Cotswold Wildlife Park concerned how animals will react to humans after lockdown
Some animals born during the pandemic have never seen a human being
Zookeepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park say they're concerned at how animals will react to visitors when they are welcomed back on site.
They say some animals may have forgotten what it's like to have human interaction after the park's doors have remained closed for best part of 12 months.
Some animals have never even seen a human being because they have been born during lockdown.
Mark Godwin, Head Keeper at Cotswold Wildlife Park, said:
"We've had similar issue to this before when the volcano erupted in Iceland a few years ago.
"Some of the meerkats reacted to it and were quite alarmed when the aeroplanes started flying over because they weren't used to it.
"Some animals have got used to there being no visitors. They have no idea why it's gone quiet but some are enjoying it and some behaviours have changed in others".
The park is set to welcome back visitors on Monday April 12 following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
They've suffered from a few financial difficulties during the pandemic so having people enjoying the park is needed.
However the zookeepers will be keeping a close eye on how the animals react to large visitor numbers.
Jamie Craig, Curator at Cotswold Wildlife Park, said:
"We're looking really at costs of about £15,000 a day. We've had to spend a bit more because we're trying to get projects done when we couldn't do with the public on site.
"It's a phenomenal hit but we're just lucky that the owner of the park decided to put away a pot in case of an emergency".