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Newquay Zoo helps to create the Queen’s Green Canopy

Newquay Zoo is commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II with the creation of the new Queen’s Grove on the zoo’s Savannah paddock.

The Queen’s Grove is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which was initially launched to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. It has now been extended until March 2023 in order for trees to be planted in memory of Her Majesty. More than a million trees have already been planted across the UK so far.

The Queen’s Grove at Newquay Zoo will consist of 14 trees that have been specially selected to withstand the coastal Cornish weather, as well as species that resemble trees found in the African Savannah itself.

The trees will provide shade and foraging opportunities for the zebras, wildebeest and nyala antelope that live on the African Savannah at Newquay, as well as honouring the legacy of Her Majesty.

The creation of The Queen’s Grove follows the planting of 29 trees at Newquay’s sister zoo in Paignton as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative earlier on in the year.

Catherine Mortimer, Deputy Curator of Botanics at the Wild Planet Trust, said: “Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was in Kenya when she became Queen in 1952, so it felt right that The Queen’s Grove was planted on the African Savannah here at Newquay.

“We have chosen a mixture of trees that will thrive in the paddock, including varieties like grey alder and Scot’s pine that tolerate salt-laden winds, along with black locust and honey locust trees, which have thorny trunks and gnarly bark.”

The trees have all been sourced from specialist UK nurseries, with two Chinese honey locust (Gleditsia sinensis) having been kindly donated by Kew Royal Botanic Gardens.

Alongside the new Queen’s Grove trees, Newquay Zoo also boasts an impressive selection of plants, including a variety of Japanese and Asian flora in the Oriental Garden, along with many tropical and sub-tropical species.