Newquay Zoo
Encyclopedia
Newquay Zoo is a zoological garden
located in Newquay, England
. The zoo was opened in Cornwall
on Whit Monday May 26, 1969 by the local council (Newquay Urban District Council, later Restormel
District Council), it was privately owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin from 1993 until 2003. In August 2003 Stewart Muir became the new Director and the zoo became part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
, alongside Paignton Zoo
and Living Coasts
. The zoo is a registered charity, and was awarded various South West and Cornwall 'Visitor Attraction of The Year' and 'Sustainable Tourism' awards for excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
links overseas.
A recent Cornwall Sustainable Tourism award and BIAZA award for sustainability projects recognised an interactive map of Newquay promoting self-guided walking tours around the town and Newquay area, featuring its history, heritage, wildlife and public transport links; this has been launched in 2009, produced in partnership with the Zoo's Environment Officer.
's only zoo and now covers over 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) of land, as well as housing 300 animals of over 130 species. An expansion of 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) opened as an African Savanna area from Easter 2009 followed by a new Philippines area housing endangered Fishing Cat
, Visayan Warty Pig
and Philippine spotted deer
.
breeding programmes for endangered red panda
s, lemur
s, Sulawesi crested macaques, Humboldt penguin
s, fossa
, marmoset
s, tamarin
s and tapir
s as well as meerkat
s, lion
and coati
s.
The Zoo is home to part of an international breeding programme for some endangered species such as Owston's Palm Civet
and Red-fronted Macaw
for which an overseas ex-situ conservation
support programme of funding and skills exchange exists, along with support for the Unau Sloth
project and Pacarana
in South America, Pangolin
and Small Carnivore conservation programme in South East Asia. The World Land Trust
BIAZA zoo reserve in South America is also supported through the wild spaces scheme. Support is also given annually to students at the Libanona Ecology Centre in Southern Madagascar. The EAZA Campaign is supported annually. Recent overseas project information can be found for each project on the zoo website. Increasingly animal species held at the zoo are listed as threatened or endangered species
on the Red Data lists produced by the IUCN.
s, tropical birds, reptiles and insects. Animal encounters and feeding time talks are also available throughout the year. A Tarzan activity adventure Trail, Children’s Play Area and the Dragon Maze (designed by mazemaker Adrian Fisher
in 1983) are provided for children’s entertainment. Cafe and shop areas stock local and Fair Trade items. An events programme runs throughout the year, updates can be found on the zoo website.
bicentenary year events. It is partnering Falmouth Art Gallery
in hosting Cornish
artists including John Dyer to produce material for four 2009 exhibitions at Falmouth, where Charles Darwin
left the HMS Beagle
at the end of his voyage in 1836. Some material is being lent from the growing Newquay Zoo Archive of zoo historical material for these exhibitions and displays at Falmouth and Newquay Zoo.
The zoo provides teaching input and practical opportunities for students enrolled at the adjacent Newquay Centre for Applied Zoology of Cornwall College
on zoological conservation, education and media courses.
Photographs exist in the zoo archive taken by the late Ernie Littlefield, Head Gardener for the local Council, of the zoo being built including aerial views of the site before and after building, the mountains of earth and mud moved, the changing Newquay skyline and of long gone animals like Queenie and Charlie the first pair of lions.
Recently postcard images of Chinese Leopards and Asian Black Bears have been found to add to the photos in the 1970s, 1989, 1996 and subsequent guidebooks. The zoo photograph archive is currently (2009) being catalogued and scanned. Donations of original or scanned images or film footage especially from the pre-1994 period are very welcome; contact details can be found on the website for Mark Norris, co-ordinator of the Newquay Zoo Archive (part of the education department). Newquay Zoo is also researching the history of the site where the zoo is located, as well as the early history of zoos, Victorian Zoos and zoos in World War Two. The Bartlett Society is a good source of reference for those researching zoo history.
1950s - Small seasonal animal collection established each summer in Newquay's Rose and Trenance Gardens near the Boating Lake, thought to be linked to the now-closed Exmouth Zoo and the late Ken Smith & family. Few images or information currently exist about this early pre-zoo collection.
1967 - Torrey Canyon
oil spill contaminated sand spread over part of future zoo site, mostly in current car park area. Oil was reported to surface when digging holes for many years to come.
1968 - Building and landscaping work begins on developing 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of the Trenance farmland (dairy) site into the present zoo site, funded by Newquay Urban District Council. Construction cost over £30,000 (in 1968/9) and was undertaken by a range of local companies including ACE Engineering and Western Road Construction. Planting was planned and undertaken by the Council Parks and Gardens department, head gardener Mr. Ernie Littlefield who photographed the changing site.
