Chester Zoo News from visits 2012

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They are going in the area just behind the tank, with the 2 trees, and yes it will be acrylic, very expensive stuff for something that size
 
Just got back, seen the new fish tank in the Jaguar House, very impressive!
Close encounter with a jaguar, face to face with nothing but a piece of glass between us, fantastic.
Saw both of the Aardvarks, fast asleep, but having never seen one before surprised at their size. Didnt expect them to be that big.
And those oh so very, very cute tiger cubs playing right in front of the windows with Kirana.
Despite the freezing cold a very good day!

Mrs lcpete
 
LCPete said:
Saw both of the Aardvarks, fast asleep, but having never seen one before surprised at their size. Didnt expect them to be that big.
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I've commented on this before elsewhere on here but it's amazing how widespread this experience is - I remember being amazed how big they were when I first saw one and I've heard many others say the same. It's a curious thing!
 
Maguari said:
I've commented on this before elsewhere on here but it's amazing how widespread this experience is - I remember being amazed how big they were when I first saw one and I've heard many others say the same. It's a curious thing!
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Count me in on the 'amazed by how big they are' group. Still, nothing beats the size difference between a real aye-aye and how big you expect them to be!
 
I can't remember being amazed at their size when I first saw one, perhaps I was just amazed because I had seen one. I was amazed at the size of yellow-throated martens when I first saw them. I expected a polecat sized animal.
 
Javan Rhino said:
Still, nothing beats the size difference between a real aye-aye and how big you expect them to be!
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Very true- first I saw was in Exeter Museum- I thought it would be squirrel-sized! So when I first saw a living one(at Jersey) I was already prepared.
 
Aardvarks

I looked after 6 which were imported from Namibia in the late 70's. Fantastic animals, but even better on your hands & knees in a pen with them. Quite a different perspective
 
So so far this years the zoo has introduced black howler monkeys and the return of the leaf cutter ants and is set to introduce Boelens python, agouti and sloths. Does anyone know any other species are planned for this year?
 
SnowLeopard13 said:
So so far this years the zoo has introduced black howler monkeys and the return of the leaf cutter ants and is set to introduce Boelens python, agouti and sloths. Does anyone know any other species are planned for this year?
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The Agoutis are already in the zoo and have been for well over 5 years,having been kept in with the Blue-throated Macaws.As for any other new species why not just wait and see like the rest of us,as plans could change before the end of the year!
 
Pertinax said:
Very true- first I saw was in Exeter Museum- I thought it would be squirrel-sized! So when I first saw a living one(at Jersey) I was already prepared.
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A zoo of my acquaintance (which shall remain nameless) once employed an Education officer (who will also remain nameless). Said lady believed that a Fossa was the size of a Puma, and an Aye Aye the size of a squirrel.

No problem with that - we all start off ignorant about any piece of information - but when the Zoo's vastly experienced small mammal Head Keeper sought to enlighten her, she wouldn't believe him.

When asked why she thought an Aye Aye was that small, her response was "I've got a postcard of one"...:rolleyes:
 
It is interesting that some people's perceptions of the size of certain species should be way off the mark- either bigger or smaller, yet for most others there is no such problem. Why for example should AyeAyes frequently be gauged smaller than they really are?- perhaps because they 'look' like squirrels a bit, so one subconsciously presumes that they are similar-sized.

A recent first time new species for me was the Giant Otter(not at Chester, but at the New Forest Park) but in this case they were exactly what I expected sizewise.

I digress from the topic- news at Chester. I would like to see the new Giant Otter display up there too.
 
The pics on the BBC website look fantastic, so one house equates to one giant panda enclosure in monetary terms hmmmm?
 
kiang said:
The pics on the BBC website look fantastic, so one house equates to one giant panda enclosure in monetary terms hmmmm?
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I'm surprised at the £250k figure, although I'm sure that the house was not cheap. I wonder if that figure includes all the modifications to the old sea lion pool.

I agree with the comments about the sizes of aardvarks and aye-ayes, the species that really surprised me when I first saw it was the Cape clawless otter (not much smaller than Chester's giants).

Alan
 
moving way off-topic, but kiwi are one animal I know well that everyone thinks are going to be a lot smaller than they actually are. Conversely, I've met quite a few people who think meerkats are going to be larger than they really are.

Also, this Zoochat photo relating to size deserves more views: http://www.zoochat.com/457/bennetts-cassowary-nop-34547/
 
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