'Devastating' break-in at vacant zoo site

Damage caused to a vacant animal park during a break-in could cost more than £100,000 to repair, according to its owner.

Burglars stole TVs, cabling and other equipment from Sandwich Wildlife Park in Kent on 26 March, its sister park Wingham Wildlife Park said.

The Sandwich site, which no longer houses animals, closed to the public in 2021 citing the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.

Wingham managing director Tony Binskin said the burglars had "devastated the place" by ripping out piping and cutting through cables, and the incident was "a real big pain for us".

"It's devastating because we've got to renew all of these cables, it's going to drive us mad," he said.

"They've gone and got a few hundred pound or a few thousand pound for the stuff but it's caused us thousands and thousands of pounds of damage."

He added that tools including lawn mowers and chainsaws, used to maintain the site, had also been taken.

Binskin estimated repairs would cost in excess of £100,000.

His colleague Markus Wilder, the animal curator at Wingham, said this equated to a medium-sized animal enclosure for the redevelopment of the other park or "three years' worth of conservation that we do in Vietnam".

He said the park's animals "get cared for no matter what" but redevelopment work at Wingham and education schemes could be impacted.

According to Binskin, the company had planned to sell the Sandwich site and reinvest the funds in Wingham Wildlife Park.

The park had housed animals including tigers, crocodiles and binturong prior to its 2021 closure.

Kent Police said it was investigating the break-in and anyone with information should contact officers.

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