1969 - [26 May] Whit Monday opening of the zoo, over 4000 paid visitors attended (according to the West Briton
newspaper May 29, 1969) and the first child through the gates at 10 a.m. was one Christopher Minns paying 1/6 (Child, one shilling and six pence in LSD pre-decimal coinage) and his father Councillor Norman Minns (Adult cost 3/6, three shillings and six pence).
The zoo opened two days behind schedule due to the difficulty of moving animals from various sources and other zoos into the zoo and settling them down under the watchful eye of Curator Peter Lowe, formerly of Chester Zoo. Other staff at the time included Alex Charity and Norman Marshall (Head Keeper).
The zoo usually closed to visitors at the end of each summer season (September / October until Easter/ Whitsun) until the change of ownership 1993 /1994.
Original structures from 1969 can still be seen include the Asian Black Bear Pit (home to Sulawesi macaques since 1995),Chinese Leopard and / or Puma enclosure (now home to Macaws), Deer Paddock (now home to Visayan Warty Pigs and Philippine Spotted Deer
), the Old Lion House (now home to Madagascan Fossa
), Penguin Pool (now adapted to a meerkat
enclosure), Sea Lion pool (now adapted to Humboldt Penguin
) and the main office block. Many of these structures have been redeveloped or are due to be replaced in the current redevelopment plan. The Walk Through Aviary, a scaled-down version of the famous Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo
built in 1967, finally closed around 2005/6 to become a garden area awaiting redevelopment.
1970s - small colony of 'Cornish' Chough
established (from Irish stock), which later possibly transferred to Paradise Park
at Hayle, Cornwall into the Operation Chough breeding programme. Councillor W.J. Rogers, one of those behind the decision to set up the zoo, was thought to be one of those involved in this project.
1976 - Dangerous Wild Animals Act covers large wild and exotic animals kept as pets leading to:
1977 - Ross and Demelza, pair of ex-pet African Lions handed into Newquay Zoo by local farming family! Ross lives until 1997. The first pair of African Lions were known as Queenie and Charlie (male). A lion was strikingly featured in the early adverts and press publicity for the zoo in 1969 and remained regularly part of the advertising until the early 2000s.
1983 - Dragon Maze planted 1982/3 by Adrian Fisher
.
1985 to 1989 - redevelopment by Restormel Borough Council of the zoo's Activity play areas, Tarzan Trail, Oriental garden and Children's Farm area. A small hedgehog hospital established and run until about 2004.
1987 - new two storey version of Tropical House built with free-flight avairy, small aquarium and education centre / reptile room, with recorded visits of 5000 children in 1988.
1988 - new Penguin Pool developed out of old Sealion Pool (1969).
1989 - new walk though Rabbit warren opened (closed by 1996)
- new Lion House built and opened by 1990.
1990- 1996? Change of name and logo to Newquay Animal World temporarily.
1993/4 - change to private ownership under Mike Thomas and Roger Martin, who begin further redevelopments. Mike Thomas wrote about this period of ownership until 2003 in his memoir Strange Things Happened on My Way to the Zoo, published May 2010.
The re-opening ceremony was performed by local former MP and newsreader David Mudd
(and dog!)
The zoo's membership of the Federation of Zoos (now BIAZA) and EAZA began about this time as more involvement in endangered animal breeding programmes developed. Many of the early and significant changes to the old zoo were recognised by UFAW and Federation of Zoos / BIAZA awards (listed on the zoo website), along with publications of research in zoo journals such as RATEL and IZN International Zoo News on these redevelopments organised by the Curator at the time, Jon Blount (Curator c.1994-98).
1994 - Chunky, last of the original Asian Black Bears dies in late 1994.
- Shane and Tina, a pair of Pumas arrive from the recently closed Haigh Zoo near Wigan.
- Small Aquarium section closed (and dismantled 1996)
1994 - 95 African Plains mixed enclosure (lechwe, zebra, porcupine, meerkat) created out of old Sika Deer paddock (closes when moved to new African savanna 2009).
1995 - Old bear pit rebuilt to house Sulawesi macaque monkeys.
1997/8 - early experiments with the zoo website, now
1998 - Rolf Harris opens the refurbished Penguin Pool and Village Farm.
- July 7, first pilot Modern Foreign Languages day at the zoo in French with Camborne School Year 7. This project later wins a commendation in The Zoo Federation / BIAZA zoo education awards (see zoo website for other awards achieved in this period).
- July 17, New Puma enclosure opened by actress Jenny Agutter. Jethro and Maverick, a pair of pumas arrived in June from Belfast Zoo to keep Tina company following the death of Shane.
