ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2024

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amur leopard said:
Rather foolishly forgot to cross-check my photos with images of the species in question and turns out they appear to just be Bombina bombina - thanks @Prochilodus246 for pointing this out. Interestingly this species was (visibly) behind the scenes at London in previous years but was signed correctly as B. bombina. This all raises the rather puzzling question of where the B. microdeladigitora tag came from given those same toads have been at London for years and with correct signage. You'd imagine there must be frogs of that species at ZSL somewhere for that to happen - potentially a mix up or even a temporary swap?

In the meantime, apologies for the inadvertent misinformation :p.
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B. bombina would still be a new species for London. It is B. orientalis that has, as you say, been kept at the collection for some time now.
 
I hear London Zoo is now cashless admission.Refuses to accept cash admission? If thats true,it is so disappointing and restrictive for those less fortunate,financially struggling,to have a little fun and free educational experience in their break from the cost of living
 
Kalaw said:
B. bombina would still be a new species for London. It is B. orientalis that has, as you say, been kept at the collection for some time now.
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Sorry, got the latin names mixed up. No European fire-bellied toads are at London, signed or not, as far as I am aware. Meant Oriental. Thanks for picking up on it.
 
Eric said:
I hear London Zoo is now cashless admission.Refuses to accept cash admission? If thats true,it is so disappointing and restrictive for those less fortunate,financially struggling,to have a little fun and free educational experience in their break from the cost of living
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How exactly does having cash entry create a free educational experience? The entry fee wouldn’t change.
 
Rajang21 said:
How exactly does having cash entry create a free educational experience? The entry fee wouldn’t change.
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Lets ignore the 'free'. yes entry FEES won't change,but those struggling financially,denied banks accounts (thus access to cards) for any financial/poor credit reason,, who've managed to scrape up the cash to treat their families/themselves,particularly to London Zoo,would be denied the chance to enjoy it's animal experiences.
 
Had a really good visit to the zoo today after not being for at least 3 years, managed to see almost everything I wanted to, highlight being of course both the aye-ayes which were incredibly active and easy to see thanks to the gaps in the tarp around their enclosure. I can't ever get over the hype of seeing that species.

It's so great to have so many nocturnal prosimians there in the nightzone as well. No sign of the treeshrew, although there are barriers around the enclosure saying how it's still settling in. The Senegal bushbabys remained hidden and the old Seba's short-tailed bat enclosure is now home to both the pottos and the Moholi bushbabys.

Rainforest Life remains as fun to explore as ever even if the tamandua was sleeping in a corner and so didn't provide any good photo opportunities. The bokibokys also were nowhere to be seen.

I think the improvements to the outdoor area for the giraffes looks really good, plus the zebras, okapi and duiker were all very showy. The remaining pygmy hippo was enjoying some rest in one of the outdoor sheds, are there any plans for another to join it in the future?

I still feel awe when I stand in the giraffe house, or indeed in any old buildings of the zoo as there's so much history in them, it's fantastic that they've been preserved, yes most are now not up to welfare standards and/or literally falling apart but they remain as icons of the past and they're also quite beautiful.

The only downside to that is the fact that the whole are with the aquarium, reptile house and Mappin Terraces are so defunct now that they really should demolish at least the Mappins to make way for new areas as there's so much space locked up there.

Monkey Valley looks very impressive but I didn't time it right to go in but at least saw it from the outside. Are all the old pheasant and owl aviaries still there or have they removed them?

The small-webbed bell toads were easy to spot as well so that's another one off the bucket list of UK exclusives. Both tigers were sleeping but still looking majestic, and the red river hogs and babirusa were out which was lucky since the Casson was closed. Seeing wild pig species living in that area only reminds me of how many bearded pigs they used to have.

I did manage to glimpse the small Indian mongoose briefly when it came fully out into the caged area at the back but soon went back in once a loud school group arrived. They appear to be very shy right now but I hope they start to settle soon. The lion cubs were also visible with the adults by the mock train line side of the exhibit.

The giant tortoise house is so spacious inside, it's perfect for them and makes it a really nice experience to walkthrough, I hope they do something with their old area which still appears to have all the signage and structure up if you peek through the coverings in front.

The new reptile house is absolutely phenomenal, the enclosures are large and spacious and the design and layout is really nice with the circular walkaround similar to the previous building. Pretty much everything was visible including the mangshan pit vipers both sitting at the front, Ethiopian mountain adder, king cobra, aquatic caecilian, Titicaca frogs and Chinese giant salamander

Tiny Giants/B.U.G.S and Blackburn Pavilion are still as good as they ever were with so many exhibits on the inside there's so much to explore. The white-crowned robin chats were putting on a good show as well.

