Animal Experiences Terms and Conditions Hounslow
BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS & WAIVER
Note: Animal Experiences differ in days that experience is offered, times offered and have different age restrictions. Please consult the product description and your booking confirmation email for the date and time of your experience and ensure the experience you have booked is suitable for the age of the participant.
Age restrictions may apply, depending on the experience for H&S purposes.
Disclaimers must be read and signed prior to the experience.
Participants may be provided Nitrile gloves and will be required to wash their hands following the experiences
Anyone entering Hobbledown must have a valid entry ticket. If you are accompanying someone doing an animal experience but are not participating, you must still hold your own general admission ticket. Carers’s will need to purchase an experience ticket if theyt.
T&Cs subject to change
Hobbledown Heath/Epsom reserves the right to alter the experience or cancel at short notice. The booking holder (participant) will be notified of any changes or cancellations as early as possible.
The booking is only valid for the named recipient/s.
Bookings are non-refundable or transferable.
Proximity and contact with the animals is at the animal host/ instructor’s discretion
The experience is implemented on a strict time scale. Should you arrive late without prior notice the booking maybe cancelled or shortened.
The participant must inform Hobbledown Heath/Epsom of any medical conditions, or any known allergies.
If a participant is behaving in a way which is detrimental to Hobbledown Heath’s/Epsom’s policies and guidelines we reserve the right to remove the booking holder (participant) from the premises without a refund.
A booking is only secured once full payment has been received.
Hobbledown Heath/Epsom has a no smoking policy.
Please do not eat or drink any foods intended for the animals.
In the event of an emergency please follow the instructions of your host/instructor.
Behind the scenes can be muddy so please wear appropriate clothing for working in all weathers. (To include long trousers and walking boots/wellingtons.) It may be necessary, due to animal husbandry reasons, for participants to use a disinfectant footbath. Please ensure suitable footwear is worn.
Jewellery should be removed.
You must not enter an animal enclosure without the presence or authorisation of your host/instructor.
We are unable to guarantee any specific animals and itineraries as these may need to be altered for animal welfare reasons.
Hobbledown Heath/Epsom will not accept responsibility for any person disregarding health and safety guidelines or neglecting to follow safe working practice instruction by its trained animal hosts/instructors.
Please inform a member of the team of any phobias.
Photos can be taken however Hobbledown Heath/Epsom will not be liable for any damage to your device.
This package is sold as a whole. Substitutes or refunds are not available for any part of the experience.
PLEASE NOTE: Lemurs are sometimes fed LIVE mealworms during this experience. This is part of their natural diet.
Insurance
You are required to bring a copy of photo ID with you on the day of your experience.
For insurance purposes, all booking holders must be between 6 + years of age and have up to date tetanus vaccination. This experience is for ages of 6 + years. As such, if the participant is under 18, they must be accompanied by an adult (Parent or Guardian) who will be responsible for them at all times.
You will not be liable for accidental damage to equipment, except where damage has been caused as a result of reckless or wilful negligence.
Animal Experiences Health and Safety
Please bring wellies for the experience, or high-topped boots.
Please wash your hands before and after the experience.
Nitrile gloves will be provided.
** Whilst every effort is made to accommodate everyone, due to the nature of the experience unfortunately, at the present time the experience is not suitable for pregnant guests, mothers who are nursing or guests with immunosuppressant illnesses. This experience may not be suitable for disabilities which impact on motor skills, mobility, or learning difficulties. Please Contact Us to discuss your individual needs.
Medical conditions and Allergies
This experience may not be suitable for people with allergies due to the presence of allergens during feed experience, close proximity with various species of animals, their feed, and bedding. If you have any allergies, then you must contact the company prior to attending your experience. We will provide you with all the information to allow you to make an informed decision whether to go ahead with the experience or not.
We are happy to discuss your requirements and make reasonable adjustments to the experience. The company reserves the right to cancel an experience for Health and Safety reasons as guest safety is our number one priority.
Zoonotic Diseases
During your experience you will be coming into direct contact with animals in their environment. It is essential that you fully understand the risks of zoonotic disease, and how you keep yourself and others safe. Animals can carry harmful germs that can spread to people and cause illness – these are known as zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacterial, parasites, and fungi. These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness and even death. Animals can sometimes appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick, depending on the zoonotic disease, so we always have to assume that all animals carry a zoonotic disease.
