BRITAIN’S worst zoo has finally announced it is set to close its doors for the final time.
Ever since a tiger mauled a keeper to death, South Lakes Safari Zoo has been surrounded by controversy.
Hundreds of animals have died at the Cumbria attraction and others have had to be shot after escaping.
It was even fined £255,000 after the keeper was killed in a tragic incident.
Bosses have now announced it will close at the end of the year although they have not revealed what will happen to the animals including rhinos, giraffes and lions.
Delighted campaigners from Freedom for Animals said: “After nearly a decade of work investigating and campaigning, we are thrilled to announce its long-overdue closure.
“For years, Cumbria Safari Zoo has been synonymous with neglect and suffering.
“We are calling on the local authority to now ensure that every animal at the zoo is re-homed to appropriate sanctuaries where they can receive the care they deserve and live free from suffering and exploitation.
“To everyone who fought for this moment: thank you.”
The zoo was set up by millionaire businessman David Gill in 1994 and became one of the most popular attractions in the Lake District, with up to 500,000 visitors a year.
But it regularly found itself in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
In 2008 a man was jailed for five years for attacking Mr Gill with a Stanley knife over a fling with his wife.
Richard Creary, then 38, crept into the zoo site in the night, slashed the tyres of Mr Gill’s Bentley, and broke into a house where his wife and the zoo’s boss were sleeping.
Creary yelled: “You’re sh*gging my wife and you’re going to die” before lunging at him, Preston crown court was told.
Mr Gill, then 46, needed emergency surgery but he recovered to continue running the zoo, in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria.
In 2013 keeper Sarah McClay, 24, was mauled to death when Padang, a Sumatran tiger, got through an unlocked gate and attacked her.
The zoo later admitted health and safety breaches.
In 2017 it faced closure when 300,000 people signed a petition demanding the local council refuse to renew its licence after investigators discovered a shocking death toll.
Almost 500 animals died in four years including a traumatised jaguar called Saka which chewed off a paw and two snow leopard cubs which were found part-eaten.
A rhino was crushed to death, seven lion cubs and five baboons had to be put down, 30 lemurs died in a blaze and a white rhino escaped and was later gunned down.
But councillors agreed to grant a licence when Mr Gill transferred ownership to a new company.
The zoo changed its name to Cumbria Safari Zoo and the new bosses claimed there were “significant improvements in animal welfare, husbandry and veterinary care”.
But campaigners didn’t let up and in 2022 undercover investigators found monkeys clinging to the edge of cages to get close to heat lamps, rhinos in tiny stalls with only just enough room to turn around and a giraffe with overgrown hooves.
The zoo, granted a six-year licence renewal in 2021 after inspectors said they were impressed with improvements, has now announced it will close on December 31.
A statement said: “We hope you will come and celebrate or share your memories with us before we close and join us this December to visit your favourite animals.”
Born Free’s Captivity Research & Policy Manager, Chris Lewis, said: “While we are pleased to see today’s announcement, exact details on the future of the animals and the site itself remain unclear.
“Born Free urges all parties to work together to ensure the welfare of the animals remains paramount until a time when appropriate homes can be secured for them.”
