It has been 50 years since Blackpool Zoo opened for the first time on a rainy July 6, 1972. Since then, the 32-acre attraction has become a sanctuary for several endangered species, a fierce advocate for environmentalism, and one of the resort’s most beloved tourist traps.
The bird arena was transformed into a buzzing hub of activity throughout the weekend, with young guests being invited to make feeding cups full of tasty treats and toys for meerkats, monkeys, lemurs and tapirs.
7. Harry Miller, 10, Sam Richie, 30, and Gracie McGee, nine, at the conservation station
Throughout the Nineties and early 2000s, four large attractions - Gorilla Mountain, a red panda enclosure, Lemur Wood and a bird display arena - were added to the zoo. In 1999, two more Asian elephants were brought in from Berlin, bringing the zoo's herd numbers up to four. Photo: Wes Holmes
8. Mabel Inainayah Patel
In 2003, Blackpool Zoo was taken over by Grant Leisure Ltd, which owned Bournemouth Oceanarium and the Aquarium of the Lakes. New investment from the company led to the development of new offices, admissions and retail areas, a Costa coffee shop, a new education department, a children's day nursery, and the unique 'Dinosaur Safari'. Amazonia, with squirrel monkeys, marmosets, red titi monkeys, agouti, toco toucans and numerous species of parrot and water fowl, was launched in 2006. Photo: Wes Holmes
9. Hayley and Peter Houghton with their children Emilia, two, and Harry, six months
In 2007 the zoo was taken over by Parques Reunidos, a Spanish-based leisure organisation. In 2008, the car park was redeveloped and Arnie Aardvark’s Adventure
Playbarn was added. Giraffes returned to the zoo's vast array of animal residents, as did penguins the following year. Photo: Wes Holmes
10. Abigail Pye, six, and dad Graham making toys for tapirs
Blackpool Zoo celebrated its 40th birthday in 2012 with the opening of the £500,000 Wolf Ridge, which housed a pack of Iberian wolves. Photo: Wes Holmes
11. Olivia McMinn, eight, examines an elephant tooth
The most recent big investment at Blackpool Zoo was Project Elephant, a multi-million pound elephant facility which opened in 2018 and represents the attractions most ambitious and expensive venture to this day. The record was previously held by Orangutan Outlook, which opened in 2014. Photo: Wes Holmes