Our Commitment Regarding the COVID-19 Virus
It is with extremely heavy hearts, that we announce the temporary closing of the BC Wildlife Park.
This was an incredibly difficult decision, and we are deeply saddened by the need to do so. The BC Wildlife Park was proactive in closing our indoor galleries, reducing our café to take out only options, and eliminating many of our services that gathered people, including feed talks and animal encounters. These measures allowed us to stay open as an outdoor space for our visitors to enjoy British Columbia’s iconic wildlife, and we were delighted to hear of guests continuing to visit and support the BC Wildlife Park.
To maintain complete transparency, the decision for this temporary closure was multi-faceted:
As a non-profit organization that receives very little funding, we heavily rely on donations and Park admissions. With the understandably severe diminish in these revenue streams we are unable to continue to bear the financial pressures that we face while being open.
Our team at the BC Wildlife Park is one that we greatly appreciate, as each team member contributes to the overall outstanding guest experience that we are known for. Our team was working extremely hard to ensure that the visitors that did come, enjoyed a safe and clean environment. For the betterment of the health and well-being of our team, we also had to take into consideration their ability to safely interact with our guests during transactions. Additionally, with the closures of schools and daycare limitations, this created another road block for individuals on our team to maneuver.
The wildlife in our care remains to be the top priority of the Park. Our Animal Care team will continue to provide outstanding care to each and every one of our Park residents, and animals in the Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre. Our health center currently remains open to accepting wildlife; however, before bringing wildlife to us, please contact 250-573-3242 ext 230, or if it’s an emergency, please call 250-319-1129 (8:30pm-4:00pm) to arrange a time.
This is a difficult time for everyone, and we will continue to provide uplifting and behind the scenes images and videos of our residents!
With this temporary closure comes the postponement of our annual Easter Eggcitement event. Once we are all able to safely gather again, we will host a full Easter event complete with Uncle Chris the Clown, Kamloops Art Party, chocolate egg hunts, and more!
Please know that although the onsite team at the BC Wildlife Park is temporarily limited, we will be working hard to ensure that we are visitor ready as soon as we are safely and financially able to do so.
We appreciate your support and understanding during this incredibly difficult time, and we hope everyone remains healthy and safe.
Respectfully yours,
The BC Wildlife Park team