Well, it may well have remained active beyond the time we left the enclosure too - but we had a lot of ground to cover in relatively little time, so had to tear ourselves away from the kiwi eventually
Paignton Zoo Paignton Zoo 2023
- Thread starter TriUK
- Start date
Well, it may well have remained active beyond the time we left the enclosure too - but we had a lot of ground to cover in relatively little time, so had to tear ourselves away from the kiwi eventually
I’ve suggested before that it would be nice to do an after-hours kiwi watch, similar to how we used to watch the badgers from the hide at Paignton.Well, it may well have remained active beyond the time we left the enclosure too - but we had a lot of ground to cover in relatively little time, so had to tear ourselves away from the kiwi eventually
If I was being worried I'd say nothing is going to replace Crocodile Swamp any time soon. If they can't afford to repair/maintain a facility that was built in 2008, it really does start to ask some quite worrying questions about just how damaged Paignton has been by the last few years. It really does cut a sorry figure even compared to 5 years ago.
It feels so weird, when I was a child and going into my teens Paignton felt so forward thinking and well run. Over the span of the back end of the 90s/early 00s, they completely revamped the zoo, built numerous new exhibits, rebuilt the entrance and established Living Coasts in Torquay. Over the last decade I can't remember the last major thing the zoo opened - was it actually Crocodile Swamp? Instead it's been decline, cancellation of plans, reduction in species on show/facilities and the full on closing of Living Coasts. Soon it's going to be a couple lions, some baboons sitting on a patch of grass and whatever remnants they pinch from Newquay.
Is it just the double whammy of TB/Covid or is there a much deeper rot in the zoo?
Last edited:
M
Maybe ask the dozen or more front of house staff that left recently to work at the wonderful Occombe Farm, or the long serving membership managers that quit their posts before Christmas, or why staff retention in key areas is so, so low? Why is the Director of the zoo an ex military man with zero conservation Experience ( I’ll apologise publicly if I’m proved wrong on this)? It’s dire - that’s for Rajang
As someone who grew up going to Paignton Zoo it makes me sad to see the state of it these days. My mum still lives just up the road in Roselands. We always had season passes and used to just go to play in the play areas. I've taken my kids a couple of times but there's not a great deal for them to see there any more
There has been a ‘dramatic’ decline of the collection
I don't think there is any question the collection has fallen apart over the last decade, almost Marwellesque! But Marwells collapse from 2005 onwards has been halted to an extent. Perhaps there is hope for Paignton
This was said in jest, I appreciate that may not come across clearly via text.
While the collection is smaller than it used to be, I do think the hand-wringing that accompanies every occurrence at Paignton is a little much though. Everything is treated as another nail in the coffin, when it's still the biggest zoo by far in the area and is, from my perspective at least, taking reasonable steps to preserve its long-term existence.
Some changes are disappointing or saddening but have a clear (financial) logic (e.g. Croc Swamp, Living Coasts - big money drains for different reasons), some are long overdue (Baboon Rock) and some were inevitable (e.g. Duchess). But I do think a lot of these moves are being done to provide a stable platform, upon which the zoo will be able to build itself up again.
Good points. My concern is that whilst the zoo ‘builds itself up again’, it loses custom from tourists and annoys locals with memberships. It’s tricky to balance building a solid foundation whilst moving forward & being dynamic.
Does anyone have the zoo's annual visitor numbers over the past 5 years?
John Tuson has 7 informative pages about Paignton Zoo in his book The Zoos of Great Britain and Ireland (2022) and he lists the annual attendance as 415,000. He praises the zoo and obviously has a great love for the establishment, but Tuson does note a bit of an overall decline.
He writes that "the bird collection at Paignton was once enormous. Now it is a great deal smaller" and that the facility is "in places a very good zoo". However, he goes on to say that "But, at the moment, it does feel as if it needs another boost, as if, presently, it is drifting, a little." That seems like a timely summary of what is happening with all the changes at the zoo.
He writes that "the bird collection at Paignton was once enormous. Now it is a great deal smaller" and that the facility is "in places a very good zoo". However, he goes on to say that "But, at the moment, it does feel as if it needs another boost, as if, presently, it is drifting, a little." That seems like a timely summary of what is happening with all the changes at the zoo.