1999 - August 11, zoo open during the 1999 Solar Eclipse
.
2000 - September, first 16+ students enrol on courses at Cornwall College
Newquay (which moved next to the zoo on Wildflower Lane site in 2003) on programme set up by Mike Thomas and Dr. Mike Kent.
2000 - Ronnie, ex-pride male Lion from Longleat group retires to Newquay (and lives until December 2007, aged over 19). He replaced his half-brother, Major who he had helped force out of the Longleat group in 1997. Lizzie, an ex-Longleat lioness keeps these old males company and active.
2001 - February, Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Britain sees zoo closure for three to four weeks.
2003 - May, the AGM of the Zoo Federation (now BIAZA) held at Newquay. First pair of Fossa
, Mavis and Harry, arrive on breeding loan and produce a baby in 2007.
- August, Mike Thomas and Roger Martin, owner / directors of Newquay Zoo retire and sell zoo.
Whitley Wildlfe Conservation Trust period 2003 -
- August 14, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust purchased Newquay Zoo to operate this as part of the charitable trust with Paignton Zoo
and Living Coasts
.
- October 8, Cornwall College Newquay (Newquay Zoological Studies Centre for Applied Zoology) new Borlase building officially opened by DR. Jo Gipps OBE, Director of Bristol Zoo.
New logo (portrait)showing the striped backside of a running zebra takes over from the 1996 - 2003 flag style(landscape) logo, designed to fit with the othet Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
partners, Paignton Zoo
and Living Coasts
. Several other logo designs such as Diana Monkey (linking back to the 1980s / 1990s Council zoo logo of a vervet or Diana monkey) were created but rejected during this rebranding in favour of a logo which would look forward to the opening of the African Savanna section (2009 onwards).
The traditional Cornish colours of the St. Piran Flag (black and white) and Cornwall rugby strip / county coat of arms (black and gold/ orange) were maintained and adapted into the new zebra logo, in use from late 2003 onwards. One reasonign for this involved the fact that every zebra has individual and distinctive flank and leg stripe markings partly to aid recognition by its young, just as every zoo is individual and different but part of a wider 'herd' or movement towards wildlife conservation.
2004 - May, Whitsun, Dodo 2 zoo time capsule
buried near maze to mark zoo's 35th birthday and recent change of ownership, registered with the International Time Capsule Society
in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.
- July 2004, Siberian Lynx arrive to live in the former Puma house (1998), the last of the Newquay Pumas having died earlier in the year. These retire to other zoos in early 2009 when Carpathian Lynx, Boomer and Willow arrive from European zoos on breeding loan.
2007 - June 26, Newquay's first Fossa
baby 'Little Geoff' born to the Newquay Zoo pair Mavis and Harry. Little Geoff (named after the late Geoff Gerry, one of the Council zoo staff who worked on into the new ownership)transferred to Poznan Zoo in Poland as part of the breeding programme in 2009.
2008 - Junior Keeper scheme launched for 8 to 14 year olds, which won a BIAZA Education award in November 2009.
2008 - Kabir the African lion retires from Longleat as short-lived company for Connie, who was not impressed by her new charge.
2009 - April, African Savannah and Philippines sections open, taking the zoo acreage to around 13.5 acres (54,632.6 m²), double its original 1969 size. Wildebeest, Nyala and Ostrich arrive. Carpathian Lynx arrive.
The original site of the new African Savannah was formerly known as 'Little Wembley', a very boggy school playing field, believed to be waterlogged from being built over the clay-based area of 19th century Tolcarne Brickworks.
2009- May 29, Whitsun, second zoo time capsule
buried near maze to mark zoo's 40th birthday, registered with the International Time Capsule Society
in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.
2009 - four exhibitions celebrating Darwin's 200th Birthday darwin200 hosted in partnership with Falmouth Art Gallery
, with resident artist John Dyer
and others painting and recording the work of the zoo in 2008 and 2009. Paintings from this residency period are collected together in the book by John Dyer, My Darwin 200 Year.
2009 - August 30, World War Zoo gardens
project launched, a research project into how zoos around Britain and further afield survived wartime and a recreation of a wartime zoo keepers' dig for victory garden with regularly updated project blog http://worldwarzoogardener1939.wordpress.com
2009 - Charlie, an African lion past breeding age retires to keep bossy older sister Connie company.
2009 - the old wildlfe and hedgehog hospital section refurbished as a Native Wildlife Centre with Harvest mouse
and displays on heathland by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to match the Sand lizard
section.
