Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
I just read this too!
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo News 2021
- Thread starter Fallax
- Start date
Start of Grasslands project??.
Depends if we start to see the other species start to move out, zebra, deer ect..
Anyone know if Okapi will move, when Giraffe area redeveloped??
I might be mistaken here but I think I remember reading somewhere that once the giraffe have moved to the grasslands area gorillas would be living in the redeveloped giraffe area. If this is the case then it would make sense to keep the okapi there as the zoo are trying to go in the direction of having different geographic areas with species from that region living there so having gorillas, chimpanzees and okapi all in the same area of the zoo would make sense as they're all found in similar regions of central and western Africa. Like I said, I'm not sure if gorillas are part of the zoos plans for the giraffe area after the grasslands development but I'm pretty sure I've read about it somewhere. If anyone knows if this is true or not please let me know.
I believe you are correct. Gorilla were or are in that plan. As was a redeveloped chimp area. I assume Giraffe house would have to be demolished or extensively remodeled hence my Okapi thoughts.
Gorillas were part of the plan. If I recall correctly the plan was to demolish most of the older buildings in that area (giraffe house, chimp house, cattle house, Tropical Realm) for "Forests" after "Grasslands". Quite far out from now.
This is all I could find on the website, there was definitely more mentioned though: Our long-term plans for the zoo | Chester Zoo
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
Just had a read of the zoo's plans for the future.
All I am thinking is do we need more gorillas in the UK? We already have 92 individuals in 11 collections, and Blackpool is a very close collection with the species. Not to mention YWP is also considering adding gorillas to their collection.
All I am thinking is do we need more gorillas in the UK? We already have 92 individuals in 11 collections, and Blackpool is a very close collection with the species. Not to mention YWP is also considering adding gorillas to their collection.
taun
Well-Known Member
Considering the collection that holds most of those individuals (probably nearly 50% of them) and wants to return them all to the wild, I would say yes.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
Ah I see
Before that Bagot Goats were kept in a paddock where the coffee shop now stands, and before that in the sunken garden. Before it was a garden .
The coffee shop paddock also housed Collared Peccary, Vietmanese Pot-bellied Pig and Lowland Anoa.
Several races of domestic goat have been kept at Chester Zo.
Domestic Goat unspecified (Capra hircus) 1934-1943; 1949; 1990; 2000-2005
Anglo-Nubian Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) 1986-1993
Bagot Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) 1962-1985
Dwarf Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) 1987; 1989; 1996-1997
Sannen Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) 1986-1992
Toggenberg Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) 1986-1988
To the best of my knowledge Chester has never kept any wild goat speciesd
One one occasion in the 1980s I was just leaving the walk-through goat pen and met two boys. One of whom asked me if they could go in. I told them they could and as I walked away I heard the other boy tell his friend, "I think that's the man who owns the zoo."
I visited today & asked about this. The bongo have all moved into the holding area (off-show) & the warthog group has moved into the bongo house (these also are off-show as the paddock isn't really suitable for the species) whilst a black rhino is now living in the former warthog enclosure by Bembe coffee house.
A couple other observations from today's visit:
- Saw the sifakas skipping outdoors, they love climbing to the very top of the aviary on the big metal pole so be sure to check they aren't way up high if you cannot spot them.
- The montserrat oriole isn't in dragons is danger & the Visayan hornbills have been replaced by a couple Javan green magpies (not sure how long either has been like this).
- There was some structural damage to the Indian rhino paddock (the fencing by elephant bridge) & as such the rhinos & brow-antlered deer are only being allowed out onto the hard-standing areas.
-The tamarins/marmosets have swapped enclosures so that the pied tamarins now have the large exhibit to themselves.
- The kotsovotso cichlid exhibit in the okapi house does not appear to hold cichlids but I did spot some butterflyfish in there.
By far the highlight of the day came in the afternoon when I heard a Father ask his daughter whether she'd want to see the 'kimono dragons'. Made me chuckle!
The Javan Green Magpies were in Dragons in Danger on my visit last September so a little while I would guess.
There was a brief and surprising cameo from a Reedfish when I was last there.