Cassiobury Farm & Fishery Cassiobury Farm & Fishery
- Thread starter nedpepper
- Start date
I was there - my 3rd visit this year. The open day was good. They had Ventura Wildlife Encounters there (a sister company) doing encounter sessions with a Tenrec, an African Eagle Owl, a royal python and a young Parma wallaby.
We managed to see most of the animals - some of the African crested porcupines were hiding in a tunnel as usual and we couldn't see the honey badgers in their enclosure.
My husband overheard a staff member tell someone that there is going to be a change of ownership. I guess that could explain them closing to the public even though they had just put up new signs and opened up new food stalls earlier this year.
We managed to see most of the animals - some of the African crested porcupines were hiding in a tunnel as usual and we couldn't see the honey badgers in their enclosure.
My husband overheard a staff member tell someone that there is going to be a change of ownership. I guess that could explain them closing to the public even though they had just put up new signs and opened up new food stalls earlier this year.
I was there in the morning. It was my first visit and over all, it was much better than I thought it would be. The zoo has an attractive situation with lakes and watercourses running through it. The enclosures tend to be on the small side but many are nicely planted and have appropriate furnishings for the species they hold.
The open day seemed well attended and the animals were all very active when I was there (which fortunately coincided with them being fed, so that helped.) They also had a nice array of not-so-common species which made the visit that bit more interesting.
The open day seemed well attended and the animals were all very active when I was there (which fortunately coincided with them being fed, so that helped.) They also had a nice array of not-so-common species which made the visit that bit more interesting.
The farm and fishery is up for sale : £2.75m for the property. The listing says "in addition the business/assets (inc. Animals) are available separately on repeat. (Transfer of the animals is subject to conditions).
The listing is here: Knight Frank
The listing is here: Knight Frank
Heck! If you're looking to buy a zoo in the UK, now's a good time!
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
The owner said that the reason for selling is because of the rise in inheritance tax plus, financially the site and the collection is in a great shape
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Article about the site going up for sale is on the BBC: Cassiobury Farm and Fishery in Watford for sale at £2.75m
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Reading the article implies that whilst the property is for sale, that the exotic collection is managed and curated by Ventura, so does that mean any prospective buyer would have to keep that in place? What would there be to prevent someone coming in and buying it and opening it up as a zoo? I assume that given the species they hold (a few DWA) and they hold open days, with the same team in place, or bringing in qualified staff, it wouldn't be a huge process to convert it into a full time zoo? Added to that, I assume those who manage the animal collection, would have already previously been paid wages by the owners if they didn't own the stock, so effectively would any new buyer be tied into keeping the same people running the collection? It is a nice location for a zoo, and with the large fishing lake attached to it, and woodland on the footprint, it could be attractive to build lodges and convert some of the lakes into enclosures for aquatic animals and there looks other areas on the footprint where small lodges or overnight huts could be created.
Surely at 2.75m for a London Property with a nice animal collection, over 10 acres of land which can be developed, it would be a bargain with huge business potential?
Surely at 2.75m for a London Property with a nice animal collection, over 10 acres of land which can be developed, it would be a bargain with huge business potential?
There is no certainty the animals will be transferred over with the land. The listing makes it clear that it is just for the land, but that transfer of the business and animals would be an optional extra subject to conditions being met.
To be honest I can't really see it becoming a full time zoo. There is no parking other than for blue badge holders. The nearby parking for Cassiobury park gets completely packed in summer anyway, and the road to the farm and fishery is only wide enough for one car with very few passing places. For the last few open days they have had someone stationed at the end of that road turning people around as (despite signs) people still seemed to think it was ok to drive all the way up to the gates - then they meet someone coming the other way and chaos ensues, particularly with pedestrians and cyclists using it too.
The site is nice but not the biggest and the woodland along the edge of the site is boggy and prone to flooding so would need work to make it suitable. It would also be competing with the likes of Whipsnade about 40mins drive away, plus London zoo, Woburn Safari Park and Hertfordshire zoo. I think they would struggle to get additional land for it as it is bounded by a canal, river, railway line and cassiobury park and nature reserve.
Opening up only occasionally makes it a special event and it largely seems to be people who are fairly local who go there. That wouldn't be enough to keep it busy all the time and the lack of good transport options plus the competition from other zoos would make it hard to get enough people from elsewhere.
I hope the new owners do take on the animals and open it up sometimes in the future as it was a nice place to go once or twice a year. The local schools used to do trips there (on foot) to teach the children about conservation so it was good for education too.
To be honest I can't really see it becoming a full time zoo. There is no parking other than for blue badge holders. The nearby parking for Cassiobury park gets completely packed in summer anyway, and the road to the farm and fishery is only wide enough for one car with very few passing places. For the last few open days they have had someone stationed at the end of that road turning people around as (despite signs) people still seemed to think it was ok to drive all the way up to the gates - then they meet someone coming the other way and chaos ensues, particularly with pedestrians and cyclists using it too.
The site is nice but not the biggest and the woodland along the edge of the site is boggy and prone to flooding so would need work to make it suitable. It would also be competing with the likes of Whipsnade about 40mins drive away, plus London zoo, Woburn Safari Park and Hertfordshire zoo. I think they would struggle to get additional land for it as it is bounded by a canal, river, railway line and cassiobury park and nature reserve.
Opening up only occasionally makes it a special event and it largely seems to be people who are fairly local who go there. That wouldn't be enough to keep it busy all the time and the lack of good transport options plus the competition from other zoos would make it hard to get enough people from elsewhere.
I hope the new owners do take on the animals and open it up sometimes in the future as it was a nice place to go once or twice a year. The local schools used to do trips there (on foot) to teach the children about conservation so it was good for education too.
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
I have to agree, I can't see it remaining as a zoo, which makes me think that the way things are going there could be alot of animals looking for new homes in England. The problem could be, how many other zoos can afford to take in any new animals ? This could cause numerous rehousing problems.
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Yes, I think it probably looks a better idea on paper than in reality to run it as a zoo all-year - it's a lovely location but an incredibly impractical one in many ways. Getting in and out via car is something of an adventure..!
I suspect though that the only way to keep the business model more-or-less as it is is to effectively keep it exactly as it is - but without the link to Ventura I'm not sure how feasible that is. A shame, because for the size of site and limited hours it was a far better place than it had any right to be, really!