Family moves into zoo with 300 animals including lions and monkeys

Posted by: admin , August 9, 2017

In a story reminiscent of the movie ‘We Bought a Zoo’, a family has moved into a zoo with 300 animals, including lions, jaguars and a monkey!
Coming from a home with 40 pets, Tracy and Dean Tweedy were looking for a petting zoo so that Tracey can carry out animal and people therapy as a psychotherapist.
After seeing that the Borth Animalarium was being sold for £625,000, the Tweedy family decided to make the move from Kent to Wales.
Tracey and Dean run the animalarium with the assistance of their 3 youngest children, Paige, Sarah and Sophie, and 6 zookeepers.
Tracey says she had never heard of the film We Bought a Zoo until she told people about the purchase. Since then, Tracey has spoken to Benjamin Mee, the journalist whose story inspired the film.
In time, Tracey says she wants to use the zoo to hold therapy sessions for vulnerable people, and make it a “sanctuary for people and animals”. The mother of 6 says that by sending time with the animals, people will build confidence and benefit from the calming effect of the animals.
With monthly running costs of £10,000, it will take some time to build the zoo, but the Tweedy family is committed to one day involving the Borth community in “their zoo”.