Not happy with the comparison to a top zoo like Whipsnade!!
Heythrop Zoo heythrop circus
- Thread starter simon lloyd
- Start date
cliffxdavis
Well-Known Member
I really like Whipsnade but I have never liked their sealion accommodation or the performance aspect. Other than that they are mostly excellent.
I visited Heythrop for the first time yesterday, thoroughly enjoyed it. Great training and working relationships between people and animals.
Nice to see flighted Pelicans (pair of Pink-backed ex Christopher Marler), sizeable breeding group of Red Kangaroos, Pygmy Hippos. Humboldt's Penguin breeding colony now have an enclosure and pool as good as I have seen anywhere.
cliffxdavis
Well-Known Member
I too visited yesterday and am happy to report the new penguin accommodation is now excellent and their breeding record is also very good.
Any recent media featuring the big cats? Last I saw they were doing filming etc with them in 2019 but nothing since then?
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
Do any members have any opinions on how Heythrop will cope with the new zoo reforms? I have never visited this establishment but ,I have heard that some of the enclosures are on the small size.
Not something I noticed when I visited. It’s all very professional and should pass easily. I can’t think of an enclosure that struck me as small
Do they still go in with the lions and train them for television?
On their website it says that birthday parties and exclusive zoo visits will be ceasing from 18th January 2026 and animal experiences will also be unavailable from the end of March with some ending sooner.
The website doesn’t say if or when they will be starting up again or why they are ending. I know they no longer hold open days.
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
I think that it could be the beginning of the end. I was informed by a reliable source that the owner is looking at retirement. I have also been offered through a third party various animals from there, which I have refused.
without desire to sound morbid...could this be a sign that Heythrop may not exist in the future? With how advanced CGI has become that it's now been for a while the norm amongst studios to create creatures in CGI as opposed to, say, bringing a tiger into a studio and dealing with all the risks associated with that, and how AI might itself wedge its way into the visual workflow.....I can easily see the question... in this day and age, is there a need to train animals for film, and put them to work?
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Not going to say too much, as don't wanna say anything I shouldn't, but Heythrop is very much active, and I get on very well with one of the keepers, and frequently visit with friends.
Whilst Jim, has openly been looking to sale / retire, they are operating very much business as usual.
I can't / wont say too much, as it's not public information, but filming this summer at the zoo took place with a number of species for a massive blockbuster movie.
Heythrop also, still have an active breeding group of penguins, and whilst some species have moved on, their have added new animals to the collection as well, and remain busy for encounters, tours and filming work.
Also, in regards to the CGI comment, to create actual and life like CGI you do actually need to do some filming with real animals to get the right sort of imaging and movements, without any background work, the CGI would look most tacky, the better quality CGI will be based on green screen film and adapted, so in regards to good content and blockbuster movies, CGI is simply an assist.
I can't name all the species currently held, but Heythrop do still have;
12/13 Penguins
1.2 Red Kangaroo
1.0 Crowned Crane
1.0 Eurasian Eagle Owl
1.0 Indian Eagle Owl
Multiple Runner Ducks
Multiple White Pigeon
Family group of 6/7 Squirrel monkeys
2.0 Ring Tailed Lemur
6 (not sure on sexes) Rhesus Macaque
0.1 Eurasian Grey Wolf
3 Red Foxes
3.0 Zebra (not sure on species)
Multiple Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
2.0 Miniature Donkey
2 Llama
3.0 African Pygmy Goat
4 Meerkats
1.0 Striped Skunk
1.1 2 Toed Sloth
2.0 Black Indian Leopard
1.1 Indian Leopard
1.1 Amur x Bengal Tiger
2.0 African Lion
5 Flamingo's (I believe they are African, not sure which species)
Many peacocks and peafowl
0.1 Raven
0.1 Blackbuck
1.0 Red Deer
1.0 Raccoon (He is very old though, and not very often seen)
In the reptile house, there are many species but this includes
Monocle Cobra
Plated Lizards
African Dwarf Crocodiles
Ball Pythons
Burmese Python
Common Boa
Beaded Lizard
Crested Gecko
Bearded Dragon
Green Iguana
Californian Kingsnake
Black Kingsnake
Mangrove Snake
Green Tree Python
Scorpions
There are multiple other species as well.
