Following this week's announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding lockdown, staff at Twycross Zoo are looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel, as zoos will reopen their gates for visitors from 12 April.

Twycross Zoo, as well as zoos across the country, has been on a rollercoaster of emotion for the past year, with multiple lockdowns and a non-accessible Zoo Fund.

Vital conservation work has had to be paused, as the zoo has had to cut down support of key scientific programmes, research and education, just to avoid the zoo itself becoming extinct.

Although the roadmap to reopen is a sigh of relief, the Midlands zoo and conservation charity has lost significant income from being closed, which has meant they have had to use cash reserves and rely on bank loans, and public donations to get through the past year.

Once the zoo is able to get through the battle of reopening for the third time, it will have to endure another battle to recuperate from its debts and losses, which totals £5.5million.

Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, CEO of Twycross Zoo, said: "We are pleased that the Government has now given us a date for Twycross Zoo to re-open, so we can welcome visitors back safely for a day out that makes a difference to our charity.

"Looking ahead at another seven weeks of being closed is disappointing, as we have already missed out on February Half Term and will lose out on part of the Easter Holidays which are crucial income sources for us, and sadly the amount of income lost from being closed will have an effect on the conservation work we can do.

"2021 is looking like another difficult year for us at Twycross Zoo so we call upon our communities once again to support us by any means they can. We are now focused on preparing our zoo to welcome visitors back in April and call on the public to buy a ticket online for a future visit which in turn will support our charity now whilst we're closed."

Twycross Zoo is a 100-acre outdoor site with plenty of space for visitors to spread out and social distance. The public can support Twycross Zoo's conservation mission by:

Booking a Ticket.

Buying a membership.

Donating online.

Adopting an animal.