Zoo Visits During The "New Normal", Some Thoughts.

Pertinax said:
But Bristol's exhibit isn't done like that. Its not near the offshow tanks- or they aren't visible anyway. There is just one small tank with a sprig of branch food in a jar and what looks like a cigar or pencil-type box in it. Being nocturnal the stick insect(s?) is often hiding inside its box and so out of view. (Obviously for the above video offshow ones were available to be filmed). Think Brum was lucky to see it...
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But it is in a mock lab set up
 
Ned said:
But it is in a mock lab set up
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I didn't really notice that....maybe if they had a row of the 'offshow ' tanks onshow, by the law of averages one or more stick insects would be visible... I did see the one on display on my last visit but felt they could have maybe made more of them somehow.
 
Zia said:
The Grant Museum is excellent - highky recommend when it is able to open again.
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Totally agree, it is an amazing little place indeed (I think the size of it will make it closed for quite some time though during the pandemic).

It is worth the visit even just to see the Thylacine skin / skeleton and the mounted skeleton of the quagga.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I remember seeing the aye-aye in the nocturnal house along with black rats and house mice (if I remember rightly in a sort of creepy looking 1950's style mock kitchen that looked like it could have been a set for an episode of the twilight zone).
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The creepy mock kitchen/attic exhibit is still there. I always enjoy climbing the little staircase to see the Black Rats, complete with its soundtape loop of a ticking clock and someone snoring...:eek: However the Brown Rats in the 'basement' part have now gone. House mice still there I think.
 
Pertinax said:
The creepy mock kitchen/attic exhibit is still there. I always enjoy climbing the little staircase to see the Black Rats, complete with its soundtape loop of a ticking clock and someone snoring...:eek: However the Brown Rats in the 'basement' part have now gone. House mice still there I think.
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Yes, a strangely creepy / sinister exhibit indeed. I'm sure they didn't intend it to be that way though.

It had a cuckoo clock too if I remember correctly too, right?
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yes, a strangely creepy / sinister exhibit indeed. I'm sure they didn't intend it to be that way though.

It had a cuckoo clock too if I remember correctly too, right?
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I think it does yes, then you hear a milkman clinking bottles I think, as if its early morning. I never miss it...particularly as Black Rat is now almost certainly extinct as a wild mammal in UK. ( Bristol's are probably from a lab or semi-domesticated strain)
 
Pertinax said:
I think it does yes, then you hear a milkman clinking bottles I think, as if its early morning. I never miss it...
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Maybe it is the juxtaposition of these things, the darkness of the nocturnal house, the clock and the aye-aye and rats but it has a very sort of twilight zone / uncanny valley type feeling to it if I remember rightly.

You almost expect a narrators voice to appear out of nowhere and state : "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone" .
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Maybe it is the juxtaposition of these things, the darkness of the nocturnal house, the clock and the aye-aye and rats but it has a very sort of twilight zone / uncanny valley type feeling to it if I remember rightly.

You almost expect a narrators voice to appear out of nowhere and state : "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone" .
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Were you aware this house was fomerly an Ape House, opened around 1984/5, and housing Gorilla, Orangutan and (initially) Chimpanzee? You can still see some of the dividing walls between the indoor enclosures and one or two of the interconnecting metal doors. I have always thought it suffers from poor lighting though, many exhibits are too dimly lit, particularly the AyeAye exhibit. The outdoor exhibits for Kea, Red Panda and Fruit Bat are on the sites of the three outside Ape cages.
 
Pertinax said:
Were you aware this house was fomerly an Ape House, opened around 1984/5, and housing Gorilla, Orangutan and (initially) Chimpanzee? You can still see some of the dividing walls between the indoor enclosures and one or two of the interconnecting metal doors. I have always thought it suffers from poor lighting though, many exhibits are too dimly lit, particularly the AyeAye exhibit. The outdoor exhibits for Kea, Red Panda and Fruit Bat are on the sites of the three outside Ape cages.
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No , I had no idea and the thought of it being an Ape house is quite disturbing actually as the conditions these animals must have been in must have been pretty dire.

I don't remember the red panda enclosure but I do of course remember the fruit bat and kea enclosures (first time I saw both of these species) and from memory they are not very big enclosures at all.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
No , I had no idea and the thought of it being an Ape house is quite disturbing actually as the conditions these animals must have been in must have been pretty dire.

