Safari star attraction celebrate a golden year

West Midland Safari Park celebrates its 50th birthday in April. Managing director Chris Kelly looks forward to - and back at - the park’s enduring appeal.

In April 1973, Sophia Loren, star of the golden Hollywood age, opened the Park while cuddling a lion cub.

This year, the animals are centre-stage as the 200-acre site celebrates its gold milestone. Anniversary planning is well underway, with a big dinner fundraiser for conservation and further celebrations included in the Park’s seasonal events.

And despite the huge challenges of the past three years, the Park’s expansion plans are firmly on track. Last year, a record 850,000 visitors came through the gates, consolidating the Park as one of the UK’s top attractions.

The 200-acre site has seen huge changes since it opened in the grounds of Spring Grove country house, Bewdley. In those early days, the baboon troupe stole the show with some crafty escape routines. These culminated in a souvenir raid on local gardens - mostly from washing lines - before the cheeky primates were safely enticed back for good by big bowls of fruit.

Back then, animal numbers were far less and included a turkey, bees, a guard dog, “and lots of fish,” Chris remembers as a regular early visitor with his family. “If you managed to get out with wing mirrors and wiper blades intact, you were doing pretty good!”

Today - while the baboons are long gone - there are over 1,000 animals representing 118 species, and the park is acclaimed for its conservation work. “I’ve seen many changes in the 40 years I’ve been visiting the park, but none more so than in the three years since becoming MD,“ Chris adds.

His own legacy at the park is already assured, with a baby giraffe - born just before Christmas - named after him. “He already answers to his name,” he laughs.

When Chris - a former Aspinall Foundation director - joined the Park, he did so on the proviso that the animal accommodation and enclosures were modified. This work is almost complete and includes a huge elephant house “perfect for breeding. We’re waiting for a bull elephant to join us this spring, while our own young bull will relocate to Noah’s Ark in Somerset.”

By the end of June, West Midland Safari Park will also have 26 luxury Safari Lodges featuring various exotic animal habitats.

Work starts on four hippo lodges in October, while old buildings have made way for night-time hippo grazing.

“We’re also re-introducing monkeys; pygmy marmosets are set to join us by the summer. We don’t have any plans for baboons though,” he chuckles.

Chris acknowledges the tremendous on-going support offered by the Park’s French owners, The

Looping Group, whose multi-million-pound backing secured the ambitious expansion and breeding programmes.

“We’ve also sent £50,000 to the Ukrainian Zoo Appeal, and support conservation units around the world,” Chris explains. “Nearer to home, we continue to build on great community links, working with local food banks and other charitable causes.”

The cost-of-living storm hasn’t made it all plain sailing though. “With inflation running above 10% and the prices of supplies soaring, we have had to look at and adjust the prices of our tickets, but people can still save money by booking early online through our new booking system.

“The biggest impact has been in energy, labour and animal food. Energy costs have been kept down through pre-buying, and there’s plans to install solar panels on newer buildings. A couple of the animal houses have biomass heating systems, so we aim to produce our own biomass too.”

One area where cost isn’t a factor, however, is animal feed. “We have to be absolutely sure about sources as we can’t risk contamination. Our animals’ welfare is always our top priority.”

Looking ahead, Chris concludes: “We are all extremely positive about the future. It wouldn’t be possible without such massive on-going support, so thank you to everyone who supports and visits us.”

Here’s to the next 50 years…