mhale
Well-Known Member
Here is a review of my visit to Paignton Zoo:
When we arrived, there was a long queue waiting for the gates to open, but we avoided it thanks to our annual passes. Also, there were no CAPS demonstrators outside which was good.
As we had bypassed the queue, we headed straight for the Sumatran Tigers in the hope of seeing the four cubs outside (passing through the Brook Side Aviary and past the Asiatic Lions, Cassowaries and Owls on the way). Banda (the mother) was outside but we could see on the TV screen that the cubs were, unfortunately, all in the den
They look quite big now.
This was my first time in the Lemur Wood, and I was very impressed
It is wonderful to see the Red-fronted Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs roaming freely in the trees. Also, the wobbly bridge is a bit of fun 
Demo, Mali and Gambira the orangs were outside on the smaller island, whilst Chinta sat in the doorway to the larger island. There was certainly no sign of any baby orang! The four younger gorillas were indoors (some of whom were messing about with sheets), whilst Kumbuka and Pertinax were on the island.
We didn’t see the ostriches, maned wolves or capybaras at all.
The Two-toed Sloth was moving around in the Nocturnal House, and the Rodriguez Fruit Bats were interesting to watch. We didn’t see the Armadillos.
At Monkey Heights, the Diana Monkeys were all outside, whilst the Colobus Monkeys were all inside. We didn’t see the Loris, but all the other small mammals were on view.
We didn’t see the Porcupines. The enclosure for the Prairie Marmots has a tunnel through it with viewing bubbles, which seemed popular. The Pudus were at the back of their enclosure. The Baboon troop was large with quite a few youngsters. A lot of the adults were grooming each other.
Crocodile Swamp was busy and very humid! There was a bit of a queue inside.
The Red Pandas were up the tree (as usual), and the Echidnas were nowhere to be seen.
At the end of our visit, we went back to the gorillas, hoping that maybe the youngsters were outside and the other two inside, but there was no change from earlier in the day. We also went back to the tigers, but the cubs were still in the den
I have always felt the zoo has a nice atmosphere about it. The animals appear well looked after and have nice big enclosures. The variety of animals is excellent and the location is great. You can even see the sea from the camel enclosure! I had not visited for seven years, so I noticed a lot of changes / improvements. Having read other comments about Monkey Heights, I have to agree that it is a shame that the climbing opportunities are limited. I had a great day out and hopefully my photos in the gallery will prove it
When we arrived, there was a long queue waiting for the gates to open, but we avoided it thanks to our annual passes. Also, there were no CAPS demonstrators outside which was good.
As we had bypassed the queue, we headed straight for the Sumatran Tigers in the hope of seeing the four cubs outside (passing through the Brook Side Aviary and past the Asiatic Lions, Cassowaries and Owls on the way). Banda (the mother) was outside but we could see on the TV screen that the cubs were, unfortunately, all in the den
They look quite big now.This was my first time in the Lemur Wood, and I was very impressed
It is wonderful to see the Red-fronted Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs roaming freely in the trees. Also, the wobbly bridge is a bit of fun Demo, Mali and Gambira the orangs were outside on the smaller island, whilst Chinta sat in the doorway to the larger island. There was certainly no sign of any baby orang! The four younger gorillas were indoors (some of whom were messing about with sheets), whilst Kumbuka and Pertinax were on the island.
We didn’t see the ostriches, maned wolves or capybaras at all.
The Two-toed Sloth was moving around in the Nocturnal House, and the Rodriguez Fruit Bats were interesting to watch. We didn’t see the Armadillos.
At Monkey Heights, the Diana Monkeys were all outside, whilst the Colobus Monkeys were all inside. We didn’t see the Loris, but all the other small mammals were on view.
We didn’t see the Porcupines. The enclosure for the Prairie Marmots has a tunnel through it with viewing bubbles, which seemed popular. The Pudus were at the back of their enclosure. The Baboon troop was large with quite a few youngsters. A lot of the adults were grooming each other.
Crocodile Swamp was busy and very humid! There was a bit of a queue inside.
The Red Pandas were up the tree (as usual), and the Echidnas were nowhere to be seen.
At the end of our visit, we went back to the gorillas, hoping that maybe the youngsters were outside and the other two inside, but there was no change from earlier in the day. We also went back to the tigers, but the cubs were still in the den
I have always felt the zoo has a nice atmosphere about it. The animals appear well looked after and have nice big enclosures. The variety of animals is excellent and the location is great. You can even see the sea from the camel enclosure! I had not visited for seven years, so I noticed a lot of changes / improvements. Having read other comments about Monkey Heights, I have to agree that it is a shame that the climbing opportunities are limited. I had a great day out and hopefully my photos in the gallery will prove it
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