One person posted a reply to one of my photos asking for a trip report, so here it is.
Land in London, five hour train ride to Edinburgh, check into hotel just before midnight. Up early to get car rental - nice rainbow directly over Edinburgh Castle while walking to pick up car - drive to Highland Wildlife Park.
A nice misty day, overcast with off and on drizzles and some snow remaining on the distant hills. This is perfect photography weather and I am convinced this is a much better time to visit than summer. Drive through portion is not groundbreaking, but it has a nice selection of Eurasian species. This alone is worth it, because every other drive through I know of focuses on African species (or Asian and African mixed). Walk through area is pretty good and the hillside markhor exhibit is stunning. Hillside pallas cat exhibit is equally good. Forested enclosures for Scottish wildcat and pine marten are decent, but a bit of a challenge photographically. Wildcat feeding at 1:45 if you want to see them active. Polar bear exhibit is quite large and somewhat reminiscent of tundra. European beaver exhibit is nice (boardwalk over shallow pond), but the animals themselves are not seen.
Return car, overnight in Edinburgh, then bus to Edinburgh Zoo. Warm and sunny and the zoo is packed, because apparently (according to a local photographer) it is the first sunny day in months. Media are there to cover the anticipated panda breeding session. Very good collection of mammals, but the bird collection is sparse and the reptile collection is nonexistent. Unless I missed something (which is quite possible), I literally did not see one single reptile of any kind - shocking for a zoo of this size and history. But there are three separate golden cat enclosures, which is enough to keep me happy all day. The male is on cat row which is a mediocre exhibit, but the two females are in lush exhibits in a lower building and are worth the wait for them to show themselves. Panda exhibit is average (similar to ones I have seen in Memphis and San Diego), penguin exhibit is large but aesthetically boring. Daily penguin walk is bizarre and the penguins appear NOT to enjoy it and it seems like a cheap publicity stunt for an EAZA zoo to be involved with. Best exhibit by far is a massive savanna/forest exhibit on top of the hill for grevy zebra and lesser kudu and nyala, with a boardwalk over it and stunning views of the valley below.
Train to London for overnight and then morning train to Ashford. Expensive taxi ride to Wildlife Heritage Foundation for scheduled group photo workshop. A bit pricey, but worth it IMO if you want good cat photos. They have every species of big cat (including both black and yellow version of leopard and jaguar), plus a few small cats. Fifteen minute intro for our group of ten by the photo guide. Includes tips on photography and camera settings, although so much information is packed in that I doubt any novices could absorb most of it. (You get a followup email after the tour with many of these tips, which is a really nice touch). Before starting out, the guide asks if there are any of us who do NOT need photo help and myself and two others raise our hands. During the course of the day, he divides his time among the other seven participants and gives them very helpful suggestions and allows the three of us to just shoot away on our own. This is a really good way to run things and I think everyone was happy with the arrangement. While he is helping photographers the other guide throws meat to get the cats into position and then to walk towards the camera.
Another expensive taxi ride to Ashford to catch the evening Eurostar train through the Chunnel to Paris for overnight. Hotel two blocks from Notre Dame, chosen for some dusk shots of the cathedral above the Seine. Following morning short flight from Paris Orly to Sevilla, where I spend three nights. No good zoo, but it is a short train ride from Jerez de la Frontera, home of the new Iberian lynx exhibit. (The zoo on the outskirts of Sevilla, Mundo Park, looks dreadful based on their website and I would not visit a facility like that). Sevilla is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a great walking place, and I enjoy some nice architectural photography.
I do the one hour train ride from Sevilla to Jerez two days in a row, because when I get to Zoobotanico Jerez on the first day (a Monday), I find out the zoo is closed on Mondays! Zoo overall is very disappointing, lots of old concrete and steel cages and small dusty paddocks. The lynx exhibit, however, is pretty good and is the star attraction (there are promotional posters for it on the bus and in the train station). Viewing and photography is quite a challenge and I have to use my height to shoot over the uncovered upper portion of the fence. The two glass windows have too much glare and a rope prevents you from going right up to it. In the afternoon, two Spanish photographers (husband and wife I think) blatantly ignore the rope barriers and go right up to the glass and fence. They try to get me to do the same, saying as long as no staff are around it is ok, but I decline. Zoo collection is average, very small reptile building, a few antelope and giraffes, some chimps and monkeys, some birds and an outdoor bat cage. There is a row of raptor cages that seem to have a good variety (sorry, I do not have the species list). There are several wild white storks flying about the grounds. The only other good exhibit is dorcas gazelle and at one point they all start running quite fast - lots of fun. A pair of Arabian oryx nearby have a baby, but their paddock is too small for them to do any running.
