ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2022

[ajmcwhipsnade]

I think in general zoo maps leave a lot to be desired these days. I regularly look at zoo websites and for example marwells looks really cool unhelpful.

I like the style and design of the whipsnade map but I do agree they should show more, for example mixed paddocks

 

[pipaluk]

We won’t agree because there is indeed a clear link to the full species list and I don’t accept that the pictured highlights lack general appeal. Pictured are lions, tigers, elephants, lemurs, chimpanzees, but also less obvious species such as wolverines, lynx and African hunting dogs.

The flaw in this argument is that the inventory is not an indication of what the visitor will be able to see, only what the zoo holds. In Whipsnade's case there are at least 20 species on the inventory that a visitor will never see

 

[Shirokuma]

The flaw in this argument is that the inventory is not an indication of what the visitor will be able to see, only what the zoo holds. In Whipsnade's case there are at least 20 species on the inventory that a visitor will never see

I am not at all convinced that this is an issue for the overwhelming majority of visitors.

 

[Lafone]

I am not at all convinced that this is an issue for the overwhelming majority of visitors.

Well I think the one thing we can all agree on is most people here don’t fit into the overwhelming majority

 

[Shirokuma]

Well I think the one thing we can all agree on is most people here don’t fit into the overwhelming majority

And zoo websites aren’t designed for us

 

[Reptile Boy97]

I visited whipsnade for the first time in a few years yesterday. I was surprised by how empty and neglected the whole place felt. I didn’t manage to see the singular brown bear, there was a sign saying she is in torpor. Would she still really be in torpor at this time of year? Something I hadn’t seen mentioned is the fact that there is now no reindeer and no bongo at all.

The new area for meerkats seems fairly close to being done and the signage around it suggests porcupine and aardvark. What is the plan for the old meerkat enclosure when they move? The whole area around the lions feels very neglected. I remember when it first opened it was a busy, popular area but now is quite overgrown and lots of the interactive displays no longer work. There was no sign of the lion they have at the moment.

During my visit I went to the aquarium for the first time. I hadn’t realised where they had put it and from the advertising it seemed quite big, so I was very disappointed that you could walk through it in a couple of minutes. The discovery centre is now quite overgrown and looks very forgotten and I find it a shame that reptiles are no longer really represented anywhere in the zoo. There was two saki monkeys in the area attached to the discovery centre that looked pretty fed up

Work on the old sea lion area seems to be progressing, with some broken brick work and demolition visible. When speaking to a volunteer they seem to think that it will be used mainly for monkeys and birds with a few reptiles. They also said to me there was talk of them building a hotel on the site and an extension of the drive through area and an increase in the species kept within it. Is there any truth in this or something that anyone has heard before from anywhere else?

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

I visited whipsnade for the first time in a few years yesterday. I was surprised by how empty and neglected the whole place felt. I didn’t manage to see the singular brown bear, there was a sign saying she is in torpor. Would she still really be in torpor at this time of year? Something I hadn’t seen mentioned is the fact that there is now no reindeer and no bongo at all.

The new area for meerkats seems fairly close to being done and the signage around it suggests porcupine and aardvark. What is the plan for the old meerkat enclosure when they move? The whole area around the lions feels very neglected. I remember when it first opened it was a busy, popular area but now is quite overgrown and lots of the interactive displays no longer work. There was no sign of the lion they have at the moment.

During my visit I went to the aquarium for the first time. I hadn’t realised where they had put it and from the advertising it seemed quite big, so I was very disappointed that you could walk through it in a couple of minutes. The discovery centre is now quite overgrown and looks very forgotten and I find it a shame that reptiles are no longer really represented anywhere in the zoo. There was two saki monkeys in the area attached to the discovery centre that looked pretty fed up

Work on the old sea lion area seems to be progressing, with some broken brick work and demolition visible. When speaking to a volunteer they seem to think that it will be used mainly for monkeys and birds with a few reptiles. They also said to me there was talk of them building a hotel on the site and an extension of the drive through area and an increase in the species kept within it. Is there any truth in this or something that anyone has heard before from anywhere else?

A new reptile house will soon be coming to the zoo. I actually think the Aquarium is a good example of ‘size doesn’t matter’, really interesting exhibits imo.

Did you take a photo of the signs that were indicating aardvark and porcupine? I believe the meerkat area will be merged into the new one.

