Safari park plan for hippos' return moves forward

Plans to bring hippopotamuses back to a safari park have progressed after a planning application for a “new modern hippo house” was submitted.

The state-of-the-art facility at Longleat, in Wiltshire, would accommodate up to eight hippos and include a classroom space for education on modern management methods for hippos in captivity.

The park had previously kept two hippos for almost five decades, but Sonia and Spot both recently died at the ages of 49.

The new plans states the outdated old facility will be demolished to make way for the new building.

The application said; "At the time of their original introduction to Longleat, in 1976, hippos were abundant in their sub-Saharan African home.

“In the late 70s, little consideration would therefore have been given to the need to conserve and protect hippos as a species."

It added: “Longleat intends to reintroduce hippos to a half-mile pond and in keeping with current animal welfare practices. This will be done in a sustainable way, which respects and supports the conservation of stocks in the wild."

Longleat would carry out a phased re-introduction of the animals, with a pair of females, followed by a male, with the hope of having offspring in the next two years or so, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was told.

When announcing the plans for future hippos earlier this month, Simon Askew, interim chief operating officer, said: "Continuing the story of hippos at Longleat would enable us to play an invaluable role in raising public awareness about conservation issues."

Wiltshire Council is expected to make a decision by the end of January.

If the plans are approved, Longleat hopes to have hippos by the summer.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.