Plans have been announced to redevelop the Savannah area of the zoo during the next few years. The first phase should open in 2018 Major redevelopment plans for Paignton Zoo announced | Torquay Herald Express Major redevelopment plans for Paignton Zoo announced NEW plans for the redevelopment of the higher half of Paignton Zoo have been announced. Plans are due to be submitted in the spring for the rebuilding and the expansion of the existing indoor and outdoor play areas at the Zoo, as well as improvements to the savannah zone over several years. The savannah habitat, at the rear of the zoo near Penwill Way, currently houses animals such as the zebras and the camels. Zoo spokesman Phil Knowling said that the plans for the redevelopment of the savannah zone are for all of the area past the Monkey Heights. Executive Director Simon Tonge said: "We want to make more of the open space we have at the top end of the valley and replace the last of the old animal buildings. We think the result will be a better experience for our visitors and a better environment for our animals." Phil Knowling added: "The development will be done over several stages and take several years to complete. Some of the area at the top end of the Zoo is very underutilised at the moment. "We will be also hope to be replacing some of the brick buildings in the savannah zone. "It won't be a sweeping thing that happens overnight, but will be done bit by bit and mainly in the off season. We are also expanding the indoor and outdoor play areas and improving the catering in the area." Plans are due to be submitted for the expansion of existing indoor and outdoor play areas, the savannah habitat zone, and for new paths, viewing opportunities and visitor facilities in the spring, with the first phase of works starting in the autumn and completion pencilled in for summer 2018. In other news - the introductions between Tigers, Fabi and Shakira have gone well so far
I hope they get a really good Nocturnal house. In my opinion this is the one thing Paignton is lacking.
New female Cheetah Jahzara, a female cheetah born 7 December 2013, has arrived from Beekse Bergen Safari Park: The latest news from Paignton Zoo.
Visited today. Shakira and Fabi are indeed getting on very well, they mated several times. Regarding the work personally I'd like to see the nocturnal, Anoa, Tapir and Capybara houses go. I find this part of the Zoo really does look outdated, the Tapir/Capybara houses especially look more like prison blocks rather than animal accommodation. Wish they'd stop focusing on play parks though. Whole point of a Zoo is animals not areas for kids to play in. A play park or adventure park is what that's for. Yeah the odd area for kids to play in is Okay, but now there's at least six play areas. I can seriously see one of the 'improvements' at the top part of the Zoo being yet another play area, especially as that area is currently play area free...
I agree. Some years ago, presumably when finances were better, I heard of much more adventurous plans for this area. They carried out a marketing exercise in 2014 and (to be cynical) it's likely that parents asked for more play areas to keep their children occupied. I must say that if I lived next to the zebra or camel paddocks, I would object to any planning applications for play grounds there. At the same time, I do realise that the zoo wouldn't survive if only real zoo fans visited
My major beef with Paignton's play areas is the fact that the first one is minutes away from the entrance. If a zoo has to have a play area then try and situate it near the exit or in the centre of the zoo.
Brum, it's only minutes away if you walk right past heaps of birds, lions & cassowaries in one direction or a tropical house, desert house, islands and coatis in another.....
The entrance and the exit are in the same place at Paignton. How can you put anything some distance from the entrance and yet also near the exit? Alan
We always follow the same route around so we see that playground once, I'm the only one of us who backtracks. Paignton's a full day zoo for us and the girls only see that playground once, they don't see it on the way out and from observations made most people take the same route. That's what I meant by being close to the start. Sorry for the confusion.
A bit more information about the plans from the Herald Express: Paignton Zoo reveals £2.3m plan for African-style savannah area | Torquay Herald Express and the Zoo's website: http://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/explore/news/detail/investing-in-the-future
It will be interesting to see the plans when they are forthcoming. For that amount of money I think they can do quite lot of landscaping with associated paths and barriers, but not very much building except for basic stabling etc. Alan
Webcam Fans of Lesser Adjutant Storks may like to know that there's now a webcam looking from the restaurant towards the lake and their enclosure: Paignton Zoo, Paignton, Devon, South West England, UK
This link mentions 'elephants'... is that because they presume they will continue with them in the future? The zoo website release doesn't mention elephants.
I noticed this and put it down to carelessness. Presuming Duchess still has a few years ahead of her, they maybe should have written 'an elephant'. They've always implied that Duchess would be the last, but who knows
Another article in the Herald Express about the zoo's plans: Expansion, wild flowers and breeding in pipeline for Paignton Zoo | Torquay Herald Express It includes a sketch of a 'potential play area expansion'. This could be the play area between the orangs and the aviaries/bongos. It's currently being worked on - photo in the gallery.
Maybe it was mentioned already: a young male Diana monkey male goes from Ostrava to Paington zoo, to become a new breeding male there.
