South Lakes Safari Zoo reopens to visitors amid legal dispute

Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd took control of the business in 2017

A zoo that closed to visitors amid a legal row between its landlord and the company running it has since reopened.

South Lakes Safari Zoo, in Dalton-in-Furness, closed on Monday when its new landlord terminated the lease of its operator, which holds the licence.

The tourist attraction reopened to the public at 10:00 BST.

Defra said it was in regular contact with Barrow Borough Council, which is responsible for licensing the zoo, and there were no animal welfare concerns.

It said the local authority was also "monitoring the zoo closely".

Both the landlord and the company running the zoo have been approached for a comment.

Ben Shirley, a Conservative county and district councillor, encouraged the parties to resolve the issue "amicably" as it was vital to the local economy.

He said it was a "great asset" to the area and said those involved should work out a plan "like adults professionally".

"It's the largest attraction for Furness and South Lakeland... and employs lots of people, educating families about the importance of conservation," he said.

"The priority is that the public are kept safe because there's dangerous wild animals that reside here and they need to be adequately cared for and the public protected and whatever staff are on site need to be protected as well. They want the security of a permanent job and don't want all this uncertainty."

Keeper killed by tiger

Officers from Cumbria Police were called to the park on Monday in what was described as a "civil dispute".

Staff said they had turned up for work to find the locks had been changed and were unable to enter the premises, although the owners of the site denied preventing people from going inside.

The attraction has been managed by Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd since 2017 when it took control from the zoo's founder, David Gill. It was granted a six-year renewal of its licence by Barrow Borough Council in April.

The site was recently sold to the Zoo Investment Company, which said its priority "for the immediate future" would be "the safety and welfare" of the animals.

Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd said it had taken legal action and there had been "no breaches of the lease" and "no animal welfare issues".

The owner of the site does not have a licence to operate it as a zoo. It said it would liaise with the local authority, Barrow Borough Council.

Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd took on the attraction, which was previously known as South Lakes Wild Animal Park, four years after the death of keeper Sarah McClay, who was mauled to death by a tiger in 2013.