Zoo licence application for Bicton College

Bicton College is to apply for a zoo licence, with the aim of giving the public the chance to find out more about its work with animals.

The zoo plan is centred around the college’s new Animal Husbandry School, which opened last month.

The school is a state-of-the-art learning facility for the college’s animal management and animal science students, and currently houses small mammals, reptiles, and fish, with the college looking to build up its animal collection to include some more small primates, meerkats and others, through transfers with other zoos and centres.

The plan now is to open the school as a tourist attraction, giving the students the chance to be involved in the commercial running of a business.

The college says it will be submitting its licence application at the end of May, and is expecting the process to last several weeks.

East Devon District Council will rule on permission.