ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2013
- Thread starter Newzooboy
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I agree entirely with your comments re: empty spaces, they echo my frequent critiscisms in the 2012 thread- i see the woodland walk as pointless in a zoo neighbouring a park! Although i have my preferences, i dont mind too much what is put in these areas, just as long as it increases the number of species overall.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Agreed entirely. Arboreal primates, up to the size of gibbons and spider monkeys could surely be accommodated on the canal banks. Ditto a few smaller carnivores -Red Panda could surely have some space created for them.
Failing that, offer the North Bank (save say a pathway from the cantilever bridge to the North Gate and its bus stop) back to the park for development, the funds to be used to improve the drainage of the area east of the Broad Walk, so that the sports fields currently south of the zoo can be resited, and the Zoo at long last gets the ten extra acres.
I can dream..
I wonder if they feel the North Bank is somehow more vulnerable to vandalism and theft and this has restricted development. The perimeter fences are low, you wouldn't have to be that agile to get in and out quickly and away from the main part of the zoo, there could be a feeling that nobody would see what went on. In other areas where the fences are low there is an expanse of park that any 'crims' would have to get through, rather than run a few metres to a car or off down a side street.
As a child I used to think of it as the boring side of the zoo - even when there was more in it but I do like the architecture of the old avaries - they remind me of the long gone eagle avaries on a much smaller scale.
As a child I used to think of it as the boring side of the zoo - even when there was more in it but I do like the architecture of the old avaries - they remind me of the long gone eagle avaries on a much smaller scale.
Agreed entirely. Arboreal primates, up to the size of gibbons and spider monkeys could surely be accommodated on the canal banks. Ditto a few smaller carnivores -Red Panda could surely have some space created for them.
Failing that, offer the North Bank (save say a pathway from the cantilever bridge to the North Gate and its bus stop) back to the park for development, the funds to be used to improve the drainage of the area east of the Broad Walk, so that the sports fields currently south of the zoo can be resited, and the Zoo at long last gets the ten extra acres.
I can dream..
Moving the primates to the north bank would probably be my preference, thus freeing up the cat terraces for the smaller felids or other small carnivores that they were intended for.
Just another thought, if they must keep red-knecked wallabies, a cheap option could be to put them in the woodland walk, leaving the mappins for something more exciting. I'd prefer better for that area, but they have never seemed interested in developing it.
ZSL London Zoo
The North Bank used to have good collections of Owls & Pheasants, as well as the Geese & Cranes, with the Northern/Snowdon Aviary as the star turn. Can I hear the zoo management saying 'The private sector does birds so we don't have to, and anyway nobody wants to see them'? [certainly there appears to be a lot of Zoochatters who wouldn't care if there were no birds on view]
The North Bank used to have good collections of Owls & Pheasants, as well as the Geese & Cranes, with the Northern/Snowdon Aviary as the star turn. Can I hear the zoo management saying 'The private sector does birds so we don't have to, and anyway nobody wants to see them'? [certainly there appears to be a lot of Zoochatters who wouldn't care if there were no birds on view]
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Agreed. There do seem to be some on here who think that London Zoo should be all box-office animals, which rather leaves birds out in the cold once you've done penguins. I don't think that the Snowdon Aviary is worth the effort though.
I wouldn't like to see the aviaries go from the north bank, but i think more variety in that area might encourage more visitors over there! Despite the loss of some aviaries over the last 30 years, there are still a fair number for the size of the zoo, and it does seem to be the mammal collection that has suffered most.
ZSL London Zoo
With hindsight, my previous post was a bit rude, as I love the Blackburn Pavilion. The Snowdon Aviary [once and possibly still known to the keepers as The Folly] was a 1960s architectural stunt like the Casson Elephant House; both of them big & impressive structures on the london skyline, but nothing special when it came to housing animals.
Right now, the North Bank & the Mappins are shadows of their former selves. I'm really not qualified to talk about the zoo, as I now only get there every few years -- used to go three or four times a year. BUT what I really miss is the sounds of the zoo, and I know I've banged on about this before. No Sealions barking, no Fish eagles calling, no Sonneratt's Junglefowl crowing backwards & forwards from the North Bank to the Pheasantry by the Bird House. I can forgive the 'no Elephants trumpeting', as moving them to Whipsnade was a good idea.
Here's an idea for the North Bank; improve perimeter fencing, have a long thin walk through paddock for Wallabies, Demoiselle Cranes, waterfowl, & Muntjac. Could just work.
Clearly, ZSL can't go back to having more species than anywhere else, crammed in to its 36 acres. Those days are gone. But what those old 'stamp collection' zoos could do was create a sense of awe at the sheer variety of the natural world. The modern zoo has to be sufficiently exciting to still arouse awe & wonder, but in different ways. I feel London does it with the Blackburn & the Komodo enclosure; the old Reptile House & Aquarium have always done it for me. The rest of the zoo just doesn't.
With hindsight, my previous post was a bit rude, as I love the Blackburn Pavilion. The Snowdon Aviary [once and possibly still known to the keepers as The Folly] was a 1960s architectural stunt like the Casson Elephant House; both of them big & impressive structures on the london skyline, but nothing special when it came to housing animals.
