Going on from my previous post about what zoos you would like to see restart - it got me thinking why some of these have actually closed and why are some a total success ? Is it location,animal husbandry , exhibits or lack off, value for money etc, bad management etc..
It could be any one of those things - but I think one aspect that stands out in some cases is a full understanding of and ability to appeal to your customer base. Wingham is a prime example of a collection who has been able to do this. RSCC just down the road is a prime example of one that couldn't.
Also sometimes they are on leased land and then the owners of the land change plans. Southport lost their site to the theme park (if you could call it that) and it's now a paint balling place. I'm pretty sure had the Zoo not lost the lease on the land it wouldn't have closed.
One major factor which must not be forgotten is that when a collection is the "baby" of a given individual or family, it may not survive the retirement of the owners. Sometimes it may continue under new ownership for a time before closing, but in some cases the collection will close straight away. This is most notably illustrated by the string of three UK collections which closed in the latter half of 2017 in close succession for this precise reason; Chestnut Centre in Derbyshire, Tropical Wings in Essex and Galloway Wildlife Park in Dumfries & Galloway.
I also think marketing plays a huge part in the success of a venture in the UK, as we have so much competition. If you think of the most commercially successful collections, they're very good at getting good publicity and a strong positive image out there.
