West Midlands Safari Park has submitted proposed plans to Wyre Forest District Council to offer luxury overnight stays with white rhino and giraffe.

The move is part of the safari park’s ambitious long-term development strategy.

The eight new lodges will be adjacent to the recently opened cheetah and elephant lodges, providing guests with a unique wildlife encounter.

West Midlands Safari Park recently celebrated the birth of two male white rhino calves. The two-storey rhino lodge accommodation will be the only experience of its kind in Britain with white rhino.

Angela Potter, head of wildlife at the safari park, said: “Safari Lodges have provided us with an amazing opportunity to improve our animal facilities, something which is vital to the welfare of our animals.

“We have large groups of giraffe and white rhino here at the Park, and the impact the new indoor houses and updated external habitats are going to provide for them, will be wonderful.

“It’s an exciting next step and we look forward to continuing to look after these beautiful species and work to support their conservation in the wild,” Potter added.

Once planning is given the green light, work on the new lodges is expected to begin in September 2021, with the accommodation opening in spring 2022.