my apologies reduakari for calling you ignorant , but i find your posts to be dogmatic and in the case of the Aspinall parks you base your criticisms on a zoo you have never visited which isnt very tactful ,lacks credibility and does no favour for your outspoken opinions on the late Mr Aspinall and his legacy of his parks , lets agree to disagree and for the time being stop this zoochat sparring
Aspinall had zero academic training or practical animal management experience when he began collecting animals to keep on his property. He learned primarily by trial and error, and he never depended upon his zoo for his livelihood. Zookeeping was not a profession for him--it was a hobby (one he did extremely well in some ways). Feel free to disagree with me; but don't call me ignorant.
Sorry, but if the cap fits you've got to wear it.
Compare John Aspinall with Gerald Durrell. Aspinall was an undergraduate at Jesus College Oxford - he just didn't take his final honour schools. He could not have been admitted with "zero academic training" - Oxford Colleges only take the best qualified students. His education was far better than Durrell's. Durrell had training keeper at Whipsnade - but he learned by trial and error too while he was on his collecting trips. Durrell never depended on zoo keeping for his livelihood either - he wrote for his living, so you could say that zoo keeping was his hobby - although of course it did provide him with subject matter.
Now we can all have opinions about their relative contributions to the art and science of zoo keeping. Maybe these facts disqualify both men from serious consideration, maybe they don't.
You have to remember how little was known about some species 50 years ago. Trial and error was the only to go - for example the way the gorillas were mated at Columbus for the first captive birth BTW when Columbus reviewed their gorilla husbandry years later - who did they go to for advice? Yes, of course, John Aspinall.
Trial and error was the only to go - for example the way the gorillas were mated at Columbus for the first captive birth BTW when Columbus reviewed their gorilla husbandry years later - who did they go to for advice? Yes, of course, John Aspinall.
It is interesting that even though Howlettts had losses and failures among the Gorillas at first- primarily the loss of the 'Kulu' their first male, which put back the breeding programme a decade, once they got it right they forged ahead with the creation of socially capable breeding groups.
During the same period of time Columbus got no further than concrete caged pairs and handraised babies.
Durrell had training keeper at Whipsnade - but he learned by trial and error too while he was on his collecting trips. Durrell never depended on zoo keeping for his livelihood either - he wrote for his living, so you could say that zoo keeping was his hobby - although of course it did provide him with subject matter.
I didin't want to wade into this argument about Howlett's/Aspinall, but I feel compelled to comment on your comments about Durrell. He never depended on zoo keeping for his livelihood? In his early collecting days, collecting was his only source of income - he didn't start writing until later. And considering how his zoo dominated his life, I don't think it accurate to describe it as a 'hobby'. The only reason he 'wrote for a living' was so that every penny earned at the zoo could go back into the zoo or conservation, as did a proportion of his royalties.
I didin't want to wade into this argument about Howlett's/Aspinall, but I feel compelled to comment on your comments about Durrell. He never depended on zoo keeping for his livelihood? In his early collecting days, collecting was his only source of income - he didn't start writing until later. And considering how his zoo dominated his life, I don't think it accurate to describe it as a 'hobby'. The only reason he 'wrote for a living' was so that every penny earned at the zoo could go back into the zoo or conservation, as did a proportion of his royalties.
Durrell wrote 'The Overloaded Ark', 'The Bafut Beagles' and 'My Family and Other Animals' between collecting trips. But I think you can see from my previous posting that I agree with you that it would be wrong to call zoo keeping a hobby for him.
The same could be said for Mr Aspinall or the Misses Badham and Evans or Sir Peter Scott or Mr Mottershead or most of the other zoo creators and directors in the UK at this time. There was no professional training in exotic animal management or zoo biology, even Leo Harrison Matthews and Desmond Morris at London Zoo were academic zoologists who were recruited into zoo management.
@Mzungu: the excellent Columbus Zoo, in the state of Ohio, does indeed have a cage for its gorillas that comes complete with a grassy floor. I believe that it is the one and only zoo in the United States that keeps gorillas in a Howletts-style enclosure, as there are many top-quality, immersive exhibits that rely on a natural environment rather than metal bars. I'm not attemting to dredge up the same old argument over which is better, but Columbus is unique in the U.S.A. for its style of gorilla exhibit and for years now there have been rumors that it will be torn down in favour of a more "rainforesty" habitat.
In all honesty there are quite alot factors that the Columbus Zoo Enclosure is missing.
It is missing the Straw Floor which is one of the most important factors in the Aspinall Design. It gives the Apes a chance to forage for their food which is very important in Gorilla society and keeps them very busy throughout the day just like they would in the wild.
There is Glass viewing everywhere where as in the Aspinall Enclosures the glass is kept way away from the barrier and they are incredibly peaceful.
The Colombus Enclosrue is basically a more modern but very bare and very glassy Enclosure. It may have the appearence of a big cage with a few climbing oppurtunities but it is very different.
But it does provide them with cover over their heads at least. It doesn't look too bad, I just don't think it can be compared to the Howletts cages as, even though they're both cages, they're two different kettles of proverbial fish
It does povide cover and is chain linked. But with all the glass the aspects the Aspinall Gorillas enjoy of climbing up the walls and jumping to and from even have been completley destroyed by the use of so much glass for visitor viewing.
