How many remember the first enclosure from the main entrance along the (woodland side) of the South Road? An aviary for budgerigars - not a species many would associate with Marwell. One side of the Lion House also accommodated Sumatran tigers and the building later became the Amphibian Ark. The former takin area was first occupied by a pair of, very short-lived, maned wolves and later was home to Marwell's first okapi as well as subsequent accommodation for capybara and Malayan tapirs. The current snow leopard enclosure is on the site of the former Wallaby Wood, which held both red-necked and parma wallabies. Cassowaries were initial inhabitants of this stretch of the park, and there was also a chipmunk enclosure for a while.
I am afraid I remember, there was for a short time a young Giraffe in with the Okapi being hand reared, The former Siamang enclosure also had Patas Monkeys which came from Chester, things maybe about to change on the South Rd again.
Thank you for confirming that the hand-reared giraffe was with the okapi; I had memories that was the case but unable to prove it. I am not aware of these two species being kept together anywhere else, so possibly a unique event.
To reply to Cat Man as well Persian Leopards were never kept on the South Road, if Wetlands had have happened the south road past the Snow Leopards would have been closed to the public,and you would have walked from one side of the zoo to the other snow leopards to penguins by walk way, but as it did not there maybe some changes to come and animals maybe returning to the south road in the future.
The area behind the gift shop where the Sitatunga are now would have been a walk through aviary for Flamingo and other water birds, there would have been new areas for Pygmy Hippo, Tapir, Antelope, Capybara, and otters.
Probably a good thing this failed if that side of the zoo is opened up again, it would have been a load of money to add nothing!!
Definitely didn’t seem like it was going to add very much. What would they have actually done to the hippo and tapir to actually make them different from what they are at the moment?
To be fair I think also there were architectural reasons that the South Road was depleted in recent years. Historically the quality of drainage was poor - so whilst sitatunga were naturally thriving in such condition it was far from versatile.
I think a Persian Leopard (probably just a single animal) was kept on the South Road. When the leopard enclosure was being upgraded the leopard was moved to the old lion enclosure (a roof was added to the cage if I remember rightly). I believe the animal in question was Persian.
The same enclosure was used for Giant Anteater after the leopard moved back to the new leopard enclosure (now Clouded Leopards). For a short period this latter enclosure held both Persian and Amur Leopards - but that's a whole different thread......
I was wrong both Amur Leopards when they arrived at Marwell were quarantined in the old lion house,never a Persian, the male died I think just before they moved out of the old leopard enclosure,the female was held off show, until after the tragic event when the Amur leopards went in the new enclosure the female got out and died,at at a later date for a short time the female Persian returned to the new Leopard enclosure.
Thanks okapis - seems I was also remembering these events incorrectly. I was thinking of the Amur Leopards that were temporarily kept on the South Road. So - your answer to the original question wrt Persian Leopard stands - they were never kept on the South Road.