Wildlife park savours more roaring success
A BADENOCH attraction has had a year to remember after being voted the best family day out in Scotland and seeing visitor numbers soar by a staggering 70 per cent.
And a huge part of the success is down to one now not so little furry arrival called Hamish.
The Highland Wildlife Park by Kincraig claimed the top honour at the Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards on Friday evening.
Voted for by the public, the awards recognise leading outdoor and leisure attractions which give their customers amazing experiences and help strengthen Scotland's reputation as one of the world's top travel destinations.
The park was announced as the winner at a ceremony at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel.
Daska Mackintosh, the park's head of operations and visitors services, said: "We are thrilled to have been voted the best family day out in Scotland.
"It is a lovely way to celebrate the incredibly busy year we have had so far, with a record number of visitors already.
"In December we were delighted to welcome the birth of Hamish, the UK's only polar bear cub, which has led to a dramatic rise in people coming to the park.
"There have been many more new arrivals at the park this year, including Scottish wildcat kittens, adding to the fascinating conservation story we have to tell.
"We pride ourselves in offering a very enjoyable experience and it is wonderful to see our team's hard work being recognised with such a prestigious national award."
With the park's polar bear cub Hamish approaching his first birthday his playful nature and confidence is continuing to delight visitors of all ages.
Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the attraction, said: "The Hamish effect has resulted in RZSS Highland Wildlife Park smashing all of our previous attendance records with over 170,000 visitors so far.
"This represents a 70 per cent increase for the same period last year and is already 33,000 over our previous all-time record for an entire year.
"It is argued that weather can significantly impact attendance levels. If it is too wet or cold, people may stay home. Or if it is too sunny, they may go to the beach.
"Our summer was certainly unseasonably warm and dry and our Easter period, the traditional beginning of the zoo visiting season, was less than pleasant, but it appears that a gap of 25 years since the last UK born polar bear cub caused the zoo weather rules to be ignored."
The park was against strong competition including neighbours Landmark Forest Adventure Park in Carrbridge; Blair Drummond Safari Park and Dynamic Earth. The winners list can be found at www.outdoorleisureawards.co.uk
