With Podmore’s Zoological Gardens set to open on the first of February, Daily Prophet was invited inside to take a look at this ambitious new venture that his now home to a veritable menagerie of animals.

Upon entry I was greeted (slightly enthusiastically) by the pair of elephants Mr Podmore hopes will offer rides to guests in exchange for a donation, which I can vouch is rather different to riding a broomstick if nothing else. Just the other side of the entry gate and ticket booths is a large bronze lion for donations, the small shop, tea rooms and an ornamental garden containing a rather fine pond of Koi Carp and, all being well come the summer, a large variety of butterflies.

The animal enclosures are just beyond this, and (as I am assured by Mr Podmore) are all enchanted to prevent escape on the part of their residents. Amongst their number I spotted several camels, a hippopotamus and several large cages that can only be home to exotic birds or monkeys, as well as seals and a walrus with a rather enviable moustache. The more tame of the animals- several marmosets, a capybara and a baby elephant to name a few- will be available for the public to pet at designated times.
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Beyond this is the first exhibition hall, containing animals in need of tanks or warmer climate, amongst them the reptiles, fish and several more delicate exotic birds, and entrance to the magical park of the zoo- a slightly smaller adjoining exhibition hall and the outdoor paddocks, open only to magical guests to comply with ministry guidelines and shielded from muggle view by dense forest.

This second area of the zoo is home to the magical creatures of the zoo, included a winged tiger seized at a dockyard by the ministry two weeks ago, a blind and rather tame unicorn and a collection of Diricrawls.

Mr Podmore hopes that the opening of the zoo will inspire the budding magizoologists of the future and promote better understanding and respect of creatures, both magical and otherwise. Several of the exhibits- such as the two golden snidgets- had suffered either illegal trade or mistreatment at the hand of man before being rehomed to the zoo.

In this vein, the Zoo has announced that to all visitors who present today’s copy of the Prophet to the ticket office between the first and fourteenth of February, admission shall be free, standing at fifteen knuts per person usually.

AUTHOR: GULLIVER DORAN