UK News

Bella May Culley Has Been Found: Is the British Youth in Crisis?

A British teenager, Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, who was reported missing while traveling in Thailand, has been arrested over 4,000 miles away in Tbilisi, Georgia, on serious drug smuggling charges.

She is accused of illegally purchasing, possessing, and importing a large quantity of narcotics, including approximately 14 kilograms of cannabis and hashish, found in her luggage at Tbilisi International Airport.

Bella had been traveling in Southeast Asia, spending three weeks in the Philippines after Easter before arriving in Thailand around May 3. She...

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Happy bird-day at Living Coasts…

It’s an expensive time of year for birthday presents among the kittiwakes at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo. The five adult birds all have birthdays between July 17th and August 7th. And now a chick has hatched on its mother’s birthday.

The kittiwake also hatched in the same nest and to the same parents as last year, when Living Coasts recorded its first ever breeding of this species. The kittiwake is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Senior Keeper Jason Keller has been keeping a close eye on things: “The chick seems...

Next Steps South West Ambassador testing out VR at an outreach event

OfS extend funding for outreach partnership

Next Steps South West’s work at Exeter College is set to continue as the National Collaborative Outreach Programme has been extended for a further two academic years, with a new completion date of 31 July 2021.

Established in January 2017, Next Steps South West (NSSW) operates out of 14 partner universities and colleges throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset with the aim of providing impartial advice to young people who are trying to navigate their journey to higher education.

At present the collaborative project has reached 81 schools/colleges and over 13,000 students in...

Devon’s new nature reserve… in the South Atlantic

Living Coasts has announced a new conservation project linking Torquay with a group of islands half a world away.

Torquay’s coastal zoo’s latest project is based on the Falkland Islands – an archipelago of over 750 islands, home to roughly 3,000 people, 500,000 sheep - and one million penguins. Yes, this is a UK territory with penguins.

The islands are home to some of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet, sensitive to change and to the introduction of native species. In the Falklands, historic human activities such as livestock grazing, burning (to drive out sea...

Zoo's UK climate change first

A Devon educator has become the first accredited UN climate change teacher in a UK zoo.

Steve Nash, Head of Education for Wild Planet Trust, the charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall, has become a UN Accredited Climate Change teacher.

“The modules are based on the most recent evidence regarding climate change science and its impacts on everyday life around the world. It is now widely acknowledged that we are facing a climate emergency – and a changing climate poses challenges for wildlife, for wild places, and for us as a...

BTEC Award Winners collecting their awards

Exeter College BTEC students win big in National Awards

Students from Exeter College have been celebrating success following the National BTEC Awards 2019.

A total of nine Exeter College students were recognised at an awards ceremony that took place in Westminster in July. The event celebrates exceptional BTEC students and apprentices while also shining a light on the inspirational teachers who have influenced their learning.

Exeter College’s Luke Bearpark was crowned Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Student of the Year with Abbie Densham being awarded Science Student of the Year.

In addition, Bronze Awards were given to...

People and conservation are inextricably linked.

Thriving Together: people and nature in balance

A key regional conservation charity has signed up to a campaign highlighting an environmental issue that has been described as the world’s most important yet least discussed – population growth.

Wild Planet Trust, the charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall, has joined the Thriving Together campaign, which recognises that family planning is critically important not only for women and girls but also for the environment.

The zoo charity joins 150 other leading environmental and reproductive health organisations pledging support for...

Devon mourns Duchess

The matriarch of Paignton Zoo has died. Female African elephant Duchess collapsed in her house early on Sunday morning. Despite a determined and extended response from her keepers, the in-house vet team and other staff and volunteers, the difficult decision to euthaniase her was taken at lunch-time.

Simon Tonge, Executive Director of Paignton Zoo, was present throughout: “Duchess was found collapsed in her house at 8.00 in the morning. She was lying on her left side – with her good eye to the floor - and unable to stand, which was distressing for her keepers to see.

“When...

Hatching chicks (nearly) as easy as ABC

This Vietnam pheasant chick – and others like it hatched recently at Paignton Zoo – could be the future of its species.

Bird keepers at the charity zoo are based in the Avian Breeding Centre, commonly known as the ABC. The chick is being cared for here; while it’s preferable for chicks to be parent reared, keepers will step in to give nature a helping hand when needed.

Another six (unrelated) Vietnam pheasant chicks are being reared by their parents in an off-show holding area. A video taken by keeping staff offers a rare glimpse into this hidden world.

Paignton Zoo...

Setting higher standards in zoo retail

Local zoos are setting high environmental and ethical standards for their suppliers to ensure the quality of products in their shops. Questionnaires were sent to some 70 different suppliers asking about the environmental, ethical and recycling components of their businesses.

The initiative was launched by South West Zoo Enterprises, the retail arm of Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall.

Questions on the email evaluation forms included: “Is there a possibility of goods being delivered without using plastics for...

Critically Endangered red ruffed lemurs born at Paignton Zoo

Are these the sweetest babies in the world?

There are baby red ruffed lemurs at Paignton Zoo – and just look at them!

The charity zoo is a professional science and conservation body working internationally to help save these Critically Endangered primates – but sometimes all the serious stuff is pushed to one side by incredibly cute baby animals.

Head Keeper of Mammals Owen Taylor said: “When we were sure she was close to giving birth, we put some ropes up at the indoor viewing area to give her some additional privacy and the best opportunity of raising her offspring.”

The twins were born on the morning of...

UK News

Bella May Culley Has Been Found: Is the British Youth in Crisis?

Happy bird-day at Living Coasts…

OfS extend funding for outreach partnership

Devon’s new nature reserve… in the South Atlantic

Zoo's UK climate change first

Exeter College BTEC students win big in National Awards

Thriving Together: people and nature in balance

Devon mourns Duchess

Hatching chicks (nearly) as easy as ABC

Setting higher standards in zoo retail

Are these the sweetest babies in the world?

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