ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025

[Jambo]

Only bit of news was Ming Jin the male elephant was with the female elephants without restrictions today so they maybe thinking Donna elephant to have another baby? As I doubt her mum can given it’s been 10yr since her last and Luca the other female is infertile I believe? And saw Beth and Krishma elephants create training for their move to Chester zoo.

It's possible he's being integrated for social purposes ahead of Donna cycling yet again. That is, if she isn't pregnant already.

Due to Kaylee's age and it being sixteen years since she last gave birth, she is likely non reproductive now. The same goes for Lucha who hasn't birthed in over two decades. Therefore Whipsnade likely intends to continue breeding with Donna in the meantime, and Nang Phaya eventually.

 

[Rosie183]

Y

It's possible he's being integrated for social purposes ahead of Donna cycling yet again. That is, if she isn't pregnant already.

Due to Kaylee's age and it being sixteen years since she last gave birth, she is likely non reproductive now. The same goes for Lucha who hasn't birthed in over two decades. Therefore Whipsnade likely intends to continue breeding with Donna in the meantime, and Nang Phaya eventually.

Yup your most likely right Nang Phaya is only 2 so she still got a a few years to go as by then they will either have to move MingJin and or move her so she can reproduce as she can’t with her dad!

 

[rhinofan12]

Does anyone know where the female bongo came from?

 

[Rosie183]

Just a google search it was marwell wildlife park came kora.. the female bongo

 

[British explorer]

I’m visiting the zoo for my first time and I was wondering if there is any good route I could follow to see everything and where is the old elephant house located?

 

[Dr. Loxodonta]

I’m visiting the zoo for my first time and I was wondering if there is any good route I could follow to see everything and where is the old elephant house located?

The (old) elephant house at Whipsnade designed by Berthold Lubetkin is incredibly near to the entrance, near the lemurs. It is really beautiful as a building (it is a Grade II* listed building after all), but maybe not the best place to keep elephants .

 

[Kalaw]

I’m visiting the zoo for my first time and I was wondering if there is any good route I could follow to see everything and where is the old elephant house located?

The old Tecton elephant house is adjacent to the lemur walkthrough, near the entrance.

As for a good route, I tend to start with the lynxes and wild boars then follow the boardwalk past the bears to the penguins. Backtrack a little and see the bison, then take the path past the (now empty) hunting dog enclosure to the giraffes. From here walk beneath Spicer’s Field (rhinos, gemsboks and blesboks) to get back on the perimeter pathway (cars and pedestrians) near the reindeer, following said pathway from this point onwards, right around to the elephants and tigers. Barring some very brief diversions (for example the hippos, lions and the new ‘Monkey Forest’ are slightly off this path), you shouldn’t miss much by doing this. At the tigers, cut across the lawn above the children’s play area to get to the Aquarium and Butterfly House, which are one continuous building. From here, it is only a brief diversion to the Red pandas, otters and gaur in the heart of the zoo, which just about completes everything, but on your way out don’t miss the small closer of aviaries for owls, magpies and pheasants near the entrance.

That said, it is a very big and complex zoo, so every regular has their own route. If the bird flight show is of interest to you, then plan your visit in such a way that ensures you see one of their talks - it is located in the field just above the butterfly house.

 

[British explorer]

The (old) elephant house at Whipsnade designed by Berthold Lubetkin is incredibly near to the entrance, near the lemurs. It is really beautiful as a building (it is a Grade II* listed building after all), but maybe not the best place to keep elephants .

The old Tecton elephant house is adjacent to the lemur walkthrough, near the entrance.

As for a good route, I tend to start with the lynxes and wild boars then follow the boardwalk past the bears to the penguins. Backtrack a little and see the bison, then take the path past the (now empty) hunting dog enclosure to the giraffes. From here walk beneath Spicer’s Field (rhinos, gemsboks and blesboks) to get back on the perimeter pathway (cars and pedestrians) near the reindeer, following said pathway from this point onwards, right around to the elephants and tigers. Barring some very brief diversions (for example the hippos, lions and the new ‘Monkey Forest’ are slightly off this path), you shouldn’t miss much by doing this. At the tigers, cut across the lawn above the children’s play area to get to the Aquarium and Butterfly House, which are one continuous building. From here, it is only a brief diversion to the Red pandas, otters and gaur in the heart of the zoo, which just about completes everything, but on your way out don’t miss the small closer of aviaries for owls, magpies and pheasants near the entrance.

That said, it is a very big and complex zoo, so every regular has their own route. If the bird flight show is of interest to you, then plan your visit in such a way that ensures you see one of their talks - it is located in the field just above the butterfly house.

Thanks for both of your suggestions and replies.

 

[Lafone]

The old Tecton elephant house is adjacent to the lemur walkthrough, near the entrance.

