Very sad news. Do you know how old they were?
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo 2015
- Thread starter Jedd Cullinan
- Start date
Sad, but long on the cards..... it does at least open up opportunity for redevelopment, although I would much prefer they brought in Iberian Wolf or Dhole rather than the African Hunting Dogs they intend to get.
May have been a health check, but might have been due to wolf social structure; to remove just one animal might upset pack dynamics resulting in fighting, to remove two would leave one very lonely wolf which might have pined away without the rest of the pack. It is sad, but to euthanise the whole pack at once is probably the best option.
11. All suffered from serious age-related health issues.
As TLD stated, an opportunity now presents itself. It will certainly be interesting whether ZSL stick or twist on the Hunting dog plan. A move probably would have been made easier had the London group not recently produced pups!
Dhole for me, but considering it's "Wolf Wood," the clues probably there as to what they'll go with. Plus, dhole would mess up the geographical theming!
Plus, dhole would mess up the geographical theming!
As would the Hunting Dogs they intend to bring in, of course
Dhole for me, but considering it's "Wolf Wood," the clues probably there as to what they'll go with. Plus, dhole would mess up the geographical theming!
Not necessarily, dhole fossils have been found from Pleistocene deposits in Western and Central Europe; not quite Dunstable, but much closer than Africa!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_dhole
As would the Hunting Dogs they intend to bring in, of course
No, they just have to move the boundary of the'Zones' so that Hunting dogs would be included with the African stuff(Bongo etc) on the other side.
I'd welcome seeing Hunting Dogs there again but as mentioned before, they could have all three Canids quite easily, instead of just one.
Always a fan of Hunting Dogs, would love to see them at whipsnade
No, they just have to move the boundary of the'Zones' so that Hunting dogs would be included with the African stuff(Bongo etc) on the other side.
I agree that the zones aren't a problem really, as the wolf enclosure is on the edge of 'Africa'.
If it is not to be a new wolf pack, my choice of African carnivore would be a Hyaena species - Hunting dogs are fairly common in the UK now and London already have them. If it isn't wolves that go in there, they will probably need to build some decent indoor housing.
I would like to see dhole too , maybe elsewhere in the zoo would be better though.
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Sad but not surprising.
I think that this is the first time since the 1930s that there are no wolves at Whipsnade; the end of an era.
It will be interesting to see how long the zoo plan to keep this enclosure empty for. A whole season? Certainly some minimal enclosure improvements could be made, but it's well suited to canids.
I suspect the London ones would end up moving to Whipsnade; as there has been a sizeable litter of pups born recently and the London enclosure isn't exactly big, it may actually be necessary in the long run to move them.
That said, I would prefer a hyena taxon too
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FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
From an aesthetic point of view, with the looming pine wood behind it the wolves were perfect. So Iberian Wolves would be the best fit and also satisfy conservation and zoning needs.
If the Hunting dogs do move across though perhaps London could get hyena for their old enclosure. After all, I think a lot of visitors already mistake the dogs for them and it would add another recognizable ABC animal to the zoo.
If the Hunting dogs do move across though perhaps London could get hyena for their old enclosure. After all, I think a lot of visitors already mistake the dogs for them and it would add another recognizable ABC animal to the zoo.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
There's no reason for Whipsnade not to have Wolves, Hunting Dogs, Dhole AND a Hyena; God knows, there's enough unused space.
As has been pointed out before, there's a hundred acres at the foot of Sir Peter's Way untouched since the Park opened. The "Wild Whipsnade" area might be a lot more effective further away from busy Duke's Avenue. Wolves,Brown Bear, Wolverine, Moose and Lynx could all be relocated to that area, and joined by Wildcat, Pine Marten and Red Squirrel - animals that were once found in Bedfordshire but have been eradicated.
At the foot of the hill, dig out a lake, the bigger the better. Plant reeds - that will help with drainage and the reedbed would attract native wildlife. The RSPB would be pleased to have a place where a Bittern or two might winter! As well as native wildlife, the lake could provide a home to Beavers, Cranes, Spoonbills, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet (all bred by private breeders) and White-tailed Eagle.
Final thought: provide crannog (artificial island) accommodation for overnight visitors, who could come in from the Dagnall end, as Chalmers Mitchell intended all those years ago. A night at Whipsnade on the edge of a lake, listening to the Wolves howl: that would be an experience worth paying for!
As has been pointed out before, there's a hundred acres at the foot of Sir Peter's Way untouched since the Park opened. The "Wild Whipsnade" area might be a lot more effective further away from busy Duke's Avenue. Wolves,Brown Bear, Wolverine, Moose and Lynx could all be relocated to that area, and joined by Wildcat, Pine Marten and Red Squirrel - animals that were once found in Bedfordshire but have been eradicated.
At the foot of the hill, dig out a lake, the bigger the better. Plant reeds - that will help with drainage and the reedbed would attract native wildlife. The RSPB would be pleased to have a place where a Bittern or two might winter! As well as native wildlife, the lake could provide a home to Beavers, Cranes, Spoonbills, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet (all bred by private breeders) and White-tailed Eagle.
Final thought: provide crannog (artificial island) accommodation for overnight visitors, who could come in from the Dagnall end, as Chalmers Mitchell intended all those years ago. A night at Whipsnade on the edge of a lake, listening to the Wolves howl: that would be an experience worth paying for!
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Absolutely. I'm not sure why there is perceived reluctance to exhibit a larger range of Canids at Whipsnade(or zoos generally) nowadays. After all, Whipsnade strive to maintain as large a variety of other species e.g. ungulates as they reasonably can. Perhaps the difference is that for those, mixing in existing paddocks is usually possible, whereas for extra Canids, separate new enclosures would have to built for each new species, but isn't that what it should all be about? Its possible they aren't deemed 'showy' enough to warrant more than one species at a time though.
Does anyone know/ has it been mentioned somewhere, what is planned to replace the Hunting dogs if they leave London? It seems like it was only a few years back there was a big fanfare about their arrival
Perhaps they are victims of the 'trends' factor, but I agree that a large pack would show much better in a larger enclosure at Whipsnade.Lets not forget that the main reason why Impala, Blesbok, Thommies have returned was down to visitors complaining about the number of empty paddocks. I doubt anyone at the top had the inclination to pursue this idea until ZSL's hand was forced when they looked at the gate receipts/feedback.
Now, once again, Whipsnade has broken visitor attendance records for 2015, and it's finances are above budget. Sooner or later someone MUST look at the bigger picture and expand the collection.
Now, once again, Whipsnade has broken visitor attendance records for 2015, and it's finances are above budget. Sooner or later someone MUST look at the bigger picture and expand the collection.
Does anyone know/ has it been mentioned somewhere, what is planned to replace the Hunting dogs if they leave London? It seems like it was only a few years back there was a big fanfare about their arrival
Considering how badly the north side of the zoo has - for all intents and purposes - been left to rot in recent years, lord only knows......
Before things start going around in circles, I just was wondering when is work supposed to begin on the new Elephant barn/house at Whipsnade?