Early morning flight back to Paris Orly then rental car straight to Le Parc Des Felins. I will spend three and a half days here (overnighting in nearby Fontenay Tresigny). A massive wild cat park with 26 distinct species of cats plus numerous subspecies. All in large enclosures, a few of which (lion, white tiger, cheetah) are massive and are measured in acres. Cubs include one persian leopard and two jaguars that are just under a year old, plus an Asian golden cat that is only two months old. My previous two trips to this park were in Fall, when the foliage was a bit more lush, but this Spring trip features yellow flowers in some of the exhibits. The first day is hot and sunny and the park is more crowded than I have ever seen, presumably due to nice weather. The second day is similar but with smaller crowds, then an overnight front rolls in and the third day is overcast and cold. This is actually more conducive to photography (no harsh sunlight) and the crowds are quite sparse. Lots of active cats, lots of good photos, but that is to be expected here and is nothing new. A new sand cat complex is quite nice, Asian lions are new (in former white tiger habitat), white tigers have a new massive exhibit plus a new (second) Sumatran tiger exhibit across from them, and there are additional golden cat exhibits. Bottom line, if you like cats you need to go here, period.
Back to Paris, Eurostar to Ashford, local train to Canterbury to overnight. A great town during the week I am sure, but I stay on a Saturday night and the streets are filled with nothing but groups of drunk college kids going from pub to pub. Next morning car rental to Howletts Wild Animal Park. I have been to the larger sister park Port Lympne on my two previous trips so I thought I would try the original park Howletts this time. Big mistake and I will never go back. Immediately upon entering I use my map and navigate the somewhat confusing pathways to an area labeled small cats on the map. All I see is a picnic area and a rope challenge course and a staff member informs me the printed map is out of date and the cages were demolished to install the challenge course. So I head to another area labeled pallas cat and ocelot, a bit of a confusing walk across the park. When I get there I find chain link cages set at least twenty feet back from the guardrail, making photography impossible. On my walk between the rope course and here - quite a long walk - I see nothing of interest along the way. I have been here one hour and I am so disgusted I almost decide to leave and demand my money back and try to head to Port Lympne to salvage the day.
But I am here now, I will likely never be here again, so I may as well stick it out and see the rest of the park. Next up are the Iberian wolves and here is where things take a turn for the better. I had seen one on my last trip at Port Lympne (apparently they are not there anymore), but it was resting against a fence and I hope for better photos. This is the most beautiful of all the gray wolf subspecies IMO and there are none in the United States. They are hiding in the back of their spacious forested exhibit, but then start running around and hiding again and I spend about half an hour watching and photographing them. Moving on, near the cafe are a pair of exhibits for African wildcat and ocelot, in which the guardrail is close enough for photos. Unfortunately they are sleeping by the fence, so no photos today. A new European lynx exhibit is quite large and has yellow flowers in bloom and I spend quite a bit of time watching the pair. Back near the exit in the afternoon, the African wild dogs and dholes are active and have nice large enclosures. This upper section of the park is the nicest and if I had gone here first thing in the morning I may have had a better impression of the park. Just as I am about to exit, a keeper feeds the fishing cats, which have the best small cat exhibit here and I end the day on a high note with a fishing cat in the reeds eating a fish.
I leave around 3pm and drive to Dover where I have a nice hotel under the castle and right on the beach. After some dusk shots from the pier (freezing in the cold wind, even with gloves and jackets), I retire for the night, return the car the next morning in Canterbury, then train to London for flight home. A fantastic trip overall and part of the purpose was to scope out places for possible wild cat photo tours I hope to start leading next year. The anticipated lineup will be Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Port Lympne, Le Parc Des Felins, Zoo Zurich (for snow leopard). I was going to do Zoo Zurich this trip before I found out about the new Iberian lynx exhibit and replaced Zurich with Sevilla. However, the lynx exhibit is not photo friendly enough to take people to and the average photographer would be more interested in snow leopards anyway.
To those of you who had the stamina to read this entire report, thanks for listening.
Land in London, five hour train ride to Edinburgh, check into hotel just before midnight. Up early to get car rental - nice rainbow directly over Edinburgh Castle while walking to pick up car - drive to Highland Wildlife Park.
A nice misty day, overcast with off and on drizzles and some snow remaining on the distant hills. This is perfect photography weather and I am convinced this is a much better time to visit than summer. Drive through portion is not groundbreaking, but it has a nice selection of Eurasian species. This alone is worth it, because every other drive through I know of focuses on African species (or Asian and African mixed). Walk through area is pretty good and the hillside markhor exhibit is stunning. Hillside pallas cat exhibit is equally good. Forested enclosures for Scottish wildcat and pine marten are decent, but a bit of a challenge photographically. Wildcat feeding at 1:45 if you want to see them active. Polar bear exhibit is quite large and somewhat reminiscent of tundra. European beaver exhibit is nice (boardwalk over shallow pond), but the animals themselves are not seen.
Return car, overnight in Edinburgh, then bus to Edinburgh Zoo. Warm and sunny and the zoo is packed, because apparently (according to a local photographer) it is the first sunny day in months. Media are there to cover the anticipated panda breeding session. Very good collection of mammals, but the bird collection is sparse and the reptile collection is nonexistent. Unless I missed something (which is quite possible), I literally did not see one single reptile of any kind - shocking for a zoo of this size and history. But there are three separate golden cat enclosures, which is enough to keep me happy all day. The male is on cat row which is a mediocre exhibit, but the two females are in lush exhibits in a lower building and are worth the wait for them to show themselves. Panda exhibit is average (similar to ones I have seen in Memphis and San Diego), penguin exhibit is large but aesthetically boring. Daily penguin walk is bizarre and the penguins appear NOT to enjoy it and it seems like a cheap publicity stunt for an EAZA zoo to be involved with. Best exhibit by far is a massive savanna/forest exhibit on top of the hill for grevy zebra and lesser kudu and nyala, with a boardwalk over it and stunning views of the valley below.
Train to London for overnight and then morning train to Ashford. Expensive taxi ride to Wildlife Heritage Foundation for scheduled group photo workshop. A bit pricey, but worth it IMO if you want good cat photos. They have every species of big cat (including both black and yellow version of leopard and jaguar), plus a few small cats. Fifteen minute intro for our group of ten by the photo guide. Includes tips on photography and camera settings, although so much information is packed in that I doubt any novices could absorb most of it. (You get a followup email after the tour with many of these tips, which is a really nice touch). Before starting out, the guide asks if there are any of us who do NOT need photo help and myself and two others raise our hands. During the course of the day, he divides his time among the other seven participants and gives them very helpful suggestions and allows the three of us to just shoot away on our own. This is a really good way to run things and I think everyone was happy with the arrangement. While he is helping photographers the other guide throws meat to get the cats into position and then to walk towards the camera.
Another expensive taxi ride to Ashford to catch the evening Eurostar train through the Chunnel to Paris for overnight. Hotel two blocks from Notre Dame, chosen for some dusk shots of the cathedral above the Seine. Following morning short flight from Paris Orly to Sevilla, where I spend three nights. No good zoo, but it is a short train ride from Jerez de la Frontera, home of the new Iberian lynx exhibit. (The zoo on the outskirts of Sevilla, Mundo Park, looks dreadful based on their website and I would not visit a facility like that). Sevilla is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a great walking place, and I enjoy some nice architectural photography.
I do the one hour train ride from Sevilla to Jerez two days in a row, because when I get to Zoobotanico Jerez on the first day (a Monday), I find out the zoo is closed on Mondays! Zoo overall is very disappointing, lots of old concrete and steel cages and small dusty paddocks. The lynx exhibit, however, is pretty good and is the star attraction (there are promotional posters for it on the bus and in the train station). Viewing and photography is quite a challenge and I have to use my height to shoot over the uncovered upper portion of the fence. The two glass windows have too much glare and a rope prevents you from going right up to it. In the afternoon, two Spanish photographers (husband and wife I think) blatantly ignore the rope barriers and go right up to the glass and fence. They try to get me to do the same, saying as long as no staff are around it is ok, but I decline. Zoo collection is average, very small reptile building, a few antelope and giraffes, some chimps and monkeys, some birds and an outdoor bat cage. There is a row of raptor cages that seem to have a good variety (sorry, I do not have the species list). There are several wild white storks flying about the grounds. The only other good exhibit is dorcas gazelle and at one point they all start running quite fast - lots of fun. A pair of Arabian oryx nearby have a baby, but their paddock is too small for them to do any running.
Early morning flight back to Paris Orly then rental car straight to Le Parc Des Felins. I will spend three and a half days here (overnighting in nearby Fontenay Tresigny). A massive wild cat park with 26 distinct species of cats plus numerous subspecies. All in large enclosures, a few of which (lion, white tiger, cheetah) are massive and are measured in acres. Cubs include one persian leopard and two jaguars that are just under a year old, plus an Asian golden cat that is only two months old. My previous two trips to this park were in Fall, when the foliage was a bit more lush, but this Spring trip features yellow flowers in some of the exhibits. The first day is hot and sunny and the park is more crowded than I have ever seen, presumably due to nice weather. The second day is similar but with smaller crowds, then an overnight front rolls in and the third day is overcast and cold. This is actually more conducive to photography (no harsh sunlight) and the crowds are quite sparse. Lots of active cats, lots of good photos, but that is to be expected here and is nothing new. A new sand cat complex is quite nice, Asian lions are new (in former white tiger habitat), white tigers have a new massive exhibit plus a new (second) Sumatran tiger exhibit across from them, and there are additional golden cat exhibits. Bottom line, if you like cats you need to go here, period.
Back to Paris, Eurostar to Ashford, local train to Canterbury to overnight. A great town during the week I am sure, but I stay on a Saturday night and the streets are filled with nothing but groups of drunk college kids going from pub to pub. Next morning car rental to Howletts Wild Animal Park. I have been to the larger sister park Port Lympne on my two previous trips so I thought I would try the original park Howletts this time. Big mistake and I will never go back. Immediately upon entering I use my map and navigate the somewhat confusing pathways to an area labeled small cats on the map. All I see is a picnic area and a rope challenge course and a staff member informs me the printed map is out of date and the cages were demolished to install the challenge course. So I head to another area labeled pallas cat and ocelot, a bit of a confusing walk across the park. When I get there I find chain link cages set at least twenty feet back from the guardrail, making photography impossible. On my walk between the rope course and here - quite a long walk - I see nothing of interest along the way. I have been here one hour and I am so disgusted I almost decide to leave and demand my money back and try to head to Port Lympne to salvage the day.
But I am here now, I will likely never be here again, so I may as well stick it out and see the rest of the park. Next up are the Iberian wolves and here is where things take a turn for the better. I had seen one on my last trip at Port Lympne (apparently they are not there anymore), but it was resting against a fence and I hope for better photos. This is the most beautiful of all the gray wolf subspecies IMO and there are none in the United States. They are hiding in the back of their spacious forested exhibit, but then start running around and hiding again and I spend about half an hour watching and photographing them. Moving on, near the cafe are a pair of exhibits for African wildcat and ocelot, in which the guardrail is close enough for photos. Unfortunately they are sleeping by the fence, so no photos today. A new European lynx exhibit is quite large and has yellow flowers in bloom and I spend quite a bit of time watching the pair. Back near the exit in the afternoon, the African wild dogs and dholes are active and have nice large enclosures. This upper section of the park is the nicest and if I had gone here first thing in the morning I may have had a better impression of the park. Just as I am about to exit, a keeper feeds the fishing cats, which have the best small cat exhibit here and I end the day on a high note with a fishing cat in the reeds eating a fish.
I leave around 3pm and drive to Dover where I have a nice hotel under the castle and right on the beach. After some dusk shots from the pier (freezing in the cold wind, even with gloves and jackets), I retire for the night, return the car the next morning in Canterbury, then train to London for flight home. A fantastic trip overall and part of the purpose was to scope out places for possible wild cat photo tours I hope to start leading next year. The anticipated lineup will be Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Port Lympne, Le Parc Des Felins, Zoo Zurich (for snow leopard). I was going to do Zoo Zurich this trip before I found out about the new Iberian lynx exhibit and replaced Zurich with Sevilla. However, the lynx exhibit is not photo friendly enough to take people to and the average photographer would be more interested in snow leopards anyway.
To those of you who had the stamina to read this entire report, thanks for listening.
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