After months of uncertainty, zoo is roaring to get back to business
As Wales’ tourism industry gets ready to reopen in two weeks’ time, one of the country’s best-loved attractions, Folly Farm, is leading the way in how to make social distancing fun. Laura Clements reports
FOR Folly Farm, it’s not just a matter of keeping visitors safe, but the animals too. Some of the exotic animals at the Pembrokeshire attraction are at risk of catching coronavirus themselves – so extra special measures are required.
Ever since Folly Farm was forced to close it’s doors in March, it’s been a struggle to survive.
The animals couldn’t be furloughed and the daily feed bills continued.
Following the announcement by Mark Drakeford that attractions could reopen on July 13 and the fivemile travel rule would be scrapped on July 6, bosses at the popular attraction immediately sprang into action.
Zoe Wright, head of marketing at the park said they had been planning on how they would reopen safely ever since lockdown was announced and as a result they are “quite far down the road” with the plans.
Zoe said: “Certain animals have different risks of catching coronavirus, so we had to identify which were high risk and which were medium risk and some of our enclosures will have to be fenced off so you can’t have any contact with animals.
“Being a zoo, there’s a few bits that make us a bit different to everybody else.”
While there is minimal evidence that certain animals such as dogs and cats can be infected with coronavirus, official government advice says: “There is emerging evidence that some animals can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 (which causes coronavirus) following close contact with infected humans. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.”
It meant head keeper Tim Morphew had to categorise every single animal and work out how at risk they were, before putting additional signs up asking visitors to stand further back from the fence.
Zoe added: “Being a zoo, we can have a bit of fun with our social distancing signage, so we’ve got things like a one-way system on the penguin enclosure with arrows that have penguin cut outs.
“There’s a big paw print on the lion enclosure windows too.
“We want to reassure people that we’re taking it seriously and also that we’re good to go.”
For a while, the much-loved attraction was left in limbo as zoos in England were given the green light to open, but uncertainty remained in Wales meaning they had to stay closed.
“We were literally just waiting for the words to come out of his mouth and we were like let’s go,” Zoe said.
“It’s going to be a long, slow recovery but it’s nice to have something positive to focus on now. Now we’ve got a date we’re working towards and we’re just fully focused welcoming people again which will be lovely, especially for the animals.
“As soon as the announcement about being open to visitors was made, social media just went ballistic and we’re getting hundreds of messages every day from people wanting to know how we’re reopening and what safety measures we have got in place.”
The park will open to all visitors on July 13 using an online booking system.
But annual pass holders have been given a few days before the official opening to reward their loyalty – meaning they can book visiting slots from July 8.
Before people visit they need to make sure they have pre-booked the date and arrival time for their day out.
This allows Folly Farm to control visitor numbers and staggered arrival times means it can reduce crowding at the entrance tills and restrict people waiting for a long time in queues.
Even if Mr Drakeford decides not to lift the five-mile rule, Folly Farm will still open on July 13 as planned, regardless.
Folly Farm was never told it must close by the Welsh Government rules, but the advice for people not to leave their homes meant it was not viable to remain open.
“We’ll open anyway even if the travel restrictions are in place, but for local residents only,” Zoe added.
“We are in full open mode now. It’s hard work closing a business of this size, and having to reopen it again.
“It takes a lot of effort to get back open again, you can’t ever close everything when you know you have to open at the weekend. It is a huge effort and it has been a bit of a challenge.”
Other measures in place include maintaining a two-metre distance from other households and the animals and visitors must follow the one-way systems in place in the Jolly Barn, Penguin Coast and gift shop. There are also socially distanced queuing systems in the toilet blocks, takeaway food outlets and at the admissions entrance.
Almost all of the zoo and farm animals will be able to be viewed within the 120-acre park and people can walk around the rare breed paddocks and nature trail too.
Socially-distanced land train rides will run continuously between 11am and 3pm and the outdoor rides including the Big Wheel, the Go Karts, the Big Dig and the Paratrooper will all be open on July 13.
For the time being, meet and greets in the Jolly Barn, the indoor zoo which is home to the dwarf crocodiles and the sloths and the vintage fairground and Carousel Woods indoor play area will all remain closed.