Knowsley Safari Park Previous species kept at Knowsley

Embu

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
If anyone can add any species on here that Knowsley no longer keep,

Here's my list so far:

*African hunting dogs(painted dogs) died out 2015
*African elephants left 2017
*Barasingha died out & moved 2020
*Ankole cattle left 2021
*Vicuna unknown when they disappeared?

Anyone know of what other species have dissapeared from here over the years?
 
  • Cheetah were kept and bred in the 70's.
  • Hippo also kept in the early days.
  • Cape buffalo also left the collection in recent years.
 
I've heard mixed views regarding the Cape Buffalo. I was on the understanding that they had left but then I've heard that they are still there just off show but I’ve never seen them.
 
If anyone can add any species on here that Knowsley no longer keep,

Here's my list so far:

*African hunting dogs(painted dogs) died out 2015
*African elephants left 2017
*Barasingha died out & moved 2020
*Ankole cattle left 2021
*Vicuna unknown when they disappeared?

Anyone know of what other species have dissapeared from here over the years?
If you go back two hundred years to the original collection, there was Quagga, Passenger Pigeon….
 
Knowsley was the only ZTL collections that had slender-billed vultures, highland guans, southern greater gliders and red-throated caracaras
Knowsley was 1 of 2 ZTL collections that had Bolivian squirrels, black-and-white hawk eagles, Indian laughing doves, Irish hares, southern grysboks, chestnut rails, musky rat kangaroos, rufous-tailed hares, eastern pygmy possums, red-shoulder widowbirds, Scandinavian capercaillies, Ussuri grenfinches, western blue rock thrushes and the now extinct eastern woylie
Knowsley was 1 of 3 ZTL collections that had African bearded vultures, chestnut-tailed starlings, Indian Brahminy kites, eastern brown fish owls, Caribbean doves, Senegal red-fronted gazelles, Tasmanian bettongs, Trinidad piping guans and Brazilian saffron finches
Knowsley was 1 of 4 ZTL collections that had Burmese green peafowl, common brown-throated parakeets, flock bronzewings, Eurasian dotterels, northern chestnut-capped blackbirds, Chinese francolins, brown thrashers, Tasmanian echidnas and the nominate Chukar partridge subspecies
Knowsley was 1 of 5 ZTL collections that had Clapperton's and Cape francolins, common reedbucks, Indian axis deer, Muscat gazelles, North American great grey owls, Sulawesi hanging parrots, black and southern bush duikers, pin-tailed sandgrouse, southern speckled pigeons, Spanish sparrows and the now extinct Cuban macaw

Knowsley also had Carolina parakeets, passenger pigeons and Cape quaggas
 
Knowsley was the only ZTL collections that had slender-billed vultures, highland guans, southern greater gliders and red-throated caracaras
Knowsley was 1 of 2 ZTL collections that had Bolivian squirrels, black-and-white hawk eagles, Indian laughing doves, Irish hares, southern grysboks, chestnut rails, musky rat kangaroos, rufous-tailed hares, eastern pygmy possums, red-shoulder widowbirds, Scandinavian capercaillies, Ussuri grenfinches, western blue rock thrushes and the now extinct eastern woylie
Knowsley was 1 of 3 ZTL collections that had African bearded vultures, chestnut-tailed starlings, Indian Brahminy kites, eastern brown fish owls, Caribbean doves, Senegal red-fronted gazelles, Tasmanian bettongs, Trinidad piping guans and Brazilian saffron finches
Knowsley was 1 of 4 ZTL collections that had Burmese green peafowl, common brown-throated parakeets, flock bronzewings, Eurasian dotterels, northern chestnut-capped blackbirds, Chinese francolins, brown thrashers, Tasmanian echidnas and the nominate Chukar partridge subspecies
Knowsley was 1 of 5 ZTL collections that had Clapperton's and Cape francolins, common reedbucks, Indian axis deer, Muscat gazelles, North American great grey owls, Sulawesi hanging parrots, black and southern bush duikers, pin-tailed sandgrouse, southern speckled pigeons, Spanish sparrows and the now extinct Cuban macaw

Knowsley also had Carolina parakeets, passenger pigeons and Cape quaggas
As Tim May said, however, the ZTL listings include animals from the Earl's collection going back to the 19th century, long before the safari park opened (in 1971).
 
There may possibly be a Cape Buffalo or two (max) lurking about, but
I doubt it. For years they held 5 cows and these became old cows and then quite surprisingly (to me at least) they brought a bull in from Boras Zoo (Sweden) if I recall right (all this info is in the ZooChat archives). He was a big boy and worth the entry fee to see him alone. He did cover some of the cows and later at least two gave birth. The bull then left KSP, he was quite labour intensive as he didn't like cars and with the odd idiot around also, it was necessary to have a keeper in a van mind/watch over him. In time, the old cows passed away and then there was a spell when these two offspring were in a field behind a drive through section and you could see them for a year or two at least with a bit of luck. As some people know, KSP is a big place and plenty space for animals to live out their lives off show.

Animals I recall which I doubt are there now:

In addition to the ones above,
Ostrich
Emu
Rhea (breeding success on the drive through section)
Barasingha
Lesser Kudu
Warthog
Indian/Bengal Tiger - or a cross with something, an enormous animal either way
Zebra
Bongo (maybe still there but the new location was rubbish for seeing one!)
American Bison - loads of them
Nilgai (breeding ones)
Peafowl
Small clawed Otters (Bush dogs located here now)
Then, the whole reptile & bug house went as well. I used to enjoy watching 'Stan' the Chameleon walking his branches :)
The birds of prey replaced a small farm yard area too.
 
The ostrich, emu, bongo and Nilgai are still there they now have the grevys zebra

Breeding Nilgai? if so great. Are the Emu in the walk around area?
Zebras have been on and off at KSP for years to be honest.
 
Unsure about breeding Nilgai but there does seem to be 1 male and multiple females. The emu is on the equatorial trail with the tapir, vicuna and Capybara. The zebras currently live in the smaller paddock at the side of Zone 1 I hope they will soon move to one of the rhino sections
 
Unsure about breeding Nilgai but there does seem to be 1 male and multiple females. The emu is on the equatorial trail with the tapir, vicuna and Capybara. The zebras currently live in the smaller paddock at the side of Zone 1 I hope they will soon move to one of the rhino sections

A mature male Nilgai is (in my opinion) a lovely colour, almost navy blue/dark grey with white heel marks and a beardy thing going on under his neck
 
A mature male Nilgai is (in my opinion) a lovely colour, almost navy blue/dark grey with white heel marks and a beardy thing going on under his neck
The last time I went I did not see a male Nilgai, only females. However, things may have changed in the interim as it was a few years ago now...
 
The last time I went I did not see a male Nilgai, only females. However, things may have changed in the interim as it was a few years ago now...

Last time I saw a mature male Nilgai at KSP, they had 4 or 5 in with the baboons, of course separated from the females!

Hope I see or find out about these on Monday.
 
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