Battle · 5 companies

Safari and wildlife parks

Drive-through lions and bottom lines.

West Midland Safari Park leads on 3 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. West Midland Safari Park is the biggest by turnover at £27m, against £24m at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. West Midland Safari Park keeps the most of every £100 it takes, £26.15 as pre-tax profit.

The year ends are up to 10 months apart, so this compares each company's most recent filing rather than the same twelve months.

Accounts compared: West Midland Safari Park to Sep 2025 · Yorkshire Wildlife Park to Nov 2024 · Blair Drummond Safari Park to Dec 2024 · Folly Farm to Dec 2024 · Drusillas Park to Dec 2024

The Numbers

#CompanyTurnoverChangePre-tax profitMarginEmployeesPay per headTurnover per headNet assetsBank and cashAccounts toBasis
1 West Midland Safari ParkWest Midland Safari Park Limited £27m +5.1% £7m 26.2% 467 £17,000 £59,000 £34m £94k Sep 2025 Single company
2 Yorkshire Wildlife ParkWild Life Group Limited £24m +9.2% £5m (est.) 19.4% 382 £22,000 £62,000 £37m £0.2m Nov 2024 Single company
3 Folly FarmFolly Farm Leisure Limited £11m +5.2% £1.3m 11.4% 205 £21,000 £54,000 £0.5m £1.5m Dec 2024 Single company
4 Blair Drummond Safari ParkScottish African Safari Park Limited £10m +4.7% £0.8m 7.7% 226 £19,000 £43,000 £7m £1.5m Dec 2024 n/d
5 Drusillas ParkDrusillas Zoo Park Limited £6m +6.2% £0.8m 12.9% 143 £19,000 £45,000 £8m £0.6m Dec 2024 n/d

Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).

Category winners

The Takeaway

  1. West Midland Safari Park converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £26.15 reaches pre-tax profit, against £7.73 at Blair Drummond Safari Park.
  2. West Midland Safari Park is the largest on the top line, £27m of turnover, 1.2x Yorkshire Wildlife Park's £24m.
  3. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is growing fastest, turnover +9.2% on its own prior year.
  4. West Midland Safari Park is the biggest employer with 467 people; Yorkshire Wildlife Park pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £22,000.
  5. Yorkshire Wildlife Park has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £37m, while Blair Drummond Safari Park holds the most cash at £1.5m.

Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?

West Midland Safari Park keeps the most: £26.15 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. Blair Drummond Safari Park keeps the least, £7.73.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park files small accounts with no profit and loss account, so its profit is a Spark estimate from the balance sheet and marked (est.). The rest are filed figures.

The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.

Out of every £100 of turnover

£100£0 Payroll: £28.84 of every £100Payroll£28.84Financing: £0.17 of every £100Other costs: £44.84 of every £100Other costs£44.84Profit: £26.15 of every £100Profit £26.15West MidlandSafari ParkYear to Sep 2025£27mPayroll: £35.10 of every £100Payroll£35.10Financing: £0.27 of every £100Other costs: £45.20 of every £100Other costs£45.20Profit: £19.42 of every £100Profit £19.42YorkshireWildlifeParkYear to Nov 2024£24mPayroll: £41.48 of every £100Payroll£41.48Financing: £0.78 of every £100Other costs: £44.85 of every £100Other costs£44.85Profit: £12.89 of every £100Profit £12.89DrusillasParkYear to Dec 2024£6mPayroll: £38.12 of every £100Payroll£38.12Financing: £0.43 of every £100Other costs: £50.00 of every £100Other costs£50.00Profit: £11.45 of every £100Profit £11.45Folly FarmYear to Dec 2024£11mPayroll: £44.89 of every £100Payroll£44.89Financing: £0.30 of every £100Other costs: £47.08 of every £100Other costs£47.08Profit: £7.73 of every £100Profit £7.73BlairDrummondSafari ParkYear to Dec 2024£10m
Payroll (staff costs)Financing (interest paid)Other running costsPre-tax profitLoss: the costs beyond £100

Each column is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.

Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?

By turnover the order is West Midland Safari Park (£27m), Yorkshire Wildlife Park (£24m), Folly Farm (£11m), Blair Drummond Safari Park (£10m), Drusillas Park (£6m).

By headcount, West Midland Safari Park leads with 467 employees.

