Best UK Indian Rhino enclosure

Best UK Indian Rhino enclosure?

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .
B

britishzoofan

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
This is just a bit of fun to judge the general consensus on the best enclosure for Indian Rhino's in the UK. I have added a few photos from the gallery to make it easier for members to compare the different exhibits. If anyone wants to make an argument for a particular enclosure, please feel free to do so. Also, I would encourage people to perhaps list the enclosures in order of what they determine to be the best.

West Midlands

full


Chester

full


Whipsnade

full

full


Edinburgh

full

full
 
Shorts said:
I love to hear the argument for Edinburgh's (shoehorned in) enclosure being the best in the UK ("nepotism" perhaps)?
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I voted for Edinburgh from a visitors viewpoint. The Rhino's can be viewed in both indoor houses throughout the day, and outdoors all day, guaranteeing you will see them. Also the enclosure offers an indoor heated pool, an outdoor pool and enough room (just) for 2 young males, which is all they will ever house there. Every Rhino they have had in that enclousure has been relaxed and at ease, even with large crowds being close by (especially at 2.15pm for the Penguin Parade) so I think it would be unfair to dismiss it out of hand simply because it's on the small side.
 
Quincey said:
I voted for Edinburgh from a visitors viewpoint. The Rhino's can be viewed in both indoor houses throughout the day, and outdoors all day, guaranteeing you will see them. Also the enclosure offers an indoor heated pool, an outdoor pool and enough room (just) for 2 young males, which is all they will ever house there. Every Rhino they have had in that enclousure has been relaxed and at ease, even with large crowds being close by (especially at 2.15pm for the Penguin Parade) so I think it would be unfair to dismiss it out of hand simply because it's on the small side.
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Whilst it's a part-reasonable argument, I'd still struggle to consider it anywhere near the best in the UK. You're guaranteed to see them at Whipsnade too (due to numbers held and indoor access), and the enclosures of the other three look spacious, aesthetically better and, above all, adequate. I think claiming it's "on the small side" is being a little disingenuous -it's woefully small (part of the reason good views are available) and I'm struggling to remember seeing a smaller rhino enclosure anywhere.

The litmus test for me is, "if you were building a new enclosure for the species would you use it as a model?" and the answer, for me, would always be "no" where Edinburgh's concerned -it's there due to necessity being the mother of invention (Edinburgh doing best with what they've got) not because it's great housing for rhinos.

I'll concede it's great for getting close to the animals but, for me, that's more than negated by the fact that there's always the potential chance to see youngsters at Whipsnade (especially) and Chester (can't remember if WMSP holds a "pair").

Happy to hear your logic but agree to differ.
 
I struggled on this one between Chester and Whipsnade. I choose Chester over Whipsnade overall - despite indoor viewing not available - as I think the exhibit works best for their animals and from a visitor point of view I find the Chester exhibit design (outdoor) that much more appealing with undulating terrain, a nice pool, slightly wooded and not completely open. Also, the fact they maintain Burma brow antlered deer and all with the rhino did it for us.

Taking breeding success in mind and time of operation, I kind of was left in the middle ... between Chester and Whipsnade (but then Chester only have 1.1 and Whipsnade 1.2). So, dividing that by time/no. Chester came out top too.
 
Shorts said:
Whilst it's a part-reasonable argument, I'd still struggle to consider it anywhere near the best in the UK. You're guaranteed to see them at Whipsnade too (due to numbers held and indoor access), and the enclosures of the other three look spacious, aesthetically better and, above all, adequate. I think claiming it's "on the small side" is being a little disingenuous -it's woefully small (part of the reason good views are available) and I'm struggling to remember seeing a smaller rhino enclosure anywhere.

The litmus test for me is, "if you were building a new enclosure for the species would you use it as a model?" and the answer, for me, would always be "no" where Edinburgh's concerned -it's there due to necessity being the mother of invention (Edinburgh doing best with what they've got) not because it's great housing for rhinos.

I'll concede it's great for getting close to the animals but, for me, that's more than negated by the fact that there's always the potential chance to see youngsters at Whipsnade (especially) and Chester (can't remember if WMSP holds a "pair").

