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Author: Emma Thomas

Dartmoor Zoo are thrilled to announce the long-awaited arrival of the rarest cat in the world, the Amur Leopard.

The critically endangered Amur Leopard named Freddo (pronounced Fray-doh) which translates to ‘cold’ or ‘chilly’ to represent his habitat and their adaptability to thrive in cold climates, arrived at Dartmoor Zoo from Bellewaerde in Belgium on Tuesday 14th November. With less than 100 left in the wild, they are considered the rarest cat in the world.

Dartmoor Zoo’s CEO Benjamin Mee commented:

“Although captive born, Freddo is vital in assisting with the preservation and education of this critically endangered species, ensuring their survival for many generations to come. Our next steps will focus on finding a suitable female match for a potential breeding recommendation, further promoting genetic diversity. With many challenges facing these wonderful animals such as poaching and habitat loss, we are honoured to play a part in the global conservation efforts to protect this species from extinction.”

Dartmoor Zoo’s Curator Scott Chambers commented:

“While creating Freddo’s enclosure, we wanted to ensure that he was surrounded by a slice of Siberia. Everything that has been selected, is with his adjustment and ease of move in mind. We have teamed up with Grow 4 Good South West to source Siberian Elms, Larches, Boxwoods and a Flowering Cherry tree, all of which have been scattered through the bank, to simulate a mountainous forest and replicating a natural territory.

The move has been recommended by the EEP (European Endangered Programme), to promote genetic diversity whilst breeding, so long term, we would work towards finding a female match for Freddo. By doing this, we would be further continuing the hard work that zoos around the globe have been collaborating on, by protecting this species which is near extinction. Zoos have been vital in raising the numbers from a dwindling 20 – 30, back to around 100 in the wild and over 200 in captivity.”

Freddo’s enclosure will be open for public viewing on Sunday 26th November!

Without local businesses and public support, this endeavour would not have been possible. So, it is with honourable mention the public supporters are thanked for their incredible contribution of £6576, Meddings for their contribution of the enclosure’s development, Arc Metals for their contribution of the enclosure’s steel window frame, and to Devon Contract Waste, Zoo Trips and Helpful Holidays for their incredibly generous financial contributions.

Dartmoor Zoo has welcomed a new binturong to the DZS family. Not yet named, he’s happy, healthy, and settling into his new home nicely. The binturong was transported to Dartmoor Zoo on Wednesday 5th July from ‘Get to know animals’ at Epping, Essex, London.

Dartmoor Zoo’s Curator Scott commented:

“Binturongs also known as the Bearcat, Malay Civet Cat and are members of Viverridae, they are most closely related to Civets, Genets, and Fossa.

Predominantly found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Philipines, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and some areas of China, the IUCN classifies them as Vulnerable due to the illegal pet trade, deforestation, poaching for furs and being captured to make civet coffee.  Unfortunately, binturongs are also captured and eaten in Laos as it is considered a delicacy.

Our binturong is a Palawan binturong from the island of Palawan in the Philippines and is a very unique subspecies that has been isolated for a while. They are smaller and more nocturnal than other subspecies and much rarer in captivity. There is a huge illegal wildlife trade problem in Palawan where many animals including binturongs are taken from the wild and then sold. Unfortunately, the punishments for this are negligent and do not deter the offenders from repeating the offense.

Our binturong was imported from Asia legally by an unknown source but most likely was taken from the wild due to the issues on Palawan, before leaving the private individual and finding a home at ‘Get to know animals’ where they gave him amazing treatment and helped settle him in and bring him out of his shell.”

Our binturong is a magnificent animal, a symbol of the diversity and beauty of our natural world. But this incredible animal has suffered greatly at the hands of those who did not understand the importance of protecting and respecting all living beings. For far too long, he endured neglect and abuse, living a life of fear and pain.

Here at Dartmoor Zoo, we are incredibly honoured to be able to give him this new lease of life and feel he deserves a new name to reflect this and that’s where you come in!

The keepers have shortlisted five names and with a minimum £1 donation you can pick your favourite. The name with the most votes will be announced on Facebook, with the bonus of one lucky donor who will win a family pass to Dartmoor Zoo, where they can see the binturong in person! The five names are:

  1. Mee-Noi which means little bear in Thai
  2. Malu which means shy in Indonesian
  3. Bao which means treasure in Vietnamese
  4. Mahina which means vulnerable in Filipino
  5. Irawan which is a river in Palawan

To pick your winner and give our binturong a new name for his new life, you can make your charitable donation here.

Join us for our very first ‘Coffee and Conversation’ event. A brand new networking breakfast series we’re launching here at Dartmoor Zoo!

On Tuesday 17th October our topic is ‘Marketing and fundraising’ and we’re welcoming THREE amazing guest speakers to discuss ways in which charities and companies alike have been impacted in the cost-of-living crisis and how we can brainstorm, think outside the box, and come up with new and exciting ways of marketing and fundraising!

