Here’s a great day out idea for animal lovers who want to get close up and personal with some amazing creatures.

Have you ever been to a zoo and wished you could get nearer to the animals and have a more interactive visit?

London Zoo has the solution with its six Meet the Animals experiences.

Each experience allows visitors to get extra access to their favourite animal rather than just view them from afar.

The animals available are aardvarks, giraffes, penguins, meerkats, kangaroos and rainforest creatures.

Having previously thoroughly enjoyed myself being a zookeeper for a day, I returned to the zoo with my family so my wife could meet the giraffes, a creature she’s had a lifelong fascination with.

This time I watched and listened from the ‘normal’ visitors’ vantage point while my wife and the small group of other people taking part in the experience went into the VIP area even closer to the zoo’s tallest residents.

A friendly keeper talked informatively about the animals, handing out a box of carrots which were fed to the giraffes and gratefully gobbled up by them using their long black tongues.

The experience lasted about half an hour, my wife coming away with a big smile and going so far as to compare it to our wedding day and birth of our daughter. (She really likes giraffes)

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Each experience costs £45 on weekdays and £60 at weekends. Tickets for entry to the zoo also need to be bought.

The zoo has recently introduced Meet the Animals gift packs starting at £125. These include two animal experiences and two tickets to the zoo. A pricier £165 pack adds the option to meet the tigers.

Money raised goes towards the zoo’s worldwide conservation work.

Find out more at www.zsl.org/experiences