Warner Leisure to Dispose of Big Animals
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The Warner Leisure Group who manage a zoo and hotel at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset UK have decided to cut down on animals and staff.
The Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park near Crewekerne in Somerset in the UK has passed through a number of different entities to become what it is today. At one time it was the home of the Lady Emma Hamilton mistress of Admiral Lord Nelson and he was said, though there is no proof, to have visited at times.
In the late 1960’s the estate and buildings were purchased by the Taylor family who did their best to make the place pay. There were three magnificent milking herds of cows along with fishing, shooting and hunting. Seeking to diversify still further a zoo was opened. This was stocked with elephants, leopards, hummingbirds, sea lions and much more. The animals complemented the beautiful gardens within a fantastic valley setting.
The project had its ups and downs and parts of the estate were sold off. It even had a brief and infamous metamorphosis as Blobby Land at Crinkley Bottom.
The last take over was by Warner Leisure as a site for a luxury hotel and radical changes were made in building usage. At the time some of the larger animals were moved on.
For a number of years the place has ticked over and the zoological collection has been looked upon as good to excellent with cooperation with various international and European breeding programmes. The staff have always taken an active role in conservation related matters.
The economic downturn which has affected the whole world has seemingly had a negative effect on the hotel and the park so the decision has been made to get rid of the larger animals along with a number of staff.
In fact many UK zoos have done fairly well recently as fewer people went abroad for their holidays and this suggests that the problem really rests with Warner Leisure and its advertising and marketing. It may even be that they have not made the effort and that moving the large animals on is a pre-requirement to some, as yet to be announced plan.
The loss of the captive spaces has been remarked upon in Zoo News Digest. Although it is unlikely that animals will have to be put down it does mean that some of the collections which take the disposals on board are going to have to double up. Such moves are to the detriment of breeding programmes and the management of conservation sensitive populations
1 Comment
Hi
I was wondering if you could help me. I am doing a private research project into the history of Cricket St Thomas wildlife park during its Crinkley bottom phase. I would like to know if you remember a TV water ride that was there, featuring characters such as Dr Who, Pink Panther and the Magic Roundabout. I would love to know what you can remember and if you have any photos of the place or even leaflets. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thom