Out of interest, what is the long term plan for tigers at Hamerton? Continue with Malayans or another subspecies?
Hamerton Zoo Park Hamerton Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter WhistlingKite24
- Start date
Had a nice day at Hamerton yesterday, saw a lot of species minus the hyenas sadly which never showed themselves. Did have some great views of the jackals, civet and the Tasmanian golden possums poking their heads out of the nest box.
At least one of the civets and a pair of golden possums are in the first set of enclosures with the indoor viewing area on the right as you come in now so it made it a lot easier to spot them.
The male wombat was quite active later in the day next to the donkeys and the tigers and bears were moving around quite a lot but despite multiple visits to both exhibits the hyenas were a no-show. Also no sign of the ringtail.
Will post photos in the gallery later.
At least one of the civets and a pair of golden possums are in the first set of enclosures with the indoor viewing area on the right as you come in now so it made it a lot easier to spot them.
The male wombat was quite active later in the day next to the donkeys and the tigers and bears were moving around quite a lot but despite multiple visits to both exhibits the hyenas were a no-show. Also no sign of the ringtail.
Will post photos in the gallery later.
Visited last Monday arriving at 11 and leaving near closing so thought i would share some insights.
Brown Hyena - showed well for about twenty minutes in enclosure opposite serval then disappeared for remainder of day. The second hyena enclosure is the one up on the hill? essentially off exhibit in my opinion.
Golden Possum - lots of enclosures signed for them currently, the main one as you leave the outback area was signed but empty/evacuated I believe due to construction* in what was the squirrel glider area. There were then golden possums in the first indoor housing, the "marmoset" (sans marmosets) house and also signed but not seen in the enclosure that backs on to the grison. You will see some possums though!
*couldn't tell what was being constructed, the wall with portholes to squirrel gliders remained in tact.
Grison - just a single seen, used to seeing them dashing about in a pair in the afternoon...
Wombat - main outback enclosure were fed and watered about 11 giving good viewing via portholes. Youngster did not show but clearly active in their new enclosure near the donkeys as bark was strewn all over the place where they had been excavating.
Black backed jackals - showing fantastically, a million times improved in terms of viewing opportunities. enclosure, like many, was suffering the ravages of a wet winter and very muddy.
Ringtail/Coati - no footpath installed to view these species so if they are a target bring some wellies!
Great day as always picking up lots of rarities and an impressive line up in no shows as well; shows; any binturong, common brushtail possum, ringtail possum, echidna, oncilla, rusty spotted cat, squirrel glider, howler monkey, ringtail, skunk and bat eared fox.
There was an element of familiarity with the bat eared foxes not showing as they have moved into a former aardwolf enclosure which I am familiar with staring longingly into as it remained empty!
Brown Hyena - showed well for about twenty minutes in enclosure opposite serval then disappeared for remainder of day. The second hyena enclosure is the one up on the hill? essentially off exhibit in my opinion.
Golden Possum - lots of enclosures signed for them currently, the main one as you leave the outback area was signed but empty/evacuated I believe due to construction* in what was the squirrel glider area. There were then golden possums in the first indoor housing, the "marmoset" (sans marmosets) house and also signed but not seen in the enclosure that backs on to the grison. You will see some possums though!
*couldn't tell what was being constructed, the wall with portholes to squirrel gliders remained in tact.
Grison - just a single seen, used to seeing them dashing about in a pair in the afternoon...
Wombat - main outback enclosure were fed and watered about 11 giving good viewing via portholes. Youngster did not show but clearly active in their new enclosure near the donkeys as bark was strewn all over the place where they had been excavating.
Black backed jackals - showing fantastically, a million times improved in terms of viewing opportunities. enclosure, like many, was suffering the ravages of a wet winter and very muddy.
Ringtail/Coati - no footpath installed to view these species so if they are a target bring some wellies!
Great day as always picking up lots of rarities and an impressive line up in no shows as well; shows; any binturong, common brushtail possum, ringtail possum, echidna, oncilla, rusty spotted cat, squirrel glider, howler monkey, ringtail, skunk and bat eared fox.
There was an element of familiarity with the bat eared foxes not showing as they have moved into a former aardwolf enclosure which I am familiar with staring longingly into as it remained empty!
Initially I assumed they were going to make the path around the bears to the hyena enclosures public but hadn’t gotten round to it yet (not unusual for Hamerton) but wouldn’t surprise me if the current viewing is all that’s intended in the mid-term (also not unlike Hamerton). Does anyone know anything in this regard?
