Future of zoo in doubt despite £4m rescue bid

Published on Friday 16 May 2003 01:00

GLASGOW Zoo could be shut down despite a £4 million rescue bid by the management.

Trustees of the attraction had hoped that they would be able to sell off 26 acres of the zoo land for housing development, allowing them to clear a 2 million debt and carry out much-needed refurbishment work.

The sale of the land has yet to go through, though the city council had given permission for the stretch of green belt to sold on to Miller Homes.

The 52-year-old zoo has been under threat of closure since 1998, recording losses of 500,000 a year.

If it was to close, however, and the land sale goes through, the trustees have said that they the surplus cash will go to animal conservation projects.

A feasibility study is currently being carried out by the West of Scotland Zoological Society to see whether or not improvements to the attraction would be financial viable.

Sheena Campbell, who is acting as an adviser to the trustees, said that serious consideration had to be given to the zoo’s future.

She said: "The study may show building a new-look zoo would not be possible and we would want any surplus from the sale of the land to be put to good use.

"Clearly the zoo cannot go on in its present form, so a choice has to be made, but a new centre could only open if it could be commercially viable."

Recently the zoo has been the focus of controversy, with more than 600 complaints made about the conditions the animals are kept in. Glasgow City Council, which licences it, will carrying out further inspections in August.

Boyd Tunnock, owner of the biscuit empire, attempted to help the ailing business recently, when he sent painters and joiners from his Uddingston factory to patch up the buildings.

Advocates for Animals, claimed that primates in the zoo were found with bald patches, while the tigers were said by animal behaviourists to be showing signs of stress.