Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Longleat Safari Park 2024

I’m hoping when the next series of Animal Park airs that they’ll have some coverage of the facilities and setup (much like they did with the old gorilla island when Nico passed away). It’s only been alluded to over the years due to the fear of attack!

From recall, the keepers pretty much left the pair to their own devices, with supplemental feeds of hay in the winter. I seem to remember one piece of coverage on visiting the wallow the hippos had created, with both film crew and keeper (likely Ian Turner) looking incredibly nervous and keen to complete filming as quickly as possible! I don’t think there’s ever been any film of the stables, though I suspect it’s like the classic “hippo house” arrangement.
 
I will say something I find interesting.
We know well that different hippo populations in Africa are different in various respects - those who live in less food-rich areas are more lean than are those who live in more food-rich areas.
And this could also apply to aggression - it has been found that hippos tend to be more aggressive based on where they have been intensively hunted - hippos in areas where they have been more intensely hunted seemingly have resorted to intensive aggression. And of course these are hippos who most often cause human fatality. Be it of the unfortunate or the stupid.
But hippos who live in less dangerous [for the hippos] areas seem to show lower levels of aggression. Obviously I would expect this isn't true in all cases, breeding males in particular I'm sure are very aggressive regardless...
 
dillotest0 said:
If anything I think a territorial bull hippo would be biggest threat. Many female hippos from what I recall are inconsequential in captivity and not too hard to train... as much as you can train a hippo. Even so sea lions are small and fast. Not that it completely negates the potential risk a breeding herd of hippos would pose...
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I reckon you're probably completely right. That said, it's not the case every time - when he was at Whipsnade staff would often refer to Hoover as a effectively a giant puppy, and Lola as the slightly grumpy one. Apparently Hodor's somewhere in the middle.

But a breeding pod surrounded by sea lions is a different matter to a pair in their own field. However Longleat has a long history of holding them - including breeding bulls - with sea lions, so I personally do think it's the route they will take again.

I don't think they will ever consider losing the species, and Animal Park last year pretty much confirmed that. If they decide they need to be seperate from the sea lions I would imagine they'd split the lake somehow.

As an aside - I'm sure we've all seen them, but the photos Longleat have posted of Spot on their socials are brilliant. It's strange to think I'll never see either of them again.
 
JoeDK14 said:
I can’t imagine a world where they can keep them in the same situation, mixed with the sea lions etc.
However it does feel like they are a staple species for longleat much like gorillas so it will be interesting to see if they build a new facility for them as they did with the gorillas
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I would welcome an alternative to exhibiting the common hippo where the sea lions are in a saltwater filter pool design.
 
Longleat safari to build 'dangerous animals' enclosure

Interesting, if a tad vague, BBC article on the new plans for painted dogs. Confirms they will not be part of the main carnivore drive-thru, and will instead be housed at the start.

Works will include the demolition of existing farm animal display structures and the creation of a public viewing area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The African wild dogs will be kept near the entrance to the park, adjacent to a pre-existing area known as the 'African Village', which exhibits giraffes, zebras, and ostriches.

The enclosure will be surrounded by secure fencing measuring 8ft (2.5m) high with a 50cm angled top section.​

I'm not sure what the existing farm animal displays would be - the goats? But I can't see that being a large enough area. Exciting news regardless.
 
cerperal said:
Longleat safari to build 'dangerous animals' enclosure

Interesting, if a tad vague, BBC article on the new plans for painted dogs. Confirms they will not be part of the main carnivore drive-thru, and will instead be housed at the start.

Works will include the demolition of existing farm animal display structures and the creation of a public viewing area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The African wild dogs will be kept near the entrance to the park, adjacent to a pre-existing area known as the 'African Village', which exhibits giraffes, zebras, and ostriches.

The enclosure will be surrounded by secure fencing measuring 8ft (2.5m) high with a 50cm angled top section.​

I'm not sure what the existing farm animal displays would be - the goats? But I can't see that being a large enough area. Exciting news regardless.
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Interesting, perhaps worrying, particularly the news about the decline in visitor numbers. You’d think something like Animal Park would be a main driver for increasing numbers.

All the more reason to retain the hippos!
 
cerperal said:
I reckon you're probably completely right. That said, it's not the case every time - when he was at Whipsnade staff would often refer to Hoover as a effectively a giant puppy, and Lola as the slightly grumpy one. Apparently Hodor's somewhere in the middle.

But a breeding pod surrounded by sea lions is a different matter to a pair in their own field. However Longleat has a long history of holding them - including breeding bulls - with sea lions, so I personally do think it's the route they will take again.

I don't think they will ever consider losing the species, and Animal Park last year pretty much confirmed that. If they decide they need to be seperate from the sea lions I would imagine they'd split the lake somehow.

As an aside - I'm sure we've all seen them, but the photos Longleat have posted of Spot on their socials are brilliant. It's strange to think I'll never see either of them again.
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There are plenty of photographs around of keepers working free contact with, even riding, hippos
 
For me if Longleat do keep holding hippos and I hope they do the obvious transfer for me would be Hodor from whipsnade,he will be 7 this year so due to be removed from its mother, then hopefully both collections could look forward to some potential breeding.
 
