Chester Zoo Chester Zoo 2017

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zoogiraffe said:
I think the key thing is the institution Chester Zoo ONCE WAS is key here,yes its not the Chester of old but given the species coming in,I can live with that as what is and has arrived is just the tip of a very big ice berg!!
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Well yes, I do agree and I can live with that too.

And it has to be said, continuing rapid growth and success is very reassuring and the alternative doesn't bear thinking about, and I am grateful for that.

I'm excited to see how things unfold over the next few years, but If I was in the hot seat of Chester Zoo management, quality would be my watchword..
 
NigeW said:
And it has to be said, continuing rapid growth and success is very reassuring and the alternative doesn't bear thinking about, and I am grateful for that.
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Whilst I can identify with your thoughts on the fountain lawn, I think this statement puts things in perspective.
At least Chester has expanded its collection over the last few years, which goes against the trend in several other major zoos in the UK, which have gone in the opposite direction during that time.
I guess some of the changes we don't like have to be accepted along with the clear positives that exist at Chester.
 
I will give PLAY some credit here it is not as tacky as I thought when I saw photos of the site it looks nice and modern. Sure it isn't anything to excite us but I'm sure the zoo will excite us with animals and new enclosures over the coming months.
 
NigeW said:
but there is a naffness, a tackiness, about the way things are being done that to me is out of character with the institution Chester Zoo once was.
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Having not visited for a number of years before two recent visits a year apart, I have to say I am noticing the same thing, but its a sign of the times I think. Judging by how full the zoo was even on the 'quiet days' that I chose, its evidently hugely popular and for the general public it seems to provide everything they want. Despite the shortcoming you mention it must be the most prosperous zoo in the UK I am sure and can only continue developing, even if some of us zoo purists aren't entirely, happy with everything they do any more.
 
Some shots of the new Play! area in use are showing up on Twitter - actually looks pretty tasteful, all things considered: Katie Walderman on Twitter
 
NigeW said:
I'm struggling to think of many recent changes that have made the zoo a better place. In terms of cramming more people in and raking in more money, well, its becoming unbearable at weekends as it is.
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@gentle lemur has already covered some of the most notable improvements which are in-progress or which have very recently occurred, but here are a few other major changes and additions in recent years which surely count as "making the zoo a better place".....

  • Addition of the African Hunting Dog exhibit complex.
  • Aye-aye going on display in the Tropical House.
  • Californian Sealion being replaced with Giant Otter, and the indoor housing for the latter subsequently being expanded and improved.
  • Significant increase in the number of reptile and amphibian species going on-display, after several years which had seen a distinct decline in this regard.
  • Islands - it has its flaws but it *has* made the zoo a better place!
As for your complaints about the zoo being unbearable on weekends because of the increase in popularity and footfall..... would you prefer a Chester which never changes and becomes stagnant, as long as it meant you were able to have the place to yourself on weekends? ;) :p

I don't like crowded places myself, but I can happily live with a little personal discomfort from time to time if it means Chester continues to become better and better!
 
I like what they have done with a few of the exhibits but to say Islands as made the collection a better place then try being in a wheel chair and getting a good view of nearly ALL the species within Islands and you wouldn’t say it has improved the zoo in fact you would say it as made it a no go place for disabled people.

Over the years the collection as given less thought to people in wheelchairs and as even got staff to ignore people in wheelchairs or even with crutches.

As a lucky person with no disabilities I agree it has improved massively but please give the disabled a thought in future when making the place a little better.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
but to say Islands as made the collection a better place then try being in a wheel chair and getting a good view of nearly ALL the species within Islands and you wouldn’t say it has improved the zoo in fact you would say it as made it a no go place for disabled people.
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Even if what you said about Islands being ill-suited for people in wheelchairs is true - and, as I'll expand on in a moment, I have actually heard the opposite from one close friend recently - it cannot retrospectively turn the rest of the zoo into a "no go place for disabled people" as you state; either this description already applied to the rest of the zoo, in which case Islands has made no difference, or it did not, in which case the rest of the zoo is no worse than it already was. As for your other point:

AdrianW1963 said:
Over the years the collection as given less thought to people in wheelchairs and as even got staff to ignore people in wheelchairs or even with crutches.
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As chance would have it, a close friend of both Helly and myself who uses an electric wheelchair visited Chester a few weeks ago and was very glowing about the disability access at the zoo, along with how helpful the staff were - and as further chance would have it, we're visiting her tomorrow; I'll ask her permission to post the review she sent to me at the time of her visit.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
I like what they have done with a few of the exhibits but to say Islands as made the collection a better place then try being in a wheel chair and getting a good view of nearly ALL the species within Islands and you wouldn’t say it has improved the zoo in fact you would say it as made it a no go place for disabled people.

Over the years the collection as given less thought to people in wheelchairs and as even got staff to ignore people in wheelchairs or even with crutches.

