The Five Sisters Zoo will open its doors again to animal lovers after supporters raised over £70,000.
The popular attraction
issued a plea for help when lockdown was enforced, asking people to donate money towards running costs as it had no income and
owners feared they would not be in the position to open the doors again once restrictions are lifted.
But a crowdfunding page has raised over £71,000 so far to help with the day-to-day upkeep of the zoo and the cost of feeding the animals.
Staff took to the zoo’s Facebook page to announce the good news.
They said: “We are delighted to announce that the zoo will be reopening from Monday, June 29.
“It’s been a long road and our fight is not over yet but we wanted to celebrate this good news with you all.
“Thank you to everyone that has supported us through these last few months. We will be forever grateful.
“We cannot wait to finally reopen our doors and welcome you all back. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
“We are currently in the process of setting up an online ticketing system.
“ Please bear with us while we do this. In the meantime keep an eye on our social media accounts and website over the coming days for further details.”
The charity appealed for the public’s help earlier in lockdown so it could look after its animals, which included many rescued from a life of suffering.
It said it needed help to cover overheads of over £35,000 per month, excluding wages, with next to no income.
Nicola Sturgeon announced last week that the country would be moving into phase two of lockdown, with restrictions being lifted on attractions like the Five Sisters Zoo.
