Borth Animalarium Animalarum for sale

Reported on BBC TV local news this morning that the Animalarium has been finally sold . The new owners are a couple that do not appear to have a zoo background .
 
Reported on BBC TV local news this morning that the Animalarium has been finally sold . The new owners are a couple that do not appear to have a zoo background .
article here: Family moves in with lions and snakes at Borth Animalarium - BBC News

Lions, snakes and crocodiles are some of the 300 animals in Ceredigion which a family from Kent has moved in with.

Artist Dean Tweedy and his wife Tracy, along with their children, wanted a petting farm so psychotherapist Mrs Tweedy could run therapy sessions for people with mental illnesses.

But they instead bought The Animalarium - a zoo near Borth, for £625,000.

They have moved in with the animals - including the biggest attractions, lions Zulu and Wilma.

"Our friends and family reacted with surprise at first saying 'you've bought a zoo?'," said Mrs Tweedy.

"It was mainly disbelief, but for those who really know us it's not that surprising because we've always had dozens of animals.

"People described our old house as being like a zoo. Now we actually have our own one."

The Animalarium had 27,000 visitors in 2016 and over the years it has taken on animals not wanted at other zoos because of over-breeding or from people unable to cope with them as pets.

Staffing and food costs about £12,000 per month and it was put on the market after the previous owners decided to retire.

The family now plan to extend the enclosures and put on more interactive tours, showcasing the animals.

"I just want to get in there and give them [the lions] a big squeeze and a hug but I've been told I'm not allowed because I'd probably lose my arms and die," added Mrs Tweedy.

"But maybe one day when they're sedated I can go in and give them a hug."

 
Borth Zoo has now changed name from 'Borth Animalarium' to 'Borth Wild Animal Kingdom'. Plans are to do up the shop and café, then make the hill more accessible to add more animal enclosures.
 
Borth Zoo has now changed name from 'Borth Animalarium' to 'Borth Wild Animal Kingdom'. Plans are to do up the shop and café, then make the hill more accessible to add more animal enclosures.

I'm a bit concerned that the first step is doing up the shop and the cafe when animal enclosures need work. Why would they choose to do this first? Not making assumptions, but seems an odd choice.
 
I'm a bit concerned that the first step is doing up the shop and the cafe when animal enclosures need work. Why would they choose to do this first? Not making assumptions, but seems an odd choice.

Happy customers = repeat visits

Business 101, and makes the most sense, make the guest happy so you have more money to spend on improvements to enclosures.
 
The zoo have unveiled there new logo on Facebook:

18519743_1925379877487807_661852260185427997_n.jpg
 
The zoo have unveiled there new logo on Facebook:

18519743_1925379877487807_661852260185427997_n.jpg
As a 'Wild Animal Kingdom', I hope they have reduced the number of domestics that they had -- I remember horses, pigs, goats, none of which really fit the Wild Animal Kingdom image. Not been for several years though.
 
Visited Borth Wild Animal Kingdom today, not expecting much from the new ownership as they had only been there a couple of weeks but speaking to staff the future seems bright with animals getting larger enclosures. Here are couple other of my notes:
-The Plated Lizards (Although labelled as G.skoogi, there has been doubt to whether it actually was), Horned Frogs and Fence Lizard are no longer on-show in the reptile house, although Carpet Python now are. The reptile house currently consists of Burmese Python, Carpet Python, Corn Snake, Californian King Snake, Bearded Dragon, Royal Python and Reticulated Python
-There is a single Bennett's Wallaby mixed with the Rheas
-They are down to a single Weeper Capuchin, Demoiselle Crane and Sandhill Crane, and although signed I didn't spot any Madagascan Teal
-The Von der Derken Hornbill aviary and surrounding aviaries are empty. The Hornbills are still there and can be seen behind the Grey-Breasted Conures
-The Rainbow Lorikeet aviary has been transformed into an extension for the breeding family of Common Marmoset with a bridge connecting the two.
-The aviary by the Green Iguana house which used to be labeled as having Zebra Finch, Chinese Painted Quail, Rosa Bourke, Bengalese Finch, Japanese Quail and Java Sparrow is now empty.
-The aviary in the domestics area (Bizarre Mixed Exhibit of Turkey,Budgerigar,Cokatiel & Domestic Europena | ZooChat) is now home to Diamond Dove, Grey Partridge, Zebra Finch and Java Sparrow
-The old Ocelot exhibit has become part of the Lynx enclosure and the mother and her 3 cubs have access to it. The original enclosure has been split up with other female (Nilly) being kept separate
-The Asian Palm Civets have moved into what was the Bronze Turkey exhibit in the expansion. This is definitely an improvement for the Asian Palm Civet as it gives them about 5 times the amount of space they had in the previous exhibit.
 
The zoo have announced one of the female Lynx has escaped (If I remember rightly they have 2:3)

Do not be alarmed, but please be alert as one of our young Eurasian Lynx has escaped. People of Borth and the surrounding countryside please be on the lookout for a large cat with a stubby tail. She is a young juvenile, tan and white in colour with dark spots on her back and legs. She is about twice the size of a domestic cat with black tufts on her ears. Her most distinctive feature is her thick, stubby tail which is no more than six inches long, is tan at the base and black at the tip.

If you spot her, please do not approach her. Phone the police or contact the zoo straight away. We have fully-trained keepers on hand to deal with the situation. The zoo phone number is 01970 871224. There have never been any recorded attacks of a Lynx on a human, but they are a wild animal with sharp teeth and claws and will attack if cornered or trapped.

Lynx are solitary animals that hide most of the day and tend to hunt at night. They will generally keep clear of human habitation and prefer a wooded environment. She is not used to hunting live prey but will chase rabbits and rodents when she gets hungry. They have excellent eyesight that can spot a mouse 250 yards away and big flat paws that help them move very quietly.
Lynx can travel about 12 miles a day, but the chances are she hasn’t gone far. We will be putting out camera traps around the perimeter of the zoo and relying on sightings by the public. Once we learn her location and follow her trail pattern we can set up monitored traps to catch her.

We thank you for your vigilance and remind you once again, please do not approach this wild animal. Please call Borth Wild Animal Kingdom and we will send our keepers right away.
 
Back
Top