JohnAfter being closed for nearly a week due to the deluge of snow, Lotherton’s Wildlife World will reopen on 11 January in a limited capacity.
Staff at the much-loved Aberford estate zoo battled their way in to work on Sunday (5 January) to discover that some of the biggest aviaries were badly collapsed and damaged due to heavy snow, allowing seven Inca Terns and two Waldrapp Ibis to escape.
Due to their massive efforts clearing the snow from the nets, the zoo staff managed to prevent any more free-flighted birds escaping despite holes in the netting.
The staff are now thanking members of the public for their help in locating the escaped birds. So far, three Inca Terns and one Waldrapp Ibis have been returned.
Shannon Gill, animal keeper at Wildlife World, said: “Having looked after these birds for nine years, I have been very worried about them. All the keepers have been giving up their spare time following leads of where sightings have been in the hope that we can return them to Lotherton.”
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said: “It’s devastating to see the damage to the aviaries at Wildlife World, especially after so much recent work has gone into making the site superb for animals and visitors.
“I want to commend the staff for their hard work in keeping the birds safe and working with the help of the public to recover the escapees.
“We’re glad to be able to reopen on Saturday, although in a limited capacity, and we will continue to work towards restoring all the aviaries as soon as possible.”
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