Chess the lemur and his companions are seeking a new owner.
For £500,000, the black and white fluffball and his furred, feathered and scaled friends could be yours. Fife Animal Park and its residents have been put on the market.
Among the 76 different species which inhabit the visitor attraction near Collessie are a zebra, meerkats, donkeys, racoons and water buffalo. Estate agent Smiths Gore is seeking offers over £500,000 for the 10-acre park and its livestock.
The venue has been put up for sale by owners Peter and Jocky Lockhart so that Jocky, 72, who looks after its day-to-day running, can retire.
Staff and volunteers, whose jobs depend on the popular centre beside Birnie Loch being taken over as a going concern, hope that a buyer will be found who will invest in its future.
Head animal keeper Lynsey Fyall said: “There is so much potential in this place it’s a gold mine waiting to happen.”
She said the park had been developed since the Lockharts took it over in 2007 but there remained much to be done.
She said: “It just needs someone to spend some money on it and take it to the next level.
“We have had a lot of people interested already.”
John Coleman, of Smiths Gore, said: “This a popular visitor attraction and an extraordinary and unconventional business enterprise which is certain to attract a lot of interest.
“It would suit animal lovers looking for a business venture that is a little bit out of the ordinary.”
The sale of the business includes two elements, the park itself, which is owned by the Lockharts, and the Fife Animal Trust charity, which owns the animals. Before the Lockharts took it over, the attraction had been closed to the public for six years.
The trust was established in 2011 when Fife Animal Park Ltd was wound up, allowing grants to be sought to aid the zoo’s work in animal conservation and welfare.
It also provides work experience placements and employment for people with mental health issues.
The animal park, which turns over £400,000 a year, has a restaurant, children’s soft play area and play parks, a pet store and office and treatment room.
Plans have been drawn up to expand the venture with kennels and a cattery.
Mr Coleman said: “There is plenty of scope to build on what is already an established and successfully-run operation.”