Was it in the awfully small and 'pokey' cages that also held London's Spectacled Bears for a time- between the Penguins and the Brown Bears near the road- or somewhere else?
I am not sure I remember exactly, but if my memory is correct there were a number of cages housing cheetahs to the right of the road as you entered the zoo around where the Lynx and Boar are now, set back nearer the perimeter fence. I will try to find out more if I can but it was about 25-30 years ago.
I am not sure I remember exactly, but if my memory is correct there were a number of cages housing cheetahs to the right of the road as you entered the zoo around where the Lynx and Boar are now, set back nearer the perimeter fence. I will try to find out more if I can but it was about 25-30 years ago.
I haven't been since the European mammals display was done, but yes, Cheetahs used to be where (i think) the Lynx now are near the Entrance.
But Jaguars couldn't have been in there. My guess is this was taken either in the small cages I mentioned above, which were hidden away in the wooded area close to the main road outside the zoo, or between the old Lion and Tiger pits where there was a covered cage that once held Leopards.
A London Zoo guide book I have from 1980 has some information on Whipsnade and includes a picture of jaguars in a brick-backed mesh enclosure with a small arched door in the brickwork, looks like the enclosure above.
I thought it odd that Whipsnade would have an enclosure like that and even stranger that they would use a picture of it in a section of the London Zoo guidebook showcasing Whipsnade as 'a scene of rolling parkland where herds of animals wander in spacious paddocks'.
I also looked at an old Whipsnade map which has 'small cats' labled by the brown bears.
In the '70s and early '80s there was a path that went along the other long side of the brown bears (closer to the road down the hill) which had cheetah pens on the right after you passed the bears (some of which were set back from the path in an area of small conifers (which will be big conifers by now). There were other cat pens on the left hand side, the largest one held jaguars; I remember it as being fairly large in area but with quite a low roof. I think it had a brick shelter. The final cage on the right, just a short way from the penguins, was for a pair of spectacled bears - it was horribly small.
There were other cat pens on the left hand side, the largest one held jaguars; I remember it as being fairly large in area but with quite a low roof. I think it had a brick shelter. The final cage on the right, just a short way from the penguins, was for a pair of spectacled bears - it was horribly small.
Despite many visits over the years, I don't remember the Jaguars or other cats here. But I certainly do remember the Spectacled Bears-principally because they were the only pair in Britain at the time apart from Jersey's yet they had the most abysmal enclosure to live in. I think despite that, they bred regularly but never successfully. The female 'Nina' eventually died leaving the single male bear 'Spencer' was then sent to Jersey, but he did not breed there.
