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Visit the Real Zoo That 'We Bought a Zoo' Was Based On

Cameron Crowe’s We Bought A Zoo, starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church, hits theaters today and is based on the true story of a father who moves his two children to a dilapidated zoo which they restore to its former glory.

The movie is set in the U.S. and was filmed just outside of Los Angeles, but the real-life zoo the story is based on is actually located in Devon, U.K. The Dartmoor Zoo is now the thriving home of dozens of animals including monkeys, reindeer, cheetahs and goats. The zoo also hosts special events, like photography tours, family days, and weddings.

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Animals / England / → All Tags

Birdwatching World Frenzy

The long-billed murrelet has become a major tourist attraction (or let's call it a niche tourist attraction) in Devon, England. Yep, the birdwatchers of the world have whipped themselves into a bird-ogling frenzy this week, and we hardly even noticed.

Apparently the LBM normally only turns up in Russia or Japan, but one must've got lost or fancied a Devon seaside holiday. Once word spread amongst binocular-wielding birdwatchers, some 2000 people turned up in double-quick time to catch a glimpse of the bird for themselves--including one guy who abandoned his wife at her own birthday party to get down there. This whole "come and see a rare bird" thing sounds like a cheap marketing campaign to us: we're just sorry we didn't think of it ourselves.

[Photo: Dave Appleton]

Related Stories:
· 2000 Flock to See Rare Bird [Mirror]
· Takes Swan to Know Swan [Jaunted]