Wildlife Park Uses Wheelie Bins to Relocate Animals Following Storm Damage

Personnel at a wildlife park located in Devon employed wheelie bins for the relocation of certain animals subsequent to enclosure damage caused by fallen trees. Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park reported that three “massive trees,” estimated to be between 100 and 150 years old, toppled on Saturday during Storm Darragh. Two of these trees severed the park’s primary powerline, while the third impacted two enclosures and demolished fences. A senior keeper explained that despite the availability of crates, bins were utilized to transport wallabies individually because “they were priority” for removal from danger. Louisa Bartlett, the head keeper, specified that one of the affected enclosures contained black and white ruffed lemurs, and the other housed eight wallabies. She stated: “Thankfully, when we came down in the morning, although the trees were straight across the fence and it had been flattened, they were still in their enclosure and alive.” She added, “We had to catch them and move them to alternative accommodation elsewhere in the park.” She mentioned that the team demonstrated “little initiative” by opting to relocate the wallabies one by one using the bins. She elaborated: “We didn’t want them straying into the park. It would have been a lot harder to get a hold of them.” In addition to those animals, the team relocated its African penguins, Oscar the great white pelican, two emus, and all its reptiles while a generator was being activated. She noted that the team proceeded “systematically” with the animals throughout the storm and indicated that some of the park’s dinosaur figures also sustained damage. Ms. Bartlett reported that a minimum of 20 trees had fallen across the park during the storm, and an additional tree was scheduled for removal due to a “huge split down the middle.” She stated that she was unaware of the potential cost of repairs. Following a social media appeal for volunteers to assist with clearing the damage, she expressed being “astonished” by the turnout of 36 volunteers on Monday. She further mentioned that they were continuing to seek volunteers for repair efforts and damage rectification. Concurrently, the Mare and Foal Sanctuary, an equine welfare charity, reported assessing the financial impact of the storm, which resulted in debris, overturned wooden field shelters, fallen trees, power outages, and the cancellation of Christmas events. Iain Wylie, chief operating officer, stated: “Thankfully the only casualties were tree branches, barn panels, a fence and outdoor field shelters.” He added, “The maintenance team will be busy this week, clearing debris, assessing any damage and repairing structures.” He concluded, “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff for managing through such awful conditions.”