Monarto Safari Park to re-open within weeks

Monarto Safari Park will reopen to visitors on June 29, Zoos SA has announced.

The park has been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, tickets will not be available at the gate.

Visitors, including Zoos SA members, will instead have to pre-book online.

They will also be asked to adhere to social distancing measures which have become standard elsewhere: maintaining a 1.5-metre distance from others, regular hand-washing, a preference for tap-and-go payment and so on.

Zoos SA chief executive officer Elaine Bensted said she was delighted to announce the re-opening of Monarto and of Adelaide Zoo, which will welcome visitors from June 22.

“It’s been nearly 90 days since we last had any members or visitors inside the gates and to say we have missed them is an understatement,” she said.

“Naturally, we will have a number of measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety ... so that we can keep within the SA government’s guidelines and monitor the number of visitors on any given day.”

The re-opening means visitors will get a first look at animals which have been born at the safari park since its closure, including four lion cubs and a zebra foal.

Zoo staff have been working hard to keep the animals entertained in the interim.

• More information: www.zoossa.com.au.

Photo: Zoos SA.