Paignton Zoo

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Paignton Zoo Located in Devon, Paignton Zoo is one of the South West’s most exciting visitor attractions. We are a member of BIAZA and EAZA and part of Libéma
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With over 2,000 animals across 80 acres of beautiful, spacious grounds, it’s a place to roam, discover, explore and get in touch with nature. Discover your favourite species, big and small, including gorillas, orang-utans, giraffes, tigers, lions, red pandas and rhinos, and be ready for a few surprises along the way. Paignton Zoo is a place to roam, discover, learn and get in touch with nature. There are play areas, food and drink outlets and a shop full of unique gifts.

There's two new girls on the hill!🦙🦙🌿Meet Maria and Aluna, our newest vicuña arrivals! Nine-year-old mum Maria and her t...
21/10/2026

There's two new girls on the hill!🦙🦙🌿

Meet Maria and Aluna, our newest vicuña arrivals! Nine-year-old mum Maria and her three-year-old daughter Aluna joined us on Tuesday from Flamingo Land in Yorkshire, and have been busy getting to know their new home in Grasslands.

You might notice these two look a little different to our resident vicuña, Max and Belle! Not only are they slightly larger, but their beautiful light-coloured coats are a reminder of what Max and Belle looked like before they discovered our famous red Paignton soil! 🧡

Although, we don't think it'll be long before Maria and Aluna join the ginger club, as they've already been spotted rolling around in the dust and leaves!

The introductions between our four vicuña have been promising so far, although Maria and Max are already having a few discussions about who's boss of the hill... 👀

Once everyone has settled in and the pecking order is established, our three greater rheas will rejoin the group, giving both species the freedom to roam the hillside together once again.

Keep an eye out for our new girls on your next visit, while you can still tell who's who! 🦙💕

There's a new bill in town!🦜🌿Meet our new male wrinkled hornbill, who arrived from Jersey Zoo last week and is now settl...
16/10/2026

There's a new bill in town!🦜🌿

Meet our new male wrinkled hornbill, who arrived from Jersey Zoo last week and is now settling into his new digs in the aviary opposite the bongo habitat in Rainforests.

Native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, wrinkled hornbills are known for their impressive bills and colourful, wrinkled casques (the helmet-like structures on top of their beaks). But there's much more to these fascinating birds than their unusual appearance!

🌰 Wrinkled hornbills are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with wild populations declining due to deforestation, habitat loss and hunting. They play an important role in keeping rainforests healthy by dispersing seeds from the fruits they eat.

🌴 They're also rather unusual when it comes to raising a family! During nesting, the female seals herself inside a hollow tree cavity, leaving just a small opening through which the male delivers food to her and their chicks. Talk about dedication!

Once our new arrival has settled in, we hope to introduce him to our resident female, with the pair forming part of the EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP), which helps manage and maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened species in European zoos.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that romance is on the cards for these two! 🤞💕

Be sure to look out for our charming new arrival on your next visit!

A huge happy birthday to Kiondo! 🦍🎉Turning 24 on the weekend, his keepers of course had to throw him a birthday party fi...
14/10/2026

A huge happy birthday to Kiondo! 🦍🎉

Turning 24 on the weekend, his keepers of course had to throw him a birthday party fit for a prince👑 He enjoyed lots of presents with his favourite treats inside, and even had a dinosaur piñata!

It wouldn't be a gorilla birthday without a bit of brotherly drama, with N'Dowe taking off with the cake while Kiondo was distracted with his presents! 🎂👀

📸: Chris Rockey and Brian Lilly

Ron and Cedric are definitely better prepared for the colder weather than we are! 🐂❄️Domestic yaks originate from the hi...
11/10/2026

Ron and Cedric are definitely better prepared for the colder weather than we are! 🐂❄️

Domestic yaks originate from the high-altitude regions of Central Asia and the Himalayas, where winters can be bitterly cold and conditions incredibly harsh.

They have a thick double coat made up of a dense, soft undercoat for insulation and long, coarse outer hairs that help protect them from wind, snow and rain. Their shaggy coats can grow especially long around the belly and legs, giving them their unmistakable look.

So while we’re starting to reach for our coats, Ron and Cedric are already wearing theirs!🧥🧣🧤

09/10/2026

The immersive world of Tropical Trails brings the flora and fauna of the Tropics to the heart of Paignton🌴🐍🐢 Which is your favourite animal in Tropical Trails?

As the leaves begin to fall and the breeze turns a little cooler, we’ve been looking back at some of our favourite autum...
06/10/2026

As the leaves begin to fall and the breeze turns a little cooler, we’ve been looking back at some of our favourite autumnal moments from last year and getting excited for the season ahead 🍂

There’s something extra special about the zoo in autumn with the golden leaves, crisp walks and plenty of beautiful wildlife along the way🦁

Just hanging out🐒🌳Our lar gibbons are perfectly at home high up in the trees, where their long arms and incredible agili...
03/10/2026

Just hanging out🐒🌳

Our lar gibbons are perfectly at home high up in the trees, where their long arms and incredible agility make moving through the canopy look completely effortless.

Lar gibbons are arboreal apes, meaning they spend most of their lives above the ground, travelling from branch to branch using a style of movement called brachiation.

Sometimes though, the best thing to do is simply find a good spot, sit back and take in the view🐵

01/10/2026

There are so many different personalities across the zoo, who matches your vibe?🦒🐅🐢

Turning over a new leaf 🍂Introducing two species to one another is always a big moment, especially when both are still g...
29/09/2026

Turning over a new leaf 🍂

Introducing two species to one another is always a big moment, especially when both are still getting used to something completely new.

Our giraffe herd have faced a lot of change this year. They lost their matriarch, adapted to construction taking place around them, welcomed a male into the herd for the very first time, watched their paddock expand all the way down towards the rhinos… and now they have two short, stripey neighbours wandering around with no fence between them!

Our giraffes have always been a fairly cautious bunch... shy, curious, and each wonderfully quirky in their own way. For a long time, they famously refused to cross the invisible boundary between their original paddock and the area once used by the elephants, even after the fence had been removed.

So when plans were first announced for a much larger, mixed-species habitat, there was naturally some curiosity about how the herd would respond.

But they have completely surprised us.

Standing at the far end of the expanded habitat, near the maned wolves, were two of our giraffes and both zebras quietly grazing alongside one another as though they had always been there.

To a new visitor, it might not have looked particularly remarkable. But to those of us who know this herd, it was a very special moment.

Not only have the giraffes adapted brilliantly to their new companions, they’ve been curiously following them around the habitat and exploring areas they once wouldn’t have dared to venture into.

For animals who, only a year ago, were reluctant to step beyond what they knew as home, that feels like a huge milestone.

We’re incredibly proud of our girls and very fond of our new stripey residents, who have absolutely no idea just how much of an impact their arrival has already had🦒🦓

Address

Totnes Road
Paignton
TQ47EU

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10am - 4:30pm
Sunday 10am - 4:30pm

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