Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo have announced they will close early tomorrow due to rising temperatures, as the Met Office predicts the mercury could reach up to 38C in some parts of the country.
Early closures for animal welfare
Both zoos, operated by the conservation charity ZSL, will close two hours early on Thursday 13 August to support the wellbeing of animals, visitors and staff during the hottest part of the afternoon. The usual closing time is 6pm.
A statement on both zoos' social media channels reads: "Due to the forecast hot weather, the Zoo will close at 4pm (last entry 3pm) on Thursday 13 August. We're looking forward to welcoming visitors as usual during the day, but are temporarily closing earlier to help support the wellbeing of our animals, visitors and staff during the hottest part of the afternoon."
Extreme heat warning in force
The closures come as a rarely seen amber weather warning for "extreme heat" is set to come into force at 9am, lasting until midnight. The Met Office predicts temperatures could hit 33C today before potentially reaching highs of 38C on Thursday.
Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: "While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-30s Celsius on Thursday brings the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued. High pressure is now becoming dominant and temperatures will build day by day. Southerly and south-easterly winds will also tap into the hot conditions over Europe which helps develop this further notable heat in what has been a hot and dry summer so far for many in the south of the UK."
Impact on zoos and visitors
Whipsnade Zoo, located in Bedfordshire, is home to more than 10,000 animals and spans 600 acres, making it the biggest zoo in the UK. It welcomes almost a million visitors each year. London Zoo, in Regent's Park, covers 36 acres and houses 8,000 animals, attracting more than 1.2 million visitors annually.
Both Bedfordshire and London are covered by the Met Office's extreme heat warning and an amber heat health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). During the heatwave at the end of June, the two zoos also closed early as temperatures were in the high 30s.
