One of the owners of Seaview Wildlife Encounter has this morning spoken to OnTheWight about the “crippling and suffocating” regulations and legislation governing wildlife parks in the UK.
Lorraine Adams said the family were devastated at having to make the decision to close the wildlife park that has been running for 44 years.
‘Heartbreaking’ decision
Her father passed away last year and her 82 year old mother, who works seven days a week, would like to retire soon. This has left Lorraine and her brother with the difficult decision of what to do next.
The introduction of auto-pensions and the living wage, rising overheads, health and safety regulations, the rise of the compensation culture and declining visitor numbers have all led to the decision to close the park.
Closure plan underway
Lorraine explained she would now start working on an official closure plan, that would need to be agreed by the Isle of Wight council and DEFRA.
All the exotic animals would go to licensed collection.
Condolences from supporters
There’s has been an outpouring of condolences on social media over the last 16 hours with Islanders and visitors sharing their thoughts.
The closure announcement on their Facebook page has attracted over 1,200 comments from visitors to the park.
Lorraine told OnTheWight they’d had an amazing team of staff this year, who have helped maintain the high standard of care of the animals in the park.
Here’s a small selection of comments left through OnTheWight’s Facebook page …
Image: © Seaview Wildlife Encounter
