Northumberland zoo which was ‘weeks away from closure’ getting set to reopen

While zoos in England will be allowed to reopen from Monday, June 15, the Eshott venue, near Felton, is looking towards welcoming customers back in early July.

Maxine Bradley, curator at the family-run, not-for-profit business, said: “It’s very welcome news for the zoo community who are desperate to open their doors.

“Here at Northumberland Zoo we will be announcing an official opening date soon.

“It will likely be early July as we want to ensure our site is as safe as possible.

“We are currently awaiting guidelines from Defra regarding the specific measures that we need to be sure are in place before we allow visitors in the zoo.

“We want to ensure that when we do put measures in place that they are correct the first time so that we are using our money/time efficiently.”

In April, she warned the zoo was potentially ‘weeks away from closure’ without financial support.

“Obviously it’s been a really difficult time with being closed but we’ve had amazing public support, including over £40,000 in donations,” said Maxine.

However, the zoo was not eligible for a £14m government support scheme.

“Unfortunately to cut costs we had to make some staff redundant but we’ve still had keepers in to look after the animals.

“Now, the key is obviously getting people back in because we completely rely on visitor income but we need to take a careful measured approach.”

Initially, indoor spaces will be closed off to prevent congestion while the play area will be shut to reduce contact surfaces.

There are plans to introduce a one-way system throughout the zoo.

Entry will be by online ticket purchase only with dates and staggered timeslots available to ensure there are a capped number of people in everyday, throughout the day.

The keepers will also be endeavouring to ensure they don’t draw visitor attention and encouraging gatherings at feeding times.

There will also only be takeaway food.

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