West Midlands zoo extends closure due to extreme hot weather warnings

A West Midlands Zoo has extended its closure due to ongoing hot weather conditions.

WILD Zoological Park, in Stourbridge, has confirmed it will be closed to visitors on Friday (June 26) after closing its doors to visitors earlier in the week.

The attraction initially said it would be closed from June 23 to June 25 after a rare Red Extreme Heat Warning was issued by the Met Office for those days.

However, earlier today, the park confirmed it was extending it’s closure due to ongoing hot weather, as an amber alert is in place tomorrow. But the park is expected to be open as usual at the weekend.

A spokesperson said: “Howdy explorers, we’ve decided to also cancel shows and close on Friday the 26th with temps expected at 33!

“We expect to be open and operating as normal on Saturday 27th! Thanks for your understanding! Don’t forget to drink water and apply that suncream.2

Earlier in the week., the team at WILD said they will be closed to allow keepers to focus on keeping the “whole gang” comfortable and hydrated during the expected conditions. Animal and bird shows will also be cancelled.

Anyone with tickets booked for these dates will be contacted with further information.

A post on social media on Monday (June 22) said: “With temperatures set to soar this week, we’ve made the decision to close the zoo to visitors and cancel our bird and animal shows on 23rd, 24th and 25th June.

“While we’re sure some of our animals will be quite happy soaking up the sunshine, others need a little extra help staying cool and comfortable. Closing the park allows our keepers to focus on keeping the whole gang happy, hydrated and out of the heat, while giving our team a bit of breathing room too.

“If you have tickets booked for any of these dates, don’t worry – we’ll be in touch. Ben will also be contacting any schools with upcoming visits on those days that haven’t already rearranged their trips to discuss options.

“Normally we’d look at bringing bird shows forward to beat the heat, but temperatures are expected to be climbing pretty rapidly by late morning, making it too hot for both our birds and our visitors.

“The good news: Zoo Tots will still be going ahead as normal! As it’s first thing in the morning and takes place in our lovely shady area, we’re happy that our little explorers can still enjoy their session. Thanks for your understanding while we put the welfare of our animals, visitors and team first.”