Educational videos to come from Telford's Exotic Zoo as bosses still aim for summer opening of new premises
Animal facts, science lessons and more will be offered in a new series of videos coming from Telford's Exotic Zoo.
The former tourist attraction has built its own makeshift TV set in the hopes of entertaining and educating children from around the county and beyond during the coming weeks.
The videos, which will be available on Facebook and YouTube, are in replacement of cancelled education sessions that usually take place at the zoo.
Owner Scott Adams said coronavirus was another blow for the company, which closed off its public zoo earlier this year.
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But he said his staff were still working hard to open the replacement zoo at Telford Town Park during the summer holidays.
"The videos will contain everything we'd normally go out and teach," Mr Adams said. "There's going to be science, animals and experiments.
"I think videos will be every couple of days to begin with. We'll be looking for ideas for videos."
To help keep money coming in to cover things like animal feed and staff wages, the same team will also be offering paid live lessons for those that want them, as well as other personalised services.
New experience vouchers will come with no expiry date, so those wishing to support the zoo will be able to buy them now and use them at any time in the future.
The services and experience vouches are a way of generating income at a difficult time for the Exotic Zoo.
At the end of January, Mr Adams announced that the public part of its current premises in Priorslee would be shutting.
Plans are in place to open a new public zoo at Telford Town Park later this year, and Mr Adams said his team were doing everything possible to maintain their summer opening date.
"It's super worrying," he said. "It was already a difficult time with closing a zoo and building a new one. Now with coronavirus, it's another financial blow. We're having to work really hard to move forward.
"But if we step back and don't get the new zoo open for the summer holidays or just after, that's another blow again.
"We plan to open in the summer. There's only so many of these blows you can take.
"Things are changing quickly. Everybody is in the same situation. Whenever all this finishes, if we don't end up on the front foot, it's going to be a massive blow."
Videos will start to appear on the Exotic Zoo Facebook and YouTube channels in the coming days.
