“I am pleased to say that today we have done it. With Medway Councils support our zoo licence has been granted. It’s very difficult to put into words what this means to us. I have pushed and pushed to achieve this and driven my family and best friends to the boundaries of insanity, the love and support they have shown me has been amazing and I will never be able to repay them.
“We’re not a boozer with animals, we are now a zoo. For me it’s a dream come true to finally get the big rubber stamp, this makes all of the hard work and effort official.”
Cowell, who also runs a show parts business, has further ambitions to expand the zoo, telling The Mirror that it will “get as big as we can make it”, depending on how much land they can buy.
So far, the project has cost Mr Cowell around £300,000, with the weekly running costs of staffing and animal care just over £700.
“Running the pub is certainly cheaper than running a zoo,” he added. “We hope that having a thriving pub business all year round will help with the funding.”
