Dudley Zoo animal's magic revealed in new signs

The display panels will give an insight into more than 200 exotic and endangered species at the 40-acre site and are part of a £150,000 initiative supported by European Regeneration Development Funding.

Jill Hitchman, head of communications at the zoo, based in Castle Hill, is the organiser and designer behind the ambitious project and said: "The signs, which incorporate our fantastic photographic archive, reflect the wide range of rare and exotic animals at DZG and also showcase our colourful history across eight decades. They offer instant, interesting and fun information in an easy-to-read format about individual species within the collection."

It will take 12 months to write, design and install the signs around the zoo and the project has been organised to celebrate the 77 year history of one of the country's busiest zoos.

Jill added: "It is a lengthy project, but I'm half way through the design work and a third of the signs have been erected and already earned compliments from visitors, ."

Peter Suddock, chief executive at the zoo said the signage project will transform the site. He said: "We have a fantastic collection of photographs which will be converted into huge animal pictures from our library which has been collected over 15 years. The signs will also provide clear and simple information about our animals."