Twycross Zoo I'm baffled by Twycross Zoo

Why do they just give rubbish - really, rubbish, that's not a metaphor, it's old cardboard boxes and empty drinks bottles - to the apes. i can't believe that it is effective enrichment, and it looks horrible.
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I agree with this totally, I mentioned it whilst there with family and got shot down as the "apes enjoy it". I'm sorry, but I'm certain they'd prefer browse. Also, the Gibbons had a children's see-saw and a whole other collaboration of crap in their cages which they never used and they just looked messy.

Not sure about the house, but the elephant paddock is pretty good. Shame there's a couple of dumped-looking portacabins on the perimeter. It just looks ghastly (again).
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I disagree slightly, the paddocks are decent, but it's a huge mistake that they never even considered building bull accommodation in the fields behind the house. Sure, it's no good for herd dynamics not to have a baby, so they AI a female. Didn't mention having contact with a bull is also great for herd dynamics.
I feel that this zoo is a dysfunctional mess that's stuck in the 60s. How come a change in management didn't cause any real changes?
 
ashley-h said:
it's a huge mistake that they never even considered building bull accommodation in the fields behind the house.
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Absolutely true. It would have been 'difficult', of course, and twycross knows as well as any zoo the problems that elephants can bring, but it would have been the ambitious thing to do. That said, if one was seeking to make a list of the enclosures at the zoo in order of their quality, I think the elephant paddock wuld benear the top (which doesn't say much about the competition).

On the grotty children's toy riff: the otters are another species which - in the past, certainly - have been given footballs and so on. I've nothing against a decidedly unnatural look - my favourite zoo is possibly the Berlin Tierpark - but animals with crappy playground equipment is just wrong, in every way.
 
I have ranted in the past about how much the Howletts gorillas like their playground slides, but at least they use them; the gibbons had those see-saws and they didn't go anywhere near.
 
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sooty mangabey said:
[*]Why do they just give rubbish - really, rubbish, that's not a metaphor, it's old cardboard boxes and empty drinks bottles - to the apes. i can't believe that it is effective enrichment, and it looks horrible.
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I can only agree 100%. This has been the culture for many years now and has got worse over time. The Gorillas in particular just sit amongst all this stuff without touching it as none of it is novel to them any more..
Yet i've never seen any browse offered. I also strongly dislike seeing the Apes given old clothes & material to 'dress up' with as I think this takes away all their dignity- bamboo, palm fronds or other vegetation would be far more suitable for them to play with. I am not saying they are either 'bored' or suffering but the Gorillas in particular LOOK a terrible exhibit, and that is without the husbandry problems e.g. no male, very limited breeding record, unbred genetically valuable female etc.

On the elephant front, the indoor house is modern but basic. The decision not to keep a bull has caused endless speculation on this Forum, but it seems to be a permanent decision. Breeding potential is consequently probably compromised and going to be far less frequent than by natural mating.
 
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I don't mind them giving them clothes, blankets, old sacks etc as they seem to enjoy it, weather they're wearing it or tearing it up. Yellow pages and shredded paper though...?
 
I cant exactly give my opinion here as ive never been but i am going this summer and i will be on the look out for faults, i do agree with most said here and it seems the zoo really needs a turn around for the better...
 
ashley-h said:
I don't mind them giving them clothes, blankets, old sacks etc as they seem to enjoy it, weather they're wearing it or tearing it up. Yellow pages and shredded paper though...?
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They could take a leaf out of Howlett's book and give them straw deep litter in all the inside enclosures. They would sort through that for food items, cover themselves if they want to and it would give a lot more occupational therapy than the sawdust and tile floors they have now. I have seen them use the cardboard- to EAT as there is nothing else for them to browse on. That is NOT natural behaviour.
 
The thing that bugs me most about Twycross is the fact that they do not utilise their collection properly.

They house elephants, gorillas, chimps, orangs, giraffe, lions, penguins, sealions ect which are all staple zoo animals (which some better zoos do not have) and quite a few rareities such as bonobos, bat-eared foxes, dhole, aardwolf and some of the primate collection. However, as it has been mentioned, the enclosures are very sub-par or just average.

The tropical house is decent enough, but the "guided tours" are a bit annoying really. Perhaps a one-out-one-in system would work better?

If the financial reserves are as deep as they are thought to be, then I would plough money into renovating every enclosure one-by-one starting with the ape enclosures, elephant indoor facilities and the primate accomodation.

Hopefully the snow leopard, lion and dhole enclosures are a pre-cursor to a massive regeneration effort from Twycross. It is needed...
 
