Bewdley's West Midland Safari Park celebrates 50th anniversary

The Bewdley attraction has welcomed over 30 million visitors after first opening its doors on April 17 1973.

The park was officially opened by Hollywood icon Sophia Loren. 

The attraction has welcomed hundreds of species, many of which are classed as ‘endangered,’ have lived there, including elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers and giraffes.

Within its first two years of opening, a troop of 130 baboons once escaped and spent the night in the local town before eventually being returned. 

Head of Wildlife, Angela Potter, has been at the Park for 43 years, making her the longest-serving member of staff.

She said: “We are very excited that 2023 is our 50th anniversary and who better to join in the celebrations than all of our lovely animals.

"Throughout this special year, we will be providing them with animal-friendly cakes, presents and lots of enrichment to ensure we are celebrating our wildlife too.”

Lemurs react to special 50th celebratory cake (Image: West Midland Safari Park)

Many of the animals who live at the park today were born there and are part of breeding groups for endangered species. This includes ring-tailed lemur Bakari, who turns ten on the same day the Park turns 50.

To celebrate, keepers treated Bakari and his troop to some birthday presents, which the lemurs loved unwrapping and investigating.

Meanwhile, over on the safari, the Indian rhinos have been treated to a huge birthday cake, covered in their favourite tasty treats.

The Indian rhinos first came to the park in 2010, with the first calf, Inesh, born in 2020. Inesh will soon be moving to another wildlife collection, to hopefully start a family of his own.

Angela added: “It is more than a job - it’s a way of life, with no two days being the same and always wanting to come to work whether the sun is shining, raining, or even snowing. It is great to be able to raise awareness of the plight of the animals in the wild and make a difference by educating our visitors to care about them and our environment, as much as we all do here".

Head of Wildlife Angela Potter and Managing Director Chris Kelly (Image: West Midland Safari Park)

Managing director, Chris Kelly said: “When the park first opened, records noted a total of 447 animals, including a turkey, fourteen fish tanks and a guard dog. Thankfully, 50 years on, our current residents are a lot more exciting and we are proud that we house over 120 species, with more than 1,000 individual animals.

“I’ve seen many changes since being a guest, but none more so than the three years I’ve been MD. We’ve upgraded many of the animal habitats and facilities, donated thousands to conservation charities, welcomed new species such as red pandas and we’ve introduced onsite accommodation, so guests can stay with us overnight for the first time in our history.”

“We have more exciting future developments planned and I truly believe that the work we are doing now is building a legacy for our incredible animals, especially for those at threat in the wild. It wouldn’t be possible without the continuous support from our guests, so I would like to thank everyone who has visited us over the last 50 years. Here’s to the next 50.”