A family-run wildlife park that has welcomed generations of the same families for four decades has warned that this weekend could have been its last, as an emergency public fundraiser closes in on \u00a310,000.<\/p>\n
The owners of Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park said on Facebook on Friday that Sunday 1 November \u201ccould be the very last day\u201d it opens its gates, after years of mounting costs and several rescue deals that came close but fell through.<\/p>\n
They stopped short of calling it the end. \u201cWe want to make it clear from the outset that this is not a definite goodbye,\u201d the post said. \u201cWe\u2019re still working incredibly hard behind the scenes to find a way forward, and we certainly haven\u2019t given up hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
The park\u2019s owners said they had held \u201cextremely encouraging discussions with potential buyers, investors and financial backers\u201d, but that \u201cas things stand today, we haven\u2019t yet been able to secure the future of the park\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many businesses, we\u2019ve faced enormous financial pressures over recent years,\u201d they said. \u201cDespite our best efforts, and several potential rescue deals coming very close, we\u2019ve reached a point where continuing beyond this season may simply not be possible without new investment or a change of ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning the park launched an official GoFundMe page which had reached almost \u00a310,000 towards a \u00a350,000 target by Monday morning.<\/p>\n
The 28-acre site, founded by Robert Butcher in 1986, added animatronic dinosaurs in 1992 and now also has a dinosaur museum and an indoor soft-play area. It has been run since 2011 by his daughter, Dawn Gilbert, and her husband. She has previously campaigned for a cut in VAT for hospitality and tourism, and the park trimmed its opening hours in 2024 as overheads rose. It has also built holiday accommodation to bring in extra income.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor almost 40 years, the park has remained in our family\u2019s hands, and to us, it\u2019s never just been a business. It\u2019s been our way of life,\u201d they said. \u201cOur children have worked alongside us, and many of the wonderful people who\u2019ve worked here over the years have become part of our extended family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, the park has begun planning for the worst. \u201cWe\u2019re also making arrangements for the possibility that we may have to close permanently,\u201d the owners said, adding that they have been in touch with zoos, wildlife parks and other collections across the UK about rehoming the animals, which include wolves, sea lions, Amur leopards and lemurs. \u201cWhatever happens to the park, the welfare of the animals will always come first,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A 40-year-old family-run attraction said it may shut unless a buyer or investor comes forward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":48617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120667],"coauthors":[81],"class_list":["post-48616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-smes","tag-devon","tag-top-story"],"yoast_head":"\n