Javan Rhino's Summer Break

[Maguari]

A white dot of an oryx somewhere on the horizon, or 30+ grazing and making use of the paddock.

But that would need a massive stable building to put them in, which is just not Whipsnade's style, really.

The massive paddock with the white rhino, could the giraffe and roan be moved to there? That's another massive space then for more brilliant enclosures for more stunning animals.

Unless they've moved them, the roan (and waterbuck) are in the paddock with the rhinos - though it's a large paddock that is sometimes divided they are mixed.

much more positive view of RSCC and Wingham to follow

Much as I always enjoy Wingham (and I do), if you liked Wingham more than Whipsnade I'm afraid there may be no hope for you!

 

[TARZAN]

Ha - great minds...

My dear chap, you have just taken the words straight from my mouth

 

[TARZAN]

I can see it's supposed to be different, and I think it's just because it's not my cup of tea that I think it looks 'cheaply' constructed.

I loved the idea of it being open, but I just think they haven't quite done the idea justice. After all, what would look better? A white dot of an oryx somewhere on the horizon, or 30+ grazing and making use of the paddock. I think it could really benefit from a shift around. The massive paddock with the white rhino, could the giraffe and roan be moved to there? That's another massive space then for more brilliant enclosures for more stunning animals.

I'm not against Whipsnade in the slightest, and my post may come across as that, all I think is the idea that with so many animals to conserve they could make better use of the space to put a few more in. They have great breeding results going by the guide book (cheetahs and rhinos), and it would be nice to have seen that against a wider spectrum of species.

Hope all that makes sense :s - of course, this is all a matter of opinion, I've grown up around Chester so expect the great exhibits where half of the exhibit is based outside of the enclosure with the theming.

Much more positive view of RSCC and Wingham to follow

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that, you come across as a decent inoffensive person which I respect, you have a great admiration for Chester Zoo and quite correct it is a first class zoo, I cannot think of a fault with it, a lot of people would say it has taken over from London as the best zoo in the U.K. and I can understand that, for personal reasons I have the same respect for London as you have for Chester, perhaps it was imprinted on me as a small child, I still get the same great feeling walking into the place now as when I was four years old, hoping not to cause controversy here but surely if you combine London and Whipsnade together , do you not have the best zoological collection in the country? or even perhaps one of the best in the world, perhaps Maguari could confirm this being well travelled in zoos abroad.

 

[Javan Rhino]

Ahhh, didn't notice that they were mixed (to be honest only saw them from a distance, didn't walk all the way around - my poor legs . The heat had exhausted me early and put me in a slight grump with the amount of walking. Like I say, this is all just my opinion (and a slightly off-mood due to the heat and exhaustion didn't help form it as accurately as it should have done). Plus, on a budget of money and time (about 11am - 3:30pm, I felt I had to really rush past everything (not Whipsnade's fault that I was limited to time, just stating what may have affected my views). Like I say I did like the place and it's a brilliant zoo - I just think it's not as good as I was expecting. 7/10 is a brilliant score (and I did consider 8/10 but couldn't quite push it up).

I didn't necessarily prefer Wingham (though I did prefer RSCC), but I thought Wingham was more manageable. It had some very nice bits, but some very off-bits. I think with Wingham it's because I was expecting nothing and got something, rather than with Whipsnade I was expecting everything and got most things. Does that make sense

Edit: As to your question TARZAN, you would have a very good zoo indeed. Though I've not visited London yet, it looks great. Whether the best zoo in the world I don't know, but certainly up there .

 

[karenZOO]

Shame the magic of whipsnade didn't rub off on you Javan Rhino!
Some of the reasons you gave in your bad list is why we love it so much. We have been going for years but only been members the last 3 years.

My other favourite zoo is Colchester and they couldn't be more different. I love the fact at Whipsnade the animals are not in your face and its hit and miss if you see them! We are yet to see the cheetah cubs other than asleep at the back fence!!!

