Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know what Bristol will do with their Livingstone fruit bats ?
Are these going to make the move to Wild place ?
Are these going to make the move to Wild place ?
Bristol Zoo (Closed) Bristol Zoo news 2021
- Thread starter Pootle
- Start date
While I haven't seen any confirmation of what will happen to them and plans are obviously subject to change, the original plans for the National Wildlife Conservation Park (which evolved into Wild Place) did include Livingstone's fruit bats as one of the species to be kept there.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Thanks @DesertRhino150!
I hope the original plan remains as it would be a crying shame to lose the species both for it's ex-situ Conservation and because they are part of the history of Bristol zoo.
Afterall Bristol were involved in the original captures in the Comorro islands and along with Jersey established the Livingstone fruit bat in captivity.
One of their keystone ambassador for conservation species. I sincerely hope management make them a WP priority.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Me too.
These are an iconic Bristol zoo species IMO.
In fact these are probably the animals I associate most closely with the Zoo.
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I think it is a fairly safe bet that one of the priority species will be gorillas. They are definitely an iconic species for Bristol zoo, but I don't think they were even in the NWCP plans, which should not now be taken too seriously given they were drawn up with the intention that Bristol remained open! Likewise I would suspect either Asian Lions or tigers will be in the early plans along with penguins, but I suspect not the fur seals (too expensive). I hope a Nocturnal house will be there before long though and the bats are moved too.
No, the gorillas weren't in the original plans as they were meant to complement the existing zoo as you implied. The current gorilla group will obviously move and I shall be interested to see what they build for them. Its an opportunity to do something really nice. The existing Gorilla Island is okay but I've always thought that the remodelled and later extended Elephant/Okapi interior was a bit of a mishmash, and very dark viewing wise.
The existing Lions should surely find a new home too at Wild Place(or whatever it will be called in future- Bristol Zoo?)- with finally some decent space. Possibly Tigers will come later? It would be good if a new nocturnal house is built, it remains to be seen maybe. Penguins are popular so bound to make the move but I agree the Fur seals are much less likely though for the cost of upkeep.
After visiting yesterday you can really tell there is a concerted effort to get the collection down. The nocturnal house features multiple duplicate enclosures and empty exhibits, the aquarium has had several tanks removed or boarded up, and big chunks of the site look desolate or are completely fenced off. There seems to be an air of "we know we're closing soon, let's just make do with what we've got and hope people still come". Yet again Bristol made for a quite depressing visit, and if I didn't have decent company then I think I'd have had a pretty lousy time. Unthinkable just a few short years ago. 
Wild Place* on the other hand was vibrant and a complete delight. The changes since my first (and only) visit in 2013 when it first opened are pretty impressive. Definitely one to watch... But (and it's a big but) we also overheard (regular) customers complaining that the animals were easier to see at Bristol Zoo, and they genuinely seemed annoyed. Food for thought there maybe?
*Thoughts to be posted in the Wild Place thread later or tomorrow, likewise some in the Whipsnade thread. Tonight there is football on, and I don't intend to do much typing until that final whistle blows!
Wild Place* on the other hand was vibrant and a complete delight. The changes since my first (and only) visit in 2013 when it first opened are pretty impressive. Definitely one to watch... But (and it's a big but) we also overheard (regular) customers complaining that the animals were easier to see at Bristol Zoo, and they genuinely seemed annoyed. Food for thought there maybe?
*Thoughts to be posted in the Wild Place thread later or tomorrow, likewise some in the Whipsnade thread. Tonight there is football on, and I don't intend to do much typing until that final whistle blows!
I don't intend to do much typing until that final whistle blows!
Correction - after your hangover passes
I'm one of those lucky people who does not get hangovers.Correction - after your hangover passes
Think I've had maybe four or five in the past twenty years, and only one of them in recent memory. Even they all passed after a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich... 
I don't really disagree, but I think you may be overstating the case a little. The nocturnal house has had 3 enclosures for aye-ayes for a couple of years now - and I am delighted to be able to see them again. The nursery area in the reptile house and the lemur walk-through are closed because of Coronavirus, but the animals are still there, although I don't know whether the same is true of the bird house or the butterflies. I think this is quite comparable to the situations in many other zoos at the moment.After visiting yesterday you can really tell there is a concerted effort to get the collection down. The nocturnal house features multiple duplicate enclosures and empty exhibits, the aquarium has had several tanks removed or boarded up, and big chunks of the site look desolate or are completely fenced off. There seems to be an air of "we know we're closing soon, let's just make do with what we've got and hope people still come". Yet again Bristol made for a quite depressing visit, and if I didn't have decent company then I think I'd have had a pretty lousy time. Unthinkable just a few short years ago.
The area formerly known as Zona Brasil has been fenced off for some time now, there were plans to redevelope it, but that obviously won't ever happen. The tree kangaroo exhibit has been a disappointment for years now and the empty pygmy hippo and otter exhibits inevitably foretell the future.
But there are still good things to see: the insect display is surely one of the best in the UK, the squirrel monkeys, golden and golden-headed lion tamarins look so well on their islands (although the goldens are not too easy to view) and a week ago I was lucky enough to get a clear view of the infant sloth and some nice photos of the Meller's ducks in the flamingo aviary. I admit that I am biased, but there is a new feature that really impresses me - the last big tank in the Aquarium now features some splendid Malagasy cichlids and their fry. I still expect to enjoy visiting Bristol while I can
A male Visayan hornbill chick has recently hatched at Bristol Zoo. It is tenth to have hatched there in the past five years.
More information can be found in the link below:
Endangered hornbill chick hatches | Bristol Zoo
More information can be found in the link below:
Endangered hornbill chick hatches | Bristol Zoo
Just to note there is a great review of the zoo by Darren Naish on Tetrapod Zoology.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I'll check it out.
Good to see Gorilla mum Kala taking an interest in her son Hasani now and looking after him together with Kera the surrogate mum. Hopefully that will take some pressure away from Kera and she stops pulling out her hair.
I think Kera will always pull her hair- she has done it all her time at Bristol. I think its more her social(handraised) position/relationship with the others that is responsible.
A few notes from today's visit:
The lighting in the nocturnal house has reached a new level of darkness, they may as well paint the glass black, I spent most of the time looking at a masked reflection of myself. Animal wise both the bettong and quoll have disappeared.
Birds in the bird house have been thinned out in both number and species, the crowned pigeons have gone.
Two new additions to the aquarium since my last visit are Paretroplus menarambo and Paretroplus kieneri, displayed the large former marine tank.
The lighting in the nocturnal house has reached a new level of darkness, they may as well paint the glass black, I spent most of the time looking at a masked reflection of myself. Animal wise both the bettong and quoll have disappeared.
Birds in the bird house have been thinned out in both number and species, the crowned pigeons have gone.
Two new additions to the aquarium since my last visit are Paretroplus menarambo and Paretroplus kieneri, displayed the large former marine tank.
It will be interesting to see what they move over, last time I looked no planning applications had been made for the wild place site. I believe they intend to sell off one of the car parks first, maybe this will give them some money to start developing the new site. I wonder whether animals will remain at the Bristol Zoo site after it has closed to the public, it would give them time to build accommodation for the animals that they intend to keep.