Westminster, 10 June 2020
Clwyd West MP, David Jones, has welcomed the announcement that zoos in England are to
be allowed to reopen from 15 June and has urged the Welsh Government (WG) to follow
suit, so that Colwyn Bay’s Welsh Mountain Zoo may also open.
The Westminster Government announcement says:
“Working closely with the zoo industry, we are confident this can be done safely with
safeguards and limits on visitor numbers, while providing families with more options to
spend time outdoors, where the risk of transmission is far lower.”
David Jones said:
“The announcement is hugely welcome. There was great concern that important local zoos
such as Chester might have to close unless relaxation of the restrictions came quickly.
“However, we in North Wales have similar concerns about the Welsh Mountain Zoo, which
is dearly loved in Colwyn Bay and is an important part of North Wales’s tourism offering.
“The zoo is also an open air attraction, where it is easy to maintain social distancing. If it
does not open soon, then there is a real danger that it will have to close for good, which
would be a huge loss to this area, apart from being a distressing animal welfare issue.
“I therefore urge the WG to confirm that zoos in Wales may also reopen. There will be
enormous concern locally if that is not done.
“Mark Drakeford’s statement over the weekend that ‘Wales will remain largely shut to
tourists over the summer’ has caused a great deal of discontent in North Wales, where over
43,000 local jobs depend upon tourism.
