THE curator of a North-East zoo has warned that the much-loved attraction is just weeks from closure, following the Covid-19 shutdown.

Maxine Bradley of the family-run Northumberland Country Zoo at Felton, near Morpeth, has, so far, retained her full-time keeper workforce so they can continue to care for the zoo’s 400 animals.

But without vital visitor revenue or government support the not-for-profit attraction is faced with an "unthinkable decision".

In the wake of the shutdown, Maxine is calling on the government to change its position regarding the 80 per cent wage support package.

She says the current lack of support for staff who are still needing to come to work means she is forced to lay off all non-keeper staff, retaining only a small team of keepers to care full-time for the animals.

Without financial support, however, funds for the keeping staff will soon run dry and the zoo is also calling on the wider community to pledge their support and help safeguard its survival. There are a number of ways that people can help, including: direct donations through their goFundme page, purchasing online admission tickets which are valid for two years, adopting an animal, buying an annual membership.

Latterly, the zoo has also launched its #BringtheZootoYou YouTube channel, helping people in lockdown to keep in touch with weekly goings on.

Maxine said: “We know and understand that the shutdown is affecting a large number of businesses, yet unlike many, we are unable to work from home as we are doing everything to ensure the welfare of our animals on site.

"We had been gearing up for a huge Easter 2020 to help kickstart the year; we were also planning to unveil our fantastic new restaurant facility and launch a new vital captive breeding conservation project for a native species. We are so unsure of what the future holds for Northumberland Zoo and never thought we would be in the position to have to ask the public for additional support, but now more than ever, we – our collective family of staff and our beautiful animals – need their help.”

To donate visit www.northumberlandzoo.co.uk.