As for a good route, I tend to start with the lynxes and wild boars then follow the boardwalk past the bears to the penguins. Backtrack a little and see the bison, then take the path past the (now empty) hunting dog enclosure to the giraffes. From here walk beneath Spicer’s Field (rhinos, gemsboks and blesboks) to get back on the perimeter pathway (cars and pedestrians) near the reindeer, following said pathway from this point onwards, right around to the elephants and tigers. Barring some very brief diversions (for example the hippos, lions and the new ‘Monkey Forest’ are slightly off this path), you shouldn’t miss much by doing this. At the tigers, cut across the lawn above the children’s play area to get to the Aquarium and Butterfly House, which are one continuous building. From here, it is only a brief diversion to the Red pandas, otters and gaur in the heart of the zoo, which just about completes everything, but on your way out don’t miss the small closer of aviaries for owls, magpies and pheasants near the entrance.

That said, it is a very big and complex zoo, so every regular has their own route. If the bird flight show is of interest to you, then plan your visit in such a way that ensures you see one of their talks - it is located in the field just above the butterfly house.

I think this is a fine route round though I would do the Chimps while in the Europe area near the bison and watch out for wallabies in the grassy area to your left on the way back from the penguins.

I would add that a route can depend a bit on whether you take the car in or not (A Passage through Asia, one of the reasons to take the car in was shut recently, signed for vet treatment for the deer) as if you do you might want to leave the car at each main parking area (Europe is the first one you come to for example, it's a one way system) and do the paths / enclosures near it in a circle to include the middle of the zoo where cars cannot go, before moving on again.

Either way you might consider taking the train as you get some good views and it is running through A Passage through Asia.

It's worth checking the talks / bird show flight times board just inside the entrance if coming in on foot (or there is one at the entrance to the car park for the Europe zone if driving in) as some of the talks may interest you and you can plan around them - it's a big site and getting swiftly from one end to another isn't easy.

 

[British explorer]

I think this is a fine route round though I would do the Chimps while in the Europe area near the bison and watch out for wallabies in the grassy area to your left on the way back from the penguins.

I would add that a route can depend a bit on whether you take the car in or not (A Passage through Asia, one of the reasons to take the car in was shut recently, signed for vet treatment for the deer) as if you do you might want to leave the car at each main parking area (Europe is the first one you come to for example, it's a one way system) and do the paths / enclosures near it in a circle to include the middle of the zoo where cars cannot go, before moving on again.

Either way you might consider taking the train as you get some good views and it is running through A Passage through Asia.

It's worth checking the talks / bird show flight times board just inside the entrance if coming in on foot (or there is one at the entrance to the car park for the Europe zone if driving in) as some of the talks may interest you and you can plan around them - it's a big site and getting swiftly from one end to another isn't easy.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Stygi]

Hoping to make a visit to the zoo soon, neither the rhea nor the warty pigs are present on the map, I was wondering where in the zoo are they held?

 

[Cat-Man]

Am I wrong in assuming the white building next to the lemurs is the tecton elephant house?

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

Hoping to make a visit to the zoo soon, neither the rhea nor the warty pigs are present on the map, I was wondering where in the zoo are they held?

If you follow the main road around the zoo both are easy to find. The Warty pigs are opposite the Yaks, next to the rhino paddocks and the Rhea are on the left after you cross the railway line on the road just around from the warty pigs

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

Am I wrong in assuming the white building next to the lemurs is the tecton elephant house?

Yeah that is the old elephant house. I don’t remember being able to go in but apparently we did when I was very small

 

[Zorro]

Yeah that is the old elephant house. I don’t remember being able to go in but apparently we did when I was very small

Yes the public were allowed to enter years ago, a point some may not know the moat inside at the front of each pen used to hold water as in a wet moat!

 

[Panthera1981]

The (old) elephant house at Whipsnade designed by Berthold Lubetkin is incredibly near to the entrance, near the lemurs. It is really beautiful as a building (it is a Grade II* listed building after all), but maybe not the best place to keep elephants .

Certainly not - It was truly awful for housing elephants!
When it first opened, the building had an open front, so one can imagine a bitter wind blowing through the building in winter. One of my abiding memories was of the African forest bull Jumbo having to be euthanised as he had reached sexual maturity with ZSL lacking the funds to build appropriate bull elephant accommodation. The house continued to be used up until the early 1990’s.

 

[Dave J Hill]

Does anyone have anymore information on the timeline of Transferring the 2 Asian elephants from Whipsnade to Chester. I know they have spent the last few months in isolation and have been going through crate training etc. This has all been reported on sites and is all part of making the journey as stress free as possible for The Mother and Daughter duo and all Keepers involved.

 

[JoB198]

Does anyone have anymore information on the timeline of Transferring the 2 Asian elephants from Whipsnade to Chester. I know they have spent the last few months in isolation and have been going through crate training etc.

Early May was mentioned in a talk I went to, but it was also stressed that, if the elephants didn't fancy it that day, they'd rearrange.

And I guess it depends on how the crate training has been going.

 

[Dave J Hill]

Early May was mentioned in a talk I went to, but it was also stressed that, if the elephants didn't fancy it that day, they'd rearrange.

And I guess it depends on how the crate training has been going.

Thank you for the information

 

[Lafone]

Yes, the page with Terry and Dobby is still up at the moment.

Aardvark | Whipsnade Zoo

Tha Aadrvark page has been updated to reflect that just Dobby is now in residence.