When a rare, 16 year-old, black rhinoceros living in Paignton Zoo, England became pregnant, the zoo contacted us. The birth of a baby black rhino in captivity is an extremely rare event and the zoo was looking for a way to maximise the PR activity surrounding the birth. Within 2 weeks of initial contact we had installed an internet camera in Sita's enclosure which supplied 24 hour coverage, utilising an infra-red night time facility for the duration of the pregnancy and birth. The live action was streamed direct to the BBC Devon website and within the first week there were over 90,000 global download requests a day!

Paignton Zoo was overwhelmed with the success of the campaign, and requested further cameras for the birth of rare Sumatran tiger cubs in 2009. In addition to the cameras we also supplied LCD plasma screens, which where erected outside the enclosure, allowing visitors to the zoo to witness all the behind the scenes action when the tigers were not in view.

The cameras have become a core part of Paignton Zoo's marketing strategy and, on viewing, they consistently generate a massive 72% propensity to visit.

"The webcams have proved an excellent way of getting potential visitors interested in what is happening at Paignton Zoo. They love the close proximity it gives them to the animals, with live, close-up footage that they would otherwise never have access to, while it also allows them to see 'behind the scenes,' with this footage streamed to LCD plasma screens (provided by fiNETra) outside the enclosures too."

"'The webcams have allowed guests to really get involved with the animals and the zoo itself and with a 72% propensity to visit following viewing of the live action cameras, the marketing value speaks for itself. The webcams are now a fundamental part of our marketing strategy and it has been good to work with a company that has 'animal' experience and appreciates the issues that placing cameras in sensitive enclosures can present. I would certainly recommend this solution to any animal attraction looking to provide potential visitors with the WOW factor!"

Pippa Craddock - Marketing Director