An English High Court Judge has said that he would be worried about winding up a zoo without knowing how the animals would be moved.

Borth Wild Animal Kingdom in Ceredigion is in Court over a £75,000 tax bill. The zoo has been plagued with issues in recent year, with problems beginning in late 2017 with the death of two of their Eurasian lynx - one shot dead by a marksman and the other death contributed to what owners have called a “handling error”. In January 2020, the zoo was served with notice to shut down its dangerous animal enclosures because of inadequate firearms arrangements.

Adjourning the hearing, Judge Clive Jones stated that despite the possibility of the debt being owed now, it would be “helpful” to consider an appropriate way to deal with the animals they hold should the zoo be forced to close. The Judge further opined that “it is different from a care home, but it’s the same principle, things are alive”, and said that he would be worried about making a winding-up order without first having ascertained just how the animals would be relocated.

The hearing is set to resume on 22 April 2020.