MP Dame Rosie Winterton comes face-to-face with the Sea Lions to mark English Tourism Week

The MPs initial  stop was  to see the resident Californian Sea Lions, who made a splashing first impression as she fed them.

Dame Rosie continued her tour of the 175-acre park to see the boisterous Rhino calf Rocco, the most recent addition to the park’s Black Rhino family. Black rhinos are critically endangered so Rocco is a welcome and important addition to the breeding programme as well as being the very first rhino calf ever born at YWP.

She also visited Leopard Heights to see Auckley ,the Amur Leopard, the rarest big cat on the planet and then fed  Luka, one of the Park’s eight polar bears who is an important ambassador for the species and the importance of action for climate change.

Dame Rosie  said: ‘Yorkshire Wildlife Park is, as Doncaster residents will know, a fantastic day out with animals from all across the globe.’

‘The park has seen lots of changes in recent years with their new visitor complex including on-site restaurants, retail outlet and the Hex Wildlife Hotel. I was also able to feed the sealions and polar bears and  see the new baby black rhino.’

I would recommend a visit to Yorkshire Wildlife Park to anyone from far and wide who loves animals and nature The Park is always evolving and is a massive asset to Doncaster!’

CEO John Minion added: “We were very excited to have Dame Rosie visit us.

‘English Tourism Week is a great opportunity to showcase what an amazing destination our park is. The park’s visitor attendance numbers put the destination in the top 5 of the UK’s wildlife parks.’

‘With our new hotel, visitors are increasingly coming from all over the UK, and we are incredibly proud of the time and effort we have invested into the park. 

“Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a major contributor to the local economy, and we appreciate Dame Rosie Winterton’s visit and praise.”

Staff also had the chance to share the global conservation efforts that the Wildlife Foundation, situated at the park, contribute to ensure the conservation and protection of some of the world’s most vulnerable species.

There was a chance to visit YWP’s proud project, the Yorkshire Hive. The Hive’s themed restaurant Evolution offers guests an immersive dining experience like no other, and an array of boutique stores gives visitors the chance to purchase local artisan products, artwork, and gifts.

The Hex Wildlife Hotel, located mere meters from the front entrance of the park, also gives guests the opportunity to truly wake up on the wild side and enjoy all the adventures that the park has to offer.