It's animal magic at college

A Staffordshire college is proving it has got animal magic by launching a new visitor attraction which boasts a range of exotic animals.

Rodbaston College, Penkridge, has opened the new visitor attraction centre.

It is proving to be a great hit with animal lovers. The star attractions include a meerkat family, lemurs, marmoset monkeys and racoons.

The centre, which is located off the A449 Wolverhampton Road, also has kune kune pigs and chipmunks plus a range of farmyard animals.

The new attraction was given the go-ahead after the college secured a zoo licence recently.

The centre is also involved in a number of conservation projects and hopes to be able to introduce a number of new species to Rodbaston in the near future.

Chris Mitchell, visitor centre manager, said people could look forward to seeing both a range of exotic and farmyard animals.

She said: "We have now secured a zoo licence which endorses the very high standards of animal management we maintain.

"We will continue to work closely with other animal collections to manage certain species for conservation purposes.

"It really is excellent for Rodbaston and for the many people who come to visit us. I think they will be very impressed with the animals we have.

"We don't just have exotic animals. The college also houses a large number of companion animals as well as farm animals.

"People who come to Rodbaston can expect to learn about the animals, their status in the wild and how we take care of them in captivity or just interesting facts about them."

The centre is open every weekend from 10am until 4pm along with the shop and tea room which will also be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 1pm. For further details call the college on 01785 712209.