Chester Zoo Chester 2011 #2
- Thread starter Jordan-Jaguar97
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karoocheetah
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry but to me a statement saying
"but then as I am a zoo (and everything) traditionalist I like older style Elephant houses. This may seem odd, but as a child I used to love seeing Elephants shackled, especially by their front legs, straining to reach the food of their neighbours (the "new" Elephant House at Flamingo Park was a great place to see this)."
says exactly that
lechweoryx
Well-Known Member
Really? You must be picking busy days!I've never once had to queue.
Being a school/college student I can only go on weekends and school hols!
Being a school/college student I can only go on weekends and school hols!
I only go on weekends too!
It's those pesky school hols you want to avoid, I think!
He may enjoy seeing elephants shackled now- I don't know, but the post doesn't actually say so, though it says he likes old style houses. As a child I enjoyed the excitement of seeing Big cats being fed in old style barred cages in Victorian-style Lion Houses, it was all part of the zoo experience in one's formative years, but that doesn't mean I'd welcome their return now.
Really? You must be picking busy days!
Even on busy days, this can be avoided. I used to hate the crowds in RoRA and, having been early afternoon on school holidays before, I know it can be like being a tortoise walking through treacle.
Try for first thing (get the gibbons singing then as well sometimes), we usually in there for between 10:10am and 10:30am - a short time whilst the average zoo goer is at the elephants and making their way over (pausing by some other exhibits). Otherwise, try about half an hour before the building closes. Most people are filtering out by then, and I'm usually in last thing if I'm at the zoo as it is far more manageable (still the odd few people, but easy to cope with)
.Yes I loved watching the big cats being fed in the old lion house complete with its hanging baskets and big cat smells, but I certainly would not expect to see them living in there now, I doubt if the place would be deemed fit for a zoo license, I am however very much looking forward to visiting the tigers in their new home in the future, time moves on, and so does the husbandry and living conditions for zoo animals.
As a general rule, in any zoo the first hours after opening and the last before closing are obviously the quietest times and best for avoiding queues at 'bottleneck' exhibits. It does seem one shortcoming of RoRA is that it creates queues at busy times- which I never remember happening in the old house.
Really? You must be picking busy days!
I remember my visit to Chester the year Realm of the Red Ape first opened, it was peak summer season and as it was a new exhibit I went to see it first when arriving at the zoo at 10 a.m.. I'm glad I did as later in the day there were long queues all day at this new attraction, there were even queues to use the gent's, of coarse nice to see the zoo was taking a few bob but it did to a certain extent spoil the day, I would never visit there again during the six week school holidays. Interesting complaints about Chester, it's too good, it's too popular, almost similar to Whipsnade's enclosures being too big, if these are the the only complaints then they must be doing things well, just one complaint I have with Chester, could we now stop using Thi as a breeding machine as I think she has certainly done her duty in that department.
The two Zoos where I used to see the Big Cats fed in their cages like that were London and Bristol (a smaller version house). At London I too remember the hanging baskets in the House and also the insistent sound of Sparrows chirping. At Whipsnade with the(obviously far more suitable!) large natural outdoor enclosures, the experience was just not the same somehow. And when the Lions started roaring in the old London Zoo Lion house, that was really something else.
We have indeed come a long way since those (nostalgic) days.
It would perhaps be interesting if we could somehow revisit the old lion house at London today and see what we thought of it now as adults, I doubt very much if the interest and affection we had for it then would be the case today, just like when I look at the Mappin Terraces today, as a child I thought it was marvellous seeing all the bears there, I wouldn't want to see them in those small concrete dens today though.
Yes a bloody good idea, looking forward to it, perhaps your good self would like to get the ball rolling?
I think 'Parrotsandrew' does raise a few good points, as much as I disagree with large amounts of his posts, the parrots have pretty much been my only real major problem with Chester over the last few years. I think a decrease in the collection was inevitable with the loss of the Parrot House, but I do think it's a great shame that we are now down to only about 4 species being on-show.
RORA wise, as someone who also can only visit at weekends and school holidays, I always make a point of heading for the Orangs first thing. It's a brilliant exhibit, but hellish if you're there at the wrong time of day.
RORA wise, as someone who also can only visit at weekends and school holidays, I always make a point of heading for the Orangs first thing. It's a brilliant exhibit, but hellish if you're there at the wrong time of day.
I think what you meant to say there was "still the few odd people..."
I'm pleased I've stirred up a healthy debate! I am surprised anyone likes Chester's catering and doesn't like WMZ's (I never had a school meal, so I don't know about that). As far as Elephants go there are so few collections with them these days I suppose people are just happy to see them - I'm from the days when a zoo was not a zoo if it did not have at least one Elephant. It never entered my head that shackling was in any way wrong (I've still got a toy Elephant with string tied around one of its forelegs!). I'd go back to the Flamingo Park of the late 1960s now if I could, although I admit it is hard to imagine a Killer Whale in what is now the Sealion Centre. Again I never thought anything about that at the time and the pool did dwarf the two connecting ones in the old Dolphin House where "Tiny" the Beluga and "Winnie" the Pilot Whale had such short careers. I don't dislike all modern exhibits, but I'd love to see an old style Lion House again with proper iron bars and cages with wooden floors. Where the animals any worse off? I'd recommend the books of the late Clinton Keeling for sound arguments in favour of the old ways.
A zoo nostalgia thread - I like the sound of that. Before anyone else says it, I know I don't belong in the modern world - mind you, here I am using a computer.
P.S. I think I'd better withdraw from Chester threads.
A zoo nostalgia thread - I like the sound of that. Before anyone else says it, I know I don't belong in the modern world - mind you, here I am using a computer.
P.S. I think I'd better withdraw from Chester threads.
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