Visitors have hit out at the “rundown” state of Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee with reports of rats running around and weeds growing several feet high.
Many people have reported seeing dilapidated, damaged and empty enclosures after visits to the zoo in recent weeks.
Some have even suggested the publicly-run zoo should be shut down and the animals rehomed.
Two visitors have contacted The Courier separately to complain about the state of the park in the last month and many others have made similar complaints on reviews website Tripadvisor and Facebook.
When The Courier visited the park this week, we found similar conditions – though there is no suggestion the animals themselves are not being properly looked after.
Leisure and Culture Dundee, which runs the park, has blamed the overgrown enclosures on the weather and insists it is trying to tidy up the mess.
Visitor ‘sees rats and overgrown weeds’ at Camperdown Wildlife Centre
Stuart Milton, from Glenrothes, contacted us after a recent visit to the park.
He said: “I was appalled to see the state of Camperdown Wildlife Centre and how it has been allowed to go into decline.
“Conditions for animals are not fit for purpose – the animal enclosures are overgrown with weeds and nettles.
“I saw a number of rats that were not part of the exhibit and just general squalor.
“The park needs to be closed down and the animals rehomed.”
Another visitor wrote to us after attending the park at the start of July.
They said: “While visiting the wildlife park with family, ourselves and others commented about how overgrown the enclosures are.
“Some weeds and grass are about three feet tall.
“It is a terrible letdown how bad the place has become.
“The monkey enclosure weeds and nettles are about four and five feet high and the pool in the bears’ enclosure is black and filthy.”
Writing a review on the Camperdown Wildlife Centre Facebook page on July 26, Donna Milne said she had paid £25.50 to see “overgrown weeds” and the zoo in an “awful condition”, along with an old greenhouse-type building with broken windows.
She added: “Don’t waste your money.”
Another reviewer, Donna Lesie, wrote on July 10: “It is really rundown and around the enclosures are overgrown… there was a rat running in the grass in front of the gibbon enclosure and it wasn’t small.
“It was not expensive to get in but we had been there five years before and it was so much better.”
Another review from June 9 by Karen Crighton branded it an “absolute disgrace”.
One other Facebook review as far back as December also described enclosures as being “dirty and not looked after”.
Overall, 82%of the 961 people who have reviewed the park on Facebook say they would recommend it, though the majority of reviews from the last few years are negative.
Camperdown Wildlife Centre reviews criticise ‘rundown’ zoo
Recent reviews of Camperdown Wildlife Centre on Tripadvisor also paint a bleak picture.
One review from July said: “Pains me to write this review as this used to be a lovely visit.
“Fifteen years later it’s still open, but is in dire need of upgrading, for visitors as well as the animals.
“The place looks so uncared for. Broken fences, areas where barriers are for safety reasons, it’s actually sad.”
Another July review said: “First time visiting for a number of years, found it a very depressing experience.
“Park has really been left to rot and deteriorate.
“Animals being kept in poor conditions… monkeys are in an enclosure full of nettles.
“Really needs some urgent investment or to close.”
Other reviewers from June, May and March also hit out at the state of the park.
However, one July reviewer gave it four out of five stars, writing: “This is a lovely little zoo with lots of lovely animals, we got to see some animals we’d never seen before which was great and unlike other zoos, the animals were out and about so we were actually able to see them.
“Some animals’ enclosures were a bit small and the zoo itself seemed a bit dated but it didn’t take away from the wildlife.
“The price is very good and you certainly get your money’s worth.”
Other reviews in June described it as “amazing” with “loads of birds and animals” and one praised the zookeeper experience.
Leisure and Culture Dundee addresses complaints about Camperdown zoo
A spokesperson for Leisure and Culture Dundee, the council arm’s-length body that runs the zoo, said: “Animal welfare is the highest priority at Camperdown Wildlife Centre.
“Our keepers are dedicated animal professionals who, supported by specialist vets, take great care looking after all of our residents.
“Vegetation has been growing at an enhanced rate due to recent weather conditions and we are exploring additional measures to tackle this.”
The Courier has taken a look at how the Camperdown zoo – which hit the headlines last year following the deaths of five wolves – is run.
The concerns about the wildlife centre come just weeks after the leader of the city council admitted “more must be done” over the state of the wider Camperdown Park.
Meanwhile, we have also delved into six controversies that have rocked Leisure and Culture Dundee over the last few years.
Courier reporter: What I found during visit to Camperdown Wildlife Centre
Reporter Lindsey Hamilton visited Camperdown Wildlife Centre this week.
She said: “My visit to the zoo confirmed the majority of the animal enclosures are overgrown with weeds, including nettles and thistles, growing several feet high, obscuring visitors’ views of some animals inside.
“In many, the animals get completely lost in dense, overgrown vegetation.
“Some structures in the enclosures for the animals to play on are broken and scarce, with what was once a swing for the bears in their enclosure apparently no longer fit for use.
“Fences and gates are generally unkempt and scruffy with many covered in green mould and moss.
“Windows looking into small animal and bird huts are dirty, making it hard to see inside.
“There was rubbish lying around and a general air of neglect, with the park looking like it needed money spent on it and given a complete freshen up.
“What was the wolves’ enclosure also appears to remain empty.
“However, I must stress that I saw no sign of any animal being uncared for or in poor condition, and I have no doubt the staff at the zoo work hard to look after them.”
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