Apart from those in Madagascar of course
I was going to put outside of Madagsascar and the U.S., but I forgot.
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter bongorob
- Start date
I was going to put outside of Madagsascar and the U.S., but I forgot.
Yes I did. Well spotted.
Sorry if this is old news, I’m not up to date but we spotted a roloway monkey in the (surprise surprise) monkey house yesterday. The spider monkeys were making a right racket, never heard them before.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
This certainly seems to be news as I wasn't aware they were on show
I’m not sure exactly when the snow leopards arrived, however Chester have just officially announced their arrival on social media:
Chester Zoo on Instagram: "For the FIRST time in our 93-year history… Come face-to-face with snow leopards
#chesterzoo #snowleopards #wildlife #conservation"
Chester Zoo on Instagram: "For the FIRST time in our 93-year history… Come face-to-face with snow leopards
#chesterzoo #snowleopards #wildlife #conservation"
Which enclosure were they in?
Lots to look forward to!There are some photos of the new Snow Leopard exhibit on the zoo's social media pages - it looks absolutely stunning! It reminds me a bit of the one at Twycross, with massive glass walls. I reckon the zoo is going to be absolutely heaving over the Easter period, as the PR team are really going to town on this!
It's tremendously exciting, and I think you're right that it'll be packed over Easter, so I'm going to try and visit just after the end of the holidays. They've also added snow leopards to the animals and news pages on the zoo website, alongside a few extra photos of the enclosure.
Snow leopard | Chester Zoo
SNOW LEOPARDS MAKE HISTORIC DEBUT AT CHESTER ZOO | Chester Zoo
I know I have different tastes in animals from a lot of people, but I just don't see what all the fuss over snow leopards is. 18 UK zoos have them. 2 UK zoos hold Roloway Monkeys, yet the monkeys hardly get a mention.
I would have preferred that the proposed import of Javan Leopards had gone ahead.
I would have preferred that the proposed import of Javan Leopards had gone ahead.
I have to agree. But I suppose for Chester its a new species and they are just pushing their big new exhibit for Easter. By contrast most visitors aren't going to bother more than a glance or two at the monkeys.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
I agree about the excitement of Snow Leopards as a species being somewhat low - it seems wrong, but there are more holders of Snow Leopards in the UK (18) than of Leopards (16)!
However, as an enclosure, that looks like another triumphant success from Chester. I love the rugged terrain, the use of mountainous foliage, and the fact that the enclosures are lined with (at times very tall) rock walls that the cats can surely climb, which will make for excellent enrichment. It looks massive as well, and evidently will feature an onshow indoor area. Not quite Zurich or Highland level, but it is surely one of Europe's absolute best snow leopard enclosures.
However, as an enclosure, that looks like another triumphant success from Chester. I love the rugged terrain, the use of mountainous foliage, and the fact that the enclosures are lined with (at times very tall) rock walls that the cats can surely climb, which will make for excellent enrichment. It looks massive as well, and evidently will feature an onshow indoor area. Not quite Zurich or Highland level, but it is surely one of Europe's absolute best snow leopard enclosures.
I don't see what all the fuss is about lions and tigers but I've read several Zoochatters saying that zoos must have them to attract visitors.
25 UK zoos have generic lions, 7 have Asiatic lions. 5 have Southeast African lions, 3 have 'Barbary lions',
18 UK zoos have Amur tigers, 16 have Sumatran tigers, 8 have generic tigers, 1 has supposed 'Bengal tigers', 1 has Malayan tigers
I agree that some animals get little mention, even if they are the only representatives of that species in any zoo.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
It's fantastic to see the final enclosure. Just the sheer amount of real slate that has gone into the enclosure really makes the difference aesthetically. Once the conifers and other vegetation put on some growth the enclosure it'll add to the detail. I also like the fact there is not too much planting as to reflect the barren nature of the snow leopards' natural habitat.
The visitor perspective is also nice as it seems to not have a stark contrast from the actual enclosure and really gives the impression you are in the enclosure somewhat with the inclusion of grey flooring and mock rock.
My only hope is that the interior glass is not overly reflective and the windows are big enough to get good viewing when the snow leopards are indoors.
The visitor perspective is also nice as it seems to not have a stark contrast from the actual enclosure and really gives the impression you are in the enclosure somewhat with the inclusion of grey flooring and mock rock.
My only hope is that the interior glass is not overly reflective and the windows are big enough to get good viewing when the snow leopards are indoors.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Entirely irrelevant to this thread, so apologies for going off-topic, but that would certainly be an error as there are no subspecies-pure Bengals left in captivity, only hybrids, potentially with some Bengal ancestry (in the case of the Wolds individuals I believe there were subspecies-pure Bengals three generations back before hybridisation with Siberians).
A fair point, I am excited for both but definitely more for the roloways which I've only seen at YWP before. By contrast I have seen snow leopards many times not too far away at WMZ!That being said the new snow leopard enclosure does look quite good and there is a bit of excitement in the air seeing my home zoo get a new 'star species'.
It's a shame the social media for the zoo haven't touched on the monkeys at all though, considering their rarity both in British zoos AND in the wild.
To be fair I suspect Chester's PR department might announce the new monkeys once the hype dies down a bit on the Snow Leopards, they're often a bit slow. Also I read somewhere that the windows in the monkey house had been covered up partly to let them settle in, so it may simply be a case of not wanting too much attention for them straight away.
The sad fact is though, as lovely as the Roloway Monkeys are, to most zoo visitors they will just be 'more monkeys'. At least the zoo has acquired them, and we can admire and enjoy them.