No, it's a different bird. She came to London from the (now closed) Harewood House bird garden.
ZSL London Zoo London Zoo News 2023
- Thread starter Kalaw
- Start date
Still no official date but it seems that the old reptile house might close next month (July). No idea how much more work is needed on the new house plus the reptiles will need time to adjust to new environment
I’ve tried looking for photos of the Chinese Alligators in the Lubetkin pool before, does anyone have any by any chance?
I assume they were just kept there as a temporary summer exhibit…
I wonder if ZSL Library and Archives help with your request
It’s a female
Attachments
Link to London's for those struggling to find it: https://cms.londonzoo.org/sites/def...8.1657565152.1688388655-2087749939.1688388655
Reptile House
Well-Known Member
I’ve just had a look at the stock list and thanks for the link.
I just had a look at the reptiles to see what will be in the new reptile house and the first thought that comes to my mind is ‘pitiful’ I would be better off going to a local pet shop. Families pay north of £100 to see not very much, gone are the days of the old reptile house and the excitement of going from exhibit to exhibit and see a comprehensive collection of reptiles and being blown away.
I just had a look at the reptiles to see what will be in the new reptile house and the first thought that comes to my mind is ‘pitiful’ I would be better off going to a local pet shop. Families pay north of £100 to see not very much, gone are the days of the old reptile house and the excitement of going from exhibit to exhibit and see a comprehensive collection of reptiles and being blown away.
If you can show me a pet shop that has king cobra, Mangshan pit viper, Sardinian brook newt, big-headed turtle and Lake Titicaca frog please tell me. What I see is a choice collection of mostly endangered and in some cases rarely kept herps. And it is somewhat pessimistic to assume that the complete line-up is already at the zoo months before the house is even open....
I have a pic of the exhibit if you're interested - although no actual alligators visible.
Yeah for sure!
Reptile House
Well-Known Member
I was being facetious.
But the none endangered species that were in the old reptile house, I wonder what happened to them?
But the none endangered species that were in the old reptile house, I wonder what happened to them?
Just to add to the above, I'd rather have a smaller, more endangered lineup of species in excellent exhibits than a more extensive collection in cramped terraria. The giant salamander exhibit in particular looks like it will be wonderful and I am rather looking forward to seeing some novelty in the form of the adder, pitviper and Mountain chicken, all of which are highly endangered species. On top of that, something that maybe hasn't been mentioned is that (especially) now London displays an excellent cross-section of herps - caecilians, salamanders, frogs, lizards, both non-ven and venomous snakes, crocs...
I'm not sure what you expected - I'm hoping not a massive reptile house with a Wroclaw-esque species list, because frankly that was never going to happen. In any case, I'm pretty happy with the decisions made w.r.t the reptile house, but perhaps we should all withhold judgement either way until it opens.
I don't think we should be surprised. The plans for the new Reptile House were published some time ago (the version I downloaded is dated January 2021). It includes a plan of the main building with the enclosures numbered and the following key:-
1 Dumeril's / Kaiser salamander
2 Sardinian brook salamander
3 Mallorcan midwife toads
4 Blue dart frogs
5 Lake Oku frogs
6/7 Giant salamander
8 Titicaca frog
9 Aquatic caecilian
10 Bicoloured moss frog
11 Roti island turtle
12 Annam leaf turtle
13 Big-headed turtle
14 Crocodile lizard
15 Telfairs skink
16 Blue tree monitor
17 Philippine crocodile
? exhibit with no number
18 Electric blue day gecko (double small exhibit)
19 TBD emerald tree boa
20 King cobra
21 TBD
22 Ethiopian mountain viper
23 TBD
All the exhibits are enclosed in the central block, except for the large paired exhibits at the east end (6 & 7) for the giant salamanders and the single one at the west end (17) for the crocodile.2 Sardinian brook salamander
3 Mallorcan midwife toads
4 Blue dart frogs
5 Lake Oku frogs
6/7 Giant salamander
8 Titicaca frog
9 Aquatic caecilian
10 Bicoloured moss frog
11 Roti island turtle
12 Annam leaf turtle
13 Big-headed turtle
14 Crocodile lizard
15 Telfairs skink
16 Blue tree monitor
17 Philippine crocodile
? exhibit with no number
18 Electric blue day gecko (double small exhibit)
19 TBD emerald tree boa
20 King cobra
21 TBD
22 Ethiopian mountain viper
23 TBD
I'm sure it is no coincidence that all these species are in the current stocklist. On the other hand, this list is not written in stone and I expect details will change. I don't know why the exhibit between 16 and 18 on the plan has no number and the TBD decisions must have been made by now - the Dumeril's ground boa, rhinoceros ratsnake, Mangshan pitviper, and one of monitors may be earmarked for those exhibits. I don't see anywhere for the reticulated python or the terrestrial tortoises (but I may be wrong).
The other part of building is the public entrance and exit, flanked by windows looking into the breeding rooms, one of which is dedicated to the mountain chickens. I hope we will be able to see tadpoles, incubators and hatchlings - the sort of things you don't see in a petshop
*I have been looking forward to visiting this building, with my camera, for more than a year now - I hope we don't have to wait much longer.
* But I do remember visiting Frisby's in Hull, where half the counter was covered by ice cream containers, each holding a group of pleurodele newt tadpoles.
Last edited:
Looks like most of the particularly charismatic species will be represented here, which is nice to see =]I don't think we should be surprised. The plans for the new Reptile House were published some time ago (the version I downloaded is dated January 2021). It includes a plan of the main building with the enclosures numbered and the following key:-
1 Dumeril's / Kaiser salamanderAll the exhibits are enclosed in the central block, except for the large paired exhibits at the east end (6 & 7) for the giant salamanders and the single one at the west end (17) for the crocodile.
2 Sardinian brook salamander
3 Mallorcan midwife toads
4 Blue dart frogs
5 Lake Oku frogs
6/7 Giant salamander
8 Titicaca frog
9 Aquatic caecilian
10 Bicoloured moss frog
11 Roti island turtle
12 Annam leaf turtle
13 Big-headed turtle
14 Crocodile lizard
15 Telfairs skink
16 Blue tree monitor
17 Philippine crocodile
? exhibit with no number
18 Electric blue day gecko (double small exhibit)
19 TBD emerald tree boa
20 King cobra
21 TBD
22 Ethiopian mountain viper
23 TBD
I'm sure it is no coincidence that all these species are in the current stocklist. On the other hand, this list is not written in stone and I expect details will change. I don't know why the exhibit between 16 and 18 on the plan has no number and the TBD decisions must have been made by now - the Dumeril's ground boa, rhinoceros ratsnake, Mangshan pitviper, and one of monitors may be earmarked for those exhibits. I don't see anywhere for the reticulated python or the terrestrial tortoises (but I may be wrong).
The other part of building is the public entrance and exit, flanked by windows looking into the breeding rooms, one of which is dedicated to the mountain chickens. I hope we will be able to see tadpoles, incubators and hatchlings - the sort of things you don't see in a petshop
I have been looking forward to visiting this building, with my camera, for more than a year now - I hope we don't have to wait much longer.
* But I do remember visiting Frisby's in Hull, where half the counter was covered by ice cream containers, each holding a group of pleurodele newt tadpoles.