Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Noah's Ark Zoo Farm

Sorry if this offends anyone or derails the topic at hand but I had to comment on this.

I looked up this "Noah's Ark" Zoo out of curiosity and was suprised to see that the owners of this institution are deeply religious (not a problem in itself of course ) and actually promote a "creationist view" of the natural world by having information panels around enclosures that push this ideology.

I honestly can't believe that this place actually attracts visitors in the first place let alone it priding itself as peforming a valuable "educational" role for the zoo going general public.

Just saying...

 

Apparently, the religious 'aspect' has been moderated somewhat recently and the park is now open to the public on Sundays - but as educational provision is such a major part of the the UK Zoo Licencing law, it was always intriguing how this circle was squared... Noah's Ark attracts around a quarter of a million visitors annually (similar to Wild-Place) and appears to be well-liked by them.

 

If you visit the zoo you will find a zoo just like most others. Most of the enclosures have a 'prayer of dedication' or something along those lines but all of the creationist displays are all kept in an exhibition room which is labelled. This is presumably how it fits in with licensing as it is room that is entered only on one's own accord.

 

Licencing requires not just (avoidable) casual information for the public, but a formal, approved education programme, class-room(s)/education-unit and education staff - this must be acceptable to Government inspectors, but could certainly be missed by general visitors.

 

They have their own educational programme but what I meant was that the creationist belief is very much a seperate entity and kept in a closed and labelled room. I think this shift in recent years has seen the very high majority of the religious aspect exhibited in such a way it is made to be a choice to see or not rather than displayed all around the site like some parts used to be.

 

Thanks. I had not considered the possibility that the owners beliefs and the information on-site could/would be different to the content of the education programme, but maybe there is no reason why not... unless 'creationism' is now included in the UK 'National Curriculum' ?

 

Noah's ark is a very nice zoo, with some fantastic keepers... And deserving of its visitors. Many guests will visit without even realising the creationist aspect is present.

 

That maybe so but it isn't a place I would ever visit if I ever found myself in the South-West of the UK.

I think I'd much rather visit Bristol Zoo any day over an institution with those kind of ideological connections.

 

It certainly seems incomprehensible to me how anyone involved with animals for any extended period and seeing how quickly they evolve both in the hands of man and in 'nature', can ever believe in creationism.
We just have to accept I guess, that some peoples minds are closed to views alternative to their own - be they creationists or 'liberationists'...

 

Good that this has been moderated I suppose, but this place still reminds me of somewhere in the US bible belt.

I see that they keep several species that are listed as endangered by the IUCN but do they contribute anything meaningful to ex-situ conservation ?

 

I couldn't agree more with your comment Andrew.

It seems to me (as someone with an admittedly very secular worldview) to be a totally incompatible and frankly absurd position to occupy.

However, it is a free world ( barely...) and I suppose all that can be said about the matter is each onto their own.

 

They're taking part in multiple EEPs, and run a couple of studbooks They recently helped raise money for an an African Lion based charity, and have done similar things in the past.

 

Noah’s Ark have arguably the most state of the art elephant facilities in t

you would be missing a lot. I have no religious affiliation, but really enjoyed the place. Elephant setup alone was worth it. Also good Andean Bear/Coati mix, Sterrer’s Sea Eagles, Siamangs....

 

Here is the Noah's Ark thread: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm 2020 [Noah's Ark Zoo Farm]

 

My final point on this Noah's ark place on this thread, wanted to reply to your comment and don't want to appear that I've ignored it.

Good to hear that they have good facilities for their animals, that is very encouraging.

I still don't think I'd ever visit this zoo if I was in that region of the UK.

I think this would be because of what I previously mentioned but also I'm less into the charismatic megafauna and much more into the many smaller species that are more present at the Bristol zoo (which I visited once before many years ago).

 

I visited a couple of years ago and the children's playbarn was literally plastered with creationist propaganda. The children were unlikely to care, but their parents / carers were in there, too.

 

Mmmm... I wonder whether that is why it was specifically there...
Zoo Licence inspectors looking at conservation and education provision, would not necessarily look in a play-barn. That would come under the L/A H+S inspection, maybe on a different day...

 

In the UK children MUST study religious education by law.
The national curriculum

Religion is a Protected Characteristic i.e it is against UK law to discriminate against a person due to their religious beliefs
Religion or belief discrimination.

Under Article 9 of The Human Rights Act a person has the right to put their thoughts and beliefs into action.
Article 9: Freedom of thought, belief and religion | Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Whilst I I have no religion (in which I include capitalism), Some of the comments on here are a bit too close to intolerance. Some of the views expressed are no more than the indoctrination of people into Atheism.

 

This legal argument undermines your case. Yes, it's mandatory to teach religion in religious education classes. On the flip-side, it's prohibited for state-funded schools to teach creationism in biology classes. I have no problem with a zoo exploring the bible from a spiritual, historical or cultural perspective (e.g. see Jerusalem Biblical Zoo). The issue arises from explicitly teaching pseudoscience as science, and explicitly undermining 90 years of consensus in biology. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm's "educational" materials would be illegal in a state-funded school.

 

Quite a lot of the comments on this thread appear to have been cut - but I wonder if this above is the case, how schools can organise visits to Noah's Ark,? - as such visits have a curriculum link and are surely being made as an adjunct to the teaching of biology, and not r/e?