 

[Shirokuma]

I think it’s completely reasonable to make constructive criticism of a zoo but I do have one comment.

How does one tell how a saki monkey’s emotional well-being is? What does a fed up saki monkey look like compared with a happy saki monkey?

I believe that animals do have emotional needs and mental health but I don’t believe a casual observer can come to conclusions about an animal’s happiness based on a quick look at them in a zoo.

There is often a degree of anthropomorphism involved and so often I hear people say that gorillas or orang-utans, for example, look bored or sad with little understanding of their behaviour.

 

[Reptile Boy97]

A new reptile house will soon be coming to the zoo. I actually think the Aquarium is a good example of ‘size doesn’t matter’, really interesting exhibits imo.

Did you take a photo of the signs that were indicating aardvark and porcupine? I believe the meerkat area will be merged into the new one.

I forgot to take a picture of that signage. It is the same as the signage around the sea lion area but with pictures of porcupine and aardvark on it.

I wouldn’t say that the size of the aquarium is bad, just that the advertising at the time of its opening made it seem a lot larger and more of an attraction than it actually is. It was very busy and we queued for nearly half an hour just to get in

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

I forgot to take a picture of that signage. It is the same as the signage around the sea lion area but with pictures of porcupine and aardvark on it.

I wouldn’t say that the size of the aquarium is bad, just that the advertising at the time of its opening made it seem a lot larger and more of an attraction than it actually is. It was very busy and we queued for nearly half an hour just to get in

oh that’s cool, would definitely be cool to see aardvark and porcupine at whipsnade.

Queuing is never fun so I get that frustration

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

Also, knowing the area the aquarium was going to be developed I probably had more of an idea of irs size then to someone who may not know the zoo as well

 

[Reptile Boy97]

I think it’s completely reasonable to make constructive criticism of a zoo but I do have one comment.

How does one tell how a saki monkey’s emotional well-being is? What does a fed up saki monkey look like compared with a happy saki monkey?

I believe that animals do have emotional needs and mental health but I don’t believe a casual observer can come to conclusions about an animal’s happiness based on a quick look at them in a zoo.

There is often a degree of anthropomorphism involved and so often I hear people say that gorillas or orang-utans, for example, look bored or sad with little understanding of their behaviour.

While I am not an avid zoo visitor, I do believe myself to be more than just a casual observer considering I have a high level of animal education and many years of practical animal experience over may different species and environments.

From what I remember when the discovery centre was open the group of sakis was much bigger than it is now, just being a pair that I would have thought would be fairly elderly by now. From the limited view of the inside area it was very bare and didn’t contain any form of interest or enrichment for them and the outdoor area was smaller than my chickens night time shed. That itself was also becoming very overgrown and didn’t seem to contain any enrichment. The monkeys themselves were sitting in the mesh tunnel between the indoor and outdoor areas, while this itself doesn’t suggest that the animal is fed up it would certainly seem that the overall mental well-being of the animal isn’t the best.

It would appear that now the discovery centre is shut, the whole area around it is becoming forgotten and with the sakis being the last animals in the area they seem to sadly be going the same way as the area they are housed in. They are very easily missed by people not looking for any animals in that area and the signage is not very prominent

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

All the animals (like at any good zoo) receive the very best care

 

[Lafone]

I visited whipsnade for the first time in a few years yesterday. I was surprised by how empty and neglected the whole place felt. I didn’t manage to see the singular brown bear, there was a sign saying she is in torpor. Would she still really be in torpor at this time of year? Something I hadn’t seen mentioned is the fact that there is now no reindeer and no bongo at all.

The new area for meerkats seems fairly close to being done and the signage around it suggests porcupine and aardvark. What is the plan for the old meerkat enclosure when they move? The whole area around the lions feels very neglected. I remember when it first opened it was a busy, popular area but now is quite overgrown and lots of the interactive displays no longer work. There was no sign of the lion they have at the moment.

During my visit I went to the aquarium for the first time. I hadn’t realised where they had put it and from the advertising it seemed quite big, so I was very disappointed that you could walk through it in a couple of minutes. The discovery centre is now quite overgrown and looks very forgotten and I find it a shame that reptiles are no longer really represented anywhere in the zoo. There was two saki monkeys in the area attached to the discovery centre that looked pretty fed up

Work on the old sea lion area seems to be progressing, with some broken brick work and demolition visible. When speaking to a volunteer they seem to think that it will be used mainly for monkeys and birds with a few reptiles. They also said to me there was talk of them building a hotel on the site and an extension of the drive through area and an increase in the species kept within it. Is there any truth in this or something that anyone has heard before from anywhere else?

