Dudley Zoo and Castle has issued a rally call to supporters to help secure its future.

The 40-acre zoo has been closed since 23rd March with no reopening date in sight from the Government.

With zero income from paying visitors but continued animal care costs during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Castle Hill attraction, like other zoos across the UK, is reaching crisis point.

In a bid to highlight the plight, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has secured a UK parliamentary debate on Thursday 11th June and Dudley Zoo and Castle is urging its supporters to contact their local MP, asking them to attend the event and help secure Government support for zoos to reopen. Zoo Director, Derek Grove, said:

“It’s an incredibly frustrating situation for the entire zoological industry. Here in Dudley we’re losing around £100,000 a week and are now having to dip into our redevelopment reserves.

“We’ve got all the correct social distancing procedures in place so we’re ready to reopen once we get the green light.”

Since the call for action over the weekend, the charity has been overwhelmed with messages of support. Derek added:

“Dudley Zoo and Castle is dedicated to protecting the future of wildlife for generations to come and we’re humbled by the support in protecting ours.

“We’ve had messages from as far away as Australia, with people telling us they have written to MPs, signed petitions, submitted questions to the daily briefings or donated to our online fundraising page, for which we’re very grateful.”

If you'd like to make a donation via the zoo’s fundraising page, where the total currently stands at £18,000, you can do so by clicking here.