2009 - November 24, 150th anniversary of publication of Charles Darwin
's Origin of Species marked by publication of Charles Darwin: A Celebration in Stamps, jointly published with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo
and blog updates http://darwin200stampzoo.wordpress.com
2010 - February, opening of first sections of new walk-through Madagscan Aviary enclosure on site of Vasa parrot
aviary,for Madagascar Grey headed lovebird, Madagascar partridge
and Vasa parrot
. The adjacent old Chough aviary area is now home to Crowned lemur
and Madagascar Narrow-striped mongoose
.
A Sulawesi Macaque webcam was established to celabrate the conservation, education and breeding programmes linked to the work of Selamatkan Yaki, ('Protect the Macaque' in Sulawesi Indonesian) http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/conservation/sulawesi-crested-black-macaques.htm
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located in Newquay, England
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
. The zoo was opened in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
on Whit Monday May 26, 1969 by the local council (Newquay Urban District Council, later Restormel
Restormel
Restormel was a borough of Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six administrative divisions that made up the county. Its council was based in St Austell . Other towns included Newquay....
District Council), it was privately owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin from 1993 until 2003. In August 2003 Stewart Muir became the new Director and the zoo became part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust is a registered charity, set up to run Paignton Zoo after the death of its founder, Herbert Whitley, who established the zoo on his estate at Primley, Torquay in Devon in the 1920s....
, alongside Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust . It is a combined zoo and botanic garden that welcomes over half a million visitors a year. WWCT also runs Living...
and Living Coasts
Living Coasts
Living Coasts is a coastal zoo owned by Paignton Zoo as part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which includes Newquay Zoo. It is a registered charity, and is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife...
. The zoo is a registered charity, and was awarded various South West and Cornwall 'Visitor Attraction of The Year' and 'Sustainable Tourism' awards for excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Cooperative links and awards
The zoo has been recognised for providing sustainable tourism and was one of the first few British zoos to gain an ISO 14001 certificate for its environmental management systems along with a recent Gold award for GTBS Green Tourism Business Scheme. The zoo works within the BIAZA and EAZA zoo networks in Britain and Europe but has other ex-situ conservationEx-situ conservation
Ex-situ conservation means literally, "off-site conservation". It is the process of protecting an endangered species of plant or animal outside of its natural habitat; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, which may be a wild...
links overseas.
A recent Cornwall Sustainable Tourism award and BIAZA award for sustainability projects recognised an interactive map of Newquay promoting self-guided walking tours around the town and Newquay area, featuring its history, heritage, wildlife and public transport links; this has been launched in 2009, produced in partnership with the Zoo's Environment Officer.
The zoo today
Newquay Zoo is CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
's only zoo and now covers over 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) of land, as well as housing 300 animals of over 130 species. An expansion of 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) opened as an African Savanna area from Easter 2009 followed by a new Philippines area housing endangered Fishing Cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
, Visayan Warty Pig
Visayan warty pig
The Visayan Warty Pig, Sus cebifrons, is a critically endangered species of pig. The Visayan warty pig is endemic to two of the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines, and is threatened by habitat loss, food shortages and hunting - these are the leading causes of the Visayan Warty Pig's status...
and Philippine spotted deer
Philippine Spotted Deer
The Visayan Spotted Deer , also known as the Philippine Spotted Deer, is a nocturnal and endangered species of deer located primarily in the rainforests of the Visayan islands of Panay and Negros though it once roamed other islands such as Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate, and Samar...
.
Animals
The animal collection at Newquay consists of many species, including in-situ conservationIn-situ conservation
In-situ conservation is on-site conservation or the conservation of genetic resources in natural populations of plant or animal species, such as forest genetic resources in natural populations of tree species...
breeding programmes for endangered red panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
s, lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
s, Sulawesi crested macaques, Humboldt penguin
Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
s, fossa
Fossa (animal)
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family . Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a...
, marmoset
Marmoset
Marmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
s, tamarin
Tamarin
The tamarins are squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Callitrichidae in the genus Saguinus. They are closely related to the lion tamarins in the genus Leontopithecus.- Range :...
s and tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s as well as meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and coati
Coati
Coatis, genera Nasua and Nasuella, also known as the Brazilian aardvark, Mexican tejón, hog-nosed coon, pizotes, crackoons and snookum bears, are members of the raccoon family . They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, and south-western North America...
s.
