Dartmoor Zoological Park, Zoo in Sparkwell, Devon, United Kingdom.
Dartmoor Zoological Park is a zoo in Sparkwell, Devon, set on the grounds of the Goodamoor Estate. It houses lions, tigers, jaguars, pumas, and a range of other animals in enclosures spread across the property.
Ellis Daw founded the zoo in 1968 on the Goodamoor Estate, whose main house dates back to the 1600s. Decades later, the Mee family bought the property and saved it from closure.
The park transformed into a charitable organization in 2014, deepening its focus on wildlife protection and visitor education. Today, you can watch feeding demonstrations and talks that reveal how staff work with the animals daily.
The park is about 15 minutes from Plymouth by car and easy to reach from the main road. Allow several hours to walk through the grounds at a comfortable pace and see all the animals.
Benjamin Mee wrote a book in 2008 about buying and rescuing this zoo, which caught the attention of Hollywood and led to a film starring Matt Damon. That story brought the park a level of recognition that few small zoos ever receive.
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