Berkshire Wildlife Park prepares to re-open after a year of 'struggle'
Beale Wildlife Park near Reading has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds due to the pandemic
Last updated 21st Mar 2021
Like most organisations the Beale Wildlife Park at Pangbourne near Reading has reduced its costs by during the pandemic using the furlough scheme for its staff. But there was no furloughing the star attractions at the park, the more than 140 species who live there.
Assistant curator Paul Betchley says:
"The care we give these beautiful creatures is no different, the food bills don't stop, the vet bills they don't stop, so without the public coming in the income is dramatically reduced but we can't reduce the welfare we give these animals"
The park was closed for 13 weeks last year and was unable to open at weekends as it usually would in the winter. It's cost the charity hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost income.
The Park's marketing and public relations manager Christine Doyle says:
"We were closed from Mother's day to June and obviously missed out on many Bank Holidays so we did miss out on a lot of visitor income so to be without that amount of money for so long really has had an impact on the funding for the park.
"We've now missed the February half-term and we'll miss the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, but it's given us a pause to think, but we have had to do it on skeleton staff, we've used the furlough scheme and we're very grateful for that because it has made a huge financial difference but it's still been a struggle"
The park has added to its collection during the time of the pandemic bringing in two Zebras, a Eurasian Lynx, and a dwarf crocodile!
Paul Betchley says the creatures at the park are looking forward to the public being allowed back in!
"It's a case of they get a lot out of the public just as much as the public get out of interacting with them, if you walk around the park you can see it in their faces - they're getting bored of seeing the same people every day - it'll be nice to have some fresh faces to entertain them!"
The park has set up a crowdfunder appeal to help it make up for the lost income:
The park is taking pre-bookings as it prepares to re-open on 12 April.
Find out more here: https://bealepark.org.uk/