Newquay Zoo facts for kids
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| Date opened | 26 May 1969 |
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| Location | Newquay, Cornwall, England |
| Land area | 13 acres (5.3 ha) |
| Coordinates | 50°24′48″N 5°04′20″W / 50.41341°N 5.07214°W |
| No. of species | Over 130 |
| Major exhibits | Tropical House, Gems of the Jungle, Village Farm |
| Website | http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/ |
Newquay Zoo is a fantastic place to visit in Newquay, England, where you can see amazing animals! It's located inside Trenance Leisure Park. The zoo first opened its doors in Cornwall on May 26, 1969. The local council started it.
Later, it was owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin for a while. In 2003, the zoo joined the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust. This group also runs Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts. Newquay Zoo is a registered charity. It has won many awards for being a great visitor attraction and for its efforts in sustainable tourism. Today, it's run by the Wild Planet Trust.
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Working Together and Awards
Newquay Zoo is known for its focus on sustainable tourism. This means they try to protect the environment while still being a fun place to visit. It was one of the first zoos in Britain to get a special certificate called ISO 14001. This certificate shows they have good systems for managing their environmental impact. They also won a Gold award for being a Green Tourism Business.
The zoo works with other zoos in Britain and Europe through groups like BIAZA and EAZA. They also help with conservation projects in other countries. For example, they helped create a special map of Newquay. This map encourages people to walk around town and learn about its history, wildlife, and public transport. This project won an award for being sustainable.
The Zoo Today
Newquay Zoo is the biggest zoo in Cornwall. It covers over 13 acres (53,000 m2) of land. You can find more than 130 different kinds of animals here! The zoo started much smaller, at about 6 acres (24,000 m2).
In 2009, they opened a new area called the African Savanna. Later, they added a central area for animals from the Philippines. This area is home to endangered animals like fishing cats, Visayan warty pigs, and Philippine spotted deer.
Amazing Animals at the Zoo
The zoo has many different animal species. They are part of special breeding programs to help endangered animals. These programs help increase the numbers of animals like red pandas, lemurs, Humboldt penguins, marmosets, tamarins, and tapirs.
Newquay Zoo is also part of an international breeding program for endangered species like Owston's palm civets. They even help fund projects in other countries to protect these animals in their natural homes. They support projects for sloths and pacaranas in South America. They also help with pangolin and small carnivore conservation in Southeast Asia. The zoo supports the World Land Trust too, which helps protect wild spaces.
The zoo supports the annual EAZA campaign. This campaign helps raise awareness and funds for conservation. Many of the animals at the zoo are listed as threatened or endangered species by the IUCN. This means they are at risk of disappearing from the wild.
- Mammals
- Asian small-clawed otter
- Azara's agouti
- Black-and-white ruffed lemur
- Black wildebeest
- Brazilian guinea pig
- Capybara
- Carpathian lynx
- Chapman's zebra
- Colombian white-faced capuchin
- Coppery titi
- Crowned lemur
- Dusky pademelon
- Fishing cat
- Goeldi's marmoset
- Gray slender loris
- Hoffmann's two-toed sloth
- Long-nosed potoroo
- Meerkat
- Nyala
- Owston's palm civet
- Parma wallaby
- Prevost's squirrel
- Pygmy marmoset
- Red panda
- Ring-tailed lemur
- Silvery marmoset
- Six-banded armadillo
- South American tapir
- Swinhoe's striped squirrel
- Visayan spotted deer
- Visayan warty pig
- Yellow mongoose
- Birds
- Asian fairy-bluebird
- Black-necked swan
- Blue-crowned hanging parrot
- Blue-crowned laughingthrush
- Great white pelican
- Greater vasa parrot
- Grosbeak starling
- Humboldt penguin
- Indian peafowl
- Javan green magpie
- Lilacine amazon
- Luzon bleeding-heart
- Papuan hornbill
- Pink-headed fruit dove
- Scarlet macaw
- Snowy owl
- Sumatran laughingthrush
- Reptiles and Amphibians (Herps)
- Amazon milk frog
- Black tree monitor
- Electric blue gecko
- Fiji banded iguana
- Panther chameleon
- Radiated tortoise
- Red-tailed racer
- Invertebrates
- Curlyhair tarantula
New Areas Since 2009
A new large area called the African Savanna was added in 2009. This used to be an old school playing field. It's now home to African hoofstock, which are animals with hooves.
This expansion allowed the zoo to change its old African Plains exhibit. It became a new home for endangered Philippine island animals. These include Philippine spotted deer, Visayan warty pigs, and fishing cats.
In 2016, a cool new walkthrough aviary called Gems of the Jungle was created. This aviary is for endangered songbirds from Southeast Asia. It replaced an older building that used to be a cat house.
Fun Things to Do
You can often join in on animal encounters and listen to talks during feeding times. These are great ways to learn more about the animals. There's also a Tarzan Trail, which is an adventure course. Plus, there are Children's Play Areas for younger visitors to enjoy. The zoo used to have a Dragon Maze, which was a fun hedge maze.
Teamwork and Education
Newquay Zoo works with other groups on events and educational projects. For example, in 2009, they celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. They partnered with Falmouth Art Gallery to show art by Cornish artists. Some of these artists created pieces inspired by Darwin's voyage.
The zoo also has its own collection of historical items. Some of these were lent for exhibitions at Falmouth and Newquay Zoo.
Since 2000, Newquay Zoo has helped teach students from Cornwall College Newquay. These students learn about zoological conservation, education, and media. The college campus is right next to the zoo. This special partnership has even won awards for zoo education.