The moose enclosure you have to get off the path to see them usually but that's what special, its not a place you pop into and walk on tarmac, it's a trek! usually in strong wind and extremes of weather.

I don't think lots of glass fronted enclosures would work in the surroundings and elements! And the space and size on the park is amazing. Sorry I love it

But being a Colchester fan I am well used to the varying opinions when you love a marmite zoo but its good to hear others opinions and first impressions.

 

[bongorob]

I first went to Whipsnade as a toddler, but the first visit I remember was in 1989. My first impression was, wow! I've been once every year since then apart from 1992 when I visited twice. I like it just the way it is.

 

[Pertinax]

I think perhaps after being reared on the visitor friendly feel of Chester you have found Whipsnade as a bit of a shock. Like some others on here, Whipsnade was one of my earliest zoos - I was a regular visitor there as a child,-come rain, shine, wind (or snow) a formative experience and so I have an ingrained affection for Whipsnade as a result.

Some of the very large paddocks did hold larger numbers of animals in the past than they do nowadays- I think they have cut down to smaller herds and lost several species as an economy and some of the ungulates do look a bit lost in the space as a result. Much of the park is still as it was originally laid out, which I think lends it a lot of its special charm.

But for pure Zoological history and that special 'zoofeel' I still don't think you can beat it- as KarenZoo says' whatever the weather.'

 

[Maguari]

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that, you come across as a decent inoffensive person which I respect, you have a great admiration for Chester Zoo and quite correct it is a first class zoo, I cannot think of a fault with it, a lot of people would say it has taken over from London as the best zoo in the U.K. and I can understand that, for personal reasons I have the same respect for London as you have for Chester, perhaps it was imprinted on me as a small child, I still get the same great feeling walking into the place now as when I was four years old, hoping not to cause controversy here but surely if you combine London and Whipsnade together , do you not have the best zoological collection in the country? or even perhaps one of the best in the world, perhaps Maguari could confirm this being well travelled in zoos abroad.

I have to say, although on paper London and Whipsnade together make a great collection, it's hard to rank them as one against other zoos. Partly because it means, for fairness, joining up Antwerp and Planckendael, Edinburgh and Highland, and the Berlins (and all the other multi-zoo organisations - Parques Reunidos is very major player if we take all sites together!). That said, ZSL as a whole is much more credible competitor to Chester as UK Top Zoo than London on it's own. Its just they feel too distinctly two different collections for me to easily mentally combine them.

But London and Whipsnade, today probably more than ever, are very much complementary. There are a few small animals at Whipsnade, and a few large ones at London, but for the most part its big paddocks at Whipsnade and multi-(smaller)-species houses and complexes at London. And that's part of what great about them - their very different atmospheres.

And part of what's great about Chester is it was born from taking the best of both approaches and trying to take out the bars.

And part of what's great about Colchester is it looks at all the other zoos then just does whatever the zark it likes. And then covers it in mock rock.

Basically, well, vive la différence!

 

[Shorts]

The Bad
- Too spaced out.

I told you to take the car in

 

[Javan Rhino]

I told you to take the car in

Really couldn't afford to - it ain't over yet

Anyway, will quickly review RSCC:

The Good

- A great many things. But in seriousness, the main reason the centre is there, a great collection of amazing rarities. I saw my first of the following:

Arabian sand cat
Ringtailed mongoose
Narrow striped mongoose
Black-footed cat
Rusty-spotted cat (plus kitten)
Fishing cat (plus 3 kittens)
Fossa
Palawan binturong
Malayan sun bear (unexpected until a couple of weeks before arriving)
Smooth-coated otter (didn't realise they still had a pair)
Tayra

- Nicely planted/decorated enclosures for the most part and just a generally pleasant collection.

- You can spend as little or as much time as you like - you can get from one end to the other in about 5 minutes, so you could easily go in for a short amount of time if in a rush, but the animals/exhibits are interesting enough to stay for a good few hours (I could have watched the fishing cat kittens for hours).

The Bad
- Can't help but feel there was some corner I had forgotten to explore. Having walked around for at least 2 hours, I then discovered a hidden pathway leading to the snow leopards and Pallas's cats. Also didn't notice the Tayra until the last minute.

- A few no shows, including the civet (in the enclosure for which was a ringtail mongoose).

- Although the enclosures had the planting/decoration/theming, the sizes of some were not the best (Binturong, puma).

Summary - My favourite so far, with a variety of new species seen and some very nice species at that. It is the one collection I want to return to at some point within the next 12-18 months - looks like there is still plenty of stuff happening there.

Score - 8/10

Photos will go in gallery soon - pushed for internet time

 

[Shorts]

Summary - My favourite so far, with a variety of new species seen and some very nice species at that. It is the one collection I want to return to at some point within the next 12-18 months - looks like there is still plenty of stuff happening there.

Glad you enjoyed it. I think most UK ZooChat members would be visiting RSCC annually (even if some had to grit their teeth at the enclosures to see the rare species) if it wasn't so frustratingly geographically distant for them -I'm sure this place would have been financially more successful if it was in a different, perhaps more central, location.

 

[karoocheetah]

Glad you enjoyed it. I think most UK ZooChat members would be visiting RSCC annually (even if some had to grit their teeth at the enclosures to see the rare species) if it wasn't so frustratingly geographically distant for them -I'm sure this place would have been financially more successful if it was in a different, perhaps more central, location.

Bingo Shorts!

I've been itching to get to the RSCC since I heard about it - it's just such a blooming hike - so I'm planning a week away in that vicinity and will try to include as many animals as possible (and hopefully a few military aircraft too in order to feed my other obsession!)

 

[gentle lemur]

Glad you enjoyed it. I think most UK ZooChat members would be visiting RSCC annually (even if some had to grit their teeth at the enclosures to see the rare species) if it wasn't so frustratingly geographically distant for them -I'm sure this place would have been financially more successful if it was in a different, perhaps more central, location.

Not entirely true, I'm afraid. I visited in the summer of 2008, just after RSCC opened to the public, but I have little desire to return in spite of the interesting species on their list. Maybe I was unlucky, but I saw very little that I liked and I did not enjoy my visit. I will not go back until I feel confident that things have changed.

Alan

 

[Javan Rhino]

Not entirely true, I'm afraid. I visited in the summer of 2008, just after RSCC opened to the public, but I have little desire to return in spite of the interesting species on their list. Maybe I was unlucky, but I saw very little that I liked and I did not enjoy my visit. I will not go back until I feel confident that things have changed.

Alan

I don't know the exact history, but I was told that it has improved massively since Todd took over - I don't know if Todd owned it when you visited but if it wasn't him then I would imagine it has improved from somebody I got talking to there.

 

[robmv]

I don't know the exact history, but I was told that it has improved massively since Todd took over - I don't know if Todd owned it when you visited but if it wasn't him then I would imagine it has improved from somebody I got talking to there.

Todd relaunched the place under the name "Rare Species Conservation Centre" in 2007. A lot of work was done before the opening and there seems to have been almost constant development ever since (despite the rumours of closure and relocation).

Before this, it was a rather uninspiring place known as the "Monkey Rainforest" which only lasted a couple of years. The main building looked much as it does now, but was populated almost exclusively by marmosets and tamarins. Outside there were three or four lemur enclosures with moated fronts, but these only took up a small fraction of the current outdoor area. Oddly, one of the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs ended up in the adjacent garden centre (in one of the original enclosures?) and was visible from the main road when I last visited.

 

[Javan Rhino]

Review of Wingham

The Good

- A good variety of species for the size of the collection, including tufted capuchin, Barbary macaque, Gray's monitor and a decent amount of others.

- The best collection visited for anything that isn't mammalian.

- A really nice reptile house and quite an interesting tropical house. I particularly liked the Little red flying foxes.

- Quite a nice penguin pool - AgileGibbon actually took an interest in Humboldt's, which means it must be good!