The old Pygmy Hippo house is now empty, but Goats are being used to cut the grass down, and they do plan to get a new species to go in there in due course.
Of the two wolf enclosures, following the death of most of the pack, just one female remains. One enclosure has been cleaned up and may get new species, there is a chance the female wolf may move on, or get companions, but was undecided.
There are also multiple tanks of fish in the welcome room, I am not really a fish person, so not sure on the species.
But the collection is very much active and still running despite the changes mentioned above, they are busy as ever with film work and outreach work, and they continue to be used for very big projects. The use of animals is also vital to assist major CGI, so there is no desire to stop any time soon from what I've been told.
Owner has looked to sell if possible, but he is still very much involved day to day, and it is very much business as usual.
As for tours and encounters, a number of the animals used in these are ageing, so some encounters may not be possible long term. Obviously the wolf walk no longer exists and the tigers are now 15, but the zoo is very much still used for filming.
Whilst Jim, has openly been looking to sale / retire, they are operating very much business as usual.
I can't / wont say too much, as it's not public information, but filming this summer at the zoo took place with a number of species for a massive blockbuster movie.
Heythrop also, still have an active breeding group of penguins, and whilst some species have moved on, their have added new animals to the collection as well, and remain busy for encounters, tours and filming work.
Also, in regards to the CGI comment, to create actual and life like CGI you do actually need to do some filming with real animals to get the right sort of imaging and movements, without any background work, the CGI would look most tacky, the better quality CGI will be based on green screen film and adapted, so in regards to good content and blockbuster movies, CGI is simply an assist.
I can't name all the species currently held, but Heythrop do still have;
12/13 Penguins
1.2 Red Kangaroo
1.0 Crowned Crane
1.0 Eurasian Eagle Owl
1.0 Indian Eagle Owl
Multiple Runner Ducks
Multiple White Pigeon
Family group of 6/7 Squirrel monkeys
2.0 Ring Tailed Lemur
6 (not sure on sexes) Rhesus Macaque
0.1 Eurasian Grey Wolf
3 Red Foxes
3.0 Zebra (not sure on species)
Multiple Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
2.0 Miniature Donkey
2 Llama
3.0 African Pygmy Goat
4 Meerkats
1.0 Striped Skunk
1.1 2 Toed Sloth
2.0 Black Indian Leopard
1.1 Indian Leopard
1.1 Amur x Bengal Tiger
2.0 African Lion
5 Flamingo's (I believe they are African, not sure which species)
Many peacocks and peafowl
0.1 Raven
0.1 Blackbuck
1.0 Red Deer
1.0 Raccoon (He is very old though, and not very often seen)
In the reptile house, there are many species but this includes
Monocle Cobra
Plated Lizards
African Dwarf Crocodiles
Ball Pythons
Burmese Python
Common Boa
Beaded Lizard
Crested Gecko
Bearded Dragon
Green Iguana
Californian Kingsnake
Black Kingsnake
Mangrove Snake
Green Tree Python
Scorpions
There are multiple other species as well.
The old Pygmy Hippo house is now empty, but Goats are being used to cut the grass down, and they do plan to get a new species to go in there in due course.
Of the two wolf enclosures, following the death of most of the pack, just one female remains. One enclosure has been cleaned up and may get new species, there is a chance the female wolf may move on, or get companions, but was undecided.
There are also multiple tanks of fish in the welcome room, I am not really a fish person, so not sure on the species.
But the collection is very much active and still running despite the changes mentioned above, they are busy as ever with film work and outreach work, and they continue to be used for very big projects. The use of animals is also vital to assist major CGI, so there is no desire to stop any time soon from what I've been told.
Owner has looked to sell if possible, but he is still very much involved day to day, and it is very much business as usual.
As for tours and encounters, a number of the animals used in these are ageing, so some encounters may not be possible long term. Obviously the wolf walk no longer exists and the tigers are now 15, but the zoo is very much still used for filming.
Last edited: