About Zoofari Mobile Zoo

"Animals are such agreeable friends -
they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."
George Elliot (1819-1880)

Conservation In Action!

To promote conservation through education, some of Zoofari's tame animals that really enjoy being handled are used as "ambassadors" to raise awareness and funds for their wild counterparts and habitat protection.

Dedicated and passionate conservationists bring the professional and insightful Mobile Zoo to you. Zoofari can transform your premises into a real "Zoofari" with jungle sounds and effects, cargo net and of course the animals.

Our "Mobile Zoo" visits are fun, educational and lively lectures on a variety of diverse and spectacular animals. They also bring the message of conservation and important ecological issues to the public's attention in both an exciting and thought provoking manner, especially the children who we want to take our message home and communicate it to their generation.

Instead of admiring animals from afar behind cages, with Zoofari you can have an interesting talk on each species of animal brought along, ask questions throughout the lecture and even get to stroke the exotic animals: it really is an unforgettable experience! Wildlife documentaries and natural history books are very intriguing, but they can never quite match the experience of seeing exotic animals up close and personal.

Zoofari is a very ethical organisation, we do not believe in purchasing any animals purely for commercial gain. All of the animals in our care have been rescued, whether they have been surplus animals from zoos, unwanted or mistreated exotic pets. Through our animal husbandry expertise and carefully managed diets, we have secured the well being of countless animals over the years, from species native to our Isle to exotics originating from all over the globe.

Our animals provide an effective means of communicating our message concerning conservation and related ecological issues. In this sense, the animals in our captivity become living ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

Being passionate about conservation, ecology and wildlife, Philip Dowsett wanted to educate the public on a larger scale and in 2004 established Zoofari as an independent organisation, not connected to a zoo. Even since it's birth, Zoofari has made several progressive measures to spread our conservation message to a large audience. We have visited hundreds of schools, private individuals, residential care homes and companies, every time exceeding their expectations and receiving grateful praise.

Zoofari is a non-profit organisation, created to raise public awareness of the plight of all animals and their ever-depleting natural habitats. Zoofari has no paid staff, all money raised goes towards the animals and our conservation project.

Please spread the word about Zoofari and help us to help them.

Philip Dowsett

Philip Dowsett is an avid conservationist and the founder of Zoofari. Animals have fascinated Philip all his life and he was determined to help protect wildlife worldwide, having been inspired by the legendary John Aspinall (1926-2000) and Gerald Durrell (1925-1995).

Since 2000, Philip has worked over 10 hours a day, seven days a week voluntarily in various exotic wild animal collections in the UK. Before establishing Zoofari, he was the Head Keeper at Europe's finest private Leopard sanctuary, most noted for breeding the very endangered Clouded Leopard, Snow Leopard and Persian Leopard. Philip was then invited to manage a private collection of big cats in California, USA. He also helped to run an animal charity in the UK for two years after setting up Zoofari. After helping run the charity, Philip then helped run the Leopard Sanctuary again, being the Head Keeper up until 2007.

Although having worked with numerous species of reptiles, invertebrates and birds, mammals are his passion. Exotic mammals he has worked closely with include Gibbons, Spider Monkeys, Macaques, Vervet Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys, Red Pandas, Pygmy Marmosets, Meerkats, Zebras, Lemurs, Brazilian Tapirs, Golden Lion Tamarins, Squirrel Monkeys, Foxes, Asian Short Clawed Otters, Raccoons, Coatimundis, Bacterian Camels and Grey Wolves to name just small selection!

Most of Philip's animal husbandry work has been with wild cat species. To date, he has worked with 20 out of the 37 species of wild cats and these have ranged from Geoffroy's cat, Jaguarundi, Serval, Caracal, Bobcat, Lynx and Ocelot, to all of the big cat species; Clouded leopard, Puma, Leopard, Lion, Jaguar, Snow leopard, Cheetah and Tiger.

Having worked closely with so many wild animal species, he has acquired a unique understanding and invaluable knowledge from such experiences. Philip has studied animal behaviour of several species, even during twilight hours.

Philip was planning to help with several in-situ rehabilitation projects around the world on a voluntary capacity. This included working with Western Lowland Gorillas in the Congo and Gabon, Orangutans in Borneo, Hairy Nosed Wombats in Australia, European Grey Wolves in Romania, African Elephants in Zambia, Gibbons in Cambodia, Lions in Namibia, Jaguars in Belize, Sun Bears in Thailand, Spider Monkeys in Brazil, Pumas in Argentina, Bengal Tigers in India, African Hunting Dogs in Zimbabwe, Giant Otters in Bolivia, Rhinos in South Africa, Brown Bears in Russia and Chimpanzees in Cameroon. Although it would have been amazing, it would only be helping wildlife in the short term. It would benefit the wildlife projects much more in the long term if they could be helped financially. Phil hopes to help out many running in-situ projects around the globe in the not too distant future. Check out our Conservation page.

coming soon
"Stress-Busting Eco-Safaris"

Relax in the serenity and tranquillity of lush Central American jungle, on Stress-Busting Eco-Safaris surrounded by crystal clear ocean.

View the magnificent sunset, whilst sipping a chilled glass of champagne and experiencing delicious local cuisine. You will have exclusive access to Philsafari´s own private jungle reserves where you will be at one with nature.

You have a unique opportunity to help our Planet´s ever depleting species of fauna and flora. All of our Stress-Busting Eco-Safaris are ethical, employ locals, conserve endangered species and a large percentage of the revenue is ploughed back into saving more rainforest.