I don't remember the red panda enclosure but I do of course remember the fruit bat and kea enclosures and from memory they are not very big enclosures at all.
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As an Ape House it was less than ideal but of typical design for its time. Orangutans and Chimpanzees were never replaced when it closed and the Gorillas moved to their current house and island. There were five indoor cages and three outdoors. They have simply infilled the space with smaller exhibits. The former large public viewing area is where many of the current nocturnal exhibits and the winding public walkway are situated. The heavy doors at each end are the original ones. The breezeblock walls can still be seen in some of the enclosures such as the AyeAye.
 
Brum said:
Stretched the zoo out for as close to the museum slot as possible, but still left a fair bit unseen. The museum was nice enough, got to see lots of stuff other countries want us to return, but it wasn't really my thing. Pleasant enough distraction for an hour or two but could've spent the extra time at the zoo. The perils of having to pre-book and not being able to judge how long a COVID restricted collection would take.
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Hello, Brum

Have you ever been to the Victoria & Albert Museum? It has 2 rooms of casts of various monuments from Italy and other parts of the world. Possibly, some of the casts show more details than the originals. If the British Museum made casts of the Elgin Marbles and the remains of the Parthenon, the Parthenon Museum and British Museum would have 2 sets of material that are more complete than either is at present. Some people may moan that they were seeing casts, but would that really matter? I once went to a talk by Alan Charig, who said he had the original Archaeopteryx fossil in his office. I was surprised, as I thought I'd seen it on display. The fossil was still interesting, despite being a cast.
 
Pertinax said:
As an Ape House it was less than ideal but of typical design for its time. Orangutans and Chimpanzees were never replaced when it closed and the Gorillas moved to their current house and island. There were five indoor cages and three outdoors. They have simply infilled the space with smaller exhibits. The former large public viewing area is where many of the current nocturnal exhibits and the winding public walkway are situated. The heavy doors at each end are the original ones. The breezeblock walls can still be seen in some of the enclosures such as the AyeAye.
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It is hard to imagine but yes different times and different mentality to keeping animals.

Some of those apes must have shown some strong stereotypical behaviour indeed.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the current gorilla enclosure (well what was current back in the early 2000's) either really.

The general focus on the smaller taxa kept at Bristol zoo was excellent though and that did impress me and still does.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I wasn't particularly impressed with the current gorilla enclosure (well what was current back in the early 2000's) either really.

The general focus on the smaller taxa kept at Bristol zoo was excellent though and that did impress me and still does.
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Bristol retained the Gorillas knowing that they would still represent a major draw at a time when most other larger species had left the Zoo. I think the Lions have stayed for the same reason. The indoor area for the gorillas has been extended to include the whole of the building( which is actually an old Victorian giraffe/elephant house), after the Okapis occupying the other half were moved out. Consequently they have a lot more room indoors than before.
 
Pertinax said:
Bristol retained the Gorillas knowing that they would still represent a major draw at a time when most other larger species had left the Zoo. I think the Lions have stayed for the same reason. The indoor area for the gorillas has been extended to include the whole of the building( which is actually an old Victorian giraffe/elephant house), after the Okapis occupying the other half were moved out. Consequently they have a lot more room indoors than before.
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Yes, I can see why they still keep gorillas and lions as they are a major draw for visitors and I'm not opposed to them keeping them at all.

It is just I much prefer Bristol's focus on the smaller taxa in the zoo and I think it just a really good model for the way modern zoos should go in terms of small mammals, small birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and inverts of conservation concern.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
If there is no reason for the way it is currently displayed related to husbandry of this species then I think Bristol should maybe shape up a bit in terms of displaying the species to the public.

It is one of their big ex-situ conservation success stories afterall and it deserves to be highlighted as does the story of the species itself which is in itself remarkable.
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Don't forget that the room they are in is as biosecure as it can be within BugWorld to lower the risk of potential disease transmission from the other Phasmid species kept. This also influences the simple design of the enclosures; husbandry first, public viewing second in this instance!
 
Dormitator said:
Don't forget that the room they are in is as biosecure as it can be within BugWorld to lower the risk of potential disease transmission from the other Phasmid species kept. This also influences the simple design of the enclosures; husbandry first, public viewing second in this instance!
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Yes, true, I hadn't forgotten about that as I know biosecurity is a must in ex-situ programes but I still think it is possible to ensure security whilst also showcasing the species to the public.

Think for example of the frog collections at the Nispero zoo in Panama, Atlanta Botanical Gardens in the USA or the Manchester Museum which manage both biosecurity / husbandry and educating the public at the same time.

Also Bristol have evidently had the species for quite some time now so surely they could afford to put them on display a bit more.
 
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