The bear sign dates from the winter. She’s been up and about for a few weeks now though she like the others isn’t always out and so it’s hit and miss if you see her. She isn’t in torpor or hibernation however now - if you saw the big earthworks at the front of the bear paddock that’s all her (the keepers have filled in one bear size hole since she woke up she’s dug another since then). They should have removed the sign but that’s fairly typical.

The reindeer are also still there, up the top near the rhino.

While whipsnade has some not insignificant challenges the animals are free to be on show or not (as well as the bear and the reindeer that goes for the lion too) and in my view that’s as it should be - I wouldn’t want to visit anywhere that pushed animals to be visible as a good zoo is not a performing circus.

Whipsnade is thronged on bank holidays - I’m surprised queue for the aquarium was that short!

 

[Lafone]

On a related note I heard from keepers / volunteers chatting that one of the three Amur tiger brothers (Dmitri) is due to move to a new home at Woburn. Note of caution as clearly not official etc etc. Not sure if anyone else has heard similar?

 

[Rosie183]

On a related note I heard from keepers / volunteers chatting that one of the three Amur tiger brothers (Dmitri) is due to move to a new home at Woburn. Note of caution as clearly not official etc etc. Not sure if anyone else has heard similar?

Haven’t heard but would make perfect sense tbh.. as unrelated female waiting at Woburn who is perfect breeding age.. as they moved on Woburn previous two female cubs so their parents could breed again.. and then the male died unexpectedly from kidney failure so new tiger is very much needed!

 

[Lafone]

Haven’t heard but would make perfect sense tbh.. as unrelated female waiting at Woburn who is perfect breeding age.. as they moved on Woburn previous two female cubs so their parents could breed again.. and then the male died unexpectedly from kidney failure so new tiger is very much needed!

Sounds like it could be a logical move then! And if that is the place then also not too far to go and see him.

 

[Reptile Boy97]

The bear sign dates from the winter. She’s been up and about for a few weeks now though she like the others isn’t always out and so it’s hit and miss if you see her. She isn’t in torpor or hibernation however now - if you saw the big earthworks at the front of the bear paddock that’s all her (the keepers have filled in one bear size hole since she woke up she’s dug another since then). They should have removed the sign but that’s fairly typical.

The reindeer are also still there, up the top near the rhino.

While whipsnade has some not insignificant challenges the animals are free to be on show or not (as well as the bear and the reindeer that goes for the lion too) and in my view that’s as it should be - I wouldn’t want to visit anywhere that pushed animals to be visible as a good zoo is not a performing circus.

Whipsnade is thronged on bank holidays - I’m surprised queue for the aquarium was that short!

I don’t expect nor did I expect at the time for any of the animals to be on show all of the time and I hope my post didn’t sound like that is what I expect. As you say the animals aren’t there to perform for the visitors and are free to do what they please. This is the way I would expect it. I was purely just noting what I saw.

It is quite sad to think what whipsnade was like just ten years ago compared to what it is now. Like many attractions there seems to be more emphasis on children’s play areas than anything else

 

[Lafone]

I don’t expect nor did I expect at the time for any of the animals to be on show all of the time and I hope my post didn’t sound like that is what I expect. As you say the animals aren’t there to perform for the visitors and are free to do what they please. This is the way I would expect it. I was purely just noting what I saw.

It is quite sad to think what whipsnade was like just ten years ago compared to what it is now. Like many attractions there seems to be more emphasis on children’s play areas than anything else

I do hope they build the collection - it was good to see the new cheetahs arrive (albeit all males) and to understand there are plans for the lion holiday park pride. And a new red panda so we might see some breeding there which would be lovely.

It does need some more oomph though.

I hope they make a great job of converting the old sea lion house as that could be a new focal point.

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

There are still plenty of positives. Especially with the new meerkat and macaque areas coming.

I know not everyone agrees with me but I honestly believe the zoo is in a good place. I know I will get shut down but the pandemic and brexit are obviously causing more long term problems.