I've just got back from spending a lovely day at Hamerton Zoo Park. Got there at about 10.45 and was determined to spot as many new species for myself as possible. I left at 3 and managed to avoid the rain all day!
It was my first time visiting Hamerton but i'd been wanting to visit for a long while due to the unusual species they keep, some i've never seen before.
First thoughts were that it feels your walking around a private collection with the wood and mesh enclosures. Even though it is a small collection it is well spaced out but at the same time you dont have to go far to the next enclosure.
The main species i wanted to see where the Aardwolf, Black Backed Jackal, Mountain Viscacha and Oncilla. I managed to see every mammal they had (not including quarrantined animals) apart from the Oncilla (which i desperatly kept going back to view) and also spotted most of the brilliant bird collection including the Two-wattled Cassowary.
Pros-
A lovely collection which chooses to have some very rare species instead of the usual ABC's.
Nice Surroundings and the fact there wasnt hundreds of people there! (good for me, not so good for them).
They also had alot of the same species in different breeding groups on show and off show throughout the zoo which reminded me of Port Lymphe.
From what i was told by keepers they bred the majority of the animals regularly including cheetah, Collared Lemur, Maned Wolf and Corsac Fox to name a few.
The looks to be plenty of room for expansion and with their choice of unusual animals i would love to see what they could do if they had more money coming in.
Cons-
Some of the enclosures looked a bit worn and looked like they could do with being rebuilt. By the looks of it they are building more modern enclosures such as Giant Anteater and the new bat house so there may be a change here.
This was a big one for me...
Whilst they had various signage around the tigers (1 white, 1 normal) explaining that white tigers were just colour morphs of the bengal tiger, telling the story of how they came to appear in zoos and that it is a myth that they are a different species. They also had a sign saying that neither tiger was on contraceptives and could breed if they wished even with a chart pointing out that if they bred the cubs would carrry the white gene and if then bred together would produce white offspring!
A bit of news also from various keepers...
They have 11 cheetahs in 7 padocks and so this a species that they are looking to specialise in.
The Oncilla havent been introduced yet but are coming up for breeding age and will be introduced soon.
Ibis are currently on a clutch of 16 eggs!
There are a group of 700! Seba's Bat which are going to be moving into the new bat building when it is completed along with a otter enclosure this will be near the Giant Anteater enclosure.
Thanks
Stu
It was my first time visiting Hamerton but i'd been wanting to visit for a long while due to the unusual species they keep, some i've never seen before.
First thoughts were that it feels your walking around a private collection with the wood and mesh enclosures. Even though it is a small collection it is well spaced out but at the same time you dont have to go far to the next enclosure.
The main species i wanted to see where the Aardwolf, Black Backed Jackal, Mountain Viscacha and Oncilla. I managed to see every mammal they had (not including quarrantined animals) apart from the Oncilla (which i desperatly kept going back to view) and also spotted most of the brilliant bird collection including the Two-wattled Cassowary.
Pros-
A lovely collection which chooses to have some very rare species instead of the usual ABC's.
Nice Surroundings and the fact there wasnt hundreds of people there! (good for me, not so good for them).
They also had alot of the same species in different breeding groups on show and off show throughout the zoo which reminded me of Port Lymphe.
From what i was told by keepers they bred the majority of the animals regularly including cheetah, Collared Lemur, Maned Wolf and Corsac Fox to name a few.
The looks to be plenty of room for expansion and with their choice of unusual animals i would love to see what they could do if they had more money coming in.
Cons-
Some of the enclosures looked a bit worn and looked like they could do with being rebuilt. By the looks of it they are building more modern enclosures such as Giant Anteater and the new bat house so there may be a change here.
This was a big one for me...
Whilst they had various signage around the tigers (1 white, 1 normal) explaining that white tigers were just colour morphs of the bengal tiger, telling the story of how they came to appear in zoos and that it is a myth that they are a different species. They also had a sign saying that neither tiger was on contraceptives and could breed if they wished even with a chart pointing out that if they bred the cubs would carrry the white gene and if then bred together would produce white offspring!
A bit of news also from various keepers...
They have 11 cheetahs in 7 padocks and so this a species that they are looking to specialise in.
The Oncilla havent been introduced yet but are coming up for breeding age and will be introduced soon.
Ibis are currently on a clutch of 16 eggs!
There are a group of 700! Seba's Bat which are going to be moving into the new bat building when it is completed along with a otter enclosure this will be near the Giant Anteater enclosure.
Thanks
Stu
