Zoo closures following Queen Elizabeth II's death

S

Sand Cat

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Following the very sad news that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away today, I thought it would probably be wise to start a thread on how UK zoos and their openings are affected. I hope that nobody will see this as disrespectful, rather as a source of information that may be useful.

Dartmoor Zoo has confirmed that it will not open tomorrow (Friday 9th) as a mark of respect.

Chester Zoo will be open tomorrow but have already confirmed they will be closed on the day of the state funeral.
 
Both London and Whipsnade closed Friday 9th September as a mark of respect. Both sites will also be closed on the day of the funeral.

London’s car park is now also closed as it now being used by the Met police to coordinate funeral arrangements.
 
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What collections did Her Majesty visit during her reign? I would have expected she visited London many times.
 
Cat-Man said:
What collections did Her Majesty visit during her reign? I would have expected she visited London many times.
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I'm certain she visited London Zoo, though I can't place exactly when, and Her Majesty and HRH Prince Phillip were at Whipsnade a few years back for the opening of their new elephant facility.
 
Paleoarchontas said:
I'm certain she visited London Zoo, though I can't place exactly when, and Her Majesty and HRH Prince Phillip were at Whipsnade a few years back for the opening of their new elephant facility.
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Accompanied by Prince Philip, HM Queen Elizabeth II opened the Clore Pavilion in 1967. She returned in 1976 to open the Lion Terraces, followed by the Millenium Conservation Centre (now Tiny Giants, although best known as B.U.G.S.) in 1999. Her most recent visit to the zoo was in 2016 to open Land of the Lions, curiously enough the exhibit that replaced the Lion Terraces also opened by Her Majesty.
 
Cat-Man said:
What collections did Her Majesty visit during her reign? I would have expected she visited London many times.
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London several times officially throughout her life, there's a famous picture of her as a little girl with penguins. She visited Edinburgh in 1988 and Chester in 2012.
 
The Queen was the patron of the ZSL collections for many years. This is from the email to members.



We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen was Patron of ZSL from her coronation in 1953 and her support for our work and passion for animals has helped us to inspire millions to protect wildlife around the world.
Our thoughts are with the Royal Family, and we extend our sincere condolences to them.
The Queen enjoyed many visits to our Zoos throughout her life; from visiting the penguin pool as a young Princess with her sister Princess Margaret, to unveiling Land of the Lions at ZSL London Zoo in 2016 and our Elephant Care Centre at Whipsnade in 2017.
In acknowledgement of the sad news, our Zoos will not open tomorrow as a mark of respect to our Royal Patron.
 
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Colchester open tomorrow. Hope they don't feel bullied into closing because some others are. I'm going
 
Can understand places closing and can understand other places staying open and saying will close on day of the funeral, it would have been nice if as a collective they all decided to do one or the other as some places haven’t stated if they are open or not, when others have, so it can make it confusing if thinking of going somewhere and not knowing if it will be open or not.

I notice Chester as staying open.
 
Alwaysevergreen said:
Can understand places closing and can understand other places staying open and saying will close on day of the funeral, it would have been nice if as a collective they all decided to do one or the other as some places haven’t stated if they are open or not, when others have, so it can make it confusing if thinking of going somewhere and not knowing if it will be open or not.

I notice Chester as staying open.
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I think it’s a consequence of the suddenness of the news. While this sad event was not unexpected due to her age, there was no lead up (or recent precedent) on how the country as a whole was to operate in the immediate aftermath - beyond the detailed protocol for the royal household and UK government. Management of the zoos have simply responded using their own judgement.

The funeral day (believed to be September 18) has been identified as a national day of mourning and all zoos will be closed to the public. There’s sufficient notice to make preparations for this and the animals will be cared for as normal.
 
Zoológico de Tizimín: Así fue la visita de la Reina Isabel hace 47 años
47 years ago Queen Elizabeth visited Mexico and inaugurated a zoo at Tizimin, Yucatan which was named Zoologico La Reina in her honor. Here is a news account of that trip of the tireless
and active monarch who sadly has died today. Her influence was worldwide and she will be remembered in many places such as at Zoologico La Reina.
 
carlos55 said:
Zoológico de Tizimín: Así fue la visita de la Reina Isabel hace 47 años
47 years ago Queen Elizabeth visited Mexico and inaugurated a zoo at Tizimin, Yucatan which was named Zoologico La Reina in her honor. Here is a news account of that trip of the tireless
and active monarch who sadly has died today. Her influence was worldwide and she will be remembered in many places such as at Zoologico La Reina.
Click to expand...

She also gave Melbourne Zoo it's official name, the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, when she visited Australia back in 1977.
 
Enough has probably already been said but I think it would be beneficial for everyone to use this thread more as a notice of what places will be closed and when, instead of potentially causing a debate on something else. Personally, I don't think closing is necessary but I can understand why it has happened and a zoo being closed for a day isn't going to cause any major disruption. I imagine most places will be either refunding pre-booked tickets or offering alternative dates?

I was hoping to visit Chester this weekend but I might have to change that if the situation has altered things.
 
Alwaysevergreen said:
Can understand places closing and can understand other places staying open and saying will close on day of the funeral, it would have been nice if as a collective they all decided to do one or the other as some places haven’t stated if they are open or not, when others have, so it can make it confusing if thinking of going somewhere and not knowing if it will be open or not.

I notice Chester as staying open.
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ZSL has close affiliations with the Royal Family, so closing both sites was more likely than not. Outside of that, it’s up to the individual collection I guess.
 
Cotswold wildlife park have posted on Facebook that they will be open today (minutes silence at 1100hrs) and like many zoos will be closed on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
 
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