Paignton Zoo
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Paignton Zoo is a
zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
in
Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority, borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the Engli ...
, Devon, England. The zoo was started as a private collection by avid animal collector and breeder, Herbert Whitley, in the grounds of his home Primley House. It was opened to the public on a number of occasions, originally as Primley Zoological Gardens, and closed twice due to disputes with the tax authorities. The commercialisation of the zoo came when animals and attractions were relocated from Chessington Zoo during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and the site was named as Devon's Zoo and Circus On Whitley's death, the zoo was signed over to a trust, now called the Wild Planet Trust, to be run as a public attraction. The zoo has a collection of about 2,000 animals representing nearly 300 species, and cultivates about 1,600 different species of plant. It employs 140 permanent staff, rising to over 200 in peak season.


History


Private collection

Herbert Whitley was an avid collector and breeder of animals, started after the gift of two canaries by his mother as a child, and had inherited a family fortune made in brewing prior to the death of his father, MP Edward Whitley. He moved with three of his four siblings to Devon, and after studying agriculture at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, returned and went in to business with his brother, William. They bought agricultural land holdings, and set about breeding prime livestock. Herbert's home, with his mother and sister, at Primley House was the centre of the breeding operation. As well as the livestock, Herbert set about trying to breed many types of animal, and was particularly obsessive about producing blue animals. He filled the large amount of outbuildings of the estate with animals of all types. He acquired an increasing number of exotics, including a
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
called Bonny Mary, who appeared in the press as "the cleverest chimp in England".


First public opening and closure

In July 1923, Herbert decided to open his collection to the public as Primley Zoological Gardens. Employees of the Torquay Tramway Company were amongst the first to visit the site prior to its official opening. At opening, the admission was one
shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...
for adults and sixpence for children, with exhibits including bears, monkeys, zebra, baboons, hyena, and many varieties of bird. In the month of opening, the park was visited by an officer of the
Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...
, who informed Herbert that he should be charging an 'amusement tax' on ticket sales. Whitley declined to do so, stating that his park was educational rather than entertainment. He was then summonsed to appear at court in Paignton, which happened on 21 March 1924, where the magistrates found in favour of the Inland Revenue. Whitley immediately closed the park to the public, posting notices on the entrances, explaining the dispute and naming the justices involved in the case.
MR. HERBERT WHITLEY (the Owner) DOES NOT INTEND TO DEFRAUD THE PUBLIC BY CHARGING TAX WHERE NO ENTERTAINMENT EXISTS, AND CONSEQEUENTLY, WITH MUCH REGRET, HAS DECIDED TO CLOSE THE GROUNDS TO THE PUBLIC
Whitley continued to publicly feud with the revenue and magistrates, including raising a petition, and engaging in publicity denouncing the taxing. This led to replies in local press from the magistrates. Herbert had some history of clashing with authority, having fought the Paignton Urban District over his refusal to allow surveyors to access his land with a view to placing sewage and sanitation works, which he also lost at court and at appeal.


Second opening and closure

In 1927, Herbert agreed to reopen the zoo, and pay the contentious entertainment tax. In 1934, the zoo opened a new "Tropical House", for which visitors had to pay an extra fee, and this once again attracted the attention of the Inland Revenue, who insisted that the tax be additionally paid on that fee. Whitley once again refused, and once again lost at court, closing the zoo for a second time in protest.


Chessington evacuation

Herbert continued to collect and breed, along with his brother William. Around the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was considering reducing his collection to just his extensive collection of pigeons. Both he and William were exempt war service on grounds of their health, and when Chessington Zoo needed to evacuate their animals, Herbert agreed to house them at Primley, and so ended up with a large collection. The relocation included not only animals, such as lions and tigers, but also the miniature railway (which ran until 2022) and entire circus including the clowns and acrobats. Whilst Herbert remained involved, Chessington's Reginald Goddard ran much of the operations, operating the site as Devon's Zoo and Circus with a focus on entertainment and profit which had never been part of Whitley's style. The zoo was run as "Devon's Zoo and Circus" and Goddard brought in a wide range of attractions from play areas to bands. After the war in 1946 Chessington reopened, and most of the Chessington animals returned to their Surrey home, but the circus remained until 1953, and the miniature railway lasted until 2022. Following the departure of Goddard, Whitley formed a new partnership with local accountant Norman Dixon, and the zoo became Paignton Zoo and Botanical Gardens.


