It's set in a flat, pretty featureless part of the country (which means often windy) and I fear that the zoo's founders, in many ways highly remarkable women, never planted enough trees.
The net outcome is a setup where it's unusual to see the animals outside.
The layout/appearance is still very much as it was when they first opened. It is remarkable there hasn't been a major drive to plant more fast growing trees and tall vegetation generally, to beautify the site and make it seem less open/windswept.
The layout/appearance is still very much as it was when they first opened. It is remarkable there hasn't been a major drive to plant more fast growing trees and tall vegetation generally, to beautify the site and make it seem less open/windswept.
I think the difference is Whipsnade is a huge site and mature Parkland (what there is of it)and it would be difficult to alter its general appearance that much.
But Twycross is so much smaller- just a few fields in size really, and some judicious heavy planting could really make a difference I think. It reminds me a bit of a barracks!
I think later this year this will probably become the only Gorilla enclosure at Twycross, housing 1.3.animals.
