Dudley Zoo in £555,000 revamp - complete with new animals, more play equipment, enclosure improvements and a 'beach' area for kids
Dudley Zoo will undergo a £555,000 revamp next year, it has been announced.
The Castle Hill attraction revealed the plans this morning, which are set to include new exhibits for a binturong, Prevost’s squirrels and naked mole rats, as well as a 'beach' area for children in the summer.
A total of £150,000 is due to be invested in visitor facilities and £405,000 on animal projects.
Commenting on the plans for the 40-acre site, zoo director Derek Grove said: “Throughout 2018 we’re continuing to carry out improvements to the zoo which will hugely benefit our animals and visitors and we’re looking forward to bringing in brand new and interesting species to DZG.
"We’re confident they will be popular additions to our collection.”
The first stage of the work, expected to be completed for February half term, is a £10,000 exhibit for naked mole rats in the chimpanzee indoor viewing area. Dudley Zoo is set to receive a colony of the rats from Chester Zoo, which will will take up residence in the newly-built burrow system with glass-fronted viewing panels.
The second phase of work will see a £30,000 revamp of the outside farmyard area, set to include new animals and children’s play equipment. This is due to be completed in time for the Easter holidays, says the zoo. The attraction is yet to reveal which new animals will be moved into this area.
Dudley Zoo says it also hopes to unveil a new £25,000 binturong enclosure for May Day. This will be situated in the area of the yellow mongoose exhibit. With a height of 4.5m, the enclosure will allow the zoo's ground-dwelling mongoose and a new male Binturong, who will come from Olomouc Zoo in the Czech Republic, to live together. The area will also have new glass viewing windows, housing and climbing frame.
Making way for a new Prevost’s squirrel exhibit, the attraction will then knock down two squirrel enclosures on the lower zoo site, which are currently empty, and replace them with one single large exhibit to house six males from Chester Zoo at a cost of £25,000.
A new £15,000 area will also be created in Lemur Wood, specifically for the black lemurs.
More enhancements will include an extension of the camel paddock around the adventure playground, improvements to the Brazilian tapir enclosure, updates to the Castle Creature exhibit and the completion of work on the parrot aviaries.
The zoo will also carry out a £250,000 project, as voted for by visitors in 2017. This is looking likely to be an extension of the Sumatran tiger enclosure, say staff, though the vote remains open for a further four days (up until December 31).
The £150,000 visitor services enhancements, meanwhile, will see toilets redeveloped and new playground equipment provided.
There will also be a new viewing platform built overlooking the lion enclosure.
In the summer holidays, the zoo will also transform the former sensory garden area into a 'beach', complete with buckets and spades for younger visitors.