Death of Whitley and trust

When Herbert Whitley died in 1955, the Herbert Whitley Trust was set up to continue his work. The trust was later renamed to the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), and this was again renamed in 2019 to the Wild Planet Trust. The trust also owns and operates Newquay Zoo and previously also ran Living Coasts on Torquay seafront. His estates also included the site of several local nature reserves in Devon, including Slapton Ley, now also owned by the trust.


Growth as a trust

The zoo continued to grow as a trust, and in 1961 WE Francis was appointed as General Manager, along with the zoo's first full time education officer, who was appointed in conjunction with
Devon County Council Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon. The council is based at Devon County Hall in the city of Exeter. The area administered by the county council is termed the non-metropolitan county, which is ...
education committee. Attendances continued to grow, with 346k visitors in 1962 and 353k in 1963. The trust continued to add more exotic animals, adding to the elephants that Whitley has brought to the zoo in 1949. This included giraffes in 1968, and baboons in 1976. The trust also built visitor facilities such as the main restaurant. The first
orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
s arrived in 1993 from
London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...
. In 1995, the zoo received £2.9 million from the
European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...
, allowing major facilities upgrades which lasted until 2001. This included the building of the Marie Le Fevre ape centre, the new elephant and giraffe house, and the Reptile Tropics attraction.


21st century

In 2003, the trust set about a major expansion programme, purchasing Newquay Zoo and building the £7m Living Coasts marine aviary on the site of the defunct Coral Island on what was the Torquay Marine Spa site in Torquay. In the Great Gorilla Project during 2013, life-sized
gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
s were placed across Devon for charity and £100,000 was raised. The 2016 Great Big Rhino Project raised £123,000 for conservation. Duchess, the zoo's only African Elephant, died in July 2019. In 2022, the last remnant of the Chessington arrivals left when the miniature railway closed.


