The baboon pens were constructed in 1964 and were sited where the Sulawesi macaque island is. The cat house was opened in 1965 and was immediately to the south. Now occupying this site is the Miniature Moneys and a small picnic area.
The baboon pens consisted of six aviary type enclosures (rather like the spectacled owl exhibit opposite the waterbus). One large enclosure was at the north and south ends, (usually the macaques and baboons were here) and in between were two pairs of smaller enclosures. A picnic lawn was on each side.
I remember the baboon pens housing the following
mandrill
drill
babrbary macaque
hamadryas baboon
lar gibbon
Sulawesi crested macaque (not sure on this one)
The cat house was very successful for keeping and breeding felines. However it was not very good to look at. There were small enclosures on the southern side, and larger ones on the northern side.
The cat house became home to
jungle cat *
European wild cat
Scottish wild cat *
ocelot
margay *
Paraguayan Geoffroy's cat *
jaguarundi * first UK breeding
leopard cat *
pampas cat
serval *
caracal *
northern lynx *
canadian lynx *
bobcat
puma *
common leopard *
black leopard *
north Chinese leopard * (originally thought to have been Amurr leopard)
Persian leopard *
clouded leopard
jaguar
black jaguar
cheetah
ring-tailed coati
cape fox
golden jackal
* denotes bred in the cat house.
The pampas cat was a spare male from Kilverstone and it proved impossible to obtain a mate for him.
Black-footed cats (2.2) were received from Rotterdam and were kept in the Small Mammal House, (situated where the western end of the elephant paddock is now), a male kitten was reared, but both females died. The black-footed cat is apparently a difficult species.
Immediately across the path from the south side of the house, enclosures were built in 1967 to house jaguars (this would be part of the existing guanaco enclosure now)
To the south east of the house furthur enclosures were built in 1969 to house surplus cats, but were also used for surplus baboons. These would have been more or less just to the north of the tapir shelter.
Furthur enclosures for lions and tigers were built in 1973 and occupied the field where the hippo maze is. These were for a second pride of lions and a second pair of Bengal tigers. In 1983 a Sumatran tiger was also kept here. These had large windows to the dens and I once saw a tigress suckling two cubs.
Cheetahs were first kept where the bush dogs now are. In 1974 a second pair of cheetah were placed in the enclosure housing pudu. The cassowary occupies the enclosures built originally for breeding cheetahs. It was not a success, and serval later lived here. Occasionally cheetahs were held in quarantine in the cat house.
Serval also lived in the current bush dog enclosure and later the pudu enclosure.
A Siberian lynx used to be housed in the above mentioned spectacled owl aviary. This was also used for Müller's gibbons. Other species to have lived in this enclosure are hyacinth macaws, bare-faced curassow and kea parrots.
Lions and tigers have always been in their present locations as far as I know.
The baboon pens consisted of six aviary type enclosures (rather like the spectacled owl exhibit opposite the waterbus). One large enclosure was at the north and south ends, (usually the macaques and baboons were here) and in between were two pairs of smaller enclosures. A picnic lawn was on each side.
I remember the baboon pens housing the following
mandrill
drill
babrbary macaque
hamadryas baboon
lar gibbon
Sulawesi crested macaque (not sure on this one)
The cat house was very successful for keeping and breeding felines. However it was not very good to look at. There were small enclosures on the southern side, and larger ones on the northern side.
The cat house became home to
jungle cat *
European wild cat
Scottish wild cat *
ocelot
margay *
Paraguayan Geoffroy's cat *
jaguarundi * first UK breeding
leopard cat *
pampas cat
serval *
caracal *
northern lynx *
canadian lynx *
bobcat
puma *
common leopard *
black leopard *
north Chinese leopard * (originally thought to have been Amurr leopard)
Persian leopard *
clouded leopard
jaguar
black jaguar
cheetah
ring-tailed coati
cape fox
golden jackal
* denotes bred in the cat house.
The pampas cat was a spare male from Kilverstone and it proved impossible to obtain a mate for him.
Black-footed cats (2.2) were received from Rotterdam and were kept in the Small Mammal House, (situated where the western end of the elephant paddock is now), a male kitten was reared, but both females died. The black-footed cat is apparently a difficult species.
Immediately across the path from the south side of the house, enclosures were built in 1967 to house jaguars (this would be part of the existing guanaco enclosure now)
To the south east of the house furthur enclosures were built in 1969 to house surplus cats, but were also used for surplus baboons. These would have been more or less just to the north of the tapir shelter.
Furthur enclosures for lions and tigers were built in 1973 and occupied the field where the hippo maze is. These were for a second pride of lions and a second pair of Bengal tigers. In 1983 a Sumatran tiger was also kept here. These had large windows to the dens and I once saw a tigress suckling two cubs.
Cheetahs were first kept where the bush dogs now are. In 1974 a second pair of cheetah were placed in the enclosure housing pudu. The cassowary occupies the enclosures built originally for breeding cheetahs. It was not a success, and serval later lived here. Occasionally cheetahs were held in quarantine in the cat house.
Serval also lived in the current bush dog enclosure and later the pudu enclosure.
A Siberian lynx used to be housed in the above mentioned spectacled owl aviary. This was also used for Müller's gibbons. Other species to have lived in this enclosure are hyacinth macaws, bare-faced curassow and kea parrots.
Lions and tigers have always been in their present locations as far as I know.
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