With just one day to go until our grand re-opening of Crocodile Swamp, join Jamie as he introduces Lima, our Sunda Gharial๐ Pre-book your tickets online to avoid disappointment๐ See you in a while, crocodile!๐
Meet the Residents of Croc Swamp!๐ This is Spice, our Cuban crocodile, watch as Jamie tells us all about our long-time resident๐ You can meet Spice yourself THIS SATURDAY at our grand re-opening of Crocodile Swamp๐
One of our pygmy slow lorisโ is now on show at Monkey Heights๐ Meet Lewisโค๏ธ He likes to eat tree sap and mostly ventures out in the afternoons, isnโt he sweet?โบ๏ธ
New Year's resolutions at Paignton Zoo!๐ Do you think any of them will stick?
'Twas the night before Christmas and Mrs Claus was reading you a bedtime story... no, really! We have an exclusive Mrs Claus' storytime going live on our Youtube channel and website at 6pm tonight๐ So, settle down for some festive magic with your little ones๐คถโจthe link will be on our stories this eveningโจ
Itโs been a while ๐ but weโre nearly ready to re-open Crocodile Swamp! ๐ค
To celebrate, we are hosting a prize draw where you can win the chance to feed one of our crocs! ๐คฉ
You will also get to go behind the scenes and be one of the first to meet the newest Swamp resident, Pierre. ๐ซ๐ท๐ฅ
Hereโs Ranger Jamie to introduce him to you! ๐ฆ
๐ For more details about the prize draw and the re-opening of Croc Swamp, visit our website ๐
Due to the high winds, Santaโs reindeer were not able to fly in this weekend.
However, it just makes us even more excited for next weekend when he will definitely be back for more festive fun!
Hereโs a recap of the magical time we had last weekend, when Santa himself came for his first visit. He was delighted with his grotto, expertly crafted by @fairloveyurts ๐
It was the perfect place to host families in a warm and dry cosy space, with each child receiving a gift from the big man himself!๐*
Our favourite storyteller Mrs Claus gathered families together in the Ark to tell a very special Christmas tale of Paignton Zoo๐คถ She also did arts and crafts with the children in the Sunbird Room, making beautiful baubles, badges, enrichment for the animals and reindeer food ready for Christmas Eve!๐ฆ
We had live music from our very own Graham Card, who serenaded the restaurant with Michael Bublรฉ tunes and an exclusive first listen to his own Christmas song, which has been released as a charity single to raise money for to zoo. Check out Wild Planet Trustโs YouTube to see our staff music video๐ค๐ถ
On Sunday the Rock Choir blew us away with stunning harmonies and a collection of our favourite Christmas songs. They lifted everyoneโs spirits in the rain and got us in the festive mood!๐๐ถ
And a huge shout out goes to @marldon_christmas_tree_farm for providing us with the best ever Christmas trees! ๐ฒ
What a fantastic start to December weโve had, the festivities continue this weekend, so donโt forget to book your tickets now! ๐
๐ Don't miss out on your chance to feed a crocodile! ๐
Donate as little as ยฃ5 to enter our prize draw and go behind the scenes with Lima and Spice! ๐ฟโจ
๐ Win an exclusive crocodile feeding experience and the opportunity to re-open our Crocodile Swamp exhibit! ๐๐๏ธ Plus, take home a giant cuddly crocodile toy, courtesy of Nature Planet. ๐งธ๐
And that's not all! There are also loads of runner-up goodies up for grabs! ๐
๐ Visit our website to enter now! ๐
There's nothing more special than hearing our lar gibbons serenading the whole zoo๐ถ Usually more vocal in the mornings, lar gibbons sing to defend their territory and bond as a pair!
Last week, the Wild Planet Trust 'Save Our Seagrass' team went down to Fishcombe Cove where we have our seagrass friendly eco-moorings and educational signage. They took the chance to remove any litter from the cove, and were kept warm and dry thanks to the kit provided by our generous supporters Regatta and the Devon Environment Foundation ๐๐ฑ
The Large Mammal House is re-open to the public!๐ฆ
Last Saturday, the inside walkway was re-opened by one of our longest-standing staff members, Bryan Raynes, who has dedicated many years to working with both the giraffes and elephants. The Large Mammal House has undergone a number of renovations over the last few weeks, including the replacement of the bridge and walkway, allowing visitors to once again see the giraffes at eye level!๐
Seeing our visitors' reactions to viewing the giraffes from the walkway again, showed us just how important listening to our community is, and of course, how loved these wonderful animals are by so many๐ฆโค๏ธ
A big shout out and thank you to those who helped us at each stage of the renovation:
Dyson Construction SW - big thanks to Sam and Harry for working through the rain to get the walkways done
Fenster Architectural Glazing - for their brilliant job on the windows
GCC Facilities Management - did a wonderful job cleaning the cobwebs and dust from the high ceilings
PKF-Francis Clark - for volunteering their time to help with cleaning and painting
Our own maintenance, cleaning, keepers, and graphics teams worked incredibly hard and the end result is something to be so proud of!
Join us on a spooky Halloween adventure, exploring the hidden caves beneath the zoo!๐ By using this thermal monocular camera from South West Optics we can look for creepy creatures hiding in the shadows๐ป Keep watching to see what we found...