Its not often I 'plan' what I would do with a Zoo but in Twycross' case I really think I would actually reduce the Primate collection and make it a more 'general' zoo. 'World Primate Centre' is just a load of ****(baloney) Many of the rarer monkeys do not breed regularly, if at all and are basically wasted there as the great General public don't appreciate so many different species, so what's the point of keeping all of them? Three or four large groups of the more successfully breeding species could be retained, e.g. Colobus, some Gibbons, whatever else and each 'block' of primate cages could be knocked through(or even better, fresh enclosures built on each of the sites) to provide much greater space for the species retained.

Keep most of the other species(not Malayan tapir..) they have now as there is a very interesting variety- but don't acquire anything more until they have brought ALL the older enclosures up to the same standard of e.g. the Leopard enclosure and the other newer ones.

Remodell and upgrade the Ape enclosures more imaginatevely- this could be done while still keeping the existing buildings for Chimps and Gorillas & Bonobos. Use some of that cash pile to build a NEW Orangutan House.

Bring in a male elephant- or donate the current cows to a breeding group and keep old nonbreeding females only...
 
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Pertinax said:
Its not often I 'plan' what I would do with a Zoo but in Twycross' case I really think I would actually reduce the Primate collection and make it a more 'general' zoo. . .
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I agree with almost all of Pertinax's remarks, although perhaps the bonobos need better housing more urgently than the orangs do.
The other thing that Twycross needs is proper landscaping, which should be planned together with the new improved enclosures and other buildings. The site is basically fields with scattered trees and a few hedgerows. It's quite open and exposed, but it can feel very crowded on busy days too.
I think that more bamboos, shrubs and trees, perhaps with some humps and hollows would make a more interesting and enjoyable place to visit. This would also provide some more secluded locations which might suit shyer animals better. This would need to be complemented by better viewing of popular species like the sea lions; the extended elephant paddock and the new carnivore enclosures look promising in this respect so I hope that it will be integral in all plans to redevelop the zoo.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
The other thing that Twycross needs is proper landscaping, which should be planned together with the new improved enclosures and other buildings. The site is basically fields with scattered trees and a few hedgerows. It's quite open and exposed, but it can feel very crowded on busy days too.
I think that more bamboos, shrubs and trees, perhaps with some humps and hollows would make a more interesting and enjoyable place to visit.
Alan
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I certainly agree with that too. The grounds are very much the same as they were when it first opened. I believe Twycross gardening staff were featured on TV-Gardeners World(?)- some while back so maybe there are plans for a lot more planting though it may still not be extensive enough. As you say, more landscaping would help too as the site is typical featureless Midlands fields- not really the best venue for a ZooPark.

I have to say I've got to the stage where despite the interesting collection, I don't really want to go there again until there have been some major changes- but I fear I may have to wait a long time....:(
 
Pertinax said:
the site is typical featureless Midlands fields- not really the best venue for a ZooPark.
:(
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Agree entirely. It used to make me laugh when, in previous editions of the guidebook, it was described as "rolling parkland". Trades description act could have had them on that one!
 
I agree with all of Pertinax's Remarks making the enclosures better - taller,trees,climbing frames will not cost much or take long!
they need to sort there prioroties out.
There are many positive things to the collection the elephant paddocks,Amur Leopard Enclosure (bit small but well designed and planted) also the Langur/Wooly Monkey enclosures have many climbing oppurtunities and are not just bare enclosures.
The biggest dissapointment is the Apes such magnificant and interesting animals kept in these enclosures they have been the zoos biggest draw and the zoos pride and joy but surely just surely the should be looked after at a brilliant standard....
 
Think what a group of ZooChat Forumsters could do with Twycross if we were given the chance...gentle lemur, you are in charge of landscaping...:)
 
Riziki said:
The biggest dissapointment is the Apes such magnificant and interesting animals kept in these enclosures they have been the zoos biggest draw and the zoos pride and joy but surely just surely the should be looked after at a brilliant standard....
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It is a remarkable situation. The only zoo in the Uk to exhibit all four Great Ape species, yet the exhibits are of a very low standard compared to just about any other similar sized zoo that keep any of the Great Apes. Overall this is probably their biggest shortcoming.
 
Since being known as the World Primate Centre have they done any major things with the primates?
I agree with Pertinax they should focus in being something they can cope with the general good multi-species zoo, starting with improvements to the ape enclosures!
 
Riziki said:
Amur Leopard Enclosure (bit small but well designed and planted) also the Langur/Wooly Monkey enclosures have many climbing oppurtunities and are not just bare enclosures..
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The Amur Lleopar enclosure I like a lot- I don't even see it as small. It proves that they CAN provide decent enclosures. What I think will happen is that the other newer ones like the Lions/Dholes and no doubt the new Visitor Entrance/Snow leopard enclosure will be of a similar standard, and they will make the others look even worse.
 
They need to think about what they are instead of what they want to be. They can come up with very good enclosures but some bad ones too.
 
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