Borth Zoo reopened despite dangerous animal fears

Dean and Tracy Tweedy bought the zoo for £625,000 in 2016

The owners of a zoo told to close areas with dangerous animals have reopened the attraction.

Last month, Borth Wild Animal Kingdom was served with a notice to shut its dangerous animal enclosures.

Ceredigion council said a member of a firearms team must be on duty every day in case an animal escapes.

The zoo shut completely but despite no arrangements being in place it reopened on Tuesday, with the owner saying it would not survive otherwise.

"It's a catch-22 situation," said Tracy Tweedy.

"If we don't open, there will be no zoo."

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Category one animals at the zoo included two lions, three lynx, two wolfdogs, two capuchin monkeys, one grivet monkey, two patas monkeys and a python.

Mrs Tweedy said all areas of the zoo, apart from the lion area, reopened on Tuesday for half-term.

Lilleth the Eurasian lynx evaded traps put out to catch her after her escape in 2017

She said extra security measures were in place, adding animals could only escape "if there is a tornado".

These include stricter inspections of enclosures, shorter opening hours and no feeding or cleaning when the public are on site.

There is also someone with a firearms licence on call around the clock.

Mrs Tweedy added: "We are between a rock and a hard place, we can't afford to stay shut over half-term.

"We have done everything we can physically, which includes putting in applications for the (firearms) licences.

"But this takes time and they need to be trained."

Ceredigion council said the zoo failed to maintain its licence conditions and asked it to close voluntarily until an appeal could be heard before magistrates.

Following its reopening, a spokeswoman said: "The council is currently reviewing the situation and considering all available options."

The owners have opened this week for half term despite being ordered not to

In late 2017, Lilleth the Eurasian lynx escaped from the zoo before being found at a nearby caravan site where she was shot dead by a marksman.

A second lynx, Nilly, also died in what owners called a handling error.

Following these incidents, the zoo was initially banned from keeping dangerous animals.

But in July 2018, it was handed a reprieve and given six months to hire a qualified, competent manager.