Right now, the North Bank & the Mappins are shadows of their former selves. I'm really not qualified to talk about the zoo, as I now only get there every few years -- used to go three or four times a year. BUT what I really miss is the sounds of the zoo, and I know I've banged on about this before. No Sealions barking, no Fish eagles calling, no Sonneratt's Junglefowl crowing backwards & forwards from the North Bank to the Pheasantry by the Bird House. I can forgive the 'no Elephants trumpeting', as moving them to Whipsnade was a good idea.
Here's an idea for the North Bank; improve perimeter fencing, have a long thin walk through paddock for Wallabies, Demoiselle Cranes, waterfowl, & Muntjac. Could just work.
Clearly, ZSL can't go back to having more species than anywhere else, crammed in to its 36 acres. Those days are gone. But what those old 'stamp collection' zoos could do was create a sense of awe at the sheer variety of the natural world. The modern zoo has to be sufficiently exciting to still arouse awe & wonder, but in different ways. I feel London does it with the Blackburn & the Komodo enclosure; the old Reptile House & Aquarium have always done it for me. The rest of the zoo just doesn't.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
The scope of the bird collection has suffered. There are no large hornbills, no eagles, very few pheasants and precious little that it is truly special or exotic. The contrast with Frankfurt, as an example, is pretty stark.
I agree with you about the mammal collection. The destruction of the Moonlight World is something to be mourned, and generally the obscure, the retiring, and the unusual has disappeared from the site.
Generally, I think that those species most likely to excite those starting to develop a deep interest in wildlfe, let alone those already possessing one, may not be those to appeal to the marketing manager. It is a quandary that ZSL, whose collections have a broad remit, has difficulties in resolving.
I agree with you about the mammal collection. The destruction of the Moonlight World is something to be mourned, and generally the obscure, the retiring, and the unusual has disappeared from the site.
Generally, I think that those species most likely to excite those starting to develop a deep interest in wildlfe, let alone those already possessing one, may not be those to appeal to the marketing manager. It is a quandary that ZSL, whose collections have a broad remit, has difficulties in resolving.
johnstoni.
Well-Known Member
Good news about the tapirs, however I wonder if this will hold up any planned move to the Casson Pavilion - I wouldn't be surprised if the hippos end up using the Casson enclosure for a while....
As for the canal banks, of course it would be easy for them to construct some minor enclosures along these stretches, but if there plans to do any more substantial building work or demolition, it wouldn't make sense to add species here until that is done. As others have said, I would also think this is the most suitable place for the majority of monkey species at the zoo. Especially if they could connect the two areas with aerial bridges connecting the two sides of the canal. Other collections have created primate exhibits where the animals can travel between areas above public pathways, I think it would be an innovative use of this land area. I also think the roundhouse would be used better as an indoor facility for such enclosures (bats are an opportunity for a diurnal, walk-through exhibit, I think London wasted an opportunity here).
As for the canal banks, of course it would be easy for them to construct some minor enclosures along these stretches, but if there plans to do any more substantial building work or demolition, it wouldn't make sense to add species here until that is done. As others have said, I would also think this is the most suitable place for the majority of monkey species at the zoo. Especially if they could connect the two areas with aerial bridges connecting the two sides of the canal. Other collections have created primate exhibits where the animals can travel between areas above public pathways, I think it would be an innovative use of this land area. I also think the roundhouse would be used better as an indoor facility for such enclosures (bats are an opportunity for a diurnal, walk-through exhibit, I think London wasted an opportunity here).
That's a good idea, johnstoni but the building is listed (as you probably know) and I think a walk through would probably over step the mark of what they are allowed to do to the building. It's a tough one, its a good size enclosure but of course they are very restricted with what they can do with it. Still waiting for the day when the Aye Aye are back on display, it seems crazy to hide such a great species away.
johnstoni.
Well-Known Member
That's my point - that the Roundhouse is sort of wasted on bats. A low-impact indoor/outdoor walk-through for the bats elsewhere in the zoo would be inexpensive and would surely attract more visitors. Its a shame they didn't adapt the African bird safari for this purpose given its proximity to other island species (I like this aviary, but would much prefer the flamingos were flighted on three Island pond and the storks moved there). I'm a great fan of Bristol's Livingstone's/Comoros Flying fox exhibit in summer. I'm saying I think that if some of the canal banks were used for open, wooded primate compounds, the Roundhouse could become a spacious indoor facility for at least one group.
As for the aye ayes, it would all be worth it if they managed to breed from them. I'm still intrigued to know whether this is the original pair or if one or more were replaced at any point, as the original 1.1 would surely be quite old by now (and possibly beyond breeding age). As I've said often, I was told the original male was highly-strung, if this is still the case then perhaps its cause enough to keep them off-exhibit. The closed wing of the Clore is nice and quiet and, who knows, maybe they even have access to one of the outdoor enclosures along the back of the building, which would be fantastic.
As for the aye ayes, it would all be worth it if they managed to breed from them. I'm still intrigued to know whether this is the original pair or if one or more were replaced at any point, as the original 1.1 would surely be quite old by now (and possibly beyond breeding age). As I've said often, I was told the original male was highly-strung, if this is still the case then perhaps its cause enough to keep them off-exhibit. The closed wing of the Clore is nice and quiet and, who knows, maybe they even have access to one of the outdoor enclosures along the back of the building, which would be fantastic.
I was wondering that when I saw the sign.
They'll be elsewhere in the zoo by the summer. Longer term the plan is to get them into Into Africa.
If they won't go immediately into Into Africa could the soon to be former tiger enclosure house them for a while? I can't think of anywhere else.
