Living Coasts was a coastal zoo at the site of

Torquay Marine Spa The Torquay Marine Spa was a spa and entertainment complex situated on a promontory overlooking Beacon Cove in the town of Torquay, Devon, England. The buildings included a ballroom, concert hall, sunlit conservatory and private bathing facili ...

in Devon, England. It was owned by South West Environmental Parks as part of the Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which also operates

Newquay Zoo Newquay Zoo is a zoological garden located within Trenance Leisure Park in Newquay, England. The zoo was opened in Cornwall on Whit Monday, 26 May 1969 by the local council (Newquay Urban District Council, later Restormel District Council). It w ...

and

Paignton Zoo Paignton Zoo is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the charity Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust. The charity also runs Newquay ...

. It was a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, based around seabirds and other coastal wildlife. The site had a covered giant

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Avi ...

which included several animal enclosures and habitats including an artificial tidal estuary, a penguin beach, a tropical mangrove swamp, and underwater viewing areas. Living Coasts was also home to the oldest African Penguin in the UK, named Pat, before he was euthanized in 2015 at the age of 37. Living Coasts was Britain's first and only coastal zoo. It was a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the

European Association of Zoos and Aquaria The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), is an organisation for the European zoo and aquarium community that links over 340 member organisations in 41 countries. EAZA membership is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe that compl ...

(EAZA), and the

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the "umbrella" organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal ca ...

(WAZA). On 16 June 2020, Living Coasts announced it would not be reopening following its closure during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

History

Living Coasts opened to the public on 14 July 2003, and as of 2011 was being visited by over 100,000 visitors a year. It officially closed in June 2020, following significant loss of income caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Aviary

The aviary was at its highest point and had a total volume of . This free flying enclosure was home to mammals and birds including

South American fur seal The South American fur seal (''Arctocephalus australis'') breeds on the coasts of Peru, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The total population is around 250,000. However, population counts are sparse and outdated. Altho ...

African penguin The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiff ...

macaroni penguin The macaroni penguin (''Eudyptes chrysolophus'') is a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested penguin, it is very closely related to the royal penguin, and some authorities consid ...

sea duck The sea ducks (''Mergini'') are a tribe of the duck subfamily of birds, the Anatinae. The taxonomy of this group is incomplete. Some authorities separate the group as a subfamily, while others remove some genera. Most species within the group sp ...

pied avocet The pied avocet (''Recurvirostra avosetta'') is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. They breed in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then on to the Russian Far East. It is a ...

, redshanks,

black-necked stilt The black-necked stilt (''Himantopus mexicanus'') is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexic ...

s, ruffs, and

tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...

s. The aviary was the first open-air

auk An auk or alcid is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets. The word "auk" is derived from Icelandic ''álka'', from Old Norse ''alka'' (a ...

exhibit in the world, and won a design award. It was also the first place in the U.K to breed

pigeon guillemot The pigeon guillemot (''Cepphus columba'') () is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae. One of three species in the genus '' Cepphus'', it is most closely related to the spectacled guillemot. There are five subspecies of the pigeon gu ...

common guillemot The common murre or common guillemot (''Uria aalge'') is a large auk. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to ...

s and

tufted puffin The tufted puffin (''Fratercula cirrhata''), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean. It is one of three species of puffin that make ...

s. Also found in the auk enclosure were red legged kittiwakes and red billed choughs.

Other exhibits

Aquarium tanks inside the aviary had a total capacity of . *Mangroves: The Roots of the Sea opened in July 2009, and featured large aquarium tanks containing over 20 species. including three types of sting ray. It is Britain's first major exhibit themed on a

mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fre ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. *The Local Coasts exhibit was themed on the underside of a classic English pier and home to native marine species including

seahorses A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish a ...

, edible crabs etc. *Discovery Zone, which opened in March 2008, featured an interactive floor with a series of specially-created penguin computer game stations called Penguin Academy.

Programs

Special shows, extended talks and hands-on events were available throughout the site each day. Other programs let visitors be keeper or junior keeper for the day, take part in one of the penguin feeds, or (for certified SCUBA divers) take a 45-minute swim with the penguins.

Facilities

Living Coasts had a cafe that overlooked

Torbay Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme ...

and the Tradewinds gift shop, themed on a colonial harbour. Both facilities were open to visitors and non-visitors.

Closure

On 23 March 2020, Living Coasts, along with other visitor attractions nationwide, temporarily closed during the

and consequent lockdown. On 11 June, the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

debated the reopening of zoos amid mounting concerns that many could face permanent closure without visitor revenue. On 15 June, the Government announced zoos could re-open to the public with strict social distancing rules in place, however Living Coasts remained closed. On 16 June, Wild Planet Trust announced the permanent closure of Living Coasts due to its costbase, need to make efficiencies and inability to afford required substantial maintenance. Homes were sought for the zoo's animals. Despite euthanasia fears, on 19 June 2020 it was then announced that homes had been found for all animals.

Notes

External links

* *
Wild Planet Trust Website
{{British zoos Torquay Aquaria in England Aviaries Tourist attractions in Devon 2003 establishments in England 2020 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures in Torquay Former zoos