Living Coasts (Closed) Living Coasts closed permanently

Andrew Swales said:
When we costed a potential penguin enclosure; something to pass comparison these days would be between £250,000 and £500,000 - and that was using our builders, not Chester's..!
There is a continuous demand for penguins and I am sure a queue has formed already...
Cormorants are pretty stright-forward, but auks, sea-ducks and (?) kittiwakes certainly not.
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One of the really nice things about Hamerton for me, is NO PENGUINS! I appreciate all the good things about them, but the money that is spent on their life support systems would fund a lot more species that I happen to find more attractive. And yes, I've been bitten by my fair share of penguins.
 
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FBBird said:
One of the really nice things about Hamerton for me, is NO PENGUINS! I appreciate all the good things about them, but the money that is spent on their life support systems would fund a lot more species that I happen to find more attractive. And yes, I've been bitten by my fair share of penguins.
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Not sure how to feel about the anti-penguin sentiment :p
 
Mattaki said:
Not sure how to feel about the anti-penguin sentiment :p
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It wasn't so much of an anti penguin sentiment, as a recognition that penguins take up an awful lot of resources, and are (imho!) no more interesting than a lot of things that require less investment. They are of course fascinating animals although the they don't do much for me (apart from a lot of bitey stuff in the past!).
 
All the talk of penguins is well and good, but it is just taking away from the fact LC has had to close due to the lack of Govt. support, cash in the bank and cash flow to be able to reopen. The reality is that WWCT as a whole (including Newquay and Paignton Zoos) are struggling massively. Keep your eyes on the ball please!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
All the talk of penguins is well and good, but it is just taking away from the fact LC has had to close due to the lack of Govt. support, cash in the bank and cash flow to be able to reopen. The reality is that WWCT as a whole (including Newquay and Paignton Zoos) are struggling massively. Keep your eyes on the ball please!
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Where do you get the right to be quite so unpleasant?
I happen to be heartbroken at the idea of Newquay closing, partly because I used to work there.
If I want to make the odd light hearted comment about penguins I will do so, and I dare say you will continue to snipe at people.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Most likely. I'm certain I heard someone on Zoochat claim to volunteer at a private collection which kept Bank Cormorants several years ago ;)





(not that they were telling the truth)
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Little Pied Cormorants possibly, Guanay Cormorants maybe, Pygmy Cormorants could be, but I'd be surprised if any other Bank Cormorants have left South Africa in recent years.
 
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FBBird said:
One of the really nice things about Hamerton for me, is NO PENGUINS! I appreciate all the good things about them, but the money that is spent on their life support systems would fund a lot more species that I happen to find more attractive. And yes, I've been bitten by my fair share of penguins.
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Mmmm.... personally I agree with you, although I've never had any direct experience with them - but I think we are in the minority?
They are still 'on the list', but so far down it as to be irrelevant into the medium term. We have made some major investments over the past few years, and consolidation was always to be the next 'phase', even before it was forced on us. That's not to say there wont be any more nice arrivals, and the completion and conversion of existing jobs - but anything big is now off the cards, unless a big donor comes forward with ring-fenced funds for a specific project..

FBBird said:
Where do you get the right to be quite so unpleasant?
I happen to be heartbroken at the idea of Newquay closing, partly because I used to work there.
If I want to make the odd light hearted comment about penguins I will do so, and I dare say you will continue to snipe at people.
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I agree that the tone was unpleasant, but the basis does have something behind it. Newquay has a long history, and has been turned around before. It and (it's town) are facing serious challenges now. I have never visited ( I did go to Bird Paradise and Padstow, which gives you a clue to the timing of my last visit to Cornwall), but reports from everyone who has been to Newquay have been glowing.
In the few days and weeks that zoos have been open we are beginning to see a split - those close enough to population centres for short personal visits made by private car by a public with a pent-up desire to 'get out, somewhere, almost anywhere' - and those dependent on large numbers of in-bound seasonal holidaymakers, because they are situated in a 'tourist' area, or on an island.
 
