Belfast Zoo Belfast Zoo News 2024

pipaluk said:
Very sad but obviously inevitable at age 60. Can't believe it is over 50 years since I first saw her, Samson and young Daniel at Bristol. Not much was made of her having the first successful breeding in the UK!
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Whilst Fatou at Berlin is still somehow chugging along despite being seven years older (more or less, given the fact an exact date of birth is unknown for both) :D I think she must have a portrait hidden in an attic somewhere.....
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Whilst Fatou at Berlin is still somehow chugging along despite being seven years older (more or less, given the fact an exact date of birth is unknown for both) :D I think she must have a portrait hidden in an attic somewhere.....
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I'd hoped that Delilah would reach the 'No 1 in the world' spot for a spell, but it wasn't to be. I'm amazed she lived as long as she did as in in her latter years at Bristol she was often in poor condition- Belfast must have proved a pick-me up!.
 
pipaluk said:
Very sad but obviously inevitable at age 60. Can't believe it is over 50 years since I first saw her, Samson and young Daniel at Bristol. Not much was made of her having the first successful breeding in the UK!
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I have a photo of Samson and Delilah very soon after they arrived in Bristol in 1966. Will post it in the Bristol gallery... you're right there wasn't a lot of fanfare about the birth, but there would have been these days!
 
Long post!
This was my first visit to the zoo (and Northern Ireland!) and despite the zoo needing a bit of TLC and looking tired in some places, I really enjoyed my time here and Belfast definitely have some really interesting species!

Highlights:
- New species for me: White-tailed sea eagle and spotted necked otter, both showing very well.
- Scottish wildcat, the most I've ever seen at one time! At least 5 individuals, all very active and with a large off show area.
- Spectacled bear, the most active individual I've seen, making the most of the rocky outcrops in her enclosure. I'm not sure if she uses the water at the front but I wonder about the logistics of potentially filling in the old polar bear pools to give her even more room would be an option.
- Vicuna enclosure, really great use of the hillside the zoo is on, making for a really interesting exhibit!
- Tree kangaroos, always a highlight for me, the 3 individuals I saw all very active in their indoor area.

Otherwise, I think a lot of the exhibits were decently sized and suitable but some areas were very tired (especially the bird park, reptile house, general areas and walls needing a fresh lick of paint).
It's really nice seeing two species of great ape, however I can't help but think that having one species in a lovely large enclosure would be more impressive than having two species in medium-sized average enclosures. I went down to Dublin Zoo the following weekend and they have two of the loveliest and lushes gorilla and chimp islands you could want!
The new lion enclosure is interesting, it's not a huge size upgrade, but is better furnished and the large windows give great visibility. It's probably serviceable for three elderly lions, but I do think it might seem small for any future younger and more active residents.
Side note: I do love seeing the capybara in the old lion enclosure, those high fences made me laugh, he was however having a nice swim in the pool!
Does anyone know the plans for the elephant enclosure when the old residents move on? I'd love to see the giraffe/zebra/ostrich enclosure wrap around the house to incorporate it but I fear this might be wishful thinking!
And breathe...!
 
My sources doubt that the elephants will leave Belfast to a new and more suitable home to their needs, so lets just wait and see what happens, but either way they are dammed if they do move them on and dammed if they don't.
 
Laboratory 7 said:
My sources doubt that the elephants will leave Belfast to a new and more suitable home to their needs, so lets just wait and see what happens, but either way they are dammed if they do move them on and dammed if they don't.
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Sorry to revive an old discussion but I really don’t think the enclosure at Belfast is actually that bad, granted the indoors is a bit small but I do think (in my unprofessional opinion) that it’s absolutely fine for two elderly rescued females. Much of the enclosure itself is fit specifically for these individuals and it would seem a bit daft to move them on now.

My only thought is that Belfast are trying to avoid a situation in which one passes away resulting in a lone elephant - a possible problem for them both in terms of welfare and publicity.
 
JT said:
Sorry to revive an old discussion but I really don’t think the enclosure at Belfast is actually that bad, granted the indoors is a bit small but I do think (in my unprofessional opinion) that it’s absolutely fine for two elderly rescued females. Much of the enclosure itself is fit specifically for these individuals and it would seem a bit daft to move them on now.

My only thought is that Belfast are trying to avoid a situation in which one passes away resulting in a lone elephant - a possible problem for them both in terms of welfare and publicity.
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Like you said in your unprofessional opinion yet Belfast zoo staff and the Belfast city council have both agreed that the enclosure isn't suitable for the needs of the elephants anymore, along with outside elephant experts brought in to advise Belfast what could be done, unfortunately the costs of bringing the enclosure up to standard would have cost millions the Belfast city council couldn't afford, so they took the very hard decision to announce what they did it wasn't taken lightly and yes it will be a loss for Belfast but it has to be done for the elephants health and wellbeing.
 
Laboratory 7 said:
Like you said in your unprofessional opinion yet Belfast zoo staff and the Belfast city council have both agreed that the enclosure isn't suitable for the needs of the elephants anymore, along with outside elephant experts brought in to advise Belfast what could be done, unfortunately the costs of bringing the enclosure up to standard would have cost millions the Belfast city council couldn't afford, so they took the very hard decision to announce what they did it wasn't taken lightly and yes it will be a loss for Belfast but it has to be done for the elephants health and wellbeing.
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I agree this is the best for the welfare and well-being of these 2 elderly dames before they pass on.

It be interesting to see what the long term plan is for both the elephant exhibit and the old zoo part? Is there per chance a masterplan of late?
 
JT said:
Sorry to revive an old discussion but I really don’t think the enclosure at Belfast is actually that bad, granted the indoors is a bit small but I do think (in my unprofessional opinion) that it’s absolutely fine for two elderly rescued females. Much of the enclosure itself is fit specifically for these individuals and it would seem a bit daft to move them on now.

My only thought is that Belfast are trying to avoid a situation in which one passes away resulting in a lone elephant - a possible problem for them both in terms of welfare and publicity.
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It’s worth considering that many Zoos are moving away from ‘not that bad’ and overall I’d say rightly so.

It’s no doubt not easy to transfer elephants who have been in place for a long time and not an easy decision. But standards which zoos and indeed visitors are content with have changed. Whether somewhere can be found and the transfer can work or will happen is another matter but the motivation appears sound.

The main focus should be that the elephants have somewhere to go that is better and that shouldn’t be influenced by people who don’t want to see elephants in captivity at all or people who want them dead so new animals can arrive. The focus should be solely on their welfare. I’d guess that would be the focus for the zoo itself, at the least.
 
Apparently its costing Belfast City Council £65,000 to move their two elderly Elephants to the Netherlands. I'm wondering why the Netherlands, couldn't they have made suitable companions for single Anne at Longleat, but maybe her house is not large enough for three?
 
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