A wildlife park has opened a new £2.5 million enclosure – as it prepares to double in size within the next five years.
Wingham Wildlife Park, on the A257 between Canterbury and Sandwich, unveiled the first phase of its multi-million-pound expansion this morning.
Inside the new Kingdom of the Big Cats at Wingham Wildlife Park
More than 100 visitors gathered to watch the ribbon-cutting, along with staff and mascots.
The area includes the Kingdom of the Big Cats, which will house Asiatic lions and two tigers the park took on from the now-closed Sandwich Wildlife Park.
Also included is a new tarantula and fish exhibit, as well as squirrel monkeys and agoutis – a rodent species native to the Americas.
Park owner Tony Binskin, who took over the attraction 18-and-a-half years ago with wife Jackie, told KentOnline it was a great feeling to see their hard work paying off.
“When you own a zoo, you’re working an endless amount of hours,” he said.
Tony Binskin took over Wingham Wildlife Park 18 years ago
“We started with six people; now we’re 120 staff.
“The park’s grown incredibly. The people have grown with us, from 21,000 to 450,000 [annual visitors] now, in 18 years, so it’s been a lot of hard work getting everything ready.
“Adding this bit is just the best thing ever. To see so many people come here to see what we’re doing is really exciting
Park curator Markus Wilder said construction has been underway for about two years.
“Our plans are to be able to have breeding tigers and breeding lions and things like that; it’s been something that we’ve wanted for many, many years,” he said.
Markus Wilder is the curator at Wingham Wildlife Park
Today’s opening signals the completion of the first part of Wingham’s hugely ambitious expansion plans.
Having opened 40 years ago as Wingham Bird Park before later rebranding, Tony hopes to see it double in size within the next five years.
“I think it will take us probably another three to four years to be finished,” he said.
“We’re doing it all a bit more fancy than we normally would.”
The project is expected to cost about £5 million, and phase two is being kept a closely-guarded secret.
Wingham Wildlife Park is now home to Kent’s only Asiatic lionsA tiger in her new enclosure at Wingham Wildlife Park
However, pygmy hippo Haggis – who is hugely popular on social media – is expected to play a huge part in future exhibits.
Her rivalry with Moo Deng – a TikTok-famous Thai pygmy born at about the same time – went viral and was even mentioned on Saturday Night Live in the USA.
Phase two of Wingham’s expansion plans is underway
So famous is Haggis, she had her own range of merchandise at Edinburgh Zoo before she moved to Kent last year.
Since then, she has become a firm favourite at Wingham.