Newquay Zoo's three lions to move to new home in Paignton
Bosses say the the pride will be replaced by a new exhibit
The lions at Newquay Zoo are going to be moved to a new home in Devon.
The pride of three African lions will be relocated from Cornwall to its sister zoo in Paignton in the spring.
Bosses from the Wild Planet Trust, the conservation charity that operates both premises, says the health and welfare of their animals is always their top priority along with their commitment to providing the best possible care for the animals.
They say the decision to relocate the lions is driven by a desire to provide the very best conditions for the animals. The enclosure at Paignton Zoo is many times larger than their existing home, and will provide them with substantially more room.
In a statement they added: "Newquay Zoo has changed substantially over the years and as a science-led charitable zoo, we are constantly reviewing the ways in which we look after our animals. We want to provide our animals with homes that provide the best possible conditions and we have decided that these conditions can best be met at Paignton.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has been a very challenging time for Newquay Zoo, as it has for many other local businesses, and as we emerge from this, we need to plan carefully for our future. Although we cannot say with certainty, we initially expect the move to take place in the spring of next year.
"We appreciate our visitors and staff alike will miss our pride of lions that have become a staple part of the Newquay Zoo animal collection but rest assured that we will be replacing them with a new exhibit so there’ll still be plenty for our visitors to see."