conservation

The girl with the frog tattoos

Zoo keepers are dedicated, passionate – even obsessed. They are devoted to the animals with which they work...

For one keeper at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon, each conservation success means so much to her that she gets a permanent reminder.

Dr Katy Upton marks her team’s first successful breeding of each rare frog species with an anatomically correct frog tattoo....

Plastic art with a conservation heart at Living Coasts

Conservationists in Torquay have turned marine waste into thought-provoking art.

A new installation at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, combines education, plastic waste and inspirational creativity. And for zoo artist Jackie Kidd, the task has turned into an obsession - and a new hobby.

Jackie collected rubbish on beaches for 6 weeks to make the work. And she...

Trust celebrates Yaki Day

The charity that runs Paignton Zoo is marking the special day of a special species.

The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, the charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts and Newquay Zoo, is celebrating International Macaque Day on Friday 16th March.

Sulawesi crested black macaques (Macaca nigra) can be seen at both Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo. The charity supports a...

Blue is (still) the colour…

Paignton Zoo keepers have bred a species of blue frog for the first time. And it’s a success that the charity’s founder would have approved of whole-heartedly.

The blue poison dart frog (Dendrobates tinctorius azureus) is usually found in the forests of southern Suriname and northern Brazil, but can now be seen in Paignton Zoo’s Reptile Nursery.

The man who founded Paignton Zoo...

New Year, new challenge at Living Coasts

Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium is looking for new volunteers. But the charity zoo is not seeking skills handling penguins, fur seals, otters or octopus. Instead you’ll need to be great with that most extraordinary of species – human beings.

The three volunteer roles are all to do with helping visitors: meeting and greeting people as they arrive; fundraising; and providing...

Wayward anchors threaten protected Bay species

Two important discoveries made beneath the protected waters of Tor Bay have brought renewed calls for safe and responsible anchoring by boat owners. The first find was a pregnant seahorse; the second, close by, was damage to the seabed caused by the anchors of small boats. Both were inside the Torbay Marine Conservation Zone.

Experts at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo, say that...

Business helps zoo staff stay dry

A leading South West firm has teamed up with a visitor attraction on the English Riviera to equip divers there with state-of-the-art dry suits. Living Coasts in Torquay has joined forces with O’Three, the top wet suit and dry suit manufacturer based on Portland, in Dorset.

Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium has a series of deep saltwater pools for penguins, seals and other species. The...

Glen goes the extra mile – or 200 – for charity

Glen Bevan’s story of hope and transformation is inspirational. A few years ago he was overweight and a borderline alcoholic, he suffered a collapsed lung and doctors told him to change his lifestyle or die. Now, as an ultra-endurance athlete, he’s taking on a huge physical and mental challenge in aid of a local charity.

Glen is training for a combined run and cycle ride of over 250...

PEG comes home to Living Coasts

The gorilla with wanderlust is back on home soil - for a time. PEG - Polar Explorer Gorilla - left Living Coasts in Torquay with HMS PROTECTOR, the Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Vessel, for her last deployment in October 2013.

She has since travelled to a range of South, North and Central American countries, along with the Caribbean, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, South Georgia...

Dartmoor archaeologists need you!

Help Dartmoor National Park Archaeologists and Rangers look after prehistoric stone rows on a two day conservation work project on 19 and 20 August 2015.

Dartmoor’s landscape is among the richest in western Europe in terms of its prehistoric archaeological remains. Dartmoor contains the longest stone row in the world and has the greatest number of archaeological sites out of all the UK...

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