Britain’s biggest zoo is forced to close EARLY due to extreme heat warning ahead of 38C highs

BRITAIN’s biggest zoo is shutting its doors early tomorrow as a fifth heatwave is set to hit parts of the UK. Rare amber extreme heat alerts have been issued across large parts of England, with the mercury set to rise as high as 38C. Britain’s biggest zoo, Whipsnade, is closing early tomorrow ahead of extreme heatwave temperatures Credit: Alamy The decision was made to protect the wellbeing of animals, visitors and staff Credit: Instagram Whipsnade Zoo will close two hours early tomorrow to protect animal welfare amid the hot temperatures. London Zoo is also taking similar precautions, as both regions brace for the highest temperatures in the country. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Both attractions will close early at 4pm tomorrow, instead of 6pm, with last entry now moving to 3pm. On their websites, a statement reads: “Due to the forecast hot weather, the Zoo will close at 4pm (last entry 3pm) on Thursday 13 August. “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors as usual during the day, but are temporarily closing earlier to help support the wellbeing of our animals, visitors and staff during the hottest part of the afternoon.” Whipsnade Zoo, spanning 600 acres across Bedfordshire, is Britain’s biggest zoo, welcoming nearly one million visitors every year, with London Zoo in Regent’s Park seeing around 1.2 million. The decision comes as Brits brace for highs of 38C tomorrow afternoon, with both Bedfordshire and London set to be in the hottest zones of the country. Whipsnade and London both enforced similar closing time changes back in late-June, where heatwave temperatures saw record-breaking highs of 37.7C. Most read in The Sun Tower Bridge, Chester Zoo, The Natural History Museum and other British landmarks changed their opening hours back then- but these locations have not made any changes for tomorrow yet. However, a handful of other locations have announced changes to opening hours tomorrow, including the Sir John Soane’s Museum shutting early at 1pm. The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and the Young V&A Museum in London have shared on their websites that they will close entirely tomorrow. All affected venues are set to return back to their usual opening hours from Friday morning. Comment now