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Reopening information

Dartmoor Zoo will open its gates to the general public on Wednesday 8th July for the first time since its closure three months ago.

As a small way of saying thank you, Dartmoor Zoo will be offering NHS frontline workers plus one other, free entry on Sunday 5th July, the first of a number of thank you days that will be hosted at the zoo this year. Members of the zoo will then also be able to visit ahead of the official opening date on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th to thank them for the fantastic support shown throughout lockdown.

Working within the latest government guidelines, Dartmoor Zoo has implemented a series of safety measures to enable them to re-open and raise vital funds, whilst keeping visitors safe. Social distancing rules are applied throughout the zoo – visitors must maintain two metres distance apart at all times. A one-way system has been planned throughout the zoo to make this easier, additional handwashing facilities and sanitiser stations have been placed across the zoo and tickets must be purchased online prior to visiting.

Dartmoor Zoo’s popular keeper talks are now available virtually via a QR code outside each animal’s enclosure. Visitors will be able to use the restaurant as a takeaway service, with outside seating areas being arranged to meet social distance guidelines. The zoo will also allow a maximum of 200 people on site, and will stagger arrival times.

Coral Jonas, Deputy CEO at Dartmoor Zoo, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Dartmoor Zoo. We know that people have missed us, and we’ve certainly missed them! We’ve carefully considered how to make the zoo a safe place to visit and have made some changes around the park to allow for social distancing. We will continue to do everything we can to make visits with us as relaxing and as special as they have always been.

“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity from the public with our emergency fundraising scheme. As a zoo, we need a minimum of £11,500 a week for maintenance and to keep all our animals fed and healthy, so the sum of £53,249 and counting is amazing. As a charity we will continue to rely on this support, especially when our visitor numbers will be so limited on-site.”

During lockdown, Dartmoor Zoo has taken innovative steps to allow visitors to stay in touch and see their beloved animals, including a ‘#bringdartmoorzootoyou’ social media campaign, with keeper talks and footage from the enclosures. The zoo also set up an Amazon Wishlist, allowing people to buy items for the animals which they then shared footage of the animals enjoying on the zoo’s social media channels.

After facing uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dartmoor Zoo has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in critical funds and depends on income from fundraising events and admissions from visitors, all of which were ceased due to lockdown. Despite being allowed to open, the zoo is only able to welcome a quarter of the visitors they would usually see through their doors due to the restrictions in place. To provide the best possible care to the animals, Dartmoor Zoo must still fundraise £11,500 a week and continues to rely on the generosity of the public.

Tickets for the NHS frontline workers will be available online next week. Further information about this event will be released on Dartmoor Zoo’s social media pages and website.

If you are a member wishing to visit on Monday 6th or Tuesday 7th July, please call 01752 837645 to book your tickets and time of arrival.

To purchase general admission tickets for Wednesday 8th July onwards, please click HERE.

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61 thoughts on “Reopening information

  1. Good afternoon, fantastic news

    I’ve just purchased online a family membership

    We can’t make the membership days but we would like to visit next Thursday, 25th.
    We will need to book a slot for this day?

    Many
    Louise

    1. Hello Louise. Please call our zoo base team on 01752 837645 to book your tickets and time of arrival.

  2. Good afternoon Dartmoor Zoo,

    My partner and I are both NHS staff. We would like to visit with our 5 year old son on 5th July.

    When we book online, how do we ensure we get the allocated time together.

    Many thanks

    Donna Walsh

    1. We will be posting details on how to acquire nhs tickets and time slots later this week, thank you.

        1. Hi Kirk, tickets can be purchased via our website. Members tickets can be booked by phoning our zoobase team on: 01752 837645. Thank you.

  3. Have realised my mistake with the dates ‍♀️
    Sorry it will be Thursday the 8th we will visit!
    Will we need to book a time slot?

    Many thanks
    Louise

    1. Please can you tell me when we will be able to come and use are experience day with the tigers as the voucher has gone out of date now. We were due to use it in April but because of covid- 19 it was cancelled.

      Many Thanks

      1. Hi Lindsay, we are still unable to host experiences but once we are able we will be in touch to book you in. Vouchers that have expired during the lockdown will be extended. Thank you.

    1. Yes we will have toilet facilities with restrictions on how many people are using them at one time.

  4. Hi thank you for allowing nhs to come in on the 5th July it’s a shame I am working that day. Are t97 doing any other days for nhs? Thanks

      1. Hi Me and my partner have Zoo keeper for the day experience through Virgin experience days. We havent yet booked because we were not sure when you would be able to do this. Virgin already extended out ticket by 6 months but runs out the end of January next year. Do you have any idea when would be best to book this in?
        Many Thanks

        1. Hi Bryony, We are still unable to book experiences at the moment but will post an update once we have news. Thank you.

            1. Good afternoon, no dogs are allowed on site with the exception of Registered Assistance Dogs. Thank you.

    1. You can purchase normal admission tickets online, nhs tickets will be made available later this week.

  5. Hi my name is Lisa my friend and I work for the NHS we would love to visit your zoo on July the 5 with our 2 children .how do we go about booking our spaces
    Look forward to hearing back from you and look forward to visiting your zoo

  6. A friend and I both work for the NHS and would love to come along, possibly with a friend, on the Sunday. Please send me notification of when we can book tickets. Thank you so much.

