Hard hit attraction is back in action after lockdown

Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopened for the first time yesterday – June 15 – since the national emergency lockdown was declared.

The 150-acre attraction, outside Doncaster, employs nearly 250 people and says the forced closure has cost it around £5m in lost revenue.

The park has adapted to reopen in line with Government guidelines. Numbers are restricted and everyone has to buy an advance ticket which has a time slot for arrival.

Managers of the park say that when tickets first went on sale on June 13, the overwhelming demand crashed their ticketing system.

Increased cleaning protocols are now in place, with two metre distances marked out in queuing areas.

Some areas have remained closed such as the play areas and amphitheatre. Visitors won’t be able to enter the animal walk-through areas but will be able to view from outside.

Wildlife park CEO, John Minion, said: “It is great to see visitors back in the park again after so long.

“We know that the experience is different to what we can normally offer due to some of the Government restrictions but what people really come to see here are our amazing animals – and they are ready and waiting. We have space for our animals, and space for people.

“The main area of the park is 150 acres with five km of paths so it is a great opportunity to have a walk out in the fresh air and for most people, a very different view from the past ten weeks.

“It will be difficult to recover this year from the loss of business, but being able to open today is the first step on that journey.”

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