott
Had a great afternoon at Maria,s house,I took my two girls and my mum and dad,and I've got to say we all had a really great time. maria is able to teach all ages stuff about the animals and is really good with kids.My two girls have a thing about foxes and to be able to stroke and hand feed them was really good for my kids,who had somehow started to think that a fox would eat them.also the skunk was a firm favourite with them as was the tiny well any.All in all a great outing and highly recommended to all More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Tamsin Fox-Davies
Thank you for a wonderful time with the pigs. My husband and I both loved meeting Dinky and Daisy-May. Getting to meet Vincent the fox was amazing too. Thanks for the useful information about keeping pigs as pets. So helpful. We'll be back with some other family members too! ��� More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Rachel Gillis-Coates
Maria and Caitlin came for my daughter's 6th birthday party yesterday. The children had such a fantastic time. Whilst Caitlin was showing the animals to the children, Maria was very helpful with a nervous child. A wonderful experience for all the children (and adults) plus on the ball with health and welfare of both humans and animals. I cannot recommend them enough! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Sarah Cook
We had a great afternoon meeting Vincent and Mimi, along with Squirt the skunk and the other animals we met along the way. Brilliant place and Maria&family were lovely - thank you!! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Trisha Elizabeth Whelan
I won a session to meet Vincent the fox and was thrilled to visit today. Such a lovely experience and also got to meet the baby lambs. Thank you Maria for such a great time and hope to visit again in the future. Vincent was amazing and has made me even love foxes more than I already do.... More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jenna Cranmer
Had a fantastic time here for my sons 3rd birthday! Maria is patient and friendly and teaches the children so much about the animals they meet. Its so clear the animals are loved and amazingly well cared for. Will be visiting again soon (along with attending the weekly preschool sessions!!) More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Dave Walker
So so good! Took my wife here for her birthday with my daughter and it was amazing! She got to meet so many animals and with the most friendliest informative guide. Thank you so much :-)
Reviewed on Facebook
Gemma Blackford
Me and my daughter love the weekly musical menagerie sessions!
We've been coming for almost a year and have met a huge variety of animals and creatures from cute 24hr old duckings to Chinese water dragons to a beautiful fluffy skunk!
!!
Maria is so knowledgeable and she has a great way of teaching the children (and adults!) all about the animal, its origin, what it eats and also how they move/sound amongst lots of other amazing facts.
All of that as well as music, a fun craft, a biscuit for the kids and a cuppa for the adults! It's just fab!!!!
More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Zoe Clapp
We just wanted to say a big thank you to Ellie for a wonderful session at our daughter's 3rd birthday party yesterday. Ellie's gentle manner kept 12 inquisitive 2-8 year olds in check, informed and entertained. The adults enjoyed it just as much. We got to meet a giant African snail, bearded dragon, tree frog, Burmese python, Snow the guinea pig and Squirt the Skunk (birthday girl's favourite). The range of animals was great and the varied level of interaction of each was good. I would say the smaller the group the better especially with younger ones. We shall be back for more in the weekly pre-school sessions with Maria. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Charlotte Still
Had a 1:1 session with the lambs. Our kids had a brilliant time as did we. If I could give more stars i would!
Reviewed on Facebook
Emma Irving
Thank you so much for going my daughter a birthday she’ll never forget. Cuddles with Squirt the Skunk absolutely made her day.
Reviewed on Facebook
Emma Stoddard
Maria is a beautiful soul who clearly cherishes her animals and relates with compassion and understanding to children with additional needs. Highly recommended �
Reviewed on Facebook
Katie Cochran
Can't recommend enough. My son had a session today for his 8th birthday party and had such a brilliant time. Maria was amazing with the kids and managed to keep 10 hyped up boys interested and under control for an hour! Definitely recommend as an alternative to the usual kids parties! So much fun!! Thank you � More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Nicki Hook
Maria and her animals were absolutely amazing for my daughter's 7th birthday party. We had 9 girls (and a few adults) fascinated by the animals that joined our party and it really made it a birthday to remember - I would not hesitate to recommend Amazing Animal Encounters to celebrate your child's special day x
Reviewed on Facebook
Sophie Bridges
Maria and a great selection of animals came to my son’s 6th birthday party recently. The children loved it and Maria shared her knowledge with them in a really engaging and age-appropriate way. So glad my google searching found Amazing Animal Encounters, my son keeps talking about the different animals he saw. I think we were all fell in love with the hedgehog as she unfurled from a ball. Thanks Maria! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Deborah Hart
We had such a wonderful time yesterday meeting Vincent, Mimi and Martha, as well as the other lovely, friendly animals wandering around Maria's home and garden. It was an absolute privilege getting to feed Vincent an egg - something my fox-obsessed little boy will never forget, I'm sure. Maria was so informative and interesting; we all came away knowing much more about these beautiful creatures, and getting to stroke them was a total treat! Thank you so much for spending the time with us, and giving us a fabulous family experience. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jacqui Murphy
Our friend brought my husband an encounter with Vincent the fox. We loved the experience and Maria and the great work she does truly is an inspiration! As long as you love animals and don't mind a bit of mud you will love this haven. Thank you Maria...and Vincent ������ More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Katie Gurdler
Amazing animal encounters came to 13th gillingham guides tonight and we had a fantastic evening. The animals were all lovely and interesting and Marie was very knowledgeable and had plenty of things to tell us about.
