ZSL Whipsnade Zoo brown bears
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IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Very pertinent comment, as they must be pretty elderly now. Personally I'd prefer spectacled bears, but any ursine use of one of the finest bear enclosures in Europe for a species in a captive breeding programme would be excellent news. Maybe even giant pandas?
Has to stay as a bear enclosure for my money - it's far too good for that purpose to put anything else in there. And I would greatly prefer them to stick with European Browns, particularly given the Wild Wild Whipsnade theme in that area that I think has been a great success. U. a. arctos shouldn't be too tricky to get hold of from elsewhere in Europe.
I agree, I wonder if a Chester/Zurich style enclosure on a smaller scale would be possible on the mappins for example.
Or even replacing the elderly anteaters with a bit of modification of the enclosure. Would retain the South American theme and hopefully make a better display.
I agree with Margauri, i hope they stay with brown bears, simply because thats what the enclosure has always been used for and the recent, wild wild whipsnade theme.
However, when the bears left the mappins in london (in '86, NOT 2008 when the sloth bears left (did i get the dates right? :?) the Spectacled Bears were moved to that barren cage in Whipsnade, the plan was to replace the brown bears in there enclosure.
May i ask, can i have some info on the whipsnade bears? Age, sex, last time they bred etc?
However, when the bears left the mappins in london (in '86, NOT 2008 when the sloth bears left (did i get the dates right? :?) the Spectacled Bears were moved to that barren cage in Whipsnade, the plan was to replace the brown bears in there enclosure.
May i ask, can i have some info on the whipsnade bears? Age, sex, last time they bred etc?
The brown bear enclosure at Whipsnade is certainly one of the finest (possibly the finest) bear exhibits that I’ve seen; this is remarkable considering it is around eighty years old.
I concur with the previous posts that it should remain as a bear exhibit. Personally, I’m not really bothered about geographical exhibits, so would have no objections if the brown bears were eventually replaced by another species of bear – although I do agree with the comments by Pertinax about the climatic considerations.
I’ve always thought that this enclosure would make superb giant panda accommodation.
Incidentally, on my last few visits to Whipsnade, I’ve only seen two brown bears. Are there still three animals?
I concur with the previous posts that it should remain as a bear exhibit. Personally, I’m not really bothered about geographical exhibits, so would have no objections if the brown bears were eventually replaced by another species of bear – although I do agree with the comments by Pertinax about the climatic considerations.
I’ve always thought that this enclosure would make superb giant panda accommodation.
Incidentally, on my last few visits to Whipsnade, I’ve only seen two brown bears. Are there still three animals?
You’re quite right that spectacled bears were once kept at Whipsnade in a rather barren cage; you’re correct, too, that these came from London Zoo and that the original intention was for them to replace the brown bears in the lovely bear enclosure, although that never happened.
However, the spectacled bears were actually transferred from London to Whipsnade in 1968, long before the other bears were removed from the Mappin Terraces.
Incidentally, the brown bear enclosure has not always been used for brown bears; other species were kept here too; indeed, the cover of the guidebook for 1934 depicts a photo of sloth bears in this enclosure.
Thanks for correcting me tim, always nice to be corrected by a london zoo vetren
may I ask a few questions
Why did they move the spectacled bears?
Why did the plan to put them in the brown bear enclosure not go ahead?
And what happened to the spectacled bears?
Thanks in advance tim!
may I ask a few questionsWhy did they move the spectacled bears?
Why did the plan to put them in the brown bear enclosure not go ahead?
And what happened to the spectacled bears?
Thanks in advance tim!
Thanks for correcting me tim, always nice to be corrected by a london zoo vetren
Why did they move the spectacled bears?
Why did the plan to put them in the brown bear enclosure not go ahead?
And what happened to the spectacled bears?
Thanks in advance tim!
The spectacled bears were moved from London to Whipsnade in the hope that they would be more likely to breed there.
Sorry, I really don't know why the plan to move them to the brown bear enclosure never materialised.
The last spectacled bear left Whipsnade in 1984; I'm not sure what happened to it.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
How about more Bison seeing as last time they got rid of them,they got complaints from the neighbours about the fact that they had gone!
Why change? Even the road signs say Bison Hill, so keep the bison please.
On aesthetic grounds, I'd like to see the ugly spiked and barred fencing replaced when the bear enclosure is renovated - but I think brown bears are still the best choice.
Alan
On aesthetic grounds, I'd like to see the ugly spiked and barred fencing replaced when the bear enclosure is renovated - but I think brown bears are still the best choice.
Alan
There are several records of American bison living around 30 years.
I agree with the others; why use this enclosure for anything else?
It would be sad day if the American bison left Bison Hill again.
The Spectacled bears were named Nina and Spencer. Nina died at Whipsnade and Spencer was then transferred to Jersey to pair with their female 'Petronella' after their original male 'Pedro' died. Unfortunately there was no breeding(afaik) from this pairing and they were later replaced by the current pair (Wolfgang & Barbara). Not sure when Spencer died.
Agree- I actually wish they'd enlarge the group a bit- to say half a dozen or so. As they came back by popular demand from locals(not visitors!) I'd say they are are a fixture nowadays and would automatically be replaced if they died out again.
Bighorn sheep aren't that easy to keep, particularly on grass. They seem prone to parasitic infections in climates that aren't arid like the North American Rockies. London Zoo(and others) have kept them successfully though, but normally on concrete such as the Mappin Terraces at ZSL.