Meet the orang-utans and friends

Paignton Zoo is offering people the chance to visit South East Asia for the day - and make some very special friends.

The exclusive fundraising day features encounters with orang-utans and other Asian species such as tigers, gibbons and hornbills.

The Zoo – a registered charity – is running its Meet the Orang-utans and Friends days to raise money for the South East Asia Campaign run by EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Paignton Zoo aims to raise 5,000 Euros.

Paignton Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “The day runs from 10.00am to 3.00pm. It starts with coffee and a chance to learn about our gibbons. Then it’s on to the tigers, followed by hornbills and other birds. After lunch there’s a tour of Crocodile Swamp to see the Philippine crocodiles and box turtles. Then it’s the anoas – the world’s smallest species of wild cattle - and on to Monkey Heights to see the Sulawesi crested black macaques. The big finale is an off-show encounter with the orang-utans. It can be a very emotional experience. After all that, you get your certificate and a goody bag!”

He added: “You get to go behind the scenes, meet expert staff and ask questions. We can only run a limited number of these days - there will be just one a week until the end of September - so whoever gets to go on them will be doing something really special.”

The South East Asian Experience costs £200 per person and needs to be booked in advance. You must be over 15.

South East Asia is a diverse region, home to much-loved species including the Sumatran tiger and the orangutan. But this campaign will highlight some of the more mysterious species, such as the saola - a recently-discovered species of antelope - the proboscis monkey, the Roti Island snake-necked turtle, spectacular giant fish and magical hornbills. The campaign aims to create a fund of 750,000 Euros for South East Asian species conservation projects.