Highland Wildlife Park Highland Wildlife Park News 2024

From Thursday 18 July, on Thursdays through Sundays RZSS will be offering a free shuttle service from Macdonald Aviemore Resort to Highland Wildlife Park and back.

Pick ups from Macdonald Aviemore Resort to Highland Wildlife Park
  • 10:30am
  • 12pm
Pick ups from Highland Wildlife Park to Macdonald Aviemore Resort
  • 3pm
  • 4pm:
Free shuttle bus service
 
Visited today for the first time today, brilliant day!

First time seeing a polar bear which was a big bucket list tick. Also highly recommend the VIP tour, it was really informative and we loved it.

Few comments..

We were told Brodie will be going in the next year and they are actively looking for a home for him.

Someone mentioned Amor Leopards on this thread, where were they?
 
Kr15 said:
Visited today for the first time today, brilliant day!

First time seeing a polar bear which was a big bucket list tick. Also highly recommend the VIP tour, it was really informative and we loved it.

Few comments..

We were told Brodie will be going in the next year and they are actively looking for a home for him.

Someone mentioned Amor Leopards on this thread, where were they?
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The Amur leopard is housed off-show, there’s only 0,1 remaining.
 
FBBird said:
Meanwhile, Jardin des Plantes maintains a stellar collection of Bharal and other Caprids on hard standing in an urban setting…..where they do extremely well:)
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I would very much like to see HWP with a herd of Bharal- a very distinctive and showy species and right up their street. None in this country (have there ever been, maybe at ZSL in the distant past? )but big hassles with imports at present I fear, even if they could get some.
 
Pertinax said:
I would very much like to see HWP with a herd of Bharal- a very distinctive and showy species and right up their street. None in this country (have there ever been, maybe at ZSL in the distant past? )but big hassles with imports at present I fear, even if they could get some.
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There were bharal at HWP over a decade ago according to zootierliste.

I too think HWP has more potential, certainly it could support a caprine collection on par with Tierpark Berlin, Tallinn Zoo or Jardin des Plantes?
 
Fallax said:
There were bharal at HWP over a decade ago according to zootierliste.

I too think HWP has more potential, certainly it could support a caprine collection on par with Tierpark Berlin, Tallinn Zoo or Jardin des Plantes?
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With UK hoofstock rarities such as Bukhara deer, European forest reindeer, Himalayan tahr, Mishmi takin and Turkmenian markhor, blue sheep would be a most welcome addition again. Furthermore, it would be nice if the collection decided to go back into musk oxen again. :p
 
ZooNews2024 said:
Desperation? - perhaps the Golden Takin or Blue Sheep fell through...?;)
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Bharal were actually held at the collection for some years after the initial "retool" into displaying highland and cold-climate species from throughout the world - but along with Bukhara Uriel failed to thrive for some reason, and didn't last long.

Fallax said:
I too think HWP has more potential, certainly it could support a caprine collection on par with Tierpark Berlin, Tallinn Zoo or Jardin des Plantes?
Click to expand...

Not all that long ago it held rather more caprine taxa than JdP as a matter of fact, but along with the above-mentioned taxa a few others ended up petering-out over the course of the 2010s.
 
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TeaLovingDave said:
Bharal were actually held at the collection for some years after the initial "retool" into displaying highland and cold-climate species from throughout the world - but along with Bukhara Uriel failed to thrive for some reason, and didn't last long.



Not all that long ago it held rather more caprine taxa than JdP as a matter of fact, but along with the above-mentioned taxa a few others ended up petering-out over the course of the 2010s.
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I remember that one or two species were lost early on, so Bharal were one of them. The Bhukara deer were almost another but having lost most of the females they have carried on with what was left,but have been hampered in any growth of the herd sincce by a preponderance of male births. They've never had more than one or two breeding females and I think they may be down to just one at present .

To return to Bharal, it would be great to see them return, that's unless they know whatever the previous cause of their loss was, if they know, cannot be redressed.
 
Pertinax said:
I would very much like to see HWP with a herd of Bharal- a very distinctive and showy species and right up their street. None in this country (have there ever been, maybe at ZSL in the distant past? )but big hassles with imports at present I fear, even if they could get some.
Click to expand...
London Zoo first acquired a bharal (blue sheep) in 1877 and the species bred regularly there between 1882 and 1908.

(Images of bharal feature on old London Zoo postcards too.)
 
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