Happy to hear your logic but agree to differ.
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FYI: WSMP hold 1.2.

Edinburgh: I am afraid you have - even - been too kind. I would sincerely hope that Edinburgh Zoo - given their lovely spacious park - could do so much better with their exhibit. It willl certainly be viewed like that too with the EEP given that in their long tradition now of exhibiting rhino the choice has never been to transfer cows to their facility (although justly speaking ..., WSMP have had 1.2 for a good time and not bred at all ... and I have yet to see a positive change in that perception). Hopefully, if the African savannah is done, they will look at their Primate House as well as the rhino facility to renovate, update or simply rebuild elsewhere in the park.
 
This is currently a two horse race with Whipsnade currently having a 5 vote lead over Chester. If Whipsnade does wrap up the win for Indian Rhinos and as it currently is for Asian Elephants it will signal the strength of that particular corner of the collection.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I struggled on this one between Chester and Whipsnade. I choose Chester over Whipsnade overall - despite indoor viewing not available - as I think the exhibit works best for their animals and from a visitor point of view I find the Chester exhibit design (outdoor) that much more appealing with undulating terrain, a nice pool, slightly wooded and not completely open. Also, the fact they maintain Burma brow antlered deer and all with the rhino did it for us.

Taking breeding success in mind and time of operation, I kind of was left in the middle ... between Chester and Whipsnade (but then Chester only have 1.1 and Whipsnade 1.2). So, dividing that by time/no. Chester came out top too.
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To be fair one of Whipsnade 's females is no longer able to breed and this has been the case since her last calf 5 plus years ago
 
pipaluk said:
To be fair one of Whipsnade 's females is no longer able to breed and this has been the case since her last calf 5 plus years ago
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I think the current calf at Whipsnade to the other female may also be the last one for some long time. Age of the females coupled with over-representation(?) may result in that situation.
 
Pertinax said:
I think the current calf at Whipsnade to the other female may also be the last one for some long time. Age of the females coupled with over-representation(?) may result in that situation.
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Slight suggestion: change half the female cows after this one with one individual cow at WSMP. Another workable alternative would be to move the Whipsnade bull to WMSP (yes, I know the current WMSP bull is his son).
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Slight suggestion: change half the female cows after this one with one individual cow at WSMP. Another workable alternative would be to move the Whipsnade bull to WMSP (yes, I know the current WMSP bull is his son).
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Not sure Rap the WMSP bull is the current Whipsnade bull's son? He was born in 2007, but I don't think the current bull was at Whipsnade then?
 
pipaluk said:
Not sure Rap the WMSP bull is the current Whipsnade bull's son? He was born in 2007, but I don't think the current bull was at Whipsnade then?
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Just checked back and yes, my bad: Rap was born end 2007 (sire Jaffna), new bull Hugo (at Whipsnade) arrived in 2008. For now though, Hugo IS a proven, if from an over-represented bloodline too.

Going into details: even Jaffna is from an over-represented bloodline (SD-WAP older breeding group ... part going back to the Basel line way back with a few other and even Indian zoos's additions).
 
Results are in. Congratulations to Whipsnade on winning the vote for Best UK Indian Rhino enclosure. They were run close by Chester who they beat by 5 votes in the end perhaps due to their more spacious exhibit and indoor viewing. This is now Whipsnade's second win after their success in the Asian Elephant category and once again a good performance by the consistently strong Chester who have so far been in the top two for every category they have participated in except Chimpanzees.

Whipsnade: 50%
Chester: 34.4%
WMSP: 9.4%
Edinburgh: 6.3%
 
britishzoofan said:
They were run close by Chester who they beat by 5 votes in the end perhaps due to their more spacious exhibit and indoor viewing.
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I agree that Whipsnade should have won here, largely on the overall size of their paddocks. The 'indoor viewing' is something of a misnomer as although the Rhinos of Nepal building was designed for this, due to design flaws, some of the rhinos are still kept in the old sheds and yards which are quite primitive. The mothers and calves are always kept here for safety I think and the new building has only a single holding yard at the back, another reason the old sheds are still used.
 
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