ZSL Whipsnade Zoo will reopen next week

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s resident animals are fluffing up their feathers and stretching their legs as they prepare to swing open the gates on Monday, June 15, and welcome visitors back after three months of closure.

The UK’s largest Zoo is now set to welcome up to 3,000 pre-booked ticket holders per day via www.zsl.org, and let visitors reconnect with the wonders of wildlife and nature after lockdown.

Run by international conservation charity ZSL, Whipsnade Zoo is home to hundreds of threatened species, many of which are part of international conservation breeding programmes including Asian elephants, white rhinos, sloth bears and Amur tigers.

Visitors will be able to get their first glimpse of the adorable new-borns that the Zoo welcomed during lockdown, including 14 extinct-in-the-wild Pere David Deer fawns, a Yak calf named Ginny, five wild boar piglets and a newly-hatched wattled crane.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Chief Operating Officer, Owen Craft said: “We are so excited to welcome visitors back to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, and see people interacting with our animals once again.

“We know that people have missed us, and we’ve certainly missed them. We are looking forward to welcoming our members, neighbours and wildlife-lovers alike back to our nature haven.

"Families will be able to explore our vast park, breathe in fresh air and let the kids explore nature safely.”

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis said: "I am so delighted to hear that Whipsnade Zoo, a jewel in the crown of Bedfordshire, will open its doors once again to the public.

"It makes me smile to think of families wandering through the vast acres of Whipsnade and enjoying engaging with the splendid animals that live there.

“The Elephant House, opened by HM The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, not so long ago, is just one of my personal favourites.