An MP says he is watching the situation at his local zoo ‘closely’ after an ongoing civil dispute saw the site closed to visitors yesterday.
The dispute between South Lakes Safari Zoo’s landlords Zoo Investment Company and Yorkshire Wildlife Park and tenants Cumbria Zoo Company saw the zoo closed to visitors yesterday.
Staff at the zoo claim they were denied access to the animals and have lodged legal proceedings with the courts. They claim that the gates to the zoo were locked.
Barrow MP Simon Fell said: “Thankfully the zoo is back and open to visitors and the animals within are being well cared for. The zoo is an amazing local attraction – it brings visitors to our area, is a great day out, and secures a good number of local jobs.
“We were notified about the incident by the zoo directors first thing on Monday morning. A member of my team – Ben Shirley, who is also the local councillor – was on site within minutes, liaising with the directors and Barrow Council licencing, and I immediately spoke to DEFRA to ensure that the animals’ safety and welfare would be prioritised.
“Thankfully the zoo is now back and open. Clearly a dispute remains between the Cumbria Zoo Company and their landlords and my team and I will be watching closely and working with all parties to ensure that the zoo remains open, that we can protect the jobs there, and keep the animals on site safe.”
A spokeswoman for Barrow Borough Council, said: “We are aware there is a private dispute at the site between the landlord and the tenant.
“However, the council’s role as the licensing authority in this situation is to ensure standards of animal welfare and public safety are upheld.
“Should standards fall below that required by law in either of these areas, the council would look to take the appropriate steps to have them rectified.”