Panthera1981 said:
Interesting, perhaps worrying, particularly the news about the decline in visitor numbers. You’d think something like Animal Park would be a main driver for increasing numbers.

All the more reason to retain the hippos!
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As much as I love Painted Wolves, I’m not sure they are enough of a draw for the general public? I think this new enclosure will be a fantastic addition, but maybe investing in more boats - perhaps bio-fuelled or electric powered boats (?) - to reduce queues in summer would boost numbers, especially if a new hippo herd were introduced?
 
cerperal said:
I reckon you're probably completely right. That said, it's not the case every time - when he was at Whipsnade staff would often refer to Hoover as a effectively a giant puppy, and Lola as the slightly grumpy one. Apparently Hodor's somewhere in the middle.

But a breeding pod surrounded by sea lions is a different matter to a pair in their own field. However Longleat has a long history of holding them - including breeding bulls - with sea lions, so I personally do think it's the route they will take again.
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it would be a massive shame to not bring in more as just like many others they’re a longleat highlight for me.

Does anyone know the total history of longleat hippos? Long time fan of spot and Sonia and vaguely remember they came as part of a slightly bigger group (4-6 with a view to splitting them to other zoos but could be wrong?).
also remember coverage on AP about an escape onto a neighbouring farm and being found among cattle by a shocked farmer way back when, and assumed it had just been one of the two of them, but never knew they’d held bulls or breeding groups!
 
littlezoo_keeper said:
Does anyone know the total history of longleat hippos? Long time fan of spot and Sonia and vaguely remember they came as part of a slightly bigger group (4-6 with a view to splitting them to other zoos but could be wrong?).....never knew they’d held bulls or breeding groups!
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There is some discussion about the history of Longleat's hippos in this thread from last year:-

Longleat Safari Park News 2023 [Longleat Safari & Adventure Park]

In summary:-

John Frost's book "A Survey of the Hippopotamus in Captivity in the British Isles" (1996) lists sixteen different hippos at Longleat. According to this book, the first eight hippos were:

• Manfred (born Frankfurt) arrived 1967
• Freda (born Frankfurt) arrived 1967
• Arnold (born Antwerp) arrived 1967
• Hector (born Chester) arrived 1975
• Jaspar (born Chester) arrived 1977
• Spot (wild born) arrived 1976
• Sonia* (wild born) arrived 1976
• Nigalo (wild born) arrived 1976
* John Frost calls this hippo "Big Female

Spot" and "Sonia" both had two calves each as follows

"Spot"

• Male "Invincible" born ?? Sept 1982
• Male "Harvey" born 13th Oct 1983

"Sonia"

• Male "Nautilus" born 25th Sept 1982
• Male "Walley" born 4th Sept 1984

Sadly none of the calves, except "Harvey", lived any length of time and even "Harvey" didn't live long for a hippo. “Harvey" was the longest lived of the four; he died at West Midlands Safari Park on 1st February 2002.

The other three were short lived animals.

"Nautilus" was killed by the bull "Nigalo" (the father of all four calves) on 26th September 1982, the day after he was born.

"Invincible" died on 14th May 1983
 
zoosafari123 said:
Work has started on the new painted dog enclosure at African Village.

As a result the 2 remaining Pygmy goats have moved to the tortoise outdoor enclosure, capybara moved in with the tapir and tortoise moved to Animal Adventure.
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Where exactly in animal adventure are the tortoises? I didn't manage to see them on my last visit.
 
Sand Cat said:
Longleat have confirmed on social media that they are welcoming a group of six male Painted Dogs next month. The new exhibit is due to open on 29th March. Its referred to as a "walk-up enclosure in African Village".
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Has it been announced where they've come from? I have one of the Aspinall parks in my head for some reason.
 
Soon in around April time I'll be back at Longleat and check out the new African Wild Dogs once they've settled in to their new home
 
The pace at which Longleat has improved in the last decade has been superb. Surely it’s not only the premier safari park in Britain, but in the entire world?
 
Cat-Man said:
The pace at which Longleat has improved in the last decade has been superb. Surely it’s not only the premier safari park in Britain, but in the entire world?
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Difficult to say seeing as I have never visited, but surely Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands and Reserve Africaine de Sigean in France are considerably better, or perhaps even Parco Natura Viva in Italy, as well as of course San Diego Zoo Safari Park, although despite the name that might be an unfair stretch of the definition of the word.

Personally, I don't even think that Longleat is near being the best safari park in the UK, as the drive-through area at Woburn puts Longleat's to shame in terms of the quality of exhibitry, selection of species and charm of the grounds, although I do admit that its walk-around zone is somewhat pitiful and doesn't hold a candle to the koalas of Longleat, as well as a noticeable lack of recent developments while Longleat, as you mention, has been improving rapidly. As such I do suspect that this is something of a biassed and unpopular take.
 
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