Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
If it is only the parkland, then this presumably means the 6 acres of gardens are closed - despite the most recent update allowing ticketed gardens (presumably with plants in them, but not animals) to open.
UK zoos & lockdown going forward...
- Thread starter TriUK
- Start date
I'm not sure if that's included in the current open area or not, to be fair - if it is though, it will presumably only be as an extension of the park on the same terms. There's no easy way of drawing a neat line between parks and gardens in terms of definition, and a lot of parks are called 'gardens' or contain areas called 'gardens', so I think the use of the latter word in the regs is only so that councils don't close those down. To be honest, the bit about tickets makes no sense to me in the current regs at all and almost looks like something that had been written ready for the next set and included in error..!
I'm a little confused here, If I travel to a captive collection (when they open) with a friend in a car I will not be 2 meters apart and yet when I get to the collection I will be expected to adhere to the 2 meter distancing rule.
Is it me or doesn't this make sense?
Is it me or doesn't this make sense?
littleRedPanda
Well-Known Member
you shouldn't be sharing a car with someone outside your household
Exactly. I know Chester actually put in their re-opening plan not to travel with people who don't live with you to the zoo, only to meet once there and observe social distancing.
I was asking as I have seen many fishermen arriving at pools with non family members also birders visiting countryside with friends in cars.
I use public transport and always travel alone was just asking as I couldn't understand.
I use public transport and always travel alone was just asking as I couldn't understand.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Both of those instances are illegal, and subject to a now unlimited fine and a potential suspension order, exactly as travel to a zoo or any other ticketed attraction other than a 'garden', whatever that might actually be..
Just out of interest, how do maintain a social distance of 2m on public transport?
Yeah, if they don't live with them (and it is possible to live with friends or similarly-aged relatives, of course) then that's against the rules. I went for a (distanced) walk with my Dad on the other side of town on Monday and it felt a bit daft driving separately from houses less than a mile apart but them's the rules.
Round here they have sealed off every other seat and no one can sit anywhere near the driver on some trains they have sealed off all the face to face seats and again sealed off every other seat.
I will be reporting the scenes I have seen to the right people tomorrow.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
29 May 2020
This morning we are suddenly getting emails from the public asking if we are open next week, as all the local Farm Parks are re-opening on 1st June.
BALPPA and BIAZA say Zoos cant re-open till 4th July, but this is 'advice' only and 'what our members are working towards' - and they do not give any links. Our MP will not reply to emails and our LA simply now says that all our contacts with them contravene GDPR regulations and to speak to our solicitors.
I have searched GOV.UK for the changes which allow ticketed collections of domestic animals to re-open, but forbid ticked collections of wild spp to do, so and cant find any.
Can anyone else?
This morning we are suddenly getting emails from the public asking if we are open next week, as all the local Farm Parks are re-opening on 1st June.
BALPPA and BIAZA say Zoos cant re-open till 4th July, but this is 'advice' only and 'what our members are working towards' - and they do not give any links. Our MP will not reply to emails and our LA simply now says that all our contacts with them contravene GDPR regulations and to speak to our solicitors.
I have searched GOV.UK for the changes which allow ticketed collections of domestic animals to re-open, but forbid ticked collections of wild spp to do, so and cant find any.
Can anyone else?
I can't seem to find anything relating specifically to ticketed attractions, but something must have been said somewhere as the National Trust and the RHS have announced they are reopening some of their sites
National Trust to reopen gardens and parks
National Trust to reopen gardens and parks
WWT have updated the centres' Twitter feeds and web pages to say they expect to announce their re-opening date next week (NB - that is, the announcement will be next week, not (necessarily) the re-opening!).
e.g.: WWT Slimbridge on Twitter / Slimbridge Wetland Centre closed to the public | WWT
e.g.: WWT Slimbridge on Twitter / Slimbridge Wetland Centre closed to the public | WWT
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
We have an answer, of sorts:
National Trusts opening locally from 1st June - paid ticketed attractions, others like Blenheim too, parks and gardens.
Farm Parks opening next week on 1st June as collections of domestic animals have been given the go-ahead too.
Collection of non-domestic animals, ie holders of zoo licences are not allowed to open for another five weeks until 4th July. Because of the lobbying, Zoos have been classed in the same category as Theme Parks, and not in the same category as Farm Parks. Quite why BIAZA would want to lobby for this, is a question for them or their members.
This extra 5 weeks of closure will cost us around £150,000
This simply means that our creditors and banks who are waiting and could have been paid from next week will have to wait, potentially if things don't go well until after Easter 2021. We hope they will be able to be patient... They really ought to be lobbying hard too, as unless we are paid we cant pay them - simples...
National Trusts opening locally from 1st June - paid ticketed attractions, others like Blenheim too, parks and gardens.
Farm Parks opening next week on 1st June as collections of domestic animals have been given the go-ahead too.
Collection of non-domestic animals, ie holders of zoo licences are not allowed to open for another five weeks until 4th July. Because of the lobbying, Zoos have been classed in the same category as Theme Parks, and not in the same category as Farm Parks. Quite why BIAZA would want to lobby for this, is a question for them or their members.
This extra 5 weeks of closure will cost us around £150,000
This simply means that our creditors and banks who are waiting and could have been paid from next week will have to wait, potentially if things don't go well until after Easter 2021. We hope they will be able to be patient... They really ought to be lobbying hard too, as unless we are paid we cant pay them - simples...
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Yes, as above - they are a Zoo, so they are classed as a Theme Park and cannot open until 4th July.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
We sent an American Mammoth Donkey by road to Finland back on 4th May Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Looking back, I think that animal moves could probably have been done all the way through this. As I said before, we had invitations for transport in the early stages of lock-down from German zoo transporters who were saying that it was an ideal time to do moves as the road were so quiet.
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Words fail me. Disgusting.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
It really does begin to look like deliberate vindictiveness, and not just accidental bungling...
But I thought you said that Zoos didn't have to close in the first place and only did so because nobody could visit....
I think that, from what has been said here and elsewhere, the state of play is a strange no-mans-land whereupon zoos were never on the original list of locations required to close, but now that restrictions are being relaxed they have been included on the list of locations (ticketed attractions) which are explicitly not allowed to re-open yet.
bureaucracy in action!