Living Coasts

Infobox zoo
zoo_name=Living Coasts
logo=
logo_width=128
logo_caption=Living Coasts logo
date_opened= 2004
location=Torquay, Devon, England
num_species=24
num_animals=210
exhibits = Auk Cliff, Penguin Beach, Underwater Tunnel
website=http://www.livingcoasts.org.uk/html/index.html

Living Coasts is a site owned by Paignton Zoo it is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife. The site consists of a giant Aviary and also contains a cafe and underwater viewing points.

The Aviary

The Aviary at its highest point is 19 m, the total volume is convert|1.8|Mcuft|m3 and cost a total of £7 million. The tanks inside the avairy take a capacity of 1214 m cubed.

The Freeflying enclosure is home to various animals including Black Rats, 5 Fur Seals, Penguins which visitors can walk amongst, Sea ducks, Gulls and Terns

Living Coasts opened in July 2004 which was also Paignton Zoo's 80th anniversary and is now visited by 200,000 visitors a year.

World Class

Not just is this attraction the first of its kind, it's also home to the first open-air auk exhibit and has won a design award. As well as this Living Coasts was the first place in the U.K to breed Pigeon Guillemots, Common Guillemots and Tufted Puffins.

Changes

Living Coasts is Britain's only coastal zoo and a nationally-important discovery centre.

Most of the outdoor area, will remain the same but the inside is being changed to include new exhibit and species. Among the new animals will be the poisonous blue-spotted ray, upside-down jellyfish and horseshoe crab.

The main exhibit will be Britain's first major exhibit themed on a mangrove swamp habitat. ‘Mangroves: The Roots of the Sea’ will open on Living Coasts’ fifth birthday in July and feature large aquarium tanks containing over 20 species.

The first area to be opened was Discovery Zone which opened in March 2008 which features an interactive floor, and a series of specially-created penguin computer game-stations called Penguin Academy.

A new events programme will also be introduced for 2008 to change the experience for visitors once they are at Living Coasts. Special shows, extended talks and hands-on events will be going on throughout the site each day.

Living Coasts, a registered charity, has received a grant of £800,000 from the Regional Development Agency to support the work. The planned developments will continue until March 2009. [http://www.livingcoasts.org.uk/html/pages/frames/new_frameset.asp?news]

Eating Out and Shopping

Living Coasts has a Cafe open during the day open to everyone (whether or not visiting Living Coasts), which overlooks Torbay.The Restaurant 'a la carte Restaurant' is soon to be closed and redeveloped to create a new functions suite and terrace, still with the view over Torbay menawhile the cafe will be having a new look menu and food style.

The Tradewinds Gift shop is again open to visitors and non-visitors and is themed on a colonial harbour.