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Bookings@reptizooencounters.co.uk

ReptiZoo Encounters Ltd.

Where Animals & People work together

                          

Our Mission is to Rescue exotic animals in need and provide the specialist care and home they need as well as providing education, conservation, animal therapy and animal experiences for children and adults in Scotland.  We also provide volunteering and work experience for young people who have work or learning barriers, building confidence, self-development and real opportunities for our local communities.  As well as all the above we offer our services to organisations, individuals & companies by providing them Animal Experiences. 

Our Values

We will provide the Animals in our care with respect, compassion and environment they can flourish as well as providing the best possible Animal welfare & husbandry.

We are passionate about the work we do not only with animals but also in our community work and the sessions we provide.

We are Knowledgeable about the flora & fauna of the world and pass on that information to all who engage with our services.

We are Inclusive and work together to the benefit of all collectively achieving our objective and missions.  We ensure all people are treated fairly and get equal opportunities wither they are staff, volunteers or engaging with our services.

We value Commitment to our service users and our mission to build strong and beneficial relationships.

We aim to offer different services to the public

Animal Therapy within schools, charities, Care homes, hospices and any other mental health service providers.

By offering this service we will be able to improve satisfaction, energy levels, self-esteem, and mood, as well as decrease depression. Additional benefits include increased motor skills and movement, improved social skills and verbal communication, decreased boredom, and a more positive outlook.  For most people, the presence of an animal prompts the body to release serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin. These hormones generate a relaxation and stress-reducing response, according to UCLA Health. This hormone release can lower symptoms of depression and sadness, helping support good mental health.

The people this service would benefit albeit most people in society could benefit from this type of animal experience, For therapeutic sessions, we cater for children, young people & Adults with a variety of needs. This includes but is not limited to:

• School Phobia
• Long term care patients
• Patients with dementia
• People with terminal illness at any stage
• Children & Adults with depression
• Community outreach groups
• Anxiety
• ASD
• Mild Learning difficulties
• ADHD
• Mild to moderate mental health issues
• Other developmental disorders or needs that affects their ability to engage in the traditional education environment.

Provide Animal Education to education establishments, youth groups, community groups, placements, public events, public organizations and many other community services.

Why is learning about animals important?

Interacting with animals supports learning and development and gives people the opportunity to learn how to be gentle and responsible for others. Hands-on activities are the best way to learn about animals and to teach respect for living things. This is a big thing especially for children’s development with animals. It is important to learn about animals to ensure they live better lives. It also leads to us having a better understanding of ourselves, of the people around us, and the planet on which we live.

By providing our Animal Education we can support children & Adults with complex challenges and needs. As well as social, emotional and mental health difficulties, in specialist settings may have real challenges with attention, with forming relationships and trust we can provide a positive benefit to all.

Having animal education sessions to support children with this level of complexity is not a fad, it’s not just a ‘nice’ thing to do. Our animal sessions and events have a multi-faceted role to play not just therapeutically, but also educationally, socially and emotionally – in fact, we can play a supporting role in all those areas which people in our community struggle with. They’re a non-judgemental friend in what can be a really challenging environment for people. The first thing to recognise is that it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ scenario when introducing animals. Therapy dogs, for example. are wonderful and can be valuable, but they’re not for everyone.  For some young people the ‘fluffier’ animals might not fit the image they are trying to portray or how they see themselves. So, they’re happier to engage with the ‘tougher’ appearing animals such as reptiles.  We are supported by a range of Animal Ambassador’s from the animal kingdom across reptiles, mammals, avians and invertebrates like Tarantulas. In some cases, they play similar roles, and in other cases their role in supporting people is very different. Our animal ambassadors include snakes and lizards such as chameleons and bearded dragons, tarantulas and owls as well as more ‘traditional’ animals including guinea pigs and rabbits.

We provide one off or ongoing educational session working with a variety of different animals teaching people about where they are from, personal stories of how the animals came to us and the real-life issues they face as well as care and husbandry.  we can base our sessions around themes or topics for instance ‘The rainforest’ or ‘Mini beasts’.  We like to encourage our service user to get hands on and experience the touch, sounds and personal interaction with the animal.  Most of our sessions are 1 hour long or our more in-depth sessions can be 2 hours.  We integrate positive ways in which we can all conserve our planet along with the challenges our wildlife currently faces and how we can help.

Commercial Events

We also provide our services to individuals, companies and organisations by offering Animal experiences in the form of petting zoos, interactive animal shows, birthday experiences and animal handling encounters.  Where monies from this go directly back into our rescue efforts and providing funding for our therapy sessions to people that would benefit but may not have the funds themselves, in the past children with terminal illnesses have benefited from funded animal therapy and events that help raise funds for life experiences, treatment or awareness of their condition who have been referred to us or their parents have reached out personally.