Noah's Ark farm zoo attracts praise and protests

ANIMAL rights activists say they intend to picket Noah’s Ark at Wraxall every weekend until it closes.

This is despite an inspection of the zoo farm by North Somerset Council giving it a clean bill of health.

Last weekend more than 10 animal rights protesters waving placards stood at the entrance gates of the zoo farm handing out leaflets calling for a boycott of the farm.

Noah’s Ark houses several important species classified as ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

But it is the big cats and some of the more exotic breeds which are causing conflict between the zoo farm and the animal rights groups.

While one says it is cruel to keep animals in captivity the other says it is helping to save animals on the IUCN Red List like tamarins, rhinos, tapirs and gibbons.

Last year an undercover operation by the Captive Animals Protection Society discovered a dead tiger carcass buried on the farmland and complained sickly animals were being put on display.

Its findings were made into a television documentary for BBC Inside Out West and broadcast last October.

But the inspector called 16 allegations against the zoo farm 'grossly unfair' and exonerated its working practises. 

Bristol Animal Rights Collection spokesman Jo Penny said: “Animals don’t belong in captivity and in our view the owners of Noah’s Ark are unable to look after animals.”

Zoo owner Anthony Bush invited the animal rights demonstrators to come and look around for themselves.

Jo said: “Every time he asks us we are always there on a demonstration…it is not appropriate.

“Animals don’t belong in captivity and we don’t agree with its breeding programme and connections with the Great British Circus.

“At the end of an afternoon the animals don’t get to go home, this is their life.”

Given the stalemate I went with my family last weekend to see for myself.

It was the best day of the year so far so with the sun shinning and I even though I lived down the road it was the first time I have visited.

We wandered around the meandering Moat House Farm and its many acres.

All seemed peaceful, clean and well organised and I took the photos which are posted in the Nailsea People gallery.

After the tour Anthony asked the two grandchildren I had in tow what they liked best.

The guinea pigs, chicks and lambs, they enthused.

He said: “Do you mean I go to all this expense to bring in exotic species and you like the domestic animals best?”

My biggest complaint was the entrance cost.

Earlier in the week we went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park at Burford.

This cost £11.50 for adults and £8 for children.

Noah’s Ark is £11 for adults and £9 for children – although on this occasion I did have a complimentary ticket for myself from Christina Bush who is a fellow member of Nailsea and District Chamber of Trade & Commerce.

In my opinion the couple – who are committed creationists – are kind, well-meaning and sincere.

The issue is should animals be kept in cages for captive breeding purposes? What do you think?

Anthony told the children they were hoping for baby rhinos but the pair they had spent more time fighting than canoodling.

However, all this pushing and shoving is for a purpose, he explained.

The female will only breed with a male when he is heavier and at the moment the lady was winning.

On Tuesday, April 27,  the zoo farm is to hold a special day to mark Troy the Brazilian Tapir's first birthday on World Tapir Day which will be go global via a webcam.

Tapir keeper Emma Godsell said the threat to the survival of tapirs is indicative of the ecosystems in which they live – and of the many other species that share their forest homes.

She said: “Habitat destruction is the largest threat that they face, but poaching has now become an ever-increasing problem.

“The three Brazilian tapirs we have at Noah’s Ark are hugely popular with both our visitors and webcam viewers throughout the world.

“They have witnessed Troy’s birth and followed his progress since last year and feel a big part of the tapir’s lives.

“We wanted to allow all tapir fans to be included in Troy’s first birthday celebrations”.

The award-winning Noah’s Ark was begun in the late 1990s and attracts more than 130,000 visitors annually.

It is one of the most popular attractions for residents and tourists in North Somerset..

It also has the longest hedge maze in the world and huge indoor and outdoor adventure playgrounds.