Zoo's land owners pledge 'urgent' improvements

South Lakes Safari Zoo will close on 31 December

"Urgent" work will be carried out to improve conditions for animals when a zoo at the centre of welfare concerns closes, the land's owners say.

South Lakes Safari Zoo, near Dalton, Cumbria, will shut on 31 December as its operator Cumbria Zoo Company Limited (CZCL) looks to focus on a site 40 miles (65km) away at Tebay.

The land at Dalton is owned by a separate firm called Zoo Investment Company (ZIC), which announced it would "immediately take responsibility and care" for all the animals remaining there.

CZCL confirmed it was working with various agencies to make the closure as smooth as possible.

Warning: This article contains images of injuries to animals some readers may find distressing.

It has held the licence for the zoo since 2017, but has been accused of overseeing avoidable animal deaths, injuries and a bullying culture. It denies all the allegations.

It had been in dispute with ZIC, with council inspectors saying the row had contributed to problems at the zoo.

Court order

In a statement, ZIC said the site would remain closed to the public while it carried out "urgent repairs concentrating on improving animal welfare".

"Much of what we want to do with the zoo will take some time and investment with the emphasis on providing larger and more natural enclosures with welfare of the animals being the prime consideration," it added.

ZIC said a court order initially granted in 2021 preventing CZCL removing certain animals "remains in place".

White rhinos will not transfer to CZCL, it said, with some other animals on loan to the attraction also remaining under ZIC's control.

Four giraffes, which belong to two French zoos, are set to be given new homes. Three females will return to France while the male will remain in the UK.

CZCL's chief executive Karen Brewer said its lease on the Dalton land did not expire until February 2026 and until then it would "be doing everything we can to make sure all animals are moved in a caring, secure manner and where necessary with the full consent of the owners of those animals on loan from other institutions".

'Major causes for concern'

CZCL took over the operation of the zoo in 2017 when its previous owner, David Gill, was refused a licence following the deaths of almost 500 animals in a three-year period and the 2013 death of keeper Sarah McClay, who was mauled by a tiger.

In July, Westmorland and Furness Council added conditions to the zoo's licence after inspectors found "major causes for concern", including a work experience student being left alone with dangerous animals.

A zebra with its hoof caught in bars was among photographs shown to the BBC as part of a recent investigation

It wants to run its Brockholes Farm site at Tebay as a nature and wildlife park and has submitted a planning application to Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority under the name New Roots Holding Company Ltd.

The plans state it would house animals including white rhinos, honey badgers, zebras, red pandas, sloths, giraffes and lynx.

There would also be farm animals including sheep, goats and donkeys.

Access would be limited by pre-booking tickets, with some guests staying in holiday accommodation on the site.