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Ongoing updates and improvements

January Closure: Week 2 update

As our 2 week closure comes to an end, many of you may have heard about a particularly noteworthy development – the departure of the Jungle Express railway. Further detail on this momentous event can be found elsewhere on our website.

Our new entrance path which leads to the tigers and into the rest of the zoo is complete. Our Maintenance, Botanics, and Graphics teams have done a fantastic job during the closure weeks to bring everything together to create this new entrance in such a short space of time. We’re not done yet, however, and future weeks will see the removal of further trees, ongoing development of planting and artwork and the removal of the netting and poles that formed the former Brookside Aviary. As you’ll appreciate, this last job is a very significant undertaking and we’ll need to wait until work on the boardwalk replacement is complete before we can schedule this in.

Tree work has continued around the site, and some areas now look very different as a result of this essential upkeep. It hasn’t just been tree removal however, and exciting plans are coming together for replanting the zoo to further boost its value as a home for native wildlife. We have also removed the walkway to the old big cat viewing platform, and there has been ongoing work revolving around office moves, classroom refurbishments, store room clear-outs and a refresh of the gift shop. Although we are reopening, our work continues, and visitors can look forward to a number of new developments as we head into 2022. We look forward to sharing these with you as they happen.