Never really appreciated, how much the terraces have changed, quite dramatic in fact, i am surprised that ZSL, were allowed to alter the exhibit so much.
Sounds daft, but looks like 2 separate entities, sad all that history buried under the outback, but that is progress.
Surely something can be done with the mountains.
When I first visited the London Zoo in 1997 the terraces had just been opened up as a mixed species Asian animal exhibit with sloth bears, a langur species, and I think muntjacs. It looks like that has been completely changed...what happened to the sloth bear et al.?
When I first visited the London Zoo in 1997 the terraces had just been opened up as a mixed species Asian animal exhibit with sloth bears, a langur species, and I think muntjacs. It looks like that has been completely changed...what happened to the sloth bear et al.?
The sloth bears went to Whipsnade, the muntjac had to be removed because I think the bear attacked one. I'm sure I read that on a thread on here, possibly "mixed species exhibits"? As for the langurs, I'm not entirely sure but I think they may still be in Regents Park. Hope this helps!
The langurs are still in the primate area, on a "phase-out" basis.
I think Kiang is being over-kind in calling this set-up progress. A mob of Bennett's wallabies (from the coldest and wettest area of the country!) and some emus to supposedly illustrate the effects of desertification on Australia is a sorry waste of space in a zoo with as limited an acreage as London's.
This is one of my least favourite exhibits at London Zoo. All of the emus were standing together in one corner and the wallabies were sitting under a bush at the back. I even saw it on a beautiful sunny day and it looked muddy and forlorn. There are also brolgas and black swans living here. The brolgas have a separate area to the left however.
Even if you accept that there's no way of arranging to put large carnivores onto the Mappins (and I don't!) then this desertified backdrop would be good for the display of Arabian oryx.
This is an iconic species where ZSL has a history of which it can be proud, and the present group is effectively off-exhibit at Whipsnade. A bachelor group of Sahrawi dorcas gazelle might be fitted in without too much difficulty, and dare I suggest the return of Barbary sheep to the goat hills?
Even if you accept that there's no way of arranging to put large carnivores onto the Mappins (and I don't!) then this desertified backdrop would be good for the display of Arabian oryx.
This is an iconic species where ZSL has a history of which it can be proud, and the present group is effectively off-exhibit at Whipsnade. A bachelor group of Sahrawi dorcas gazelle might be fitted in without too much difficulty, and dare I suggest the return of Barbary sheep to the goat hills?
