Tragic Sarah’s mum fears for safety at zoo
Free entry could ‘compromise’ standards at controversial park
THE mum of a zoo keeper mauled to death by a tiger has branded axing entry charges at the attraction where she died a mistake.
Sarah McClay, 24, died after she was attacked by a large male Sumatran tiger at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Cumbria, in 2013.
It has now emerged the new-look attraction is attempting to woo customers back by dropping the entry fee.
But Sarah’s mum last night hit out at the move, saying: “The last thing I want to see is another tragedy.”
It was announced yesterday the zoo had taken the step in a bid to win back the public’s trust.
Visitor numbers are said to have fallen after a string of high-profile problems.
Those issues began when Sarah – who was doing her “dream job” – was killed after the tiger attacked her in an enclosure.
As well as Sarah’s tragic death, 486 creatures died at the Barrow-inFurness park in just three years.
The animal deaths included a squirrel monkey found rotting behind a radiator and an African spurred tortoise that had been electrocuted after becoming entangled in charged fencing.
The catalogue of failings led the zoo’s licence to be withdrawn earlier this year, with founder David Gill stepping down.
It is now run by a new firm called Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd, which hopes to attract tourists back with a raft of new measures including free entry.
But Sarah’s mother, Fiona, thinks it could be a mistake.
Last night, the heartbroken mum, who lives in Linlithgow, West Lothian, said: “A fall in income could lead to a compromise in safety.
“This is a serious issue for the staff and indeed the public.
“Admission fees are vital to fund the upkeep of any public venue. I do not know how they will maintain vital safety standards when there is less money coming in.
“I lost my daughter when serious mistakes were made previously.”
Fiona added: “I sincerely hope the authorities are watching this carefully.”
But speaking in an interview yesterday, Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd’s chief executive Karen Brewer said “sweeping improvements” had been made to the new-look attraction, which has been renamed South Lakes Safari Zoo.
She said: “Obviously things have happened and we are where we are.
“I think we take animals into captivity and we damn well should look after them.
“I’m angry in many ways for so many different reasons, but what I am most passionate about is to make sure Safari Zoo stands head and shoulders and beyond question (above the others).”
Head keeper Kim Banks added that before the new company took over staff were trapped by a management culture that was resistant to change.
Sarah was killed by a tiger which she helped care for after it got through an unlocked gate.
An inquest jury found the tiger got through an open door to a corridor she was working in.
The zoo later admitted health and safety breaches over Fiona’s death.