It is sooo frustrating that with Brexit and the new "wind" all animal exchanges and transfers from / to Continental Europe do constitute a complete nightmare. UK Ministries of the Environment/Agriculture please ... get help from the EU/EEC to sort this out ... It is getting beyond the absurd with 2+ years waiting for a transfer bureacracy to come through. Get a life authorities on both sides' (I wish EAZA with BIAZA would get in on getting our MP's and Euro MP's wake up!).
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo discussion and questions 2025
- Thread starter Typhlonectes
- Start date
agree have had a chat with keepers in a few zoos about it and they all said that it was making it very difficult to transfer animals to and from Europe
It’s annoying and frustrating that this still hasn’t been sorted
I was encouraged to see that Marwell had managed to bring in a new Hartmann's zebra stallion from Europe recently though. But no idea how long it has been in the pipeline. UK really needs another unrelated new male Okapi too, among others.
Charles
Well-Known Member
Also as much as they’re smaller species, Bristol has imported a red panda and gentle lemur from Europe
Typhlonectes
Well-Known Member
This is purely speculation, but considering the amount of Madagascan herp species held off display and a few species in the aquarium that will be displaced once that closes down, I feel the zoo may plan to expand or redevelop the Madagascar section eventually
I've always thought that Dragons in Danger would be changed into Madagascar in Danger but here is the small? problem of the komodo dragons. This could be repurposed to take the aye ayes and a large number of reptiles and birds. But the first thing is to build a new facility for the komodos.
They could always complete the islands plans and build the Konodo dragon house, the area is still free for building. Maybe holding back until they need to redevelope dragons in danger and it will be a relatively cheap exhibit in between the large constructions of HofA and Congo forrest (or whatever its going to be called).
Typhlonectes
Well-Known Member
I think reverting back to Islands in Danger could be the best bet as the amount of island endemics behind the scenes grow even larger with many critically endangered Gastropods, Antiguan racers, Bermuda skinks etc
I like that idea. It makes sense to move the dragons and it would also allow the zoo to show more small species from the area: I have been surprised by the number of comments on Facebook saying that there is 'nothing to see' in Islands apart from the tigers and the Monsoon Forest. I know that is absurd, but I admit that when I walk past the first tiger paddock, I do feel a tinge of regret that the opportunity to build on the right hand side of the path was missed.
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The nothing to see quips are just "preposterous". In all fairness, if you walk through the whole area you have too few "eyes" to take it all in. I suppose it is the zoo visitor that is rather lazy an like a good part of city folk - no disrespect - have largely been disconnected from the environment and nature in general. Here is the role of zoological gardens really to correct that kind of thing.
Other, I do think part is also what you now normally get on socially media is the inanes, the nay-followers that complain and criticise while not making any effort whatsoever themselves and more like pissing about other peoples' misery. There are also always these anti-sentiment elements within the zoo visiting public and with the current fasionability in social media and information giants algorithms defining what gets seen or not ... a lot of hogwash and stirring up drama and fracas has become the norm.
Agree , I’ve been stood watching the Jaguars some people will arrive stay a few minutes , then go saying that there’s nothing to see, just afterwards Inka will come out to the front
I left the social media group connected to the zoo got fed up with negative comments
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
The painted dogs still have their original enclosure at the back of the Heart of Africa development (quite near to the on show black rhino house), and the current painted dog enclosure is the usual cheetah residence, so I assume the lone male may move back there. That leaves where the cheetah is currently living, which I believe may have previously been a Bush dog enclosure, so in that case could we see the pack leaving their temporary (at least it feels that way to me) home in the Spirit of The Jaguar indoor desert enclosure and going back to their space adjacent to the Oakfield? Apologies that my theory doesn't leave room for speculation on new species
.Maybe there is some potential that the zoo won't move the bush dogs back or may have the space to obtain new Cheetah blood?
Charles
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the clarification, I don’t know why I just assumed the cheetah were going somewhere in heart of AfricaThe painted dogs still have their original enclosure at the back of the Heart of Africa development (quite near to the on show black rhino house), and the current painted dog enclosure is the usual cheetah residence, so I assume the lone male may move back there. That leaves where the cheetah is currently living, which I believe may have previously been a Bush dog enclosure, so in that case could we see the pack leaving their temporary (at least it feels that way to me) home in the Spirit of The Jaguar indoor desert enclosure and going back to their space adjacent to the Oakfield? Apologies that my theory doesn't leave room for speculation on new species
Maybe there is some potential that the zoo won't move the bush dogs back or may have the space to obtain new Cheetah blood?
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
I mean it would've made sense to think that, especially for people not as familiar with the zoo. In fact, with the Aardvark enclosure possibly still mostly unchanged and aviaries being on the same site as they were previously, I can't seem to remember if there will actually be any more new large animal/mammal enclosures other than the mixed species savannah paddock and the bachelor giraffe space behind it. I haven't looked at the plans in much detail at all though, so I may be missing something.
dik diks are returning to HoA at some time, no sure if it is straight away
The Aardvarks have a new home aswell, there old enclosure is still there but housing something different.
It's hard to see but from the path it looks like they have completed the enclosures around where the dikdiks and owl will go, in-between the vultures and the other aviarys
It's hard to see but from the path it looks like they have completed the enclosures around where the dikdiks and owl will go, in-between the vultures and the other aviarys
I believe the dwarf mongoose are going in the previous aardvark enclosure in HoA. Not sure if these were the mongoose which were between the stable block and the Madagascar cafe before all the work on the stable block. Also, there will be 2 new aviaries, one with lovebirds and the other with Verreaux's Eagle Owls and there will be 150 greater flamingoes in the first main aviary on the left before the Tsavo enclosure.