Chester Zoo Islands - Opening and impressions

zoogiraffe said:
Have to say I was getting excited until we found out that its not all going to be finished at this point in time,I now suspect the zoo is going to have to brace itself for alot of criticism for it not all being opened,and the fact that it will be well over 3 months late from the timescale that members were given at the AGM last year,before it is all open!
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Certainly echo this.....rather disappointed not to be having a preview of the all of it.

I don't see them shutting Islands again for a few days to give members another preview of phase 2.
 
Hope everyone with tickets have a great time but do feel if this had happened at a few other collections the out cry on here would be far greater as to why it's like this.
 
adrian1963 said:
Hope everyone with tickets have a great time but do feel if this had happened at a few other collections the out cry on here would be far greater as to why it's like this.
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I think you may well be right :)

On the other hand, I'm not sure there's any other collection in the UK which could even contemplate such a scheme!

I'm a huge Chester fan but I think this has been badly handled in many ways. But we are where we are and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. (And I'm even turning a negative into a positive by looking forward to Sumatra/New Tropical House as an extra bonus for later in the year!)

Partial Islands + new onagers + new okapi will be enough for one afternoon. ;)
 
adrian1963 said:
Hope everyone with tickets have a great time but do feel if this had happened at a few other collections the out cry on here would be far greater as to why it's like this.
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There has been quite a lot of negativity on the Islands blog from disgruntled visitors who had already booked time off work and hotels etc only to find out that it won't all be open.

However, it seems the general consensus on the same blog, and perhaps on here, is to put it all into perspective and just deal with the fact that it hasn't quite been completed within the original timescales.

I'm inclined to take the latter opinion. I'm disappointed it isn't all open, but with a project of such magnitude (it's bigger than a lot of entire zoos) I think a few weeks over schedule does not warrant an "outcry".

I think the zoo must be the most disgruntled customer however, as I imagine they will lose quite a lot of revenue from the late opening. They have to put a positive spin on it all (although I think they could have been a little more forthcoming and apologetic). But to be fair they have communicated and answered all questions raised to them. How many other zoos have such an open forum where any question from the public is answered?

I assume there may be the odd member of senior zoo staff in Islands tomorrow morning to gauge the reaction when it opens....maybe we will be able to get some more info from them about timescales and why it ran over?
 
ChesterZooFan said:
I'm inclined to take the latter opinion. I'm disappointed it isn't all open, but with a project of such magnitude (it's bigger than a lot of entire zoos) I think a few weeks over schedule does not warrant an "outcry".
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It is a lot more than just a few weeks behind.
 
bongorob said:
It is a lot more than just a few weeks behind.
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Well.... depends on when we are measuring the original opening date from.

To my knowledge the zoo has only ever published the opening as 'Spring 2015', which then became 'June 2015'. Either way the latest they could open and still be true to either of these would be 21st June.

So, the partial opening is just 3 weeks behind their original public announcements. Assuming phase 2 opens end of August (which is technically the cut off for "later this summer") this will still be only 8/9 weeks late.

However, unofficially I think it is well known that the original plan was to open April/May. So in that respect you are or quite right it is more than a few weeks!
 
kiang said:
I would love to know how those lucky zoochatters
With preview tickets are actually feeling?
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Having been delayed on the M6 and M60 yesterday, I'm not looking forward to driving to the zoo on a weekday morning in the rush hour - I normally visit at the weekend, but I didn't want to miss the first chance to see Islands. I am glad that the weather forecast is good :)
Of course I am disappointed that the Monsoon Forest will not be open, but a project on this scale is unprecedented in the UK, and I do understand that it cannot be opened until everything is right - and the same applies to the exhibits for orangs and tigers in Sumatra. Visitors will be able to see them for the next 40 years, so the delays seem less important if you bear that timescale in mind.
There's been a lot of publicity about the 'window dressing' that provides the 'immersion' experience: my first reaction is to dismiss this as mere flim-flam and flummery - but I have decided to try to be objective and judge it as part of the whole experience. However what I really want to see is how the animals are accommodated and exhibited their new enclosures and how the visitor's progression through the whole complex is guided, developed and explained.

Alan
 
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The delays are regrettable, and with the benefit of hindsight the trumpeting of the opening with 'preview days' that they then couldn't back out of probably a mistake, but I have a greater worry about of all of this.

I live locally, have a young family so as you can imagine know many members. Not zoo enthusiasts, but Chester Zoo regulars. I think one and all that I have chatted to are expecting to see additions to the collection here. Animals they haven't seen before. At the end of the day, that's why they visit, to see a variety of species, and a big expansion to a zoo means more, right? A new headline attraction?. My major concern, especially with the tropical house centre piece not being open yet, is a wave of 'is that it?'... nice new enclosures and immersive theming but.. but tigers, orangs, and a few other exhibits which we have always seen day in day out at Chester Zoo.

I think this is made worse by people still harking back to the biodome/gorilla expansion that was proposed before this one.

