Popular wildlife attraction goes up for sale

One of Perthshire’s most popular visitor attractions has gone on the market.

Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, which covers 131 acres, is being sold through property firm Galbraith’s.

Famous for its tartan sheep, the park near Comrie has been owned by Andrew and Maxine Scott since 2009.

It sees in excess of 55,000 visitors a year, encompasses a shop, cafe, two play barns, a hatchery and adventure playground, and is home to a wide variety of exotic animals, including meerkats, lemurs, porcupines and coati mundi.

The wildlife park is also home to some rare Scottish wildcats, which are part of a wider breeding programme managed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

The five-bedroom farmhouse is also included in the sale.

In their 10 years at the helm, the Scotts have developed a network of roads and pathways leading to the animal enclosures, all-weather soft play facilities and the cafe.

Maxine told our sister title, the Strathearn Herald, that owning the park had lived up to all their expectations and they had accomplished most of what they had set out to do on taking it over.

She said:“Life is never dull. “Thanks to all our visitors and staff who have been with us over the years for their support and loyalty.

“Although we love the park and surrounding area, the time has come for us to move on and take life a little bit slower.”

Andrew added:“The time has now come for us to retire and pass on Auchingarrich to its next set of enthusiastic owners, who I’m sure will enjoy living here as well as running this fun-filled family business as much as we did.”

The asking price is available from Galbraith’s upon request by genuine would-be buyers.