Rhinos and giraffes on the edge of Yorkshire Dales

A wild animal reserve featuring rhinos and giraffes could open on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

The operators of the now-closed South Lakes Safari Zoo have submitted plans for a visitor attraction off the M6 at Tebay.
Into The Wilds: Cumbria would feature non-native species, such as white rhino, giraffe, honey badgers, zebras, red panda, sloth, and lynx, as well as sheep, goats, donkeys and reindeer.

However, the applicants have stressed the reserve would not be a zoo.
Instead, documents submitted with the application to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority say the “experience would be intimate, unique, and restricted in numbers, open only to those who have prebooked”.

The attraction would be run in conjunction with the existing short-term holiday let business at the 17-hectare site.

The supporting documents say: “The applicant intends to cease operations at the safari zoo in Dalton and develop a more integrated and smaller scale visitor attraction at Brockholes Farm to align with their priorities, values and vision.  Built development has been kept to a minimum, with a landscape led approach to design.  The space on offer at the site means the animals will have greater access to enjoy their surroundings which is part of the applicant’s focus on animal welfare.”

Guests would be able to meet the animals, take tours and become a keeper for the day, while being accompanied by a trained member of staff.
The proposal also seeks to expand the accommodation available on the site with the addition of three shepherd huts and two safari lodges.
One of the existing holiday cottages at the farm would be converted into a café for visitor use.
The proposal also includes the erection of basic field shelters and animal housing, together with a new building for use as an office, welcome centre and ranger station.

Permission has already been granted for the rhinos to be housed on the land following an application approved in 2023 by the park authority.
The application has been submitted by New Roots Holding Company Limited, which is run by several people involved in Cumbria Zoo Company Limited (CZCL), which ran the South Lakes Safari Zoo, including chief executive Karen Brewer.

The zoo near Dalton shut on Tuesday. It had been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with the owners of the land, Zoo Investment Company, for several years.  In October, a BBC investigation highlighted allegations from former staff of avoidable animal deaths, welfare issues and a bullying culture, all of which CZCL denied.

The new reserve would create 12 jobs, the applicants say.