Animals

The zoo has a large collection of around 2,000 animals across over 400 species as of 2011 (
mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s,
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s,
reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...
s and
amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
s) across many different, naturally-themed exhibits. ;Mammals *
African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is ...
* African pygmy mouse * African pygmy goat *
Azara's agouti Azara's agouti (''Dasyprocta azarae'') is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae Dasyproctidae is a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a pal ...
*
Black howler The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the ''Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern ...
*
Bornean orangutan The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is an orangutan species endemic to the island of Borneo. It belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia and is the largest of the three ''Pongo'' species. It has a coarse, reddish coat and up ...
* Brazilian guinea pig * Brown spider monkey *
Celebes crested macaque The Celebes crested macaque (''Macaca nigra''), also known as the crested black macaque, Sulawesi crested macaque, or the black ape, is an Old World monkey that lives in the tropical regions of north Sulawesi. Description Locally known as ''yaki' ...
*
Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
* Cherry-crowned mangabey *
Collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...
* Common dwarf mongoose *
Common squirrel monkey Common squirrel monkey is the traditional common name for several small squirrel monkey species native to the tropical areas of South America. The term common squirrel monkey had been used as the common name for ''Saimiri sciureus'' before gene ...
*
Cotton-top tamarin The cotton-top tamarin (''Saguinus oedipus'') is a small New World monkey weighing less than . This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily reco ...
*
Diana monkey The Diana monkey (''Cercopithecus diana'') is an Old World monkey found in the high canopy forests in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and western Côte d’Ivoire Named for its white brow which is said to resemble the bow of the Roman goddess Diana, thi ...
* Eastern bongo * Eastern black rhinoceros *
Emperor tamarin The emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin monkey allegedly named for its beard's resemblance to the German Empire, German List_of_German_monarchs#German_Empire,_1871–1918, emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm I ...
*
Goeldi's marmoset Goeldi's marmoset, or Goeldi's monkey (''Callimico goeldii''), is a small New World monkey found on the South American continent, mainly in the upper Amazon basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Perú. It is the only species classified in the m ...
*
Hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ; gawina;Aerts 2019 , Ar Robbaḥ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region o ...
*
Hartmann's mountain zebra Hartmann's mountain zebra (''Equus zebra hartmannae'') is a subspecies of the mountain zebra found in far south-western Angola and western Namibia, easily distinguished from other similar zebra species by its dewlap as well as the lack of stripe ...
* King colobus * Kirk's dik-dik * Lar gibbon *
Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is Sexual dimorphism, sexually ...
*
Maned wolf The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of a red fox, but it is neither a fox nor ...
*
Meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
* Mishmi takin * Ouessant sheep *
Pied tamarin The pied tamarin (''Saguinus bicolor''), sometimes referred to as the Brazilian bare-faced tamarin, is a critically endangered species of primate found in a restricted area of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. It was named the mascot of Manaus, Ma ...
* Pileated gibbon *
Pygmy marmoset Pygmy marmosets are two species of small New World monkeys in the genus ''Cebuella''. They are native to Amazon rainforest, rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in th ...
*
Pygmy slow loris The pygmy slow loris (''Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus'') is a species of slow loris found east of the Mekong, Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia, and China. It occurs in a variety of forest habitats, including Tropical and subtropical d ...
* Red-fronted lemur *
Red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...
*
Red river hog The red river hog (''Potamochoerus porcus'') or bushpig (a name also used for '' Potamochoerus larvatus'') is a wild member of the pig family living in Africa, with most of its distribution in the Guinean and Congolian forests. It is rarely s ...
* Red ruffed lemur *
Ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a medium- to larger-sized strepsirrhine (wet-nosed) primate and the most internationally recognized lemur species, owing to its long, black-and-white, ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of fiv ...
* Rothschild's giraffe *
Short-beaked echidna The short-beaked echidna (''Tachyglossus aculeatus''), also called the short-nosed echidna, is one of four living species of echidna, and the only member of the genus ''Tachyglossus'', from Ancient Greek (), meaning "fast", and (), meaning ...
*
South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, (Brazilian Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushcow", in mixed ...
* Southern three-banded armadillo *
Sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
* Swamp wallaby *
Western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...
*
Western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
;Birds * Black hornbill *
Bourke's parrot Bourke's parrot (''Neopsephotus bourkii'', formerly known as ''Neophema bourkii''), also known as the blue-vented parrot, sundown parrot, pink-bellied parrot, Bourke's parakeet, Bourke or "Bourkie", is a small parrot found in Australia and the mon ...
* Brown eared pheasant *
Budgerigar The budgerigar ( ; ''Melopsittacus undulatus''), also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie ( ), is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot native to Australia. Naturally the species is green and yellow with black, scallop ...
