Exotic animals bed in to excite visitors (VIDEO)

RARE and exotic wildlife is being introduced to a tourist attraction to boost the number of visitors.

Stapeley Water Gardens, near Nantwich, which already attracts around 1.5 million people a year, is expanding the species of animals on display to the public.

New additions tao Palms Tropical Oasis, which is an accredited zoo next to the water garden centre, include an armadillo thought to be the only one of its kind in the region.

There is also a new family of meerkats, and a baby box tortoise.

Some of the new species are in quarantine, but are due to be unveiled along with a number of structural changes to the water garden centre by Easter.

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Zoo keeper Mark Titterton said: "It is all part of our plan to slowly increase the number of species which people can come and look at. We want to raise awareness of the natural world and educate people about how conservation breeding can help the species."

The baby male tortoise, who is expected to live until he is 70 but does not yet have a name, is still only the size of a two pence piece. He will grow very slowly so will not be ready for display at the zoo until next year.

Eventually he will be used in Meet the Keeper sessions which are held every Saturday.

The armadillo, named Dime Bar, has been in quarantine at the centre for the last nine months. She is due to go on display at the centre by March in the current fish tunnel which is being revamped into a dry tunnel.

It will also house Sugar Gliders (a small marsupial originally native to eastern and northern mainland Australia), Australian bearded lizards and venomous lizards.

Mr Titterton said: "The armadillo is a lesser screaming hairy armadillo and we think she is the only one of her species in this part of the country.

"She is very noisy. Armadillos tend to sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day and if you try and pick them up or wake them, they scream at the top of their lungs. The noise can be deafening."

A pair of adult meerkats were introduced to the centre over a year ago and went on display to the public within a few weeks.

Pula, the male, aged three, and Sebrula, the female, aged two, have since reproduced to expand their family to nine.

Mr Titterton said: "Meerkats survive better in groups than on their own. We have moved them into an open-topped room which has been set up in an African style."

Fiona Trotter, of School Lane, Sandbach, said she had taken her niece and nephew to see the meerkats.

The 29-year-old of School Lane, Sandbach, said: "They were the highlight of my day. I thought they were a more unusual attraction. You don't see animals like that every day."

Chris Stanley, of South Crofts, Nantwich, said he welcomed the new animals.

The 54-year-old, who helps to stage events to raise money for Greyhound Rescue West of England at the water garden centre, said: "It will hopefully bring more visitors to the centre and also into Nantwich. We've recently suffered due to Woolworths and small shops shutting and need a boost."

A video will appear shortly