Facts & Figures

Here is some important information regarding facts & figures at Paignton Zoo.

• Number of full-time equivalent employees (2021): 167 (raising to 227 in peak season)
• Area of zoo site: about 80 acres (32 hectares)
• Animals in collection (as of April 2021): 3,828
  • 218 mammals from 50 different species
  • 652 birds from 102 different species
  • 2,958 lower vertebrates and invertebrates from 86 different species
• Animal species in current collection: 238
• Animal species classified on the IUCN Red List: 187 in total
• Animal species involved in breeding programmes (EEP, ESB and SSP): 82
• Animal species in EAZA ex-situ breeding programmes (EEPs): 53
• Different sorts of plant in the collection: 4,064 species on record

We’re proud to have a long history of conservation work within the UK, with past and present projects including:

• Seagrass – working with the Community Seagrass Initiative (CSI) and Valeport to preserve Torbay’s seagrass meadows
• Hazel dormice – helping to reintroduce this popular native mammal to suitable areas
• Strapwort – the only place it is found in the UK is at Wild Planet Trust’s Slapton Ley – now also at Loe Pool in Cornwall, in partnership with the National Trust
• Sorbus – research and conservation of Devon endemic whitebeam trees
• South West white-clawed crayfish project – rearing populations of this species at the zoo before release back to the wild
• Managing our zoo sites for native wildlife

Our conservation work also has a global reach within other countries, with past and present projects including:

• Omo Forest, Nigeria – saving forest elephants and environmental education
• Dambari Wildlife Trust, Zimbabwe – conserving the unique Matobo Hills, home to rhinos, zebras and antelopes
• Uzungwa Scarp, Tanzania – antelope and amphibian research and conservation, alongside the Tanzanian Forest Service Agency (TFS)
• Sulawesi, Indonesia – working with Selamatkan Yaki to conserve Sulawesi crested macaques
• Vietnam – working closely with conservation partner Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, to protect Owston’s civets