The Zoo is home to part of an international breeding programme for some endangered species such as Owston's Palm Civet
Owston's Palm Civet
Owston's palm civet is a civet that lives in the forests and wooded lowland river basins of northern Vietnam, northern Laos and southern China....
and Red-fronted Macaw
Red-fronted Macaw
The Red-fronted Macaw, Ara rubrogenys, is a parrot endemic to a small semi-desert mountainous area of Bolivia. It is highly endangered, and there may only be 150 or so birds left in the wild; it has been successfully bred in captivity, and is available, if not common, as a pet.-Description:The...
for which an overseas ex-situ conservation
Ex-situ conservation
Ex-situ conservation means literally, "off-site conservation". It is the process of protecting an endangered species of plant or animal outside of its natural habitat; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, which may be a wild...
support programme of funding and skills exchange exists, along with support for the Unau Sloth
Sloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
project and Pacarana
Pacarana
The Pacarana is a rare and slow-moving nocturnal rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia, including the yungas. One place that it is common is Cotapata National...
in South America, Pangolin
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
and Small Carnivore conservation programme in South East Asia. The World Land Trust
World Land Trust
The World Land Trust is a UK-based nonprofit environmental organization established in 1989. Its primary aims are to ensure conservation of plants, animals and natural communities in areas at risk...
BIAZA zoo reserve in South America is also supported through the wild spaces scheme. Support is also given annually to students at the Libanona Ecology Centre in Southern Madagascar. The EAZA Campaign is supported annually. Recent overseas project information can be found for each project on the zoo website. Increasingly animal species held at the zoo are listed as threatened or endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
on the Red Data lists produced by the IUCN.
Tropical house
The zoo has an atmospheric tropical house which houses rainforest plants and animals including slothSloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
s, tropical birds, reptiles and insects. Animal encounters and feeding time talks are also available throughout the year. A Tarzan activity adventure Trail, Children’s Play Area and the Dragon Maze (designed by mazemaker Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading maze designers. His mazes can be found in all corners of the globe....
in 1983) are provided for children’s entertainment. Cafe and shop areas stock local and Fair Trade items. An events programme runs throughout the year, updates can be found on the zoo website.
Cooperative projects
Newquay Zoo works with other organisations on events and educational projects such as www.darwin200.org.uk the Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
bicentenary year events. It is partnering Falmouth Art Gallery
Falmouth Art Gallery
Falmouth Art Gallery is an art gallery in Cornwall, with one of the leading art collections in Cornwall and southwest England, which features work by old masters, major Victorian artists, British and French Impressionists, leading surrealists and maritime artists, children's book illustrators,...
in hosting Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
artists including John Dyer to produce material for four 2009 exhibitions at Falmouth, where Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
left the HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
at the end of his voyage in 1836. Some material is being lent from the growing Newquay Zoo Archive of zoo historical material for these exhibitions and displays at Falmouth and Newquay Zoo.
The zoo provides teaching input and practical opportunities for students enrolled at the adjacent Newquay Centre for Applied Zoology of Cornwall College
Cornwall College
Cornwall College is a further education college situated on various sites throughout Cornwall with its main centre in St Austell. The college is a member of the 157 Group of high performing schools...
on zoological conservation, education and media courses.
Timeline
Based on material in the zoo archives, press cuttings and Paw Prints zoo newsletter.Photographs exist in the zoo archive taken by the late Ernie Littlefield, Head Gardener for the local Council, of the zoo being built including aerial views of the site before and after building, the mountains of earth and mud moved, the changing Newquay skyline and of long gone animals like Queenie and Charlie the first pair of lions.
Recently postcard images of Chinese Leopards and Asian Black Bears have been found to add to the photos in the 1970s, 1989, 1996 and subsequent guidebooks. The zoo photograph archive is currently (2009) being catalogued and scanned. Donations of original or scanned images or film footage especially from the pre-1994 period are very welcome; contact details can be found on the website for Mark Norris, co-ordinator of the Newquay Zoo Archive (part of the education department). Newquay Zoo is also researching the history of the site where the zoo is located, as well as the early history of zoos, Victorian Zoos and zoos in World War Two. The Bartlett Society is a good source of reference for those researching zoo history.
1950s - Small seasonal animal collection established each summer in Newquay's Rose and Trenance Gardens near the Boating Lake, thought to be linked to the now-closed Exmouth Zoo and the late Ken Smith & family. Few images or information currently exist about this early pre-zoo collection.
1967 - Torrey Canyon
Torrey Canyon
The Torrey Canyon was a supertanker capable of carrying a cargo of 120,000 tons of crude oil, which was shipwrecked off the western coast of Cornwall, England in March 1967 causing an environmental disaster...
oil spill contaminated sand spread over part of future zoo site, mostly in current car park area. Oil was reported to surface when digging holes for many years to come.
1968 - Building and landscaping work begins on developing 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of the Trenance farmland (dairy) site into the present zoo site, funded by Newquay Urban District Council. Construction cost over £30,000 (in 1968/9) and was undertaken by a range of local companies including ACE Engineering and Western Road Construction. Planting was planned and undertaken by the Council Parks and Gardens department, head gardener Mr. Ernie Littlefield who photographed the changing site.
1969 - [26 May] Whit Monday opening of the zoo, over 4000 paid visitors attended (according to the West Briton
The West Briton
The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part...
newspaper May 29, 1969) and the first child through the gates at 10 a.m. was one Christopher Minns paying 1/6 (Child, one shilling and six pence in LSD pre-decimal coinage) and his father Councillor Norman Minns (Adult cost 3/6, three shillings and six pence).
The zoo opened two days behind schedule due to the difficulty of moving animals from various sources and other zoos into the zoo and settling them down under the watchful eye of Curator Peter Lowe, formerly of Chester Zoo. Other staff at the time included Alex Charity and Norman Marshall (Head Keeper).
The zoo usually closed to visitors at the end of each summer season (September / October until Easter/ Whitsun) until the change of ownership 1993 /1994.
Original structures from 1969 can still be seen include the Asian Black Bear Pit (home to Sulawesi macaques since 1995),Chinese Leopard and / or Puma enclosure (now home to Macaws), Deer Paddock (now home to Visayan Warty Pigs and Philippine Spotted Deer
Philippine Spotted Deer
The Visayan Spotted Deer , also known as the Philippine Spotted Deer, is a nocturnal and endangered species of deer located primarily in the rainforests of the Visayan islands of Panay and Negros though it once roamed other islands such as Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate, and Samar...
), the Old Lion House (now home to Madagascan Fossa
Fossa (animal)
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family . Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a...
), Penguin Pool (now adapted to a meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
enclosure), Sea Lion pool (now adapted to Humboldt Penguin
Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
) and the main office block. Many of these structures have been redeveloped or are due to be replaced in the current redevelopment plan. The Walk Through Aviary, a scaled-down version of the famous Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
built in 1967, finally closed around 2005/6 to become a garden area awaiting redevelopment.
1970s - small colony of 'Cornish' Chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
established (from Irish stock), which later possibly transferred to Paradise Park
Paradise Park, Cornwall
Paradise Park is a zoo situated in Hayle, Cornwall, England. It has over 650 birds and animals. It is currently the home of the World Parrot Trust. The site includes a gauge railway which encircles the house at the centre of the park...
at Hayle, Cornwall into the Operation Chough breeding programme. Councillor W.J. Rogers, one of those behind the decision to set up the zoo, was thought to be one of those involved in this project.
1976 - Dangerous Wild Animals Act covers large wild and exotic animals kept as pets leading to:
1977 - Ross and Demelza, pair of ex-pet African Lions handed into Newquay Zoo by local farming family! Ross lives until 1997. The first pair of African Lions were known as Queenie and Charlie (male). A lion was strikingly featured in the early adverts and press publicity for the zoo in 1969 and remained regularly part of the advertising until the early 2000s.
1983 - Dragon Maze planted 1982/3 by Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading maze designers. His mazes can be found in all corners of the globe....
.
1985 to 1989 - redevelopment by Restormel Borough Council of the zoo's Activity play areas, Tarzan Trail, Oriental garden and Children's Farm area. A small hedgehog hospital established and run until about 2004.
1987 - new two storey version of Tropical House built with free-flight avairy, small aquarium and education centre / reptile room, with recorded visits of 5000 children in 1988.
1988 - new Penguin Pool developed out of old Sealion Pool (1969).
1989 - new walk though Rabbit warren opened (closed by 1996)
- new Lion House built and opened by 1990.
1990- 1996? Change of name and logo to Newquay Animal World temporarily.
1993/4 - change to private ownership under Mike Thomas and Roger Martin, who begin further redevelopments. Mike Thomas wrote about this period of ownership until 2003 in his memoir Strange Things Happened on My Way to the Zoo, published May 2010.
The re-opening ceremony was performed by local former MP and newsreader David Mudd
David Mudd
William David Mudd , known as David Mudd, is a British politician.He was Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne from 1970 until 1992, when he stood down. It was considered a surprise when he decided to stand in his old constituency in the 2005 general election as an independent candidate...
(and dog!)
The zoo's membership of the Federation of Zoos (now BIAZA) and EAZA began about this time as more involvement in endangered animal breeding programmes developed. Many of the early and significant changes to the old zoo were recognised by UFAW and Federation of Zoos / BIAZA awards (listed on the zoo website), along with publications of research in zoo journals such as RATEL and IZN International Zoo News on these redevelopments organised by the Curator at the time, Jon Blount (Curator c.1994-98).
1994 - Chunky, last of the original Asian Black Bears dies in late 1994.
- Shane and Tina, a pair of Pumas arrive from the recently closed Haigh Zoo near Wigan.
- Small Aquarium section closed (and dismantled 1996)
1994 - 95 African Plains mixed enclosure (lechwe, zebra, porcupine, meerkat) created out of old Sika Deer paddock (closes when moved to new African savanna 2009).
1995 - Old bear pit rebuilt to house Sulawesi macaque monkeys.
1997/8 - early experiments with the zoo website, now
1998 - Rolf Harris opens the refurbished Penguin Pool and Village Farm.
- July 7, first pilot Modern Foreign Languages day at the zoo in French with Camborne School Year 7. This project later wins a commendation in The Zoo Federation / BIAZA zoo education awards (see zoo website for other awards achieved in this period).
- July 17, New Puma enclosure opened by actress Jenny Agutter. Jethro and Maverick, a pair of pumas arrived in June from Belfast Zoo to keep Tina company following the death of Shane.
1999 - August 11, zoo open during the 1999 Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
.
2000 - September, first 16+ students enrol on courses at Cornwall College
Cornwall College
Cornwall College is a further education college situated on various sites throughout Cornwall with its main centre in St Austell. The college is a member of the 157 Group of high performing schools...
Newquay (which moved next to the zoo on Wildflower Lane site in 2003) on programme set up by Mike Thomas and Dr. Mike Kent.
2000 - Ronnie, ex-pride male Lion from Longleat group retires to Newquay (and lives until December 2007, aged over 19). He replaced his half-brother, Major who he had helped force out of the Longleat group in 1997. Lizzie, an ex-Longleat lioness keeps these old males company and active.
2001 - February, Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Britain sees zoo closure for three to four weeks.
2003 - May, the AGM of the Zoo Federation (now BIAZA) held at Newquay. First pair of Fossa
Fossa (animal)
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family . Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a...
, Mavis and Harry, arrive on breeding loan and produce a baby in 2007.
- August, Mike Thomas and Roger Martin, owner / directors of Newquay Zoo retire and sell zoo.
Whitley Wildlfe Conservation Trust period 2003 -
- August 14, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust purchased Newquay Zoo to operate this as part of the charitable trust with Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust . It is a combined zoo and botanic garden that welcomes over half a million visitors a year. WWCT also runs Living...
and Living Coasts
Living Coasts
Living Coasts is a coastal zoo owned by Paignton Zoo as part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which includes Newquay Zoo. It is a registered charity, and is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife...
.
- October 8, Cornwall College Newquay (Newquay Zoological Studies Centre for Applied Zoology) new Borlase building officially opened by DR. Jo Gipps OBE, Director of Bristol Zoo.
New logo (portrait)showing the striped backside of a running zebra takes over from the 1996 - 2003 flag style(landscape) logo, designed to fit with the othet Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust
Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust is a registered charity, set up to run Paignton Zoo after the death of its founder, Herbert Whitley, who established the zoo on his estate at Primley, Torquay in Devon in the 1920s....
partners, Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust . It is a combined zoo and botanic garden that welcomes over half a million visitors a year. WWCT also runs Living...
and Living Coasts
Living Coasts
Living Coasts is a coastal zoo owned by Paignton Zoo as part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which includes Newquay Zoo. It is a registered charity, and is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife...
. Several other logo designs such as Diana Monkey (linking back to the 1980s / 1990s Council zoo logo of a vervet or Diana monkey) were created but rejected during this rebranding in favour of a logo which would look forward to the opening of the African Savanna section (2009 onwards).
The traditional Cornish colours of the St. Piran Flag (black and white) and Cornwall rugby strip / county coat of arms (black and gold/ orange) were maintained and adapted into the new zebra logo, in use from late 2003 onwards. One reasonign for this involved the fact that every zebra has individual and distinctive flank and leg stripe markings partly to aid recognition by its young, just as every zoo is individual and different but part of a wider 'herd' or movement towards wildlife conservation.
2004 - May, Whitsun, Dodo 2 zoo time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
buried near maze to mark zoo's 35th birthday and recent change of ownership, registered with the International Time Capsule Society
International Time Capsule Society
The International Time Capsule Society , based at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, is an organization established to promote the study of time capsules...
in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.
- July 2004, Siberian Lynx arrive to live in the former Puma house (1998), the last of the Newquay Pumas having died earlier in the year. These retire to other zoos in early 2009 when Carpathian Lynx, Boomer and Willow arrive from European zoos on breeding loan.
