Young lynx with spotted fur sits on green grass, surrounded by leafy plants, looking curiously at the viewer.

Nature Conservation

Protecting Species for the Future

Across the world, wildlife is facing unprecedented pressure from habitat loss, climate change and human activity. For many species, the natural environments they depend on are shrinking faster than populations can recover.

Conservation breeding programmes help safeguard species facing these threats. By carefully managing populations in accredited zoos, scientists and conservationists can maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations that support long-term species survival.

At Newquay Zoo, conservation breeding plays a key role in protecting threatened wildlife and contributing to international conservation efforts.

A tamarin monkey with distinctive white hair sits on a branch, carrying two baby tamarins on its back, in a lush, green environment.
Working Together for Species Survival

Conservation breeding does not happen in isolation. It is a coordinated international effort involving zoos, conservation organisations and scientific institutions.

Newquay Zoo participates in programmes coordinated by:

These programmes carefully manage animal populations across multiple zoos to ensure genetic diversity and long-term sustainability.

In some cases, Newquay Zoo also manages international studbooks that track the lineage and genetics of species held across the global zoo network. This work helps guide breeding decisions that maintain healthy populations.

A small bird with a yellow belly, black head, and gray wings perches on a branch surrounded by blurred branches in the foreground.
Why Conservation Breeding Matters

In a world where natural habitats are disappearing, conservation breeding provides an essential safety net for threatened species.

For some animals, the pressures facing wild populations (including deforestation, hunting, and climate change) mean that protected populations under human care may become vital to their survival.

These carefully managed populations can:

  • Maintain healthy genetic diversity

  • Support scientific research

  • Strengthen conservation partnerships

  • Contribute to future reintroduction programmes where suitable habitat exists

This work ensures that species facing severe decline are not lost while conservation efforts continue to protect and restore their habitats in the wild.

Species Conservation in Action

Many of the species at Newquay Zoo are part of international conservation breeding programmes.

Examples include:

A tiny baby golden lion tamarin clings to its mothers back at Newquay Zoo
Golden Lion Tamarin

Once on the brink of extinction, this small primate from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has recovered from fewer than 200 individuals in the 1970s to several thousand today thanks to coordinated conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes.

A colorful bird with dark brown and vibrant red plumage sits against a blurred background, showcasing a keen, observant eye.
Collared Trogon

This striking Central American bird is part of an internationally coordinated programme, with Newquay Zoo maintaining the species’ global studbook to help guide breeding decisions across the zoo network.

A Philippine spotted deer fawn at Newquay Zoo runs across a wildflower meadow with mother and father nearby
Philippine Spotted Deer

Endemic to the Philippines and listed as Endangered, this rare forest deer faces severe habitat loss and hunting pressure. Newquay Zoo has achieved notable breeding success, contributing to the global population managed through conservation breeding programmes.

From Cornwall to the Carpathians

The Carpathian lynx is one of Europe’s largest predators, with an estimated population of around 2,300 individuals spread across fragmented mountain ranges including the Carpathians, Alps and Dinaric Mountains.

Lynx lying in lush green grass, partially shaded by leaves, gazing intently forward.

Newquay Zoo made conservation history when a female lynx born here was selected by the European Endangered Species Programme as a candidate for a reintroduction project co-ordinated by Linking Lynx.

She was transferred to Karlsruhe Zoo in Germany, where specialists assessed her hunting ability and behaviour as part of preparations for potential release.

Although she was ultimately not released, the project provided valuable scientific insight into the role zoo-born animals can play in future reintroduction programmes.

The collaboration between Newquay Zoo, international zoo partners, and the Linking Lynx network demonstrates how conservation breeding contributes to the recovery of species in the wild.

A Global Effort

Conservation breeding programmes represent a powerful example of international cooperation.

By working together across zoos, research institutions and conservation organisations, it is possible to safeguard species that might otherwise disappear.

At Newquay Zoo, every birth, every breeding programme and every scientific partnership contributes to this shared mission.

Conservation breeding programmes manage populations of threatened species in zoos to maintain genetic diversity and support long-term species survival.

Breeding programmes help protect species facing habitat loss and population decline while conservation work continues in the wild.

Species involved in conservation breeding at Paignton Zoo include Carpathian lynx, golden lion tamarins, Visayan warty pigs, Philippine spotted deer, and cotton-top tamarins.

A female Carpathian lynx born at Newquay Zoo was selected by the European Endangered Species Programme as a potential candidate for a European reintroduction project.

She was transferred to Karlsruhe Zoo in Germany for behavioural assessment and preparation. Although she was ultimately not released, the project provided valuable scientific insight into how zoo-born animals may support future reintroduction programmes.

Yes. Every visit helps fund animal care, conservation breeding programmes, and scientific research protecting threatened species.