As a lucky person with no disabilities I agree it has improved massively but please give the disabled a thought in future when making the place a little better.
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My own findings are totally the opposite. I have recently need to use the zoo's mobility facilities due to the effects of a knee and hip operation and they were top notch, I believe the scooters hired are new this year, they certainly performed well and I found the staff helpful and respectful. If it wasn't for those facilities I would not have been able to visit.

The only drawback I experienced was bad manners from the more able bodied visitor.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
Over the years the collection as given less thought to people in wheelchairs and as even got staff to ignore people in wheelchairs or even with crutches.
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um... are you claiming here that the zoo management has given instructions for staff to ignore disabled people at the zoo? That seems, how shall I say, "unlikely".
 
Chlidonias said:
um... are you claiming here that the zoo management has given instructions for staff to ignore disabled people at the zoo? That seems, how shall I say, "unlikely".
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They come out of the woodwork once a month to bash Chester zoo.....pass on why they do this....
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As chance would have it, a close friend of both Helly and myself who uses an electric wheelchair visited Chester a few weeks ago and was very glowing about the disability access at the zoo, along with how helpful the staff were - and as further chance would have it, we're visiting her tomorrow; I'll ask her permission to post the review she sent to me at the time of her visit.
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There's a forgotten demographic between those who are able-bodied and those who are in wheelchairs/scooters. My elderly parents have been visiting the zoo since the 1940s, they're capable of walking short distances and value their independence. However, the lack of seating around the zoo now makes it incredibly difficult for them to see large areas. There are long stretches of path with no seating at all, so a trip to see (for example) the hunting dogs or Miniature Monkeys becomes a real issue.

Contrast this to Whipsnade (of all places as it's huge) and there is a bench everywhere you look.
 
SMR said:
There are long stretches of path with no seating at all, so a trip to see (for example) the hunting dogs or Miniature Monkeys becomes a real issue.

Contrast this to Whipsnade (of all places as it's huge) and there is a bench everywhere you look.
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I noticed this more and more. The Hunting Dog area has long pathways through blind tunnels etc and only smaller areas where they can be actually viewed. This seems the style in some of the Islands exhibits too. Much more walking between exhibits and actual viewing areas, while seating near some of the prime exhibits, e.g. the Sumatran Orangs indoors, is non existent, perhaps deliberately planned, to keep people moving? I wonder how average families can manage to see everything there in a day anymore, maybe they don't.
 
Just a quick bit a news from twitter, Thanos the Dik-dik has been moved on from the zoo as a part of the breeding program for the species.
 
SMR said:
There's a forgotten demographic between those who are able-bodied and those who are in wheelchairs/scooters. My elderly parents have been visiting the zoo since the 1940s, they're capable of walking short distances and value their independence. However, the lack of seating around the zoo now makes it incredibly difficult for them to see large areas. There are long stretches of path with no seating at all, so a trip to see (for example) the hunting dogs or Miniature Monkeys becomes a real issue.

Contrast this to Whipsnade (of all places as it's huge) and there is a bench everywhere you look.
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That's a fair point. A few dozen new benches would be a very good idea.
 
I have had experience with pushing a wheelchair around the zoo and I must agree with Adrian. The wheelchair user does not have a great experience. A lot of fences and walls are too tall to see over, the winding paths made her feel dizzy and the uneven surfaces were very uncomfortable. Other zoos can lay smooth, straight pathways, this simple thing seems to beyond Chester Zoo.

Having lived with seriously ill people for 50 years I appreciate that not everyone's needs are the same, but in my case, it is not a good day out for someone unable to walk.

And the sad thing is that the zoo keep malking the same mistakes. The new agouti and sloth exhibit has just one viewing window, not great for a disabled person wanting to see the rodents. And as for the gharial viewing area in Monsoon Forest, that is just unbelievably poor, way below standard for Chester, and not just for wheelchair users.

In contrast I can recommend Blackpool Zoo as a wheelchair friendly collection.
 
bongorob said:
I
In contrast I can recommend Blackpool Zoo as a wheelchair friendly collection.
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Blackpool is a far more traditional, almost old fashioned zoo. Flat ground, no huge distances to cover between exhibits, traditional viewing of animals mainly through, or over, fences or windows but the exhibits can all be seen properly, not just at very limited 'pinch' points. For example their new Orangutan indoor extension must have cost a tiny fraction of Chester's monsoon or Rotra enclosures but space for viewing the animals is actually a lot better. The zoo is pretty much still lacking in 'themed' exhibits- I rather hope it stays that way. In contrast to Chester, Blackpool may be a bit run-down-looking and obviously lacks Chester's prosperity or enormous collection, but its nowadays its certainly an easier place to see some species . I really enjoyed my recent visit, particularly for those reasons.
 
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