Chester Zoo Chester Zoo News 2020

Something in the new edition of the members' magazine which I don't think has been reported on here before: the Rhinoceros Hornbills bred last year.
 
Jennings said:
Something in the new edition of the members' magazine which I don't think has been reported on here before: the Rhinoceros Hornbills bred last year.
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I believe they featured this on The Secret Life Of The Zoo recently if anyone wants to take a look. Quite interesting to hear about the success following the evacuation of them from the Monsoon Forest area
 
Bubalus said:
I believe they featured this on The Secret Life Of The Zoo recently if anyone wants to take a look. Quite interesting to hear about the success following the evacuation of them from the Monsoon Forest area
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I believe you are correct,but I dont watch it any more got sick of made up story lines to fit what was filmed,I feel sorry for the staff having to word these made up story's.The hatching's were known about by many of us that used to be regular posters here,but we chose not to post to let the zoo do it!
 
zoogiraffe said:
I believe you are correct,but I dont watch it any more got sick of made up story lines to fit what was filmed,I feel sorry for the staff having to word these made up story's.The hatching's were known about by many of us that used to be regular posters here,but we chose not to post to let the zoo do it!
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Whilst I appreciate that the programme has become more and more "dumbed down" and tailored towards feel good stories and a hell of a lot of anthropomorphism, I still commend the zoo for having this series present for a mainstream audience.

In a world where the average Joe visitor still sees us as the proverbial s*** shoveler, programmes like this show that we do a lot more than that, and will show actually aspects of what makes up our day to day challenges. Also I praise the zoo for showing moments that haven't gone so well. Items like escapes..the visayan warty pig, parrot and orangs spring to mind. These are things that most zoos are scared of showing as everything normally has to be positive when it comes to zoos, but speaking from experience and I'm sure everyone on this site is fully aware of, things don't always go quite the right way and it is important that we are transparent with that I feel.
 
zoogiraffe said:
I believe you are correct,but I dont watch it any more got sick of made up story lines to fit what was filmed,I feel sorry for the staff having to word these made up story's.The hatching's were known about by many of us that used to be regular posters here,but we chose not to post to let the zoo do it!
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I'm really intrigued by your reference to 'made up story lines' here and would love to know more, certainly I'm aware that the 'Christmas' scenes tend to be filmed in summer and scenarios with animals opening presents and keepers in silly costumes are manufactured to suit filming schedules. However I was, probably naively, under the impression that everything else shown was pretty much as is? I accept you might be reluctant to say too much more on a public forum, but I'm certainly curious, and disappointed.

I do feel for the staff anyway being put on TV, many of them seem remarkably at ease on camera but it must be quite a nuisance at times when there are so many other more useful things they could be doing - especially when asked to make Christmas presents for animals in June!

I think its a really bad trend in TV generally that almost everything has to be controlled and scripted, there doesn't seem to be anything genuinely 'factual' or 'reality' anymore!
 
I stopped watching SLoTZ and switched to The Zoo about the Bronx zoo/other WCS zoos. This was because a) I've never been to any WCS zoos and it is cool to see what's kept in the US that isn't here and b) SLoTZ feels more manufactured than The Zoo because it has a narrator telling us what to see and feel. The Zoo is entirely narrated by the staff so you get a better picture of what is actually happening, and they rarely dumb it down seriously.
 
Dylan said:
I stopped watching SLoTZ and switched to The Zoo about the Bronx zoo/other WCS zoos. This was because a) I've never been to any WCS zoos and it is cool to see what's kept in the US that isn't here and b) SLoTZ feels more manufactured than The Zoo because it has a narrator telling us what to see and feel. The Zoo is entirely narrated by the staff so you get a better picture of what is actually happening, and they rarely dumb it down seriously.
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Is this series available in the UK? I visited the Bronx last year in the "down season" so missed out on seeing a lot of the zoo, primarily a lot of the hoofstock as well as their bird house
 
Bubalus said:
Is this series available in the UK? I visited the Bronx last year in the "down season" so missed out on seeing a lot of the zoo, primarily a lot of the hoofstock as well as their bird house
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If you have Sky (you might need boxsrt package) you should be able to download seasons 1 and 2. Season3 is being repeated on Animal planet channel. It's so much better thank SLotZ.
 
"Following Government advice on social distancing, Chester Zoo will close its gates to visitors for the foreseeable future, from 4.30pm today, Saturday 21 March."

An Important Message to our visitors...

I'm in the zoo at the moment, it feels really strange. Best wishes to all the keepers and staff who will continue to work.
 
Just for a bit of nostalgia, I've just uploaded videos of the monorail ride from my final rides last year. Apologies for the dodgy camerawork but it was phone only and I only had one chance for each! (these are slightly edited at each end - the full versions include the boarding and entry into the station but they feature so many faces and are so uninteresting that it was easier to remove them altogether - Youtube has blurred any recogniseable shots of my fellow riders from on the journey!)

Chester Zoo Overhead Railway 2019 - Tsavo/Monkey Islands to Jubilee Square - YouTube - ZooChat

Chester Zoo Overhead Railway 2019 - Jubilee Square to Tsavo/Monkey Islands - YouTube - ZooChat
 
News of plans to demolish the Fountain Shop: Chester Zoo plans to demolish decades old café and shop "Having once been a centrepiece of the zoo and a favoured picnic spot, the area became more of a backwater after the main entrance was relocated." Backwater? Who writes this stuff.

Here's the application: https://pa.cheshirewestandchester.g...ils.do?keyVal=Q931BLTEKCF00&activeTab=summary

Good to know that the people playing 'fantasy zoo' are still filling their time, despite all capital projects being on hold and Grasslands delayed until at least 2022.
 
SMR said:
News of plans to demolish the Fountain Shop: Chester Zoo plans to demolish decades old café and shop "Having once been a centrepiece of the zoo and a favoured picnic spot, the area became more of a backwater after the main entrance was relocated." Backwater? Who writes this stuff.

Here's the application: https://pa.cheshirewestandchester.g...ils.do?keyVal=Q931BLTEKCF00&activeTab=summary

Good to know that the people playing 'fantasy zoo' are still filling their time, despite all capital projects being on hold and Grasslands delayed until at least 2022.
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That's a shame, I rather like that building - although I hope a second phase of the Madagascar zone might allow for new exhibits for species such as Golden Mantella and Parson's Chameleon, linking them to the more 'flagship' Madagascan species but highlighting their importance. Maybe the long-awaited Sifakas will tie in as well?

As for Grasslands, I'm probably in the minority here but I wouldn't mind if it was axed altogether - it sounds ridiculously expensive and quite boring to me!
 
I suppose that the opening of the new entrance complex made the function of the gift shop area largely redundant, the refreshment facilities in the modernised Stable yard will replace the ice cream parlour/snackbar and there is or will be a new staff canteen in an off-show area. I agree with @Sand Cat that the zoo has plenty more Malagasy creatures which could be displayed in this area (and in a revamped 'Dragons in Danger' too). What puzzles me is the reference to a "commercial offer" in the planning document - might it be a new, bright, shiny, all-singing, all-dancing Madagascar Gift Shop? :p
 
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