ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2011

Good to see that Whipsnade has now had successful births of both Common and Pygmy Hippos this year . Also a Common Hippo birth at Dublin following Hoover's transfer to Whipsnade .
 
And nice that the line of Henry & Belinda will carry on. I know there are more important things to do, but some commemoration of these animals, who lived 42 & 44 years on site, would surely be appropriate. Not least because the hippos at Whipsnade have always been such a draw to the public.
 
IanRRobinson said:
And nice that the line of Henry & Belinda will carry on. I know there are more important things to do, but some commemoration of these animals, who lived 42 & 44 years on site, would surely be appropriate. Not least because the hippos at Whipsnade have always been such a draw to the public.
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I was at Whipsnade on Saturday and I was impressed by the Heritage signs explaining the history of the buildings and paddocks, with sometimes a little about individual animals. Unfortunately I didn't go up to the hippo house, so I don't know if there is one there. There were labels beside the pools about the individual hippos, Hoover, Nigna and Lola.
Incidentally both hippos came out of the water, (Lola being off-show because of her calf) which I had never seen before. Hoover is a big unit and although Nigna is not so large-framed she is very fat indeed, she moved very slowly on land and her belly was only a few inches off the ground. Could she be pregnant too?

Alan
 
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IanRRobinson said:
And nice that the line of Henry & Belinda will carry on. I know there are more important things to do, but some commemoration of these animals, who lived 42 & 44 years on site, would surely be appropriate. Not least because the hippos at Whipsnade have always been such a draw to the public.
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It would be nice if they could link them to the new calf e.g. with a little family tree showing their relationship. (Hoover's mother being the daughter of Henry x one of his own daughters from Belinda.)
 
gentle lemur;486205 although Nigna is not so large-framed she is very fat indeed said:
I don't know if Hoover was introduced to both females soon after his arrival, or only to 'Nigna' more recently. Because she's a mature animal which has bred more than once, her weight/shape could be more due to that perhaps?

But if she is pregnant, it would be interesting and the first time Whipsnade had two calves from two mothers, at least since the Henry/Belinda days(see above).
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Bele said:
Also a Common Hippo birth at Dublin following Hoover's transfer to Whipsnade .
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Presumably a little brother or sister for Hoover then-as I believe he was the 'spare' male and his father, the old male Tom/Henri, is the breeder there.
 
It's just been posted on facebook that Azizah (the elephant) has given birth to an unnamed male calf last night, weighing in at 104.5kg!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Moose is the N.American version, elk is the Eurasian one. :cool:
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Don't start that again! :D

Moose = Alces alces
Red Deer/Wapiti = Cervus elaphus
Elk = confusion!

I always avoid 'elk'. :p



Interesting destination for Whipsnade's young Alces ( ;) ) - wouldn't have predicted that one.
 
Elk and moose aren't scientific, it just depends on where you come from and which names you are used to, that's why we have scientific names. For what it's worth, Whipsnade say moose.
 
Shirokuma said:
Elk and moose aren't scientific, it just depends on where you come from and which names you are used to, that's why we have scientific names. For what it's worth, Whipsnade say moose.
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Absolutely - neither are wrong by any means. Just that 'elk' is a pesky confusing little word in international circles such as these when both species it can refer to have another English name we can use. :D
 
Maguari said:
Absolutely - neither are wrong by any means. Just that 'elk' is a pesky confusing little word in international circles such as these when both species it can refer to have another English name we can use. :D
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I agree so I say wapiti and moose. Especially as I grew up seeing wapiti at Chester Zoo - slightly off topic but I have a sentimental attachment to them; I always remember the excitement of seeing them on the way past the zoo as you drove in along the road outside!
 
Shirokuma said:
I agree so I say wapiti and moose. Especially as I grew up seeing wapiti at Chester Zoo - slightly off topic but I have a sentimental attachment to them; I always remember the excitement of seeing them on the way past the zoo as you drove in along the road outside!
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The males can be scary beasts. I can remember one stalking me along the perimeter of its paddock at Port Lympne some twenty years ago (the path that led downhill from the elephants). The fence was wooden and there was no-one else for miles.

It's probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt in a zoo, and it brings the conversation back full circle, since they used to be kept on Bison Hill, and the (1960s) guidebook described the male as being one of the most dangerous animals in the Park.
 
IanRRobinson said:
It's probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt in a zoo, and it brings the conversation back full circle, since they used to be kept on Bison Hill, and the (1960s) guidebook described the male as being one of the most dangerous animals in the Park.
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Interesting what you say about Wapiti. I saw a stag once in a Zoo in the USA that was in full rut- he had had his antlers sawn off completely but he still looked incredibly evil/dangerous, grinding his teeth and rolling his eyes as he 'stalked' people along the perimeter of the enclosure. I've seen them wild in Yellowstone NP at rutting time too but nowhere near as lethal-looking as that Zoo stag, though I know they can be dangerous if you get in their way too.

I was unware PL have had Wapiti in the past- not sure I ever remember or saw them there.
 
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Maguari said:
Don't start that again! :D

Moose = Alces alces
Red Deer/Wapiti = Cervus elaphus
Elk = confusion!

I always avoid 'elk'. :p
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Agreed; I always avoid "elk" for exactly the same reason.

It is interesting to note that according to the recent volume "Ungulate Taxonomy" (Colin Groves & Peter Grubb; 2011) the European and American moose are listed as two distinct species Alces alces and Alces americana respectively.
 
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