Paignton Zoo Paignton Zoo news 2024

The ‘new’ on show side of the Binturong house needed lots of work, new foundations & roof. It was in a terrible state as it wasn’t built properly to begin with.

The Baboon exhibit will not get completed, probably until at least next summer.

The new Flamingo, Red R Lemur and Lion houses (with current planning live) will all be put on hold, I’d imagine?
 
Hold would be a word.

Planning in general is shambles and despite the finger being pointed to the previous CEO all of his decisions that everyone was "against" are still coming to pass.

The cassowary for one. Naff all to do with AI or cost of keeping. Was all to make room for some mammal build he wanted up there but yet.. the birds are still going??
 
Hoatzin said:
Hold would be a word.

Planning in general is shambles and despite the finger being pointed to the previous CEO all of his decisions that everyone was "against" are still coming to pass.

The cassowary for one. Naff all to do with AI or cost of keeping. Was all to make room for some mammal build he wanted up there but yet.. the birds are still going??
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Why not a late ‘swap’ deal so Paignton take the elderly Chester pair that are due to go off-show, then everyone’s a winner?
 
Best place for the young pair is paignton but they haven't got the housing facilities for the young. So yes that would be a good plan, least by the time the olders have passed on to the forest in the sky paignton might just have a plan and funds for what the next step is.
 
Hoatzin said:
Planning in general is shambles and despite the finger being pointed to the previous CEO all of his decisions that everyone was "against" are still coming to pass.

The cassowary for one. Naff all to do with AI or cost of keeping. Was all to make room for some mammal build he wanted up there but yet.. the birds are still going??
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It seems like he 'jumped ship' just before their real situation was revealed.... Perhaps they decided that with the Cassowary agreement already in place, they would honour it plus meaning one less species to look after.
 
TriUK said:
Why not a late ‘swap’ deal so Paignton take the elderly Chester pair that are due to go off-show, then everyone’s a winner?
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Because in the current circumstances they would prefer to cut down wherever they can?
 
Cutting species numbers at the present time is not going to save any money, only loose more public interest. Both sites have lost considerable numbers of individuals and species over the past five years and if this was the case the species they would pick would have been chosen for that exact reason- think primate numbers at the zoo and the money they could save moving one troop of somethings.

Still crocodiles in Croc swamp- unseen. Yes moving them is an issue but that would be more of a priority than moving the cassowary and given the pelicans have been off show for a long time with very little backlash from well, anyone bar a depressing looking gull lake surely moving a bunch of pelicans that require and use expensive boxes of fish and pond changes on a daily basis would be easier, quicker and save the zoo a whole lot more money than two cassowary who get a tray of root veg twice a day who are seen and appreciated by the public.

Big empty enclosure to not have money to change or stock at the end of it.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As a matter of fact I believe she died quite a while ago now!

Last I heard, the only stock remaining to be moved out were a single Cuban Crocodile and Sunda Gharial apiece.
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If correct, a Cuban must have rotated into the Saltwater Croc pool & I incorrectly ID’d her then less than two weeks ago - apologies if so.
I believe the large water monitor is also residing where Kaleesi the Komodo was?
The reasons given by the outgoing CEO for Croc Swamps closure are now being reviewed & second opinions sought.
 
As sad as it makes me I suspect the zoo will struggle to reach the £15k target - I really hope they do and I've donated myself.

Torbay is fairly economically deprived and another local institution - Torquay United - was also recently in financial distress. They did a couple successful fundraisers and their supporters trust are gearing up for a big community share issue in the next few weeks. That's going to have soaked up a lot of the 'charitable' donations in the area, given there's an overlap in the families that go to both.
 
Gulls86 said:
As sad as it makes me I suspect the zoo will struggle to reach the £15k target - I really hope they do and I've donated myself.

Torbay is fairly economically deprived and another local institution - Torquay United - was also recently in financial distress. They did a couple successful fundraisers and their supporters trust are gearing up for a big community share issue in the next few weeks. That's going to have soaked up a lot of the 'charitable' donations in the area, given there's an overlap in the families that go to both.
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I'm wondering, if the swamp was closed in 2022,and they are now saying that £15000 would get the place reopened, couldn't they afford the £15000 then?
 
Strathmorezoo said:
I'm wondering, if the swamp was closed in 2022,and they are now saying that £15000 would get the place reopened, couldn't they afford the £15000 then?
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They evidently can't afford £15,000 now. It's a lot of money, especially for zoos, and especially for zoos with well documented financial troubles.
 
Strathmorezoo said:
I'm wondering, if the swamp was closed in 2022,and they are now saying that £15000 would get the place reopened, couldn't they afford the £15000 then?
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It's an interesting question considering I dare say they've paid more than £15k for the half completed Baboon relocation. Probably something to do with the change in CEO no doubt. I'm not against a fund raising for the exhibit, the zoo is an asset to the area that needs to be supported but there's definitely been some muddled decisions getting made there by previous management.

Hopefully this is all short term pain over the next 18 months or so as the remainder of the covid loan gets cleared off. If we continue having weather like this, at least the zoo should be busy in August. I just want to see the zoo thriving again, I'm of an age when I was a kid during the 90s and into the 00s, when the zoo was constantly being developed and transformed and always seemed to be developing something new and exciting. It'd be nice to return to those days.
 
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