West Midlands zoo to close to visitors due to extreme hot weather warnings

A West Midlands zoo will close for three days this week due to extreme hot weather warnings.

WILD Zoological Park, in Stourbridge, has confirmed it will be closed to visitors from tomorrow (June 23) to Thursday (June 25) following weather warnings issued by the Met Office.

The forecaster issued a rare Red Extreme Heat Warning for Wednesday and Thursday, alongside Amber warnings from Monday through Thursday across much of southern and central England and Wales.

Temperatures are set to climb from around 34°C on Monday (June 22) to a peak of at least 39°C on Wednesday (June 24) and Thursday (June 25), with the potential to break June’s all-time UK daily temperature record.

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 spokesperson for the attraction 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.”