2007 - June 26, Newquay's first Fossa
Fossa (animal)
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family . Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a...
baby 'Little Geoff' born to the Newquay Zoo pair Mavis and Harry. Little Geoff (named after the late Geoff Gerry, one of the Council zoo staff who worked on into the new ownership)transferred to Poznan Zoo in Poland as part of the breeding programme in 2009.
2008 - Junior Keeper scheme launched for 8 to 14 year olds, which won a BIAZA Education award in November 2009.
2008 - Kabir the African lion retires from Longleat as short-lived company for Connie, who was not impressed by her new charge.
2009 - April, African Savannah and Philippines sections open, taking the zoo acreage to around 13.5 acres (54,632.6 m²), double its original 1969 size. Wildebeest, Nyala and Ostrich arrive. Carpathian Lynx arrive.
The original site of the new African Savannah was formerly known as 'Little Wembley', a very boggy school playing field, believed to be waterlogged from being built over the clay-based area of 19th century Tolcarne Brickworks.
2009- May 29, Whitsun, second zoo time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
buried near maze to mark zoo's 40th birthday, registered with the International Time Capsule Society
International Time Capsule Society
The International Time Capsule Society , based at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, is an organization established to promote the study of time capsules...
in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.
2009 - four exhibitions celebrating Darwin's 200th Birthday darwin200 hosted in partnership with Falmouth Art Gallery
Falmouth Art Gallery
Falmouth Art Gallery is an art gallery in Cornwall, with one of the leading art collections in Cornwall and southwest England, which features work by old masters, major Victorian artists, British and French Impressionists, leading surrealists and maritime artists, children's book illustrators,...
, with resident artist John Dyer
John Dyer
John Dyer was a painter and Welsh poet turned clergyman of the Church of England who maintained an interest in his Welsh ancestry...
and others painting and recording the work of the zoo in 2008 and 2009. Paintings from this residency period are collected together in the book by John Dyer, My Darwin 200 Year.
2009 - August 30, World War Zoo gardens
World War Zoo gardens
World War Zoo gardens is a research project and recreation of a wartime "dig for victory" garden, created at Newquay Zoo in 2009 based on those created in many a zoo and botanic garden throughout Britain and Europe during and after World War II....
project launched, a research project into how zoos around Britain and further afield survived wartime and a recreation of a wartime zoo keepers' dig for victory garden with regularly updated project blog http://worldwarzoogardener1939.wordpress.com
2009 - Charlie, an African lion past breeding age retires to keep bossy older sister Connie company.
2009 - the old wildlfe and hedgehog hospital section refurbished as a Native Wildlife Centre with Harvest mouse
Harvest mouse
Harvest mouse may refer to members of two groups of rodents:*Micromys from Eurasia, particularly the Eurasian harvest mouse *Reithrodontomys from the Americas...
and displays on heathland by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to match the Sand lizard
Sand Lizard
The sand lizard is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe and eastwards to Mongolia. It does not occur in the Iberian peninsula or European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy....
section.
2009 - November 24, 150th anniversary of publication of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's Origin of Species marked by publication of Charles Darwin: A Celebration in Stamps, jointly published with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo, formally the Scottish National Zoological Park, is a non-profit zoological park located in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland...
and blog updates http://darwin200stampzoo.wordpress.com
2010 - February, opening of first sections of new walk-through Madagscan Aviary enclosure on site of Vasa parrot
Vasa parrot
The vasa parrots are two species of parrot which are endemic to Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean.- Taxonomy :There are two species and several subspecies:Coracopsis, Wagler 1832...
aviary,for Madagascar Grey headed lovebird, Madagascar partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
and Vasa parrot
Vasa parrot
The vasa parrots are two species of parrot which are endemic to Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean.- Taxonomy :There are two species and several subspecies:Coracopsis, Wagler 1832...
. The adjacent old Chough aviary area is now home to Crowned lemur
Crowned Lemur
The crowned lemur is a lemur that is 31–36 cm long and weighs 2 kg. Its tail is about 42–51 cm long). The crowned lemur is endemic to the dry deciduous forests of the northern tip of Madagascar. It eats a diet of mostly flowers, fruits, and leaves...
and Madagascar Narrow-striped mongoose
Narrow-striped Mongoose
The Narrow-striped Mongoose , also locally called boky-boky in Malagasy, is a member of the family Eupleridae, subfamily Galidiinae. It inhabits the dry deciduous forests of western and southwestern Madagascar...
.
A Sulawesi Macaque webcam was established to celabrate the conservation, education and breeding programmes linked to the work of Selamatkan Yaki, ('Protect the Macaque' in Sulawesi Indonesian) http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/conservation/sulawesi-crested-black-macaques.htm