Chester Zoo Small news at Chester Zoo

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The window is no longer boarded up and the area visible inside has been painted. We were told that the zoo is expecting 3 new female sealions, 2 new bushdogs and new pudus shortly.
 
Was at the zoo for a couple of hours this morning with uni, small news includes:

Asoka is out with Asha and the Chakra, there was no aggression whatsoever, and the cub was trying to go over to see his dad on a few occassions, Asha still protective of the cub tho, constantly picking him up and moving him. He is also eating small bits of meat which i seen at the talk and feed. However, Asoka is taken inside for feeding just in case there is any aggression towards the cub over food.

Kirani was out in the tiger enclosure, but still seems nervous, she was hiding on the platform behind bushes.

A congo buffalo calf has been born (sex unknown)

Got a good look at the new rhino calf, very cute! Kitani was very relaxed inside Tsavo, and she has access to a back area to escape public, but it was relatively quiet this morning at the zoo.

The African Aviary exhibit is still being constructed, lots of mud!
 
They think it's a male... but no complete conformation yet

Also forgot to say.... the old pig enclosure near the marmots and tigers is to be the new home for the meerkats
 
Paulkarli08 said:
They think it's a male... but no complete conformation yet

Also forgot to say.... the old pig enclosure near the marmots and tigers is to be the new home for the meerkats
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:confused: I thought that held porcupines now...

Do you know if it's going to be a splinter meekat group in there or do you think it'll just be an exhibit swap between the meerkats and porcupines?
 
The porcupines are where the goats used to be (the goats have gone completely) but right in the corner near the marmot exhibit they used to hold domestic pigs, well the meerkats are due to go there, none where in there today, but signs, sand and stuff was in there ready for them.

The window for the tiger house is open again, and the inside has been painted, a branch hung from the ceiling, and chippings are on the floor now. The tigers are being rotated as well.
 
taun said:
Nope they are in the old childrens zoo, the enclosure the are own about is back onto the courtyard in the zoo, near the tigers
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Ah ok, got a little mixed up then :rolleyes:

I wonder if the meerkats need to be moved to allow the rhinos to use that paddock again?
 
I doubt they would move the meerkats just for rhino space, i mean the meerkat enclosure isn't that big really. Maybe the mongoose might be moving up nearer the rhinos? Just a suggestion as they are hardly seen at their current location?
 
CZJimmy said:
I wonder if the meerkats need to be moved to allow the rhinos to use that paddock again?
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The new aivary is going in the corner of that paddock, and I thought they were stil able to use it because of the big wall around the meerkats.

They may need somewhere for kitani and the new calf, so it would be good to use that outside paddock aswell.
 
Isnt the pig enclosure rather small though, or am i thinking of another enclosure here. I personally dont think its a good idea for the Meerkats to be moved.
 
ZooMania said:
Isnt the pig enclosure rather small though, or am i thinking of another enclosure here. I personally dont think its a good idea for the Meerkats to be moved.
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No, you're right it is very small, unless there are going to remove part of the shelter.
 
Hi, i'm new.

I agree with zoomania - i don't think they should move the meerkats. Their enclosure in tsavo is a good size, is enriching for the animals and is interesting for the visitors as the meerkats are more active than the rhino and the lechwe. Also, putting them over in east zoo is completely out of sinc with the masterplan.
 
Pt123 said:
Could this be a temporary measure whilst all the building work is going on around Tsavo?
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Taun said that it could be used as extra room for Kitani and the new calf so the arrangement could just be until the calf gets bigger, although i would have thought that the enclosure would have to be redeveloped to hold rhino.
 
redpanda said:
Taun said that it could be used as extra room for Kitani and the new calf so the arrangement could just be until the calf gets bigger, although i would have thought that the enclosure would have to be redeveloped to hold rhino.
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What makes you say that? When the whole area was redeveloped they built the bridge over a under bridge for rhinos to access to the paddock and the otherside has a gate for rhino to be moved into the enclosure from the old house.

I dont see why it would need to be redeveloped, the meerkats could be a temproary soloution as the new Aviary is built. However I do wonder how they are going create the new aviary and still use it as a rhino paddock, as it may look horrible with big wall to hold the rhino in.
 
The existing walls for the rhino arn't really that high/big though (on the visitor side), they could easily just plant vegetation in front of a new wall on the aviary side to hide it from view, assuming they build it in the same style.
 
taun said:
What makes you say that? When the whole area was redeveloped they built the bridge over a under bridge for rhinos to access to the paddock and the otherside has a gate for rhino to be moved into the enclosure from the old house.

I dont see why it would need to be redeveloped, the meerkats could be a temproary soloution as the new Aviary is built. However I do wonder how they are going create the new aviary and still use it as a rhino paddock, as it may look horrible with big wall to hold the rhino in.
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What i meant was that the needs of meerkats differ from those of rhino. If my memory serves me correctly, the meerkat enclosure has look-out rocks in it which would be less than ideal in a rhino enclosure especially when the calf gets older and more boisterous although i could be wrong.

I was thinking of within the enclosure rather than its boundaries. Sorry, i should have been more clear.
 
redpanda said:
What i meant was that the needs of meerkats differ from those of rhino. If my memory serves me correctly, the meerkat enclosure has look-out rocks in it which would be less than ideal in a rhino enclosure especially when the calf gets older and more boisterous although i could be wrong.

I was thinking of within the enclosure rather than its boundaries. Sorry, i should have been more clear.
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I'm fairly sure the zoo would remove the meerkat features should they need to use that area of land for rhinos...

Thinking about it logically, the meerkat move does seem to have happened to allow construction of the hornbill avaiary, as if i remember the plans correctly, the aviary netting is attached to the keeper's building which is next to the meerkat enclosure...

Plus if they move the meerkats permanently, then what will they do with that statue?;)
 
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