Zoo thanks Fifers for their support after blaze

A fire broke out at the zoo, near Ladybank, on Sunday, and it took four fire crews to tackle a blaze which ripped through the building which houses the soft play equipment.

Fortunately, the building was closed at the time because of Covid-19 restrictions, and no people or animals, which were evacuated at the time, were harmed.

It is believed it was an electrical fire, which started in the workshop and spread through the building, destroying it.

While that was the only facility ruined by the fire, the building next to it was singed, and another sustained water damage.

Mike Knight, co-owner, said it was “unfortunate” that the fire had occurred just days after the zoo had been able to reopen.

“There are positives,” he said. “No one was hurt. It’s just property so we can replace that.”

Another positive has been the outpouring of support from the local community in the wake of the fire.

A fundraising page set up following the fire raised more than £4000 in just 24 hours.

“The support has been great,” said Mike.

“Our immediate issue was having no power or water. We had to work out how to get the power back. We got it back to the animal enclosures.

“People have also been donating bottled water, while companies have brought in generators.

“We’ve had lots of messages from tradespeople.

“The fundraising page was set up by one of our visitors. We’re going to be setting up our own page as well. The support has been massively helpful. If that can help tick us over for now, that will be great.”

The zoo had also thanked it supporters on its Facebook page, with a comment stating: “We have lost a lot, but we are overwhelmed by the genuine support and care from the local community and from a far.”

The zoo had only just been able to open after the lockdown, with various changes made to make sure that visitors are safe. The measures include only opening up the outside section of the zoo, and opening up the restaurant again, but only as a one-way take-away.

The zoo is due to reopen next week.

For more information about the zoo, visit – www.facebook.com/FifeZoo. To make a donation to the fundraising page, visit – www.gofundme.com/f/fife-zoo.