A hairy spider, bird of prey and four-metre long snake were guests at a care home in Solihull.

They were among the visitors brought to Royal Star & Garter by the Animals in Hands mobile zoo on Tuesday (6 December).

Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia. The charity also has Homes in Surbiton and High Wycombe.

The creatures were shown to residents living with dementia by former zookeeper Mo Safeer, who set up Animals in Hands and is known as the Animal Man. Among them was an albino Burmese python, white-faced scops owl, Chilian rose tarantula, bearded dragon, skunk, tortoise, chinchilla and bullfrog.

‘I was terrified!’

Lorraine is part of the Royal Star & Garter Wellbeing Team which organised the visit. She said: “You could see how much the residents enjoyed it all. I had the snake around my neck and I was terrified!”

Mo said: “The residents were in awe of the animals and there were some lovely interactions. They seemed to really enjoy it, and I enjoyed being at the Home too.”

Royal Star & Garter in Solihull is welcoming new residents. For more information on this, or to work at the Home, please go to www.starandgarter.org/solihull