Its not my view of course, but I'm braced for the moaning and backlash that unfortunately I feel is coming.

To have had the whole thing open would have lessened it massively, but I still think complaints are on the way...
 
Having witnessed a similar (though perhaps not on exactly the same scope) project (Giants of the Savanna at Dallas), I can tell you that noting is 100% ready to go on the planned opening date. Animal introductions took months to complete after the opening. Keepers have to train the animals to move in and out of exhibits, and depending on the species and the individual that time is completely unpredictable. Landscaping takes the longest of anything. You are subject to simply how fast the plants can grow. There is no speeding this up. There were even some promised things that were not ready to go two years after the exhibit opened.

Remember, that this attraction will be around for a long time. Nothing is ever perfect in the beginning.
 
NigeW said:
The delays are regrettable, and with the benefit of hindsight the trumpeting of the opening with 'preview days' that they then couldn't back out of probably a mistake, but I have a greater worry about of all of this.

I live locally, have a young family so as you can imagine know many members. Not zoo enthusiasts, but Chester Zoo regulars. I think one and all that I have chatted to are expecting to see additions to the collection here. Animals they haven't seen before. At the end of the day, that's why they visit, to see a variety of species, and a big expansion to a zoo means more, right? A new headline attraction?. My major concern, especially with the tropical house centre piece not being open yet, is a wave of 'is that it?'... nice new enclosures and immersive theming but.. but tigers, orangs, and a few other exhibits which we have always seen day in day out at Chester Zoo.

I think this is made worse by people still harking back to the biodome/gorilla expansion that was proposed before this one.

Its not my view of course, but I'm braced for the moaning and backlash that unfortunately I feel is coming.

To have had the whole thing open would have lessened it massively, but I still think complaints are on the way...
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I don't think regulars should complain because of the fact few new major species are being added. The banteng and tapir were added in prep for Islands, (even though this was a while back now and the tapir aren't even featured there until the next phase) gharials are a great addition, and when it opens Monsoon Forest will have a significant array of new reptiles,fish, amphibians etc.

Ironically what is arguably more exciting is the species being brought into the zoo as a result of the old enclosures becoming available. It is common knowledge that sun bears will replace the tigers and aye aye will make a public appearance as soon as their new enclosure is ready.

I'm sure by the end of the day tomorrow we will have a flavour on here and Facebook etc on first impressions........
 
Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing Islands in the morning. So it's a staggered opening, but for those of us who can visit more than once this just means there's another big exhibit being unveiled later this year.

The zoo's PR machine hasn't really helped itself, but overall I think all the negativity is a shame, this has been a massive project for which the zoo should be congratulated rather than brickbats being thrown from people who really should know (or pretend to know) better. Animals aren't predictable, neither are large constructions on this scale, combine the two and it's a huge, complex undertaking.

I'll post some photos on Twitter in the morning... fingers crossed!
 
Putting it into context, we can visit Islands as many times as we like. Patience is a virtue.

The ultimate tragedy is that June Mottershead isn't alive to see it's completion.
 
SMR said:
Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing Islands in the morning. So it's a staggered opening, but for those of us who can visit more than once this just means there's another big exhibit being unveiled later this year.

The zoo's PR machine hasn't really helped itself, but overall I think all the negativity is a shame, this has been a massive project for which the zoo should be congratulated rather than brickbats being thrown from people who really should know (or pretend to know) better. Animals aren't predictable, neither are large constructions on this scale, combine the two and it's a huge, complex undertaking.

I'll post some photos on Twitter in the morning... fingers crossed!
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Absolutely, superbly put and no more needs to be added to it.
 
Can't wait to see everyone verdict on islands even if it is a phased opening. I'm hoping to get down to Chester in a few weeks midweek to see it as I missed out on the members previews.

Does anyone know if the false gharial are in the monsoon forest or are they part of the phase one opening? This is the species in most excited to see!

Edit - I'm assuming they're in Phase one as Chester's website refers to them as Sunda Gharials. Either way I'm looking forward to photos!
 
I wonder who will be the first to upload some photographs have a great day everyone (jealous not me much)
 
Campbell89 said:
Does anyone know if the false gharial are in the monsoon forest or are they part of the phase one opening? This is the species in most excited to see!

Edit - I'm assuming they're in Phase one as Chester's website refers to them as Sunda Gharials. Either way I'm looking forward to photos!
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They are in the Monsoon Forest, I am afraid!
 
Just a few pointers for those visiting in the next few days...

There are some long queues to go in, and longer queues for the boat rides, so factor that into your day.

There are currently no working toilets in Islands and the nearest are still at the main entrance.

The only animals on show are visayan warty pigs and, from tomorrow, cassowary (they were only moved this morning).

The restaurant is only serving a "tasting menu", probably because the kitchens aren't finished. Looks like it's going to be OK though.

Overall Islands is certainly impressive, but there's a lot not yet finished, so my advice would be to enjoy what's currently complete and look forward to the remainder.
 
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