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Jobs under threat as Banham Zoo sets out survival plan




The axe is set to fall on a number of jobs at Banham Zoo after the Norfolk attraction revealed its application for a government support grant had been declined.

The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA), which runs Banham as well as Africa Alive in Suffolk, announced on Tuesday that both attractions had been turned down for the funding – and that dozens of positions could go across the two sites as a result.

Gerard Smith, chairman of the trustees, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has, without doubt, touched us all both personally and professionally and, while it has been a massive blow to the charity, it has been heartening to see how our community has come together to fight for our survival.

One of Banham Zoo's Red Pandas.
One of Banham Zoo's Red Pandas.

“None of us could have foreseen the devastating effects of this public health crisis.

“Banham Zoo and Africa Alive have both been closed to the public since the end of March and this has caused a very serious loss in financial revenue of around £1.5 million.

“The loss in income is compounded by the fact that the charity’s recent application for a government zoo support grant has been declined for both Banham Zoo and Africa Alive.”

Skeleton teams at both zoos are currently preparing for them to reopen in July, but, with restrictions on visitor numbers due to social distancing measures, the charity has pressed ahead with plans to restructure the organisation through a series of cost-cutting measures.

The charity has started a 30-day consultation period with staff at both sites to explain the steps which the trustees and leadership team propose taking in order to survive and make them sustainable in the future.

One piece of restructuring that has taken place already is the appointment of joint managing directors Claudia Roberts and Gary Batters.

This follows the departure of chief executive Professor David Field, who this week started a new role at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Mr Batters said on the announcement of the consultation: “We are fighting for our survival and this is an incredibly difficult time for all our colleagues.

“If we take the proposed difficult, but necessary, steps, then we are in with a chance of getting the charity back on track post-Covid-19.

“If we can achieve this, then our vision is that we can continue to be an East Anglian leader in conservation and zoo best practice.”

Ms Roberts said the move to consultation was especially hard due to the fact that the staff at the zoos were “like a family”.

She said that the proposed plans were to meet the charity’s long-term goals, with the majority of the changes affecting roles across the commercial side of the organisation.

The ZSEA is still continuing with its fundraising campaign, with many people, including keeper Stacey Foreman, stepping up to help to raise money for the zoos.

Ms Roberts said: “These are unprecedented circumstances and we have had incredible support from our local communities who have been fundraising in response to our Be Amazing appeal.

“Our mission of connecting them to nature for conservation has been at the heart of our decision making and the role of our local communities, volunteers and fundraisers, alongside our team, has never been more important.”



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