Visited today. The sun was out and the park looks stunning, green, lush and the blossom on the trees is truly wonderful.
The enclosure that was listed for months as ‘being prepared’ for the juvenile Cuban Croc now has a sign for Malaysian Giant Turtles, but don’t seem to be present? Does anybody know where these came from (Bristol?).
The Giraffe herd have been allowed access to the island of trees and are devouring the bark. It was nice to see.
The Wattled Crane paddock is now netted over with a gated non-netted area that they had access to today.
The Swamp Wallaby holding area was screened with only one E Grey Kangaroo visible.
Juvenile Scarlet Ibis (3) are now in the old Owl aviary behind the Red Crowned Cranes, opposite the Pandas.
The Red Crowned Crane and Secretary Bird have been given new shelters.
The front of house staff have been given A4 script sheets from management to answer questions related to the zoo’s announcements about future developments - they all end in ‘…please look at social media for exciting news in the coming months…’
The enclosure that was listed for months as ‘being prepared’ for the juvenile Cuban Croc now has a sign for Malaysian Giant Turtles, but don’t seem to be present? Does anybody know where these came from (Bristol?).
The Giraffe herd have been allowed access to the island of trees and are devouring the bark. It was nice to see.
The Wattled Crane paddock is now netted over with a gated non-netted area that they had access to today.
The Swamp Wallaby holding area was screened with only one E Grey Kangaroo visible.
Juvenile Scarlet Ibis (3) are now in the old Owl aviary behind the Red Crowned Cranes, opposite the Pandas.
The Red Crowned Crane and Secretary Bird have been given new shelters.
The front of house staff have been given A4 script sheets from management to answer questions related to the zoo’s announcements about future developments - they all end in ‘…please look at social media for exciting news in the coming months…’
Attachments
Which is one more Eastern Grey Kangaroo than the zoo actually has
I believe you meant Western!
Tetradactyla
Active Member
I have a lot of sympathy for the zoo here - they wouldn’t be the first to build a new exhibit, only to discover that it’s a pig to maintain - but I’m going to miss Croc Swamp (and, to my chagrin, Baboon Rock!) I always look forward to my once-yearly trip to Paignton during our summer hols, and visits to the Croc Swamp/Baboon Rock/Desert House are always eagerly anticipated because they’re something I don’t often see in other zoos. I will be very sorry to see them go, at any rate, although I imagine the baboons will still make for great viewing in a better setup!
Nah, they didn't come from Bristol - their singleton animal went somewhere on the continent after the zoo closed last year (though I don't recall the precise location) whilst I seem to recall the pair at Paignton have been in the collection for about three or four years, only moving onshow now.
The move onshow was made possible by the fact the Cuban Crocodile which you mention died a few months back. I assume they didn't bother changing the sign to read "preparing for turtles" because it would be additional cost to produce for no real benefit, and for such a short timespan of use.
The desert house is good. The tropical house had 4-5 exhibits empty today and it has lost much of its charm without the birds in there.
I think the zebra paddock hillside will be great as a baboon exhibit and that the current rock will be demolished and added to the footprint of the current farm area for a new exhibit of some kind - perhaps a new tropical house?
I believe the Croc Swamp building and core infrastructure will remain and be re-vamped into a new exhibit.
The zoo have produced some wonderful postcards of the former guide book covers and even printed tea towels of the same images which will look good framed.
The zoo grounds looked stunning today and the gardens team deserve much praise.
That’s sad re. the croc - was this death recorded on zootierliste?
No, but I have contacts with an interest in European captive crocodile holdings and access to ZIMS
Sounds like a lot of development for a zoo that barely seems to have two pound coins to rub together and has retrenched massively in the last 2/3 years. I hope it turns out that positively and the areas aren't just left empty or have some goats chucked in it, in the case of Baboon Rock.
My instinct tells me that the rock will be demolished as it’s so difficult for staff to clean & maintain and it’s most likely a h & safety concern going forward.
However, it would make for a good free flight aviary for a large flock of macaws if steel netted over with glass viewing?