Chester Zoo Chester Zoo Discussion, Speculation & Questions 2018

Cotswold is a good place to see giant anteaters, I've never failed to see them out and about each time I visit.
 
I have bad luck with giant anteaters. A fair old while ago at CWP I saw them active (or one at least), and I had a lovely time early at Hamerton maybe a year ago watching their anteater pottering about. Other than that, I just get lots of piles of sleeping fur. Not quite as bad luck as with the rusty-spotted cats, but it has become an in joke whenever I visit a zoo that the anteater/s will be asleep!
 
My luck has been poor too.

Edinburgh and Chester have been notably bad for active sightings for me.

Ueno and Blackpool have been good to me, however!
 
(I’m not a regular at Chester, go at least once a year) When I visited last Tuesday the giant anteater was extremely active up and down the far side of the enclosure that also holds cabybara just after lunchtime!
Seem to be on a lucky streak as all 3 Aardvarks were all up and active on my last visit to Colchester also!
 
I’d also love to see tamandua at Chester however I could not think were they will go. Maybe in the sloth indoor area and somehow connect it to the outdoor?
 
Charlie Simmomds said:
As am I, though Blackpool was the best time I’ve ever seen one. I do like anteaters in general and would like to see the zoo potentially obtain tamandua, I feel they’d be a good species for the zoo.
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bongorob said:
The female antearer at Chester has become very active since her mate died. hopefully the new male will realise life is more than eating and sleeping :p
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This exactly. I used to joke that Edinburgh and Chester shared their giant anteaters, and I used to happen to visit on days when they were on the opposite rotation.
 
Charlie Simmomds said:
What i think he means is, Oso is from south lakes, which has a very bad reputation in the zoo world compared to Chester so by not saying which zoo he came from they can distance themselves from it. Correct me if I’m wrong.
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I agree the reputation of South Lakes is not great a lot of bad press around the place.
 
Charlie Simmomds said:
What i think he means is, Oso is from south lakes, which has a very bad reputation in the zoo world compared to Chester so by not saying which zoo he came from they can distance themselves from it. Correct me if I’m wrong.
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Yes, correct. As a fledgling zoo in the late 1990's Chester Zoo had a very good relationship with founder David Gill. Indeed supplied him with a lot of surpless Chester stock. South Lakes zoo expanded quickly and simply did not have the funds. Animal welfare issues and disproportionate numbers of animal deaths ensued, almost five hundred animals died there in under four years.

There were multiple Health and Safety issues including a faulty door which in 2013 resulted in a the tragic death of a 24 year old tiger keeper.

David Gill was denied a new zoo licence, so a staff led management consortium tried to rescue the establishment. New manager Andreas Kaufmann has done a rather excellent job in turning the place around and bringing it back in line with other UK zoos.

I visited in the summer of 2017. Whilst some of the enclosures are not to modern standards e.g Giraffes, some parts are actually quite innovative and make for a good visitor attraction e.g Rhino accommodation and the 'walk through' exhibit with Rheas, Wallabies and Waterfowl.

A BBC 2 programme 'Trouble at the Zoo' aired on 8th February 2018, still available on BBC iPlayer and well worth watching. This puts into context the arrival of the new Anteater at Chester and reference to 'from a zoo in Cumbria'

BBC Two - Trouble at the Zoo
 
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TeaLovingDave said:
...it is both safe and simple to walk up Flag Lane...
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And it is now safe and simple to walk to the main entrance. Someone listened, and there is now a footpath the entire length of the road (on the right-hand side going into the zoo) from the "Ark" roundabout on the A41.
 
SMR said:
And it is now safe and simple to walk to the main entrance. Someone listened, and there is now a footpath the entire length of the road (on the right-hand side going into the zoo) from the "Ark" roundabout on the A41.
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To be fair I noticed they had already started work on the path when the original post was made.
 
Andy B said:
To be fair I noticed they had already started work on the path when the original post was made.
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Not that it matters now, but actually they hadn't, that was council road widening works. When we first discussed it, there wasn't a footpath (I had just played Russian Roulette with a local bus trying to get in that way). :rolleyes:
 
bongorob said:
The female antearer at Chester has become very active since her mate died. hopefully the new male will realise life is more than eating and sleeping :p
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Visited today and saw neither male or female despite as mentioned previously how active the female had become since moving across to the Capybara paddock.
 
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