    1. Hi Vix, NHS tickets can be booked via our online booking system. Spaces are filling up fast but we will be hosting similar days throughout the year. Thank you.

  7. Hello. Great news on the re opening.
    Is it just NHS or are you excepting blue light card holders?
    Cant wait to visit

    1. Hello. The 5th of July is limited to just NHS frontline workers, we will be holding other days throughout the year for other key workers. Thank you.

  8. I am hoping to come with my daughter to your NHS day also: will there be information available at the zoo regarding becoming a member and applying to volunteer?
    Thanks, Jackie

    1. Hi Jackie, membership details can be found on our website or feel free to give our zoobase team a call on: 01752 837645. There is also a volunteer application form on our website that you can fill in. Thank you.

  9. Hi

    I purchased a tiger experience that we had to cancel and reschedule, will I be able to re-book this after the 8th July or is the zoo just open for general admissions? Great what your doing to say thank you to the NHS! Thank you

    1. We are currently unable to host experiences but will be in touch as soon as we are able to book you in. Thank you.

    1. NhS tickets can be ordered via our online booking system. Spaces are being filled quickly but we will be holding similar days throughout the year.

  10. Hi, will the NHS day be for all emergency services or just NHS as all emergency services have been working during the lockdown

    1. Hi Dean,
      The NHS day is now fully booked but we will be holding similar days throughout the year. Thank you.

  11. Dear Dartmoor Zoo,

    I am having some difficulties with the online booking system. Is there any chance you could reserve a nhs + 1 for me on the 5th, any time slot. I am very happy to offer a generous donation on arrival

    I have also tried to call but placed on hold for a very long time!

    Thank you for all you are doing.

    1. Hi Jake,

      The NHS day is now fully booked but we will be holding similar days throughout the year. Thank you.

  12. Not so long ago, I have ordered some items in your store. I paid for the order immediately, but I did not receive any confirmation about the order yet. Today a week passed already. My goods have not been delivered. Must I make a refund request? I’ve ordered a gift for my wife, but received nothing! Who can solve my problem?

    e-mail
    alicia@bostdorf.net

    1. Good morning, please call us on: 01752 837645 and our zoo base team will look into this for you. Thank you.

    1. Hi Victoria, we have a disabled car parking area, disabled toilets and mobility scooters available for hire. Thank you.

  13. Hello

    If you already have a membership ticket, how do you book tickets without having to pay the full cost?

    Thanks

    Claire

  14. Hi,
    My wife and I have booked to visit on the 8th, we were wondering whether the cafe / coffee shop is going to be open.
    Looking forward to visiting
    Luke

    1. Hi Luke, our restaurant will be open for takeaway service only. We encourage visitors to bring a picnic blanket as seating will be unavailable. Thank you.

  15. My partner and I have got a ‘Walk on the wild side voucher’ to use at your zoo.It has been extended can we still do it as it is meeting some of your animals close up.We understand we will have to book with the zoo for dates,if so we are looking at mid August fingers crossed.

    1. Hi Mandy, We are still unable to book experiences at this time but we will be in touch once we can host your experience. Thank you.

  16. Hi,
    Looking to book for 5 of us in August including one disabled with carer I can’t see the option for carer in the tickets?

    1. Hi Carrie, to book the carer a slot please call our Zoobase team on: 01752 837645. Thank you.

  17. Hi.
    My wife is in possession of a Disability Parking permit are there any facilities available for her to enable negating the ‘Steep’ incline to access the zoo.

    1. Good morning. Yes, we have a disabled car park at the top of the hill just next to the meerkat enclosure and the restaurant. If you would like to hire an electric scooter these are also available, but do pre book.

      Entry to the zoo does now need to be booked in advance so unless you are members please buy tickets and book your entry time on our web site.

      Thank you.

  18. We’ve booked our slot to come and visit on Wednesday. Is there a limited time to be in the zoo once inside? Are masks needed to be worn around the zoo or just inside restaurant and takeaway ordering spaces

    1. Hi Hannah, Once you have entered the park there is no time limit. We ask that masks be worn in the indoor areas. Thank you.

  19. Are you running the animal experiences again yet? I have booked the big cats experience and would love to know if you are taking bookings for this again yet?

    1. We are starting to take bookings for a couple of the experiences but sadly not the Big Cat Keeper as yet. We are working on how to make the day safe for you, our staff and animals. We will post on social media once it is up and running.

  20. is it possible to go out and get our picnic from the car and come back in to the zoo around lunch time,
    instead of walking around with it?

    1. Yes that is fine but please make sure you make yourselves known at Main Gate so they are aware you’re heading back on site. Thanks

  21. Hello, we have an arrival time booked for 13:30 however we will need to have our picnic to feed out 11 month old. Is there somewhere to have our picnic just before we enter at 13:30? Many Thanks

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