Blackpool Zoo submits plans for £2.5m elephant enclosure

Plans have been submitted for a multi-million pound upgrade at Blackpool Zoo that represents the biggest single investment in the attraction’s 44-year history.

If approved, the £2.5m project will see a new facility constructed on unused land to house Blackpool Zoo’s Asian elephant, Kate.

Bosses have also revealed plans to boost the zoo’s current tourist offer while taking further steps to preserve the future of the endangered species.

The zoo’s managing director, Darren Webster, said the long-term aim is to house a breeding herd of Asian elephants, with the latest investment representing the the first step towards that goal.

Darren continued: “Blackpool Zoo is committed to continuous improvement to ensure people keep returning again and again.

“In recent years we have invested millions of pounds in improving facilities for our residents and visitors, with the largest so far being a £1m project to build Orangutan Outlook.”

He added: “This new investment is more than double this and it represents a very exciting time for Blackpool Zoo.”

Kate, who was the first animal to arrive ahead of the attraction’s opening in 1972, will be kept in the zoo’s current elephant enclosure while the work takes place.