Frogs come in all shapes and sizes – as these two demonstrate. Paignton Zoo photographer Eleanor Stobbart took this stunning image of a young Thao whipping frog on top of an adult of the same species to mark World Frog Day, on Wednesday 20th March. The species has just bred at Paignton Zoo for the very first time.
Like so many species of exotic frog, this one goes by different names. It’s the Thao whipping frog, Fea’s tree frog, or Fea's flying frog… The one thing we can agree on is the scientific designation, Rhacophorus feae.
With teeth like that, it’s hard to believe Western lowland gorilla Kiondo is a vegetarian. The 15-year-old, who weighs in at around 186 kilos and lives at Paignton Zoo in Devon, has an impressive set of gnashers.
He was spotted displaying to keepers and to his fascinated public by photographer and Zoo regular Miriam Haas.
Kiondo enjoys a diet of vegetables, including peppers, sweetcorn, tomatoes, chicory, cabbage, kale and lettuce. The giant vegetarian sets a fine example when it comes to healthy eating – though his table manners leave a little to be desired.
This is a vampire crab. With its purple body, orange pincers and piercing pale eyes, it’s a nightmarish vision. And a crab that’s also a vampire? Days out at the beach will never be the same…
You may not have heard of a vampire crab, though it’s a species popular with aquarists – in fact, illegal over-collection for the pet trade is a real threat to the species.
As alarming as it looks, this amazing photo, taken by Paignton Zoo photographer Eleanor Stobbart, betrays the true size of this tiny crab. It’s found in India, South East Asia and the islands of the Pacific. The...
A tiger at Paignton Zoo in Devon has had a root canal – performed by one very brave veterinary dentist…
The patient is Paignton Zoo’s 11-year-old male Sumatran tiger Fabi, who is over 2 metres long and weighs over 100 kilograms. A Sumatran tiger has 30 teeth, including four very long canines. Canine teeth are important for biting, tearing and eating meat, for jaw architecture and display. As the adult breeding male tiger, animal staff want to make sure he’s in the very best of health for the future.
The man going into the tiger’s den is veterinary dentist Matthew Oxford....
Torquay’s Living Coasts is part of a new global movement to raise awareness about plastic pollution. The coalition goes under the banner of "World aquariums #ReadyToChange to #BeatPlasticPollution". The aim is to set a good example over the use of plastics and to encourage changes in behaviour. Living Coasts was the first aquarium in the UK to sign up and is one of seven in this country supporting the initiative. The coastal zoo and aquarium stopped selling single-use plastic drinks bottles in 2017. The new movement, launched at the fifth #OurOcean conference, held in Bali, has signed up...
An African penguin chick has been nursed back to health with fish soup by dedicated zoo keepers. The decision to remove the chick from its parents was taken when keepers saw signs of illness and a lack of appetite.
Since then, staff at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, have been feeding the chick every 3 hours from 7.30 in the morning to 7.30 at night. The only thing on the menu is fish; at first this was blended into a liquid soup, but the chick has now moved on to solids.
The chick hatched in early September to penguin parents Burt and his somewhat oddly-...
A charity beer has raised an elephantine sum for wildlife conservation. Bays Brewery helped generate £3,282 by selling a special beer – Trunk Ale - on behalf of wildlife charity Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.
Paignton Zoo supports environmental education in the Omo Forest of south-western Nigeria, where the elusive forest elephant still survives. The Zoo has been funding work there since 2008.
The Paignton micro-brewery is a long-time supporter of Paignton Zoo and its conservation projects. Pete Salmon, from Bays, said: “Since 2013, our partnership with Paignton Zoo has...
A new basic police command unit will be introduced, covering Teignbridge, Torbay and the South Hams.
This will take the total number of basic command units across the force up to four. These four key units of policing are Cornwall, Plymouth, South Devon and NEW [North, East and West] Devon.
The introduction of this new management position will allow a greater influence over priorities for the local area and a bigger voice for South Devon within the force.
Taking on the new role is Chief Superintendent Keith Perkin (pictured) who has worked for Devon and Cornwall...
When Frazer Wilton’s auntie contacted Stagecoach South West regarding her “bus obsessed” 5 year old nephew, the staff at Frazer’s local depot in Torquay decided to arrange a big surprise for a very special little boy.
Frazer - who was diagnosed with Late Infantile Battens disease, a genetic life-limiting neurodegenerative disease, in February 2018 - has always shown a love for buses since an early age.
Bethany Essam Wood, Frazer’s auntie, contacted Stagecoach after one of Frazer’s appointments at Torbay Hospital. When Frazer and his mum Amy saw the number 32 bus waiting at...
Leading local advice charities, Citizens Advice Exeter and Citizens Advice Torbay, are delighted to announce the launch of a new and exciting partnership.
Both charities will now operate under a shared leadership team headed up by Steve Barriball, current Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Exeter.
Bev Foster, Chair of Citizens Advice Torbay said: “The last year has been very difficult for Citizens Advice Torbay, with significant reductions to our funding.
“We are very optimistic that the partnership we have formed with Exeter will help us share best practice and...