Who is at a higher risk of serious illness from zoonotic diseases?
Anyone can get sick from a zoonotic disease, including healthy people. However, some people are more at risk than others and should take steps to protect themselves or family members. These people are more likely than others to get really sick, and even die, from infection with certain diseases. These groups of people include: Children under the age of 5 Adults over the age of 65 People with weakened immune systems Pregnant women If any of the above apply to you then you will be unable to take part in the experience.
Zoo Keeper for A Day Health & Safety
Our Zookeeper experiences are only suitable for children over the age of 6 years and those who are able to understand and comply with the instructions being given to them by the supervising keeper. In the event that a person participating in the zookeeper experience does not comply with the safety instructions being given, the zookeeper experience will be ended on the grounds of safety. During your experience you will be working directly with animals, in their environment and handling their faeces. It is essential that you fully understand the risks of zoonotic disease, and how you keep yourself and others safe. Animals can carry harmful germs that can spread to people and cause illness – these are known as zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness and even death. Animals can sometimes appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick, depending on the zoonotic disease, so we always have to assume that all animals are carrying a zoonotic disease. Below you will find more detailed information about zoonotic diseases and how to stay safe during your experience. You will also find the systems we have in place to keep you safe. How do germs spread between animals and people? Because of the close contact between yourself and the animals during your experience it is important to be aware of the common ways people can be infected with germs that can cause zoonotic diseases. These can include: • Direct contact: Coming into contact with the saliva, mucous, blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily fluids of an infected animal. Examples include petting or touching animals, bites or scratches, respiratory aerosol or handling whole prey during food preparation or feeding of meat or meat products. • Indirect contact: Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam, or objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with germs. Examples include aquarium tank water, chicken coops, barns, plants, and soil, as well as pet food and water dishes. • Vector-borne: Being bitten by a tick, or an insect like a mosquito or a flea. VS: 002 – Oct 2024 TAH • Foodborne: Eating or drinking something unsafe, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, undercooked meat or eggs, or raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated with feaces from an infected animal. • Waterborne: Drinking or coming in contact with water that has been contaminated with faeces from an infected animal. • Airborne: Inhaling or breathing in of organisms that have been aerosolized from dried faeces or respiratory tract secretions of infected animals such as birds carrying psittacosis. Sources of contamination during your experience - - - - - Bedding Urine or other bodily fluids Faeces Animal feed including hay/straw, fresh feed and dry feed. Water Who is at a higher risk of serious illness from zoonotic diseases? Anyone can get sick from a zoonotic disease, including healthy people. However, some people are more at risk than others and should take steps to protect themselves or family members. These people are more likely than others to get really sick, and even die, from infection with certain diseases. These groups of people include: • Children under the age of 5 • Adults over the age of 65 • People with weakened immune systems • Pregnant women If any of the above apply to you then you will be unable to take part in the experience. Please contact: hounslowinfo@hobbledown.com Vaccinations Where possible vaccination is an ideal course to take in preventing the contraction of certain diseases. To take part in an experience you should ideally have current vaccinations up to date of the following: • Hepatitis A and B • Polio • Tetanus • Typhoid • Tuberculosis • Measles, Mumps and Rubella VS: 002 – Oct 2024 TAH Hygiene Throughout the site there is a plentiful provision of hand washing facilities, these include antibacterial soap, warm running water and either paper towels or hand dryer to dry your hands. You must wash your hands: • Before and after you eat or drink anything • After each animal during your experiences, when changing gloves. • Whenever your hands become dirty. • Before going into guest areas such as the food and beverage areas • Before eating, drinking, smoking / vaping • Before and after you have touched animals, enclosure fences or other surfaces in any animal area. • Before and after going to the toilet. • After going through the animal walkthroughs. • After removing dirty shoes or boots and or footwear covers provided to you during the experience. • Before leaving the animal area or park. This is not an exhaustive list of times that you must wash your hands. If in doubt wash your hands. You will be asked to wear vinyl gloves for the duration of the experience, but this does detract from the importance of washing your hands. Gloves must never be removed using your mouth, if you are needing assistance then ask your supervising keeper. Why must you wash your hands? The most effective method of removing dirt and contamination remains hand washing with soap and running hot and cold, or warm water followed by hand drying. Cleansing wipes or antibacterial gels are not an acceptable substitute for proper hand washing because they will not be effective against some zoonotic diseases. Hand washing prevents the spread of disease to yourself and to others and mitigates the risk of cross-contamination.
