A family say they left a zoo feeling angry and hurt after its owner banned their little boy from eating his special dairy-free lunch in the cafe.

Alex Pouros and his wife Coral had been enjoying their visit to Wingham Wildlife Park with 20-month-old Elliot - until they stopped for something to eat

They were expecting to buy food for themselves but had prepared a special packed meal for Elliott, who is dairy and soya-intolerant.

But instead they claim park owner Tony Binskin insisted they could not eat in the restaurant if they were not buying food for their son.

Alex, 32, an osteopath, of George Hill Road, Broadstairs, said: “We explained the situation and as it was very cold outside I thought he would be understanding.

“I even said that if they had any dairy or soya-free food,we would buy that for Elliott. They didn’t, but he still insisted he could not eat his lunch in the restaurant.

“To be honest, we were pretty upset because it seemed totally unreasonable. It’s not as if the place was packed because there were plenty of places to sit.

“I wasn’t prepared for Elliott to have to eat his lunch outside in the cold and told the owner that we had two choices - either we were allowed to sit indoors or we would have to leave.

“But he wouldn’t budge so we left after spending £30 to get in and having a visit that lasted just a couple of hours.

“It was actually Coral’s 32nd birthday and we thought it would be a nice day out, but sadly it wasn’t.

“We had been to the park before with a young niece and enjoyed the experience but this time we just felt angry and hurt and certainly won’t be going back.”

The park’s animal collection curator Markus Wilder says he is disappointed the family felt they had a bad experience, but explained the park had to operate a strict policy in its restaurants.

He said: “The trouble is if we let one person have a packed lunch, then others see it and start to ask why they have been refused.

“It just get very awkward for us because many people and children have special dietary requirements these days.

“In this case, I spoke to the family and did offer them an empty room nearby where they could still eat indoors, but the mother, in particular, still wasn’t happy.

“We also have covered areas outside for people who bring their own food.

“We are looking at expanding the food range to accommodate more needs but our animals must come first and we can’t direct funding away from them.”

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