A BELOVED private zoo that’s featured in dozens of films and TV shows is closing down after nearly 50 years.
It comes as the owner has decided to retire at the end of this month.
Heythrop Zoological Gardens, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, first opened its doors in 1977 and became a much-loved location for locals and tourists alike.
Over the decades the zoo even made several star-studded appearances, including in the Harry Potter films and episodes of Doctor Who.
Now 71, founder Jim Clubb has decided its time to shut the zoo’s gates for the final time – though the decision has not been taken lightly.
He said: “After all these years, it’s a very sad occasion for us.
“Amongst the staff, we find it really difficult to talk too much about it – it’s the end of an era.”
All of the zoo’s animals have already been rehomed to other collectors or zoos.
Though it brings Jim comfort knowing that some of them still live nearby.
He noted: “Many of them are not too far away, so we can go and visit them if we want to.”
The latest film Heythrop featured in was Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which is due for release in July.
The zoo was never open to the public but welcome visitors in for encounters, open days and parties.
