Need to buy a gift for an animal lover? From fish flip flops to squirrel feeders, jigsaw puzzles to zebra print blankets we have ideas for every budget
Best gifts for animal lovers
Squirrel feeder picnic table
Is there anything more wholesome than watching a squirrel chomping down on a nut or a berry? If there was ever a way of making that experience even more charming, it’s this. Watch your local squirrels sitting at a miniature picnic table, tucking into a snack in the shade of an umbrella. What’s more, the feeding bowl on the picnic table has a drain hole for rainwater. You can either pop it on a table or wall, or you can mount it to a tree in your garden using the mounting screws attached. Happy dining!
Endangered Animals Jigsaw Puzzle
Introduce your kids to the world’s endangered animals using this brightly coloured 60-piece giant floor puzzle. Featuring illustrations of 100 endangered animals, the puzzle showcases the likes of the African Elephant, Black Rhino, Bolivian Chinchilla Rat and the Nimba Otter Shrew. Once you’ve completed the puzzle, cross-reference with the accompanying data sheet to learn more about the animals pictured. You’ll also be able to learn about different continents, oceans and lines of latitude as you go.
Fish Flops
Fish flops are one of the greatest novelty animal items on the market – and a great gift for any fish enthusiast or sartorial visionary. They’re perfect for a beach holiday, when you have your naffest Hawaiian shirt on and need something jazzy for the bottom half. If you’re ever clutching at straws for what to buy a colleague or if you need a last-minute Secret Santa gift, these are guaranteed to get a laugh and win over a room. They come in an array of bright colours: green, blue, black, orange, silver and pink. You could get a pair for each member of the family!
Wildlife World Dew Drop Insect House
A bee hotel can make a great gift for animal and wildlife lovers. This pretty bee hotel is made from FSC-certified timber with a woven bamboo finish on the sides, surrounded nesting tubes made from bamboo and a central aqua blue log (painted with non-toxic paint).
We named this bee hotel one of the best bee hotels for your wildlife garden
Hare and the Bee Water Bottle
Designer Hannah Dale is the brain – and artistic force – behind Wrendale Designs, a company responsible for creating beautiful gifts based on Dale's original artwork, much of which is inspired by the British landscape and the animals that inhabit it. A reusable bottle is a must-have item for anyone on the go. It's not just useful for water. It'll keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot for up to 12 hours. Pop your soup in their for your office lunch break or stash an orange squash for a hot, sunny hike.
Zebra-print wool blanket
Animal print has been a favourite of fashion and interior designers for many years, with the trend returning time and time again to catwalks across the globe. Now you can have a flavour of this in your home, thanks to this chic wool blanket. Throw it over the back of a sofa, wrap yourself in it on a cold night or pop it over a wooden bench to add a little cushioning. It comes with fringed edging on either end and is lightweight, woven from soft lambswool.
If you want to take your interior decorating a step further, try out some of these safari and jungle-inspired bedroom ideas for children.
Aesop Animal Wash
We all know we can buy dog shampoo a lot cheaper, but where's the fun in that? After all, a gift is the most fun when it's something you'd never buy yourself. Aesop is an Australian-founded brand that produces luxury skincare, haircare, soaps, fragrances – and now a range for animals. This is a mild wash, so shouldn't irritate your animal's skin or fur. What's more, you can leave it on the side of the kitchen bench and use it as a hand wash yourself. Created using a blend of lemon rind, tea tree leaf and spearmint leaf, the wash is then poured into a bottle made from a minimum of 97% recycled plastics.
Adopt a donkey
We all have those tricky-to-buy-for cousins. Rather than buying them yet another pair of 'jazzy' socks, why not do something that helps the animal kingdom? You can use the website to narrow down the location and personality of your donkey, so you can find a suitable match.
For just £3 a month, you can adopt a donkey, which helps provide support for donkeys around the world with food, medicine, pets and farriers, as well as education and training. As part of your gift, you'll receive two portraits of your donkey and their story in display forms, an adoption certificate, keepsake membership card and four postcards. You'll receive updates on your donkey in spring and autumn.
Animal Kingdom Mid-Year Diary
Get that back-to-school feeling with this beautiful diary, which comes in both standard and pocket size editions, both as adorable as each other – and both complete with navy ribbon marker. Inside, you'll find the usual week-by-week splits, as well as monthly grids and lists for monthly goals, to-do lists, important dates and wish lists. You can also keep your important contacts listed in the address book section at the back. This diary from Papier will brighten up any sad office desk.