- Dartmoor Zoological Park
-
Dartmoor Zoological Park 
Dartmoor Zoo logoDate opened 1968 Location Dartmoor, Devon, England Land area 30 acres (12 ha) [1] Coordinates 50°24′25″N 3°59′49″W / 50.407°N 3.997°WCoordinates: 50°24′25″N 3°59′49″W / 50.407°N 3.997°W Website http://www.dartmoorzoo.org Dartmoor Zoological Park is a 30-acre (12 ha)[1][2] zoological garden located near the village of Sparkwell, on the south-west edge of Dartmoor, in the county of Devon in the South West of England.
Formerly known as Dartmoor Wildlife Park, it had been opened in 1968 by Ellis Daw on farmland bought by his family in 1948.[2][3] During a time of crisis, it was forced to close to the public on April 23, 2006.[3] In August of that year, it was bought by the Mee family consisting of mother Amelia and brothers Ben and Duncan Mee, for £1.1m,[1] who reopened the zoo to the public in July 2007 after a major refurbishment.
Contents
Book, Film & TV
The current owners, the Mee family.
In 2007, it was the subject of a four part television documentary, entitled Ben's Zoo, which followed owner Benjamin Mee and other staff as they revamped the park for the 21st century. It was shown on BBC Two in November and December of that year. Benjamin Mee, a former DIY columnist for The Guardian, also wrote a book about his experience refurbishing and living at the zoo, We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever.
Although "Ben's Zoo" was not followed by a second series, it was aired in several overseas locations and on Nat Geo Wild throughout May 2010.
In 2009, 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights to Mee's book. Filming on We Bought a Zoo began in January 2011 under the direction of Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) following a rewrite of the original adaptation written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada).
Matt Damon stars alongside Scarlett Johannson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Patrick Fugit, and Elle Fanning. and the film is scheduled for release in the U.S. and U.K. on 23 December 2011.
The project is produced by Julie Yorn (Bride Wars, Max Payne) and Mark Gordon, (Saving Private Ryan, The Day After Tomorrow, Tomb Raider).
Controversy
The original Dartmoor Wildlife Park became the subject of local debate after a 2001 report by the Captive Animals Protection Society raised questions about the welfare of the animals and the conditions in which they were kept,[4][5] even though there had been no accidents in the zoo's 33-year history.[6] The group criticised the living conditions for the animals and the safety barriers, calling for the zoo's license to be revoked.[6] The council were reluctant to revoke the zoo's license, due to concerns over the future of the animals,[6] but did charge Ellis Daw with 16 offences after the zoo was investigated.[7] All but one of these charges were dropped, but Ellis Daw was found guilty of breeding Siberian tigers outside of an organised breeding programme, and of keeping them in poor conditions.[7] For this, Daw received a £200 fine and a conditional discharge, and the tigers were sent to a wildlife centre in Holland.[7][8]
Notes
- ^ a b c Morris, Jonathan (2007-07-06). "Break-out zoo is being reopened". BBC News South West. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6246342.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b "Dartmoor Wildlife Park sale completes" (Press release). Knight Frank. 2006-11-03. http://www.knightfrank.co.uk/press/2006_news_stories/DartmoorWildlifeParksalecompletes.aspx. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b "Wildlife park ends public access". BBC News South West. 2006-04-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4934728.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ "Welfare group calls for zoo closure". BBC News South West. 2001-11-07. http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news/112001/07/sparkwell_closure.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ "Report on visit to Dartmoor Wildlife Park, Sparkwell, Devon". Captive Animals Protection Society. 2001-11-06. http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/dartmoor1.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b c "Zoo's anger over closure call". BBC News South West. 2001-11-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1643201.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b c "Zoo boss guilty of illegally breeding animals". Captive Animals Protection Society. 2002-07-10. http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/daw.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ^ "Devon wildlife park up for sale". BBC News South West. 2005-02-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4271371.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
External links
Zoological Gardens in the United Kingdom Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animalsZoos - Africa Alive!
- Amazon World Zoo
- Banham Zoo
- Belfast Zoo
- Birdland Park and Gardens
- Birmingham Nature Centre
- Blackbrook Zoological Park
- Blackpool Zoo
- Borth Animalarium
- Bristol Zoo
- Chester Zoo
- Chessington World of Adventures
- Colchester Zoo
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- Dartmoor Zoological Park
- Drusillas Zoo Park
- Drayton Manor Theme Park
- Dudley Zoo
- Edinburgh Zoo
- Exmoor Zoo
- Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
- Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo
- Hamerton Zoo
- Howletts Wild Animal Park
- International Centre for Birds of Prey
- Isle of Wight Zoo
- Lakeland Wildlife Oasis
- London Zoo
- Marwell Wildlife
- Monkey World
- Newquay Zoo
- Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
- Paignton Zoo
- Paradise Park, Cornwall
- Paradise Wildlife Park
- Rare Species Conservation Centre
- South Lakes Wild Animal Park
- Tropical World at Roundhay Park
- Twycross Zoo
- Welsh Mountain Zoo
- Whipsnade Zoo
Safari parks Permanently closed Zoos, aquariums, and aviaries Types of zoos Conservation Lists Animals Other topics - Animals in captivity
- Animal training
- Behavioral enrichment
- Captive breeding
- Frozen zoo
- Immersion exhibit
- Nocturnal house
- Wildlife conservation
- Zookeeper
- Zoology
- Portal
- Project
- Category
- Commons
Categories:- Zoos in England
- Visitor attractions in Devon
- Buildings and structures in Devon
- Dartmoor
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
