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19th December 2019

BREWERY HELPS TO TOAST NEW ARRIVALS AT FAMOUS DEVON TOURIST ATTRACTION.

Simon Scott-Smith from Otter Brewery with Alyn Price from Dartmoor Zoo

East Devon’s Otter Brewery is helping to welcome four new otter pups at Dartmoor Zoo with Christmas just around the corner.

Born to parents Matty and Jasmine, the young Small Claw Asian Otters are the latest additions to an eclectic family of animals at one of the South West’s best loved attractions.

Dartmoor Zoo was made famous in the 2011 Hollywood film ‘We Bought a Zoo’, starring Matt Damon, Scarlet Johansson and Crystal the Monkey (as herself), which tells the tale of recently bereaved owner Benjamin Mee as he decides to purchase a dilapidated zoo with his children in 2006.

Following the massive exposure around the world that the movie brought, in recent years the 33-acre site just outside Plymouth has enjoyed a new lease of life with increased footfall and year round school trips. In 2014 the business concentrated its efforts on becoming more conservation focussed and began working with Plymouth University and students studying Animal Science at Duchy College. Various international research projects are also ongoing.

Simon Scott-Smith from Otter Brewery said: “Perhaps one of my more unusual accounts, the Brewery and Dartmoor Zoo actually share many of the same environmental values, a similar wild side and of course a very strong bond with our furry friends. As a sustainably minded business it gives us great pleasure to be sponsoring one of the new pups….. our boy, naturally, is to be called ‘Tarka’! We’ll also be supplying beer, bespoke t-shirts and a raffle prize to tour the brewery to help promote this fantastic news as best we can.”

Julie Cater, Fundraising Lead at Dartmoor Zoo added: “It’s great to have Otter on board as we welcome a family of new-born cubs – a rare occurrence in British zoos. We already stock their beers and this additional support will help facilitate new houses and ponds, additional toys and also extra heating and lights in the enclosure. It’s a great partnership between two sustainable local businesses and one that we hope will bring many more visitors to the park.”

Visitors will be able to see the new Otter cubs as well as many other species including Cheetahs, Wolves, Jaguars, Wallabies, Marmosets, Pythons, Ostriches, Owls and Tarantulas.

For more information please visit: www.dartmoorzoo.org.uk and www.otterbrewery.com