I just got back from a delightful visit to Exmoor Zoo! I need to thank twilighter for pointing out the presence of Europe's largest carnivore collection upthread. It encouraged me to actively try to see every carnivore at the zoo. In the end I saw all but two; the European Polecat (which is, as Brum rightly stated upthread, an encounters animal) and the Cheetah (which I somehow forgot about).
A few observations from my visit:
- The Shoebill was a true wonder to behold. A very exciting species and lifetick! I was somewhat disappointed (but not all that surprised) to see that the flamingos and shoebills were not sharing, and that the aviary had been split in half along the viewing area. It made me miss seeing the Scarlet Ibis who formerly inhabited the enclosure, and who could be found on both sides and above the intersection. The Ibis moved to share with the Puna Ibis and Hawaiian Goose at number 36 on the map.
- I thought that the Honey Badgers really suited the former porcupine enclosure well, as it gave them a lot of privacy. It took me 6 visits to this enclosure until I finally saw the mustelids, but they made it worth the wait!
- I really liked how the Pond Aviary was coming along. The European Pond Turtles in particular looked very much at home. I counted at least 7 and it suited them far better than their old enclosure in the Tropical House ever did.
- The Indian Peafowl that are free-roaming around the zoo had recently had chicks. Seeing peafowls with their chicks around every corner really bought a lot of life to the place and made it even more exciting than it already was!
- One of the three Bush Dog pups was very active and could be seen very well.
- Alwaysevergreen was right about the Red Pandas. The sign stated "The original agouti are still on display living in the dense undergrowth and can be seen moving within. It is our intention to exhibit red panda above these agouti. This refurbishment to the red panda has to be completed and the animal's acquired from Bristol Zoo before Bristol Zoo's closure anticipated at the end of October 2022." It also stated that this move was recommended by the Red Panda EEP.
- Half of the Alpaca enclosure has been fenced off so that construction of the Hyena enclosure (due to open in January 2023) can begin. I assume that they are Spotted, but I could not find any information confirming the species.
- Good progress is being made with regards to the Snow Leopard enclosure. The sign states that the animals are coming from Noderns Ark. The below photo shows progress so far:
- Exmoor Zoo has been badly affected by droughts, so water levels in enclosures are sometimes lower than they should be. This was particularly apparent at the Lake which was noticeably emptier than usual. As a result of this, there are several signs around the zoo encouraging visitors to try to waste less water. I appreciated this detail.
I hope that some of the above information is helpful! Any more information around the 'coming soon' exhibits would be really useful!
