One of the UK’s most beloved wildlife attractions has now officially opened its £1.5 million big cat enclosure as this start of the art facility is now home to 3 lionesses, 1 male lion and 1 female tiger with a male on its way in the future. Let’s take a look inside Blackpool Zoo’s big cat enclosure!
This state-of-the-art facility provides a haven for some of the world’s most awe-inspiring feline species, offering visitors an immersive and educational experience like never before and with much more improved facilities both indoor and outdoor in addition to more space for these beautiful animals to roam.
Further promoting the zoo’s testament to committing to animal welfare and conservation these new enclosures replicate the natural habitat of the various big cat species. Both the Amur tiger and African Lion habitats are divided by indoor spaces for each animal to relax in with both public and private areas available for the lions and tigers to dip in and out of.
The facility provides a secure environment while allowing visitors to enjoy unobstructed views of these majestic predators. During our visit there were a couple of viewing windows that were still unavailable to access so it’s still a work in progress in some areas but I’m sure it’ll be ready in no time.
The new big cat enclosure is not just a visual spectacle; it also serves as an educational hub with live talks taking place on each given day to give visitors information about the treatment and conversation of these big cats. Using a microphone and a speaker the keeper did his very best to talk to us about the lions but with bad audio quality and being drowned out by screaming zoo children it wasn’t the most educational cat talk we were likely to witness.
Having screaming children banging on the glass and shouting is not good for lions or tigers, it easily stresses them out and despite the zookeeper telling them numerous times the teachers in question just let them carry on. Not back in my day! I sound old now don’t I…?
If there is one thing that I will say about the Big Cat Enclosure is that with the space that Blackpool Zoo has around that area of the park they could have made the enclosures just that little bit bigger. I know money must be a factor in these decisions but I couldn’t help but think that the tiger enclosure for one tiger looked bigger than a lion enclosure that houses 4 lions in currently.
Both enclosures felt like they should be a little bit bigger and with more private bushes and spaces for the tigers to indulge in and more enrichment activities for the big cats would have been nice to see.
Beyond the captivating new big cat exhibit, Blackpool Zoo has enhanced visitor experiences with various amenities. A new visitor center welcomes guests with state-of-the-art facilities, including interactive touch screens, educational videos, and a gift shop offering conservation-themed merchandise.
Additionally, the enclosure incorporates elevated walkways and observation points that go up past the Giraffe area that also gives you a different vantage point of the new big cat enclosure.
The opening of this new area is remarkable milestone in the institution’s commitment to conservation, education, and animal welfare and I highly recommend you heading on down to the zoo to check it out.
Blackpool Zoo surprised me during my first visit it’s spacious, packed full of a wide variety of animals and the animals look healthy, happy and have ample room in their enclosures.
Check out out VLOG during our visit to Blackpool Zoo’s big cat enclosure below:
