Lions, tigers and wide open spaces still attracting visitors to wildlife park

A wildlife park says visitors are continuing to come to see its tigers, lions and meerkats as they see its wide open spaces as a relatively safe environment.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park – which is home to England’s only polar bears – remains open despite the coronavirus pandemic with a range of measures introduced to help keep people safe.

Andy Watson, from the park, said he thinks people are looking for places to exercise in the fresh air.

He said: “We’re still open but we’re obviously assessing the situation on a constant basis.

“We want to keep going as normally as possible for as long as we can and people still seem to be coming.

“I think they are looking for somewhere where they can stretch their legs and get some fresh air. And there’s plenty of space here to spread out.”

The park, which is on the outskirts of Doncaster, has closed its children’s play areas and says it is frequently disinfecting targeted areas as well as providing plenty of hand sanitising facilities.

It has also made online ticketing available on the day to reduce physical contact between visitors and staff.