Crealy Great Adventure Park in Devon, England, has been granted a zoo licence, allowing it to keep a variety of exotic animals on site.
The licence was awarded by Devon County Council to the park’s holding group Maximum Fun and is seen as a giant leap forward for the south west of England’s leading family destination. The park already keeps ponies, cows and other creatures as part of a farm attraction.
“To receive our [zoo] licence we have had to meet stringent criteria and ensure we have the resources to meet conservation standards at the zoo, as well as suitable habitat and the means to protect and care for the animals,” notes , Rod Pearson, managing director of Maximum Fun Holdings Ltd.
The first of the park’s planned zoo animals is a breeding pair of Meerkats who have recently gone on display to park guests in their purpose-built enclosure, Meerkat Manor. The second phase of the zoo development will see the arrival of a family of Marmoset monkeys, coming to the park in the next few weeks.
Both Crealy in Devon and its sister park in Cornwall have seen extensive refurbishments during the winter period as well as new investment in their food and beverage offer. The Devon park has also lodged a planning application for a 138 plot caravan and camping site.
