Southport Zoo

Southport Zoo (Closed 2004)
Date closed	2004
Location	Southport, Merseyside, England
Coordinates	53°39′04″N 3°00′54″W / 53.651°N 3.015°W / 53.651; -3.015Coordinates: 53°39′04″N 3°00′54″W / 53.651°N 3.015°W / 53.651; -3.015
Land area	6 acres (2.4 ha)
No. of animals	1,272
No. of species	154

Southport Zoo was a 6-acre (2.4 ha) zoological garden in Southport, Merseyside, England run by Carol and Douglas Petrie. Historically within Lancashire, it was located close to the Pleasureland amusement park. It was home to 154 species of wild animals and birds, but closed in 2004.

The animal collection included chimpanzees, lar gibbons, African lions, mandrills, flamingoes, giant tortoises, parrots, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, reptiles, owls and pheasants.

	Number of species	Number of animals
Mammals	33	124
Birds	60	193
Reptiles	31	128
Amphibians	3	12
Fishes	23	166
Invertebrates	4	649
Total	154	1272

Closure

The council did not allow the Petries to renew the lease on the zoo site and gave the lease to Pleasureland so it could extend the park and create more attractions. In 2005 the zoo site became a paint ball park, before the fairground closed a year later. Pleasureland re-opened shortly afterwards with a new owner and investment and is now thriving with plans to further develop the zoo enclosures area. Some groups claimed that the contract was not renewed for the zoo due to animal rights campaigners and protests creating bad publicity.^[1]

When the zoo closed, the Petries moved to Yorkshire taking many animals with them to a new zoo they were creating at Yorkshire Dales Falconry and Conservation Centre in Giggleswick, which had recently closed. The majority of the animals were re-homed and had to be spread across the country, large mammals were rehoused in Cumbria and the primates went to a sanctuary in the Midlands and other animals went to a smaller zoo in Wales. The Petries had wanted to keep the older animals at the new zoo as they had cared for them for many years. Due to campaigning by the Captive Animals Protection Society an application was withdrawn to build new exhibits at the falconry site.^[2] It is believed that the animals taken with the family were allowed to stay but not for public show as their zoo licence did not extend to exotic animals.^[3]

Ten people lost their jobs when Southport Zoo closed.^[4] These included the collection manager and five section keepers (carnivores, paddocks, primates, birds and reptiles) and the estates manager and three members of staff.

Redevelopment

After years of neglect, the site reopened in August 2010 as Battlefield Live Southport.,^[5] an outdoor combat game using guns that fire infra-red beams. Many of the original buildings and cages have been retained and the area has been redeveloped as a Battlefield Arena for players to play the game within.

References

↑ http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/southport.htm
↑ http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/petrie.htm
↑ http://www.zoochat.com/38/southport-zoo-rumour-24673/
↑ "Southport Zoo closing /owners say goodbye". southportforums.com. Southport. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
↑ http://www.battlefieldlive-southport.com/

Zoological gardens in the United Kingdom
Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animals
Zoos	Africa Alive! Amazon World Zoo Banham Zoo Beale Park Belfast Zoo Birdland Park and Gardens Birdworld Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park Blackpool Zoo Borth Animalarium Bristol Zoo British Wildlife Centre Calderglen Country Park Chessington Zoo Chester Zoo Colchester Zoo Cotswold Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas Curraghs Wildlife Park Dartmoor Zoological Park Drayton Manor Zoo Drusillas Zoo Park Dudley Zoo Durrell Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Flamingo Land Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Hamerton Zoo Hawk Conservancy Trust Howletts Wild Animal Park International Centre for Birds of Prey Isle of Wight Zoo Lakeland Wildlife Oasis London Zoo Marwell Wildlife Monkey Sanctuary Monkey World New Forest Wildlife Park Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Paignton Zoo Paradise Park, Cornwall Paradise Wildlife Park Peak Wildlife Park Plantasia Royal Surrey Gardens Screech Owl Sanctuary Seaview Wildlife Encounter South Lakes Safari Zoo Tropical World at Roundhay Park The Living Rainforest Tropical Birdland, Leicestershire Tropiquaria Twycross Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Whipsnade Zoo Wildwood Discovery Park Wingham Wildlife Park Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Safari parks	Blair Drummond Safari Park Highland Wildlife Park Knowsley Safari Park Longleat Safari Park Port Lympne Wild Animal Park West Midland Safari Park Woburn Safari Park
Permanently closed	Belle Vue Zoo Glasgow Zoo Coventry Zoo Manchester Zoological Gardens Southport Zoo Windsor Safari Park Rare Species Conservation Centre Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park
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