I have seen this said before on this forum, I have posted a photo of what could be two black bears in the enclosure (its not a good photo), but it would be good to hear this information confirmed. The logs were obviously placed in there for a reason, though the reason is unclear.
In terms of thinking about the timeline for this......I am sure the tigers have never been housed anywhere else than the tecton enclosure. Now, for many years, the lions were in the mirroring tecton compound with the polar bears in the middle.
At some point the lions were moved out to the enclosure they occupied until this year (now where the wild dogs are).
The sulawesi macaques were kept in one of the compounds for a while and I am pretty sure they replaced the lions in the right hand side compound. However, their present enclosure has been built more recently than when the bears arrived. So I am thinking that the bears were initially housed in the polar bear pit until the macaques were moved out, hence the stories and possible photos of this pit being used for black bears.
Okay, so I'm risking an assumption here, but those back walls to the black bear and tiger enclosures are not the original barriers and may not be listed. I am therefore confident that minor modification could connect the old polar bear dens to these two outdoor paddocks.
I would actually then suggest that both the tiger and black bear exhibits be extended right up to the top of the hill, taking in woodland up to the ridge visible in the photo. I would suggest that the paths round the polar bear exhibit are restored, and the back steps run connect to a path running up the hill between the two extended paddocks.
I would say that, if this extension was possible, that the most suitable animal for this structure would be........Polar bears. I would like to see two wooded reserves with the current black bear and tiger dens as indoor quarters, and access via the indoor former polar bear dens into a pool and feeding area. I would like to see Dudley repay its debts to this species by using the reserves to each house one or two retired zoo bears that have come from small, concrete zoo enclosures, and alternate access to the pool area each day.
I'm a little confused by the comments in this thread which refer to the macaques leaving the right hand side enclosure, as they are still there and have been for many years to my knowledge.
I can remember in the late 90s (my childhood visits) that this pit held a single black bear, which I assumed was isolated from the rest for any number of reasons.
Now of course it holds the UK's last Asiatic Black Bear. Are there any whisperings of what might go here when she eventually passes?
On my visit in January this year I was told by the presenter that Dudley would consider getting 'one of the smaller species of bear' which can presumably only mean Sun Bears (but frankly there is so much salt to be taken with this that I can bearly see to type). Were that to happen, it would presumably be in the right hand enclosure. The Asiatic Black Bears used to share with the macaques so it would be at least feasible.
(Unless they built a new enclosure in the old Bear Ravine. That could be really rather great)
I think the best use for this enclosure would be to display an arboreal SEasia species, to create a geographically themed complex. With the raised viewing into trees or climbing apparatus it could be almost good, especially if they managed to get a significant amount of planting into raised beds on the concrete base. As has been suggested in this thread, Binturongs could work, or another primate species. Squirrels would also be an interesting choice. Off the top of my head I'm struggling to think of another open-topped squirrel enclosure.
On my visit in January this year I was told by the presenter that Dudley would consider getting 'one of the smaller species of bear' which can presumably only mean Sun Bears (but frankly there is so much salt to be taken with this that I can bearly see to type).
I'm a little confused by the comments in this thread which refer to the macaques leaving the right hand side enclosure, as they are still there and have been for many years to my knowledge.
There is nothing to be confused by the comments as the Macaques did have a gap in being kept in this enclosure which obviously happened between your visits!!
Well unless its died they still have an Asiatic Black bear at Heythrop,it was just off show during the open days as he cannot be mixed with the young brown bears they also have!!
Spectacled Bear I suppose yes, although the right hand isn't exactly roomy so I think it would be more suited to the smaller Sun Bear. Plus the geographical link to the Sumatran Tigers.
I think American Black Bears are being phased out by EAZA, or am I misinformed?
There is nothing to be confused by the comments as the Macaques did have a gap in being kept in this enclosure which obviously happened between your visits!!
Thanks for the clarification. I think the first iteration of it as a macaque enclosure may actually have been totally before my time, as in my early visits I remember several black bears in there.
Well unless its died they still have an Asiatic Black bear at Heythrop,it was just off show during the open days as he cannot be mixed with the young brown bears they also have!!
No you are quite correct they are suppose to be a phase out species in EAZA,but thankfully Woburn ignored that a few years ago and brought some new blood in to the country,but on top of that there are still more than a few places in Europe with no plans to go out of them,and atleast 1 collection in the UK looking at going into them!
I found some old maps and I can see that the macaques arrived in the early 2000s so I would have seen this enclosure before then. You were right the first time, I think it is the geladas that I never saw in there.
ZG, I enjoy reading your posts as they are generally informative and well meaning, but are you aware that the overuse of exclamation marks (suggestion of shouting!) at the end of most sentences is quite startling.
I only point this out as its possible that new to the site posters are unsettled by this, as I once was .
