Dudley Zoo to invest £1million in 2019

Director Derek Grove has outlined the plans to renovate animal enclosures and also improve visitor facilities.

Other projects in the pipeline include an extension of the Sumatran tiger enclosure and bringing back European brown bears after .

Work is under way to revamp Lemur Wood, a one-acre paddock where visitors can come face to face with free-roaming lemurs.

The attraction first opened in April 2015 and Mr Grove said the team felt it was time to give it a face-lift.

"For almost 15 years it's been our most popular exhibit because you can walk through and interact with the lemurs.

"It's a nice enclosure and we've got charismatic species but it's starting to look tired," he said.

The £100,000 plan is to increase space for visitors by building a balcony area inside the entrance while a rope bridge will also be installed.

Other work will see the walkways covered in asphalt to make it easier for visitors to make their way through the woods and fences will be revamped.

A lemur sculpture has also been commissioned from Cradley Heath artwork Luke Perry and will be used to raise awareness of the plight of the animals in the wild.

The new-look enclosure will be ready in time for Easter with the artwork to follow later in the year, Mr Grove said.

The zoo also plans to spend between £400,000 and £500,000 on a new play barn aimed at youngsters aged up to 11.

It will be built where the current food stores are located, a short distance from the farm.

Plans are still be finalised but Mr Grove said it was expected to contain large wooden climbing apparatus and would have a castle and animal theme.

The barn will also house be a small soft play zone and an eating area.

Nearby there will also be Changing Places facilities to provide extra equipment and space for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities or physical disabilities.

Mr Grove said the play barn would a great addition to the attractions at the bottom of the zoo's hill site and also help the attraction appeal for families looking for a shorter visit and boost membership numbers.

"10 years ago there wasn't much at the bottom of the zoo. Now we've got Lorikeet Lookout, the farm barn, we've extended the camel enclosure, there macaques, geladas, flamingos, the play area and a fair. We're trying to create a better short visit. If you come more than three times then it's cheaper to have a membership.

"If you have an afternoon free and can have a shorter visit at the bottom of the zoo and there is not much walking if you have small children," he explained.

Entrance to the play barn will be free to zoo members and there would be a small charge for those without membership.

The zoo also hopes to start work on a £250,000 extension to the tiger enclosure later this year.

At the moment the team is waiting for planning permission from Dudley Council which had taken longer than expected due to the historic importance of the site.

"It's a grade II* listed building so lots of different heritage organisations have to be consulted," said Mr Grove.

The redevelopment will include levelling the tiger house and rebuilding it with new off-show and on-show dens, which will create new indoor viewing areas if the tigers are inside.

Staff will also be extending the paddock behind the new house by about a quarter and creating additional climbing frames and platforms plus new viewing opportunities into the enclosure from the bottom.

It comes after the project was chosen by visitors, who added the ten per cent voluntary donation to their entrance fee during a public vote in 2017.

The winner of last year's vote was a £250,000 project to bring European brown bears back to the iconic Bear Ravine for the first time since 1980

It will see the arrival of up to four bears and the enclosure extended to one and a half acres. It's hoped the new exhibits would be open for Easter 2020.