The Virus Closed This U.K. Animal Park, But Tigers Need to Eat
The Virus Closed This U.K. Animal Park, But Tigers Need to Eat
(Bloomberg) -- (Editor’s note: This is the sixth in our “Stories of Summer.” For more, see this link on the Bloomberg terminal, visit @QuickTake on Twitter or see the YouTube playlist.)
The tigers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park haven’t had many visitors lately.
When the coronavirus began spreading through Britain in March, the park — which hosts England’s largest collection of tigers — closed to tourists. But unlike other businesses in and around Skegness, a seaside town on the east coast of England, Lincolnshire couldn’t shut down completely — tigers need to eat, even in a pandemic.
Steve Nichols, the park’s chief executive, says it costs 45,000 pounds ($59,000) a year just to feed the tigers. Lincolnshire hosts other animals including monkeys, cougars and parrots — almost all of which are rescued — adding to the facility’s costs and operations. Of the park’s 30 staff members, 19 have stayed on full time to care for the animals and maintain security. Nichols says Lincolnshire received 25,000 pounds of government support, but that didn’t last long, and the park has been relying on donations to stay afloat.
On Saturday, it’s opening for the first time since March, according to its website.
In this video, Nichols describes what it’s like to run a wildlife park during a global pandemic.
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