Life inside a zoo during lockdown

Seeing newly returned visitors spread out along the snaking pathways, Jack Williams allowed himself a sigh of relief.

“Only then did I admit to myself how much hinged on this moment,” says Jack, who runs the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis’s team of 13 staff, plus dedicated volunteers. For three months we’ve been surviving one day at a time and imagining opening our gates again was all the team dared to do.

“Doing so last weekend and welcoming in lots of happy families was surprisingly emotional, like waking from a nightmare to a bright sunny morning.”

Like other British zoos, in March the Oasis went from being a thriving attraction to a visitor-less exotic animal hotel overnight, with no source of income.

“The running costs are frightening for facilities like ours,” says Jack. "Absolutely committed to the animals in our care, many of whom are endangered in the wild, no way would we compromise on their feed, health, veterinary care, or mental wellbeing. However, we had to recognise the very real risk that we might not pull through.”

Realising the severity of the situation, the Oasis swiftly put contingency plans into action. “A zoo can’t simply turn off the lights and close the doors,” Jack explains. “As a charity, we had to take the hard decision to temporarily furlough most of the staff, for safety as well as financial reasons.

“That left keepers Grace Jackson, Neil Cooke and me for the majority of lockdown and we were pleased to welcome Matt back at the start of June. Another pair of hands made all the difference.

“We have over 100 different species, nearly 2,000 invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fish, and birds in total. This meant nonstop rounds of feeding, cleaning, health checks, and running repairs, with a gulp of coffee every now and then if you were lucky!”

A real team effort, founders Jo and Dave Marsden, who opened the zoo in 1992 and remain very involved, and got stuck in keeping the vegetation under control.

As lockdown continued with no hint of reopening dates, heartfelt pleas from major zoos like Chester brought the issue to public awareness. Luckily the Oasis had been quick off the blocks.

“We’re lucky to have incredible volunteers and donors,” says Jack. “As soon as lockdown happened, we launched an appeal to raise £10,000. We only asked for the minimum, to help us meet basic running costs, as we knew lots of people were facing uncertain times themselves.

“However, our amazing supporters donated over £20,000. This, plus fruit and veg from generous local supermarkets, literally kept us alive. I cannot thank everyone enough. With the doors shut, it was vital to keep the animals physically and mentally fit. Visitors entertain the animals, especially primates, just as much as they do us,” explains Jack.

“However long our jobs’ list, we made time to be in view as much as possible, giving them lots of attention, even chatting out loud to them. We also changed the layout of their enclosures, and made them work through puzzles to get their food.”

One innovation was especially enthusiastically adopted. “We built our armadillos, Tank and Nessa, a ‘Gladiators’ style assault course,” laughs Jack. “They’re very curious and energetic, and loved it so much, it’s become a permanent feature. Zoos have always been very hygiene aware, which helped as we started planning for covid- safe reopening, including more handwashing stations, signage, and a pre-booking system.

“Returning visitors have been brilliant, and it’s great to hear them saying they feel really safe, relaxed and comfortable with the new arrangements, like multiple TV screens playing keeper talks to avoid people huddling up.

“Indeed Sally, our new ‘safety salamander’, is fast becoming a star with kids in her own right – I think the meerkats are quite jealous! It’s all about adapting. With a few walkthrough exhibits closed, people have enjoyed alternative interactions like takeaway refreshments in front of the ‘miniature monkeys’ exhibit. These cheeky primates have really missed outside company, and are definitely playing to their gallery right now.”

The building work involved in creating separate entrances and exits and wide, one way walkways, tempted Jack into going further. “It might sound mad, with all the uncertainty hanging over us. But with so many plans for the zoo, it actually made sense to be bold, especially with no visitors for us to disrupt.

“So we took a deep breath, and picked up the sledgehammer. Looking around now, I can hardly believe what we achieved. We refurbished our ‘evolutionary journey’ entrance walkway, which now leads to an aquarium corridor featuring three new marine exhibit tanks with ‘upside down’ jellyfish and star fish. New reptile enclosures in the tropical hall increase face-to-face interaction, and we’ve added to our new ‘Africa Drylands’ exhibit, which has lots of exotic birds and antelopes many people haven’t had the chance to see yet.”

“Lockdown notwithstanding, nature finds a way, so we’ve welcomed the patter of some tiny paws, too, but you’ll have to wait for details on that - it’s all a bit hush hush.”

Three decades rooted in the North West community, the zoo is passionate about more than just display. Jo and Dave created the Oasis with total commitment to education and wildlife conservation.

“With our snow leopards and fossas participating in international breeding programmes, it’s vital to spark discussion about humankind’s impact and responsibilities as part of our amazing world. Throughout lockdown, we formed a valuable link with Ripley School in Lancaster, hosting virtual Q&A sessions which students can develop into projects.

"And, knowing that the zoo will be an important social, educational, and exercise-led resource for many families as lockdown eases, we’ve also built an onsite classroom, equipped and ready to go when guidelines allow. I’m not sure the team have forgiven me yet! We might all have blisters, but it’s all in the best cause, possibly even critical for the future of our planet.”

Jack pauses to consider the journey everyone has been on, and the road ahead. “Working at the zoo has been my dream since I was 10 years old, pestering my parents to drop me off for work experience! That little boy never imagined he’d become manager, and I’m very aware of my responsibilities, especially this year like no other. But what better incentive could I have?”

“I’m so lucky coming to the most interesting, sociable, rewarding, challenging, and downright fun workplace, every day. It’s been incredible to see the zoo come back to life. Everything was on the line, for our amazing keepers too, so it’s wonderful to have the team safely reunited.

“And visitors, of course. The zoo has been so eerily quiet but welcoming the public back has brought the whole place to life, and the animals’ responses show how much they’re loving it, too. I don’t think anything could express our relief, thanks, and hopes for the future any better.”

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is open daily, advance booking required. See www.wildlifeoasis.co.uk‘ and ‘Lakeland Wildlife Oasis’ on Facebook for latest updates and animal news.