Welsh Mountain Zoo prepares to reopen after £500,000 income loss
The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay is preparing to reopen after losing "more than £500,000 of income" during lockdown.
The National Zoo of Wales has been closed since March 22 - when the Welsh Government introduced 'stay local' restrictions - and had been facing an uncertain future as it struggled to keep money coming in during the pandemic.
It is now preparing to reopen after the Welsh Government revealed plans to end lockdown travel restrictions on July 6.
The zoo has been relying on donations from the public at a time when their income stream disappeared and outgoings continued.
Nick Jackson said: "The public have been astonishing in terms of responding to our appeal for funding and for help for the zoo."
They took out a £250,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales and secured an £85,000 grant from the Welsh Government's Economic Resilience Fund.
The zoo houses 140 different species of animals and employs 39 people.
It normally attracts 160,000 visitors a year.