A small group of us took advantage of this weekend's offer (free entry in return for a donation to the Australian Bushfire appeal) to pay an overdue visit to South Lakes (now known as Safari Zoo) today. None of us had visited since late 2016 (when the zoo was looking very sorry for itself and was under serious threat of closure). The new management then took over in Spring 2017 and I'm pleased to report have made some much needed changes and improvements. I will list a few of these below:
The indoor Lemur house has been significantly refurbished with new cladding on the walls and improvements to the heating that make it much warmer than it used to be. This is still a work in progress with one indoor area currently being worked on and another yet to be started but it looks a lot better than I remembered it
The raised walkways have been completely removed. This has opened up the path below (Giant Otters, Tiger, Tamarins etc) and it looks a lot less cluttered than it did before.
Several species have left the collection over the last few years and numbers of others (eg: Lemurs and Rhino) have been reduced. Off the top of my head species that have gone include Pygmy Hippo, Rodrigues Fruit Bat's, Tufted Capuchins, Fennec Fox, Yellow Mongoose, Swamp Wallaby, and Bennetts Wallaby. Unlike a lot of collections the significant reduction in the number of animals and species kept has improved the collection. Many animals now have far better enclosures than they previously had. For example the Giant Anteater (previously kept in one of the big cat houses) now has a new and suitable enclosure in the former Pygmy Hippo exhibit. The Two Toed Sloth and some Sulcatta Tortoises have also moved into the same building (the Sloth has outdoor access). The infamous Tapir and Spectacled Bear mix is also no more. With the Bears now in a new exhibit near the entrance and the Tapirs remaining in half of the original exhibit. The Maned Wolves have the other half of this enclosure
A new Meerkat enclosure is also being built inside the current Giraffe/Zebra/Rhino House. This is expected to be open by February half term
The original Giraffe paddock is also undergoing significant refurbishment at the moment. The fencing around it is being completely replaced, the terrain levelled and drainage improved. A new shelter and raised walkway are also being constructed. Once ready the two young male Kordofan Giraffe's (currently housed in the old Giraffe House) will have access to it. The female group will remain in the current Africa House
The whole site looks generally tidier and significantly better maintained than it did on our last visit. Unlike last time we didn't see any obvious health and safety or animal welfare issues. All the animals were in clean, suitable enclosures with access to food and water. I can't say this was the case on our previous visit
A new guidebook is also onsale as of this month. It has a Jaguar cover and features a separate pull out guide just for the birds. It is priced at £3.50 per copy
Overall I think we were all pleasantly surprised at the changes and the progress made by the staff and new management over the last few years. The animals have obviously benefited from the improvements which is the most important thing. It still isn't perfect and has other improvements still to make but the zoo is certainly in far better shape than it was a few years ago. I would suggest that it's now worth a visit to see the improvements for yourself if you are in the area or looking for a Northern zoo day out (we also visited the Lakes Aquarium which is about 20 mins drive away).
Edit: I forgot to mention that the zoo was also signed off by Barrow Council earlier this month. All the conditions imposed by the council when the new management were given a licence have now been met. The council currently has no further concerns about the zoo at this time
South Lakes zoo inspection commends progress
The indoor Lemur house has been significantly refurbished with new cladding on the walls and improvements to the heating that make it much warmer than it used to be. This is still a work in progress with one indoor area currently being worked on and another yet to be started but it looks a lot better than I remembered it
The raised walkways have been completely removed. This has opened up the path below (Giant Otters, Tiger, Tamarins etc) and it looks a lot less cluttered than it did before.
Several species have left the collection over the last few years and numbers of others (eg: Lemurs and Rhino) have been reduced. Off the top of my head species that have gone include Pygmy Hippo, Rodrigues Fruit Bat's, Tufted Capuchins, Fennec Fox, Yellow Mongoose, Swamp Wallaby, and Bennetts Wallaby. Unlike a lot of collections the significant reduction in the number of animals and species kept has improved the collection. Many animals now have far better enclosures than they previously had. For example the Giant Anteater (previously kept in one of the big cat houses) now has a new and suitable enclosure in the former Pygmy Hippo exhibit. The Two Toed Sloth and some Sulcatta Tortoises have also moved into the same building (the Sloth has outdoor access). The infamous Tapir and Spectacled Bear mix is also no more. With the Bears now in a new exhibit near the entrance and the Tapirs remaining in half of the original exhibit. The Maned Wolves have the other half of this enclosure
A new Meerkat enclosure is also being built inside the current Giraffe/Zebra/Rhino House. This is expected to be open by February half term
The original Giraffe paddock is also undergoing significant refurbishment at the moment. The fencing around it is being completely replaced, the terrain levelled and drainage improved. A new shelter and raised walkway are also being constructed. Once ready the two young male Kordofan Giraffe's (currently housed in the old Giraffe House) will have access to it. The female group will remain in the current Africa House
The whole site looks generally tidier and significantly better maintained than it did on our last visit. Unlike last time we didn't see any obvious health and safety or animal welfare issues. All the animals were in clean, suitable enclosures with access to food and water. I can't say this was the case on our previous visit
A new guidebook is also onsale as of this month. It has a Jaguar cover and features a separate pull out guide just for the birds. It is priced at £3.50 per copy
Overall I think we were all pleasantly surprised at the changes and the progress made by the staff and new management over the last few years. The animals have obviously benefited from the improvements which is the most important thing. It still isn't perfect and has other improvements still to make but the zoo is certainly in far better shape than it was a few years ago. I would suggest that it's now worth a visit to see the improvements for yourself if you are in the area or looking for a Northern zoo day out (we also visited the Lakes Aquarium which is about 20 mins drive away).
Edit: I forgot to mention that the zoo was also signed off by Barrow Council earlier this month. All the conditions imposed by the council when the new management were given a licence have now been met. The council currently has no further concerns about the zoo at this time
South Lakes zoo inspection commends progress
Remember the days when critisism of South Lakes dominated the UK zoochat pages? That seems a lifetime ago. I am pleased that things have obviously improved so much though.
as six feet downwards into Cumbrian soil counts as "far into Europe".