The comparison holds with the dates stated plainly: West Midland Safari Park to Sep 2025, Yorkshire Wildlife Park to Nov 2024, Blair Drummond Safari Park to Dec 2024, Folly Farm to Dec 2024, Drusillas Park to Dec 2024. All are on the same filing basis.

West Midland Safari Park£27mYorkshire Wildlife Park£24mFolly Farm£11mBlair Drummond Safari Park£10mDrusillas Park£6m

Turnover on the latest filing

Who is growing fastest?

Yorkshire Wildlife Park grew fastest, turnover +9.2% on its own prior year, ahead of Drusillas Park (+6.2%), Folly Farm (+5.2%), West Midland Safari Park (+5.1%), Blair Drummond Safari Park (+4.7%).

Yorkshire Wildlife Park+9.2%Drusillas Park+6.2%Folly Farm+5.2%West Midland Safari Park+5.1%Blair Drummond Safari Park+4.7%

Turnover change on each company's own prior year

Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?

West Midland Safari Park employs the most, 467 people, against 382 at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has the highest average staff cost, about £22,000 a head; West Midland Safari Park the lowest, about £17,000.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park brings in the most turnover per employee, about £62,000, against £43,000 at Blair Drummond Safari Park. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.

What does the full ledger show?

MeasureWest Midland Safari ParkYorkshire Wildlife ParkBlair Drummond Safari ParkFolly FarmDrusillas Park
Registered nameWEST MIDLAND SAFARI PARK LIMITEDWILD LIFE GROUP LIMITEDSCOTTISH AFRICAN SAFARI PARK LIMITEDFOLLY FARM LEISURE LIMITEDDRUSILLAS ZOO PARK LIMITED
Company number0644951706531168009778800408358403261226
Incorporated20072008197020001996
Accounts filed12 April 202629 November 202530 September 202525 September 202527 September 2025
Turnover, prior year£26m£22m£9m£10m£6m
Pre-tax profit, prior year£7mn/d£0.5m£1.7m£0.5m
Staff costs£8m£8m£4m£4m£3m
Payroll share of turnover28.8%35.1%44.9%38.1%41.5%
Employees, prior year417381232160145
Dividends paidn/dn/d£0.3m£1.5m£0.4m
Charges outstanding13222

A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.

Safari and wildlife parks: common questions

Who is the biggest of West Midland Safari Park, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Blair Drummond Safari Park, Folly Farm or Drusillas Park?

West Midland Safari Park, with turnover of £27m in the year to September 2025.

Which makes the most profit?

West Midland Safari Park: £7m pre-tax in the year to September 2025.

Which employs the most people?

West Midland Safari Park, with 467 employees in its latest accounts.

West Midland Safari Park or Yorkshire Wildlife Park: which is bigger?

West Midland Safari Park, with turnover of £27m against £24m at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on their latest filings. On margin, West Midland Safari Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

West Midland Safari Park or Blair Drummond Safari Park: which is bigger?

West Midland Safari Park, with turnover of £27m against £10m at Blair Drummond Safari Park on their latest filings. On margin, West Midland Safari Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

West Midland Safari Park or Folly Farm: which is bigger?

West Midland Safari Park, with turnover of £27m against £11m at Folly Farm on their latest filings. On margin, West Midland Safari Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

West Midland Safari Park or Drusillas Park: which is bigger?

West Midland Safari Park, with turnover of £27m against £6m at Drusillas Park on their latest filings. On margin, West Midland Safari Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Blair Drummond Safari Park: which is bigger?

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with turnover of £24m against £10m at Blair Drummond Safari Park on their latest filings. On margin, Yorkshire Wildlife Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Folly Farm: which is bigger?

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with turnover of £24m against £11m at Folly Farm on their latest filings. On margin, Yorkshire Wildlife Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Drusillas Park: which is bigger?

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with turnover of £24m against £6m at Drusillas Park on their latest filings. On margin, Yorkshire Wildlife Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Blair Drummond Safari Park or Folly Farm: which is bigger?

Folly Farm, with turnover of £11m against £10m at Blair Drummond Safari Park on their latest filings. On margin, Folly Farm keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Blair Drummond Safari Park or Drusillas Park: which is bigger?

Blair Drummond Safari Park, with turnover of £10m against £6m at Drusillas Park on their latest filings. On margin, Drusillas Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Folly Farm or Drusillas Park: which is bigger?

Folly Farm, with turnover of £11m against £6m at Drusillas Park on their latest filings. On margin, Drusillas Park keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Where do these figures come from?

Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.