Just thought id give a quick review of Blackpool Zoo, which i visited on Thursday as part of a family visit to Blackpool. The main entrance building is very impressive in my opinion as is the zoo on the whole. Im not quite sure what i was expecting, there never seems to be much fuss about Blackpool on ZooCha but most reviews seemed to portray it quite nicely. And i was very suprised as to how good it was to be honest, probably one of the msot underrated and overlooked collections in the country.
The first animals visitors come across are the Giant Tortoises in a nice enough pen. There were 5 animals in total which included Darwin the possible Seychelles Tortoise. Next you pass the walk-through Dinasour thingy which we didnt bother with and the Arena for animal shows. Next animal wise are 2 moderatley sized islands for Pileated Gibbons and King Colobus with Goeldis Monkeys displayed in an indoor enclosure. At first i thought it was one island but apparantly not, still the islands look very nice, not sure what the deal is with the Goeldis though, are they there temporarily since it didnt appear as if they had an outdoor enclosure. The lake is also home to several Waterfowl including Black Swans and a Capybara.
Turning right and you have a large exhibit for Tree Porcupines which we didnt see. Continuing in this direction and theres the Bactrian Camel paddock, before arriving at the Elephant paddock. Rather small in size unfortunelty but the indoor quarteres seemed bigger. Also in here were the zoo's reptile collection including Yacare Caiman, Western Diamnondback Rattlesnake and Utilian Spiny Tailed Iguanas. I cant say i was a fan of this area of the zoo though, other than the three species i mentioned it wasnt a particulary interesting collection.
Much better however was the Amazonia walk through which was home to Squirrel Monkeys, White Faced Saki, Currasows, Conures, Black Necked Swans, Ibis and Parrots. A few other species were labelled but nowhere to be seen, though most were seen in other areas of the zoo instead. Outside there was an aviary for Green Winged Macaws, Red Fronted Macaws and Green Cheeked Amazon Parrots. It was a fantastic enclosure with just the right ballance for animal space and visitor satisfaction.
Next up were aviaries housing Kea in a very nice exhibit, Long Nosed Potoroos sharing one aviary with Corellas and another with Galahs and Durcops Cockatoos. Being a fan of Parrots and of the more stranger zoo species this was a favorite of mine. Next door is the Small Primate House. Not the best looking of buildings but most of the outdoor enclosures seemed to be as good as they could be. The indoor enclosure werent of such good quality though. The actual collection kept here was very impressive though, which consisted of Pileated Gibbons, De Brazza Monkeys, Red Titi Monkeys, King Colobus, Ring Tailed Lemurs, Pygmy Marmostes and more Squirrel Monkeys. Unfortunelty the Grey Mouse Lemurs didnt show themselves. Opposite is one of the two Australian paddocks, this one housing Emus, Agile Wallabies and Red Kangaroos in nicely sized paddock. Before entering the Children's Zoo there was also an exhibit housing Rainbow Lorikeets, more Potoroos and a very nice Ground Cuscus.
The Children's Zoo itself aswell as housing the obvious Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Pigs, Ducks, Donkeys and so on also housed a few interesting species including the zoos Aardvark in a nice enough exhibit, just a shame about the lack of an outdoor enclosure. There were also Prevost Squirrels who looked rather out of place and an aviary for Black Cheeked Lovebirds. I didnt spend much time here so i may have missed a few things.
Moving past the Monkey House and Cockatoo aviaries again, we turned to the Mountain Gazelle paddock. Rarely seen in the UK anymore, are they the only one's left now or does London still have 1? I was suprised to see how many Blackpool still have to be honest. The second Australian paddock is next housing Grey Kangaroos this time i think, though i may have confused the 2 Kangaroo species. The final paddock housed Vicuna and some lovely Markhor, two fantastic species. We turned back to view the walk-through Lemur enclosure after this which was again a very enjoyable experiance. Until this point i was never too much of a fan of walk through primate exhibits but i think i may have changed my mind now. Ring Tailed Lemurs and Red Bellied Lemurs. No sign of any Ruffed Lemurs though, which was a shame. Whilst the Red Bellies kept themselves at the back the Ring-Tailes were everywhere, clambaring on peoples backs and trying to get into bags and so on. Brilliant. There was also a view of the Flamingoes from in here.
Bongo's next, and despite being so common in UK collections they still remain a favorite of mine. Passing the Pelicans we turned to the Zebra and Ostrich paddock. The Ostriches were right at tha back, though we'd get a better view from the train later in the day. The Hartmans Zebras looked stunning though. Opposite were the Reindeer in a rather large paddock. I couldnt help but feel that the zoo was wasting large paddocks such as this one on species such as Reindeer and Llamas when there were so many other hoofstock that could be housed there. Red Pandas next in another fantastic exhibit. They were both up in the large tree but were still fairly active, i think i might prefer Blackpool's Panda enclosure to Chester's really, it seemed just a little bit better. Next door was an aviary housing Currasows, Turacos, Java Sparrows and Speckled Pigeons. Only saw the Currasow though in this rather badly placed aviary. The Silvery Marmosets on the other side of the Pandas looked brilliant though and were attracting quite a crowd, they also had acsess to the next door Agousi pen. From here there was also a much better view of the Flamingos and various Waterfowl. Also a nice island for Geoffreys Marmosetes and another for Cotton Topped Tamarins on another lake. Now we were moving on to the Sealions which were displayed in a very nice but rather old pool of good size. Opposite them were the newly arrived Penguins, their pool from what i saw was not of hugely great size but i suppose it was good enough for the number of Penguins present.
