Wetheriggs Animal Rescue (previously called Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary) is a registered UK charity. Wetheriggs is an international animal rescue centre now located on the A66 just outside

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automato ...

County Durham, England County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. The rescue centre takes in a wide range of animals apart from domestic cats and dogs. Many of the animals were previously pets which could no longer be looked after. The majority of the other animals have been rescued from around the UK. Some of the animals have also come from other animal centres on the world as part of swaps.

History

The animal rescue was opened on the historic

Wetheriggs Pottery Wetheriggs Pottery is a former pottery on the C3047 road, east of the hamlet of Clifton Dykes, in Clifton, Cumbria, southeast of Penrith in England. It opened in the mid 19th century providing farm and housewares for local consumption, later th ...

site in 2006 by Terry Bowes, a zookeeping veteran for 45 years. In 2008, because of its work in the attempted re-creation of the

Cumberland Pig The Cumberland was a breed of domestic pig that originated in the North of England; it was used to produce local delicacies like the Cumberland sausage and Cumberland ham. The breed became extinct in 1960, after changes in farming methods and a ...

, its work with rare poultry breeds, and work with native

newt A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...

s, it became the Wetheriggs Animal Rescue and Conservation Centre. It was re-branded to Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary in 2011. In 2014, the animal rescue relocated to a new home at Thorpe Farm Centre near Barnard Castle in County Durham, and was renamed Wetheriggs Animal Rescue and Conservation Centre.

Animals

The centre is home to

alpacas The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfu ...

, sheep, goats, cows, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, gerbils, hedgehogs, budgies, quail, skunks, tarantulas, snakes, lizards and more. Currently some of the exotic animals the centre cares for are off display to visitors. The centre depends on the generosity of the general public to keep running. Visitors to the site pay admission into the site and all the money goes directly to the animal welfare work. People can also donate money directly to the centre.

Notes

External links

Zoos in England Buildings and structures in Cumbria Buildings and structures in County Durham Animal welfare organisations based in the United Kingdom Tourist attractions in County Durham Organisations based in County Durham Zoos established in 2006 Charities based in England {{England-org-stub