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Andrew Swales said:
Newquay has a long history, and has been turned around before. It and (it's town) are facing serious challenges now. I have never visited ( I did go to Bird Paradise and Padstow, which gives you a clue to the timing of my last visit to Cornwall), but reports from everyone who has been to Newquay have been glowing.
In the few days and weeks that zoos have been open we are beginning to see a split - those close enough to population centres for short personal visits made by private car by a public with a pent-up desire to 'get out, somewhere, almost anywhere' - and those dependent on large numbers of in-bound seasonal holidaymakers, because they are situated in a 'tourist' area, or on an island.
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Newquay is a really good little zoo nowadays, its come a long way from the earlier Council-run set-up to what they have now.. I really hope they can weather this storm but have to agree about the current apparent split between the locations that are reacheable for large numbers of cooped-up families presently, and those more reliant on a tourist season- whether there is going to be one this year may be the make or break for places like Newquay.
 
gentle lemur said:
Interesting piece of local news about the future of the Living Coasts site. I did not know that the Wild Planet Trust had a 125 year lease, so they may be in a position to recoup some money eventually. Interest shown in Living Coasts site
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Also interesting that they have received interest that would keep it as an animal attraction and that the Council favours it continuing it its 'current or similar use' over being redeveloped.
 
I really hope whomever purchases Living Coasts,and keeps it as a zoo. I love Living Coasts.it’s definitely one of my favourite places. I will definitely try to be at its reopening if and when it happens. Zoo and Aquarium businesses, please take notice of how many tourists come to Devon exspecaly Torbay. In addition too this a lot of people that live in the South-West enjoy visiting Living Coasts!

I will sit back,relax and hope that someone purchases my favourite Aquarium/Sea Mammal attraction!

reading this article has given me hope that Living Coast’s has a chance of survival after all.
 
Maguari said:
Also interesting that they have received interest that would keep it as an animal attraction and that the Council favours it continuing it its 'current or similar use' over being redeveloped.
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Because the costs involved in redeveloping it into anything else would be astronomical I’d imagine!

Good news though. Sealife will probably be sniffing around the site no doubt but (crazy idea) could the site work for Longleat as an aquarium? It’s not unreasonable!
 
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Panthera1981 said:
Because the costs involved in redeveloping it into anything else would be astronomical I’d imagine!
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Indeed. And, no doubt, the disruption in the local area would be as well, plus the planning challenge of a new construction right on the waterfront. Councils often would just prefer a quiet life, I suspect - someone like (say) SeaLife buying it would be by far the simplest from their side as so little would (externally) change.
 
If Sealife or any other chain of Aquarium do purchase Living Coast’s, which I hope they do,could some family rides or an Arcade be added? Additionally could some of the current resident animals be kept at Living Coast’s and reside within the new Living Coast’s be it owned by Sealife or any other Aquarium chain!
 
The Hedgehog said:
If Sealife or any other chain of Aquarium do purchase Living Coast’s, which I hope they do,could some family rides or an Arcade be added? Additionally could some of the current resident animals be kept at Living Coast’s and reside within the new Living Coast’s be it owned by Sealife or any other Aquarium chain!
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Almost anything's possible at this stage, I'd say - it's a wait and see for now. If it were to change hands as a zoo I expect the animals would already be rehomed by the time it went through and the new owners would need to re-stock (sadly, probably not with quite such nerdy creatures!).
 
Panthera1981 said:
Because the costs involved in redeveloping it into anything else would be astronomical I’d imagine!

Good news though. Sealife will probably be sniffing around the site no doubt but (crazy idea) could the site work for Longleat as an aquarium? It’s not unreasonable!
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I think Merlin (Sealife's parent company) have got enough problems at the moment without buying another site. As well as the huge financial impact of having to close pretty much all there attractions (Worldwide) for the last few months, the group that owns Trafford Centre (Merlin lease a building within the shopping centre for Sealife Manchester and a Lego attraction) has just collapsed into administration today. If the shopping centre can't be sold as a going concern then Sealife Manchester will potentially have to close or be relocated.

I like the idea of Longleat taking it on but I can't imagine they'll be able to afford to do so at the moment. Plus they didn't have the best of luck with Penguins when they kept them in Wiltshire
 
Nisha said:
I like the idea of Longleat taking it on but I can't imagine they'll be able to afford to do so at the moment. Plus they didn't have the best of luck with Penguins when they kept them in Wiltshire
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Glad to know my idea wasn’t so crazy!

In light of this, I propose the following ownership options, again I don’t know whether any are truly feasible:

Sealife
Longleat
WWT
Nausicaa
 
Could one of us Zoochatters email or message the Wild Planet Trust? I'm thinking that that we could ask what Aquarium they are referring to when they say that they have received interest that would keep it as an animal attraction? In my opinion there is no harm in politely asking the question.
 
The Hedgehog said:
Could one of us Zoochatters email or message the Wild Planet Trust? I'm thinking that that we could ask what Aquarium they are referring to when they say that they have received interest that would keep it as an animal attraction? In my opinion there is no harm in politely asking the question.
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They would tell you they can't give out any information - until a deal is done they're very unlikely to give any details publicly about exactly who is interested (as any company wouldn't).
 
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