Yorkshire Wildlife Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park News 2021

Another exciting new arrival as per a photo posted on a Facebook fan group - two Beisa Oryx - the only ones in the UK.
 
It felt like I was visiting a new zoo today what with the new entrance and with the sunny weather it felt like I was abroad too.

So, I was told that the 'weaker' of the two Hyenas is alive and no obvious cause for the other's death was found; no signs of being killed and was found out in the enclosure, presumably moved by mum away from the den.
 
littleRedPanda said:
It felt like I was visiting a new zoo today what with the new entrance and with the sunny weather it felt like I was abroad too.

So, I was told that the 'weaker' of the two Hyenas is alive and no obvious cause for the other's death was found; no signs of being killed and was found out in the enclosure, presumably moved by mum away from the den.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit. What were your opinions on the enclosures in the new half of the park and did you manage to get a view of any of the new species in the soon to be opened Point Lobos zone? Also whereabouts are the Beisa Oryx located?
 
  • Like
Reactions: JT
britishzoofan said:
Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit. What were your opinions on the enclosures in the new half of the park and did you manage to get a view of any of the new species in the soon to be opened Point Lobos zone? Also whereabouts are the Beisa Oryx located?
Click to expand...
I think the enclosures are good, but my immediate thought on entering was how congested that area is going to be when busy. There's still a lot of work in the Point Lobos area and can't imagine the residents are in there yet .... I couldn't hear them barking at the workmen in there anyway.
 
littleRedPanda said:
I think the enclosures are good, but my immediate thought on entering was how congested that area is going to be when busy. There's still a lot of work in the Point Lobos area and can't imagine the residents are in there yet .... I couldn't hear them barking at the workmen in there anyway.
Click to expand...

They are in there - at least two people on Facebook have posted photos of them where they can be seen over the fence from a distance. Must've been keeping quiet..!
 
So, to recap - new arrivals since before lockdown 3 are:

- Beisa Oryx
- Brazilian Tapir
- Binturong
- Bush Dog
- Maned Wolf
- California Sea Lion

Plus a complete new set of visitor facilities and new entrance.

The usual YWP winter slow down, then... :D
 
I just keep getting more and more reasons to visit YWP... would it be unwise to call it a potential top 5 zoo in the UK now?
 
My first visit today in 3 months. Because I'm an Annual Pass holder, I can still enter on foot via the original Brockholes Lane entrance. This has been re-modelled to cater for non-vehicular Annual Pass holders and gives much easier access to the main attractions for me at the Park (Polar Bears, Painted Dogs, Lions etc) than the much longer walk from the new entrance. I found the level of social distancing to be OK in general, apart from at some of the narrow pinch points where there was two-way pedestrian movement. I walked all the way through the Park to reach some of the new exhibits in enclosures which are just being completed near the new entrance. All in all I think the new extension will be great when completed, but there is considerably more walking involved to reach all exhibits from the new entrance now so some visitors may be surprised by the distances involved compared with previously.:)
 
Binturong! This is lovely news on several fronts - a beautiful species, a great addition to the otter’s enclosure and the zone in general and I first suggested them,as an additional species, last September (think it’s the first time any of my guesses have been anywhere near correct, so I shall probably quit the guessing game now that I’ve peaked )
Got my ticket booked for early May and really looking forward to returning.
 
Visited today and had a great time - don't know if it was fully-booked but it felt like it was 'full' in a covid-moderated world without being over-crowded. In common with most places I've been since Monday it felt like people had the balance well set between being safe and sensible and yet enjoying themselves, which was great to see.

The new car park is very visibly not quite finished, but perfectly usable; the new entrance is fully up and going (with the obvious exception of the ticket booths, with everyone pre-booking!) and is just as glossy as you'd expect. It does feel a bit like they funnelled time and energy into the most important bits in order to avoid having to open the old entrance again for just a couple of weeks, but that's fair enough I think. The car park still feels rather like you are parking in a building site though..! The old ticket barrier has just been ripped out so the area around there is now fully open from the meerkats up to the café and the gift shop.

The sea lion development is coming along - there seems to be a larger pool (still under construction) and a smaller pool near the Himalayan Pass end, which is finished but screened off and today was drained and being inspected (I presume this is where people have seen the sea lions at a distance on other days). The sea lions were audible inside their house, though! All the signage just refers to sea lions so it's unclear if both pools will hold sea lions long term or if one will eventually hold another species, as they do seem to be separate from what I could see. Signage claims it will be 'the world's largest filtrated sea lion pool' (!).

Saw all the other new species except the binturong - the new Atlantic Forest enclosures are unsurprisingly fairly classic YWP enclosures of their tried-and-trusted design. There is a viewing window for the tapir house but not for the canids.

I was there with non-nerd but animal-minded family and we spent 6hr there very easily, including a burrito stop. Feels like it would be very possible to spend a full day there now, where before it would feel a bit like you were dragging it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top