UK Zoos May Never Reopen Post-Lockdown: 'Our Future Hangs In The Balance'
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
The giraffes at ZSL London quietly roam in front of an NHS sign, but with no visitors since mid-March, their future at the zoo remains uncertain.
Across the UK, zoos have been ordered to remain closed for the foreseeable amid the coronavirus pandemic, sparking urgent requests for donations to save them from permanent closure.
Chester Zoo launched a ‘Save Our Zoo’ JustGiving page on Wednesday after admitting it is facing debt in excess of £24m by the end of 2020. ZSL – which runs zoos in London and Whipsnade – is also urging the public to donate to its regular fundraising page, so the sites stand a chance of reopening once restrictions are lifted.
Many other zoos across the country are facing a similar predicament, according to The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).
“The lack of income through visitation across our sector is challenging many organisations’ continued existence,” Nicky Needham, senior manager at BIAZA tells HuffPost UK. “The pandemic couldn’t have hit at a worse time, as collectively our community receives 70-80% of our income between Easter and the end of summer.”
The order to remain closed is particularly frustrating for zoos that have set out plans for how they could reopen while implementing social distancing.
ZSL says it has designed a one-way system, plus added additional hand washing facilities and sanitiser stations. Chester Zoo now has “viewing spots” painted on the ground, to encourage visitors to maintain the two-metre rule.
“Meanwhile we’re having to sit back and watch as people are piling onto beaches and into public parks, where there is no way of controlling numbers, no way of guaranteeing people are socially distanced and no way of ensuring safety,” Chester Zoo wrote on Facebook, in a post that’s already received more than 182K shares....
