91Èȱ¬

The UK's largest zoo has confirmed it will reopen on 15 June.

Whipsnade Zoo - which is home to hundreds of threatened species, many of which are part of international conservation breeding programmes including Asian elephants, white rhinos, sloth bears and Amur tigers - says it will welcome up to 3000 pre-booked ticket holders per day.

It's after the prime minister announced that, as part of the latest steps in easing the coronavirus lockdown, zoos and safari parks can open again next week in England - as long as they stick to social distancing rules.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo boss, Owen Craft said: "We've been working hard on adaptions across the 600-acre site to ensure all our visitors can enjoy their day safely. We've added floor markings to clearly indicate two metres and will be allowing entry only to those who have pre-booked so that we can manage numbers."

He also explained that indoor exhibits, including the Butterfly House and Aquarium, will stay closed to maintain social-distancing rules and there will be extra increased handwashing facilities.

Toilets will be open with a new queuing system, and picnic benches will be cleaned regularly.

Other zoos, including London Zoo, also celebrated the news on their social media feeds, with several saying they'd let people know their plans as soon as they'd worked out how to follow the rules safely.

Lots of zoos have been struggling financially throughout the lockdown.

Recently, Chester Zoo said its future was "on a knife edge" and London Zoo said it faced an "uncertain future".

But the Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, said the UK "continues to meet" the government's five tests for lifting coronavirus lockdown restrictions, so zoos can open as long as they follow safety guidelines.