Have to agree with you 100%. It always amazes me how Twycross is bashed continually on here, whilst Marwell's decline has been FAR worse in the last 5 years or so.
Many keep saying they have a plan, wait & see- well i for one am sick of waiting!
Marwell Wildlife Marwell Zoo News 2014
- Thread starter mhale
- Start date
Many keep saying they have a plan, wait & see- well i for one am sick of waiting!
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
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Not wanted in walk through aviary,10 male blue crowned laughing thrushes to go out in aviary soon.
Would love a copy of the autobiography, but I think/fear it's now out of print.
The two places do share many similarities in so much as both were started by private individuals with specific aims/directions for their creations, and who have since retired (JMK was pushed while the Misses Badham & Evans presumably relinquished the reigns voluntarily to their chosen successor-which in fact turned out to be equally disastrous).
The fortunes of both have spiralled downwards ever since really. I think the main reason perhaps that Twycross comes in for more bashing on here is that it still has the ugly substandard buildings, a top-heavy collection of largely ageing and(with some important exceptions) non-breeding primates, management issues with some species and recent notable disappearances of 'large' animals e.g. Lions, Giraffes, Camels, Sealion, whereas while Marwell has indeed lost a similar(or greater) number of species and is continuing to do so (Black Wildebeest and the soon-to-be Takin both particularly sad losses), somehow they aren't quite so noticeable among the many other large species kept, and their other failings are mostly not quite so immediatey apparent either.
Both places do continue to appear pretty directionless at present.
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I wont disagree with you on the last statement!
Twycross have lost species over the last 5 years, some very high profile ones, agreed. But at least they have added a few new ones e.g snow leopard, hyena, bush dog, zebra, yellow throated marten.
During a period Marwell have lost around 30 mammal species, they have added virtually nothing apart from the brazilian tapir(if that wasn't more than 5 years ago?) and silvery marmosets recently(having lost several other similar species recently anyway).
I am puzzled by Marwell's continual removal of species. At Twycross unsuitable housing was behind all those recent major species lost, and the enclosures were then filled by something else. Marwell's just seem to be losses that are not replaced by anything else.
It's still available on Amazon as an E-book if you have a Kindle. Otherwise I'll keep an eye out for you because it does appear to be hard to get at this time.....
Something tells me quite a bit of what you just wrote is rather off-the-record; I'm going to edit your post to be on the safe side until I know for sure, as I do not want yourself or this site to get into difficulties!
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Of which the Hyena is now on the surplus list!!
Thankyou Nisha! I have a space on my bookshelf ready in anticipation!
Do you mean that you think Marwell will keep thinning down the mammal collection & adding nothing?!
At least London has an excuse due to lack of space- Marwell is one of the largest zoos in the country!
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Fair enough, but Twycross have added a few more i didn't list and at least the lion enclosure had a new species for a few years & maybe another when hyena leaves. They don't tend to fill enclosures with existing species and have multiple enclosure for common animals when species have left.
I really don't see your point?? Marwell are famously bad at communications and will normally wait 4-6 weeks to tell the world about a birth at the zoo.
You just have to be connected in the right circles.
No I mean that most collecting will have to lose some species to create better exhibits for their current stock. Obviously the amount they have lost recently are quite a few but they still maintain a good stock and should hopefully try to add a few more in the near future
TLD is probably aware that members of the Marwell management team are fully aware of this forum and do read it.
So it is prudent to be just a little careful about what kind of thing is written on here.
And one is unlikely to remain connected in the right circles if they post offrecord information freely - especially information which can cause problems for this website and the zoo, as one allegation you made would.