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COWBOY BEHIND THE ZOO OF DOOM

Seedy life of the millionaire owner who lived it up as hundreds of animals died and suffered in appalling conditions at South Lakes Safari Zoo

Animals at the Cumbria zoo are living in appalling conditions while the owner lives in a million pound farmstead

HUDDLED on a branch sit six ring-tailed lemurs. Such lively creatures should be playfully bouncing around outdoors, but these are shut in a small, bare pen, looking out mournfully.

Next door, a tiny spider monkey paws at the window. In another pen, another lemur has a red-raw sore next to its eye.

 Zoo owner, David Gill is living in a million-pound farmstead in the Lake District National Park while the animals endure appalling conditions and treatment
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Zoo owner, David Gill is living in a million-pound farmstead in the Lake District National Park while the animals endure appalling conditions and treatmentCredit: Cascade News

Yesterday at the Interactive Animal Area of the South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton, Cumbria, only the ducks and peacocks were allowed to wander among the handful of tourists.

It is here, near the picturesque town of Ulverston, that 500 animals have died in the last four years, in- cluding giraffes, tigers and lion cubs.

Many of the 1,500 left have endured appalling conditions and treatment.

 Mr Gill's Zoo make £3million a year and attracts 250,000 visitors
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Mr Gill's Zoo make £3million a year and attracts 250,000 visitorsCredit: PA:Press Association

Yet while the zoo’s creatures suffer, owner David Gill lives in luxury nearby, in a million-pound farmstead set in 45 acres of stunning scenery within the Lake District National Park.

The impressive estate is just five acres smaller than his zoo.

The home’s top-of-the-range kitchen and chandeliers hanging from wooden beams are evidence of the success he has enjoyed with his ­business, which makes £3million a year and attracts 250,000 visitors.

 TripAdvisor is full of comments from visitors who claimed that the animals look miserable, stressed and many had clumps of missing hair
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TripAdvisor is full of comments from visitors who claimed that the animals look miserable, stressed and many had clumps of missing hair

But while he proudly displays ­pictures of animals around his home, Mr Gill, 55, is accused of being less interested in the real thing.

But then he has regularly faced distractions caused by his personal life, which is as colourful as the ­peacocks we found scratching around the nettles by a generator.

Alison, his first wife and mother to his first two children, left him in 1997 after 12 years of marriage when

 Richard Creary stormed into Mr Gill's home and stabbed him in the neck after finding him in bed with wife, Alison
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Richard Creary stormed into Mr Gill's home and stabbed him in the neck after finding him in bed with wife, Alison

Mr Gill had an affair with teenage zoo hand Shelley Goodwin.

She had left school at 16 and looked after the kangaroos. The unlikely pair married in July 2000 but divorced soon afterwards.

He then had a relationship with Caroline Jellicoe, with whom he has another two children.
In 2008 Mr Gill was at the centre of a court case after being stabbed in the neck by jilted husband

Richard Creary, who had caught him in bed with his wife Alison.
Creary, a former rugby league player, stormed into Mr Gill’s home and found him half naked with ­

Alison. He shouted: “You’re shagging my wife — you’re going to die!”
The pair fought on the stairs before the Ferrari-driving zoo boss escaped in just his pyjama bottoms.

 One disgruntled visitor said that the enclosures need to be closed down as the animals look miserable and are being kept in poor conditions
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One disgruntled visitor said that the enclosures need to be closed down as the animals look miserable and are being kept in poor conditions

Creary admitted aggravated ­burglary with intent to cause actual bodily harm and was jailed for five years at Preston Crown Court.

Mr Gill is now ­married to his third wife, Frieda Rivera-Schreiber, the model daughter of a former Miss Peru — and ironically a vet.

Despite her skills in animal care, the zoo has a shocking tally of suffering, as revealed by Barrow Borough Council inspectors.

 Another took to TripAdvisor to warn people from visiting the enclosure and insisting that it should be closed down
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Another took to TripAdvisor to warn people from visiting the enclosure and insisting that it should be closed down

It includes Goliath the tortoise being electrocuted when he got stuck in charged fencing, a decomposed squirrel monkey found behind a ­radiator and a giraffe which died of suspected E.coli poisoning.

The bodies of snow leopards Miska and Natasja were discovered partially eaten in their enclosure in October 2015. A red ruffed lemur got into the tiger enclosure and was also eaten, and a giraffe died after slipping on a smooth concrete floor.

Animal welfare charity the Captive Animals’ Protection Society called the council’s findings “the worst we have ever come across in 60 years”.

It carried out its own inspection last summer and campaign officer Maddie Taylor says: “We urge the local authority to take action by closing this appalling zoo down.”

The charity’s inspection found an emaciated kangaroo, a meerkat with skin problems and Humboldt ­penguins deprived of water on the hottest day of last year.

 Animal welfare charity, the Captive Animals' Protection Society has called the council's findings the worst they had seen in 60 years
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Animal welfare charity, the Captive Animals' Protection Society has called the council's findings the worst they had seen in 60 years

Yesterday The Sun visited and found the ­penguins had plenty of water — but it was the colour of mud.