The Great Apes were next and on first impressions it didnt look too good judging from the indoor quarters, but the Gorillas obviosuly had a very nice outdoor area (though i didnt really spend too much time here since all the Gorillas were inside). Same for the Orangs just it didnt look quite so pretty, a fantastic outdoor enclosure when you think about it just it looks rather horrific.
Next we passed the monorail line for the Sitatunga paddock, a very large paddock at that though i coudnt get as close as i wanted due to the monorail line and the people eating their food. Next door are the Red River Hogs in a VERY muddy field and then more Capybara. Opposite these paddocks are various birds including Sacred Ibis, White Stork, African Spoonbill, Common Crane and various waterfowl. Muntjac were a no-show.
Passing a paddock hosuing Llamas and Rheas we arrived at an outdoor exhibti for Pygmy Marmosets and more Titi Monkeys (this zoo seems to have Titi Monkeys coming out of its ears) heading inside we found MORE Titi Monkeys, Dwarf Mongooses and indoor quarters for African Birds including Von Der Deckens Hornbills, Hamerkop, Speckled Pigeons and White Browed Coucal. Next to this are the Brazilian Tapirs sharing with Capybara (another species the zoo seemes rather overloaded with), a nicely sized paddock it must be said. Next to them are the Asian Small Clawed Otters and then a large aviary for Great Grey Owls.
Turning left are more primates, Black Howler Moneys displayed in a small chunk of woodland, a fantatsic display it must be said. Felt rather sorry for the Spider Monkeys opposite in their field. Indoor quarters for King Colobus and Gibbons also here. Suprisingly no Titi Monkeys or Capybaras in site.
Turning right from the Owls and you have the Carnivores House and a large enclosure for the zoo's Amur Tiger which was positioned right at the back. Heading indoors, there was the rather awful looking indoor quarterrs for the Cats but also Meerkats, though i wonder how happy they were living in the middle between Lions and Tigers. The Lions also had a very nicely sized paddock and teh cubs looked adorable.
Finally you have Giraffe Heights. Unfortunelty though the paddock is way too small for six Giraffes and should immidialty be expanded on to the Llama/Rhea paddock. Though it must be said you do get some great views of the fantatic animals.
So thats it. My review, if you can call calling everything nice and fairly nice a review. But anyway i enjoyed my visit and hopw to go back soon.
The first animals visitors come across are the Giant Tortoises in a nice enough pen. There were 5 animals in total which included Darwin the possible Seychelles Tortoise. Next you pass the walk-through Dinasour thingy which we didnt bother with and the Arena for animal shows. Next animal wise are 2 moderatley sized islands for Pileated Gibbons and King Colobus with Goeldis Monkeys displayed in an indoor enclosure. At first i thought it was one island but apparantly not, still the islands look very nice, not sure what the deal is with the Goeldis though, are they there temporarily since it didnt appear as if they had an outdoor enclosure. The lake is also home to several Waterfowl including Black Swans and a Capybara.
Turning right and you have a large exhibit for Tree Porcupines which we didnt see. Continuing in this direction and theres the Bactrian Camel paddock, before arriving at the Elephant paddock. Rather small in size unfortunelty but the indoor quarteres seemed bigger. Also in here were the zoo's reptile collection including Yacare Caiman, Western Diamnondback Rattlesnake and Utilian Spiny Tailed Iguanas. I cant say i was a fan of this area of the zoo though, other than the three species i mentioned it wasnt a particulary interesting collection.
Much better however was the Amazonia walk through which was home to Squirrel Monkeys, White Faced Saki, Currasows, Conures, Black Necked Swans, Ibis and Parrots. A few other species were labelled but nowhere to be seen, though most were seen in other areas of the zoo instead. Outside there was an aviary for Green Winged Macaws, Red Fronted Macaws and Green Cheeked Amazon Parrots. It was a fantastic enclosure with just the right ballance for animal space and visitor satisfaction.
Next up were aviaries housing Kea in a very nice exhibit, Long Nosed Potoroos sharing one aviary with Corellas and another with Galahs and Durcops Cockatoos. Being a fan of Parrots and of the more stranger zoo species this was a favorite of mine. Next door is the Small Primate House. Not the best looking of buildings but most of the outdoor enclosures seemed to be as good as they could be. The indoor enclosure werent of such good quality though. The actual collection kept here was very impressive though, which consisted of Pileated Gibbons, De Brazza Monkeys, Red Titi Monkeys, King Colobus, Ring Tailed Lemurs, Pygmy Marmostes and more Squirrel Monkeys. Unfortunelty the Grey Mouse Lemurs didnt show themselves. Opposite is one of the two Australian paddocks, this one housing Emus, Agile Wallabies and Red Kangaroos in nicely sized paddock. Before entering the Children's Zoo there was also an exhibit housing Rainbow Lorikeets, more Potoroos and a very nice Ground Cuscus.