We’re being joined by Toby Gorniak MBE, the CEO of Street Factory, Paul Courtney the Director of Fundraising for Children’s Hospice South West, and Phillipa Revest the Head of Marketing and Communications for The Ocean Conservation Trust, all with a huge wealth of knowledge in their respective fields.

Tickets to this event are £10 inclusive of entry to zoo, buffet breakfast and refreshments.

We recommend booking in advance as tickets are limited.

BOOK NOW

Book 50 students in for a Zoo visit between 6th January – 31st March and save an incredible £200!

Not only that, but we’ve teamed up with Tamar Coaches who will offer an exclusive, reduced rate of £195 to get your students to and from Dartmoor Zoo. This means that the total cost of your visit is under £400!

T&Cs

  • Visits must be booked for dates between 6th January 2023 – 31st March. Excluding half term and subject to availability.
  • Adult ratios are included. Additional adults above the ratio must pay a discounted entry fee of £9.
  • Additional children above the 50 must pay a discounted entry fee of £7.
  • School groups of 22 and above will be charged a set rate of £150. Groups of 21 or less will be charged at our discounted entry fee of £7.
  • Any additional workshops or extras are to be paid at normal price.
  • This offer can be used a maximum of 2 times per school.
  • We will try and offer a lunch reservation for 45 minutes within our restaurant; however, this is subject to availability. This will be booked prior to your arrival. If no reservation is made, we are unable to guarantee space within our restaurant for lunch to be eaten.
  • This offer is only available for visits between 10am and 4pm.
  • We will try and provide a space for school bags to be left in an allocated space, however this may not be possible, and we may ask that the children take them round with them at all times.
  • School children must be accompanied by an adult at all times during their visit.

Email education@dartmoorzoo.co.uk

Treat someone you love to a Zoo day this Valentines!

Simply use code DZSVAL50 to get 50% off admission on adult tickets, valid from 11th – 14th February.

This code cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Dartmoor Zoo’s brand-new refurbished conference facility ‘The Jaguar Suite’ is open for business! To launch and promote our new facility we are offering clients new and old a FREE HALF DAY conference venue hire. To secure this unique and beautiful venue for free, all you need to do is purchase a catering package! (T&Cs below)

Catering packages

  • Tea / Coffee & Cakes @ £5.00ph
  • Tea / Coffee & Breakfast – Choice of Hot Bacon or Sausage Baps or Continental, Pastries, Muesli, Fruit, Yogurt @ £7.00ph
  • Tea / Coffee & Sandwich Platters & Crisps ‘Light Lunch’ @ £7.00ph
  • Tea / Coffee & Hot Buffet Lunch @ £9.50ph

 

T&Cs

  • Offer open Tuesday – Thursday ONLY from 3rd January until 9th February
  • Minimum group booking 12 people
  • Suggested* half day hire times are 8.30am – 12.30pm or 1pm – 5pm (*Timings can be negotiated when booking through events team, dependant on availability)
  • If you wish to extend your visit, the second half of the day can be booked at a discounted rate. Discounted venue hire pricing starts at £75.00 dependant on group size
  • Additional catering and animal experiences available – enquire for more details
  • Finish or start your conference with a guided Zoo tour for the whole group for only £60.00 (up to 30 people per tour, groups over 30 will need to book 2 or more tours)

 

Facilities include: Projector & White Wall, 70-inch SMART Screen, Bluetooth connective amp & surround speakers, LED lighting (various colours), Tables & Chairs

Conference set up suitable for: 100 x Theatre / 40 x Cabaret / 30 x Boardroom (advised not max)

  • Additional conference amenities including, flip chart, paper, pens, notepads etc. available on request when pre booking, and will incur a charge.

Email events@dartmoorzoo.co.uk

Looking for a way to make a difference in 2023? Why not try some of our Zoo Year’s Resolutions!

#1 Give 3 for 2023
For just £3 a month, you can contribute to the feed, welfare, and enrichment of our incredible animals here at Dartmoor Zoo. Set up your donations: Here

#2 Sign up to Amazon Smile
Every time you shop on Amazon, you can donate to us for FREE. All you need to do is enable Amazon Smile in your app and select us as your chosen charity, or use the smile link: Here

#3 Easy Fundraising
Similarly to Amazon Smile, every time you shop certain places will donate to us for FREE. Download the Easy Fundraising app, shop and raise – it’s really that simple! Find out more: Here

#4 Volunteer
Looking to share some of your time? We are always looking for volunteers to help out across our site and with our amazing animals. If you are interested, why not check out what volunteer options we have available: Here

#5 Save an animal from extinction
By adopting one of our magnificent animals, you can help towards our conservation efforts to literally save them from extinction. Adopt an animal today: Here

We have teamed up with the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre at Plymouth University, and they are bringing their portable Neoscope (microscope) for our visitors to look through. This is a rare opportunity to get an in-depth look at unique animal items under the microscope, including hedgehog spines, snake shed and plenty more!
 
Starting in the afternoon of Wednesday 26th October, the microscope will be on site until the end of the day, Thursday 27th October.
 
Perfect for those budding scientists and zoologists – this is definitely an event you don’t want to miss!