All in all it was a great evening and fantastic value for money. I would recommend it as a great alternative meeting at girlguiding and scouting groups of all ages and also a very unique birthday party option.
Thanks again for a wonderful evening.
More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Tsunami Dove
My 8 year old daughter and I had a lovely animal encounter today meeting Vincent the Fox, Squirt the skunk and seeing the sugar gliders.
It was a great opportunity to get close and personal with the animals who are clearly loved and well-cared for.
Thoroughly recommend.
More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Fiona Williams
We had the loveliest afternoon with the lambs and also meeting Roo the wallaby. Our daughter loved it, and so did I! Glorious!
Reviewed on Facebook
Selina Carter
Amazing it is, Maria is brilliant with animals and children alike, she handled my little girl, an unfortunate obsessed Bunny Botherer, with calm expertise and went above and beyond to make her Birthday exceptional. All of her party friends had a great time feeding and playing with the lambs, rabbits, hens and pig at the garden centre. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Amazing Animal Encounters. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Suzanne Foley
Thank you so much Maria. All the children had a fantastic experience, as did the adults. We were all particularly smitten with Squirt the skunk. Not only was the session fun but it was really educational too. Clara says she's had the best birthday party ever! Xx More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Tsunami Dove
My 8 year old daughter and I had a lovely animal encounter today meeting Vincent the Fox, Squirt the skunk and seeing the sugar gliders. It was a great opportunity to get close and personal with the animals who are clearly loved and well-cared for. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Havva Walker
Such an amazing experience! I highly recommend this amazing place :-) xXx
Reviewed on Facebook
What do you love most about your job?
I love the therapeutic sessions the most - where just spending a little time with someone and giving them the opportunity to interact with the animals has a very positive impact on their quality of life, their outlook and their general well being. You leave with a great big smile on your face knowing you have done something wonderful for someone else
What inspired you to start your own business?
I've been teaching my own children, and countless others, to love and respect animals and wildlife since 2005, when we started accepting unwanted animals into our home. Amazing Animal Encounters was born to support pets in need and was so popular, I left my job as a support youth worker at Kent County Council and went full time in 2011.
Why should our clients choose you?
We are the only animal encounter business accredited by The Children's Activities Association
We provide a safe, loving family home to the animals that are rehomed here
We don't travel long distances, entertain large numbers, perform an outlandish show or give out sweets or party bags. We concentrate on providing an educational experience and the perfect environment for them to live in back at home. We present ourselves and the animals with dignity and respect.
There's no kissing crocodiles, snakes around necks or creatures on heads - their welfare and your well being come first
I have 14 years experience working with children and young people, with a background in pre-school activity leading and youth work.
Each year, we try to lessen our impact on the environment further and help educate and encourage others to do so to and this is a strong part of our company mission.
We follow the Animal-Assisted Interventions: Code of Practice for the UK, the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Animal Welfare Act 2018, the RSPCA's 5 Freedoms and implement the 5 categories of enrichment.
We are happy to provide paperwork.
Our PLI, ELI, Risk Assessment, Performing Animals Licence, Equal Opportunities Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Method Statement and DBS certificates have been checked by an independent body and we are member of The Pet Industry Federation and Pet Services Association
Faux Reindeer hire
We offer an animal kind alternative to hiring live reindeer at Christmas, with our life size, cuddly faux reindeer, suitable for grottos, winter wonderlands and school fairs
Nativity display
We can provide everything for a real life Nativity display, or help compliment your existing one for church services, school plays etc