*
Chilean flamingo The Chilean flamingo (''Phoenicopterus chilensis'') is a species of large flamingo at a height of closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was previously considered a subspecies before being classified ...
* Eclectus parrot * Edwards's pheasant *
Emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
*
Great argus The great argus (''Argusianus argus''), or greater argus, is a large species of pheasant from Southeast Asia. It is known for its impressive plumage and courtship behavior. It is not to be confused with the two species of closely related creste ...
*
Greater roadrunner The greater roadrunner (''Geococcyx californianus'') is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The scientific name means "Californian earth-cuckoo". Along wi ...
*
Grey crowned crane The grey crowned crane or gray crowned crane (''Balearica regulorum''), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, African crane, Eastern crowned crane, ...
*
Hamerkop The hamerkop (''Scopus umbretta'') is a medium-sized bird. It is the only living species in the genus ''Scopus (bird), Scopus'' and the family (biology), family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but ...
*
Marabou stork The marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumenifer'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometim ...
* Nene * North Island brown kiwi * Oriental stork * Pink pigeon * Princess parrot *
Red-crowned crane The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown (anatomy), crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian Crane (bird), crane among the ...
* Red-necked ostrich *
Roseate spoonbill The roseate spoonbill (''Platalea ajaja'') is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of ...
*
Scarlet ibis The scarlet ibis, sometimes called red ibis (''Eudocimus ruber''), is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven ex ...
*
Secretarybird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large bird of prey that is Endemism, endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and s ...
*
Socorro dove The Socorro dove or Grayson's dove (''Zenaida graysoni'') is a dove species which is extinct in the wild. It was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off the west coast of Mexico. The last sighting in its natural habitat was i ...
*
Southern cassowary The southern cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius''), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary, or two-wattled cassowary, is a large Flightless bird, flightless black bird, found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern ...
*
Southern screamer The southern screamer (''Chauna torquata'') is a species of bird in family Anhimidae of the waterfowl order Anseriformes. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. ...
* Spectacled owl * Sumatran laughingthrush *
Toco toucan The toco toucan (''Ramphastos toco'') is a species of bird in the toucan Family (biology), family Ramphastidae. It is the largest species of toucan and has a distinctive appearance, with a black body, a white throat, chest and uppertail-Covert ( ...
*
Wattled crane The wattled crane (''Grus carunculata'') is a large, threatened species of crane found in wetlands and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, ranging from Ethiopia to South Africa. Some authorities consider it the sole member of the genus ...
* White-faced whistling duck * Wrinkled hornbill ;Herps *
Aldabra giant tortoise The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae and genus '' Aldabrachelys''. The species is endemic to the Seychelles, with the nominate subspecies, ''A. g. gigantea'' native to Alda ...
* Annam leaf turtle * Blue tree monitor * Boyd's forest dragon * Chinese crocodile lizard * Common flat-tail gecko *
Cuban crocodile The Cuban crocodile (''Crocodylus rhombifer'') is a small-medium species of crocodile endemic to Cuba. Typical length is and typical weight . Large males can reach as much as in length and weigh more than . Despite its smaller size, it is a hig ...
* Emerald tree boa *
False gharial The false gharial (''Tomistoma schlegelii''), also known by the names Malayan gharial, Sunda gharial and tomistoma is a freshwater crocodilian of the Family (biology), family Gavialidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It ...
* Fea's tree frog *
Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...
*
Lesser Antillean iguana The Lesser Antillean iguana (''Iguana delicatissima'') is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus ''Iguana'' and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, introduced feral pre ...
* Mangrove monitor * Nguru pygmy chameleon *
Northern caiman lizard The northern caiman lizard (''Dracaena guianensis'') is a species of lizard found in northern South America. Appearance The northern caiman lizard is built similarly to its cousin the tegu, with a large heavy set body and short but powerful lim ...
* Red-eyed tree frog *
Red-footed tortoise The red-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis carbonarius'') is a species of tortoise from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average as adults, but can reach over . They have dark-colored (nearly black), “loaf”-shaped ...
* Red-tailed ratsnake *
Reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a Pythonidae, python species native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of largest snakes, longest snake, and the list of largest snakes, third heaviest snake. I ...
*
Saltwater crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaland to northern Australia and Micronesia. It ha ...
*
Solomon Islands skink The Solomon Islands skink (''Corucia zebrata''), also known as prehensile-tailed skink, monkey-tailed skink, giant skink, zebra skink, and monkey skink, is an arboreal species of skink endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is the larg ...
* Yellow-banded poison dart frog * Yellow-headed water monitor File:KomodoLR-1-min.jpg File:Tatau on the ropes.jpg File:BlackRhinoSitaLR-7.jpg File:EmberLR-11.jpg File:Sumatran tiger at Paignton Zoo.jpg File:Red-ruffed lemur.jpg


