Record crowds celebrate Torbay zoo reopening

Hundreds of people converged on Paignton Zoo to mark the 'homecoming of a special attraction'.

Over 1,600 visitors attended the grand reopening of its Crocodile Swamp exhibit on Saturday, the highest footfall for a January day since the popular exhibit first opened in 2010. The facility, which closed in December 2022, has undergone extensive renovations through community support and local business partnerships.

The reopening ceremony commenced at 11am, with Team Leader Tom Wilkinson addressing attendees, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Sophie Chapman, winner of the zoo's fundraising prize draw. A queue of over 200 visitors formed to view the exhibit.

Paignton Zoo said that the journey to this moment has been a long and challenging one, expressing heartfelt gratitude to the local community and businesses for their unwavering support. Special thanks were extended to Westcountry Fabrication Ltd and Dyson Construction for their generous discounts on construction services, which were instrumental in the successful completion of the project.

Steph Dawson, Business Development Manager for the zoo, said: "We are incredibly excited to welcome visitors back to Croc Swamp. This exhibit has always been a favourite, and we are thrilled that visitors can now enjoy the swamp again. The support from our community and local businesses has been overwhelming, and we are grateful for their contributions."

The Crocodile Swamp houses:

• Spice, a 16-year-old female Cuban crocodile
• Lima, an 18-year-old female False gharial
• Lyra, a 16-year-old reticulated python
• Biscuit and Basil, 10-year-old female and male Caiman lizards
• Dwayne and Billy-Bob, 14-year-old male yellow spotted turtles
• Aquatic species including zebra mbunas, blue mbunas, and guppies

The exhibit’s botanical collection features Titan arum seedlings propagated from the zoo's 2017 flowering specimen, projected to bloom in 2028. Additional plant species include various epiphytes (bromeliads, orchids, and ferns) and a male cacao tree.

As for the Swamp’s future plans, Tom Wilkinson said: "We’re looking to continuously evaluate the species that we hold in Crocodile Swamp and are hoping to bring in some new and exciting ones further down the line, but I can’t tell you any more than that at this stage!"