Nov 27

Paignton Zoo was founded by Herbert Whitley, a shy, eccentric, millionaire, and was opened to the public in 1923. Torbay Zoological Gardens, as it was known, included monkeys, bison, zebras, baboons and many birds.

The Zoo is now an education and scientific charity dedicated to conserving our global wildlife heritage and inspiring in its many visitors a life long respect for animals and the environment.

The zoo is Divided into 6 different zones:

  • Primley
  • Savannah
  • Forest
  • Wetland
  • Tropical Forest
  • Desert

All of these represent world habitats, except for Primley, which is an area of the Zoo where you can find animals from a variety of habitats.

Paignton Zoo is home to thousands of animals all housed in 80 acres of natural habitat. You will find elephants, giraffes, camels, monkeys, gorillas, birds, crocodiles, snakes and much more.

The Zoo has received many awards, most recently the Silver Award in the Enjoy England Excellence Awards 2006 and was also a finalist in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in 2006 for the best Large Visitor Attraction.

Paignton Zoo is open daily (except Christmas day) from 10.00. Closing times vary throughout the season.

A trip to Paignton Zoo is within easy reach from most of our hire centres taking:

The times above are taken from the AA Autoroute Planner.