Dudley Zoo and Castle celebrates best visitor numbers in three decades
Dudley Zoo and Castle is celebrating its best yearly visitor figures in three decades – with more than 300,000 flocking through the gates last year.
The popular Black Country attraction announced that a total of 311,303 visited the zoo throughout 2019.
The figures show a five per cent rise on their visitor numbers in 2018, which saw 296,910 people spend time on site.
Zoo boss Derek Groves described it as "incredible year" for them and thanked their visitors for supporting them throughout the year.
He added that nearly 30,000 people visited Dudley Zoo during February half-term which helped boost their numbers.
During 2019, Dudley Zoo relaunched its walk-through Lemur Wood, home to free-roaming lemurs, as well as welcoming a host of new species including Reggie the Linne's two-toed sloth, Arctic foxes and leaf-cutter ants.
It comes only weeks after the attraction announced its new name for the New Year – changing from Dudley Zoological Gardens, to Dudley Zoo and Castle – a name it last used two decades ago.
The new name comes as the attraction marks the 950th anniversary of the castle on the grounds. The new name, which will be rolled out across staff uniforms, branded shop merchandise, stationery, website, promotional literature, social media and signage, will be a progressive change over the coming months to maintain minimal costs.
Derek Groves, Dudley Zoo and Castle director, said: "It was an incredible year and we haven’t seen these figures for over 30 years.
“An unprecedented February half-term, which saw us welcome 27,960 visitors, our best on record, helped boost the total, but we have also continued to improve and extend animal enclosures and bringing in brand new species to the collection has caused much excitement on site, especially Reggie the sloth, who quickly became our most adopted animal.
“We would like to say a big thank you for the fantastic support we have seen and hope visitors will join us this year as we mark the 950th anniversary of Dudley Castle and continue our investment in the 40-acre site – including starting work on a new outdoor enclosure for our critically endangered Bornean orangutans and bringing European Brown Bears back to the collection.”
2020 is an exciting time for Dudley Zoo and Castle – staff are currently in the process of submitting an outline planning application for the new outdoor orangutan enclosure, which they hope to start later this year as they're still fundraising towards the final target.
A few animals will also be moved around the site, including the African wild dogs, as their current enclosure will become the new orang enclosure. A new enclosure will be built for our four wild dogs.
This year will also see the return of European brown bears to DZC following the renovation of the iconic Tecton Bear Ravine.
The zoo is hoping to have a group of orphaned European brown bears join the attraction from Slovakia in the coming months.
