A zoo has apologised after a shocked mum spotted a racist ‘Bongoland’ sign in its gift shop.
Twycross Zoo, in Leicestershire, has apologised and launched an internal investigation after a customer drew attention to the sign this week, LeicestershireLive reported .
During a half-term trip to the popular attraction, one mum from Loughborough spotted the sign which read ‘Bongoland’ - a racist term used to refer to offensive stereotypes about colonial Africa.
The sign was attached to a product of cuddly magnetic monkey toys made by Nature Planet - a company which supports a leading conservation organisation.
The mum said: “It surprised me to see it was there.
“It’s not something I’d expect to see in a zoo, especially when they are places of learning.
“I was just taken aback by how the sign was there and no one had picked up on the word.”
She reported the matter to Twycross bosses on social media after returning home from her visit, receiving a public apology and an assurance an investigation would be carried out.
She added: “I felt like I had to raise the matter and social media can be of great use in raising issues like this.
“I wasn’t going on a crusade. I had my kids with me at the time and it was easier to report it later.”
Her tweet about the sign drew a similar shocked reaction from fellow users, but the mum said she believed the sign wasn’t put up intentionally to cause offence.
“I don’t think for one minute Twycross wanted to put up a sign with that word in it. It’s clearly related to a product, but someone should have looked and said ‘hang on, that’s not right’,” she continued.
“It’s clearly an oversight, but the zoo needs to be aware of what it's saying to people and the social history such a word can have.”
In a statement, Twycross Zoo confirmed that the sign had been quickly taken down following the visitor's report.
A zoo spokesman said: "The supplier is one of many we work with, specifically chosen for their support of Save the Orangutan – an essential conservation organisation who fight for the survival of the mighty, yet critically endangered apes while replanting trees in rainforests.
“Twycross Zoo immediately removed the signage when it was brought to our attention by a Twitter user.”
Twycross said reviews will now take place following the incident.
“We are in the process of undertaking a full review of all product lines in our gift shop,” continued the spokesman.
“We have also contacted Nature Planet about the feedback, requesting they undertake their own review and specifically that the product range is re-named.”