Also out of interest has anyone actually had a decent view of the bat-eared foxes or echidna before?
Also out of interest has anyone actually had a decent view of the bat-eared foxes or echidna before?
Laboratory 7
Well-Known Member
I believe that there are no plans for any paths round the second brown hyena enclosure or round the other side of the bears.
As for the bat eared foxes I believe that some of the keepers have been lucky once it's gone dark.the echidna you just have to be lucky.
Does Hamerton really need to have tigers at all? There are several interesting animals Hamerton could keep in the area, which could be split into smaller enclosures.
Laboratory 7
Well-Known Member
That is a very good question, but I think that you first need to ask where would Hamerton be without them, because when they got there first one it gave their visitor figures a huge boost, and as a result they could do things sooner than planned,yes Hamerton have there own unique methods of building stuff and it can take awhile to get there but the end result is worth it,yes all the odd ball species are great to see but you need to remember that if it wasn't for the Tigers they wouldn't be at Hamerton,as they are the reason that this site gets to enjoy the species that we do, and we have a lot more to come all because of Tigers and the general public loving them, so to answer does Hamerton really need Tigers,yes it does and long may it continue to have them.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Sahaja the female Malayan tiger is only around 11 so she’s likely to be around for some time yet. Mohan the white tiger is also doing well it seems. Unless Hamerton go out of Malayans entirely and move Sahaja to breed / go somewhere else, there are existing cats to cater to for some time yet.
I know nothing about the zoo beyond visiting regularly but I’d also doubt they would add another tiger while the two existing ones remain. Importing a Malayan male would be really difficult and they wouldn’t (I guess) just plop another generic in with the other remaining tiger either.
In cost terms the tiger complex won’t have been cheap to build and reworking it wouldn’t be cheap either, so they’d have to balance the visitor appeal for whatever went there vs the cost. Of course tigers also cost a lot to maintain but the cost of converting the area would be high and then new animals to acquire - that’s a lot of money.
On balance it would be ‘why would they’ vs ‘why not’ for me. They have lots of other exciting projects to get on with judging by the things being built and already finished (like the recent bear viewing / dingo space).
Tigers have also been at Hamerton for a long time and are a visitor draw. Zoo visitors / families etc like big cats in general and there would probably be some degree of push back if Hamerton just stopped having anything large in that space. Most people you see there are going for a fun day out at the zoo, a picnic in the nice weather and persuading their kids to get off the swings - big cats are a thing / tick on the circuit around the zoo for lots of visitors.
If Hamerton could source them and decide on which sub species to keep (perhaps with a view to breeding like they have with the cheetahs) or even have generics,I think on balance they’d stay with tigers. I could see them also having some other big cat such as lions but the housing might not suit.
I could see them reworking the right hand enclosure of the two for something else. But as a complex it has a lot of options for tigers which is a positive given they can’t always live in groups.
Had a great afternoon at hamerton today weather was great not much wind and sun out all afternoon. Most of the animals were out and active bears all out playing and swimming, both tigers up and walking all round their enclosures. Saw the cheetah cubs out and the hyenas were all out chilling img the old tiger barn , one even came over to the fence to investigate us they certainly seam to becoming accustomed to visitors. No possum of course but this is to be expected. Not seen this mentioned on here yet but they have a new book out, a review of 2023 which I can highly recommend. It contains all sort of information on the past year from animal movements ( including where they went and came from ), investments on the site plans for the future, vet reports and a census on the species held at the park. A fabulous read and honest insight the the working of the zoo well done Andrew Swales with the sub editor being John Tuson it reads very well like his book does. The only down side being it informs me they have 14 possums over the three species and I still can’t spot one 
Piece of 2024 News Not Mentioned:
On February 17th, the zoo announced they named the hyenas Cruella, Flo/Flopsy, Harley, and Quinn.
Hamerton Zoo
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On March 25th, the zoo announced that they refurbished the golden possum exhibit, which is now reopened to the public.
Hamerton Zoo
On March 27th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) Linne's two-toed sloth to Folly Farm in Wales.
Exciting announcement...(Are you ready for this?)! We're super excited to introduce you to our new arrival. Meet breeding male sloth "Casa" Nova, who... | By Folly Farm Adventure Park & ZooFacebook
On March 28th, the zoo announced they moved (0.1) cheetah Jetts and her four cubs to the main on-show cheetah exhibit.
