I'd really like to see Hunting Dogs back at Whipsnade. I remember them from my visits as a child in the 1950's, in a triangular grassy run adjacent to the entrance of the Asian Plains area. At that stage I don't think anywhere else in the UK exhibited them except possibly the odd single or so at ZSL.
Also in this area, in the paddock where the Arabian Oryx now live, were the pair of Hartmann's Mountain Zebras (mother and grown-up son) - the only ones anywhere in the UK then.
Three species suffering from inconsistent management in one post!! Surely a record..
I believe the idea was that once the Hunting Dogs had bred at London the bigger pack would be moved to Whipsnade. The problem was that the enclosure earmarked was the present wolf facility and for whatever reason they couldn't/can't move them elsewhere.
Arabian oryx - a ZSL flagship species not long ago, now to all intents and purposes off exhibit....all a bit odd...
Hartmann's mountain zebra are going to die out if we're not careful. I wonder if such an asocial species wouldn't be better managed in a bigger paddock, such as Whipsnade could provide.
Going back to the original thread, it's a pleasure to see cheetah moving forward at Whipsnade after a long period when nothing was happening.
Even if I do still think they shouldn't be so close to the lions...
I believe the idea was that once the Hunting Dogs had bred at London the bigger pack would be moved to Whipsnade. The problem was that the enclosure earmarked was the present wolf facility and for whatever reason they couldn't/can't move them elsewhere.
Arabian oryx - a ZSL flagship species not long ago, now to all intents and purposes off exhibit....all a bit odd...
Hartmann's mountain zebra are going to die out if we're not careful. I wonder if such an asocial species wouldn't be better managed in a bigger paddock.
Digressing from the main subject of this thread a bit but not worth starting fresh ones just for a few comments here;
1. Hunting Dogs- are you referring to the current ones at ZSL? Surely it wouldn't break the bank to build another new simple large enclosure at Whipsnade for the Dogs? The wolves are probably regarded as integral to the European fauna display now.
2. Arabian Oryx- agree- once almost a 'mythical' animal. Then a flagship species at ZSL. Now hidden away at Whipsnade in a paddock full of nettles....
3. Hartmann's- many have been bred in UK over the last forty years, mostly at Marwell, but I agree UK breeding records in the last ten years have plummeted, and births have now become very scarce indeed. They are indeed antisocial creatures, at least in zoos.
Digressing from the main subject of this thread a bit but not worth starting fresh ones just for a few comments here;
1. Hunting Dogs- are you referring to the current ones at ZSL? Surely it wouldn't break the bank to build another new simple large enclosure at Whipsnade, either for the Wolves, or the Dogs?
2. Arabian Oryx- agree- once almost a 'mythical' animal. Then a flagship species at ZSL. Now stuffed away at Whipsnade in a paddock full of nettles....
3. Hartmann's- many have been bred in UK over the last forty years, mostly at Marwell, but I agree UK breeding records in the last ten years have plummeted, and births have now become very scarce indeed. They are indeed antisocial creatures, at least in zoos.
This is my gripe with ZSL, fundamentally; unless some sort of interpretation theming can be linked, a perceived animal management issue, and the need for a new exhibit, seems to get neglected .
A large pack canid such as Hunting Dogs could be done better at Whipsnade. And if the current management hadn't filled in the old lion/tiger pits, rather than simply replacing the outdated ironwork with a suitable mesh, the wolves could have gone into either. And it would have given the backdrop of Ivinghoe Beacon, surely helpful when talking about animals of 2500 years ago ?
