Living Coasts
LC Penguin crossing
|
|
| Date opened | 14 July 2003 |
|---|---|
| Location | Torquay, Devon, England |
| Coordinates | 50°27′29″N 3°31′30″W / 50.458°N 3.525°WCoordinates: 50°27′29″N 3°31′30″W / 50.458°N 3.525°W |
| Number of animals | Over 600 |
| Number of species | Over 50 |
| Annual visitors | 100,000+ |
| Memberships | BIAZA,EAZA,WAZA |
| Major exhibits | Auk Cliff, Penguin Beach, Underwater Tunnel, Mangroves: The Roots of the Sea, Local Coasts, Discover Zone |
| Website | www.livingcoasts.org.uk |
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 seabirds and other coastal wildlife. The site is covered by a giant aviary which includes several animal enclosures and habitats including an artificial tidal estuary, a penguin beach, a tropical mangrove swamp, and underwater viewing areas.
Living Coasts is Britain's only coastal zoo. It is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Living Coasts opened to the public on 14 July 2003, and is now visited by over 100,000 visitors a year.
The aviary, which cost £7 million to build, is 19 metres (62 ft) at its highest point and has a total volume of 1.8 million cubic feet (51,000 m3). This free flying enclosure is home to mammals and birds including South American fur seals, African penguins, macaroni penguins, sea ducks, pied avocet, redshanks, black-necked stilts, ruffs, and terns.
The aviary was the first open-air auk exhibit in the world, and has won a design award.It was also the first place in the U.K to breed pigeon guillemots, common guillemots and tufted puffins. Also found in the auk enclosure are red legged kittiwakes and red billed choughs.
...
Wikipedia