Borth Wild Animal Kingdom facts for kids
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| Date opened | 2000 |
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| Location | Borth, Wales |
| Land area | 12 |
| Coordinates | 52°29′08″N 4°02′38″W / 52.4856°N 4.0440°W |
| No. of animals | 400 |
| No. of species | 120 |
| Website | https://www.borthzoo.co.uk |
The Borth Wild Animal Kingdom, also known as Borth Animalarium, is a fun zoo! You can find it in the lovely seaside town of Borth, in Wales. It's about 7 miles north of Aberystwyth. The zoo covers 12 acres of land. In 2015, around 27,000 people visited this amazing place.
Contents
The Zoo's Story
How the Zoo Started
The Borth Animalarium first opened in the late 1980s. Ron and Ann Crowther started it as a hobby. It slowly grew into a proper zoo! They focused on helping animals have babies for conservation. They even worked with Chester Zoo on special breeding programs. These programs helped animals like harvest mice and capybara. In 2000, Jean and Alan Mumbray bought the zoo. They ran it for 15 years.
New Owners and TV Shows
In 2017, Dean and Tracy Tweedy bought the zoo. They are an artist and a psychotherapist. They wanted the zoo to be a safe place for both animals and people. Their journey with the zoo was shown on BBC's The One Show. This happened in September 2017. The zoo needed many improvements to be modern.
Later, the zoo was featured in a BBC TV series. It was called Saving Britain's Worst Zoo. This series aired in July and August 2019.
Meet the Animals!
Who Lives at Borth Zoo?
Borth Animalarium is home to many different animals. You can see big cats and monkeys. There are also wallabies and snakes. Other residents include iguanas and caimans. Don't forget the fruit bats and spiders! You can also spot emus, pigs, frogs, ocelots, and even cockroaches.
Special Animal Stories
In 2005, the zoo welcomed an African leopard named Rajah. Rajah was born in 1995 at Basildon Zoo.
In 2013, a three-month-old female Lynx named Nilly came to the zoo. She was partly raised by humans. In May 2016, a female companion joined her. This new lynx was pregnant! She gave birth to three kittens. Two of them survived and were named Tirion and Lilleth.
In August 2015, two African Lions arrived. Their names are Zulu and Wilma. They came from Noah's Ark Zoo Farm.
Animal Adventures
Sometimes, animals at the zoo have little adventures! In July 2012, a beaver got out. In August 2013, a leopard almost escaped. Its cage door was accidentally left open.
In late 2017, a young lynx escaped. Sadly, it was later put down by officials. This decision caused a lot of discussion. Many people, including wildlife expert Chris Packham, were upset. It was later found that another lynx had also died by accident. After these events, many people from the local community helped to improve the zoo.
For a while, the zoo was not allowed to keep "category one" dangerous animals. These include large cats. This rule was changed in July 2018. It was allowed again if the zoo hired an experienced keeper. However, the ban was put back in place in January 2020. This was because the zoo did not have enough staff with special training.
