Zoo park celebrates 30th birthday by reopening to public

The popular attraction got the all-clear to reopen as the Government’s Covid-19 lockdown eases and does so today - 30 years to the day it was opened.

Then Huntingdon MP John Major (soon to become Prime Minister) performed the opening ceremony on June 15, 1990.

A Hamerton spokesperson said: “We are very excited that we get to open on our 30th birthday, which is a relief and lovely timing.

“We will be opening for Season Pass holders only on Monday (today, Tuesday and Wednesday) and then on Thursday to everyone using our online ticket system.

“The Park started as a private collection of birds and marmosets in 1990, from this we have grown to the exciting collection we have now with many endangered species such as our Syrian Brown Bears and Malayan Tigers. Also, rare animals you won’t get to see anywhere else in the UK like our Common Wombats and Dingoes.

“This year we have had such a baby boom! There is so much to see when we reopen.”

The park team have also praised the amazing support we have received for its fundraising to help meet the enormous costs of keeping it going. It also stressed that no income from tickets means it still needs financial help.

“Receiving donations has meant so much to the staff at the park and the animals. We can’t thank everyone enough for their help. Whether it was donating via our crowdfunder page www.crowdfunder.co.uk/hamerton-zoo-animals or fundraising themselves,” the spokesperson added.

“However, the realisation is the park costs around £4,000 a day to run and without our income over the last two months we have still have such a long way to go into being safe again and we know that we are opening and times are tough but we would still appreciate any donation that people are able to donate,

“we will be forever grateful.”