Port Lympne's Gorilla Pavillion - Showing one side of the Pavillion the Overhead Passage way is towards the Right and can just be seen.This enclsoure holds one of the bachelor groups. It is a truly magnificant structure.
The gorilla exhibits at Howletts and Port Lympne have always been debated here on ZooChat and elsewhere, and to be honest it is quite difficult to be convinced 100% either one way or the other. The photo that is on this thread shows what is really an ugly building with lots of brick and metal. Comparing that image to superb gorilla habitats at the Bronx Zoo or Disney's Animal Kingdom and I feel myself being tugged in the direction of the latter zoos. I prefer to see gorillas in spacious, naturalistic environments rather than being surrounded by steel bars and brown bricks. The Howletts-style enclosures are really glorified cages, while the enclosures at the Bronx and DAK zoos are proper habitats. It's all in the wording...haha.
At the same time the Howletts style enclosures provide a ton of enrichment for the great apes, and the roof and climbing structures are top-notch and perfect for the inhabitants. Perhaps a mixture of both exhibitry elements could be created, so that the enclosures in question look great from a visitor's perspective and are also highly beneficial for the gorillas. I like the idea of a canopy over the heads of the apes, and it has been assumed by most ape researchers that the open field enclosures (Pittsburgh Zoo, Toledo Zoo) are therefore less successful than the exhibits with overhead cover. Couldn't there be canopies developed (like the one at the Woodland Park Zoo) that aren't as ugly as the Howletts cages?
the gorillas seemed very content in their enclosure to me , this is the most important thing to me, i agree with zooman that the Aspinall parks have educated more people then most other zoological gardens in the world. All this talk about hamster cages reminds me of art critics.
Would Aspinal have been better spending his own money on a far smaller naturalistic exhibit? Compromising group dynamics, breeding success and all the rest of it. Did the Gorillas get good value for money. How much change would he have got from $50million+ (my gorilla kingdoms guessed est. cost)?
Also compare it to what was actually around at the time.
My biggest critism of howletts/port lympne as a whole is that they are in the middle of nowhere (I went to university in Canterbury) and not next to a major city/tourist destination. Both places suffer today because they are maintained by relatively low visitor numbers. How good would they be if only an hour closer to London?
I agree about the price, I think it's a complete waste spending money on trees and plants only to cover them in hotwire because it appeals to the public and looks "naturalistic". I'm certain this is the only reason other zoos haven't gone for the Howletts approach. And it is a shame they don't get more visitors, those two zoos are very hard to better.
Snowleopard, visit Howletts, then you'll appreciate it
Don't forget this enclosure connects to an enormous open-air field with long grass, shelters and climbing equipment so the Gorillas living here have the 'best of both worlds' But these bachelor males still spend 90%(or even more) of their time in this part- the 'canopy' section- some of their favourite resting places are in the covered shutes that connect the two areas.
My biggest critism of howletts/port lympne as a whole is that they are in the middle of nowhere (I went to university in Canterbury) and not next to a major city/tourist destination. Both places suffer today because they are maintained by relatively low visitor numbers. How good would they be if only an hour closer to London?
That's because he never intended to open to the public- that was forced on him to help them remain financially viable. Howletts always seems pretty busy to me though, despite the lack of large urban areas closeby. Port Lympne however often seems quiet- its got a much poorer location being more remote(apart from Folkestone and the Ferries) and its geographically not very visitor friendly either with alll the long steep paths. Unlike Howletts I don't think it is a very good location.
The chutes lead up to a cage right at the top of the structure, where John Aspinall envisaged the gorillas would be able to enjoy views of the English channel out to France. Surely the only example of a zoo exhibit where the intention was to allow the inhabitants to see other countries in the distance?!
The chutes lead up to a cage right at the top of the structure, where John Aspinall envisaged the gorillas would be able to enjoy views of the English channel out to France. Surely the only example of a zoo exhibit where the intention was to allow the inhabitants to see other countries in the distance?!
I've heard that before but its the most bizarre statement I think I've ever heard in relation to animal keeping!!!!. Could you even see France from there on a good day? Would the Gorillas recognise a distant coastline? What was the point of allowing these particular few Gorillas this privelige when all the other groups at Howletts and the later builds at Port Lympne didn't incorporate this feature? I'm sure this design was just one of his strange eccentricities. The sliding partition/dividing walls in the house were more functional though, allowing it to be partitioned if the males had to be split up- it proved necessary as one male Timbou now lives permanently single in one section of the 'cake'.
I always like the 'Gorilla' weathervane on the top too- nice finishing touch!
This fancy design was obviously a 'one- off' and sufficient to satisfy JA's whims at the time- the next bachelor 'pavilion' they built (behind this one) for the next group was just the simplest of cages- no frills, no views, no circular shape. Back to basics...
I've heard that before but its the most bizarre statement I think I've ever heard in relation to animal keeping!!!!. Could you even see France from there on a good day?
