The Zoo 2012 product reviews

We have always loved the Zoo programme when it airs on Television and have bought several of the DVD's for my animal mad daughter. She wants to be a vet when she is older and dreams of working at the zoo so she would watch this DVD over and over again just dreaming of being able to see the animals.

I like the series because it is mostly filmed at Auckland Zoo so we have been there enough times to know some of the animals and be familiar with the enclosures which my daughter finds really cool and always asks if we can go to the Zoo when she watches it. She likes getting to watch the day to day stuff the zoo keepers get to do like feeding the animals and setting up enrichment activities like the pinata for the tigers.

As a bonus in this DVD you get to see a baby giraffe being born which is sure to make you nawww!! The cameras are set up in a way that you get real clear up close images so it is absolutely fascinating to watch! A real cool DVD which will make great family viewing

I have always loved The Zoo TV series about Auckland Zoo. Since I've become a mother I have rarely got to watch it as it screens when I am busy getting the children into bed. Sure, I could have watched it on demand but I never got around to it.

It was great to be able to sit down and watch several episodes at once. I wasn't left hanging to see what happened for another week getting teased by ads for the show the whole time. It is straight from the TV, only missing the ads, so it seems a bit strange when the narrator says "Coming up tonight on The Zoo..." as I watch it eating breakfast or "Next week on The Zoo..." when I'm going to watch the next episode now.

I really like how they profile both the animals and the staff. You can see how the staff genuinely love their job and the animals. Several of the staff are in tears worried about the health of their animal. There is a lot of coverage of the zoo vets and I found it fascinating the specialists they get in to assist like the dentist that usually works with domestic cats and dogs or the scientist flown in from the U.S. to sex the frogs.

Although it is given a censorship rating of G (General viewing) I did find I was having to explain things to my pre-schoolers as it covered things such as euthanasia, mating, and gun handler. My girls where often asking "What and are they doing?" I am pleased I sat with them as they now have a better handle on the circle of life. They also saw Mummy in tears as I could see i was concerned for the animals.

This is the only family DVD we own that is not animated. I am very pleased we have it in our collection and my girls really love it even though my husband questioned my choice. It is also great for us to view this and get familiar with the animals and keepers before visiting Auckland Zoo. It is a great insight into zoo life.