Paignton Zoo turns 100 years old

Paignton Zoo is turning 100 years old this weekend, and is set to celebrate its birthday in style by throwing a Big Birthday ZOOnanza on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July.

Throughout the weekend, various local businesses will be running workshops around the zoo including drop-in sessions for budding musicians, they’ll be a craft camp, a pop-up mini village for little ones to enjoy imaginative role play, plus lots more. Visitors will also be able to travel back in time with walking storytelling sessions and there will be a variety of animal talks throughout the weekend led by zoo rangers.

The celebrations will include the unveiling of their Centenary Zoo display which will take place at 11am on Saturday and tells the story of Paignton Zoo;  who they are and how they’ve transformed, what they do and why that matters. It’s a remarkable story on many levels, and one that only a handful of UK zoos can tell, as Paignton Zoo opened at a time when the total number of zoos in the UK was not yet in double figures.

The story starts with Paignton Zoo’s founder, Herbert Whitley, and his passion for animals and plants began by breeding pigeons, high-quality livestock and cultivating plants.

As Herbert’s private collection of plants and animals grew, he realized the educational value of opening his doors to the public. So in July 1923, Torbay Zoological Gardens, which would later become Paignton Zoo, opened for the first time.

Whitley passed away in 1955 and since then Paignton Zoo has continued to develop and evolve into the site that it is today with a renewed mission to educate, inspire and conserve endangered species. 

During the past 100 years Paignton Zoo has seen significant change and yet its initial purpose to educate its visitors remains just as true today as it did back in 1923. In recent months the zoo has welcomed thousands of students as part of their ‘Schools Go Free’ campaign with the intent to inspire the next generation of conservationists. Conservation is at the heart of Paignton Zoo and they intend to continue in their mission to help halt species decline with the support of their visitors for the next 100 years and beyond.

The full line-up of Paignton Zoo’s centenary celebrations are available to view on their website and visitors are being urged to book online at www.paigntonzoo.org.uk