Roaring success as wildlife park welcomes back public

Lazy days at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park are ending now the gates have finally re-opened.

"There will be no snoozing when visitors start tapping on the glass to get the tigers' attention," says CEO Steve Nicholls.

On Saturday, by public demand, the animals and birds saw their first visitors in 21 weeks - their quiet sanctuary in Friskney once again becoming a major county family attraction.

"We are one of the last sanctuaries in the area to re-open - but we are the biggest and, hopefully, the most sensible," said Steve.

"However, we know we have assisted many people throughout lockdown with our video updates.

"We created a media suite to keep everyone updated with live videos and, as a result, there has been has been massive pubic interest, as well as raising some funds for us from Facebook.

"Our education offer and nutritionist has become quite a celebrity, too.

"Jessica Newton's Tik Tok video on 'How to be a Zookeeper' got just under 2,000,000 views and I can't tell you how many emails and spot visits we have had from people wanting to know when we were re-opening."

That decision hasn't come lightly.

"If it hadn't been for public pressure we would have stayed closed until we were absolutely sure it was safe to open," said Steve.

"We've been waiting to see how the easing of restrictions is going because the last thing we want to do is contribute to any spread of the virus - and that is why, initially, we are only allowing 300 people in the park at a time."

The park may have been quieter for the animals while it was closed - but staff have been as busy as ever, with several major projects underway.

"We've been busy in a number of ways," said Steve. "We have tried to get ready for the general public to come, so we have installed new paths and fences - and I mean lots of fences and lots of new paths.

"But this year we have taken on the National Turtle Sanctuary at the request of the Government.

"We have installed our very first climatisation ponds where pet turtles that have been in tiny tanks will now have their first taste of something more luxurious. This is stage one before they go into their main ponds and then the main lake.

"This is the start of something very big for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park. We opened our doors to turtles 14 days ago and are already on 35 and we think we are going to achieve in the region of 1,500 turtles.

"Turtles have become an invasive species now - the RSPCA can't rehome them and sadly their only option is to put them to sleep.

"That's not really what we want to do after all these years of people importing them.

"We have been looking at a way we can get around that and have created a coalition between Natural England, the RSPCA, the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, the University of Lincoln and ourselves to take charge of rescuing these animals before they become a serious problem in the wild.

"Unfortunately, some owners throw them into ponds because they think they are doing a kind thing by giving them freedom and they never climatise, so there is a high mortality rate.

"We are going to try to stop that happening by giving them a luxurious life."

Closing the the wildlife park has left the wildlife park £350,000 down on its annual income of £600,000 to £700,000. Only the admin, retail and catering staff were furloughed as the day-to-day feeding and caring for the animals and birds continued at a cost of £15,000 a week.

Opening earlier to offset some of these costs could actually have added more financial pressure, explained Steve.

"Our biggest concern was spending a vast amount on re-opening and then there being a spike in Covid-19 cases and having to shut again, wasting another chunk of money," said Steve. "To help with costs we launched a Coronafund campaign and had an Amazon wishlist which has been worth £20,000 to us and are so grateful to the public for their donations and gifts."

However, with no public on site it has been perfect for getting jobs done. "It's been like three winters in terms of getting projects underway," said Steve.

"There are still some outstanding projects - we are three-quarters of the way through Nigel the Puma's new house and the lions' new enclosure is still to finish.

"But the place has never looked so good and we are very proud of what we have achieved.

"The staff are now busy getting into visitor mode and that means the uniforms come back out.

"For us now it will be nice to get through to next spring."

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN VISITING

- Please book online at www.lincswildlife.com.

- Masks must be worn inside the Rainforest Diner, unless eating in, and there is a strict one-way system in place.

- There is a one-way system around the park, please abide by social distancing advice at all times.

- There won't be any animal talks or animal experiences at the moment unfortunately, sorry.

In addition to the crowdfunding and Amazon wishlist, you can now support the work of the wildlife park simply by shopping though easyfundraising. Sign up at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/lincswildlife/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_content=fb110 ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS IN LINCOLNSHIRE

BAYTREE OWL AND WILDLIFE CENTRE

Baytree Owl & Wildlife Centre, which forms part of the garden centre near Spalding, is one of the longest-running owl and bird of prey centres in Lincolnshire,

High Road, Weston, Spalding PE12 6JU

Visit: www.bowc.co.uk

ARK WILDLIFE PARK

Family run rescue wildlife park and exotic animal sanctuary with a tropical house, sweet little meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs and pigmy goats to feed,

West Fen Lane, Boston PE22 8BD

Visit: www.arkwildlifepark.co.uk/

WOODSIDE WILDLIFE PARK

Zoo featuring popular bird and butterfly collections in beautifully themed jungles, with flowers and foliage along the pathways.

Newball, Near Langworth, Lincoln LN3 5DQ

Visit: woodsidewildlife.com

HARDY'S ANIMAL FARM

Hardys Animal Farm is a great day out for all ages set in over seven acres of Lincolnshire countryside. With a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities coupled with different animals for you to meet, feed and make friends with.

Anchor Lane, Ingoldmells, Skegness PE25 1LZ

Visit: www.hardysanimalfarm.co.uk

MABLETHORPE SEAL SANCTUARY AND WILDLIFE CENTRE

There is a lot more than seals to see here, including meerkat's birds of prey, ostrich, monkeys owls and terrapins.

Quebec Road, North End, Mablethorpe LN12 1QG

Visit: www.thesealsanctuary.co.uk

SKEGNESS AQUARIUM

Transport yourself into the underwater world of Treasure Island at Skegness Aquarium. With “buccaneers and buried gold” aplenty, you will enter an aquatic universe of dangerous sea creatures, mesmerising sea life and creepy crawlies.

Tower Esplanade, Skegness PE25 3HH

Visit: skegness-aquarium.uk

MESSINGHAM ZOO

Messingham Zoo is a family run business. The primary aim is to offer something different to larger zoos and wildlife parks by focussing on close up encounters with smaller, friendlier animals.

Belldene Butterwick Road Messingham, Scunthorpe

Visit: messinghamzoo.co.uk

WOLDS WILDLIFE PARK

A large number of mammals - including lions, leopards, bears, Lynx and more - that have been rehomed by Wolds Wildlife Park. There are also farm animals and birds.

Louth Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5LJ

Visit: woldswildlife.co.uk/

RAND FARM PARK

Rand Farm Park is a genuine working farm for children of all ages to enjoy.

Rand, near Wragby LN8 5NJ

Visit: randfarmpark.com

NATURELAND SEAL SANCTUARY

Natureland is well known for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned and injured seals that become stranded on Lincolnshire beaches. Also features animals, penguins and an aquarium.

North Parade, Skegness PE25 1DB

Visit: www.skegnessnatureland.co.uk