On Saturday the other window wasn't covered. You can still see through the hessian-type material (front on).
Definitely an improvement and good for the gorillas!No doubt some will complain that they "can't see the munkees"
ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2014
- Thread starter sooty mangabey
- Start date
On Saturday the other window wasn't covered. You can still see through the hessian-type material (front on).
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Good point; the mangabey den was built as part of the original Sobell Pavilions, and the space where the gorilla den now stands was unoccupied. This is the sort of problem that is easily overlooked in designing a building.
He is very humanised and as you know from Paignton, interacts with people a lot. I don't think the presence of the females has altered his overall behaviour at all, and here the problem is the 'up close' effect of the visitors which he didn't have before. He is the fourth male that has lived in this enclosure but its the first time since it was opened they have had to take these extra measures, which indicates he's more of a problem this way than his predecessors were.
The hessian(or whatever it is) covering the dayroom windows looks a pretty extreme measure but presumably is designed so visitors can still the animals clearly through it- important given how much time they are inside here.
The outside barrier looks more like a 'baffle' than a complete barrier but maybe its not completed yet.
The ideal is for people to be quiet and 'respectful' when viewing them so these measures don't have to be taken, but of course that's an impossible ask from all visitors in any zoo...
Does anyone know of future plans for the Snowden Aviary? Surely after the lion terraces, and with the Mappins a no-go until someone waves a blank cheque around, it must be the next priority?
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Apparently, it is on the list for investment with no immediate plans, whatever that means...
Best plans for Snowdon Aviary IMHO:
A) demolition
B) Refer to A) above....
Guess what? It's listed GradeII*
Actually I think it does have some architectural merit and as walk-through aviary on a difficult site it has genuine exhibit value (unlike some of the other listed buildings at Regents Park). Anyway ZSL has no option but to maintain the building properly without making any significant structural changes: I would like some thought given to re-theming the planting and the species kept, at the moment it's quite a jumble.
Alan
I agree. I actually really like it but the planting is looking a bit tired and the birds are a real mish mash. Something like Chester's European aviary would be nice.
Has it ever fulfilled it's purpose? No matter how many times I've visited, I still leave feeling completely underwhelmed!
Communityzoo
Well-Known Member
This is a very good point. With little or no modification, too. How amazing would it have been to see huge cinereous or even bearded vultures in a walk-through flight for European species? The trouble with housing tropical species is that permission would be needed for installing or connecting heating shelters.
I like this suggestion, it is something i've thought might fit well there.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Yes, that's something that I've wondered about. Again, you would need decent heated buildings for the animals. I don't know just how much modification is allowed with the constraints of the Snowdon's listed status; maybe something could be built using the shelter at the Aviary's rear, which itself is now a definite 1960s period piece.
Fundamentally, the Snowdon Aviary doesn't work in a cool, damp environment for birds: those sharp, protruding angles are plain dangerous for any large flying animals and the lack of heating precludes keeping any delicate species. It is interesting to ponder the fact that if ZSL were to seek to demolish the structure, then the Aviary's architect would probably sympathise with them:
Cedric Price - Telegraph
People sometimes assume that you cannot do ANYTHING with Listed Buildings. Alterations to Listed Buildings are possible.
Any chance the rules are flexible enough to allow the Snowdon Aviary (and the Casson Pavilion too ideally) to be dismantled and then reconstructed, exactly the same, in a spare paddock out the way at Whipsnade?
All those who think they're architecturally important would still have them to visit and wonder at if they wished to do so -if they want to be picky and argue they need to be in their original context to be fully appreciated/understood I'm sure Whipsnade could "bulldoze up" a reasonable rendition of the North Bank.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
I have different feelings about the Snowdon to the Casson. I think the latter is a monstrosity, but it is structurally sound. It tends to be forgotten that rhino did well there, and I see no reason why carefully chosen smaller ungulates couldn't thrive as well. There is so much unused space internally as well; one reason why I object to the Lion Terraces revamp is that I feel the Casson Pavilion should be finished off first! The small animal units installed after the elephants left could very easily be holding Indo-Malayan species (Java sparrow, Bali starling, ,tree-shrews, Prevost's squirrel, for example).
The Snowdon, by contrast, is an aging white elephant. If ZSL does intend to keep that corner of the Zoo, then better use of that area is needed. Maybe somebody in the Middle East or the American South West might like to buy it and arrange for the wretched thing to be transported overseas; in a hot, arid environment it might just be innocuous, as opposed to being near useless, as it is in its present location.
The Snowdon, by contrast, is an aging white elephant. If ZSL does intend to keep that corner of the Zoo, then better use of that area is needed. Maybe somebody in the Middle East or the American South West might like to buy it and arrange for the wretched thing to be transported overseas; in a hot, arid environment it might just be innocuous, as opposed to being near useless, as it is in its present location.
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Hasn't that been the case ever since the window pane got smashed and replaced with the (temporary) panel.