A collection of 200 extraordinary animals are settling into a new home at Longleat.
The concept presents a twist, with everything made entirely from buttons and beads, with the collection featuring animals including armadillos, anteaters, walruses and zebras.
The so-called ‘Lockdown zoo’ was created by a graphic designer called Julie Thomas from Malvern in Worcestershire.
Her idea was born on the first day of lockdown after her grandsons, five-year-old Ralph and seven-year-old Seb, asked if she could make a giraffe for them.
Julie said: “It has been keeping me amused and making people smile.
“Before lockdown, they were just a collection of buttons and beads. I had experimented with making things like charms to hang on trees, but I had never attempted to make an animal before.”
Julie soon decided she would like to share her creation with a wider audience and got in touch with Longleat.
Darren Beasley, Head of Animal Operations said: “As the first safari park to open outside of Africa back in 1966 we do have a lot of experience looking after exotic animals, but Julie’s menagerie is definitely something else.
“The time, effort and love that Julie has put into the collection deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.”
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