About

Amazing Animals has been involved in the professional training and supplying of a wide range of animals for the media industry for four decades. Established in 1977, the company has the largest workforce of qualified and experienced animal experts for this type of work in the UK. Their services include providing trained animals to:

• Major feature films
• Independent films
• Commercials
• TV drama
• Natural history documentaries
• Music videos
• Still photography
• Live events
• Animal roadshows
• PR and corporate promotions
• Educational displays
• Private parties
• Open days
• Animal coordination and consultation
• Historical consultation on animals in showbusiness and zoos

They are the source for the majority of exotic animals in the UK. Our base of operations, Heythrop Zoological Gardens, located in the North Oxfordshire Cotswolds, houses one of largest private collection of animals in Europe. In addition to providing zoo-type animals, Amazing Animals also provide a wide variety of trained pet, farmyard and domestic animals, and are specialists in aquarium fish.

Heythrop Zoological Gardens has a modern design, but with the exaggerated outward appearance of a classic zoo. This means they not only care for their animals in line with modern scientific zoological methods, but also provide a facility that is ideal for filming on location. Many TV programmes ("A Touch of Frost", "Jekyll", "Dalziel and Pascoe" etc.), commercials ("Fiat Panda") and feature films ("The League of Gentlemen: Apocalypse" etc.) have prominently used the zoo's particular features as a setting. Other clients such as "Vestatech", "Landrover", "Steve Leonard's Extreme Animals" and "Drew Gardner Photography" have made use of the zoo's English countryside location to film their animals in the zoo woodland and fields.

Heythrop Zoological Gardens' studio space is where the main action occurs. Although most of their animals can be travelled to studios and locations around the UK, many clients prefer to advantage of the inexpensive rates of working in the greenscreen/bluescreen area located inside the zoo. Over 50% of Amazing Animals' work is done in this studio space, enabling clients to create some incredible visual scenes with their animals.

Amazing Animals has always been at the forefront of its industry in all matters. They were founding members of the Animal Consultants and Trainers Association (ACTA), the oldest and largest trade association for animal trainers/handlers in the audio-visual industries. They were among the first to have the majority of their staff undertake the only accredited qualifications available for their industry up to the highest level available. In addition to these qualifications they also have qualified OCR A1 assessors on their workforce and one member has won the City and Guilds Medal for Excellence. Amazing Animals were among the key consultants on the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Mission Statement

We at Amazing Animals/Heythrop Zoological Gardens aim to provide the highest quality service for our clients and highest standards of care for our animals as possible. We endeavour to continually educate ourselves in the latest matters regarding the use of animals in the media industry; seeking to raise our personal standards and the standards of our industry.