Children love animals, so with the school holidays fast approaching, it is worth remembering that should you run out of ideas for family days out before August has even begun, then a trip to see some furry friends is always a bright idea. Here are a few of the best zoo and aquarium websites, together with places to visit for those who can't bear to see animals in captivity.
Zoos
zoofederation.org.uk/nearestzoo/
A couple of individual sites stand out from the crowd: the Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx zoo in New York and the beluga cam at Vancouver aquarium (vanaqua.org ). London zoo (londonzoo.com ) is opening until 10pm on August 1, and special entertainments are promised. If your child is especially keen on a particular creature, the New Scientist (new scientist.com/weblinks/ ) has reviewed dozens of child-friendly sites that might appeal.
GoodZoos
goodzoos.com
The verdict on Chester and a damning report on Sana'a zoo in Yemen stand out. The site takes care to criticise poor husbandry and bad conditions. Scroll down the pages, as many of them are poorly laid out.
Marine aquariums
The Sea Life site ( sealife.co.uk ) is a navigational disaster, but has practical information about the centres in Blackpool, Birmingham Brighton, Great Yarmouth, Scarborough and Weymouth. Hastings' Underwater World ( discover hastings.co.uk/underwater/ ) is rather better, with lots of photos. Londonaquarium.co.uk is only really worth visiting if you want to time a visit to coincide with feeding times and talks. The National Marine Aquarium ( national-aquarium.co.uk ) in Plymouth has an online interactive display, but it's unlikely to excite younger visitors. Lyme Regis marine aquarium ( lymeregis.com/aquarium/ ) and the Lake District Coastal Aquarium ( lakedistrict-coast aquarium.co.uk) both house local species such as conger eels, crabs and lobsters. The Anglesey Sea Zoo ( angleseyseazoo.co.uk ) in Wales specialises in lobsters and seahorses.
Alternatives to zoos
bornfree.org.uk/kgw/zooalternatives.htm
The Born Free Foundation's children's pages ( bornfree.org.uk/educ.htm ) set out the arguments for and against zoos and come out against them. Unlike some anti-zoo organisations - such as Captive animals.org - it doesn't use pictures that children are likely to find upsetting in order to make its case. If your children are still clamouring to go to a zoo, the Foundation suggests a number of alternative outings, such as the Eden Project, nature reserves and the Natural History Museum.
Seal sanctuaries
Unless you disapprove of any animal being kept in captivity, you could compromise by visiting a seal sanctuary. There are several major sanctuaries in Britain, in Hunstanton, Cornwall and Argyll ( sealsanctuary.co.uk/ ), Skegness ( skegnessnatureland.co.uk ) and Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire ( mablethorpe-lincs.co.uk/entertainment/seal/seal.htm ).
South East Marine Week
Between August 2 and 10, the Wildlife Trusts are organising plenty of 'marine fun' sessions in the south east. The kids' section of the site is excellent, with a seashore code to print out and colour in, and instructions on how to make a basking shark puppet and transform a paper plate into a skate.
