A silverback gorilla is coming to Exeter – by bus.
Stagecoach are supporting Paignton Zoo’s Great Gorillas Project by sponsoring a unique piece of three-dimensional public art - a life-sized model gorilla.
The Stagecoach silverback is called Bananarilla – for obvious reasons – and is the creation of graffiti artist Miss*C, Cleo Heard. He will have his own little piece of jungle to live in thanks to local school children.
Cleo has been working with St Peter's School, Exeter, to create a suitable backdrop for Bananarilla at the bus station. Children have been...
A top South Devon brewery has created a special beer - for gorillas.
The Bays Great Gorilla Ale is a one-off brew celebrating Paignton Zoo’s 90th birthday and The Great Gorillas Project.
The project features life-sized model gorillas sponsored by businesses, painted in original designs by specially commissioned artists and displayed in a unique public art trail around Exeter and the English Riviera.
Bays Brewery, in Paignton, is supporting the charity event by brewing the limited edition cask-only ale. Peter Salmon, from Bays, said: “We are delighted to support such...
Paignton Zoo is inviting visitors to help name its baby orang utan. The female baby was born on Thursday 11 April.
“Her keepers have chosen a shortlist of names. We have a collecting box in the foyer with eight slots – people can vote for the name or names they like the best. This way, everyone gets to vote and we raise money for conservation at the same time.”
The names are: Bethari, meaning goddess; Elok (beautiful, awesome, jewel); Intan (diamond); Kes (patience); Lintang (star); Ratih (goddess of beauty); Tatau (a place in Sarawak where the baby’s great grandmother...
One top Devon company is helping an animal charity with the little things that make a big difference.
Sparkworld has donated a selection of domestic appliances and kitchen tools to Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium.
“These things may not be sexy, but they are vital!” says Jenny Paton from Living Coasts. “The hand blender is used for preparing fish for feeding birds. And sometimes we make fish soup to syringe feed the rays, especially if youngsters need feeding up. The dishwasher is used to clean animal feed bowls.
A new seaside pad with a million pound price tag has been snapped up - by a family of otters. The prime site at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, overlooks Beacon Cove and Tor Bay.
Bradley’s Estate Agents Area Manager Darren Hole commented: “This is a prime location with stunning panoramic views, convenient for the harbour and for town centre shops. The grounds are perfect for al fresco dining - and there’s lots of local wildlife!”
The single-storey accommodation includes a bedroom and lounge area with a porch. The grounds feature two swimming pools, lawns...
UK nature is in trouble – that is the conclusion of a groundbreaking report published today by a coalition of leading conservation and research organisations.
Scientists working side-by-side from 25 wildlife organisations have compiled a stock take of our native species – the first of its kind in the UK. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.
The State of Nature report will be launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK...
The latest creation in Paignton Zoo’s Great Gorilla Project is a real team effort.
Artist Penny Robson, a tutor for South Devon College’s Adult & Community Learning Department, invited her students to help her paint a life-size gorilla.
“There’s a list of about thirty people who want to help, but I can only have two or three at a time!” The model gorilla, called Flagged, is decorated with the flags of all the nations that are home to wild gorillas.
Sponsored by Paignton BID, the gorilla is part of the project celebrating the 90th birthday of Paignton Zoo. Life-...
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is celebrating its first orang utan birth in 16 years.
Bornean orang utan Mali gave birth on Thursday 11th April. The last orang to be born at Paignton Zoo was female Gambira, on 22nd March 1997.
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park Director of Operations and Curator of Mammals Neil Bemment said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our years of patience have been rewarded and that Mali is proving to be an excellent and attentive mother. The babies are such enchanting and vulnerable looking creatures that you can’t help but want to do something to...
Sleeping away from the family home is linked to health risks for badgers, new research by the University of Exeter and the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) has revealed.
Scientists found that badgers which strayed away from the family burrow in favour of sleeping in outlying dens were more likely to carry TB.
The 12-month study of 40 wild badgers was funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and could have implications for the management of bovine TB in parts of the UK.
The behaviour of individual animals is thought to be a...
Penguins are going to be popping up all around Torquay harbour.
Look out for the cheeky six inch characters in shops and businesses.
Over 50 mini plaster of Paris penguins have been decorated in a range of dazzling designs by Living Coasts staff and volunteers, with others created by children and friends. The penguins will be on show in shop windows around the inner harbour, forming a fun free trail to follow.
Designs include a punk with a Mohican, Harry Potter, a Wagnerian Valkyrie, several versions of Superman, a ceremonial guardsman complete with bearskin, a...
