A wildlife charity that has been looking to sell its two South West of England zoos ‘amid rising costs and global challenges’ has found a buyer.

Dutch leisure firm Libéma, which already runs four zoos, will take over ownership of Paignton and Newquay zoo from the Wild Planet Trust from next month.

The charity said the firm was selected “to ensure that the right decisions are made” for the future of the two zoos.

The move will allow the charity to “fully focus on our conservation objectives”, said the Devon based charity.

It points out that Libéma has four decades worth of experience running zoos. The four it runs in the Netherlands includes Beekse Bergen.

“Conservation remains at the heart of Wild Planet Trust, and although Libéma is not a charity, they share our commitment to conservation,” said the charity.

“They actively support around 30 conservation projects worldwide, including the Northern Corridors Project, which created safe corridors between nature reserves to allow elephants to travel safely, avoiding villages and crops.”

It added: “We will continue to work closely with Libéma in the coming weeks and months to ensure a smooth transition for all staff as they transfer their employment.”



In October the charity announced its decision to sell the zoos due to financial challenges.

“Like many charities, we’ve faced rising costs and global challenges, and we’ve already made difficult but necessary internal changes,” it said.

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