The Bad

- The parrot house. It smelt, leaked and looked generally bleak. I believe that a few, if not all, were rescues, but isn't the idea to put them into good accomodation once they are rescued? Maybe some could go into the tropical house? Also, some were missing labels.

- Several enclosures seemed a touch basic and cheap - The tiger enclosure was a good size, but VERY bare, with a simple wooden platform and a few toys that look like they came from Pets at Home.

- The Butterfly house needs stocking - I think between us we clocked no more than 4 individuals.


Photos to follow soon

 

[Maguari]

- The best collection visited for anything that isn't mammalian.

An interesting point - Whipsnade, RSCC, Aspinalls - all very mammal-y.

I particularly liked the Little red flying foxes.

You Are Not Alone.

- The parrot house. It smelt, leaked and looked generally bleak. I believe that a few, if not all, were rescues, but isn't the idea to put them into good accomodation once they are rescued? Maybe some could go into the tropical house? Also, some were missing labels.

It's an odd beast, that Parrot House. I love the fact that it's a proper taxonomic animal house, but beyond that it's hard to find things to recommend it. I'm always slightly inclined to give ugly parrot exhibits the benefit of the doubt, as parrots are such destructive little beggars, but this really is a a bit grim. That said, I don't recall seeing anything to criticise welfare-wise, particularly.

- The Butterfly house needs stocking - I think between us we clocked no more than 4 individuals.

It's been like this at both my visits, at very different time of year. A shame.

 

[Javan Rhino]

It's an odd beast, that Parrot House. I love the fact that it's a proper taxonomic animal house, but beyond that it's hard to find things to recommend it. I'm always slightly inclined to give ugly parrot exhibits the benefit of the doubt, as parrots are such destructive little beggars, but this really is a a bit grim. That said, I don't recall seeing anything to criticise welfare-wise, particularly.

It probably wasn't terrible welfare wise, but maybe the leaks could have been fixed so we didn't keep getting dripped on

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Glad you enjoyed it. I think most UK ZooChat members would be visiting RSCC annually (even if some had to grit their teeth at the enclosures to see the rare species) if it wasn't so frustratingly geographically distant for them -I'm sure this place would have been financially more successful if it was in a different, perhaps more central, location.

I'm inclined to agree!

 

[Javan Rhino]

Port Lympne

The Good

- Cats galore, Siberian lynx, caracal, Amur tiger, 'Bengal' tiger, Barbary lion, fishing cat, margay, ocelot and more. Didn't see the Indian desert cat (but did at Howletts). I like small cats and find it a shame that there aren't that many about other than down here. Some nice primates as well.

- The African Safari: Now, this should have it's own 'good vs. bad' rating, since it has massive pros and cons. The pros here though. It is very efficient in seeing the whole park and the sheer size of the paddock is overwhelming. Parts actually looked like an African reserve, seeing the giraffes wandering across great expanses of grassland and browsing from the trees.

- Infestation of Malayan tapirs. The enclosures for them were very spacious and well planted, and it was the first time I'd ever seen this species outdoors (in fact, saw 5 outdoors). For one of my fave odd-toed ungulates, this was wonderful.

- A nice Discovery Centre. Nice to see False water cobra specifically, having handled a youngster of this species. Also, a good collection of tarantulas.

The Bad

- The African Experience needs work. It's great for families and average visitors, but frustrating for anything else. Trying to take pictures is a nightmare and I now have many blurry shots of a young Blue wildebeest. Maybe more pauses from the drivers or some look-out platforms located at certain points so we can get out and photograph.

- STILL a sore subject: Brown hyena! Why speed past it without so much as a mention! The only one on show in the UK, it really doesn't need to be in the experience - infact, the path from base camp could easily have reached that enclosure. Same for Golden-bellied mangabeys. Why put gems in such a place! Didn't see either species, a massive shame.

- Pace: Why did I feel we had to go around at a dictated pace? There was no way that I could see to get back to certain enclosures for certain times, few shortcuts etc.