A new animal attraction in Fife will soon roar into life after it was given the green light by Fife Council.
Planning permission for Fife Zoo has been granted and is it hoped the venue will open in early summer.
Already, owners of the former Fife Animal Park have renovated and launched its caf and are revamping its playpark and forming a soft play area.
But the stamp of approval allows contractors to begin remodelling the wider park and enclosures which will become home to animals, including monkeys, zebras and meerkats.
Co-director Briony Taylor said it was a great relief to get the go-ahead, adding: “It’s a big box ticked for us.
“It’s not the only hurdle we needed to get over but it was a big one and it opens a lot of doors for us.
“We did have delays with planning so we are not going to open the zoo for Easter, as we hoped.
“We are going to launch the soft play area at Easter and are pushing to open the zoo in early summer.”
She bought the venue, near Collessie, last year with partner Michael Knight and his parents, Reginald and Ann, from Essex.
Briony and Michael, who have degrees in international wildlife biology, have studied animals in South Africa and Indonesia and worked at various zoos and animal parks around the country.
They are working with zoo consultant Matt Hartley, who is to bring animals and birds from other zoos across the UK and Europe.
Briony said: “A lot of people have said we are being very secretive about what animals we will have, but what is available on surplus lists now may not be available in three or four months’ time.
“We have an idea of what we are going to get but it’s not set in stone and won’t be until we are ready to open.”
Visitors are already able to see new life that has been breathed into the former animal park, which closed three years ago, by dropping into the zoo’s Africaf which opened last month.
Briony said: “The caf has already changed and we are working on the front play areas.
“The zoo itself will start to look very different and the idea of opening the caf earlier was so people can see the standard we are aiming for and enjoy it developing as we are.”
The caf will take part in the Big Fairtrade Breakfast on March 5 and 6, when cash from coffee sales will go to the Fairtrade Foundation.