Big plans for big cats at county's largest animal park

ONE of Kent's largest animal parks has unveiled ambitious plans to build one of the country’s biggest indoor tiger houses.

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Two tigers are set to move to a new home in Wingham Wildlife Park, from the former Sandwich Wildlife Park site if plans are approved.

The owners of the popular family attraction submitted a planning application to Dover District Council (DDC) on April 29 to utilise agricultural land next to the rural site.

They seek permission for “a new tiger enclosure and bespoke tiger house, bear/utilities building and expansion of the car park” at the site off the A257 Canterbury Road.

Documents explain: “As the park continues to improve on the standards it already exhibits, this inevitably means moving animals to new exhibits from their old ones and to make those exhibits larger.

“This simply cannot be achieved with the space available on the footprint of the original size of Wingham Wildlife Park and the park looked to purchase adjoining land to expand.”