The Children's Zoo itself aswell as housing the obvious Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Pigs, Ducks, Donkeys and so on also housed a few interesting species including the zoos Aardvark in a nice enough exhibit, just a shame about the lack of an outdoor enclosure. There were also Prevost Squirrels who looked rather out of place and an aviary for Black Cheeked Lovebirds. I didnt spend much time here so i may have missed a few things.
Moving past the Monkey House and Cockatoo aviaries again, we turned to the Mountain Gazelle paddock. Rarely seen in the UK anymore, are they the only one's left now or does London still have 1? I was suprised to see how many Blackpool still have to be honest. The second Australian paddock is next housing Grey Kangaroos this time i think, though i may have confused the 2 Kangaroo species. The final paddock housed Vicuna and some lovely Markhor, two fantastic species. We turned back to view the walk-through Lemur enclosure after this which was again a very enjoyable experiance. Until this point i was never too much of a fan of walk through primate exhibits but i think i may have changed my mind now. Ring Tailed Lemurs and Red Bellied Lemurs. No sign of any Ruffed Lemurs though, which was a shame. Whilst the Red Bellies kept themselves at the back the Ring-Tailes were everywhere, clambaring on peoples backs and trying to get into bags and so on. Brilliant. There was also a view of the Flamingoes from in here.
Bongo's next, and despite being so common in UK collections they still remain a favorite of mine. Passing the Pelicans we turned to the Zebra and Ostrich paddock. The Ostriches were right at tha back, though we'd get a better view from the train later in the day. The Hartmans Zebras looked stunning though. Opposite were the Reindeer in a rather large paddock. I couldnt help but feel that the zoo was wasting large paddocks such as this one on species such as Reindeer and Llamas when there were so many other hoofstock that could be housed there. Red Pandas next in another fantastic exhibit. They were both up in the large tree but were still fairly active, i think i might prefer Blackpool's Panda enclosure to Chester's really, it seemed just a little bit better. Next door was an aviary housing Currasows, Turacos, Java Sparrows and Speckled Pigeons. Only saw the Currasow though in this rather badly placed aviary. The Silvery Marmosets on the other side of the Pandas looked brilliant though and were attracting quite a crowd, they also had acsess to the next door Agousi pen. From here there was also a much better view of the Flamingos and various Waterfowl. Also a nice island for Geoffreys Marmosetes and another for Cotton Topped Tamarins on another lake. Now we were moving on to the Sealions which were displayed in a very nice but rather old pool of good size. Opposite them were the newly arrived Penguins, their pool from what i saw was not of hugely great size but i suppose it was good enough for the number of Penguins present.
The Great Apes were next and on first impressions it didnt look too good judging from the indoor quarters, but the Gorillas obviosuly had a very nice outdoor area (though i didnt really spend too much time here since all the Gorillas were inside). Same for the Orangs just it didnt look quite so pretty, a fantastic outdoor enclosure when you think about it just it looks rather horrific.
Next we passed the monorail line for the Sitatunga paddock, a very large paddock at that though i coudnt get as close as i wanted due to the monorail line and the people eating their food. Next door are the Red River Hogs in a VERY muddy field and then more Capybara. Opposite these paddocks are various birds including Sacred Ibis, White Stork, African Spoonbill, Common Crane and various waterfowl. Muntjac were a no-show.
Passing a paddock hosuing Llamas and Rheas we arrived at an outdoor exhibti for Pygmy Marmosets and more Titi Monkeys (this zoo seems to have Titi Monkeys coming out of its ears) heading inside we found MORE Titi Monkeys, Dwarf Mongooses and indoor quarters for African Birds including Von Der Deckens Hornbills, Hamerkop, Speckled Pigeons and White Browed Coucal. Next to this are the Brazilian Tapirs sharing with Capybara (another species the zoo seemes rather overloaded with), a nicely sized paddock it must be said. Next to them are the Asian Small Clawed Otters and then a large aviary for Great Grey Owls.
Turning left are more primates, Black Howler Moneys displayed in a small chunk of woodland, a fantatsic display it must be said. Felt rather sorry for the Spider Monkeys opposite in their field. Indoor quarters for King Colobus and Gibbons also here. Suprisingly no Titi Monkeys or Capybaras in site.
Turning right from the Owls and you have the Carnivores House and a large enclosure for the zoo's Amur Tiger which was positioned right at the back. Heading indoors, there was the rather awful looking indoor quarterrs for the Cats but also Meerkats, though i wonder how happy they were living in the middle between Lions and Tigers. The Lions also had a very nicely sized paddock and teh cubs looked adorable.
Finally you have Giraffe Heights. Unfortunelty though the paddock is way too small for six Giraffes and should immidialty be expanded on to the Llama/Rhea paddock. Though it must be said you do get some great views of the fantatic animals.
So thats it. My review, if you can call calling everything nice and fairly nice a review. But anyway i enjoyed my visit and hopw to go back soon.
