DARTMOOR Zoological Park is facing an "uncertain future" while it waits for a "substantial" amount of Hollywood movie cash to arrive.

The Sparkwell attraction is due to receive the money when production begins on the film version of owner Benjamin Mee's book We Bought A Zoo.

But with the movie scheduled for a Christmas 2011 release, filming is not due to begin until the end of this year.

The zoo's operations manager, George Hyde, said the movie's producer and its director Cameron Crowe had even been trying to "pressure the studio to come up with funds earlier".

When the cash arrives, the zoo will be able to pay creditors and still have enough left over to invest in the business, he said.

It will also benefit from "global" publicity expected to be generated by the movie and therefore zoo bosses are "very optimistic" about its long-term survival.

Mr Hyde stressed the zoo is open to the public and operating as normal, with all bookings being honoured.

But he said: "The immediate future is still very uncertain."

Mr Hyde said the zoo had been badly effected by poor summer weather and the economic downturn.

It had approached its bank for lending but had its overdraft reduced during the past seven months. "The bank would not play ball," he said. "They would not give us breathing space."

This left the attraction's management company, Mee Conservation Ltd, with no option other than to go into voluntary liquidation last month.

"We could not rely on the good nature of our creditors," Mr Hyde said. "We had to take the important but necessary step to liquidate."

A new firm, D Zoo Ltd was set up and immediately took over running the attraction taking on the zoo's licence and insurance. The liquidation did leave creditors without the cash they were owed, however. But Mr Hyde stressed: "All our creditors will be paid."

He explained: "The film does not come out until Christmas 2011, but should go into production by the end of this year.

"If production would get under way by the end of this year the movie rights would be due.

"We hope our creditors are patient and wait for these funds. When these funds become available the payment of existing creditors is a priority."

Last month Mr Mee revealed that to pay for zoo costs such as marketing and shop stock, he would be putting his home up for sale.