Incidents and escapes

During its history, the zoo has had a number of animal escapes and incidents. In January 1939, Whilst back as a private zoo after closing due to the argument with the Inland Revenue, a
leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...
escaped its enclosure after mauling its keeper, John Hockings. The animal stayed on zoo grounds, and repeated attempts were made to lure it into a cage trap with meat. The leopard did not take the bait, and went on the move, killing a flock of rare St Kilda sheep. The risk of the animal moving from the grounds led to beaters being brought in to flush the animal, which was shot dead at close range by Major Simon A Yorke of the 152nd Devon Anti-Aircraft Battery,
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
using his service rifle. During the return of animals to Chessington Zoo in May 1946, a grass monkey was found to be absent from its enclosure. After a number of hours of armed searching, the monkey returned to the cage by itself. The same zookeeper involved in the leopard incident, John Hockings, was badly mauled by a North American brown bear in 1948 after the then 77 year old failed to secure the safety door between the inner and outer cages during cleaning in December 1948. A large black-necked stork escaped the zoo in August 1954, and was living in the marshy areas around
Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...
and
Exminster Exminster is a village west of the Exeter Canal, Exeter ship canal and River Exe in Devon, England, south of Exeter, with a population of 4,379 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Exminster is an ancient village associated with a A ...
, making it as far as Clyst Honiton before being recaptured after around two weeks at large. In June 1956, four
boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the Family (b ...
s escaped their
herpetarium A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo. A herpetarium which specializes in snakes is an ophidiarium or serpentarium, which are more common as stand-alone entiti ...
, before being found nearby. Intruders to the zoo in December 1959 cut enclosure wire, causing four
wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...
to escape. Whilst three were quickly rounded up, one wallaby named Sue escaped into the wider zoo grounds, and evaded capture for over two weeks. Wallabies once again escaped in 1964, with four going missing in February of that year. A
sonic boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...
at around 2am over Paignton in 1961 disturbed the animals and caused a stallion
zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...
to escape into surrounding woods, where a range of people, including tourists, joined in the hunt. A tapir also escaped, but was found and recaptured within zoo grounds. The largest escapee was in January 1964 when
Indian elephant The Indian elephant (''Elephas maximus indicus'') is one of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, native to mainland Asia. The species is smaller than the African elephant species with a convex back and the highest body po ...
Jumbo escaped and was at liberty for over six hours. The escape came following the death of her long term companion Hospie. Whilst the elephant did remain on zoo grounds, street lighting was doused on nearby streets, and people told to stay in their homes, and the army was on stand by. Visitors were locked down inside buildings when a
peccary Peccaries (also javelinas or skunk pigs) are pig-like ungulates of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North America. Peccari ...
escaped into public areas of the zoo. It was tranquilised and recaptured after around 40 minutes. Two of the same species of wild pig escaped into the nearby giraffe enclosure three years later in April 2008. A
lechwe The lechwe, red lechwe, or southern lechwe (''Kobus leche'') is an antelope found in wetlands of south-central Africa. Range The lechwe is native to Botswana, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and easte ...
antelope jumped out of its enclosure in September 2016, after fighting with the dominant male. The zoo
euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...
the animal, as it could not be placed safely back in the enclosure, and there were no other zoos able to take it. Three
western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
s escaped from their enclosure into a secure corridor in July 2017, where they were left overnight, during which time they managed to cause thousands of pounds of damage to utility supplies, including water pipes, ducts, and electrical wiring. Following a closure for bird flu in September 2022, on the first day of reopening, the zoo was evacuated due to the escape of two lar gibbons. The
gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast Indi ...
s were recaptured, but opening to the public the following day was also delayed whilst the escape was investigated. Visitors were once again locked down in buildings in August 2023 when a "code red" was declared after a monkey escaped its enclosure.