Travel website TripAdvisor is full of comments from disgruntled visitors who normally pay £16.50 per adult ticket — though yesterday the zoo had extended its free winter entry offer. Heather W posted:

“Most of the ­animals looked stressed out and ­miserable, with many who had clumps of hair missing and patches of skin that looked sore.”

 Giraffes, tigers and lion cubs are among the 500 animals who have died in the last 4 years
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Giraffes, tigers and lion cubs are among the 500 animals who have died in the last 4 years

Sarah Moorehouse wrote: “I can’t believe there are places like this still around. The animals look miserable and some look in really poor condition. Enclosures are really run down.”

And Amy McGovan said: “Avoid this place at all costs. It needs ­closing down.”

The council’s veterinary advisor Dr Matthew Brash, who inspected the zoo, reported: “It was particularly upsetting to see the lack of bedding for the baby rhino, which clearly demonstrated that there was nobody in charge on a day-to-day basis for the welfare of the animals.” The report explained that young rhinos can suffer hypothermia from lying on a cold concrete floor.

 The council's veterinary advisor said that their findings showed that there is no one in charge of day-to-day maintenance for the animals
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The council's veterinary advisor said that their findings showed that there is no one in charge of day-to-day maintenance for the animals

Dr Brash’s inspection found many of the zoo’s animals were given little protection against the cold Lake ­District climate. In 2015 three nyala — spiral-horned East African antelope — died within a week of their arrival and another two have since died, while last January four Inca terns, native to Peru, died — all due to cold.

 Mr Gill's is now married to his third wife who is a vet but  this hasn't lowered the rate of suffering at the zoo
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Mr Gill's is now married to his third wife who is a vet but  this hasn't lowered the rate of suffering at the zoo

Tortoises were found huddled together under heat lamps because their tank was not warm enough.

Animals in the Africa House, which are by nature used to warmer climes, were kept in the cold. The report said: “If the temperature dropped and remained low, the giraffes would use energy reserves to keep warm which they can’t maintain, which ultimately means they could die.”

It continued: “Mr Gill did not believe the animals need heating but a structure was now in place.”

 An inspection found a meerkat with skin problems among the many care-deprived animals
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An inspection found a meerkat with skin problems among the many care-deprived animals

The council’s report did make clear some improvements had been made.

The tiger fencing, for example, had been strengthened.

In 2013, a Sumatran tiger called Padang fatally mauled 24-year-old zookeeper Sarah McClay. The zoo was fined £450,000 and the tiger was put down in 2015.

 A giraffe died of suspected E.coli poisoning at the South Lakes Safari Zoo
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A giraffe died of suspected E.coli poisoning at the South Lakes Safari Zoo

It was not the first fine for lax standards. And despite Mr Gill ­owning a zoo licence since 1994, in 2001 an industrial tribunal ordered him to pay £30,000 compensation to former zookeeper Lara Kitson after he ordered her to clamber up a ­ladder to feed raw meat to the tigers while she was pregnant. She complained that scaling the ladder would put her baby at risk but claimed Mr Gill suggested she have an abortion.

 This isn't the first time that David Gill's zoo has made headlines as a Sumatran tiger fatally mauled 24-year-old zoo keeper, Sarah McClay in 2013
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This isn't the first time that David Gill's zoo has made headlines as a Sumatran tiger fatally mauled 24-year-old zoo keeper, Sarah McClay in 2013Credit: North News and Pictures

In 1997, a three-ton white rhino went on a terrifying rampage through the zoo and had to be shot dead.

Mr Gill was fined £10,000 for failing to secure the enclosure.

He now claims he has taken a step back from managing the zoo and instead leases it to the Cumbria Zoo Company.

Last July, after a council licensing renewal meeting, he vowed he would no longer be involved in running it, yet three weeks later four new directors resigned and Mr and Mrs Gill were appointed sole directors.

The Council had rejected his application to renew his licence due to management and health and safety concerns, but ruled it could stay open while he reapplied.

 The Sun visited the zoo and found that while the penguins had plenty of water, it was all muddy
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 The Sun visited the zoo and found that while the penguins had plenty of water, it was all muddy

But the latest council report said: “The chief concern is not the deaths, or even the causes but the fact that David Gill accepts these losses and does not see a problem with it.”

A spokesman for Mr Gill said: “The current arrangement sees the entire zoo site leased to Cumbria Zoo

Company Limited. Mr Gill remains the licence holder but otherwise has stepped away from all trading and management activities.”

 Mr Gill currently remains the licence holder but has taken a step back from management while councillors decide whether to renew his licence
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Mr Gill currently remains the licence holder but has taken a step back from management while councillors decide whether to renew his licenceCredit: PA:Press Association

Karen Brewer, chief executive of Cumbria Zoo Company Limited, said they were committed to treating all animals with respect, providing “environments that focus on the animals’ physical and behavioural needs”.

Councillors will decide whether to renew the licence next week.

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