A first-time London Marathon competitor is running so that her young children will be able to see wildlife when they grow up.
Franziska Bullimore has entered the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on behalf of conservation charity Paignton Zoo. Franziska, who has a background in working with animals herself, said: “I’m doing this for our children, for the next generation, in the hope that they will still be able to see amazing plants and animals in the world. It’s about respect for the environment. This is my little contribution.”
Paignton Zoo in Devon has hatched three very special – and very beautiful - youngsters. Keepers are hand rearing a trio of Chinese crocodile lizards. In 2018, Paignton Zoo became the first major zoological collection in the UK to breed this species.
You may not be familiar with the Chinese crocodile lizard. It’s not surprising; this small, semiaquatic lizard is found only in the provinces of southern China and northern Vietnam. It’s listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to severe population declines and habitat threats.
Two local names with international reputations are joining forces to help a very special - but largely unknown - species. Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, is linking up with Valeport, the Totnes-based underwater measuring instrumentation specialists.
The focus of their partnership is seagrass, a remarkable plant that flowers underwater and forms dense meadows in shallow coastal areas. These meadows capture carbon at a greater rate than tropical forests, making them important in combating climate change. Like coral reefs and rainforests, these underwater gardens...
If you're having trouble making room for all your kids' new toys after Christmas, then Paignton Zoo can help.
The Devon zoo is hosting the Great Big Brick Safari from 28th March to 1st September. And before that it’s holding a great big brick amnesty, when people can donate unwanted plastic building bricks.
Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “We’ll take all those old plastic building bricks off your hands. Not to make the Great Big Brick Safari models – these are created by professional BRICKLIVE artists and contain a million bricks. We want them so that guests inspired...
Wild Planet Trust is the Devon-based charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall, plus several nature reserves in Devon. While 2019 was not a great year for the charity, there are, says Trust boss Simon Tonge, some reasons for optimism:
“Last year was not the best for visitor numbers, though we still saw 700,000 people come to our three zoo sites. And it was the end of an era – Duchess, the last elephant in the South West of England, died.
“On the plus side, 2019 saw the lifting of TB restrictions at Paignton Zoo. Although it has...
This is an Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon. It’s just a few centimetres long. What could it possibly have in common with a black rhino? The answer is – Wild Planet Trust. The charity behind Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts and Newquay Zoo carries out conservation work in Tanzania, home to both species.
This minute chameleon - a species new to Paignton Zoo and sadly not yet on show to guests – needs all the help it can get. It’s Critically Endangered, largely due to the ravenous demands of the international pet trade.
The chameleon is well named – it comes from the Nguru Mountains of...
Paignton Zoo is sad to announce that senior male lion Lucifer has had to be put to sleep.
Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling: “Lucifer was 17 years old, so he was a good age for an Asiatic lion. He was, like a lot of us, showing signs of wear and tear on his body. He had some weakness and ataxia – that’s wobbliness in his hind limbs – he would stagger occasionally, especially when going up and down steps, and often stumble.”
Senior mammal keeper Helen Neighbour worked closely with Lucifer: “He was a lovely male lion – in that he was grumpy and bad tempered, but not too much. He...
Animals at Paignton Zoo will be getting their own festive dinners this Christmas – but you may not find them quite as appetising as your own…
So what’s on the menu? Well, the big cats could get a whole turkey, complete with feathers and entrails. Curator of Mammals Lisa Britton said: “It’s all good roughage, the bones, everything. It’s the sort of carcass they’d be eating in the wild.”
Ferocious carnivores tearing into meat may or may not remind you of your own Christmas lunch.
Meanwhile, Alfie Junior the Southern cassowary has a Christmas dinner, too – including...
If animal training makes you think of tricks and shows, think again. Top zoos use training to improve animal welfare, reduce the need for risky general anaesthetics and to keep both animals and people safe.
For example, bird keeper Sam Gray has trained Alfie Junior the Southern cassowary – as tall as a person and part bird, part dinosaur – to follow a target, which means she can get him in his house easily and safely. For reptile keeper Tom Wilkinson, training Pierre the mangrove monitor lizard to walk calmly into his crate means you don’t need to catch him up – a procedure that...
The County Council has teamed up with the Woodland Trust and the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum to encourage communities and landowners to plant more trees.
Ten trees were planted in the grounds of County Hall last week by pupils from St Leonard’s Primary School and members of the Devon Youth Parliament as the Council marked National Tree Week and joined the Woodland Trust’s Big Climate Fightback.
It was also an opportunity to launch the new schemes. Devon County Council, in association with the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity the Woodland Trust, is offering...