Conservation

Paignton Zoo is a member of the
British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) (formerly the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland) is a registered charity and the professional body representing over 100 zoos and aquariums in United Kin ...
(BIAZA), the
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) is an organisation for the European zoo and aquarium community that links over 340 member organisations in 41 countries. EAZA membership is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe that compl ...
(EAZA) – holding the vice-chair position until 2025 – and the
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the "umbrella" organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal ...
(WAZA). Its gardens are members of PlantNetwork, Plant Heritage, the Arboricultural Association, and
Botanic Gardens Conservation International Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a plant conservation biology, conservation Charitable organization, charity based in Kew, Surrey, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, wh ...
. It works with partner zoos and gardens in these organisations on the management of captive breeding and plant conservation programmes for endangered species.


Education and research

The zoo has a large education team which teaches approximately 50,000 students each year from under-5s to post-16s, as well as adult community groups. The Education Department was founded in 1961 and the Paignton Zoo Science Department was established in 1997, during the redevelopment programme. Now renamed the Field Conservation and Research Department, it has grown to become a well-known zoo science departments in Europe, with staff engaged in a programme of projects within the zoo, at Wild Planet Trust's other sites in the UK, and at various sites overseas. Projects are carried out at 'A' level, undergraduate and post graduate level.


Botanical gardens

Garden themes and plant collections include a broad collection of
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
hardy trees, shrubs and
herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...
plants arranged by habitat type. The indoor growing areas allow the zoo to grow plants from all over the world, ranging from small critically endangered
cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
in the desert house, through to the massive
Titan arum The titan arum (''Amorphophallus titanum'') is a flowering plant in the family Araceae. It has a large unbranched inflorescence; a tall single leaf, branched like a tree; and a heavy tuber which enables the plant to produce the inflorescence. ' ...
,
giant bamboo Giant bamboo is a common name for several large species of bamboo and may refer to: * Large species in the genus '' Bambusa'' include: ** "Giant timber bamboo" (''Bambusa oldhamii''), a large (to 20 m) bamboo species originating from Taiwan ** '' Ba ...
and giant water lilies located in the tropical houses.


Awards

Paignton Zoo was, based on visitor feedback, named by
TripAdvisor Tripadvisor is an American company that operates online travel agency, travel agencies, comparison shopping websites, and mobile apps with user-generated content. Its namesake brand, Tripadvisor.com, operates in 40 countries and 20 languages, and ...
as the third best zoo in the UK (behind
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
and
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...
) and ninth best zoo in Europe in 2014. In 2015,
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
named Paignton one of the top 10 zoos in the UK. The Camping and Caravanning Club lists Paignton as one of the 15 'best and biggest' zoos in the UK, along with sister zoo, Newquay Zoo.


Television appearances

The zoo has been the setting for a number of television programmes. In 1998, the
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
documentary series ''Zoo Keepers'' followed the zoo over two series.
ITV Westcountry ITV Westcountry, formerly known as Westcountry Television and Carlton Westcountry, was the ITV franchise holder for the South West of England, covering Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, southern and western Somerset and western Dorset. The co ...
filmed the documentary ''Zoo Story'' at Paignton Zoo, which was broadcast in 2004 and narrated by
Ruth Langsford Ruth Wendy Langsford (born 17 March 1960) formerly known as Ruth Holmes is an English television presenter. She has presented various television shows, including ''This Morning (TV programme), This Morning'' (1999–2022), of which she is the ...
. A book based on the series was also published in 2005, called "Zoo Story: Paignton Zoo and the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust". In 2017, children's television channel
CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
, created ''
The Zoo ''The Zoo'' is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe. It premiered on 5 June 1875 at the St James's Theatre in London (as an afterpiece to W. S. Gi ...
'', episodic comedy show filmed at Paignton Zoo, England, from the point of view of animals, would air in the summer of the same year. It is a British-Canadian co-production between
BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...
and
DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of children's television programmin ...
for
CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
, and aired for two seasons, each with fifteen 14-minute episodes.


References


External links

* {{authority control Paignton Zoos in England Tourist attractions in Devon Educational organizations established in 1923 Zoos established in the 1920s 1923 establishments in England