Hamerton Zoo
On February 17th, the zoo announced they named the hyenas Cruella, Flo/Flopsy, Harley, and Quinn.
Hamerton Zoo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 25th, the zoo announced that they refurbished the golden possum exhibit, which is now reopened to the public.
Hamerton Zoo
On March 27th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) Linne's two-toed sloth to Folly Farm in Wales.
Exciting announcement...(Are you ready for this?)! We're super excited to introduce you to our new arrival. Meet breeding male sloth "Casa" Nova, who... | By Folly Farm Adventure Park & ZooFacebook
On March 28th, the zoo announced they moved (0.1) cheetah Jetts and her four cubs to the main on-show cheetah exhibit.
Hamerton Zoo
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Good visit to Hamerton this afternoon. Particularly nice to see the cheetahs and cubs in the main enclosure; a treat to see such active cheetah cubs up close. Good sightings of the hyena family too which was great.
The Tasmanian Golden possum enclosure next to the civet at the entrance was empty and closed for maintenance. The main Golden possum enclosure near the gliders / howlers has had a new house built on the wall where the feeding platform used to be. The portholes from the outback Aviary may have contained possums, however it wasn't clear what was curled up in there apart from they were not golden.
The cotton top tamarin enclosure was empty and marked as closed for maintenance.
Was excited to see a Wonga pigeon in the enclosure with one of the group of brush turkeys near the pudu / tortoise enclosures.
A Ruppell's Griffon vulture chick was in one of the incubators in the nursery with a sign mentioning that it had hatched on 4/3/24. Great to see that after seeing the eggs in the incubator on a previous visit. Hope to see the new youngster out and about soon.
The wire fence at the far end of the main car park which used to offer views of the donkey paddock has been replaced with a tall solid wood fence. A barrier of logs has been installed to divide the car park up ahead of the busy weekend.
The Tasmanian Golden possum enclosure next to the civet at the entrance was empty and closed for maintenance. The main Golden possum enclosure near the gliders / howlers has had a new house built on the wall where the feeding platform used to be. The portholes from the outback Aviary may have contained possums, however it wasn't clear what was curled up in there apart from they were not golden.
The cotton top tamarin enclosure was empty and marked as closed for maintenance.
Was excited to see a Wonga pigeon in the enclosure with one of the group of brush turkeys near the pudu / tortoise enclosures.
A Ruppell's Griffon vulture chick was in one of the incubators in the nursery with a sign mentioning that it had hatched on 4/3/24. Great to see that after seeing the eggs in the incubator on a previous visit. Hope to see the new youngster out and about soon.
The wire fence at the far end of the main car park which used to offer views of the donkey paddock has been replaced with a tall solid wood fence. A barrier of logs has been installed to divide the car park up ahead of the busy weekend.
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Lafone
Well-Known Member
Popped into Hamerton for the last couple of hours of the day (taking advantage of the 5pm closing since the clocks changed) after a day at WWT Welney.
The cheetah cubs were super showy, the hyenas came out and then I had my first look at the wombat in the new enclosure in the shared donkey barn. Always sounds silly but I hadn’t realised from pictures etc that they were so large!
The cheetah cubs were super showy, the hyenas came out and then I had my first look at the wombat in the new enclosure in the shared donkey barn. Always sounds silly but I hadn’t realised from pictures etc that they were so large!
Laboratory 7
Well-Known Member
It's not just size with them they are also built like tanks and go where they want to when you move them, so they are an animal that you have to respect for the size of them.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Definitely hefty looking! Enjoyable stuff.
Laboratory 7
Well-Known Member
Hamerton have always had a good number of cheetah, but not all of them are kept on show,they often move them round to different enclosures because unlike most cats they don't really have a fixed territory and as a result they are a bit more nomidic when compared to some,it is also why Hamerton have such a good breeding record with them because of the numbers they keep.
Moorhunhe
Well-Known Member
During the talk on Sunday it was said that all female are on show (though some only really visible during the train ride) and all the male are off show.
I got the review guide, and very surprised how many of some animals they have. Especially the ones we never managed to see yet in about 30 visits, lol.
I got the review guide, and very surprised how many of some animals they have. Especially the ones we never managed to see yet in about 30 visits, lol.
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Laboratory 7
Well-Known Member
They don't always keep species on show, so it can be a lottery as to what you see, the stock list is now well out of date in the review. The rufous bettong are very rarely kept on show because they spend much of their time hiding and don't really make a good display for people to see, but that is one of the joys of Hamerton never quite knowing what you will see each time you visit.