Safari Zoo Cumbria closing at the end of the year

South Lakes Safari Zoo has announced it will close at the end of the year in a statement made on the zoo's Facebook page.

The statement said:"We have some news which we know will be disappointing for many of you.

"The zoo will close to the public on 31.12.24. We hope you will come and celebrate or share your memories with us before we close and join us this December to visit your favourite animals be it Kofi , or Remi or even eyebrow."

The zoo in Dalton-in-Furness has had a troubled past including the death of a keeper, it was previously threatened with closure in 2017 after a series of animal fatalities and failures.

The current operating company took over the park in 2017 and said in the statement:"When we took over we did so because of our love and passion for the animals in our care and the wider world"

The charity Freedom for Animals has posted on social media asking for confirmation from the council about what will happen to the animals after the closure of the zoo.

The statement on Facebook explains that in 2023 the zoo "purchased a 120 acre site at Tebay. Stone Holiday Cottages situated right along the Lune Gorge, at the base of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.....In the short time we have been on the site we know it is home to bats, badger, breeding birds, woodpeckers, grouse, amphibians, Otter, Brown Hares, Lapwings, nodding birds."

It goes on to say that part of the site will welcome visitors in 2025.

In the meantime, the zoo in Cumbria is winding down operations although visitors are asked to "simply just pop along and say goodbye to your old favourites"