Chester Zoo Zoo Days

Paradoxurus said:
Someone mentioned Chester's being the only Galapagos Tortoises in the UK. This is untrue. As far as I know they are the only ones on public exhibit in the UK. There are some in private hands though I'm not sure how many or how widespread.

Sam
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Chester claim theirs are the only ones, looks like it isn't true.
 
bongorob said:
I'm surprised that some of the rarer species have not been shown. So far, it's been elephants, rhinos, lions, chimps, bongos, flamingos, pythons and lizards. No mention of the only Tuatara, Galapagos Tortoise or Birds of Paradise in the UK.
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this is usually the case with zoo programmes. They need to appeal to the masses to get the audience numbers so they just stick with the popular common beasties and every now and then toss in a random wierd one for a brief three second cameo.
 
bongorob said:
Chester claim theirs are the only ones, looks like it isn't true.
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They are (unless I'm very much mistaken) the only ones on public display in the UK. Sometimes these important words get missed out!

There are very few mammal species for which I'd be prepared to say for sure that there are none in private hands in the UK. Reptiles, doubly so.


Ben
 
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Chester have a pair Fiji Banded Iguanas, the only ones in any UK zoo, but this lizard is kept by a few private breeders.
 
Banded Iguanas

I'm not sure that Cotswold ever had a pair. I only ever saw one, which had come from a private breeder in the South. It was there till recently if it isn't still.

For a long while, Rotterdam Zoo's Rivierra Hall seemed to be about the only place you could see them.

Sam.
 
I remember a friend mentioning to me Banded Iguanas at Costwold and that when he went to visit them they werent there??
 
I didn't see any when I was there about a month ago, but there again half the reptile house is off-show at the moment while the renovations are being carried out.
 
Yes, It has greatly improved since the arrival of Kevin Buley. He used to work at Jersey, so the zoo gets lots of there young. Mountain chicken, lesser antilles iguana, Utilia spiny tailed iguana. Chester also has Tuatara, the only ones in the UK.

The crocodiles are the west african Dwarfs, but they will be Chnged for the Philippine variety in the not too distant future.

The zoo has lots of exotic tortoises and turtles. Both species of Four eyed turtles are being housed off show, I was lucky enough to see them!! Golden coin box turtles, annam leaf turtles and mcCord's snake necked turtle are also kept off show in the aquarium. There are also black marsh turtles and Spiny turtles in the zoos collection. On the tortoise front, the zoo has pancake, galapagos, Yellow footed, Eygptian, Radiated, and there are more that I probably can't remember. The star tortoises and the elongated tortoises have now left the collection.

The zoo has 1.5 Tuatara in a purpose built enclosure in the tropical realm. Se Gentle lemurs fantastic pictures of them on the gallery.

The lizards kept, are mainly monitors and Iguanas. To Keep Komodo dragons, a zoo must keep 6 other species of Varanus monitors to an acceptable standard. Chester acieved this, and so were allowed to have their komodos.

Their monitors include:

Crocodile
Lace
Green tree
Mangrove
Pygmy spiny tailed
Komodo

Other species in the zoo's reptile collection:

Fiji banded iguana
Lesser antilles iguana
Utilia spiny tailed iguana
Rhinoceros iguana
Rhinoceros viper
Gaboon viper
Green mamba
Reticulated Python
Green tree python
Emerald tree boa
White lipped pit viper
Mangrove snake
Red tailed racer
Gila monster
Beaded lizard
Sudanese urogmanx
King ratsnake

The zoo also bred sunbeam snakes about ten years ago. There are probably other important species that I've forgotten.
 
Two you've forgotten are two of my favourites, the Sanzinia Boa and the Prehensile-tailed Skink.

Others are Yemeni Chameleon, Jamaican Boa, Mexican Tiger Ratsnake, Standing's DayGecko , Sand Lizard and Anaconda.

Now I bet I've forgotten one or two.

The yellow-footed tortoises have left.

I didn't know about the 6 monitor species rule for zoos wanting Komodo Dragons.
 
Their is no rule if that was the case Colchester would never have got them,as far as i`m aware they only have Nile Monitor but yet they do have Komodo!!!!!!!
 
Thanks Jo thats a good collection, I have three species of Monitor so it looks like i have a few to go yet.
 
Writhedhornbill said:
Yes, It has greatly improved since the arrival of Kevin Buley. He used to work at Jersey, so the zoo gets lots of there young. Mountain chicken, lesser antilles iguana, Utilia spiny tailed iguana. Chester also has Tuatara, the only ones in the UK.

The crocodiles are the west african Dwarfs, but they will be Chnged for the Philippine variety in the not too distant future.

The zoo has lots of exotic tortoises and turtles. Both species of Four eyed turtles are being housed off show, I was lucky enough to see them!! Golden coin box turtles, annam leaf turtles and mcCord's snake necked turtle are also kept off show in the aquarium. There are also black marsh turtles and Spiny turtles in the zoos collection. On the tortoise front, the zoo has pancake, galapagos, Yellow footed, Eygptian, Radiated, and there are more that I probably can't remember. The star tortoises and the elongated tortoises have now left the collection.

The zoo has 1.5 Tuatara in a purpose built enclosure in the tropical realm. Se Gentle lemurs fantastic pictures of them on the gallery.

The lizards kept, are mainly monitors and Iguanas. To Keep Komodo dragons, a zoo must keep 6 other species of Varanus monitors to an acceptable standard. Chester acieved this, and so were allowed to have their komodos.

Their monitors include:

Crocodile
Lace
Green tree
Mangrove
Pygmy spiny tailed
Komodo

Other species in the zoo's reptile collection:

Fiji banded iguana
Lesser antilles iguana
Utilia spiny tailed iguana
Rhinoceros iguana
Rhinoceros viper
Gaboon viper
Green mamba
Reticulated Python
Green tree python
Emerald tree boa
White lipped pit viper
Mangrove snake
Red tailed racer
Gila monster
Beaded lizard
Sudanese urogmanx
King ratsnake

The zoo also bred sunbeam snakes about ten years ago. There are probably other important species that I've forgotten.
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Do Chester have Eyelashed Viper, and if so are they on show?
Also, what is the cobra species kept on the display side of the reptile enclosures? I'm sure they have one, is it a snouted cobra?
 
^Chris^ said:
Do Chester have Eyelashed Viper, and if so are they on show?
Also, what is the cobra species kept on the display side of the reptile enclosures? I'm sure they have one, is it a snouted cobra?
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Yes they do have Eyelashed Pit Viper both colour phases kept off-show for the time being,youare correct about the cobra species this is the only one kept at Chester for the time being.
 
Yellow phase and green phase? I'd love them to get them on display. Is that back tunnel permanently off show, or is it being redeveloped?
 
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