Newquay Zoo - Timeline 2003 To Present

Timeline 2003 To Present

Whitley Wildlfe Conservation Trust period 2003 - - August 14, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust purchased Newquay Zoo to operate this as part of the charitable trust with Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts.

- October 8, Cornwall College Newquay (Newquay Zoological Studies Centre for Applied Zoology) new Borlase building officially opened by DR. Jo Gipps OBE, Director of Bristol Zoo.

New logo (portrait)showing the striped backside of a running zebra takes over from the 1996 - 2003 flag style(landscape) logo, designed to fit with the other Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust partners, Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts. Several other logo designs such as Diana Monkey (linking back to the 1980s / 1990s Council zoo logo of a vervet or Diana monkey) were created but rejected during this rebranding in favour of a logo which would look forward to the opening of the African Savanna section (2009 onwards). The traditional Cornish colours of the St. Piran Flag (black and white) and Cornwall rugby strip / county coat of arms (black and gold/ orange) were maintained and adapted into the new zebra logo, in use from late 2003 onwards. One reasonign for this involved the fact that every zebra has individual and distinctive flank and leg stripe markings partly to aid recognition by its young, just as every zoo is individual and different but part of a wider 'herd' or movement towards wildlife conservation.

2004 - May, Whitsun, Dodo 2 zoo time capsule buried near maze to mark zoo's 35th birthday and recent change of ownership, registered with the International Time Capsule Society in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.

- July 2004, Siberian Lynx arrive to live in the former Puma house (1998), the last of the Newquay Pumas having died earlier in the year. These retire to other zoos in early 2009 when Carpathian Lynx, Boomer and Willow arrive from European zoos on breeding loan.

2006- One of three pairs of Owston's Civets into UK zoos arrive at Newquay Zoo as part of a conservation programme from Cuc Phoung National Park in Vietnam.

2007 - June 26, Newquay's first Fossa baby 'Little Geoff' born to the Newquay Zoo pair Mavis and Harry. Little Geoff (named after the late Geoff Gerry, one of the Council zoo staff who worked on into the new ownership)transferred to Poznan Zoo in Poland as part of the breeding programme in 2009.

2008 - Junior Keeper scheme launched for 8 to 14 year olds, which won a BIAZA Education award in November 2009.

2008 - Kabir the African lion retires from Longleat as short-lived company for Connie, who was not impressed by her new charge.

2009 - April, African Savannah and Philippines sections open, taking the zoo acreage to around 13.5 acres (55,000 m2), double its original 1969 size. Wildebeest, Nyala and Ostrich arrive. Carpathian Lynx arrive.

The original site of the new African Savannah was formerly known as 'Little Wembley', a very boggy school playing field, believed to be waterlogged from being built over the clay-based area of 19th century Tolcarne Brickworks.

2009- May 29, Whitsun, second zoo time capsule buried near maze to mark zoo's 40th birthday, registered with the International Time Capsule Society in USA for possible recovery in 2069 on zoo's centenary.

2009 - four exhibitions celebrating Darwin's 200th Birthday darwin200 hosted in partnership with Falmouth Art Gallery, with resident artist John Dyer and others painting and recording the work of the zoo in 2008 and 2009. Paintings from this residency period are collected together in the book by John Dyer, My Darwin 200 Year.

2009 - August 30, World War Zoo gardens project launched, a research project into how zoos around Britain and further afield survived wartime and a recreation of a wartime zoo keepers' dig for victory garden with regularly updated project blog winning a BIZAZ gardens award in November 2011.

2009 - Charlie, an African lion past breeding age retires to keep bossy older sister Connie company.

2009 - the old wildlfe and hedgehog hospital section refurbished as a Native Wildlife Centre with Harvest mouse and displays on heathland by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to match the Sand lizard section.

2009 - November 24, 150th anniversary of publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species marked by publication of Charles Darwin: A Celebration in Stamps, jointly published with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and blog updates

2010 - February, opening of first sections of new walk-through Madagscan Aviary enclosure on site of Vasa parrot aviary,for Madagascar Grey headed lovebird, Madagascar partridge and Vasa parrot. The adjacent old Chough aviary area is now home to Crowned lemur and Madagascar Narrow-striped mongoose.

A Sulawesi Macaque webcam was established to celabrate the conservation, education and breeding programmes linked to the work of Selamatkan Yaki, ('Protect the Macaque' in Sulawesi Indonesian) http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/conservation/sulawesi-crested-black-macaques.htm

2011 / 2012 - New aviaries are built as part of the Gems of the Jungle project.

2013 - A male Owston's Civet born at Newquay Zoo returns to Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam.