ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Animal Escapes.

I realise they could adapt but it's shocking that they'd manage to survive in the rough climate that is North Wales.
 
Thats the one! knew it began with A. There we have it - Welsh mountain zoo is home to britains rarest snake. conservation efforts are doing great ;)
 
Aescalapian snake, not too distantly related to native grass snake. Can only be considered Britain's rarest snake if you likewise consider Black rats the nation's most endangered mammal.

I too had heard about Crumple the elephant escaping, but it could have been through the rumour mill that is Zoo Chat! The 'escape' may not have been from the exhibit, rather she could have made a dash for it while being walked (although it would be difficult with leg chains). Escapes are not usually advertised by zoos, unless of course it is too difficult to hide the facts. I remember a lemur getting out of it's enclosure, and while there was a large crowd surrounding us while we recaptured it, nothing was leaked to the press. Just entertainment for the masses on the day...
 
A number of Aescalapian snakes are to be found living around the London Zoo Staff Socila Club in Regent's Park . Probably plenty of rats from the Regents Canal for them to feed on .
 
longleat sp's sealion laddie escaped in the 1980's she was on international news but was recaptured. i think she has since died though.:(
 
Bele said:
A number of Aescalapian snakes are to be found living around the London Zoo Staff Socila Club in Regent's Park . Probably plenty of rats from the Regents Canal for them to feed on .
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unfortunatly there are also a few people that have caught these Aescalapian snakes along the canal and sold them on as pets, apparently in the summer its quite easy to find them basking on patches of grass and rocks by the canal and ive also heard of people spotting them around the zoo itself.
stu
 
stubeanz said:
unfortunatly there are also a few people that have caught these Aescalapian snakes along the canal and sold them on as pets, apparently in the summer its quite easy to find them basking on patches of grass and rocks by the canal and ive also heard of people spotting them around the zoo itself.
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why "unfortunately" ?
 
I know of a chimp 'escape' at Dudley, the male cracked the glass and I believe could have exited but didn't, I'm not 100% sure of the details of the incident, just know it happened.
There's at least one wild white wallaby in Milton Keynes, it was suspected to be from Woburn where most of their wallabies are white but they deny it. There's a video on youtube but I'm at work and can't access it at the moment.
Heres an article - Wild Wallaby
I also am not aware of any bird of prey display that hasn't got an escape story, they're always flying off!
The red panda escape at Birmingham Nature Centre can be seen here - Panda Escape and the recapture here - Panda Recapture
 
Chlidonias said:
why "unfortunately" ?
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because even though they are an alien species, these are most probably at least 2 or 3 generations wild, and then taken away from this enviroment and sold into the pet trade for a little bit of money in someones pocket, which puts them in the same catagory as wild caught reptiles in my mind.
worth about £60 pounds so not exactly big money.
stu
 
I understand where you're coming from, but for me the only issues I have with wild-caught reptiles in the trade are the conservation ethic and their welfare during shipping, both of which are obviously huge issues. Neither of these is a problem when capturing introduced Aesaclapian snakes in London for the local hobbyists. Just as an aside, if these snakes were predating, for example, great crested newts...what would you be saying then?

Also your last statement presupposes a knowledge of the income level of the people capturing the snakes. You may not think £60 per snake is a lot of money but I suspect for many people it would be a very welcome addition to their income.
 
its a good debate to have, i think if they were predating on GCN's then a local reptile and amphibian group, may have to be called in to 'remove' them which would almost certainly mean euthanasia, just like alien american bulllfrog populations. if this was to happen i would prefer them to go into captivity if there was suitable keepers for them, but then again some people would say they are better off dead than in captivity:rolleyes: but i personaly think if they are born wild and not causing any problems then leave them be but if they start being detrimental to the habitat they are in then they are better off in captivity than dead.
i try not to keep wild caught animals but if they were going to be euthanasied, i would rather they go to experienced hobbyists.
hope this explains where im coming from.
stu
 
stubeanz said:
i try not to keep wild caught animals but if they were going to be euthanasied, i would rather they go to experienced hobbyists.
hope this explains where im coming from.
stu
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I totally agree with this statement, BUT, when random people are picking them up by the canal, surely they're more likely to end up with some bloke at the pub who has no clue what they're doing, rather than an experienced or at least well read hobbyist?
 
luckly it doesnt seem too well known and i just hope that the bloke at the pub doesnt find them lol
 
Back in the 90s Linton Zoo used to be regularly visited by an Eagle Owl which had presumably escaped from another (probably private) collection in the Cambridge area. The first time I saw it I ran down to the cafe and told the staff that one of their owls had escaped; the reply was that it wasn't theirs, was drawn their by the zoo's own Eagle Owls, and frequently made a nuisance of itself by trying to attack the owner's cats.
 
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