Been to Whipsnade today first time in a few years - very impressed with the elephant exhibit must be said and it got me thinking taking everything into consideration is it perhaps not time that the rest of the larger animals at London should be gradually moved to Whipsnade leaving London more space to specialise in medium to smaller species
London Zoo/Whipsnade Zoo
- Thread starter garyjp
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I think the general consensus (with which I tend to agree) on these forums is that London needs more large species, not fewer!
Without the giraffes, zebras, pygmy hippos, lions, tigers, gorillas, and camels (I think that is it for large mammals these days), there really wouldn't be much to entice the average visitor.
Without giraffes, London Zoo’s iconic giraffe house might have to be repurposed for, I dunno, gerbils?
Large mammals at London Zoo include African wild dog, Asiatic lion, Burchell's and Chapman's zebras, common warthog, giraffe (including Rothschild's giraffe), okapi, red river hog, Sulawesi babirusa, Sumatran tiger, western lowland gorilla, western pygmy hippopotamus and various domestics
Mammal species at both London and Whipsnade: Red-necked wallaby, ring-tailed lemur, Bolivian squirrel monkey, meerkat, tiger, lion, African wild dog, Asiatic small-clawed otter, pygmy hippopotamus, giraffe, Reeve's muntjac
Mammal species at both London and Whipsnade: Red-necked wallaby, ring-tailed lemur, Bolivian squirrel monkey, meerkat, tiger, lion, African wild dog, Asiatic small-clawed otter, pygmy hippopotamus, giraffe, Reeve's muntjac
My first zoology book stated that if all animal species were placed in size order in a line, Homo sapiens would be in the middle. The reality is that humans are amongst the largest animals in the world and would count as a large mammal, being heavier, on average, than any living species of rodent or bat.
Agreed! London Zoo's collection seems to disappoint most visitors nowadays: Joe Public bemoans the lack of large mammals (elephants, bears, rhinos) and there are very few 'choice' smaller species for the enthusiast (think of the now-closed Aquarium, decimated Clore, increasingly-empty bird house or ageing Reptile House...).
I'd support ZSL taking inspiration from (say) Jersey or Bristol by focusing on starting breeding programmes for a larger number of 'little brown jobs' at RP. But the number of missed opportunities make it clear that the zoo has little interest in the rare or unusual - how difficult would it really be to house a representative collection of lemurs, small carnivores or hornbills, for example?
On the other hand, this does not have to come at the expense of 'megafauna' - they are, after all, what brings the public in and there is enough unused space. Bears, in particular, could be done on a budget and within RP's spatial limits. Rhinos and Amur leopards were both mentioned a few years back. Yet ZSL chooses to spend millions on colobus aviaries or mock Indian streets instead...
There is no going back to the glory days of the 1930s - and nor should there be! But one only has to look at zoos on the continent with far smaller sites and budget to see what can be done - in terms of keeping both megafauna and smaller species!
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Should add, of course, that the past few months have probably derailed any hope of dramatic future plans in the near future. My gripe is that ZSL prioritised such vanity projects over maintaining/expanding its collections even while it was in good financial health. I do hope that the Society recovers quickly but also hope that management learns to cut their coats according to their cloth.
I suppose it depends on the definition you use. My definition of a large mammal is that if I can't lift it up its big.
Don't be surprised if the Snowdon Project stalls and it reverts back to a walk through aviary.
I think it probably stalled a year or two ago not long after the plans were revealed!
The aviary was initially due to reopen in summer 2019. The date was steadily pushed back - first to summer 2020, then to 2021 - well before the pandemic. Similarly, I've heard prices have ballooned from the original £7 million to £10 million (of which only £5 million is coming from the lottery foundation) and this seems to be affecting other projects - the reef exhibit in BUGS, for example, was also meant to open last year. ZSL had a deficit of £5 million last year so times were tough even before the closure.
The new plans are, admittedly, simpler - no more frilly modernist monkey houses but I believe plans to house duikers, whistling ducks and grey parrots have also been thrown out the window - so ZSL is spending all its millions on just one species - and one that is neither rare in the wild nor unusual in captivity at that! It's a questionable investment and I'd much rather see the Snowdon revert to an aviary.
Sadly, I can't see this happening - ZSL has a habit of clinging to extravagant plans with the tenacity of a potto!
Let’s face it, it’s not a bad aviary. There’s so much dead space @ London Zoo
Like a lot of things at London, it just needed a few thousand pounds worth of TLC rather than being converted into a multi-million pound extravaganza that will probably look shabby again in 10 years.
Whilst I personally would love to see London dedicate more space to the little odd things, the point is (as has already been pointed out) how would the general public feel? London gets a lot of tourist footfall, and how many regular tourists want to see a dozen different small rodents, or a collection of Vivverids? Whilst I personally would love it I don't think it's a feasible model for a capital city collection unfortunately.
If they were promoted properly, either the Viverrids or rodents could be very attractive if well chosen. I agree they need the big stuff as well.
I don't think London's PR team would know where to start, they only tend to focus on the popular stuff nowadays...
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
And they’ve got rid of charismatic stuff like anteatersand....mini golf !
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Not a capital city but what about the Bristol zoo ?
Haven't they managed alright in terms of finances, available space and with getting visitors whilst also managing the ex-situ conservation of the "little brown jobs" ?