Delight as Dudley Zoo and Castle reopens
Staff at Dudley Zoo and Castle were celebrating after reopening the gates after the second national lockdown.
The popular Dudley attraction reopened once again on Wednesday, after it was forced to close for the second time during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last month, zoo director Derek Grove said they would lose almost £200,000 in vital income during the November lockdown – and would need to be allowed to reopen swiftly in December in order to survive.
And the Tier 3 restrictions imposed on the Dudley borough also caused concern on whether they could reopen. All indoor areas of the site will remain closed for now.
He said: "We are grateful to be able to reopen so swiftly after a second lockdown and celebrate the upcoming festive season with our visitors.
"And it was wonderful to welcome some of our regular guests who had booked the first slot on our reopening day.
"Although the tiered system has set a number of restrictions, including the closure of all indoor animal houses and our indoor restaurant seating area, we understand the reasoning behind this and there’s plenty of outdoor space for visitors to walk around and see the animals, who have once again missed seeing people.
"Winter months are typically quieter on-site, so thankfully the second lockdown hasn’t had as much of a financial impact as earlier in the year, but it still adds up and we estimate we’ll have endured a total loss of £420,000 just in November alone.
"As a thank you to visitors, we qre offering 25 per cent off all full-priced adult and child admission throughout December and we hope people will continue supporting us through site visits, on our online shop or by purchasing animal adoptions as Christmas gifts."
During the first national lockdown, Dudley Zoo and Castle had issued a rally cry for support– after bosses revealed it was losing £100,000 a week while it was closed. A Just Giving page has so far raised more than £40,000.
