I believe Pallas Cat would be a fascinating addition to their collection.
Tasmanian devils would also make a nice addition and can play a crucial role in conservation efforts and raising awareness about their plight.
Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Wishlist/Ideas for the Future
- Thread starter FunkyGibbon
- Start date
Tasmanian devils would also make a nice addition and can play a crucial role in conservation efforts and raising awareness about their plight.
Dudley Zoo are planning to move solitary male Orangutan Benji into the old Orangutan enclosure. They plan to fill in the moat to expand the space and build a glass viewing window at the front of the enclosure. This should hugely improve the display. Any zoos wishing to build new Orangutan exhibits have to commit to a second enclosure to house a bachelor. The family of Djimat, Jazz, Sprout, Jim and Joe will eventually live in the new enclosure full time.
Or how about Scottish wildcat in the quiet corner by the Chimps?? They don't seem to be doing an awful lot with that side and they would make a nice addition to the area.
I would love for any of the Midlands zoos to go into Clouded leopards... Dudley, Twycross, Drayton Manor, Hoo Zoo or BWCP could easily hold the species in their collections.
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
The only issue being, there are very few Clouded Leopards actually breeding, and most of the recent influx of stock came from a disbanding private collection. Realistically there has only been births in Germany and since Brexit the movement of animals to and from the EU has been a nightmare, so if there are to be new Clouded Leopards to be sourced, they will need to come from America. More to the point, that unless you integrate a male with females before they are around 2 years old, it can prove problematic and Port Lympne had the return of Cannock after he killed a female abroad when mixed for breeding. The only two females of breeding age at Howletts are being moved abroad to hopefully breed, and the majority of Clouded Leopards in the UK are quite old. So unless the very limited number of cats in the breeding program actually breeding, produce cubs soon, I can't see how any new collections will get them, unless they come from the US.
Animals have moved from the EU to the UK plenty of times since Brexit. There's more red tape of course but it is far from impossible. New Clouded leopards could come from the EU population.
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
But there are very few females of breeding age in the UK and all the males are over 2 years old, and two females of breeding age are due to move to the EU from the UK. There is no doubt new lineage is needed to get a UK population going again, but there doesn't appear to be much around, as much as I would love to see more zoos with them, as they are my favourite cats.
So animal moves between UK and EU are possible, despite what you said earlier.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
It would be good to see an update to the lynx enclosure. While the indoor space is good the outdoor space seems rather small and lacking in variety, depth and high spaces when compared to other places. Having seen news of the bush dog update and seen the work on the new giraffe enclosure (as well as the enclosures for the wolverine and foxes) there is lots going on so perhaps this location will get a revamp.
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
I never said they weren't possible, you're twisting my words there. But it has been very problematic and the delays has made moves way more difficult. Many zoos and collections have had moves from the EU delayed by months and in some cases over a year. A certain Zoo I speak to, is still waiting for 2 moves from France, which were arranged nearly 14 months ago. I stated that there was little breeding possibles in EU and under the Eaza stud book, and the majority of females are above breeding age, and the males are above 2 years old, which means it is dangerous to mix them with any breeding potential females, as it is well known that above 2 years old, male Clouded Leopards tend to attack / kill females. They have to be integrated young. This, added to the delays in importing from the EU, means the best way to extend the program would be to bring in from imports in the Middle East or America. All I was saying was, that it is unlikely many more zoos will house Clouded Leopards when all the collections in the UK at present are non breeding and the 2 breeding age females at one zoo, are planned exports to an EU zoo to breed, although this has been constantly delayed.
One UK zoos attempts to integrate their own pair did not go well, and they at present are not intending to risk so again, unless they get directive from the studbook holder. Like I said, I love Clouded Leopards as much as anyone and would love to see a healthy breeding operation with them housed at many zoos, but it remains unlikely.
In the same vein as what the zoo has done with the old parma wallaby and bush dog enclosures, I'd like to see them extend the gelada enclosure (the one to the right of the chairlift) into the stand-off area at the base. They could change the fence type to one that could incorporate large viewing windows. This would improve the viewing of this enclosure and create a bit more space.
I'd also like to see the housing for this enclosure demolished and turned into a viewing platform.
New housing could be built on the site of the fairground and linked to the outdoor area. Something roughly the size of the farm barn building would be good.
I'd also like to see the housing for this enclosure demolished and turned into a viewing platform.
New housing could be built on the site of the fairground and linked to the outdoor area. Something roughly the size of the farm barn building would be good.
I wouldn't want that personally. It would just further limit any grazing opportunities for the Gelada.
As far as I'm aware, the hillside enclosure on the left of the chairlift is currently empty. I would personally like the Gelada to go back in there but I think that the enclosure could benefit from some climbing structures. Then I would like the barbary sheep to go u to the hillside enclosure on the right of the chairlift with some adjustments made to the lower area of the enclosure making indoor housing in the sight if the playarea or fairground.
The former Nile monitor enclosure (to the right-hand side by the Dwarf crocs in the Reptile house) has been empty for quite a while now.
I'm wondering if it could be put in use again to hold Crocodile monitors or Caiman (doesn't matter which one)
I'm wondering if it could be put in use again to hold Crocodile monitors or Caiman (doesn't matter which one)
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Yes, all the Batchelor Geladas have been mixed to the exhibit next to the Flamingos. There was two for a while, but they are all in that exhibit now, so only on one side of the chairlift, but that's rotated to maintain the grass.
With the future plan for the zoo's gibbons to move in with the orangutans and the inevitability of the non-breeding Patagonian sea lions dying off (whose enclosure feels more and more inadequate as the years go on), this would leave two empty adjoining enclosures.
I would like to see the enclosures merged and see it become home to giant otters - two large pools, a decent-sized land area, and a gibbon house that used to house a hippo (so surely there'd be scope for an indoor pool).
I would like to see the enclosures merged and see it become home to giant otters - two large pools, a decent-sized land area, and a gibbon house that used to house a hippo (so surely there'd be scope for an indoor pool).