I think London Zoo to this day is still my favourite zoo thanks to all the history, the amount of rare nocturnal primates they have and my emotional attachment to the place. I definitely hope to go again sooner than last time!
 
Daubentoniidae said:
The remaining pygmy hippo was enjoying some rest in one of the outdoor sheds, are there any plans for another to join it in the future?
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ZSL fully intends to breed Amara and I believe the EEP has given recommendation in preparation for sexual maturity, but currently it is unknown whether that will mean a new male at London or moving Amara to Whipsnade in order to breed with Tapon.
 
amur leopard said:
Sorry, got the latin names mixed up. No European fire-bellied toads are at London, signed or not, as far as I am aware. Meant Oriental. Thanks for picking up on it.
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No problem. While the Oriental Fire-bellied Toads aren't the rarest of species, I believe that this, along with the Mindanao Water Monitor going on-display besides the Komodos, means that most of the herptiles that weren't incorporated into SLoRA are now on-display elsewhere. There are a few notable exceptions (Spur-thighed Tortoise, African Bullfrog and of course Congo Caecilian), with the strangest to me being the Alligator Snapping Turtle, with two females arriving from Paignton towards the end of last year and not immediately going on-show, which to me gave the impression that they were intended for SLoRA. This of course never happened, which leaves me wondering why they arrived in the first place, or if they will ever go onshow. I can't imagine where there is space, except perhaps the former giant salamander tank near the Komodos, although I can't imagine it being big enough
Daubentoniidae said:
Are all the old pheasant and owl aviaries still there or have they removed them?
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They are still there, although I fear they may never be inhabited again, as they are in a poor state and the signage nearby seems to suggest that the zoo is quite comfortable with leaving all of the North Bank barring Snowdon Aviary for growing vegetation to feed the animals. It seems fairly redundant to me, as the zoo never seemed to struggle with that before these aviaries were closed.
Daubentoniidae said:
I think the improvements to the outdoor area for the giraffes looks really good, plus the zebras, okapi and duiker were all very showy. The remaining pygmy hippo was enjoying some rest in one of the outdoor sheds, are there any plans for another to join it in the future?
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As mentioned by @cerperal , there are certainly plans to breed Amara. The most logical solution would indeed me to breed her with Tapon, Whipsnade's bull, although whether that means him coming to London or vice versa is hard to say. There has been breeding success at Whipsnade in the past, which can't be said for London, but seeing as the latter facilities have very recently been upgraded, and that London would miss the Pygmy Hippos much more due to the lack of star attraction mammals compared to Whipsnade, it will be interesting to see what is decided as being the correct decision. I imagine that the EEP will get the final say on the matter.
 
Tim May said:
Thanks for posting this. It's many years since I last saw this and it's great to be reminded of this imaginative, if over-ambitious, plan.

Obviously its never going to materialise but I especially like the hippos, manatees and Indian rhinos!
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Dear @Tim May, if you are not allowed to dream ... than nothing will come to pass. The truth about ZSL and the Society in my personal view has been entertaining too much high profile massive funds slurping projects created since the early 1990's. Essentially by not asdressing the weaknesses in Aquarium, Mappin and Casson allowed the zoo to remain some sort of a time warp.

Had zoo management really grasped the moment and taken on the Erik van Vliet vision plan, factually take on the no no's head on (Casson, Mappin and a few other areas I do not care to mention now) and work to emphasize its strenghts. Erik is great creative mind of a zoo architect by thinking in opportunities and not issues nor problems associated with the status quo why zoo management just has not given these listed buildings a new lease of life at the Regent's Park' ZSL site.

I still believe with a new pachyderm focus for the Casson ... You are actually using the building for what it was built and created for to begin with. Raising the crumbling Mappin as a Phoenix like bird and use the old structures to rejuvenate the area and give it is an spruced face lift and make it into a site living up to its strenghts like wide views overlooking Regent's park.
 
Kalaw said:
They are still there, although I fear they may never be inhabited again, as they are in a poor state and the signage nearby seems to suggest that the zoo is quite comfortable with leaving all of the North Bank barring Snowdon Aviary for growing vegetation to feed the animals. It seems fairly redundant to me, as the zoo never seemed to struggle with that before these aviaries were closed.
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Unless this has changed, Whipsnade is the main supplier for both zoos. They still retain a bamboo plantation which once supplied London’s Giant panda.

Personally, bar the work that’s gone into renovating the Snowdon, when you avert your eyes towards where the aviaries once were it now looks like a builders yard. A monumental waste of space.
 
Panthera1981 said:
Unless this has changed, Whipsnade is the main supplier for both zoos. They still retain a bamboo plantation which once supplied London’s Giant panda.

Personally, bar the work that’s gone into renovating the Snowdon, when you avert your eyes towards where the aviaries once were it now looks like a builders yard. A monumental waste of space.
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I’m saddened by the neglect of the North Bank. Those pheasant and owl aviaries were good, and held interesting breeding collections of both groups, as well as a few pigeons, touracos and others, to say nothing of the geese and crane paddocks, now derelict
 
Tim May said:
That's not correct; pygmy hippos have successfully bred at London Zoo on several occasions.
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Apologies for poor wording - I meant since they moved into the current enclosure.

I absolutely agree that the North Bank in its current state is a little depressing. Once a decent series of aviaries housing some interesting rarities that is now entirely empty. Hopefully it will be reopened one day, and the amount of excellent improvements seen in the bird department elsewhere over the past couple of years (presumably Gary Ward, Curator for Birds, has played a big role in that) gives me hope, but there is no guarantee.
 
Kalaw said:
I absolutely agree that the North Bank in its current state is a little depressing. Once a decent series of aviaries housing some interesting rarities that is now entirely empty. Hopefully it will be reopened one day, and the amount of excellent improvements seen in the bird department elsewhere over the past couple of years (presumably Gary Ward, Curator for Birds, has played a big role in that) gives me hope, but there is no guarantee.
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I remember when the North Bank's owl aviaries included the only Nduk eagle owls in any zoo in the world
 
Just got back from a very pleasant visit to London Zoo today. These are some of the things I noticed, or good things I spotted:

Land of the Lions
  • Had a great view of the three lion cubs, with the first visit to their enclosure being the best view (Bhanu was let in with Arya and the cubs at this point, so there was a lot of greeting and playing around).
  • Managed to see the small Indian mongoose for the first time. I visited the enclosure three times - the first was a dud, the second time (at about 11:50) I saw one quickly disappear back indoors and the third time (at about 1:45) one came out and started basking - managed to get a pretty decent picture on the last visit.
Tiny Giants
  • The little pot of biting midges inside the African giant mosquito enclosure have been removed, and their signage taken down.
  • The Mombasa train millipedes are back on-show, and the signage indicates that there are fen raft spiders waiting to go on-show again but they are being kept off-show until they are larger.
  • The tank next to the entrance and exit of the spider walkthrough (that I think was previously full of spider memorabilia) now had a pinktoe tarantula in residence.
  • The gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula enclosure was empty and being refurbished.
Blackburn Pavilion
  • The Brazilian tanagers have a fledgling in one of the indoor aviaries.
  • As well as the pair of collared trogons in the corner aviary before entering the indoor walkthrough, I definitely saw a male in the second smaller walkthrough section - I know there were some questions earlier in the thread if they were still present.
  • I was just wondering if this is news - there are a pair of hill mynas now in their outdoor aviary (labelled as common rather than Javan hill-myna); I know that in January there was just the one, but I don't know when the second arrived.
Reptiles and Amphibians
  • Managed almost everything that I missed last time in the reptile and amphibian house - saw the Laos warty newts and an adult Mallorcan midwife toad, but again I missed the mossy frogs.
  • Some breeding successes were in evidence - although the tank was very cloudy, I could see a large Titicaca water frog tadpole, and the Sardinian brook salamander tank by the entrance doors also had several tiny little salamander tadpoles swimming around in it.
  • Got a single poor view of the mystery toad in the old Congo caecilian area - for what it's worth, I think they are Oriental fire-bellied toads. None of the pictures I have seen, nor the live animal I saw today, look like the pictures of small-webbed bell toads online.
  • Also had a good view of the Mindanao water monitor in the Komodo dragon house.
Clore
  • Had probably my best tour of the Night Life section on any visit - saw everything bar three species (the Malagasy giant rats, the pygmy lorises and the new tree shrew), including the aye-ayes and mouse lemur next door.
  • The tenrec tank had a sign indicating that there are no longer any animals in that display.
Other areas
  • Went to see the gorillas a couple of times - on the second visit, the babies were both visible indoors. One of them was laying on its back right next to the window - while I'm not an expert in such matters, I think it may have been a male. The other baby did try to walk around a bit, but was very wobbly and fell over fairly quickly. Hopefully by the time of my next visit in a couple of months, they might be more active.
  • The other thing that stands out in my mind was seeing the okapi very close to the glass barrier in its first enclosure. Unfortunately, didn't see the duiker and there was still no sign of the dik-diks.
 
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