My post from earlier in this thread: Every so often I check the Facebook page for Kamo, to see if they have miraculously re-opened. The zoo was closed to the public in July 2014 (when it was still called Zion). It was supposed to re-open after a few months, after work to fix issues relating to enclosures, husbandry, etc. Then it was supposed to re-open in summer 2016/17. Then summer 2017/18. Now it is supposed to be opening in summer 2018/19. They have also had another change in management. A post on their Facebook page this month: "We are new management since November. I'm trying to be realistic and can't comment on past projections. Next summer is our goal and it's a lot of work to achieve" I'm kind of at a loss as to exactly what is taking so long to fix. Even if they were rebuilding every single enclosure from scratch, there aren't exactly a lot of them there.
Hmmm.... change of management doesnt necessarily mean new ownership. Do you know if its officially changed hands in any of this time? Because there might lie the answer: New managers but facing the same problems. The greatest of which is likely the owner.
The website mentions Dale and Janette Valance as new owner-operators. However a recent article names Bolton Equities as owners.
As far as I can tell it is still owned by Bolton Equities, and managed by the Vallances (despite what they say on the park's website as being the owners).
According to their Facebook page, opening is just around the corner. While we’ve all heard this before; they do seem serious this time. There’s photos from February 23 of the new exhibits and dens (which are almost complete); and they now have at least 13 keepers employed. Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary’s felid population has now dwindled to 20 cats - 15 lions, three tigers, a cheetah and a leopard; all of which are over the age of 13 years.
Rewa, one of Kamo’s white tigers has been euthanised. If the website is anything to go by this leaves the place with two tigers (one white and one normal): Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary
The orange ‘Bengal’ tigress is Indira (2004); the white ‘Bengal’ tigress is Shanti (2005). It seems inevitable that the park will soon be without tigers. Rewa (2001-2021) was the park’s main breeding tigress - producing two litters in 2005; one in 2006; and in 2007 - totalling nine cubs.
Update on Reopening (24/10/21) There was a documentary tonight regarding the difficulties around reopening Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary. They spoke with Director, Janette Valance who was very damning of Craig Busch - criticising his declawing of the cats (which has left some on permanent pain medication). Also mentioned was his killing of unwanted cubs and the lack of data/records on the cats. The cats range in age from 16-21 and one of the elderly male lions only has one eye, with impaired vision in the other eye. They also spoke to the owner, Murray Bolton, who claims to have spent in excess of $10 million on the park, including upgrades to enclosures and staff wages. He was critical of MPI, saying they keep changing the goal posts with regards to what they require. He stated if not allowed to open, they’ll have no choice but to euthanise. The Deputy Director of MPI was interviewed and suggested Murray’s actions to date indicate he will not euthanise the cats. He said the wildlife park need to satisfy them all staff are trained and competent and the systems they have in place are safe for staff and visitors. He said the declawing was approved by a vet and lawful. The segment closed by saying if allowed to open, Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary plan to import new cats. Edit: Doco is now online for anyone who’s interested: Cat Fight - The Global Herald
Kamo wildlife sanctuary has reopened apparently: Northland big cat sanctuary reopens after eight years closed
It’s been an immense task bringing this park up to code and the operators should be proud of what they’ve accomplished. Most of the points would have been common sense to anyone in the industry - dens for containment of cats; fences the right height etc. Apparently the Lion Man neither knew or cared for these guidelines - his higher priority being to save those rare and endangered white tigers and chasing lions with wheelbarrows for fright factor. Long term I don’t know how stable their business model will be. Their premise is based on providing a home for elderly cats (who will have no end of health problems); they charge over $10 more in admission than the country’s four main zoos; they haven’t got the hype of a TV series bringing in customers; and they lack the advantage of being based in (or near) one of the country’s main cities.
With Discovery taking over three and their push for local content with global appeal we might see a new show yet! I presume there is a fairly major philanthropic motivation from the backers, because if they have sunk $10m into the park they probably need 250 guests above break even per week to make any sensible return. No idea what it would cost to run a park like that, $20k/week? Probably burn through $5-10k just in salaries.
Kamo has gone into liquidation: Northland's big cat park Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary goes into liquidation Sad to see this happen after a long battle to reopen. Sadly their location was always going to limit visitation. No news yet on what will happen to the big cats - most of which are elderly.
That is sad, it has been a tough year for tourism especially up north and east. A better summer season and they might have gotten through.