ZOOKEEPER Ts & Cs
Experiences have age restrictions for H&S purposes. Please ensure the experience you are booking is suitable for the age of the participant. Accompanying guests must pay full admission to enter the site. (Except for the x1 parent or guardian responsible for a child under 18 years of age.) Adult only or child only parties are not permitted at Hobbledown Heath. Experiences are limited to bookings for up to two participants. Any additional participants not booked on the experience will need to pay the normal admission price and will have to be accompanied by a full paying adult. (Of whom is not taking part in the keeper for a day experience.) Hobbledown Heath reserves the right to alter the experience or cancel at short notice. The booking holder (participant) will be notified of any changes or cancellations as early as possible. The booking is only valid for the named recipient/s. Bookings are non-refundable or transferable. Proximity and contact with the animals is at the animal host/ instructor’s discretion The experience is implemented on a strict time scale. Should you arrive late without prior notice the booking maybe cancelled or shortened. The participant must inform Hobbledown Heath of any medical conditions, or any known allergies. If a participant is behaving in a way which is detrimental to Hobbledown Heath’s policies and guidelines we reserve the right to remove the booking holder (participant) from the premises without a refund. A booking is only secured once full payment has been received. Hobbledown Heath has a no smoking policy. Please do not eat or drink any foods intended for the animals. In the event of an emergency please follow the instructions of your host/instructor. VS:002 Oct 2024 TAH Behind the scenes can be muddy so please wear appropriate clothing for working in all weathers. (To include long trousers and walking boots/wellingtons.) It may be necessary, due to animal husbandry reasons, for participants to use a disinfectant footbath. Please ensure suitable footwear is worn. Jewellery should be removed. You must not enter an animal enclosure without the presence or authorisation of your host/instructor. We are unable to guarantee any specific animals and itineraries as these may need to be altered for animal welfare reasons. Bookings must be made within 1 year of the date on the gift booking. To avoid disappointment please book your preferred date as early as possible, with a minimum of 3 weeks’ notice. Hobbledown Heath will not accept responsibility for any person disregarding health and safety guidelines or neglecting to follow safe working practice instruction by its trained animal hosts/instructors Please inform a member of the team of any phobias. Photos can be taken however Hobbledown Heath will not be liable for any damage to your device. This package is sold as a whole. Substitutes or refunds are not available for any part of the experience. Insurance You are required to bring a copy of photo ID (unless an annual pass holder) with you on the day of your experience. For insurance purposes, all booking holders must be 6 or over and have up to date tetanus vaccination. This experience is for the ages of 10 + years old and must be accompanied by an adult (Parent or Guardian) who will be responsible for them at all times if under the age of 18. You will not be liable for accidental damage to equipment, except where damage has been caused as a result of reckless or wilful negligence. Zookeeper Experiences Health and Safety It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure all cuts and abrasions are covered prior to commencing the experience. Please bring wellies to be worn for part of the experience. Please wash your hands at every opportunity. ** Whilst every effort is made to accommodate everyone, due to the nature of the experience unfortunately, at the present time the experience is not suitable for pregnant guests, mothers who are nursing or guests with immunosuppressant illnesses. This experience may not be suitable for disabilities which impact on motor skills, mobility, or learning difficulties. Please Contact Us to discuss your individual needs. Medical conditions and Allergies This experience may not be suitable for people with allergies due to the presence of allergens during this experience, close proximity with various animals, their feed, and bedding. If you have any allergies, then you must contact the company prior to attending your experience. We will provide you with all the information to allow you to make an informed decision whether to go ahead with the experience or not. VS:002 Oct 2024 TAH We are happy to discuss your requirements and make reasonable adjustments to the experience. The company reserves the right to cancel an experience for Health and Safety reasons as guest safety is our number one priority. Please review this waiver in its entirety prior to signing, and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Cancellation rules Once the booking has been made we are not able to change the date and the experience is nonrefundable (apart from exceptional circumstances; as deemed so by Hobbledown Heath.)
/BIRDS OF PREY
Please ensure your booked experience is suitable for the age of the participant. Please consult the accompanying Animal Experiences H&S Letter for requirements on appropriate footwear for your booked experience. Please consult your booking confirmation email for the date and time of your booked Animal Experience.
