South Lakes Wild Animal Park South Lakes / Safari Zoo Closure

ZooNews2024 said:
This is not actually very clear at all, unless you have some knowledge of the processes.
To claim that 'they will be running the site', implies to the general reader that they will be running a zoo on it.
To make it as clear as you claim to have done, it should have been stated that before ANYONE can open a zoo on ANY site a Zoo Licence has to be obtained, following an inspection. This process cannot be started whilst a tenant with a valid zoo licence is still in occupation.
A Zoo Licence is individual and cannot be transferred.
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I'm fully aware of how I zoo licence works, and was deliberately keeping it very simple so as any zoochatter of any level of knowledge would understand that given time ZIC and ZIC alone will be running the old South lakes in due course
 
Reading through the social media comments - they're some notes to pick out from the park's responses to visitors:

1,0 Linnaeus' two-toed sloth due to move to a UK collection in the next few days
1,1 Red panda due to move to another UK collection not too far away from South Lakes
2,1 Lar gibbon due to leave the collection in the next two weeks
0,2 Andean bears due to leave the collection by the end of January
1,1 Sumatran tigers due to leave the collection and move outside of the UK
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
I wonder what may be left if they have completely off-loaded the animals not owned by Cumbria Zoo Ltd. or the new owners.
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Not much by the look of it. I've witnessed quite a few zoo closures but this has to be a rather unusual one as it seems to be more a change of hands with only a temporary closure/hiatus before it re-emerges phoenix-like from the ashes. But to get a new zoo up and running will need a considerable(almost total?) injection of new stock too.
 
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Pertinax said:
I'd like to know where these are going, one of the other UK holders I presume. Though as they are(presumably) past breeding age now, maybe not...
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In terms of other UK holders, they are very limited with options;

Belfast - 0,1,0 - adult female who moved from South Lakes to Belfast.

Chester - 1,2,0 - adult pair held in their main exhibit and the other female (mother of the female of the pair in the main exhibit) held in a separate exhibit in Spirit of the Jaguar.

Knowsley - 1,1,0 - adult pair, arrived from Jersey in November 2023.

Noah's Ark Zoo - 2,2,0 - adult pair plus two full grown offspring born in January 2022.

Port Lympne - 1,1,0 - adult pair, male arrived from Chester in September 2023.

Looking at that break down, it's difficult to see where they could send two older Andean bears, they're however, a few collections in the UK with vacant bear enclosures - Edinburgh Zoo's old giant panda enclosure and Yorkshire Wildlife Park's old Ussuri brown bear/female polar bear enclosure as well. Though saying that, it could be completely left field and they are housed at a new collection altogether or they move elsewhere in Europe.
 
Does Marwell have any suitable enclosures for any South Lakes animals? I wondered if they could take a rhino or two? Maybe in the old enclosure if they can't go in the current one? Could they take any cats?
 
GaryA said:
Does Marwell have any suitable enclosures for any South Lakes animals? I wondered if they could take a rhino or two? Maybe in the old enclosure if they can't go in the current one? Could they take any cats?
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Could be a good opportunity to add some animals. How old is the female snow leopard? I would have thought Marwell would be looking for a breeding age female.

Given the amount of underutilised paddock space they have, they could be an option for several ungulate species.
 
GaryA said:
Does Marwell have any suitable enclosures for any South Lakes animals? I wondered if they could take a rhino or two? Maybe in the old enclosure if they can't go in the current one? Could they take any cats?
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In terms of Marwell’s individuals - they currently hold 1,4 white rhino, I’m not sure in terms of capacity at Marwell but two of the males at South Lakes are related to one of the females at Marwell (I believe one male is a half sibling, whereas the other is a full sibling). It would involve a few moves to take place first if Marwell want to add two young bulls.

NMM said:
Could be a good opportunity to add some animals. How old is the female snow leopard? I would have thought Marwell would be looking for a breeding age female.

Given the amount of underutilised paddock space they have, they could be an option for several ungulate species.
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South Lakes’ current snowie was born in 2012 - she has produced two successful offspring with the previous male at South Lakes, her lineage has been bred quite well through her siblings.

In terms of hoofstock, I believe South Lakes currently only hold Grant’s zebra and a singular blue wildebeest remaining.
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
In terms of Marwell’s individuals - they currently hold 1,4 white rhino, I’m not sure in terms of capacity at Marwell but two of the males at South Lakes are related to one of the females at Marwell (I believe one male is a half sibling, whereas the other is a full sibling). It would involve a few moves to take place first if Marwell want to add two young bulls.



South Lakes’ current snowie was born in 2012 - she has produced two successful offspring with the previous male at South Lakes, her lineage has been bred quite well through her siblings.

In terms of hoofstock, I believe South Lakes currently only hold Grant’s zebra and a singular blue wildebeest remaining.
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Marwell hold 1.3. White Rhino I would think the house could take up to six animals, they had a birth last year which sadly did not survive. As regards a female Snow Leopard one is due to arrive from another UK zoo this year.
 
okapis said:
Marwell hold 1.3. White Rhino I would think the house could take up to six animals, they had a birth last year which sadly did not survive. As regards a female Snow Leopard one is due to arrive from another UK zoo this year.
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Apologises, I’d forgot to update my records when one of the older females had died. A shame the calf didn’t survive, however, good to hear that the bull is getting a move on with the females. I have my suspicions where the new female is arriving from given it’s in the UK, but good to hear another pairing is imminent.
 
Did south lakes hold many reptiles, was just wondering if this is where twycross’s recent surprise announcement is being stocked from and with them being smaller species would they also take there exhibits with them to house them.
 
Baringogiraffe12 said:
In terms of Marwell’s individuals - they currently hold 1,4 white rhino, I’m not sure in terms of capacity at Marwell but two of the males at South Lakes are related to one of the females at Marwell (I believe one male is a half sibling, whereas the other is a full sibling). It would involve a few moves to take place first if Marwell want to add two young bulls.


In terms of hoofstock, I believe South Lakes currently only hold Grant’s zebra and a singular blue wildebeest remaining.
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The 1:2 Grants zebra and single Wildebeest need to be moved to somewhere that currently has the species as they are, by nature, used to herds.
 
J C said:
Did south lakes hold many reptiles, was just wondering if this is where twycross’s recent surprise announcement is being stocked from and with them being smaller species would they also take there exhibits with them to house them.
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The only ones they had on-show were one boa constrictor and a bunch of African spurred tortoises. There used to be other tortoises and turtles in the past, but I'm not sure if they were eventually moved somewhere else or just being kept off-show. All of the reptiles have been given to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare in Kent.
 
Embu said:
The 1:2 Grants zebra and single Wildebeest need to be moved to somewhere that currently has the species as they are, by nature, used to herds.
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According to zootierliste that leaves Knowsley, Port Lympne and Woburn as the only options for the Wildebeest.

There are 17 other collections with Grant's zebra.
 
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