Noah's Ark Zoo Farm facts for kids
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Logo
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| Date opened | 1998–1999 |
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| Location | Wraxall, North Somerset, United Kingdom |
| Land area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Coordinates | 51°27′07″N 2°44′19″W / 51.4520°N 2.7385°W |
| Annual visitors | 170,000 |
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm is a 100-acre (40 ha) zoo developed on a working farm in Wraxall, North Somerset, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Bristol, England, which promotes a form of creationism that includes a belief that the biblical story of Noah's Flood was an actual cataclysmic event. In 2009 the zoo was expelled from the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the main industry regulatory body, "for bringing the association into disrepute", but in 2018 it regained membership in the body. The zoo has the largest elephant enclosure in northern Europe.
Creationism
Bush and the zoo promote belief in a form of creationism as well as the Genesis flood myth and explicate these beliefs at length at "earthhistory.org.uk". Bush does not accept flood geology, a Young Earth Creationist belief that the flood described in Genesis 6-8 was an actual event that produced most fossil bearing geological strata; rather he believes the earth to be about 100,000 years old, older than the 6,000 to 10,000 years that Young Earth creationists believe it to be but much younger than its actual age of 4.54 billion years.
Physical anthropologist Alice Roberts, professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham said the zoo had "absolutely nothing to do with science education" but noted of her visit that she saw little evidence of creationism until she entered a "large barn in the middle of the complex, which houses an auditorium and an impressive indoor children's play area," where she found many displays promoting creationism.
The zoo has been criticised by the British Centre for Science Education for "contradicting vast swaths of science needed to pass public examinations" (contrary to its claim that it supported the National Curriculum) and by Ben Goldacre, author of the Bad Science column of The Guardian. In August 2009, the British Humanist Association (after 2017 Humanists UK) urged tourist boards to stop promoting the zoo on grounds that it would "undermine education and the teaching of science", a campaign continued as recently as February 2014. (In June 2015, the BHA named Alice Roberts "Humanist of the Year", in part because she had spearheaded its complaint against Noah's Ark Zoo.) In a letter to the Anglican Church Times, the Rev. Michael Roberts, an authority on Darwin and geology and a long-time opponent of the teaching of creationism in schools, argued that the British Humanist Association was justified in criticising the zoo and that "church groups should have been more forthright in their criticism".
2009 charges of professional misconduct
In October 2009 the BBC and the Captive Animals Protection Society charged that the zoo's tigers and camels belonged to the now defunct Great British Circus owned by Martin Lacey; and the zoo said a number of animals were on loan from Linctrek Ltd, a company associated with Lacey, though none had taken part in any circus performances. In December 2009, BIAZA stripped the zoo of its membership for what it claimed was a refusal of Noah's Ark to provide BIAZA requested information and for bringing "the association into disrepute." In 2018, the zoo regained membership in BIAZA.
Also in 2009, the Western Animal Rights Network (WARN) and the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) said that the zoo had culled healthy chickens. CAPS claimed that the zoo regularly culled animals during winter months to reduce costs. The zoo explained that it had euthanised some chickens to protect the quality of its flock. A March 2010 report of an investigation by North Somerset Council called the CAPS allegations "grossly unfair", though because zoo inspectors found some failures to comply with the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, tighter licence conditions were imposed on the zoo, including inspection by independent veterinarians every six months.
Animal exhibits
- Africa The first animals arrived in the African section in 2005: two South African white rhinos. A Giraffe House opened in 2006, two African lions joined the Big Cat Sanctuary in 2010, and Elephant Eden introduced its first African elephant in 2014. In 2015, Noah's Ark included four giraffes (two of which were born at NAZF), four lions, two African elephants, two white rhinos, two zebras, and a family of meerkats. In 2020, Hope, an 8-month old zebra, died when she was startled by fireworks and collided with the gates of her enclosure.
- Asia In 2009, Noah's Ark introduced two Bengal tigers to the newly built 'Tiger Territory', which later became the 'Big Cat Sanctuary'. Noah's Ark Asian section is also home to yaks, water buffalo, and two Bactrian camels.
- Primates Noah's Ark is home to five primate species: Siamang Gibbons, black & white ruffed lemurs, ring tailed lemurs, marmosets and cotton-top tamarins. Three of the five primates (ruffed lemurs, tamarins and gibbons) are listed on the IUCN red list as either endangered or critically endangered. The primate section has successfully bred animals since its opening, most recently a baby Siamang gibbon. (The gibbons were moved to Noah's Ark as part of the European Endangered Species Programme in 2007.)
- Reptiles In July 2017 the zoo introduced seven Aldabra giant tortoises to the zoo on loan from Nigel Marven. The tortoise enclosure won an award from BIAZA for enclosure design.
Maze
The zoo's hedge maze, planted in 2003, is 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) long.
