Staff at one of the regions most loved days out have been working hard to ensure the park’s animals are looked after while the nation remains in lockdown.
Africa Alive was forced to shut their doors during the coronavirus pandemic but, unlike some other tourist hotspots and businesses, work cannot stop, with staff on hand to feed and care for over 80 species of animal every day.
After turning to the public for help, the zoo’s managing director Gary Batters said he has been “absolutely overwhelmed by the support.”
He said: “It’s not just cash donations, but people offering animal feed to us, and bedding and hay.
“It’s all the things we need, and it has been really nice.
“We have also had donations of cakes for the keepers, and that’s been very welcome as they are all working very hard.”
The team working at Arica Alive has almost halved during this time, leaving 10 keepers split into two groups, one based at the top of the park and the other at the bottom.
Mr Batters explained the day-to-day operations start with “a temperature check and a brief conversation to make sure they are all fit and healthy. Then out onto the ground to do their normal feeding and cleaning work.”
The Keepers have been working especially hard to maintain the high standards of animal welfare in the park while having minimal staff.
The animals may not be missing human contact but “it is an unusual situation for them, far from their normal routine, and awfully quiet,” said Mr Batters.
Although there are no plans yet on when and how the 100-acre park will reopen, it can still be a place of learning, with staff taking to Twitter to share regular updates on the animals, with videos and quizzes available.
Their website also boasts a wealth of knowledge with fact files on every animal at the park, while a similar resourse is available for their sister park at Banham Zoo.
It costs £25,000 a week to fed and maintain the animals and the park are asking for the public’s help in many ways, but donating money via the ‘Argent Appeal’ tab, by sponsoring an animal or keeper and donating to a specific animal, an example being ‘feeding a cheetah for a day’.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here