Cancellation rules
Once the booking has been made, we are not able to change the date and the experience is non-refundable (apart from exceptional circumstances; as deemed so by Hobbledown Heath/Epsom.)
DISCLAIMER:
The following disclaimer must be signed by the participant or the Parent/Guardian of any participant under 18 before they can take part in an Animal Experience:
Full Name of participant………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Name: Parent/Guardian for the above……………………………………………………………………………
Address: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Contact Telephone: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Email address…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
I have read the Terms and Conditions and agree that I/the participant (for under 18’s) will abide by the Hobbledown Heath/Epsom rules for Animal Experiences.
I/the participant has an up-to-date Tetanus vaccination.
Signature: ……………………………………………. Date: ………………………
Booking conditions
- Guests must bring confirmation of their booking with them. If this was purchased as a gift, please ensure the recipient has a copy of the booking confirmation email.
- An adult must accompany the child while on the experience. Both the child and the adult do not need to pay for admission to Hobbledown separately. Any additional adults or children accompanying will need to pay for admission to Hobbledown.
- Occasionally, we must alter or cancel the experience at short notice as a result of animal welfare. We try very hard to ensure this does not happen and if it does, we will contact you as early as possible to rebook.
- The experience is managed to suit the daily rhythms and habits of the animals. As such if you arrive late, the experience may be cancelled or shortened as a result.
Proximity to animals
- Contact with the animals is at the sole discretion of your accompanying Zookeeper. If a participant is behaving in a way that is detrimental to Hobbledown's policies or a danger to animal welfare we will remove the participant from the premises without a refund.
- You must not enter an animal enclosure without the presence of your accompanying Zookeeper.
- Please do not eat or drink any foods intended for the animals. Nor should you feed the animals any food that you have purchased or brought with you to Hobbledown.
- Jewellery should be removed prior to the experience starting.
- Please bring appropriate footwear for all weather as the experience can get very muddy. Long trousers and walking boots or Wellingtons are ideal. It may be necessary at times to walk through a disinfectant footbath.
- We cannot guarantee that specific animals and itineraries will be available as part of the experience. Please do inform us if the participant has any phobias of any kind.
- For insurance purposes, all participants must be aged 6 or over and have an up-to-date tetanus jab.
- Meet the Meerkats & Feeding the Capybaras is designed for ages 6 plus
- Feed the Reindeer is designed for ages 5 plus
- Pony Pals is designed for ages 5-9 years.
- All children aged under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who will be responsible for them at all times.
- You will not be liable for damage to any equipment unless this was caused as a result of reckless or wilfull negligence.
- We invite participants to take lots of photos however Hobbledown is not liable for any damage to your device during the experience.
Health & Safety
It is the participant's responsibility to ensure any cuts or abrasions are covered prior to commencing the experience.
There are many hand washing stations throughout the Park and all participants should wash their hands regularly and after each contact with any animal.
Whilst every effort is made to accommodate everyone, due to the nature of the experiences unfortunately, at the present time the experience is not suitable for pregnant guests, mothers who are nursing or guests with immunosuppressant illnesses. This experience may not be suitable for disabilities which impact on motor skills, mobility, or learning difficulties. Please Contact Us to discuss your individual needs
Furthermore, it is not suitable for those allergic to dust, animal fur or bedding.
Personal Protective Equipment
We will provide you with disposable gloves however participants are required to wear their own face covering. It is not mandatory for children under 11 years of age to wear face coverings but we would like to encourage it whereever possible.
Accompanying adults are asked to supervise the child to ensure they wash their hands when asked to do so by the Zookeeper/ animal host.
All work tools that may be used for the experience are disinfected prior to use.
Medical conditions and Allergies
This experience may not be suitable for people with allergies due to the presences of allergens during feeding and feed preparation. If you have any allergies, then you must contact the company prior to attending your experience. We will provide you with all the information to allow you to make an informed decision whether to go ahead with the experience or not.
We are happy to discuss your requirements and make reasonable adjustments to the experience. The company reserves the right to cancel an experience for Health and Safety reasons as guest safety is our number one priority.
By signing this disclaimer, you are agreeing and acknowledging that the participant has no medical conditions that could be affected by the experience, including any known allergies, and confirming that it is safe for the participant(s) to partake in this experience.
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