Zoo inspection finds 'major causes for concern'

An unannounced inspection of South Lakes Safari Zoo was conducted in March

A zoo inspection discovered "major causes for concern" including a work experience student left alone with dangerous animals, council documents show.

Westmorland and Furness Council carried out an unannounced inspection of South Lakes Safari Zoo in March after receiving concerns from wildlife charity Born Free Foundation.

The council will consider the report at a meeting on 22 July to decide if amendments are needed to the Dalton attraction's licence.

Cumbria Zoo Company Limited (CZCL), which operates the site, said it was "incredibly disappointed" with much of what was found.

A follow-up inspection in April reiterated the concerns, however a further visit in June found 26 out of 28 improvement directions were being complied with, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The March inspection found a work experience student was unsupervised while cleaning zebra and wildebeest stables, while the padlock to the giraffe enclosure was left unlocked.

They said the animals were considered category one, meaning contact with them is likely to cause serious injury or be a serious threat to life.

The report said: "It is neither acceptable, nor safe for work experience students to be left unsupervised in an area that contains category one animals."

'Unacceptable failings'

Concerns were also raised about firearms cover. The report said there should always be two people trained to use firearms on site whenever it is open to the public.

During their visit, just one member of staff with such training was present and concerns were raised about their competence.

"It took him sometime to locate the correct key, he then opened the wrong firearms cupboard and seemed unsure as to which gun he would use for which species," inspection documents said.

Inspectors also found there to be a lack of straw, an overflowing muck heap, poor keeping practices and an increase in pest problems.

They said: "It is essential it is made very clear to the Zoo Licence Holder that the failings found at this inspection are unacceptable and must be resolved as soon as possible."

CZCL said it was transitioning to a new site which would address "many of the underlying infrastructure issues".

The company bought land at Brockholes Farm in Tebay in November 2022, where it has been hosting visitors in lodges since January 2023.

A follow-up inspection in April found that while inspectors did not doubt the "hard work and passion" of the staff of the zoo, they were left with "grave concerns" about standards.

However, inspectors added there was "no evidence" of systemic animal health and welfare problems.

A response from CZCL to that inspection said: "We fully accept there are findings which should not have happened.

"There are no excuses, we take full responsibility for these and we have evidenced where these have been corrected or measures have been implemented to correct them."